CONFUCIUS. He has to be President.
BARNABAS. That means that he has nothing to do.
BURGE-LUBIN [sulkily] Very well, Barnabas. Go on making a fool of yourself. [He sits down]. Go on.
BARNABAS. I am not going to leave this room until we get to the bottom of this swindle.
MRS LUTESTRING [turning with deadly gravity on the Accountant General] This what, did you say?
CONFUCIUS. These expressions cannot be sustained. You obscure the discussion in using them.
BARNABAS [glad to escape from her gaze by addressing Confucius] Well, this unnatural horror. Will that satisfy you?
CONFUCIUS. That is in order. But we do not commit ourselves to the implications of the word horror.
THE ARCHBISHOP. By the word horror the Accountant General means only something unusual.
CONFUCIUS. I notice that the honorable Domestic Minister, on learning the advanced age of the venerable prelate, shews no sign of surprise or incredulity.