LAURA.  Gracious, Elfie, don’t play so loud.  What’s the matter?

ELFIE.  I shoved over that thing marked “Swell.” [Stops and turns.  Rises; crosses to centre and stands.] I sure will have to speak to Jerry about this.  I’m stuck on that swell thing.  Hurry up. [LAURA appears.] Gee! you look pale. [And then in a tone of sympathy:] I’ll just bet you and Will have had a fight, and he always gets the best of you, doesn’t he, dearie? [LAURA crosses to dresser, and busies herself.] Listen.  Don’t you think you can ever get him trained?  I almost threw Jerry down the stairs the other night and he came right back with a lot of American beauties and a check.  I told him if he didn’t look out I’d throw him down-stairs every night.  He’s getting too damned independent and it’s got me nervous.  Oh, dear, I s’pose I will have to go back on the stage. [Sits in armchair.

LAURA.  In the chorus?

ELFIE.  Well, I should say not.  I’m going to give up my musical career.  Charlie Burgess is putting on a new play, and he says he has a part in it for me if I want to go back.  It isn’t much, but very important,—­sort of a pantomime part.  A lot of people talk about me, and just at the right time I walk across the stage and make an awful hit.  I told Jerry that if I went [LAURA crosses to sofa, picks up candy-box, puts it upon desk, gets telegram from table, crosses to centre.] on he’d have to come across with one of those Irish crochet lace gowns.  He fell for it.  Do you know, dearie, I think he’d sell out his business just to have me back on the stage for a couple of weeks, just to give box-parties every night for my en-trance and ex-its.

LAURA. [Seriously.] Elfie! [LAURA takes ELFIE by the hand, and leads her over to sofa. LAURA sits, ELFIE standing.

ELFIE.  Yes, dear.

LAURA.  Come over here and sit down.

ELFIE.  What’s up?

LAURA.  Do you know what I’m going to ask of you?

ELFIE.  If it’s a touch, you’ll have to wait until next week. [Sits opposite LAURA.

LAURA.  No:  just a little advice.

ELFIE. [With a smile.] Well, that’s cheap, and Lord knows you need it.  What’s happened?

LAURA takes the crumpled and torn telegram that WILL has left on the table and hands it to ELFIE. The latter puts the two pieces together, reads it very carefully, looks up at LAURA about middle of telegram, and lays it down.

ELFIE.  Well?

LAURA.  Will suspected.  There was something in the paper about Mr.
Madison—­the telegram came—­then we had a row.

ELFIE.  Serious?

LAURA.  Yes.  Do you remember what I told you about that letter—­the one
Will made me write—­I mean to John—­telling him what I had done?

ELFIE.  Yes, you burned it.

LAURA.  I tried to lie to Will—­he wouldn’t have it that way.  He seemed to know.  He was furious.