LOUISE.  I believe she’s in love with Mr. Coleman.

MRS. CARLEY.  No, they’ve always known each other.

LOUISE.  Well, some people wear better than we do, that’s all! and I believe she’s in love with him, whether either of them know it or not.

[GEORGIANA comes in Left with BELLA SHINDLE.  MISS SHINDLE is a florid, buxom young person, pleased with herself and all the world.  She carries several packages.

GEORGIANA.  Here’s Bella, mother.

EVERYBODY.  How are you, Bella?

GEORGIANA.  All your guests gone?

[She sits left of table. MRS. CARLEY goes back of table, and LOUISE moves to the right.

MRS. CARLEY.  Yes, thank goodness!  You might have been here.

GEORGIANA.  You know I can’t stand your would-be smart parties!

LOUISE.  I think they’re always angry when they don’t see you.

GEORGIANA.  Nonsense!  Did you have a good time?  Pick everybody else to pieces?

LOUISE.  No, we all said nice things about Mrs. Lothman.

GEORGIANA.  Mercy!  What’s the matter with her?

LOUISE.  My dear, she’s a perfect nonentity; she might just as well not exist.

GEORGIANA. [Amused.] Well, to tell the truth, I don’t care much about her myself.  She’s one of those boring creatures who when you ask her how she is, really tells you!

MRS. CARLEY. You with fancy work!  What in the world are you doing?

GEORGIANA.  I am knitting a tie for Dick!

MRS. CARLEY.  Good gracious.  Well, I’ll go upstairs and get into something loose.  I’ll be ready in ten minutes.

[She goes out Right.

LOUISE.  I must see the children; I haven’t seen them to-day.

[She follows her mother out.

BELLA.  Miss Carley.

GEORGIANA.  Yes, Bella.

BELLA.  Mr. Coleman, Lieutenant Coleman, is going to the Philippines to-day.

GEORGIANA. [Sighing involuntarily.] Yes, Bella.

BELLA.  I’ve got a friend going along.

GEORGIANA.  In the company?

BELLA.  Yes—­well, I don’t mind telling you—­he’s my young man, Miss
Carley.

GEORGIANA.  Why, Bella, I didn’t know you were engaged?

BELLA.  Well, I don’t know as you’d call it exactly, yes I would say as we was engaged—­though I haven’t got a ring.  But we’re going to get married when he comes back, if hugging and kissing is binding, which I guess, with witnesses!  He wanted to give me a ring of his mother’s, but I said “No,” I wouldn’t take that, it was sacred and he’d always wore it.  You see it was an old-fashioned-looking sort of onyx stone with oyster pearls, and not for me—­I’d rather wait.

GEORGIANA.  You have an eye out on the main chance, Bella.

BELLA.  Well, I wasn’t born yesterday.  Say, all the girls was crazy about him.  I met him to dancing school Tuesday evenings at Adelphi Hall and we started right in, every Sunday night to church and every Saturday to the theatre.  He enjoyed Sundays best and I Saturdays, but I felt it was because church was cheapest.  He’s dreadful economical.