Mrs. Allonby. And that should be man?

Lord Illingworth. Women kneel so gracefully; men don’t.

Mrs. Allonby. You are thinking of Lady Stutfield!

Lord Illingworth. I assure you I have not thought of Lady Stutfield for the last quarter of an hour.

Mrs. Allonby. Is she such a mystery?

Lord Illingworth. She is more than a mystery—she is a mood.

Mrs. Allonby. Moods don’t last.

Lord Illingworth. It is their chief charm.

[Enter Hester and Gerald.]

Gerald. Lord Illingworth, every one has been congratulating me, Lady Hunstanton and Lady Caroline, and . . . every one. I hope I shall make a good secretary.