IV + 

Myra wrote to Joe: + 

Dearest Josephine: + 

I am so worried about Vernon and this woman he is always going up to town to seeтБатАФsome opera singer or other. Years older than he is. ItтАЩs so dreadful the way women like that get hold of boys. I am terribly worried and donтАЩt know what to do about it. I have spoken to your Uncle Sydney, but he was not very helpful about it and just said that boys will be boys. But I donтАЩt want my boy to be like that. I was wondering, dear Joe, if it would be any good my seeing this woman and begging her to leave my boy alone. Even a bad woman would listen to a mother, I think. Vernon is too young to have his life ruined. I really donтАЩt know what to do. I seem to have no influence over Vernon nowadays. + 

Joe showed this letter to Sebastian. + 

тАЬI suppose she means Jane,тАЭ said Sebastian. тАЬIтАЩd rather like to see an interview between them. Frankly, I think Jane would be amused.тАЭ + 

тАЬItтАЩs too silly,тАЭ said Joe hotly. тАЬI wish to goodness Vernon would fall in love with Jane. It would be a hundred times better for him than being in love with that silly stick of a Nell.тАЭ + 

тАЬYou donтАЩt like Nell, do you, Joe?тАЭ + 

тАЬYou donтАЩt like her either.тАЭ + 

тАЬOh! yes, I do, in a way. She doesnтАЩt interest me very much, but I can quite see the attraction. In her own way, sheтАЩs quite lovely.тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, in a chocolate-box way.тАЭ + 

тАЬShe doesnтАЩt attract me, because to my mind thereтАЩs nothing there to attract as yet. The real Nell hasnтАЩt happened. Perhaps she never will. I suppose to some people that is very attractive because it opens out all sorts of possibilities.тАЭ + 

тАЬWell, I think Jane is worth ten of Nell! The sooner Vernon gets over his silly calf love for Nell and falls in love with Jane instead, the better it will be.тАЭ + 

Sebastian lit a cigarette and said slowly: + 

тАЬIтАЩm not sure that I agree with you.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhy?тАЭ + 

тАЬWell, itтАЩs not very easy to explain. But, you see, Jane is a real personтБатАФvery much so. To be in love with Jane might be a whole-time job. WeтАЩre agreed, arenтАЩt we, that Vernon is very possibly a genius? Well, I donтАЩt think a genius wants to be married to a real person. He wants to be married to someone rather negligibleтБатАФsomeone whose personality wonтАЩt interfere. Now it may sound cynical, but thatтАЩs what will probably happen if Vernon marries Nell. At the moment she representsтБатАФI donтАЩt quite know what to call itтБатАФwhatтАЩs that line? тАШThe apple tree, the singing and the goldтБатАКтБатАжтАЩ Something like that. Once heтАЩs married to her, that will go. SheтАЩll just be a nice pretty sweet-tempered girl whom, naturally, he loves very much. But she wonтАЩt interfere. SheтАЩll never get between him and his workтБатАФshe hasnтАЩt got sufficient personality. Now Jane might. She wouldnтАЩt mean to, but she might. It isnтАЩt JaneтАЩs beauty that attracts youтБатАФitтАЩs herself. She might be absolutely fatal to Vernon.тАЭ + 

тАЬWell,тАЭ said Joe, тАЬI donтАЩt agree with you. I think NellтАЩs a silly little ass and I should hate to see Vernon married to her. I hope it will all come to nothing.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhich is much the likeliest thing to happen,тАЭ said Sebastian. + 