NORA [to everybody except GIBSON]:  Don’t you all think that these arguments are pretty foolish when you know that nothing can be settled except at the governing committee’s meeting?

SIMPSON:  That’s so, Miss Gorodna.  What’s more, it don’t look like as good comrades as it ought to.  I don’t want to have no trouble with Frankel.  He might have the rights of it for all I know.  Anyways, if he hasn’t I ain’t got the brains to make out the case against him, and anyways, as you say, the meetin’ settles all them things.

NORA:  Don’t you think you and Frankel might shake hands now, like good comrades?

FRANKEL [with hostility]:  Sure, I’ll shake hands with him!

SIMPSON:  Well, I just as soon.

MRS. SIMPSON:  Don’t you do it, Henry!

SIMPSON:  Well, but he’s a comrade.

MRS. SIMPSON:  Well, you can’t help that!  You don’t have to shake hands with him.

SIMPSON:  Well, consider it done, Frankel.  Consider it done!

CARTER:  That’s right, that’s right!  We can leave it to the meeting.

SHOMBERG:  You bet you can!  You goin’ my way, Frankel?

     [FRANKEL, joining him, speaks to MRS. SIMPSON.]

FRANKEL:  I s’pose you’re going to come to the meetin’, Mrs. Simpson?

MRS. SIMPSON:  Ain’t my place where my husband is?

FRANKEL:  Well, you don’t git no vote!

MRS. SIMPSON:  There’s goin’ to be a motion introduced for the wives to vote.

FRANKEL:  Watch it pass!  Good-bye, Mr. Gibson!

     [GIBSON nods. FRANKEL goes away with SHOMBERG.]

SIMPSON:  Good-bye, Mr. Gibson!  All this don’t amount to much.  It’ll all be settled to-morrow.

MRS. SIMPSON:  Good-bye, Mr. Gibson! [And as they go out the gate]:  You bet your life it’ll be settled!  If that wall-eyed runt thinks he can walk over me—­

CARTER [looking after them, laughing]:  Well, she’s an awful interfering woman!  And she ain’t the only one.  If they’d all stay home like my wife things would be smoother, I guess.  Still, they’re smooth enough. [Going]:  If you want to see that, Mr. Gibson, we’ll be glad to have you look in at the meeting.  You’re always welcome at the factory and it’d be a treat to you to see how things work out.  It’s at eleven o’clock if you’d like to come.

GIBSON:  Thanks, Carter.

CARTER:  Well, good afternoon, Mr. Gibson and Miss Gorodna.  Good evening,
I should say, I reckon.

GIBSON:  Good evening, Carter.

     [The light has grown to be of sunset. CARTER goes.]

NORA [going toward the gate]:  I’m glad to see you looking so well. 
Good evening!

GIBSON:  Oh, just a minute more.

NORA:  Well?

GIBSON:  It looks as if that might be a lively meeting to-morrow.

NORA:  Is that the old capitalistic sneer?