PICKERING. He's incorrigible, Eliza. You won't relapse, will you?
LIZA. No: Not now. Never again. I have learnt my lesson. I don't
believe I could utter one of the old sounds if I tried. [Doolittle
touches her on her left shoulder. She drops her work, losing her
self-possession utterly at the spectacle of her father's splendor]
A--a--a--a--a--ah--ow--ooh!
HIGGINS [with a crow of triumph] Aha! Just so. A--a--a--a--ahowooh!
A--a--a--a--ahowooh ! A--a--a--a--ahowooh! Victory! Victory! [He throws
himself on the divan, folding his arms, and spraddling arrogantly].
DOOLITTLE. Can you blame the girl? Don't look at me like that, Eliza.
It ain't my fault. I've come into money.
LIZA. You must have touched a millionaire this time, dad.
DOOLITTLE. I have. But I'm dressed something special today. I'm going
to St. George's, Hanover Square. Your stepmother is going to marry me.
LIZA [angrily] You're going to let yourself down to marry that low
common woman!
PICKERING [quietly] He ought to, Eliza. [To Doolittle] Why has she
changed her mind?
DOOLITTLE [sadly] Intimidated, Governor. Intimidated. Middle class
morality claims its victim. Won't you put on your hat, Liza, and come
and see me turned off?
LIZA. If the Colonel says I must, I--I'll [almost sobbing] I'll demean
myself. And get insulted for my pains, like enough.
DOOLITTLE. Don't be afraid: she never comes to words with anyone now,
poor woman! respectability has broke all the spirit out of her.
PICKERING [squeezing Eliza's elbow gently] Be kind to them, Eliza. Make
the best of it.
LIZA [forcing a little smile for him through her vexation] Oh well,
just to show there's no ill feeling. I'll be back in a moment. [She
goes out].
DOOLITTLE [sitting down beside Pickering] I feel uncommon nervous about
the ceremony, Colonel. I wish you'd come and see me through it.
PICKERING. But you've been through it before, man. You were married to
Eliza's mother.
DOOLITTLE. Who told you that, Colonel?
PICKERING. Well, nobody told me. But I concluded naturally--
DOOLITTLE. No: that ain't the natural way, Colonel: it's only the
middle class way. My way was always the undeserving way. But don't say
nothing to Eliza. She don't know: I always had a delicacy about telling
her.
PICKERING. Quite right. We'll leave it so, if you don't mind.
DOOLITTLE. And you'll come to the church, Colonel, and put me through
straight?
PICKERING. With pleasure. As far as a bachelor can.
MRS. HIGGINS. May I come, Mr. Doolittle? I should be very sorry to miss
your wedding.
DOOLITTLE. I should indeed be honored by your condescension, ma'am; and
my poor old woman would take it as a tremenjous compliment. She's been
very low, thinking of the happy days that are no more.