CULVER (surprised and alarmed).  The Duke of Wellington?

MRS. CULVER (drawing herself up at the door, L).  The Duke of Wellington didn’t refuse a title!  Hildegarde shall sleep in our room, and you can have hers! (Exit violently, L.)

CULVER (intimidated, as she goes).  Look here, hurricane! (He rushes out after her.)

Enter Hildegarde and Tranto, back.

HILDEGARDE (seeing the room empty).  Well, I thought I heard them.

TRANTO (catching noise of high words from the boudoir.) I fancy I do hear them.

HILDEGARDE.  Perhaps we’d better go.

TRANTO.  But I want to speak to you—­just for a moment.

HILDEGARDE (moving uneasily).  What about?

TRANTO.  I don’t know.  Anything.  It doesn’t matter what ...  I don’t hear them now.

HILDEGARDE (listening and hearing nothing; reassured).  I should have thought you wouldn’t have wanted to come here any more for a long time.

TRANTO.  Why?

HILDEGARDE.  After the terrible experiences of last night, during dinner and after dinner.

TRANTO.  The general constraint?

HILDEGARDE.  The general constraint.

TRANTO.  The awkwardness?  HILDEGARDE.  The awkwardness.

TRANTO.  The frightful silences and the forced conversations?

HILDEGARDE (nods).  Why did you come?

TRANTO.  Well—­

HILDEGARDE.  I suppose you’re still confined to this house.

TRANTO (in a new confidential tone).  I wish you’d treat me as your father does.

HILDEGARDE.  But of course I will—­

TRANTO.  That’s fine.  He treats me as an intimate friend.

HILDEGARDE.  But you must treat me as you treat papa.

TRANTO (slightly dashed).  I’ll try.  I might tell you that I had two very straight talks with your father last night.

HILDEGARDE.  Two?

TRANTO.  Yes; one before dinner, and the other just before I left—­when you’d gone to bed.  He began them—­both of them.

HILDEGARDE.  Oh!  So that you may be said to know the whole situation.

TRANTO.  Yes.  Up to last thing last night, that is.

HILDEGARDE.  Since then it’s developed on normal lines.  What do you think of it?

TRANTO.  I adore your mother, but I think your father’s quite right.

HILDEGARDE.  Well, naturally!  I take that for granted.  I was expecting something rather more original.

TRANTO.  You shall have it.  I think that you and I are very largely responsible for the situation.  I think our joint responsibility binds us inextricably together.

HILDEGARDE.  Mr. Tranto!

TRANTO.  Certainly.  There’s no doubt in my mind that your father was enormously influenced by Sampson Straight’s article on the Honours scandal.  In fact he told me so.  And seeing that you wrote it and I published it—­