Tag’s Gedanken, Traum der Nacht,
Schweben um Dich, Süsse, sacht.
Von Rettenmayer halts before Lily and kneels to her. She extends her left foot and he kisses her instep and puts her foot into her slipper. She rewards him by lightly boxing his ears. He makes way for de Castro, handing him the other slipper, and de Castro performs the same ceremony with Lily’s right foot. She upsets de Castro’s balance by a little kick.
Von Rettenmayer.
Seating himself beside Jimmie, singing.
Venus, seinen Nacken beut
Dir Den Sklave, dienstbereit!
De Castro gathers himself up and sits in the chair at the end of the settee in front of the, writing-table. Bland and Roper, having knelt and kissed Lily’s foot, also sit, the former in the chair in the middle of the room, the latter in the chair on the extreme left. Finally, Farncombe finds himself before Lily. He looks at her hesitatingly and she returns his look with awakened interest and withdraws her foot.
Lily.
Shaking her head. No, no; don’t you be silly, like the others.