An Ideal Husband

guests . At the top of the staircase stands lady chiltern , a woman of grave Greek beauty , about twenty-seven years of age . She receives the guests as they come up . Over the well of the staircase hangs a great chandelier with wax lights , which illumine a large eighteenth-century French tapestry—representing the Triumph of Love , from a design by Boucher—that is stretched on the staircase wall . On the right is the entrance to the music-room . The sound of a string quartette is faintly heard . The entrance on the left leads to other reception-rooms . mrs. marchmont and lady basildon , two very pretty women , are seated together on a Louis Seize sofa . They are types of exquisite fragility . Their affectation of manner has a delicate charm . Watteau would have loved to paint them .] mrs. marchmont . Going on to the Hartlocks’ to-night, Margaret? lady basildon . I suppose so. Are you? mrs. marchmont . Yes. Horribly tedious parties they give, don’t they? lady basildon . Horribly tedious! Never know why I go. Never know why I go anywhere. mrs. marchmont . I come here to be educated. lady basildon . Ah! I hate being educated! mrs. marchmont . So do I. It puts one almost on a level with the commercial classes, doesn’t it? But dear Gertrude Chiltern is always telling me that I should have some serious purpose in life. So I come here to try to find one. lady basildon . [ Looking round through her lorgnette .] I don’t see anybody here to-night whom one could possibly call a serious purpose. The man who took me in to dinner talked to me about his wife the whole time. mrs. marchmont . How very trivial of him! lady basildon . Terribly trivial! What did your man talk about? mrs. marchmont . About myself. lady basildon . [ Languidly .] And were you interested? mrs. marchmont . [ Shaking her head .] Not in the smallest degree. lady basildon . What martyrs we are, dear Margaret! mrs. marchmont . [ Rising .] And how well it becomes us, Olivia! [ They rise and go towards the music-room . The vicomte de nanjac , a young attaché known for his neckties and his Anglomania , approaches with a low bow , and enters into conversation .] mason…