DOLLY. Neither did we. PHILIP. Sh! The result was that the gum architect made considerable difficulties about accepting our invitation to lunch, although I doubt if he has had anything but tea and bread and butter for a fortnight past. Now my knowledge of human nature leads me to believe that we had a father, and that you probably know who he was. MRS. CLANDON (her agitation returning). Stop, Phil. Your father is nothing to you, nor to me (vehemently). That is enough. (The twins are silenced, but not satisfied. Their faces fall. But Gloria, who has been following the altercation attentively, suddenly intervenes.) GLORIA (advancing). Mother: we have a right to know. MRS. CLANDON (rising and facing her). Gloria! "We!" Who is "we"? GLORIA (steadfastly). We three. (Her tone is unmistakable: she is pitting her strength against her mother for the first time. The twins instantly go over to the enemy.) MRS. CLANDON (wounded). In your mouth "we" used to mean you and I, Gloria. PHILIP (rising decisively and putting away the stool). We're hurting you: let's drop it. We didn't think you'd mind. I don't want to know. DOLLY (coming off the table). I'm sure I don't. Oh, don't look like that, mamma. (She looks angrily at Gloria.) MRS. CLANDON (touching her eyes hastily with her handkerchief and sitting down again). Thank you, my dear. Thanks, Phil. GLORIA (inexorably). We have a right to know, mother. MRS. CLANDON (indignantly). Ah! You insist. GLORIA. Do you intend that we shall never know? DOLLY. Oh, Gloria, don't. It's barbarous. GLORIA (with quiet scorn). What is the use of being weak? You see what has happened with this gentleman here, mother. The same thing has happened to me. MRS. CLANDON } (all { What do you mean? DOLLY } together). { Oh, tell us. PHILIP } { What happened to you? GLORIA. Oh, nothing of any consequence. (She turns away from them and goes up to the easy chair at the fireplace, where she sits down, almost with her back to them. As they wait expectantly, she adds, over her shoulder, with studied indifference.) On board the steamer the first officer did me the honor to propose to me. DOLLY. No, it was to me. MRS. CLANDON. The first officer! Are you serious, Gloria? What did you say to him? (correcting herself) Excuse me: I have no right to ask that. GLORIA. The answer is pretty obvious. A woman who does not know who her father was cannot accept such an offer. MRS. CLANDON. Surely you did not want to accept it? GLORIA (turning a little and raising her voice). No; but suppose I had wanted to! PHILIP. Did that difficulty strike you, Dolly? DOLLY. No, I accepted him. GLORIA } (all crying { Accepted him! MRS. CLANDON } out { Dolly! PHILIP } together) { Oh, I say! DOLLY (naively). He did look such a fool! MRS. CLANDON. But why did you do such a thing, Dolly? DOLLY. For fun, I suppose. He had to measure my finger for a ring. You'd have done the same thing yourself.