children long ago--or I shouldn't have come back at all.'

The Colonel is endeavouring to soothe her when Stephen Rollo is shown
in. He is very young--too young to be a villain, too round-faced; but
he is all the villain we can provide for Amy. His entrance is less
ostentatious than it might be if he knew of the role that has been
assigned to him. He thinks indeed (sometimes with a sigh) that he is a
very good young man; and the Colonel and Alice (without the sigh)
think so too. After warm greetings:

STEVE. 'Alice, I daresay you wish me at Jericho; but it's six months
since I saw you, and I couldn't wait till to-morrow.'

ALICE, giving him her cheek, 'I believe there's someone in this house
glad to see me at last; and you may kiss me for that, Steve.'

STEVE, who has found the cheek wet, 'You are not telling me they don't
adore her?'

COLONEL. 'I can't understand it.'

STEVE. 'But by all the little gods of India, you know, everyone has
always adored Alice.'

ALICE, plaintively, 'That's why I take it so ill, Steve.'

STEVE. 'Can I do anything? See here, if the house is upside down and
you would like to get rid of the Colonel for an hour or two, suppose
he dines with me to-night? I'm dying to hear all the news of the
Punjab since I left.'