TANNER. Of course I am going to her. She wants help; she wants money; she wants respect and congratulation. She wants every chance for her child. She does not seem likely to get it from you: she shall from me. Where is she? ANN. Don't be so headstrong, Jack. She's upstairs. TANNER. What! Under Ramsden's sacred roof! Go and do your miserable duty, Ramsden. Hunt her out into the street. Cleanse your threshold from her contamination. Vindicate the purity of your English home. I'll go for a cab. ANN. [alarmed] Oh, Granny, you mustn't do that. OCTAVIUS. [broken-heartedly, rising] I'll take her away, Mr Ramsden. She had no right to come to your house. RAMSDEN. [indignantly] But I am only too anxious to help her. [turning on Tanner] How dare you, sir, impute such monstrous intentions to me? I protest against it. I am ready to put down my last penny to save her from being driven to run to you for protection. TANNER. [subsiding] It's all right, then. He's not going to act up to his principles. It's agreed that we all stand by Violet. OCTAVIUS. But who is the man? He can make reparation by marrying her; and he shall, or he shall answer for it to me. RAMSDEN. He shall, Octavius. There you speak like a man. TANNER. Then you don't think him a scoundrel, after all? OCTAVIUS. Not a scoundrel! He is a heartless scoundrel. RAMSDEN. A damned scoundrel. I beg your pardon, Annie; but I can say no less. TANNER. So we are to marry your sister to a damned scoundrel by way of reforming her character! On my soul, I think you are all mad. ANN. Don't be absurd, Jack. Of course you are quite right, Tavy; but we don't know who he is: Violet won't tell us. TANNER. What on earth does it matter who he is? He's done his part; and Violet must do the rest. RAMSDEN. [beside himself] Stuff! lunacy! There is a rascal in our midst, a libertine, a villain worse than a murderer; and we are not to learn who he is! In our ignorance we are to shake him by the hand; to introduce him into our homes; to trust our daughters with him; to--to-- ANN. [coaxingly] There, Granny, don't talk so loud. It's most shocking: we must all admit that; but if Violet won't tell us, what can we do? Nothing. Simply nothing. RAMSDEN. Hmph! I'm not so sure of that. If any man has paid Violet any special attention, we can easily find that out. If there is any man of notoriously loose principles among us-- TANNER. Ahem! RAMSDEN. [raising his voice] Yes sir, I repeat, if there is any man of notoriously loose principles among us-- TANNER. Or any man notoriously lacking in self-control. RAMSDEN. [aghast] Do you dare to suggest that I am capable of such an act?