You see, he could claim to carry off Sir Howard, because
Sir Howard is a Christian. But as I am only a woman, he had no
claim to me.
KEARNEY (somewhat sternly, suspecting Lady Cicely of aristocratic
atheism). But you are a Christian woman.
LADY CICELY. No: the Arabs don't count women. They don't believe
we have any souls.
RANKIN. That is true, Captain: the poor benighted creatures!
LADY CICELY. Well, what was he to do? He wasn't in love with Sir
Howard; and he WAS in love with me. So he naturally offered to
swop Sir Howard for me. Don't you think that was nice of him,
Captain Kearney?
KEARNEY. I should have done the same myself, Lady Waynflete.
Proceed.
LADY CICELY. Captain Brassbound, I must say, was nobleness itself,
in spite of the quarrel between himself and Sir Howard. He refused
to give up either of us, and was on the point of fighting for us
when in came the Cadi with your most amusing and delightful
letter, captain, and bundled us all back to Mogador after calling
my poor Sidi the most dreadful names, and putting all the blame on
Captain Brassbound. So here we are. Now, Howard, isn't that the
exact truth, every word of it?
SIR HOWARD. It is the truth, Cicely, and nothing but the truth.
But the English law requires a witness to tell the WHOLE truth.
LADY CICELY. What nonsense! As if anybody ever knew the whole
truth about anything! (Sitting down, much hurt and discouraged.
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