OLIVIA. I can guess what you are going to say, Dinah, and I think you had better keep it for the moment.
OLIVIA. Brian, you might take her outside for a walk. I expect you have plenty to talk about.
GEORGE. Now mind, Strange, no love-making. I put you on your honour about that.
DINAH (cheekily). May I take his arm if we go up a hill?
OLIVIA. I'm sure you'll know how to behave--both of you.
GEORGE (as they go). And if you do see any clouds, Strange, take a good look at them. (He chuckles to himself) Triangular clouds--I never heard of such nonsense. (He goes back to his chair at the writing-table) Futuristic rubbish. . . . Well, Olivia?
OLIVIA. Making curtains, George. Won't they be rather sweet? Oh, but I forgot--you don't like them.
GEORGE. I don't like them, and what is more, I don't mean to have them in my house. As I told you yesterday, this is the house of a simple country gentleman, and I don't want any of these new-fangled ideas in it.
OLIVIA. Is marrying for love a new-fangled idea?
GEORGE. We'll come to that directly. None of you women can keep to the point. What I am saying now is that the house of my fathers and forefathers is good enough for me.
OLIVIA. Do you know, George, I can hear one of your ancestors saying that to his wife in their smelly old cave, when the new-fangled idea of building houses was first suggested. "The Cave of my Fathers is--"
GEORGE. That's ridiculous. Naturally we must have progress. But that's just the point. (Indicating the curtains) I don't call this sort of thing progress. It's--ah--retrogression.
GEORGE. There I disagree with you. And I must say once more that I will not have them hanging in my house.
OLIVIA. Very well, George. (But she goes on working.)
GEORGE. That being so, I don't see the necessity of going on with them.
OLIVIA. Well, I must do something with them now I've got the material. I thought perhaps I could sell them when they're finished--as we're so poor.
OLIVIA. Well, you said just now that you couldn't give Dinah an allowance because rents had gone down.
GEORGE (annoyed). Confound it, Olivia! Keep to the point! We'll talk about Dinah's affairs directly. We're discussing our own affairs at the moment.
OLIVIA. But we've finished that. You've said you wouldn't have them hanging in your house, and I've said, "Very well, George." Now we can go on to Dinah and Brian.