MRS PETERS:  (to the other woman) Oh, her fruit; it did freeze, (to the LAWYER) She worried about that when it turned so cold.  She said the fire’d go out and her jars would break.

SHERIFF:  Well, can you beat the women!  Held for murder and worryin’ about her preserves.

COUNTY ATTORNEY:  I guess before we’re through she may have something more serious than preserves to worry about.

HALE:  Well, women are used to worrying over trifles.

(The two women move a little closer together.)

COUNTY ATTORNEY:  (with the gallantry of a young politician) And yet, for all their worries, what would we do without the ladies? (the women do not unbend.  He goes to the sink, takes a dipperful of water from the pail and pouring it into a basin, washes his hands.  Starts to wipe them on the roller-towel, turns it for a cleaner place) Dirty towels! (kicks his foot against the pans under the sink) Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies?

MRS HALE:  (stiffly) There’s a great deal of work to be done on a farm.

COUNTY ATTORNEY:  To be sure.  And yet (with a little bow to her) I know there are some Dickson county farmhouses which do not have such roller towels. (He gives it a pull to expose its length again.)

MRS HALE:  Those towels get dirty awful quick.  Men’s hands aren’t always as clean as they might be.

COUNTY ATTORNEY:  Ah, loyal to your sex, I see.  But you and Mrs Wright were neighbors.  I suppose you were friends, too.

MRS HALE:  (shaking her head) I’ve not seen much of her of late years.  I’ve not been in this house—­it’s more than a year.

COUNTY ATTORNEY:  And why was that?  You didn’t like her?

MRS HALE:  I liked her all well enough.  Farmers’ wives have their hands full, Mr Henderson.  And then—­

COUNTY ATTORNEY:  Yes—?

MRS HALE:  (looking about) It never seemed a very cheerful place.

COUNTY ATTORNEY:  No—­it’s not cheerful.  I shouldn’t say she had the homemaking instinct.

MRS HALE:  Well, I don’t know as Wright had, either.

COUNTY ATTORNEY:  You mean that they didn’t get on very well?

MRS HALE:  No, I don’t mean anything.  But I don’t think a place’d be any cheerfuller for John Wright’s being in it.

COUNTY ATTORNEY:  I’d like to talk more of that a little later.  I want to get the lay of things upstairs now. (He goes to the left, where three steps lead to a stair door.)

SHERIFF:  I suppose anything Mrs Peters does’ll be all right.  She was to take in some clothes for her, you know, and a few little things.  We left in such a hurry yesterday.

COUNTY ATTORNEY:  Yes, but I would like to see what you take, Mrs Peters, and keep an eye out for anything that might be of use to us.

MRS PETERS:  Yes, Mr Henderson.