LAURA.  All right, Ken.  I accept your apology. [At the end of her self-control.] And now that’s enough.

KEN.  No.  I got one more apology to make.

TIPPY.  All right, Ken.  I’ll take the next one.

KEN.  I didn’t insult you.

TIPPY.  No.  Well, whom did you insult?

KEN.  I insulted Mr. Prescott.

BISHOP.  Prescott?

LAURA.  You haven’t anything to apologize to him for, Ken!

KEN.  I called him a lousy heel.  If that’s all right with you, I won’t apologize.

TIPPY.  You did what?

KEN.  I called up Mr. Prescott on the telephone and told him ...

LAURA.  When did you call him on the telephone?

KEN.  Before.

BISHOP.  You were drunk!

KEN.  I wasn’t drunk then.

LAURA.  What did you tell him?

KEN.  Specifically?—­Specifically I told him—­Martin’ll like this.... [Looks about blankly, doesn’t see MARTIN.] I told him that as a multimillionaire, as a captain of industry, as a pillar of capitalistic society, he ought to be ashamed of himself for robbing the widows and the orphans and taking the money out of the collection baskets of the House of God to pay an architect to draw plans for a wastebasket.

TIPPY.  Good Lord!

KEN. [To LAURA.] You think I ought to apologize to him for that?

BISHOP.  If you really did say anything like that to Prescott, of course you will have to apologize.

KEN. [To LAURA.] Dad is a gentleman.  And he thinks I ought to apologize.  Well, what do you think?

LAURA.  Oh, leave me alone, leave me alone!

BISHOP.  But surely that is all a figment of your imagination.—­When a man has been under the influence of liquor and then—­then recovers from its influence, how much does he remember?

TIPPY.  That depends.

KEN.  Let me explain.  I know all about it.  A man gets drunk in order to forget what he had on his mind when he was sober.  And then he gets sober in order to forget what he said when he was drunk.

BISHOP. [Almost pathetically.] Then surely you are mistaken, son.  You did not say these things to Mr. Prescott.  You do not remember what you did say—­or even if you spoke to him at all.

KEN.  Oh, yes, I do remember.  Because I was not drunk when I spoke to Prescott.  And I am not drunk now.

BISHOP.  My boy ...

KEN.  I was drunk.  That’s how come I was disrespectful.  A quart of whiskey makes any man disrespectful; but a cup of coffee makes a man respect his father, and two cups of coffee makes a man respect his wife.

MARTIN.  Give him another cup and he’ll respect Prescott.

KEN.  Hello.  Where’d you come from?

MARTIN.  I’ve been here all the time.

KEN.  That’s fine.  That’s fine.  Having a good time?

MARTIN.  Punk!