not; and if your husband is willing, we are not
willing! _He_ must go.

BLANCHE. But if he _won't_?

MASON. He _must_!

RUTH. You must demand his going, Blanche, and I demand it, too, as
something due to me.

BLANCHE. Very well. I demand it. Will you go?

[_A moment's silence._

WARDEN. Why don't you speak? [_He presses the electric button and all
the lights come on._ STERLING _is at the doorway at back, about to steal
out. There is an exclamation aloud from all of surprise and disgust. The
clock strikes the quarter;_ WARDEN _catches hold of_ STERLING'S _arm._]
What's your hurry, Dick? There goes the quarter hour; you could never
catch the eleven-twenty.

STERLING. Damn you!

[_Facing_ WARDEN _squarely, as_

THE CURTAIN FALLS QUICKLY

ACT III

_At "The Hermitage," on the Bronx River, the next afternoon. The house
is on the Left, and on the Right and at the back are the green lattice
arches. Snow lies thick everywhere, on the benches at the Right and on
the little iron table beside it, on the swing between two trees at the
Right, in the red boxes of dead shrubs, on the rocks and dried grass of
a "rookery" in the centre, and on the branches of the trees._ CLARA
_comes out from the house, followed by_ TROTTER.

CLARA. Come on and let mama rest awhile--naturally she's excited and
tired out, being married so suddenly and away from home. [_She stops
beside the swing, taking hold of its side rope with her hand._] It isn't
every mother who can elope without her oldest child's consent and have
her youngest daughter for a bridesmaid.

[_Laughing._

TROTTER. I hope Mrs. Sterling will forgive me. Perhaps she will when she
sees how my money can help your mother and me to get right in with all
the smarties!

CLARA. Oh, don't you be too sure about your getting in; it isn't as easy
as the papers say! But, anyway, that wouldn't make any difference to
Blanche. She was never a climber like mama and me. I suppose that's why
she is asked to all sorts of houses through Aunt Ruth that wouldn't let
mama and me even leave our cards on the butler!

TROTTER. I thought your mother could go anywhere she liked.

CLARA. Oh, no, she couldn't! if she made you think that, it was only a
jolly! Blanche is the only one of us who really went everywhere. Come
along, "_Poppa_," give me a swing! I haven't had one for years!

[_She sweeps off the snow from the seat of the swing with her hand._

TROTTER. Your mother certainly