panion.]

DICK. He's sick and needs to go to bed for a while.

MARY. He ain't here.

SERGEANT. What do you want to lie for?

MARY [quickly]. I ain't lyin'. I ain't seed no soldier.

THADDEUS. No one could 'a' come without her seein' 'em.

SERGEANT. I suppose you know what'll happen to you if you are hidin'
the man? [MARY stands rooted to the spot where she stopped when she came
downstairs. Her eyes are fixed on the SERGEANT.]

THADDEUS. There ain't no one here. We both been here all day, an' there
couldn't no one come without our knowin' it. What would they want round
here anyway?

SERGEANT. We'll search the place.

MARY [quickly]. Ye ain't got no----

SERGEANT [sharply]. What's that, woman?

MARY. There ain't no one here, an' ye're keepin' us from our sleep.

SERGEANT. Your sleep? This is an affair of life and death. Get us a
lantern.

[THADDEUS moves to the table which stands in front of the cubby-hole,
and lights the lantern from the candle which he holds in his hand. He
hands the lantern to the SERGEANT.]

SERGEANT [seeing the door to the cubby-hole]. Ha! Tryin' to hide the
door are you, by puttin' a table in front of it. You can't fool me. [To
THADDEUS.] Pull the table away and let's see what's behind the door.

THADDEUS. It's a cubby-hole an' ain't been opened in years.

SERGEANT [sternly and emphatically]. I said to open the door.

[THADDEUS sets the candle on the larger table, moves the smaller table
to the right, and opens the door to the cubby-hole. Anger is seen on
MARY'S face. The SERGEANT takes a long-barrelled revolver from his belt,
and peers into the cubby-hole. He sees nothing.]

SERGEANT [returning his revolver to his belt]. We're goin' to tear this
place to pieces till we find him. You might just as well hand him over
now.

MARY. There ain't no one here.

SERGEANT. All right. Now we'll see. Dick, you stand guard at the door.

[DICK goes to the door back, and stands gazing out into the night--his
back to the audience.]

SERGEANT [to THADDEUS]. Come along, man. I'll have a look at the
upstairs. [To MARY.] You sit down in that chair [points to the chair at
right of table, and feeling for a sufficiently strong threat]. Don't you
stir or I'll--I'll set fire to your house. [To THADDEUS.] Go on ahead.

[THADDEUS and the SERGEANT go upstairs. MARY sinks almost lifelessly
into the chair. She is the picture of fear. She sits facing left.
Suddenly she leans forward. The door left is