[Porteous comes in.
Porteous. [With a grunt.] Yes? Where’s Mrs. Shenstone?
Elizabeth. Oh, she had a headache. She’s gone to bed.
[When Porteous comes in Lady Kitty with a very haughty air purses her lips and takes up an illustrated paper. Porteous gives her an irritated look, takes another illustrated paper and sits himself down at the other end of the room. They are not on speaking terms.
C.-C. Arnold and I have just been down to my cottage.
Elizabeth. I wondered where you’d gone.
C.-C. I came across an old photograph album this afternoon. I meant to bring it along before dinner, but I forgot, so we went and fetched it.
Elizabeth. Oh, do let me see it! I love old photographs.
[He gives her the album, and she, sitting down, puts it on her knees and begins to turn over the pages. He stands over her. Lady Kitty and Porteous take surreptitious glances at one another.
C.-C. I thought it might amuse you to see what pretty women looked like five-and-thirty years ago. That was the day of beautiful women.