Act V

Mrs. Higgins's drawing-room. She is at her writing-table as before. The parlor-maid comes in.

THE PARLOR-MAID
[at the door] Mr. Henry, mam, is downstairs with Colonel Pickering.

MRSX HIGGINS
Well, shew them up.

THE PARLOR-MAID
Theyre using the telephone, mam. Telephoning to the police, I think.

MRSX HIGGINS
What!

THE PARLOR-MAID
[coming further in and lowering her voice] Mr. Henry's in a state, mam. I thought I'd better tell you.

MRSX HIGGINS
If you had told me that Mr. Henry was not in a state it would have been more surprising. Tell them to come up when theyve finished with the police. I suppose hes lost something.

THE PARLOR-MAID
Yes, mam [going].

MRSX HIGGINS
Go upstairs and tell Miss Doolittle that Mr. Henry and the Colonel are here. Ask her not to come down till I send for her.

THE PARLOR-MAID
Yes, mam.

Higgins bursts in. He is, as the parlor-maid has said, in a state.

HIGGINS
Look here, mother: heres a confounded thing!

MRSX HIGGINS
Yes, dear. Good-morning. [He checks his impatience and kisses her, whilst the parlor-maid goes out]. What is it?

HIGGINS
Eliza's bolted.

MRSX HIGGINS
[calmly continuing her writing] You must have frightened her.

HIGGINS
Frightened her! nonsense! She was left last night, as usual, to turn out the lights and all that; and instead of going to bed she changed her clothes and went right off: her bed wasnt slept in. She came in a cab for her things before seven this morning; and that fool Mrs. Pearce let her have them without telling me a word about it. What am I to do?

MRSX HIGGINS
Do without, I'm afraid, Henry. The girl has a perfect right to leave if she chooses.

HIGGINS
[wandering distractedly across the room] But I cant find anything. I dont know what appointments Ive got. I'm-- [Pickering comes in. Mrs. Higgins puts down her pen and turns away from the writing-table].

PICKERING
[shaking hands] Good-morning, Mrs. Higgins. Has Henry told you? [He sits down on the ottoman].

HIGGINS
What does that ass of an inspector say? Have you offered a reward?

MRSX HIGGINS
[rising in indignant amazement] You dont mean to say you have set the police after Eliza?

HIGGINS
Of course. What are the police for? What else could we do? [He sits in the Elizabethan chair].

PICKERING
The inspector made a lot of difficulties. I really think he suspected us of some improper purpose.

MRSX HIGGINS
Well, of course he did. What right have you to go to the police and give the girl's name as if she were a thief, or a lost umbrella, or something? Really! [She sits down again, deeply vexed].

HIGGINS
But we want to find her.

PICKERING
We