Getting Married

your sin before you in black and white; and you can’t agree upon or endure one article of it. Sykes It’s certainly rather odd that the whole thing seems to fall to pieces the moment you touch it. The Bishop You see, when you give the devil fair play he loses his case. He has not been able to produce even the first clause of a working agreement; so I’m afraid we can’t wait for him any longer. Lesbia Then the community will have to do without my children. Edith And Cecil will have to do without me. Leo Getting off the chest. And I positively will not marry Sinjon if he is not clever enough to make some provision for my looking after Rejjy. She leaves Hotchkiss, and goes back to her chair at the end of the table behind Mrs. Bridgenorth. Mrs. Bridgenorth And the world will come to an end with this generation, I suppose. Collins Can’t nothing be done, my lord? The Bishop You can make divorce reasonable and decent: that is all. Lesbia Thank you for nothing. If you will only make marriage reasonable and decent, you can do as you like about divorce. I have not stated my deepest objection to marriage; and I don’t intend to. There are certain rights I will not give any person over me. Reginald Well, I think it jolly hard that a man should support his wife for years, and lose the chance of getting a really good wife, and then have her refuse to be a wife to him. Lesbia I’m not going to discuss it with you, Rejjy. If your sense of personal honor doesn’t make you understand, nothing will. Soames Implacably. I’m still awaiting my instructions. They look at one another, each waiting for one of the others to suggest something. Silence. Reginald Blankly. I suppose, after all, marriage is better than⁠—well, than the usual alternative. Soames Turning fiercely on him. What right have you to say so? You know that the sins that are wasting and maddening this unhappy nation are those committed in wedlock. Collins Well, the single ones can’t afford to indulge their affections the same as married people. Soames Away with it all, I say. You have your Master’s commandments. Obey them. Hotchkiss Rising and leaning on the back of the chair left vacant by the General. I really must point out to you, Father Anthony, that the early Christian rules of life were not made to last, because the early Christians did not believe that the world itself was going to last. Now we know that we shall have to go through with it. We have found that there are millions of years behind us; and we know that that there are millions before us. Mrs. Bridgenorth’s question remains unanswered. How is the world to go on? You say that that is our business⁠—that it is the business of Providence. But the modern Christian view is that we are here to do the business of Providence and nothing else. The question is, how. Am I not to use my reason to find out why? Isn’t that what my reason is for? Well, all my reason tells me at present is that you are an impracticable lunatic. Soames Does that help? Hotchkiss No. Soames Then pray for light. Hotchkiss No: I am a snob, not a beggar. He sits down in the General’s chair. Collins We don’t seem to be getting on, do we? Miss Edith: you and Mr. Sykes had better go off to church and settle the right and wrong of it afterwards. It’ll ease your minds, believe me: I speak from experience. You will burn your boats, as one might say. Soames We should never burn our boats. It is death in life. Collins Well, Father, I will say for you that you have views of your own and are not afraid to out with them. But some of us are of a more cheerful disposition. On the Borough Council now, you would be in a minority of one. You must take human nature as it is. Soames Upon what compulsion must I? I’ll take divine nature as it is. I’ll not hold a candle to the devil. The Bishop That’s a very unchristian way of treating the devil. Reginald Well, we don’t seem to be getting any further, do we? The Bishop Will you give it up and get married, Edith? Edith No. What I propose seems to me quite reasonable. The Bishop And you, Lesbia? Lesbia Never. Mrs. Bridgenorth Never is a long word, Lesbia. Don’t say it. Lesbia With a flash of temper. Don’t pity me, Alice, please. As I said before, I am an English lady, quite prepared to do without anything I can’t have on honorable conditions. Soames After a silence expressive of utter deadlock. I am still awaiting my instructions. Reginald Well, we don’t seem to be getting along, do we? Leo Out of patience. You said that before, Rejjy. Do not repeat yourself. Reginald Oh, bother! He goes to the garden door and looks out gloomily. Soames Rising with the paper in his hands. Psha! He tears it in pieces. So much for the contract! The Voice Of The Beadle By your leave there, gentlemen. Make way for the Mayoress. Way for the worshipful the Mayoress, my lords and gentlemen. He comes in through the tower, in cocked hat and goldbraided overcoat, bearing the borough mace, and posts himself at the entrance. By your leave, gentlemen, way for the worshipful the Mayoress. Collins Moving back towards the wall. Mrs. George, my lord. Mrs. George is every inch a Mayoress in point of stylish dressing; and she does it very well indeed. There is nothing quiet about Mrs. George; she is not afraid of colors, and knows how to make the most of them. Not at all a lady in Lesbia’s use of the term as a class label, she proclaims herself to the first glance as the triumphant, pampered, wilful, intensely alive woman who has always been rich among