e one woman who is dearer! Only think, Jack,
how I've got to stand up there--never mind about myself--and make _her
suffer tortures_! Good-by. God give me courage to do the heart-breaking
thing I must do.

AUSTIN. I am sure the one hope you have of forgiveness is in your
manliness of going to her as you are doing and telling her yourself
_all_ the truth!

GEOFFREY. And that, like everything else, I owe to you.

AUSTIN. No, to _Jinny_! Good luck!

[_He shakes GEOFFREY'S hand and GEOFFREY goes out Right._

AUSTIN. [_Goes to the door Left, opens it, and calls to JINNY, in the
next room._] Jinny, Geoffrey's gone,--what are you doing?

JINNY. [_Answers in a very little staccato voice._] Waiting till you
should have the leisure to receive me!

AUSTIN. Come along!

[_Leaves the doorway._

[_JINNY enters Left and stands in the doorway._

JINNY. [_With affected nonchalance._] I didn't care to go downstairs for
dinner, so I have had a tray up here. Maggie brought up something for
you, too; would you like it now?

AUSTIN. [_Ignoring purposely her mood and manner._] I shouldn't mind! I
do feel a little hungry.

[_He sits in the arm-chair._

JINNY. [_Speaks off through the doorway Left._] Bring in the tray for
Mr. Austin, Maggie.

MAGGIE. [_Off stage._] Yes'm.

[_JINNY pulls forward a little tea table beside his chair. Her whole
manner must be one of slow, dragging carelessness, like the calm
before a storm. Her expression must be hard. She carries the telegram
still unopened, and on top of it the theatre tickets torn into
pieces._

[_MAGGIE brings in the tray, puts it on the table, and goes out Right.
On the tray are chops, peas, some whiskey, a syphon, a roll, etc._

AUSTIN. [_Sits down quickly and with a show of eagerness._] Ah!

[_Begins to eat as if he were hungry and enjoyed it._

[_JINNY sits on the sofa at his Left, and looks at him,--AUSTIN is of
course conscious of JINNY'S mood, but pretends not to notice it._

AUSTIN. [_After a silence during which he eats._] I say I _am_ hungry!
And these chops _are_ very good, aren't they?

[_No answer._

I'll tell you what it is, Jinny! Of course travelling is great sport and
all the rest of it, but after all one does get tired of hotels, and to
quote a somewhat familiar refrain, "There's no place like home."

[_No answer._

Have you a headache, Jinny?

JINNY. [_Very short._] No.

AUSTIN. That's a good thing, and I hope