he left.)

ASHER. Is there--is there any hope?

DR. FRYE (his hand on ASHER'S sleeve). I can tell you more when I have
had a chance to talk with Dr. Pindar. This seems to be one of his cases
--but I confess, when I mentioned Barnwell, I didn't think of him. The
situation came so suddenly. And in spite of his name being yours, I
didn't expect to find him here.

ASHER. Then you know of Jonathan?

DR. FRYE. I didn't know of him until I read the book which he published
about a year ago. When I was in Baltimore in March, I asked for him at
Johns Hopkins's, and they told me that he had gone to New England for his
health. Extraordinary to meet him here--and today!

ASHER. What book? He's never spoken to me of any book.

DR. FRYE. On the Physical Effects of Mental Crises. There has been a
good deal of controversy about it in the profession, but I'm one of those
who believe that the physician must seek to cure, not only the body, but
the soul. We make a guess--though he's published no religion--the true
scientist is the minister of the future.

ASHER. I never realized that Jonathan--!

DR. FRYE (smiling a little). No prophet is without honour save in his
own country.

ASHER. What has he given George?

DR. FRYE. I can't tell you exactly, but I can make a guess--though he's
published no account of his recent experiments.

(As DR. JONATHAN reenters from the left.)

He will undoubtedly tell you himself. (Exit Dr. FRYE, left.)

ASHER. Will he live?

DR. JONATHAN. I'll be frank with you, Asher,--I don't know. All we can
do is to wait.

ASHER. I call God to witness there's nothing I wouldn't do, no
sacrifice I wouldn't make, if that boy could be saved!

DR. JONATHAN. Remember that, Asher.

ASHER. Remember what?

DR. JONATHAN. If his life is saved, you will be called upon to make a
sacrifice, to do your part.

ASHER. My part?

DR. JONATHAN. Yes. What I have given him--the medicine--is only half
the battle--should it succeed. My laboratory experiments were only
completed last night.

ASHER. This is what you have been working on?

DR. JONATHAN. It happens to be. But I have had no chance to test it
--except on animals. I meant to have gone to a war hospital in New York
today. If it works, then we shall have to try the rest of the
experiment,--your half of it.

ASHER. What's that?

DR. JONATHAN. You probably noticed that George avoided you.

ASHER. It's more than I can bear. You know what we've been to e