"Yes, yes, at once."
"Madame will not eat?"
"No, no."
"Madame will not first rest?" (The slow comprehension of these French maids is something exasperating.) "Madame will not await monsieur?
"Madame will not first eat, nor drink—no? Madame will not sleep?"
"No, no—quick, Ernestine. Bring me what I want. Summon a fiacre. I shall be ready in a moment." Lady Cicely passes through a side door into an inner room.
She is scarcely gone when Mrs. Harding enters. She is a woman about forty-five, still very beautiful. She is dressed in deep black.
(The play is now moving very fast. You have to sit tight to follow it all.)
She speaks to Ernestine. "Is this Mr. Harding's apartment?"
"Yes, madame."