CLERK. Good evening, sir. (Pa.s.ses on.) Good evening, Mr. Barlow.
ANABEL. They are afraid.
GERALD. I suppose their consciences are uneasy about this strike.
ANABEL. Did you come to sit here just to catch them, like a spider waiting for them?
GERALD. No. I wanted to speak to Breffitt.
ANABEL. I believe you"re capable of any horridness.
GERALD. All right, you believe it. (Two more figures approach.) Good evening.
CLERKS. Good night, sir. (One pa.s.ses, one stops.) Good evening, Mr.
Barlow. Er--did you want to see Mr. Breffitt, sir?
GERALD. Not particularly.
CLERK. Oh! He"ll be out directly, sir--if you"d like me to go back and tell him you wanted him?
GERALD. No, thank you.
CLERK. Good night, sir. Excuse me asking.
GERALD. Good night.
ANABEL. Who is Mr. Breffitt?
GERALD. He is the chief clerk--and cashier--one of father"s old pillars of society.
ANABEL. Don"t you like him?
GERALD. Not much.
ANABEL. Why?--You seem to dislike very easily.
GERALD. Oh, they all used to try to snub me, these old buffers. They detest me like poison, because I am different from father.
ANABEL. I believe you enjoy being detested.
GERALD. I do. (Another clerk approaches--hesitates--stops.)
CLERK. Good evening, sir. Good evening, Mr. Barlow. Er--did you want anybody at the office, sir? We"re just closing.
GERALD. No, I didn"t want anybody.
CLERK. Oh, no, sir. I see. Er--by the way, sir--er--I hope you don"t think this--er--bother about an increase--this strike threat--started in the office?
GERALD. Where did it start?
CLERK. I should think it started--where it usually starts, Mr.
Barlow--among a few loud-mouthed people who think they can do as they like with the men. They"re only using the office men as a cry--They"ve no interest in us. They want to show their power.--That"s how it is, sir.
GERALD. Oh, yes.
CLERK. We"re powerless, if they like to make a cry out of us.
GERALD. Quite.
CLERK. We"re as much put out about it as anybody.
GERALD. Of course.
CLERK. Yes--well--good night, sir. (Clerks draw near--there is a sound of loud young voices and bicycle bells. Bicycles sweep past.)
CLERKS. Good night, sir.--Good night, sir.
GERALD. Good night.--They"re very bucked to see me sitting here with a woman--a young lady as they"ll say. I guess your name will be flying round to-morrow. They stop partly to have a good look at you. Do they know you, do you think?
ANABEL. Sure.
CLERKS. Mr. Breffitt"s just coming, sir.--Good night, sir.--Good night, sir. (Another bicycle pa.s.ses.)
ANABEL. The bicycles don"t see us.--Isn"t it rather hateful to be a master? The att.i.tude of them all is so ugly. I can quite see that it makes you rather a bully.
GERALD. I suppose it does. (Figure of a large man approaches.)
BREFFITT. Oh--ah--it"s Mr. Gerald!--I couldn"t make out who it was.--Were you coming up to the office, sir? Do you want me to go back with you?
GERALD. No, thank you--I just wanted a word with you about this agitation. It"ll do just as well here. It"s a pity it started--that the office should have set it going, Breffitt.
BREFFITT. It"s none of the office"s doing, I think you"ll find, Mr.
Gerald. The office men did nothing but ask for a just advance--at any rate, time and prices being what they are, I consider it a fair advance.
If the men took it up, it"s because they"ve got a set of loud-mouthed blatherers and agitators among them like Job Arthur Freer, who deserve to be hung--and hanging they"d get, if I could have the judging of them.
GERALD. Well--it"s very unfortunate--because we can"t give the clerks their increase now, you know.
BREFFITT. Can"t you?--can"t you? I can"t see that it would be anything out of the way, if I say what I think.
GERALD. No. They won"t get any increase now. It shouldn"t have been allowed to become a public cry with the colliers. We can"t give in now.
BREFFITT. Have the Board decided that?
GERALD. They have--on my advice.
BREFFITT. Hm!--then the men will come out.
GERALD. We will see.