[There is heard a Ring of the Bell. All three turn their heads, alert.] VICAR. If it's my brother . . . MANSON. Which? VICAR. I meant--the Bishop of Benares; but . . . AUNTIE [hand on his arm, apprehensively]. William . . . MANSON. It wants ten minutes of the time you said you expected him. [Goes to door: turns.] Only ten minutes. [He goes out, closing the door softly.] VICAR. Ten minutes! . . . AUNTIE. We shall never be able to do it, William! How can we possibly undo the work of all these years in ten minutes? It wants a miracle. VICAR. We must make the attempt, somehow. AUNTIE. Yes--yes: how? Oh, I have been blind--blind! [She walks across the room in agitation.] Where has he gone, I wonder? We don't even know that--where he is! VICAR [making a movement]. Perhaps Manson . . . AUNTIE. No, no, no: it must be ourselves . . . Ten minutest--And no assistance on _his_ side: we can't expect it, after our treatment of him. He will hate me most of all: there's the chief difficulty! . . . VICAR. You would say me, if you had seen his face and heard his voice this morning! AUNTIE. God help us. God pity us! VICAR. Amen . . . Then, there's the child, too! That difficulty must be faced. AUNTIE. Yes--no escape! We shall have to pay the whole debt, William: I see that. VICAR. Who knows! Perhaps the child will have to pay most, when all is done. AUNTIE. The innocent for the guilty--yes . . . Oh, William, William, can you ever forgive me? VICAR. There is much to forgive, both sides, Martha. My sin has been greater than yours. You have only loved unworthily in blindness: I have seen clearly and been a coward. [Enter MARY from the garden.] Mary! . . . MARY. Let me speak, uncle. I have been thinking, out there in the garden--thinking very hard: I've been trying to put things together again and make them straight; but it's still very difficult. Only there's one thing--I'm sorry I was unkind just now: I didn't mean it: you are everything I have--everything I have ever had; and as for what uncle said--about himself, I mean--I can't believe it. No, I'm sure there's a mistake somewhere; and mistakes can always be put right, if we only help one another and mean it. Shall we try, uncle? Shall we, auntie? AUNTIE. If it's not too late! . . . MARY. It can't be too late, auntie dear, if we all wish very hard. I was a coward to give up wishing. That was _my_ sin, too! AUNTIE. God knows, I wish, Mary! . . . VICAR. And I! . . . MARY. And, indeed, I do! . . . Now, I've been thinking: I've been trying to look the worst in the face. Supposing my father is the wicked man you say--the very, very wickedest man that ever lived, don't you think if we tried to love him very much it might make a difference? VICAR. What made you think of that, Mary? . . . MARY [simply]. It's what you taught me, uncle, in your sermons. VICAR. _I_ taught you? . . .