Mrs Warren [taken aback by his assurance] Well, you have got a nice healthy two inches of cheek all over you.  I don’t know where you got it.  Not from your father, anyhow.

Crofts [in the garden] The gipsies, I suppose?

Rev.  S. [replying] The broomsquires are far worse.

Mrs Warren [to Frank] S-sh!  Remember! you’ve had your warning.

[Crofts and the Reverend Samuel Gardner come in from the garden, the clergyman continuing his conversation as he enters.]

Rev.  S. The perjury at the Winchester assizes is deplorable.

Mrs Warren.  Well? what became of you two?  And wheres Praddy and Vivie?

Crofts [putting his hat on the settle and his stick in the chimney corner] They went up the hill.  We went to the village.  I wanted a drink. [He sits down on the settle, putting his legs up along the seat].

Mrs Warren.  Well, she oughtn’t to go off like that without telling me. [To Frank] Get your father a chair, Frank:  where are your manners? [Frank springs up and gracefully offers his father his chair; then takes another from the wall and sits down at the table, in the middle, with his father on his right and Mrs Warren on his left].  George:  where are you going to stay to-night?  You can’t stay here.  And whats Praddy going to do?

Crofts.  Gardner’ll put me up.

Mrs Warren.  Oh, no doubt you’ve taken care of yourself!  But what about
Praddy?

Crofts.  Don’t know.  I suppose he can sleep at the inn.

Mrs Warren.  Havn’t you room for him, Sam?

Rev.  S. Well—­er—­you see, as rector here, I am not free to do as I like.  Er—­what is Mr Praed’s social position?

Mrs Warren.  Oh, he’s all right:  he’s an architect.  What an old stick-in-the-mud you are, Sam!

Frank.  Yes, it’s all right, gov’nor.  He built that place down in Wales for the Duke.  Caernarvon Castle they call it.  You must have heard of it. [He winks with lightning smartness at Mrs Warren, and regards his father blandly].

Rev.  S. Oh, in that case, of course we shall only be too happy.  I suppose he knows the Duke personally.

Frank.  Oh, ever so intimately!  We can stick him in Georgina’s old room.

Mrs Warren.  Well, thats settled.  Now if those two would only come in and let us have supper.  Theyve no right to stay out after dark like this.

Crofts [aggressively] What harm are they doing you?

Mrs Warren.  Well, harm or not, I don’t like it.

Frank.  Better not wait for them, Mrs Warren.  Praed will stay out as long as possible.  He has never known before what it is to stray over the heath on a summer night with my Vivie.

Crofts [sitting up in some consternation] I say, you know!  Come!