(Quickly shuts door leading upstairs.)

MRS HALE:  (abruptly moving toward her) Mrs Peters?

MRS PETERS:  Yes, Mrs Hale?

MRS HALE:  Do you think she did it?

MRS PETERS:  (in a frightened voice) Oh, I don’t know.

MRS HALE:  Well, I don’t think she did.  Asking for an apron and her little shawl.  Worrying about her fruit.

MRS PETERS:  (starts to speak, glances up, where footsteps are heard in the room above.  In a low voice) Mr Peters says it looks bad for her.  Mr Henderson is awful sarcastic in a speech and he’ll make fun of her sayin’ she didn’t wake up.

MRS HALE:  Well, I guess John Wright didn’t wake when they was slipping that rope under his neck.

MRS PETERS:  No, it’s strange.  It must have been done awful crafty and still.  They say it was such a—­funny way to kill a man, rigging it all up like that.

MRS HALE:  That’s just what Mr Hale said.  There was a gun in the house.  He says that’s what he can’t understand.

MRS PETERS:  Mr Henderson said coming out that what was needed for the case was a motive; something to show anger, or—­sudden feeling.

MRS HALE:  (who is standing by the table) Well, I don’t see any signs of anger around here, (she puts her hand on the dish towel which lies on the table, stands looking down at table, one half of which is clean, the other half messy) It’s wiped to here, (makes a move as if to finish work, then turns and looks at loaf of bread outside the breadbox.  Drops towel.  In that voice of coming back to familiar things.) Wonder how they are finding things upstairs.  I hope she had it a little more red-up up there.  You know, it seems kind of sneaking.  Locking her up in town and then coming out here and trying to get her own house to turn against her!

MRS PETERS:  But Mrs Hale, the law is the law.

MRS HALE:  I s’pose ’tis, (unbuttoning her coat) Better loosen up your things, Mrs Peters.  You won’t feel them when you go out.

(MRS PETERS takes off her fur tippet, goes to hang it on hook at back of room, stands looking at the under part of the small corner table.)

MRS PETERS:  She was piecing a quilt. (She brings the large sewing basket and they look at the bright pieces.)

MRS HALE:  It’s log cabin pattern.  Pretty, isn’t it?  I wonder if she was goin’ to quilt it or just knot it?

(Footsteps have been heard coming down the stairs.  The SHERIFF enters followed by HALE and the COUNTY ATTORNEY.)

SHERIFF:  They wonder if she was going to quilt it or just knot it! (The men laugh, the women look abashed.)

COUNTY ATTORNEY:  (rubbing his hands over the stove) Frank’s fire didn’t do much up there, did it?  Well, let’s go out to the barn and get that cleared up. (The men go outside.)

MRS HALE:  (resentfully) I don’t know as there’s anything so strange, our takin’ up our time with little things while we’re waiting for them to get the evidence. (she sits down at the big table smoothing out a block with decision) I don’t see as it’s anything to laugh about.