Abrams: "What was her last name before she was married?"

Nora: "Forrest, the same as mine."

Abrams: "She ever go by the name of Young?"

Nora: "Why no! Surely you don't think-" She looks at Nick.

Abrams: What was she so excited about?"

Nora, indignantly: "You listened?"

Abrams, patiently: "We're policemen, Mrs. Charles, and a man's been killed here. We got to try to find out what goes on the best way we can. Now is there any connection between what she was saying and what happened here?"

Nora: "Of course not. It's probably her husband."

Abrams: "You mean this fellow that was killed?"

Nick: "That's a thought!" He asks Nora solemnly: "Do you suppose Selma was ever married to Pedro?"

Nora: "Stop it, Nick." Then, to Abrams: "No, no-it's her husband she was talking about."

Abrams nods, says: "Maybe that's right. I can see that. I'm a married man myself." After a moment's thought he asks: "Did she know this fellow that was killed?"

Nora: "I suppose so. She and my husband and her husband were all friends and used to come there before any of us were married."

Abrams: "Then her husband might know him, too, huh?"

Nora: "He might."

Abrams turns to Nick: "How come you didn't recognize him before Mrs. Charles told you?"

Nick: "Who notices a gardener unless he squirts a hose on you?"

Abrams: "There's something in that. I remember once when-well, never mind." He addresses the detective who phoned: "Find out anything about Dominges?"

The Detective: "Did a little bootlegging before repeal-bought hisself a apartment house at 346 White Street-lives there and runs it hisself. Not married. No record on him."

Abrams asks the a.s.sembled company: "346 White Street mean anything to anybody?" n.o.body says it does. He asks his men: "Got all their names and addresses?"

"Yes."

Abrams: "All right. You people can clear out. We'll let you know when we want to see you again."

The guests start to leave as if glad to go, especially a little group of men who have been herded into a corner by a couple of policemen, but this group is halted by one of the policemen, who says: "Take it easy, boys. We've got a special wagon outside for you. We been hunting for some of you for months." They are led out between policemen.

Abrams, alone in the room with Nick and Nora, looks at Nick and says: "Well?"

Nick says: "Oh, sure," and begins to mix drinks.

Abrams: "I didn't mean that exactly. I mean what do you make all this add up to? He's killed coming to see you. He knows you two, and Mrs. Charles's relations, and that's all we know he does know. What do you make of it?"

Nick, handing him a drink: "Maybe he was a fellow who didn't get around much."

At the Landis home: Aunt Katherine, in the doorway of the drawing room, is surveying the occupants of the room grimly.

Aunt Katherine: "Good evening all."

The men of the family all rise to their feet, some of them with difficulty, to greet Aunt Katherine. The next to Katherine in point of age is Aunt Lucy, Katherine's cousin, a tottering old lady whose only interest is her acc.u.mulating years. Next, there is the General, Katherine's brother. He is a tall, solidly fat man of eighty, with a bald head, bushy white brows and whiskers, and the shiny appearance of just having been scrubbed. Although Katherine calls him Thomas, the rest speak of him as the General.

The others, in order of their ages, are: Burton Forrest, a gaunt man of seventy-two, who has a tic, which makes him crinkle his nose as if he had suddenly smelled a bad smell.

Charlotte, Burton's wife, a short, roly-poly woman of seventy, who is more interested in her dinner than anything else.

Hattie, a spinster of sixty-something. She is very deaf, and wears an audio phone, with its sounding box conspicuously pinned on the front of her chest, and cords going from it to her ears.

William, a few years younger than Hattie. A plump man whose clothes are too tight. He has a great deal of difficulty in understanding things, and, even in this family, is considered not quite bright.

Lucius, a tired man in his late fifties.

Helen and Emily, colorless women of fifty-three or fifty-four . . . married to William and Lucius. They stick together as if not sure of their places in this family that they have married into.

As Katherine makes her entrance, they all greet her with deferential murmurs, addressing her as "Katherine" or "Cousin Katherine" or "Aunt Katherine," according to their ages.

The women sit stiffly erect; the men stand stiffly erect. The men wear white ties and tails. The women's gowns range in style from the Victorianism of Katherine's to the comparatively modern, but none of them is gay. Aunt Lucy, the very old lady, comes tottering up to Katherine.

Aunt Lucy: "I had a birthday last week, Katherine. I'm eighty-three years old. Eighty-three years old. What do you think of that?"

Aunt Katherine: "That's fine, Lucy."

Aunt Lucy: "Eighty-three! Next year I'll be eighty-four."

Aunt Katherine dismisses Aunt Lucy with a brief word: "That's splendid."

She turns to the rest. "While we're alone, I have something important to tell all of you."

Aunt Hattie leans forward in her chair, holding her audio phone toward Katherine.

Aunt Hattie: "What'd she say?"

Lucius: "Shush!"

Aunt Katherine, looking at Hattie, irritated: "Isn't that thing working, Hattie?"

Aunt Hattie: "This works perfectly. It's you! You mumble!"

Lucius, stepping into the breach: "What is it, Katherine?"

Aunt Katherine: "Nora and her husband are coming tonight."

They all look at Katherine, appalled.

Family: "Her husband!"

"After the last time . . ."

"But Katherine . . ."

"Really, Katherine . . ."

This news has brought on Burton's tic worse than ever. The General is regarding Katherine with offended dignity.

The General: "But you said yourself that you wouldn't have him again."

Aunt Katherine: "I know I did. And my opinion of him and what he represents hasn't changed a particle."

Burton: "Then I can't understand why you asked him."

His face twitches violently.

Aunt Katherine: "I have a very good reason for asking him, which you will know in time." There is a m.u.f.fled sound of a bell. "That's probably they now."

She turns to include the others: "Understand now, I want you all to be pleasant to him."

She walks toward Hattie and Lucius, near the door. The rest of the family look after her. There are murmurs from them.

The Family: "Of course, if you say so. . . . It's going to be difficult. . . . Poor Nora. My heart bleeds for that child."

Hattie is still looking from face to face bewildered. Katherine pa.s.ses the old butler as he goes slowly through the hall: "If that is Mr. and Mrs. Charles, show them right in."

Butler: "Yes, madam."

Aunt Hattie: "What is it? What's happened?"

Lucius, bending down and talking right into her audio phone: "You're to be pleasant to Nora's husband."

Aunt Hattie: "Who said so?"

Aunt Katherine: "I did!"

Aunt Hattie: "I'll be just as pleasant as you are . . . no more!"

Nick and Nora, in evening clothes, are waiting for the butler to open the door. Nick is muttering to himself. Nora looks at him, puzzled.

Nora: "What are you muttering to yourself?"

Nick: "I'm getting all the bad words out of my system."

Nora: "You'd better pull yourself together."

Nick: "Don't worry. One squint at Aunt Katherine would sober anyone!"

The door is opened by Henry, the butler.

Nora: "Good evening, Henry."

There is a chill in the ma.s.sive hallway, with its dim lights. Nick and Nora come in as Henry holds the door open.

Henry, in a hushed whisper: "Good evening, madam-sir."

Nick: "Is this the wax-works?"

Henry: "I beg pardon, sir?"

Nora, smiling at Henry: "Nothing, Henry. Nothing."

She gives Nick a warning look. Starting for the library: "I'll just leave my things down here."

She goes down the hall, taking off her evening coat as she goes. The butler turns to Nick and helps him off with his coat. He touches Nick's things as if the mere contact with them might contaminate him.

Nick: "It's all right-it's not catching."

The butler puts them down and starts toward the drawing-room door.

Butler: "Will you walk this way, sir."

The butler hobbles away ahead of Nick, hardly able to move on his rheumatic legs. Nick looks after him.

Nick: "I'll try."

He starts to follow the butler, giving a grotesque imitation of his walk. As he pa.s.ses the library door, Nora comes out, catches up with him, and grabs his arm, laughing at him.

Butler, announcing them at the door of the drawing room: "Mr. and Mrs. Charles."

As they hear the announcement, they straighten up.

Nick: "Here goes!"

They start to walk in, sedately.

As Nick and Nora come in the door, Aunt Katherine comes forward to greet them.

Aunt Katherine, to Nora: "How do you do, my dear?"

Nora kisses Aunt Katherine and then turns to include Nick.

Nora: "You remember Nick?"

Although she is doing her best to be gracious, Aunt Katherine finds it impossible to look at him.