Shelmerdene: You think! You are not very dexterous, sir....
The Voice: You are sitting on the edge of the bed now. Please, no ceremony with me, Shelmerdene! Lie down on the bed, dear—you wil be more comfortable so, on that virginal bed!
Shelmerdene: Irony, my friend, does not become the moment. It is a vulgarity peculiar to cultured men. It is a knack, and I don’t like knacks. Shall I ring off?
The Voice: No, no! Please!
Shelmerdene: Well, a moment. (To Foster) Leave us, Foster.
The Voice: Shelmerdene, you are very hard!
Shelmerdene: No, I am very tired ... of hardness. You understand?
The Voice: I want to hear about your life, Shelmerdene. I have not seen you for so long! Do things still happen to you, and do you still let them happen?
Shelmerdene: How bitter you are, aren’t you, in a hidden sort of way!
The Voice: Do things still happen to you, Shelmerdene?