n.

GRAVITER. [Telephoning] Thank you. All right. [He rings off].

TWISDEN. Just look out the trains down and up early to-morrow.

GRAVITER takes up an A B C, and TWISDEN takes up the Ricardos card.

TWISDEN. Send to this address in Putney, verify the fact that Ricardos
has a daughter, and give me a trunk call to Brighton. Better go
yourself, Graviter. If you see her, don't say anything, of course--
invent some excuse. [GRAVITER nods] I'll be up in time to see Dancy.

GRAVITER. By George! I feel bad about this.

TWISDEN. Yes. But professional honour comes first. What time is that
train? [He bends over the ABC].

CURTAIN.

SCENE II

The same room on the following morning at ten-twenty-five, by the
Grandfather clock.

The YOUNG CLERK is ushering in DANCY, whose face is perceptibly
harder than it was three months ago, like that of a man who has
lived under great restraint.

DANCY. He wanted to see me before the Court sat.

YOUNG CLERK. Yes, sir. Mr Twisden will see you in one minute. He had
to go out of town last night. [He prepares to open the waiting-room
door].

DANCY. Were you in the war?

YOUNG CLERK. Yes.

DANCY. How can you stick this?

YOUNG CLERK. [With a smile] My trouble was to stick that, sir.

DANCY. But you get no excitement from year's end to year's end. It'd
drive me mad.

YOUNG CLERK. [Shyly] A case like this is pretty exciting. I'd give a
lot to see us win it.

DANCY. [Staring at him] Why? What is it to you?

YOUNG CLERK. I don't know, sir. It's--it's like football--you want your
side to win. [He opens the waiting-room door. Expanding] You see some
rum starts, too, in a lawyer's office in a quiet way.

DANCY enters the waiting-room, and the YOUNG CLERK, shutting the
door, meets TWISDEN as he comes in, Left Forward, and takes from him
overcoat, top hat, and a small bag.

YOUNG CLERK. Captain Dancy's waiting, sir. [He indicates the
waiting-room].

TWISDEN. [Narrowing his lips] Very well. Mr Graviter gone to the
Courts?

YOUNG CLERK. Yes, sir.

TWISDEN. Did he leave anything for me?

YOUNG CLERK. On the table, sir.

TWISDEN. [Taking up an envelope] Thank you.

The CLERK goes.

TWISDEN. [Opening the envelope and reading] "All corroborates." H'm!
[He puts it in his pocket and takes out of an envelope the two notes,
lays them on the ta