PENDLETON. Oh! don't mind me, ma'am. I'm all right. LEONARD. And Mrs. Pendleton's all right, I'm sure. She's got her eye on us. Of course, you know, Mrs. Pendleton, that Mary and I are--well--we're rather on show here. This is a social experiment. Now, why not go deeper into it? Mary's manners are quite nice. Anybody can see that. The housemaid's manners are always better than those of the daughter of the house. Now, father, keep quiet. My manners are what they always have been. You see my point is that the question whether we shall behave nicely on pleasant little family occasions isn't interesting. If you are really interested in Mary and me let's try to go a little deeper into things. TIMBRELL. Perfect rubbish! LEONARD. It's your weak point, sir. If I haven't pointed it out before I ought to have done--you will meet everything with exclamations and interjections. Conversation can't be carried on like that. There must be some reasonable way of looking at me. I may be an extraordinary specimen, but you ought to get used to me. PENDLETON. Never mind, Leonard, my boy, I was a bit eccentric myself when I was young. I wanted to go on the stage. LEONARD. I never wanted to go on the stage. I'm ready if they'll give me Harry Lauder's salary. PENDLETON. Do you know what my old father did? He gave me a good hiding and I've been all the better for it. LEONARD. How do you know? PENDLETON. [_With a shrug that is half exhibition._] Well-- LEONARD. I can hardly blame fathers. They are in an impossible position. They pretend to teach and they ought to learn. TIMBRELL. Who makes the position impossible? You and Edgar were treated alike--up to a certain point. I never allowed any favouritism; what one got the other got. There was never the slightest difference-- LEONARD. But why should you treat us alike when we were totally different? TIMBRELL. Up to a point, I said. LEONARD. [_Surveying his brother._] And this is the success. I might have been like this if I'd tried. TIMBRELL. I was always ready to take a reasonable and a liberal point of view. LEONARD. Ah! You Liberals. It's feeling that you're so jolly liberal that confirms you in your wickedness. TIMBRELL. Wickedness! LEONARD. A rhetorical term of course. TIMBRELL. [_With real dejection._] I do my best but I can't understand your language. You puzzle me, my boy. LEONARD. Don't mind me, sir. I'm a rotter. MRS. TIMBRELL. You want your dinner, Leonard. LEONARD. Well, well, little mother. I'd like to know what you think about it all. MRS. TIMBRELL. He's a wild boy, Mary. MARY. He can be very sensible if he likes. LEONARD. Don't deny me my wildness. Don't make me out a sham. MRS. TIMBRELL. Wild, wild. LEONARD. And where does it come from? How do I get it? Mr. Pendleton, who are the wild people here? PENDLETON. Nay, my boy. I'm not up to your tricks and turns. LEONARD. I'll tell you. Mary and my mother--they're very much alike. TIMBRELL. I think we'll leave this subject.