sy smile of the hypocrite with his gr po ee 4 arranging the foulness of the nee article, and penning his leading public placard. aan CHILTERN COMPLAINS AEOUr TOMMY’ MANNER OF PROPOSING: TOO OFTEN, OUT OF DATE, AND IN BAD STYLE (vc) (1895) Oscar Witoe, AN /DeaL HusBano, ACT II There’ in the cast of characters. His only function is to ele arene Corea ay aa se Somaittl to come in the last act, from another character, Lord Goring, in whom her interest is genuine. Nor does she have any other function in the play; she is a character with literally nothing to do until the plot's brief attention turns, for a very brief moment, and very late, to her. Wilde, given her relative pointlessness, is free to improvise character, subject and style, and since her conventional yole in comedy would be: young lady who is wooed, he makes the burden of her chatter her indifference to wooing, and her charm, hes attention to her charm. But he means her to be the quintessence of charm; this is how he imagines her: she is“a perfect example,” he tells us on her arrival, “of the English type of prettiness, the apple-blossom {ie She has all the fragrance and the freedom of a flower, She has the fascinating tyranny of youth, and the astonishing courage of innocence? Wilde’ revenge on such fragrant, youthful liberty would have come had he lived to write more such comedies after An Ideal Husband, when he would have aged her inte the supporting cast of elderly titled matrons who ted ni gather in his plays for ideally unfocused conversation, in which they comment on everything serious with indifferent nonchalance and everything trivial with grave opinion, It is the Lord Goring in whom she is interested who has justalked out, not noticing, apparently, her i, wi wins to her hostess Lady Chiltern, she a ‘urns about Tommy's proposals, but does so this ti toh arpeity—hardly at inoffensive Tae time with a small a joke rerioe. 3 More at the cae of ord also Mase CHILTERN Well, Tommy has proposed t a eet propacs to me He pratt Tommy realy does the music-room, when I was quite meso oy as mtn an elaborate trio going on. I didn't dave ve nee mes repartee, I need hardly tell you, If Thad, trent et the music at once, Musical people are so na ld have stopped haressonables Theyelayavenneamis teers the very moment when one is longing t pe CNG ie be proposed eae in Ee de ee ee iearorsudtidreadRiV iste Ackines Real ene papekaronton Giniworiecnttee cana eee Sa ee ia ntericies At ligation eee ee eee eye that he was going to propose again, and I oar Peaches tie by eahucing hiss hati Biscay Fortunately I don't know what bimetallism means. And I don't believe anybody else does either. But the observation crushed ‘Tommy for ten minutes. He looked quite shocked. And then ‘Tommy is so annoying in the way he proposes. If he proposed at the top of his voice, I should not mind so much. That might produce some effect on the public. But he does it in horrid confidential way. When Tommy wants to be romantic he talks to one just like a doctor. I am very fond of Tommy, but his methods of proposing are quite out of date. 1 wish, Gertrude, you would speak to him, and tel him that once a week saute often enough to propose to any one, and that it should always be done in a manner that attracts some attention.