[_FARNCOMBE takes his place behind ROPER and, headed by VON RETTENMAYER, the men march round the room._ VON RETTENMAYER. [_Waving the slippers in the air and singing._] Weib, was ist in aller Welt Dir an Schoenheit gleichgestellt! Reizumflossen, wunderhold, Perl' der Schoepfung, Herzensgold! Tag's Gedanken, Traum der Nacht, Schweben um Dich, Suesse, sacht. [_VON RETTENMAYER halts before LILY and kneels to her. She extends her left foot and he kisses her instep and puts her foot into her slipper. She rewards him by lightly boxing his ears. He makes way for DE CASTRO, handing him the other slipper, and DE CASTRO performs the same ceremony with LILY'S right foot. She upsets DE CASTRO'S balance by a little kick._ VON RETTENMAYER. [_Seating himself beside JIMMIE, singing._] Venus, seinen Nacken beut Dir Den Sklave, dienstbereit! [_DE CASTRO gathers himself up and sits in the chair at the end of the settee in front of the, writing-table. BLAND and ROPER, having knelt and kissed LILY'S foot, also sit, the former in the chair in the middle of the room, the latter in the chair on the extreme left. Finally, FARNCOMBE finds himself before LILY. He looks at her hesitatingly and she returns his look with awakened interest and withdraws her foot._ LILY. [_Shaking her head._] No, no; don't _you_ be silly, like the others. MRS. UPJOHN. [_Loudly._] Tea! [_BLAND, VON RETTENMAYER and DE CASTRO jump up and go to the tea-table where FARNCOMBE joins them. GLADYS enters, carrying a stand on which are a plate of bread-and-butter, a dish of cake, etc. ROPER takes the stand from her and the girl retires. FARNCOMBE brings LILY a cup of tea. DE CASTRO and BLAND follow him, the one with a milk-jug, the other with a sugar-basin. VON RETTENMAYER carries a cup of tea to JIMMIE, and then DE CASTRO and BLAND, having waited upon LILY, go to JIMMIE with the milk and sugar. ROPER hands the bread-and-butter and cake to LILY, then to JIMMIE, and in the end ROPER, BLAND, DE CASTRO and VON RETTENMAYER assemble at the tea-table and receive their cups of tea from MRS. UPJOHN._ ROPER. [_Relieving GLADYS of the stand._] Give it to me. I want a little exercise. LILY. [_Taking her cup of tea from FARNCOMBE._] Thanks. DE CASTRO. [_Helping LILY to milk._] Milk-ho! BLAND. Sugar? LILY. Br-r-r-rh! I'm putting on weight as it is. ROPER. [_Offering the bread-and-butter, etc.-- facetiously._] Ices, sweets _or_ chocolates, full piano-score! LILY. Nothing to eat, Uncle; I dine at six. MRS. UPJOHN. [_Calling to JEYES from the tea-table._] Captain, ain't you goin' to 'ave any tea? JEYES. [_Moodily examining the presents on the writing-table._] No, thank you, Mrs. Upjohn. BLAND. [_To JIMMIE, after she has been helped to milk._] Sugar? JIMMIE. Two lumps. ROPER. [_Pushing BLAND and DE CASTRO aside, imitating a female voice._] Ices, sweets _or_ chocolates, full piano-score! JIMMIE.