Elaine.  I must really beg of you to stop, Mr Gresham.  You cannot think how you pain and surprise me.  I am sure I never had the least idea!  Besides, supposing papa or mamma should hear you.

Adolphus.  Lord Gules is asleep, and her ladyship is absorbed in her novel; besides, you may be sure that I have taken care to ascertain their sentiments before I venture to say what I have to you.  Oh, Elaine, if I could but hope!

Train stops. Guard [looking in].  All the smoking-carriages are engaged, gentlemen; but you’ll find room in here.

[Enter Adolphus Plumper and Mr Flamm.  Flamm seats himself opposite Elaine, and Plumper opposite Adolphus.

Flamm [aside to Plumper].  By Jove, Plumper! you never told me you had a twin brother.  Polish up your spectacles, old man—­you’ve made ’em damp by that race we had to catch the train—­and look at your vis-a-vis.

[Plumper takes off his spectacles with great deliberation, wipes them, puts them on again, and stares at Adolphus.

Plumper [aside] stammering.  Dud-dud-dud-do you see a likeness?  Dud-dud-dud-don’t see it myself.  He’s bab-bab-bab-bald, and he’s not sh-sh-sh-ort-sighted.

Fl.  Probably he doesn’t stammer either.  I’ll try presently.  Positively, if he wore spectacles and a wig of your hair, I shouldn’t know you apart.

Lady Gules [aside to Elaine].  Did you ever see anything more extraordinary, my dear?  What a horrid caricature of our dear Adolphus Gresham!

El. [aside].  I can’t say I agree with you, mamma.  I think he has a more intelligent expression—­more soul, I should say.

Lady G.  You are quite ridiculous, Elaine.  Half the girls in London have bean setting their caps at Mr Gresham for the last few seasons, till they have given him up as invulnerable; and now that you have a chance of becoming one of the richest peeresses in England, you do nothing but snub him.  He is as clever and charming as he will be rich when his father dies, and is certain to become a Cabinet Minister some day.  He’s considered the most rising young man of his party.

El.  That he may easily be, considering he is a Conservative.  Oh, mamma! how can you suppose that I would ever marry a Conservative?

Lady G.  I have no patience with you, Elaine; a nice mess your Radicals have made of it with Egypt and Ireland.  But we won’t go into that now; only remember this, if he proposes, and you don’t accept him, your father and I will be seriously displeased.

El. [sighing].  I’m sure the gentleman opposite is a friend of the people.  See! he’s reading the ‘Pall Mall.’ [Aside to Adolphus.] Mamma has just been telling me that she sees such a strange likeness between you and your opposite neighbour.