ALICE. ‘Are you glad to see your mother, Cosmo?’
COSMO. ‘Rather! Will you have some tea?’
ALICE. ‘No, no, I feel I can do nothing for the rest of my life but hug my glorious boy.’
COSMO. ‘Of course, I have my work.’
ALICE. ‘His work! Do the officers love you, Cosmo?’
COSMO, degraded, ‘Love me! I should think not.’
ALICE. ‘I should like to ask them all to come and stay with us.’
COSMO, appalled, ‘Great Scott, mother, you can’t do things like that.’
ALICE. ‘Can’t I? Are you very studious, Cosmo?’
COSMO, neatly, ‘My favourite authors are William Shakespeare and William Milton. They are grand, don’t you think?’