Pygmalion

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.