Mrs Dubedat.  Oh forgive me.  Forgive what I said.  You will preserve him to me.

Ridgeon.  At all hazards. [She kisses his hand.  He rises hastily].  No:  you have not heard the rest. [She rises too].  You must believe me when I tell you that the one chance of preserving the hero lies in Louis being in the care of Sir Ralph.

Mrs Dubedat [firmly] You say so:  I have no more doubt:  I believe you.  Thank you.

Ridgeon.  Good-bye. [She takes his hand].  I hope this will be a lasting friendship.

Mrs Dubedat.  It will.  My friendships end only with death.

Ridgeon.  Death ends everything, doesnt it?  Goodbye.

With a sigh and a look of pity at her which she does not understand, he goes.

ACT IV

The studio.  The easel is pushed back to the wall.  Cardinal Death, holding his scythe and hour-glass like a sceptre and globe, sits on the throne.  On the hat-stand hang the hats of Sir Patrick and Bloomfield Bonington.  Walpole, just come in, is hanging up his beside them.  There is a knock.  He opens the door and finds Ridgeon there.

Walpole.  Hallo, Ridgeon!

They come into the middle of the room together, taking off their gloves.

Ridgeon.  Whats the matter!  Have you been sent for, too?

Walpole.  Weve all been sent for.  Ive only just come:  I havnt seen him yet.  The charwoman says that old Paddy Cullen has been here with B. B. for the last half-hour. [Sir Patrick, with bad news in his face, enters from the inner room].  Well:  whats up?

Sir Patrick.  Go in and see.  B. B. is in there with him.

Walpole goes.  Ridgeon is about to follow him; but Sir Patrick stops him with a look.

Ridgeon.  What has happened?

Sir Patrick.  Do you remember Jane Marsh’s arm?

Ridgeon.  Is that whats happened?

Sir Patrick.  Thats whats happened.  His lung has gone like Jane’s arm.  I never saw such a case.  He has got through three months galloping consumption in three days.

Ridgeon.  B. B. got in on the negative phase.

Sir Patrick.  Negative or positive, the lad’s done for.  He wont last out the afternoon.  He’ll go suddenly:  Ive often seen it.

Ridgeon.  So long as he goes before his wife finds him out, I dont care.  I fully expected this.

Sir Patrick [drily] It’s a little hard on a lad to be killed because his wife has too high an opinion of him.  Fortunately few of us are in any danger of that.

Sir Ralph comes from the inner room and hastens between them, humanely concerned, but professionally elate and communicative.

B. B. Ah, here you are, Ridgeon.  Paddy’s told you, of course.