t with his arm twisted in FALDER'S. The
latter gives a white, staring look at the three men.

WALTER. Let him go this time, for God's sake!

WISTER. I couldn't take the responsibility, sir.

FALDER. [With a queer, desperate laugh] Good!

Flinging a look back at RUTH, he throws up his head, and goes
out through the outer office, half dragging WISTER after him.

WALTER. [With despair] That finishes him. It'll go on for ever
now.

SWEEDLE can be seen staring through the outer door. There are
sounds of footsteps descending the stone stairs; suddenly a dull
thud, a faint "My God!" in WISTER's voice.

JAMES. What's that?

SWEEDLE dashes forward. The door swings to behind him. There
is dead silence.

WALTER. [Starting forward to the inner room] The woman-she's
fainting!

He and COKESON support the fainting RUTH from the doorway of the
clerks' room.

COKESON. [Distracted] Here, my dear! There, there!

WALTER. Have you any brandy?

COKESON. I've got sherry.

WALTER. Get it, then. Quick!

He places RUTH in a chair--which JAMES has dragged forward.

COKESON. [With sherry] Here! It's good strong sherry. [They try to
force the sherry between her lips.]

There is the sound of feet, and they stop to listen.

The outer door is reopened--WISTER and SWEEDLE are seen carrying
some burden.

JAMES. [Hurrying forward] What is it?

They lay the burden doom in the outer office, out of sight, and
all but RUTH cluster round it, speaking in hushed voices.

WISTER. He jumped--neck's broken.

WALTER. Good God!

WISTER. He must have been mad to think he could give me the slip
like that. And what was it--just a few months!

WALTER. [Bitterly] Was that all?

JAMES. What a desperate thing! [Then, in a voice unlike his own]
Run for a doctor--you! [SWEEDLE rushes from the outer office] An
ambulance!

WISTER goes out. On RUTH's face an expression of fear and
horror has been seen growing, as if she dared not turn towards
the voices. She now rises and steals towards them.

WALTER. [Turning suddenly] Look!

The three men shrink back out of her way, one by one, into
COKESON'S room. RUTH drops on her knees by the body.

RUTH. [In a whisper] What is it? He's not breathing. [She
crouches over him] My dear! My pretty!

In the outer office doorway the figures of men am seen