expensively,--over-dressed, in fact, and yet not
too vulgarly. A man of muscle and nerve, who makes his own code and
keeps his own counsel._

COAST. Shake, Phil.

[_Shakes his hand._

PHILIP. [_His hand hurt._] Golly! He can squeeze, can't he, Aunt
Georgiana?

GEORGIANA. Well, really! Miss Elaine Jackson--Mr. Coast.

ELAINE. [_Embarrassed, rises, and curtseys._] How do you do?

COAST. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Hello, rest of you.

CHRISTOPHER and TOOTS. Hello!

CHRISTOPHER. Are you Auntie Georgiana's beau?

COAST. Yes!

GEORGIANA. Chris!

CHRISTOPHER. Lizzie says so!

LIZZIE. I never!

TOOTS, CHRISTOPHER, and PHILIP. Yes, you did! You did too! You did too!

LIZZIE. [_To_ GEORGIANA.] I never did, miss!

PHILIP. Yes you did, you did too!

GEORGIANA. I hope you didn't, Lizzie. You may leave the children with me
now.

LIZZIE. Yes, ma'am.

[LIZZIE, MOLES, _and_ FOOTMAN _go out at Right, each taking some plates,
etc._

GEORGIANA. [_To_ COAST.] I hope you don't mind.

COAST. Of course I don't. It's true as far as I'm concerned.

GEORGIANA. [_Laughing._] It's not!

COAST. Listen, will you bet?

GEORGIANA. [_Laughing._] Not before the children!

PHILIP. Come on, let's cut the cake!

GEORGIANA. Blow out the candles!

[_All the children blow out the candles and then get down from the
table._

COAST. And here's my contribution to the party.

[_Brings out six big German mottoes from his pocket, and goes to table
with them._

GEORGIANA. [_In pretended excitement._] What? Mottoes!

ALL THE CHILDREN. [_In delighted chorus_.] Oh, mottoes!

PHILIP. Are those the silver mines?

COAST. No! Why?

[_Laughing and handing the mottoes around, while_ GEORGIANA _cuts the
cake._

PHILIP. I heard grandma say the other day, you had pockets full of
silver mines.

GEORGIANA. The cake's ready!

[_All take a piece of cake. The children line up and down Centre from
Right to Left:_ ELAINE, TOOTS, PHILIP, CHRISTOPHER.

COAST. Your motto!

[_Handing one to_ GEORGIANA.

GEORGIANA. One for me too! Oh, thank you!

COAST. Certainly, because I want a bit of cake. I'm after that ring.

[_Goes up back of table for cake._

GEORGIANA. Don't anybody swallow the ring.

[_All eat the cake and now speak with their mouths full._

CHRISTOPHER. I haven't got it yet, Auntie.

ELAINE. Nor I.

GEORGIANA. Don't talk. Everybody eat till some one gets it!

TOOTS. [_Crying._] I can't eat my cake! I can't