The House of Mirth Page #2

One never talks to one's husband.

Wives never like their husbands

talking to other women.

Only if the women are slightly

too eligible, or divorced.

Wives may do as they wish.

Husbands are expected to be like

money - influential but silent.

If divorcees were more

acceptable, I might be tempted.

Gus! Oh, dear.

You see? I came after all.

Thank you for keeping me

from playing bridge, Mr Gryce.

Not at all.

I have no head for it

or the rules of betting.

I've been dragged into it in the past

and lost an appalling amount

of money.

Mr Gryce, I have shocked you.

Whilst I do not approve

of cards, I do approve of you.

I hope that means you

forgive me. For I am penitent.

- You'll go to church tomorrow?

- Yes.

- May I accompany you?

- Of course, Mr Gryce.

- Good night.

- Good night, Miss Bart.

Dear me, am I late?

- Late for what?

- Late for whom?

Perhaps you had

an earlier engagement?

Yes, I had.

Perhaps I am in the way, then?

Mr Selden is at your disposal.

I never interfere

with Mr Selden's engagements.

But I have no engagement

with Mr Selden.

My engagement was to go to church

and I'm afraid that the

carriages have left without me.

Have they left, do you know?

Yes. I heard them drive away

sometime since.

Then I shall have to walk.

It's too late to get there.

Well, I shall have the credit

for trying, at any rate.

You must be quite breathless.

How fast you walk. I thought

I'd never catch up with you.

But I've been sitting here

for nearly an hour!

- Waiting for me, I hope.

- Waiting to see if you'd come.

- Weren't you sure that I would?

- If I waited long enough.

But I only had a limited time

to give to the experience.

- Why limited?

- By my other engagement.

Ah, now I see why you were

getting up on your Americana.

That is why I was waiting for you.

To thank you for having

given me so many points.

You can hardly do justice to

the subject in so short a time.

Won't you devote the afternoon to it?

We'll take a walk, and you

can thank me at your leisure.

Let us sit here.

I've broken two engagements

for you today

and both of them with Percy Gryce.

How many have you broken for me?

None. My only engagement

at Bellomont was with you.

You really came to Bellomont

to see me?

- Of course I did.

- Why?

Because I always

like to see what you're doing.

You're such a wonderful spectacle.

Well, now that you are here

you can see the effect first-hand.

Oh, I don't flatter

myself that my coming here

has deflected your course

of action by a hair's breadth.

Oh, do give me one

I haven't smoked in days.

Why such unnatural abstinence?

Because it's not deemed becoming

in a jeune fille marier.

Rate this script:2.0 / 1 vote