COLONEL, with an eye on the nursery door, ‘No, Steve, I—the fact is—I have an engagement.’
ALICE, vindictively, ‘He means he can’t leave the baby.’
STEVE. ‘It has taken to him?’
COLONEL, swaggering, ‘Enormously.’
ALICE, whimpering, ‘They all have. He has stolen them from me. He has taken up his permanent residence in the nursery.’
COLONEL. ‘Pooh, fiddlededee. I shall probably come round to-night to see you after dinner, Steve, and bring memsahib with me. In the meantime—’
ALICE, whose mind is still misgiving her about Amy, ‘In the meantime I want to have a word with Steve alone, Robert.’
COLONEL. ‘Very good.’ Stealing towards the nursery, ‘Then I shall pop in here again. How is the tea business prospering in London, Steve? Glad you left India?’
STEVE. ‘I don’t have half the salary I had in India, but my health is better. How are rupees?’
COLONEL. ‘Stop it.’ He is making a doll of his handkerchief for the further subjugation of Molly. He sees his happy face in a looking-glass and is ashamed of it. ‘Alice, I wish it was you they loved.’