(Maid in smart uniform, waistcoat, brass buttons, enters from entrance right, going quickly up to the Duchess, who whispers “coffee at once, here.” Maid goes out.)
Minister.
Paris in the seventies was an adventure.
Duchess.
Any city is an adventure to the right man.
(Maid enters with coffee, Minister helps himself to sugar and cream, stands centre of stage holding it in his hand.)
Minister.
That’s true. You are a witty woman, my dear. And that’s a thing not often come by now-a-days.
Duchess.
Modern women are all clever, and cleverness kills wit as a magnifying glass kills a complexion.