BENTLEY. Flamboyant. Lets go and meet him. Hes telephoned from Guildford to say hes on the road. The dear old son is always telephoning or telegraphing: he thinks hes hustling along like anything when hes only sending unnecessary messages. LORD SUMMERHAYS. Thank you: I should prefer a quiet afternoon. BENTLEY. Right O. I shant press Johnny: hes had enough of me for one week-end. _[He goes out through the pavilion into the grounds]._ JOHNNY. Not a bad idea, that. LORD SUMMERHAYS. What? JOHNNY. Going to meet the Governor. You know you wouldnt think it; but the Governor likes Bunny rather. And Bunny is cultivating it. I shouldnt be surprised if he thought he could squeeze me out one of these days. LORD SUMMERHAYS. You dont say so! Young rascal! I want to consult you about him, if you dont mind. Shall we stroll over to the Gibbet? Bentley is too fast for me as a walking companion; but I should like a short turn. JOHNNY. _[rising eagerly, highly flattered]_ Right you are. Thatll suit me down to the ground. _[He takes a Panama and stick from the hat stand]._ _Mrs Tarleton and Hypatia come back just as the two men are going out. Hypatia salutes Summerhays from a distance with an enigmatic lift of her eyelids in his direction and a demure nod before she sits down at the worktable and busies herself with her needle. Mrs Tarleton, hospitably fussy, goes over to him._ MRS TARLETON. Oh, Lord Summerhays, I didnt know you were here. Wont you have some tea? LORD SUMMERHAYS. No, thank you: I'm not allowed tea. And I'm ashamed to say Ive knocked over your beautiful punch-bowl. You must let me replace it. MRS TARLETON. Oh, it doesnt matter: I'm only too glad to be rid of it. The shopman told me it was in the best taste; but when my poor old nurse Martha got cataract, Bunny said it was a merciful provision of Nature to prevent her seeing our china. LORD SUMMERHAYS. _[gravely]_ That was exceedingly rude of Bentley, Mrs Tarleton. I hope you told him so. MRS TARLETON. Oh, bless you! I dont care what he says; so long as he says it to me and not before visitors. JOHNNY. We're going out for a stroll, mother. MRS TARLETON. All right: dont let us keep you. Never mind about that crock: I'll get the girl to come and take the pieces away. _[Recollecting herself]_ There! Ive done it again! JOHNNY. Done what? MRS TARLETON. Called her the girl. You know, Lord Summerhays, its a funny thing; but now I'm getting old, I'm dropping back into all the ways John and I had when we had barely a hundred a year. You should have known me when I was forty! I talked like a duchess; and if Johnny or Hypatia let slip a word that was like old times, I was down on them like anything. And now I'm beginning to do it myself at every turn. LORD SUMMERHAYS. There comes a time when all that seems to matter so little. Even queens drop the mask when they reach our time of life.