OLIVIA (_pointedly_). You and Mrs. Telworthy! (_Moves slowly round back of settee_ L.) (GEORGE _moves to centre_.) GEORGE (_nonplussed_). Oh--er--yes--yes--perhaps I'd better stay at my Club--yes! It will be a bit awkward at first. (_With a sigh of relief_.) However, nobody need know, and how much better than what we feared! (OLIVIA _comes down to below settee_ L.) GEORGE (_advancing to embrace her_). Olivia! Olivia! (_She repulses him and he crosses to her_ L.) OLIVIA. Mrs. Telworthy! GEORGE. Yes--yes, I know, but why do you keep on saying it? What's the matter with you? You're so strange to-day. You're not like the Olivia I know. OLIVIA (_sits on settee to_ R.). Perhaps you don't know me so very well, after all. GEORGE (_sitting--affectionately to her_ L.). Oh, that's nonsense--old girl. You're just my Olivia. Now we can get married again quietly and nobody will be any the worse. OLIVIA. Married again! Oh, I see, you want me to marry you at a registry office to-morrow? GEORGE. If we can arrange it by then. (_Rising and crossing below_ OLIVIA _to centre_.) I don't know how long these things take, but I should imagine there would be no difficulty. OLIVIA. Oh, no, I think that part of it ought to be quite _easy_. But-- (_She hesitates_.) GEORGE. But what? OLIVIA. Well, if you want to marry me to-morrow, George, oughtn't you to propose to me first? GEORGE (_amazed_). Propose? OLIVIA. Yes. It is usual, isn't it, to propose to a person before you marry her? And--and we want to do the usual thing, don't we? GEORGE (_upset_). But you--I mean we-- OLIVIA. You are George Marden, I am Olivia Telworthy, you are attracted by me and think I would make you a good wife, and you want to marry me-- very well, then, naturally you propose to me first. GEORGE (_falling into the humour of it, as he thinks, and with a hearty laugh moves to below stool_ L.C.). The baby! Did she want to be proposed to all over again? OLIVIA (_coyly_). Well, she did rather. GEORGE (_rather fancying himself as an actor, he adopts what he considers to be an appropriate attitude_). She shall then. Er--ah, Mrs. Telworthy, I have long admired you in silence, and the time has now come to put my admiration into words (_but apparently he finds a difficulty_)--er--er-- OLIVIA (_looking up at him quizzically and prompting him into words; repeating_). I--I--(_Looking down coyly_.) Oh, Mr. Marden! (GEORGE _roars with laughter and crosses to centre_.) GEORGE (_returning to her_). Olivia--er--may I call you Olivia? OLIVIA. Yes, George. (OLIVIA _puts out her hand and_ GEORGE _notices it_.) GEORGE. I beg your pardon! Oh, I see. (_Taking her hand in his he gives it a good slap and she winces_.) Olivia, I--(_Hesitates_.) OLIVIA. I don't want to interrupt, but oughtn't you to be on your knees? It is--usual, I believe. GEORGE. Really, Olivia, you must allow me to manage my own proposal in my own way. OLIVIA (_meekly--and resuming her coyness_). I'm sorry. Do go on.