JULIE [still rallying him] Are you making love to me by any chance, M. Lignol?
LIGNOL. If making love to you means yielding to an overmastering attraction—to a fascination—
JULIE [laughing] You certainly make the most of your time as friend of the family. But I shouldn’t hurry if I were you. You will only be wasting a lot of pretty speeches which you could employ to greater advantage elsewhere. I have old-fashioned views on the subject of marriage.
LIGNOL. Whatever they are I am sure they will be lofty and noble.
JULIE. You are too good. But you are mistaken. My view is commonplace enough. All I ask of life is that I may love my children and love my husband.
LIGNOL. Your children?
JULIE [quite simply, with a touch of emotion] Above everything my children. What I am going to say will sound absurd to you, but the day my first child is born will be the happiest day of my life. So you see, M. Lignol—
LIGNOL [insinuatingly] Dear madame, we shall meet again.
JULIE [smiling] As soon as you please.