Anne will have to be told the facts, and she’ll see at once that it’s out of the question for Teddie to accept favours from you. GEORGE WINTER. I wonder. CATHERINE. [_Defiantly._] I have no doubt of it. GEORGE WINTER. Do you think she’ll be pleased when she’s told that, owing to your unreasonableness, her marriage can’t take place? Are you sure she won’t say that she has no quarrel with me? CATHERINE. I should make her understand. GEORGE WINTER. It seems rather selfish on your part, doesn’t it? If Anne’s heart is set upon marrying this rather foolish boy, have _you_ the heart to prevent her? CATHERINE. I’ve sacrificed myself long enough. It’s Anne’s turn now. GEORGE WINTER. You’ll find self-sacrifice one of the forms of self-indulgence in which people are never wildly anxious to take turn and turn about. CATHERINE. What can you do with Teddie O’Donnell? He’s no good to you. GEORGE WINTER. I’m not sure. I like dealing with gentlemen. When they go into the City they take to dirty work with an alacrity which you often don’t find in the City man born and bred. CATHERINE. Even if there was nothing else, I would do all I could to prevent a decent boy from being exposed to your influence. GEORGE WINTER. Well, you may try yours on Anne. Tell her that I’ll start her young man on four hundred a year, and I’ll allow her a couple of hundred more, so that they can marry next week if they want to. And add that you are divorcing me, and it would be monstrous if either of them accepted my offer. CATHERINE. Oh, I know well enough that you didn’t make him pretty speeches because you took any interest in doing a kindness. It was merely another coil of the chain you’ve twisted round me. Oh, it’s fiendish. Each way I turn I find that you bar my way. GEORGE WINTER. In the agitation of the moment you seem to be mixing your metaphors, my dear. [THOMPSON, _the butler, comes in_. THOMPSON. Mr. Robert Colby has come, madam. GEORGE WINTER. Is he waiting downstairs? THOMPSON. I’ve shown him in the morning-room. He said he would wait till you were disengaged, ma’am. GEORGE WINTER. Ask him to come up. [_To_ CATHERINE.] I’ll leave you---- THOMPSON. Very good, sir. [_Exit._ GEORGE WINTER. With my best wishes. I’ll go and discuss the weather and the crops with your excellent father, and you shall discuss the situation with Robert Colby. CATHERINE. For goodness’ sake leave me alone. GEORGE WINTER. Suggest a counter-petition and see how he takes it. My own impression is that he’ll run like a rabbit. [GEORGE WINTER _goes towards the door that leads into the library and stops_. GEORGE WINTER. And if he does, you know whose arms are open to receive you. Whose 60 Mercedes is panting to take you to whose sheltering roof. [_With a guffaw he goes out._ CATHERINE _gives a sigh of exhaustion and then braces herself for the coming interview_.