[_Rising_] I must go now, Edward. EVELYN I shall take it as a personal affront if you leave the moment I arrive. ZOE No, you won’t, Evie. Good-by. EVELYN [_Shaking hands_] Come and have a bit of food sometime. ZOE I should love to. EVELYN Where are you staying? ZOE Claridges. EVELYN Right. I’ll call you up. ZOE Good-by, Edward. EDWARD Come again soon, please. ZOE Of course. Telephone me to-morrow morning. EDWARD I will. ZOE Give my love to Carol. [_EVELYN opens the door for her and she goes out. EDWARD stands looking after her thoughtfully._] EVELYN [_Sitting down again_] Extraordinary woman Zoe. EDWARD Why extraordinary? EVELYN I don’t know. She’s so self-assured. EDWARD [_Absently_] Yes. I think she has every reason to be. EVELYN She faced all that divorce business very pluckily. Kenneth seems to have behaved like a pretty average swine. EDWARD Yes. EVELYN Why on earth did she ever marry him? EDWARD [_Wearily_] Why does anyone ever marry anyone? EVELYN I’ve never felt the urge very strongly. I suppose I’ve seen too much of it. EDWARD That doesn’t make any difference, really. EVELYN Women are so damned complicated to live with—specially Zoe’s sort. EDWARD I don’t think Zoe is particularly complicated. She’s always appeared to me to be pretty clear-headed and direct. EVELYN Oh well, you know her better than I do. EDWARD You’re wonderfully single-minded, aren’t you? EVELYN Single-minded? EDWARD Yes. You live according to formulated codes, and you never try to look either under or over them. I do envy you. EVELYN You needn’t. I have my ups and downs. EDWARD Do you, really? Ever since we were at school I’ve always regarded you as being quite invulnerable. EVELYN [_Complacently_] Don’t be a fool, old man. EDWARD I suppose it’s a remnant of hero worship. EVELYN Rot! I’m a bit more balanced than you, that’s all. EDWARD That wouldn’t be very difficult. EVELYN I came here to-day with a purpose. I’m a bit worried. I want to talk to you seriously. EDWARD What about? EVELYN Lots of things. EDWARD All right. Go on. EVELYN I don’t know how to start, quite; it’s difficult. EDWARD Why difficult? EVELYN Well, you’re a bit touchy at times, aren’t you? EDWARD What’s the matter, Evie? EVELYN Nothing actually yet—at least, I hope not. EDWARD I know what you’re driving at. EVELYN Do you? EDWARD Yes. EVELYN Are you sure you do? EDWARD People have been talking about Carol, I suppose. EVELYN Exactly. EDWARD Well, you needn’t worry. EVELYN I shouldn’t, ordinarily, but somehow in this case it’s different. EDWARD No, it isn’t; it’s exactly the same; it’s a situation that occurs over and over again with everybody. That’s why it’s such a bore. EVELYN That’s a silly sort of attitude to take up. EDWARD No sillier than any other. EVELYN Aren’t you going to do anything? EDWARD O God! [_He turns away._] EVELYN