Page:Fashions for Men And The Swan Two Plays (NY 1922).pdf/298

 —How terrible!

—And we all suffered with her her mother, I, the boys, the professor.

—[Suspiciously.] What professor?

—[Mopping his brow.] That's just it. [With a glance at .] There is a teacher here, a tutor to the boys. A nice, cultured straightforward young man. And he well  toward the end  when everyone was desperate  an extraordinary thing occurred, which was, indeed, only another proof of the adoration in which your son

—[Terrified; beseechingly.] Karl!

—Go on.

—With characteristic feminine logic it was deemed expedient to invite the professor to last night's reception in order to stimulate Albert's interest a bit. A stupid idea, of course but from it you can glean the somewhat ecstatic regard in which your son is held here.

—What a charming, naïve idea!

—Wasn't it? [Flashes a triumphant glance.] Yes, and then came something which hadn't been reckoned with. This professor—a fine, a serious, a most estimable young man—it appeared that he—think of it—that he had been secretly in love with Alexandra. [''In terror rises. There is a brief pause.'']