Mabel Chiltern (aside to Lord Goring) I shall be in the conservatory, under the second palm tree on the left.

Lord Goring Second on the left?

Mabel Chiltern (with a look of mock surprise) Yes; the usual palm tree.

Blows a kiss to him, unobserved by Lady Chiltern, and goes out

Lord Goring Lady Chiltern, I have a certain amount of very good news to tell you. Mrs Cheveley gave me up Robert’s letter last night, and I burned it. Robert is safe.

Lady Chiltern (sinking on the sofa) Safe! Oh! I am so glad of that. What a good friend you are to him—to us!

Lord Goring There is only one person now that could be said to be in any danger.

Lady Chiltern Who is that?

Lord Goring (sitting down beside her) Yourself.

Lady Chiltern I! In danger? What do you mean?

Lord Goring Danger is too great a word. It is a word I should not have used. But I admit I have something to tell you that may distress you, that terribly distresses me. Yesterday evening you wrote me a very beautiful, womanly letter, asking me for my help. You wrote to me as one of your oldest friends, one of your husband’s oldest friends. Mrs Cheveley stole that letter from my rooms.

Lady Chiltern Well, what use is it to her? Why should she not have it?

Lord Goring (rising) Lady Chiltern, I will be quite frank with you. Mrs Cheveley puts a certain construction on that letter and proposes to send it to your husband.

Lady Chiltern But what construction could she put on it?…Oh! not that!° not that! If I in—in trouble, and wanting your help, trusting you, propose to come to you…that you may advise me … assist me… Oh! are there women so horrible as that…? And she proposes to send it to my husband? Tell me what happened. Tell me all that happened.

Lord Goring Mrs Cheveley was concealed in a room adjoining my library, without my knowledge. I thought that the person who was waiting in that room to see me was yourself. Robert came in unexpectedly. A chair or something fell in the room. He forced his way in, and he discovered her. We had a terrible scene. I still thought it was you. He left me in anger. At the end of everything Mrs Cheveley got possession of your letter—she stole it, when or how, I don’t know.

Lady Chiltern At what hour did this happen?

Lord Goring At half-past ten. And now I propose that we tell Robert the whole thing at once.

Lady Chiltern (looking at him with amazement that is almost terror) You want me to tell Robert that the woman you expected was not Mrs Cheveley, but myself? That it was I whom you thought was concealed in a room in your house, at half-past ten o’clock at night? You want me to tell him that?

Lord Goring I think it is better that he should know the exact truth.

Lady Chiltern (rising) Oh, I couldn’t, I couldn’t!

Lord Goring May I do it?