FLORA. Oh! his grievances. They're rather real, you know.
CEDRIC. Do you know, when I went in just now I was meaning to knock at your door and ask you to get up at once. Curious thing, that you should have been coming downstairs at that very moment!
FLORA. Why this desire to begin the day so early?
CEDRIC. Look here, Flora, let's go, now! Fisher won't be up, but the car's cleaned and there's plenty of petrol. Come on. Just you and I.
CEDRIC. Chelmsford. I can wake the Bishop and tell him we want the job done at eight o'clock instead of twelve. Any old verger and charwoman will do for witnesses. The thing will be all over before the mater's out of bed. We can telephone to 'em from Chelmsford with the pleasing news. (_Pause. As_ FLORA _says nothing, he continues, rather less confidently_.) It'll give 'em an appetite for breakfast.
FLORA. (_Ironically._) Any other details?
CEDRIC. (_With rough persuasiveness._) Come on!
FLORA. (_Ironically._) Then you've decided that we are to get married, after all?
CEDRIC. Well, a marriage can't be broken off like--like this! It's unthinkable. What would any unprejudiced outsider say, if he was asked? He'd say we were off our blooming heads. The thing simply won't bear examination. (_Moves towards her._) Come----
FLORA. And I'm to be carried by storm?.... Great saving of argument!
CEDRIC. Will you talk man to man? Straight?
CEDRIC. (_Picking up a dish off the table._) If you make one more joke, I'll smash every darned bit of crockery on this table. (_Gesture of destruction._)
FLORA. (_Coldly._) Now if I agree to listen quietly and talk reasonably, it mustn't be understood that I'm open to argument. (_Sits down._)
FLORA. Because I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. The thing that's--that's really upset our applecart may seem perfectly childish to the unprejudiced outsider. But I don't propose to consult the unprejudiced outsider. Might as well take the case before a jury and engage a couple of K.C.'s. You know as well as I know that it isn't perfectly childish. It isn't childish at all. Its fundamental. We've been unlucky. But then in another sense we've been lucky. We're free. We aren't tied, thank Heaven. Man to man, Cedric, it would be too much humiliation--yes, humiliation--for me to marry anybody that looks on marriage as you look on it. And as it's just as impossible for you to change your opinion as it is for me to change mine, we shan't exactly go down to Colchester this morning.... More's the pity.