THE FEMALE FIGURE.  And if any say unto you ‘Which one?’ remember that though there is one person of the king and one of the queen, yet these two persons are not alike, but are woman and man, and that as woman was created after man, the skill and practice gained in making him were added to her, wherefore she is to be exalted above him in all personal respects, and—­

THE MALE FIGURE.  Peace, woman; for this is a damnable heresy.  Both Man and Woman are what they are and must do what they must according to the eternal laws of Cause and Effect.  Look to your words; for if they enter my ear and jar too repugnantly on my sensorium, who knows that the inevitable response to that stimulus may not be a message to my muscles to snatch up some heavy object and break you in pieces.

The Female Figure picks up a stone and is about to throw it at her consort.

ARJILLAX [springing up and shouting to Pygmalion, who is fondly watching the Male Figure] Look out, Pygmalion!  Look at the woman!

Pygmalion, seeing what is happening, hurls himself on the Female Figure and wrenches the stone out of her hand.  All spring up in consternation.

ARJILLAX.  She meant to kill him.

STREPHON.  This is horrible.

THE FEMALE FIGURE [wrestling with Pygmalion] Let me go.  Let me go, will you [she bites his hand].

PYGMALION [releasing her and staggering] Oh!

A general shriek of horror echoes his exclamation.  He turns deadly pale, and supports himself against the end of the curved seat.

THE FEMALE FIGURE [to her consort] You would stand there and let me be treated like this, you unmanly coward.

Pygmalion falls dead.

THE NEWLY BORN.  Oh!  Whats the matter?  Why did he fall!  What has happened to him?

They look on anxiously as Martellus kneels down and examines the body of Pygmalion.

MARTELLUS.  She has bitten a piece out of his hand nearly as large as a finger nail:  enough to kill ten men.  There is no pulse, no breath.

ECRASIA.  But his thumb is clinched.

MARTELLUS.  No:  it has just straightened out.  See!  He has gone.  Poor
Pygmalion!

THE NEWLY BORN.  Oh! [She weeps].

STREPHON.  Hush, dear:  thats childish.

THE NEWLY BORN [subsiding with a sniff]!!

MARTELLUS [rising] Dead in his third year.  What a loss to Science!

ARJILLAX.  Who cares about Science?  Serve him right for making that pair of horrors!

THE MALE FIGURE [glaring] Ha!

THE FEMALE FIGURE.  Keep a civil tongue in your head, you.

THE NEWLY BORN.  Oh, do not be so unkind, Arjillax.  You will make water come out of my eyes again.

MARTELLUS [contemplating the Figures] Just look at these two devils.  I modelled them out of the stuff Pygmalion made for them.  They are masterpieces of art.  And see what they have done!  Does that convince you of the value of art, Arjillax!