_M. and Madame Mairaut go out. Antonin, left alone, goes to the bell and rings it. The maid comes in._ ANTONIN [_to the servant_] Put out the lights. You can leave the two on the mantelpiece. Close those shutters. [_The maid does so and goes out. Julie returns_]. I have something to say to you. JULIE. I am listening. ANTONIN. I do not wish Caroline to remain with us any longer. JULIE. Why? What has she done? ANTONIN. You know well enough. JULIE. No, I do not. ANTONIN. She gets on my nerves. JULIE. Explain, please. ANTONIN. It is not my business to give explanations. I am the master in my own house. I shall be obliged if you will arrange with Caroline to bring her visit to a close on Monday. JULIE. But she was to stay till the end of the month. She will want to know why. What am I to say to her? ANTONIN. Whatever you please. JULIE. She will be hurt. ANTONIN. I don’t care about that. JULIE. But I do care. ANTONIN. If you won’t tell her I will, in a way which won’t admit of any misunderstanding. JULIE. She will be angry. ANTONIN. Let her. JULIE. But if you two quarrel where shall I be able to see her? Here? ANTONIN. No. I forbid you to do so. JULIE. Have you the right to forbid me? ANTONIN. Certainly. JULIE. Why? ANTONIN. Once more, because I am master here: because the husband is the master in his own house. JULIE. That was not what you told me while we were engaged. ANTONIN. I dare say. JULIE. You have nothing more to say to me? ANTONIN. Yes; I have. JULIE. Well? ANTONIN. When you have opinions of the outrageous description you gave vent to this evening, please keep them to yourself. JULIE. Haven’t I the right to have opinions? ANTONIN. Nonsense. Once for all, I have made up my mind that you shall obey me and not spoil my prospects. M. and Madame Pouchelet are people of importance. They might be useful to me, and if you offend them with your absurdities you will be wanting in your duty. Marriage is a business partnership. JULIE. Then I want to see the accounts. They say you are doing badly at the bank. Is that true? ANTONIN. Women know nothing about such things. You look after your household and leave the rest to me. Under the terms of our marriage the management of our affairs is in my hands. I manage them to the best of my ability. That is all I have to say to you. JULIE. In other words, I am a business partner who has to keep her eyes shut and say nothing. ANTONIN. My dear, it’s quite useless starting the lecture about women’s rights all over again. I heard it the other evening. Leave that sort of thing to old maids with beards. If I were willing to listen to you, you’d reel off the whole catalogue of grievances against the laws which make women slaves. I know. JULIE. No: it is not a question of law. It is a question of social usage. [_A pause_]. What is wrong is not that there is such and such a provision in the Code. The real evil is that our parents married us as they did marry us.