_Mrs. de Trappe._ How she must have improved! When she is at home I find her so depressing. And she does not appeal to men in the least. _Lady Dol._ I could wish that all young girls were as modest. _Mrs. de Trappe._ Oh, I daresay Julia has all the qualities we like to see in some other woman's daughter. But if you were her mother and had to find her a husband, you would regard her virtues in another light. Fortunately she has eight thousand a year, so she may be able to find somebody. Still, even money does not tempt men as it once did. A girl must have an extraordinary charm. She is so jealous of me. I cannot keep her out of the drawing-room when I have got callers, especially when Mr. Mandeville is there. _Lady Dol._ I have heard of Mr. Mandeville. He is an actor, a singer. _Mrs. de Trappe._ A lovely tenor voice. All the women are in love with him, except me. I would not listen to him. And now they say he is going to marry Sarah Sparrow--a great mistake. I should like to know who would care about him or his singing, once he is married. _Lady Dol._ And who is Sarah Sparrow? _Mrs. de Trappe._ Don't you know? She is the last great success. She has two notes: B flat and the lower G--the orchestra plays the rest. You must go to the Parnassus and hear her. To-night is the dress rehearsal of the new piece. _Lady Dol._ And do you receive Miss Sparrow? _Mrs. de Trappe._ No, women take up too much time. They say, too, that she is frantically jealous because Mandeville used to come and practise in my boudoir. He says no one can accompany him as I do! _Lady Dol._ I hope Cyril does not meet Mr. Mandeville when he goes to your house. _Mrs. de Trappe._ Let me see. I believe I introduced them. At any rate, I know I saw them at luncheon together last week. _Lady Dol._ At luncheon together! Cyril and this person who sings? What could my boy and Mr. Mandeville have in common? _Mrs. de Trappe._ They both appear to admire Sarah Sparrow very much. And I cannot find what men see in her. She is not tall and her figure is most innocent; you would say she was still in pinafores. As for her prettiness, I admit she has fine eyes, but of course she blackens them. I think the great attraction is her atrocious temper. One never knows whom she will stab next. _Lady Dol._ [_Half to herself._] Last week Cyril came in after midnight. He refused to answer my questions. _Mrs. de Trappe._ You seem absent-minded, my dear Edith. [_Pause._] I must be going now. Where are Arthur and James? We have not a moment to lose. We are going to choose wedding presents. James is going to choose Arthur's and Arthur is going to choose James's, so there can be no jealousy. It was I who thought of that way out of the difficulty. One does one's best to be nice to them, and then something happens and upsets all one's plans. Where is Cyril? _Lady Dol._ I am afraid Cyril is not at home.