till
praying that the sin of those they love may be forgiven.

God grant good men may say a mass for us.

DRIFTWOOD

CHARACTERS

MR. TRAVERS.

MRS. TRAVERS.

MARION [their daughter].

DAN [a gentleman of no position].

* * * * *

SCENE: A room opening upon a garden. The shadows creep from their
corners, driving before them the fading twilight.

MRS. TRAVERS sits in a wickerwork easy chair. MR. TRAVERS, smoking a
cigar, sits the other side of the room. MARION stands by the open French
window, looking out.

MR. TRAVERS. Nice little place Harry's got down here.

MRS. TRAVERS. Yes; I should keep this on if I were you, Marion. You'll
find it very handy. One can entertain so cheaply up the river; one is
not expected to make much of a show. [She turns to her husband.] Your
poor cousin Emily used to work off quite half her list that way--relations
and Americans, and those sort of people, you know--at that little place
of theirs at Goring. You remember it--a poky hole I always thought it,
but it had a lot of green stuff over the door--looked very pretty from
the other side of the river. She always used to have cold meat and
pickles for lunch--called it a picnic. People said it was so homely and
simple.

MR. TRAVERS. They didn't stop long, I remember.

MRS. TRAVERS. And there was a special champagne she always kept for the
river--only twenty-five shillings a dozen, I think she told me she paid
for it, and very good it was too, for the price. That old Indian
major--what was his name?--said it suited him better than anything else
he had ever tried. He always used to drink a tumblerful before
breakfast; such a funny thing to do. I've often wondered where she got
it.

MR. TRAVERS. So did most people who tasted it. Marion wants to forget
those lessons, not learn them. She is going to marry a rich man who will
be able to entertain his guests decently.

MRS. TRAVERS. Oh, well, James, I don't know. None of us can afford to
live up to the income we want people to think we've got. One must
economise somewhere. A pretty figure we should cut in the county if I
didn't know how to make fivepence look like a shilling. And, besides,
there are certain people that one has to be civil to, that, at the same
time, one doesn't want to introduce into one's regular circle. If you
take my advice, Marion, you won't encourage those sisters of Harry's more
than you can help. They're dear sweet girl