Mrs. Dot: A Farce

by W. Somerset Maugham

[Firmly.] Fiddle!

Mrs. Dot.

Are you under the delusion that because a happy chance has freed you from a previous engagement, I’m going to seize the opportunity and leap into your arms?

Gerald.

You know, women are brutes. One tries to do the straight thing and behave more or less like a white man, and they make you feel as if you’d been an utter beast.

Mrs. Dot.

Do you know why Nellie jilted you? Because you’re a bore.

Gerald.

[Smiling.] I daresay I’m very stupid. I suppose that’s why I love you so much.

Mrs. Dot.