No, no--Watson has left me for a few hours. I am speaking of Sophy. [_There is a brief silence._ QUEX, _surprised in the act of drinking, lowers his glass slowly._ QUEX. [_In a queer voice._] Sophy? DUCHESS. Miss Fullgarney, the manicurist. She was so good as to offer to take Watson's place for to-night. QUEX. [_Looking steadily before him._] Oh? [_There is another pause. The_ DUCHESS _puts down her glass and, with her foot, pushes the footstool towards_ QUEX. DUCHESS. [_Sliding from her chair on to the footstool._] Oh, Harry, the bitterness of this final meeting! the dull agony of it! [_He gets rid of his tumbler and touches her arm._ QUEX. [_Quietly._] Duchess-- DUCHESS. [_Surprised._] Eh? QUEX. I am sorry to alarm you, but this girl--Miss Eden's foster-sister-- DUCHESS. What about her? QUEX. She's a cat. DUCHESS. Cat! QUEX. [_Gathering his ideas as he proceeds._] A common hussy, not above playing tricks--spying-- DUCHESS. Spying! QUEX. I caught her behind the hedge this evening, in the Italian garden, after you and I had been talking together. DUCHESS. Behind the hedge! QUEX. She had previously done her best to make an ass of me, while you were dressing for dinner--! [_Looking towards the passage-door._] Where do you say her room is? DUCHESS. At the end of that passage. [_They rise together, with very little movement._] Oh, but she is in bed, and asleep! QUEX. _Is_ she? DUCHESS. Harry! QUEX. Wait--! [_He goes to the door, and examines the key-hole. Then he turns to the_ DUCHESS _and beckons to her. She joins him. He says, in a whisper, pointing to the key-hole._] Do you notice--? DUCHESS. What? QUEX. The key is in the lock horizontally. DUCHESS. She may have been peeping at us? [_He nods. She is sick at the thought._] How inexcusably careless of me! QUEX. [_At her elbow._] Listen. I'll keep out of sight. Open the door boldly and walk along the passage. See if there is any sign of movement-- DUCHESS. Yes, yes. [_Steadying herself._] Perhaps we are disturbing ourselves unnecessarily. QUEX. [_Nodding reassuringly._] Perhaps so. [_He draws back into the bedroom, but so that he can put his head out at the opening, and watch the_ DUCHESS'S _proceedings. She goes to the door and lays her hand upon the key._ DUCHESS. [_Faltering._] Oh! oh, great heavens! QUEX. [_Encouragingly._] It's all right--it's all right. Very likely I am mistaken. Now! [_The_ DUCHESS _opens the door suddenly, and_ SOPHY, _who is kneeling at the key-hole, lurches forward._ DUCHESS. Ah! [SOPHY, _enveloped in the Mandarin's robe, gathers herself up and, without a word, flies away along the passage. The_ DUCHESS _shuts the door and walks unsteadily to the settee._ QUEX _comes down, his mouth set hard._ QUEX. I was sure of it. DUCHESS. [_Aghast._] What will she do? will she tell? QUEX. Yes--she'll tell. DUCHESS. Why do you speak so positively? QUEX.