Arnold. I don’t bear malice, but the fact remains that she did me the most irreparable harm. I can find no excuse for her.
Elizabeth. Have you ever tried to?
Arnold. My dear Elizabeth, it’s no good going over all that again. The facts are lamentably simple. She had a husband who adored her, a wonderful position, all the money she could want, and a child of five. And she ran away with a married man.
Elizabeth. Lady Porteous is not a very attractive woman, Arnold. [To Anna.] Do you know her?
Anna. [Smiling.] “Forbidding” is the word, I think.
Arnold. If you’re going to make little jokes about it, I have nothing more to say.
Anna. I’m sorry, Arnold.
Elizabeth. Perhaps your mother couldn’t help herself—if she was in love?
Arnold. And had no sense of honour, duty, or decency? Oh, yes, under those circumstances you can explain a great deal.
Elizabeth. That’s not a very pretty way to speak of your mother.