AUDR. I'm not well to-night. I oughtn't to have come here. Milly--I never forget anybody. If I had once loved you I should love you for ever. If you were wicked, or unfortunate, or unfaithful, it would make no difference to me. Kiss me, Milly--say you believe me. MILLY. You know I do, darling. AUDR. (_very passionately_). I can be constant, Milly--I can! Constant in my friendship, constant in my love! Oh, Milly, I'm the most wretched woman in the world! MILLY. You're hysterical, dear. AUDR. No, I'm forsaken. Nobody loves me! (_Sobbing. Gesture from MICHAEL._) MILLY. Poor Audrie! AUDR. Let me be a few minutes by myself. I want to be quite alone. Go home and wait for me there. MILLY. I don't like leaving you. AUDR. (_getting her off at transept_). Yes--go, dear. I shall be better soon. Do leave me. MILLY. You won't be long? AUDR. No--I'll come soon. (_Accompanying her along transept. Exit MILLY by transept. AUDRIE stands listening. MICHAEL comes forward a step or two._) AUDR. (_in the transept_). Are you there? (_He comes forward; she goes towards him; they stand for a moment or two looking at each other._) AUDR. Are you deaf? I thought it was only your memory that was gone. MICH. Why have you come here? AUDR. Mayn't I come into my own church? And such a sinner as I am? MICH. Forgive me. You know how welcome I would make you--if I dared. AUDR. Then you don't dare? Then I'm not welcome? MICH. (_troubled_). Yes! Yes! Very welcome! The Church owes much to you. AUDR. I think she does, for she has robbed me of your love. Why have you sent back all my letters unopened? MICH. Can't you guess what it cost me to return them? (_Pause._) What have you been doing all this last year? AUDR. Doing? Eating my heart. Racing through my life to get to the end of it. Skipping and chattering from Hyde Park Corner to the Inferno by a new short cut. What have you been doing? MICH. Trying to repent and to forget. AUDR. Ah, well--I haven't been wasting my time quite so foolishly as you after all. MICH. Will you never be serious? AUDR. Yes--soon. MICH. You've been ill? AUDR. Oh, my dear spiritual doctor, you don't know how ill I've been. I get up every morning without hope, I drag through the day without hope, I go to this thing and that, to this party, to that reception, to the theatre, to church, to a pigeon-shooting match, to the park, to Ascot, to Henley--here, there, everywhere, all without hope. MICH. What is it you want? AUDR. I want to live again! I've never lived but those few months when we were learning to love each other! I want to feel that fierce breeze on my cheek that blew us together! Do you remember when we stood on the cliff hand in hand? And we shrieked and laughed down the wind like mad children? Do you remember? MICH. No. AUDR. No? Nor the wonderful pale sunrise, with the lemon and green lakes of light, and then the path of diamonds all across the sea? Don't you remember? MICH. No.