ANTONIN. You make out too good a case for yourself. And it’s not fair to make me responsible. All this is as much the result of your acts as of mine.
JULIE. Indeed! I am curious to hear what those acts are.
ANTONIN. I’ll tell you.
JULIE. Have I ever failed in my duty? Haven’t I been—
ANTONIN [sternly] Be silent. I’m going to have my say. It’s no good your trying to play the injured victim. You did exactly the same as I did. When I proposed for you, I was not in love with you. I admit it. I didn’t love you as you want to be loved. Yet you accepted me.
JULIE. Do you suppose I knew? What did I understand about life? How could I have guessed—
ANTONIN. You knew perfectly well the sort of love I felt for you, a sort of love every mother tries to rouse in any young man she wants to catch for her daughter. And the daughters take a hand in the game, too, bless their little hearts!
JULIE. Do you mean to say I did such a thing?
ANTONIN. Yes: I do. You began this plain speaking: I’m going on with it. You wanted the cards on the table and you shall have them. Let us both own up. We know now what marriage is, our own and everybody else’s. We know all the tricks, all the humbug of it. Let’s look it in the face. Your parents deceived mine.
JULIE. And yours?