He would be unable to keep his countenance were it not for a warning look from Alice. COLONEL, one of the men who have a genius for saying the right thing, 'Ha.' STEVE. 'I am going, Colonel. I am very sorry that you----At the same time I wish you to understand that the fault is entirely mine.' COLONEL, guardedly, 'Ha.' AMY, putting an arm round her mother, who hugs it, 'Father, he came only to say goodbye. He is not a bad man, and mother has behaved magnificently.' COLONEL, cleverly, 'Ha.' AMY. 'You must not, you shall not, be cruel to her.' ALICE. 'Darling Amy.' COLONEL, truculently, 'Oh, mustn't I. We shall see about that.' STEVE. 'Come, come, Colonel.' COLONEL, doing better than might have been expected, 'Hold your tongue, sir.' AMY. 'I know mother as no other person can know her. I begin to think that you have no proper appreciation of her, father.' ALICE, basely, 'Dear, dear Amy.' AMY. 'I daresay she has often suffered in the past--' ALICE. 'Oh, Amy, oh.' AMY. 'By your--your callousness--your want of sympathy--your neglect.' ALICE. 'My beloved child.' COLONEL, uneasily, 'Alice, tell her it isn't so.' ALICE. 'You hear what he says, my pet.' AMY. 'But you don't deny it.' COLONEL. 'Deny it, woman.' ALICE. 'Robert, Robert.'