Of course you can’t. Your uniforms are useless and pretentious. To the educated eye they are not even beautiful.
Officers.
[Horrified.] Not beautiful!
Saphir.
Certainly not. If they were, you would not be so unwilling to be seen about in them.
Colonel.
[Haughtily.] It is not etiquette in the British Army for an officer ever to be seen in his uniform. It isn’t done!
Saphir.
And why not? Because he is ashamed of it. He wants to be dressed like a soldier, not like a mountebank. How can anyone respect a uniform that’s only meant for show?
Major.