ALICE HEMINGWAY. [Encouragingly.] She is so naive.
NED. [Taking the bait.] Yes, isn’t she? Her face and her tongue
betray all her secrets.
ALICE HEMINGWAY. [Nodding her head.] Yes, I have noticed it.
NED. [Delightedly.] Have you?
ALICE HEMINGWAY. She cannot conceal anything. Do you know that
she loves you?
NED. [Falling into the trap, eagerly.] Do you think so?
ALICE HEMINGWAY. [Laughing and rising.] And to think I once
permitted you to make love to me for three weeks!
[NED rises.]
[MAID enters from left with letters, which she brings to ALICE
HEMINGWAY.]
ALICE HEMINGWAY. [Running over letters.] None for you, Ned.
[Selecting two letters for herself.] Tradesmen. [Handing
remainder of letters to MAID.] And three for Loretta. [Speaking
to MAID.] Put them on the table, Josie.
[MAID puts letters on table to left front, and makes exit to
left.]
NED. [With shade of jealousy.] Loretta seems to have quite a
correspondence.
ALICE HEMINGWAY. [With a sigh.] Yes, as I used to when I was a
girl.
NED. But hers are family letters.
A Collection of Stories
53
ALICE HEMINGWAY. Yes, I did not notice any from Billy.
NED. [Faintly.] Billy?
ALICE HEMINGWAY. [Nodding.] Of course she has told you about
him?
NED. [Gasping.] She has had lovers . . . already?
ALICE HEMINGWAY. And why not? She is nineteen.
NED. [Haltingly.] This . . . er . . . this Billy . . . ?
ALICE HEMINGWAY. [Laughing and putting her hand reassuringly on
his arm.] Now don’t be alarmed, poor, tired philosopher. She
doesn’t love Billy at all.
[LORETTA enters from right.]
ALICE HEMINGWAY. [To LORETTA, nodding toward table.] Three
letters for you.
LORETTA. [Delightedly.] Oh! Thank you.
[LORETTA trips swiftly across to table, looks at letters, sits
down, opens letters, and begins to read.]
NED. [Suspiciously.] But Billy?
ALICE HEMINGWAY. I am afraid he loves her very hard. That is why
she is here. They had to send her away. Billy was making life
miserable for her. They were little children together–playmates.
And Billy has been, well, importunate. And Loretta, poor child,
does not know anything about marriage. That is all.
NED. [Reassured.] Oh, I see.
[ALICE HEMINGWAY starts slowly toward right exit, continuing
conversation and accompanied by NED.]
ALICE HEMINGWAY. [Calling to LORETTA.] Are you going fishing,
Loretta?
[LORETTA looks up from letter and shakes head.]
ALICE HEMINGWAY. [To NED.] Then you’re not, I suppose?
NED. No, it’s too warm.
ALICE HEMINGWAY. Then I know the place for you.
NED. Where?
A Collection of Stories
54
ALICE HEMINGWAY. Right here. [Looks significantly in direction
of LORETTA.] Now is your opportunity to say what you ought to
say.
[ALICE HEMINGWAY laughs teasingly and goes out to right.]
[NED hesitates, starts to follow her, looks at LORETTA, and stops.
He twists his moustache and continues to look at her
meditatively.]
[LORETTA is unaware of his presence and goes on reading. Finishes
letter, folds it, replaces in envelope, looks up, and discovers
NED.]
LORETTA. [Startled.] Oh! I thought you were gone.
NED. [Walking across to her.] I thought I’d stay and finish our
conversation.
LORETTA. [Willingly, settling herself to listen.] Yes, you were
going to . . . [Drops eyes and ceases talking.]
NED. [Taking her hand, tenderly.] I little dreamed when I came
down here visiting that I was to meet my destiny in–[Abruptly
releases LORETTA’s hand.]
[MAID enters from left with tray.]
[LORETTA glances into tray and discovers that it is empty. She
looks inquiringly at MAID.]
MAID. A gentleman to see you. He hasn’t any card. He said for
me to tell you that it was Billy.
LORETTA. [Starting, looking with dismay and appeal to NED.] Oh!
. . . Ned!
NED [Gracefully and courteously, rising to his feet and preparing
to go.] If you’ll excuse me now, I’ll wait till afterward to tell
you what I wanted.
LORETTA. [In dismay.] What shall I do?
NED. [Pausing.] Don’t you want to see him? [LORETTA shakes her
head.] Then don’t.
LORETTA. [Slowly.] I can’t do that. We are old friends. We . .
. were children together. [To the MAID.] Send him in. [To NED,
who has started to go out toward right.] Don’t go, Ned.
[MAID makes exit to left.]
A Collection of Stories
55
NED. [Hesitating a moment.] I’ll come back.
[NED makes exit to right.]
[LORETTA, left alone on stage, shows perturbation and dismay.]
[BILLY enters from left. Stands in doorway a moment. His shoes
are dusty. He looks overheated. His eyes and face brighten at
sight of LORETTA.]
BILLY. [Stepping forward, ardently.] Loretta!
LORETTA. [Not exactly enthusiastic in her reception, going slowly
to meet him.] You never said you were coming.
[BILLY shows that he expects to kiss her, but she merely shakes
his hand.]
BILLY. [Looking down at his very dusty shoes.] I walked from the
station.
LORETTA. If you had let me know, the carriage would have been
sent for you.
BILLY. [With expression of shrewdness.] If I had let you know,
you wouldn’t have let me come.
[BILLY looks around stage cautiously, then tries to kiss her.]
LORETTA. [Refusing to be kissed. ] Won’t you sit down?
BILLY. [Coaxingly.] Go on, just one. [LORETTA shakes head and
holds him off.] Why not? We’re engaged.
LORETTA. [With decision. ] We’re not. You know we’re not. You
know I broke it off the day before I came away. And . . . and . .
. you’d better sit down.
[BILLY sits down on edge of chair. LORETTA seats herself by
table. Billy, without rising, jerks his chair forward till they
are facing each other, his knees touching hers. He yearns toward
her. She moves back her chair slightly.]
BILLY. [With supreme confidence.] That’s what I came to see you
for–to get engaged over again.
[BILLY hudges chair forward and tries to take her hand.]
[LORETTA hudges her chair back.]
BILLY. [Drawing out large silver watch and looking at it.] Now
look here, Loretta, I haven’t any time to lose. I’ve got to leave
for that train in ten minutes. And I want you to set the day.
A Collection of Stories
56
LORETTA. But we’re not engaged, Billy. So there can’t be any
setting of the day.
BILLY. [With confidence.] But we’re going to be. [Suddenly
breaking out.] Oh, Loretta, if you only knew how I’ve suffered.
That first night I didn’t sleep a wink. I haven’t slept much ever
since. [Hudges chair forward.] I walk the floor all night.
[Solemnly.] Loretta, I don’t eat enough to keep a canary bird
alive. Loretta . . . [Hudges chair forward.]
LORETTA. [Hudging her chair back maternally.] Billy, what you
need is a tonic. Have you seen Doctor Haskins?
BILLY. [Looking at watch and evincing signs of haste.] Loretta,
when a girl kisses a man, it means she is going to marry him.
LORETTA. I know it, Billy. But . . . [She glances toward letters
on table.] Captain Kitt doesn’t want me to marry you. He says .
. . [She takes letter and begins to open it.]
BILLY. Never mind what Captain Kitt says. He wants you to stay
and be company for your sister. He doesn’t want you to marry me
because he knows she wants to keep you.
LORETTA. Daisy doesn’t want to keep me. She wants nothing but my
own happiness. She says–[She takes second letter from table and
begins to open it.]
BILLY. Never mind what Daisy says –
LORETTA. [Taking third letter from table and beginning to open
it.] And Martha says –
BILLY. [Angrily.] Darn Martha and the whole boiling of them!
LORETTA. [Reprovingly.] Oh, Billy!
BILLY. [Defensively.] Darn isn’t swearing, and you know it
isn’t.
[There is an awkward pause. Billy has lost the thread of the
conversation and has vacant expression.]
BILLY. [Suddenly recollecting.] Never mind Captain Kitt, and
Daisy, and Martha, and what they want. The question is, what do
you want?
LORETTA. [Appealingly.] Oh, Billy, I’m so unhappy.
BILLY. [Ignoring the appeal and pressing home the point.] The
thing is, do you want to marry me? [He looks at his watch.] Just
answer that.
A Collection of Stories
57
LORETTA. Aren’t you afraid you’ll miss that train?
BILLY. Darn the train!
LORETTA. [Reprovingly.] Oh, Billy!
BILLY. [Most irascibly.] Darn isn’t swearing. [Plaintively.]
That’s the way you always put me off. I didn’t come all the way
here for a train. I came for you. Now just answer me one thing.
Do you want to marry me?
LORETTA. [Firmly.] No, I don’t want to marry you.
BILLY. [With assurance.] But you’ve got to, just the same.
LORETTA. [With defiance.] Got to?
BILLY. [With unshaken assurance.] That’s what I said–got to.
And I’ll see that you do.
LORETTA. [Blazing with anger.] I am no longer a child. You
can’t bully me, Billy Marsh!
BILLY. [Coolly.] I’m not trying to bully you. I’m trying to
save your reputation.
LORETTA. [Faintly.] Reputation?
BILLY. [Nodding.] Yes, reputation. [He pauses for a moment,
then speaks very solemnly.] Loretta, when a woman kisses a man,