world has grown so suspicious of
anything that looks like a happy married life. But I’ll tell you
what it is at supper. [Moves toward door of ball-room.]
LORD WIN. [C.] Margaret, I must speak to you.
LADY WIN. Will you hold my fan for me, Lord Darlington? Thanks.
[Comes down to him.]
LORD WIN. [Crossing to her.] Margaret, what you said before dinner
was, of course, impossible?
LADY WIN. That woman is not coming here to-night!
LORD WIN. [R. C.] Mrs. Erlynne is coming here, and if you in any
way annoy or wound her, you will bring shame and sorrow on us
both. Remember that! Ah, Margaret! only trust me! A wife should
trust her husband!
LADY WIN. [C.] London is full of women who trust their husbands.
One can always recognise them. They look so thoroughly unhappy.
I am not going to be one of them. [Moves up.] Lord Darlington,
will you give me back my fan, please? Thanks…. A useful thing,
 a fan, isn’t it?… I want a friend to-night, Lord Darlington. I
didn’t know I would want one so soon.
LORD DAR. Lady Windermere! I knew the time would come some day; but
why to-night?
LORD WIN. I will tell her. I must. It would be terrible if there
were any scene. Margaret….

PAR. Mrs. Erlynne.

   [Lord Windermere starts. Mrs. Erlynne enters, very
  beautifully dressed, and very dignified. Lady Windermere
  clutches at her fan, then lets it drop on the floor. She
  bows coldly to Mrs. Erlynne, who bows to her sweetly in

turn, and sails into the room.]

LORD DAR. You have dropped your fan, Lady Windermere. [Picks it up
  and hands it to her.]
MRS. ERL. [C.] How do you do again, Lord Windermere? How charming
  your sweet wife looks! Quite a picture!
LORD WIN. [In a low, voice.] It was terribly rash of you to come!
MRS. ERL. [Smiling.] The wisest thing I ever did in my life. And,
  by the way, you must pay me a good deal of attention this
  evening. I am afraid of the women. You must introduce me to some
  of them. The men I can always manage. How do you do, Lord
  Augustus? You have quite neglected me lately. I have not seen
  you since yesterday. I am afraid you're faithless. Everyone told
 me so.
LORD AUG. [R.] Now really, Mrs. Erlynne, allow me to explain.
MRS. ERL. [R. C.] No, dear Lord Augustus, you can't explain
  anything. It is your chief charm.

LORD AUG. Ah, if you find charm in me, Mrs. Erlynne-

   [They converse together. Lord Windermere moves uneasily

about the room, watching Mrs. Erlynne.]

LORD DAR. [To Lady Windermere.] How pale you are!

 LADY WIN. Cowards are always pale.
LORD DAR. You look faint. Come out on the terrace.
LADY WIN. Yes. [To Parker.] Parker, send my cloak out.
MRS. ERL. [Crossing to her.] Lady Windermere, how beautifully your

terrace is illuminated. Reminds me of Prince Doria’s at Rome.

   [Lady Windermere bows coldly, and goes off with Lord

Darlington.]

 Oh, how do you do, Mr. Graham? Isn't that your aunt, Lady
 Jedburgh? I should so much like to know her.
CEC. [After a moment's hesitation and embarrassment.]
 Oh, certainly, if you wish it. Aunt Caroline, allow me to
 introduce Mrs. Erlynne.
MRS. ERL. So pleased to meet you, Lady Jedburgh. [Sits beside her
 on the sofa.] Your nephew and I are great friends. I am so much
 interested in his political career. I think he's sure to be a
 wonderful success. He thinks like a Tory, and talks like a
 radical, and that's so important now-a-days. He's such a
 brilliant talker, too. But we all know from whom he inherits
 that. Lord Allandale was saying to me only yesterday in the
 park, that Mr. Graham talks almost as well as his aunt.
LADY JED. [R.] Most kind of you to say these charming things to me!
 [Mrs. Erlynne smiles and continues conversation.]
DUM. [To Cecil Graham.] Did you introduce Mrs. Erlynne to Lady
 Jedburgh?
CEC. Had to, my dear fellow. Couldn't help it. That woman can make
 one do anything she wants. How, I don't know.

DUM. Hope to goodness she won’t speak to me!

[Saunters towards Lady Plymdale.]

MRS. ERL. [C. to Lady Jedburgh.] On Thursday? With great pleasure.
 [Rises and speaks to Lord Windermere, laughing.] What a bore it
 is to have to be civil to these old dowagers. But they always

 insist on it.
LADY PLY. [To Mr. Dumby.] Who is that well-dressed woman talking to
Windermere?
DUM. Haven’t got the slightest idea. Looks like an edition de luxe
of a wicked French novel, meant specially for the English
market.
MRS. ERL. So that is poor Dumby with Lady Plymdale? I hear she is
frightfully jealous of him. He doesn’t seem anxious to speak to
me to-night. I suppose he is afraid of her. Those straw-coloured
women have dreadful tempers. Do you know, I think I’ll dance
with you first, Windermere. [Lord Windermere bites his lip and
frowns.] It will make Lord Augustus so jealous! Lord Augustus!
[Lord Augustus comes down.] Lord Windermere insists on my
dancing with him first, and, as it’s his own house, I can’t well
refuse. You know I would much sooner dance with you.
LORD AUG. [With a low bow.] I wish I could think so, Mrs. Erlynne.
MRS. ERL. You know it far too well. I fancy a person dancing
through life with you and finding it charming.
LORD AUG. [Placing his hand on his white waistcoat.] Oh, thank you,
thank you. You are the most adorable of all ladies!
MRS. ERL. What a nice speech! So simple and so sincere! Just the
sort of speech I like. Well, you shall hold my bouquet. [Goes
towards ball-room on Lord Windermere’s arm.] Ah, Mr. Dumby, how
are you? I am sorry I have been out the last three times you
have called. Come and lunch on Friday.

DUM. [With perfect nonchalance.] Delighted.

   [Lady Plymdale glares with indignation at Mr. Dumby. Lord
 Augustus follows Mrs. Erlynne and Lord Windermere into the

ball-room holding bouquet.]

LADY PLY. [To Mr. Dumby.] What an absolute brute you are! I never
 can believe a word you say! Why did you tell me you didn't know
 her? What do you mean by calling on her three times running? You
 are not to go to lunch there; of course you understand that?

 DUM. My dear Laura, I wouldn’t dream of going!
LADY PLY. You haven’t told me her name yet! Who is she?
DUM. [Coughs slightly and smoothes his hair.] She’s a Mrs. Erlynne.
LADY PLY. That woman?
DUM. Yes, that is what every one calls her.
LADY PLY. How very interesting! How intensely interesting! I really
must have a good stare at her. [Goes to door of ball-room and
looks in.] I have heard the most shocking things about her. They
say she is ruining poor Windermere. And Lady Windermere, who
goes in for being so proper, invites her! How extremely amusing!
It takes a thoroughly good woman to do thoroughly stupid things.
You are to lunch there on Friday!
DUM. Why?
LADY PLY. Because I want you to take my husband with you. He has
been so attentive lately, that he has become a perfect nuisance.
Now, this woman is just the thing for him. He’ll dance
attendance upon her as long as she lets him, and won’t bother
me. I assure you, women of that kind are most useful. They form
the basis of other people’s marriages.
DUM. What a mystery you are!
LADY PLY. [Looking at him.] I wish you were!
DUM. I am- to myself. I am the only person in the world I should
like to know thoroughly; but I don’t see any chance of it just

at present.

   [They pass into the ball-room, and Lady Windermere and

Lord Darlington enter from the terrace.]

LADY WIN. Yes. Her coming here is monstrous, unbearable. I know now
 what you meant to-day at tea-time. Why didn't you tell me right
 out? You should have!
LORD DAR. I couldn't! A man can't tell these things about another
 man! But if I had known he was going to make you ask her here
 to-night, I think I would have told you. That insult, at any
 rate, you would have been spared.

LADY WIN. I did not ask her. He insisted on her coming- against my
entreaties- against my commands. Oh! the house is tainted for
me! I feel that every woman here sneers at me as she dances by
with my husband. What have I done to deserve this? I gave him
all my life. He took it- used it- spoiled it! I am degraded in
my own eyes; and I lack courage- I am a coward! [Sits down on
sofa.]
LORD DAR. If I know you at all, I know that you can’t live with a
man who treats you like this! What sort of life would you have
with him? You would feel that he was lying to you every moment
of the day. You would feel that the look in his eyes was false,
his voice false, his touch false, his passion false. He would
come to you when he was weary of others; you would have to
comfort him. He would come to you when he was devoted to others;
you would have to charm him. You would have to be to him the
mask of his real life, the cloak to hide his secret.
LADY WIN. You are right- you are terribly right. But where am I to
turn? You said you would be my friend, Lord Darlington. Tell me,
what am I to do? Be my friend now.
LORD DAR. Between men and women, there is no friendship possible.
There is passion, enmity, worship, love, but no friendship. I
love you-
LADY WIN. No, no! [Rises.]
LORD DAR. Yes, I love you! You are more to me than anything in the
whole world. What does your husband give you? Nothing. Whatever
is in him