depend on it's ending happily if I only waited long enough, and petted
you very hard all the time. When you had had your fling, and called
the object of your jealousy every name you could lay your tongue to,
and abused me to your heart's content for a couple of hours, then the
reaction would come; and you would at last subside into a soothing
rapture of affection which gave you a sensation of being angelically
good and forgiving. Oh, I know that sort of goodness! You may have
thought on these occasions that I was bringing out your latent
amiability; but I thought you were bringing out mine, and using up
rather more than your fair share of it.

JULIA. According to you, then, I have no good in me! I am an utterly
vile, worthless woman. Is that it?

CHARTERIS. Yes, if you are to be judged as you judge others. From the
conventional point of view, there's nothing to be said for you,
Julia--nothing. That's why I have to find some other point of view to
save my self-respect when I remember how I have loved you. Oh, what I
have learnt from you!--from you, who could learn nothing from me! I
made a fool of you; and you brought me wisdom: I broke your heart; and
you brought me joy: I made you curse your womanhood; and you revealed
my manhood to me. Blessings forever and ever on my Julia's name! (With
genuine emotion, he takes her hand to kiss it again.)

JULIA (snatching her hand away in disgust). Oh, stop talking that
nasty sneering stuff.

CHARTERIS (laughingly appealing to the heavens). She calls it nasty
sneering stuff! Well, well: I'll never talk like that to you again,
dearest. It only means that you are a beautiful woman, and that we all