that he'll be dismissed with only an apology for a
pension, or with no pension at all.

CRILLY
I don't know what's to be done.

MRS. CRILLY
If he could be got to resign now James Scollard would
have a good chance of becoming Workhouse Master. He would marry Anna,
and we would still have some hand in the affairs of the House.

CRILLY
Yes, yes. I think that Scollard could make a place for himself.

ALBERT
The old man won't be anxious to retire.

MRS. CRILLY
Why shouldn't he retire when his time is up?

ALBERT
Well, here he is what's called a potentate. He won't care to
come down and live over Crilly's shop.

MRS. CRILLY
And where else would he live in the name of God?

ALBERT
He won't want to live with our crowd.

MRS. CRILLY
What crowd? The boys can be sent to school, you'll be on
your situation, and Anna will be away. _(She seats herself in the
armchair)_ I don't know what Albert means when he says that the
Master would not be content to live with us. It was always settled
that he would come to us when his service was over.

_Albert, who has been going over the books, has met something that
surprises him. He draws Crilly to the desk. The two go over the
papers, puzzled and excited. Anna Crilly enters from corridor. She
is a handsome girl of about nineteen or twenty, with a rich
complexion dark hair and eyes. She is well dressed, and wears a cap
of dark fur. She stands at the stove, behind her mother, holding her
hands over the stove. Mrs. Crilly watches the pair at the desk_.

MRS. CRILLY
We can't think of allowing a pension of fifty pounds a
year to go out of our house. Where will we get money to send the
boys to school?

ANNA
Mother. Grandfather is going to live away from us.

MRS. CRILLY
Why do you repeat what Albert says?

ANNA
I didn't hear Albert say anything.

MRS. CRILLY
Then, what are you talking about?

ANNA
Grandfather goes to Martin's cottage nearly every evening, and
stays there for hours. They'll be leaving the place in a year or two,
and Grandfather was saying that he would take the cottage when he
retired from the Workhouse.

MRS. CRILLY
When did you hear this?

ANNA
This evening. Delia Martin told me.

MRS. CRILLY
And that's the reason why he has kept away from us. He
goes to strangers, and leaves us in black ignorance of his thought.

_Crilly and Albert are busy at desk_.

CRILLY
Well, damn it all--

ALBERT
Here's the voucher.

CRILLY
Go