surprised she should have come home without calling on me.

TIMOTHY. I'll get them, ma'am.

(He goes out of the door, upper right. GEORGE, who has been
palpably ill at ease during this conversation, now makes for the
door, lower right.)

AUGUSTA. Where are you going, my dear?

GEORGE (halting). I thought I'd look around and see if I'd forgotten
anything, mother.

AUGUSTA. Stay with us,--there's plenty of time.

(TIMOTHY returns through the doorway, upper right, with BERT, but
without MINNIE.)

TIMOTHY. It's disappeared entirely she is, ma'am,--here one minute and
there the next, the way with young people nowadays. And she's going back
to Newcastle this afternoon, to her job at the Wire Works.

AUGUSTA. I must see her before she goes. I feel in a measure
responsible for her. You'll tell her?

TIMOTHY. I'll tell her.

AUGUSTA. How are you getting along, Bert?

BERT. Very well, thank you, Mrs. Pindar.

(The MAID enters, lower right.)

MAID. Miss Thorpe wishes to speak with you, ma'am.

AUGUSTA (gathering up her knitting). It's about the wool for the Red
Cross.

(Exit, lower right.)

GEORGE (shaking hands with BERT). Hello, Bert,--how goes it?

BERT. All right, thank you, lieutenant.

GEORGE. Oh, cut out the title.

(BERT FARRELL is about twenty three. He wears a brown flannel shirt
and a blue four-in-hand tie, and a good ready-made suit. He holds
his hat in front of him. He is a self-respecting, able young Irish
American of the blue-eyed type that have died by thousands on the
battle fields of France, and whose pictures may be seen in our
newspapers.)

ASHER. You're not working today, Bert?

BERT. I've left the shops, Mr. Pindar,--I got through last night.

ASHER. Left the shops! You didn't say anything about this, Timothy!

TIMOTHY. No, sir,--you have trouble enough today.

ASHER (to BERT). Why did you leave?

BERT. I'm going to enlist, Mr. Pindar,--with the Marines. From what
I've heard of that corps, I think I'd like to join it.

ASHER (exasperated). But why do you do a thing like this when you must
know I need every man here to help turn out these machines? And
especially young men like you, good mechanics! If you wanted to serve
your country, you were better off where you were. I got you exempted
--(catching himself) I mean, you were exempted from the draft.

BERT. I didn't want to be exempted, sir. More than four hundred of the
boys have gone