You, Walburga?

WALBURGA

Yes, papa. Alice Rutterbusch was with you that day, and I had made an engagement to meet Erich here. He came to see you finally but failed to meet me because I kept hidden.

Ha.s.sENREUTER

I can't say that I have any recollection of that.

MRS. Ha.s.sENREUTER

[_To her husband._] The girl has really pa.s.sed more than one sleepless night on account of this matter.

Ha.s.sENREUTER

Well, Mrs. John, if you are inclined to attach any weight to the opinion of a former jurist who exchanged the law for an artistic career only after having been plucked in his bar examination--in that case let me a.s.sure you that, under the circ.u.mstances, ruthless frankness will prove your best defense.

JOHN

Jette, where did you put that there child? The head detective told me--I jus' remember it now--that they're still huntin' aroun' for the child o'

the dead woman! Jette, for G.o.d's sake, don't you have 'em suspect you o'

layin' hands on that there newborn child jus' to get the proofs o' your brother's rascality outa the world!

MRS. JOHN

_Me_ lay hands on little Adelbert, Paul?

JOHN

n.o.body ain't talkin' o' Adelbert here. [_To SELMA._] I'll knock your head off for you if you don' tell me this minute what's become o' the child o'

Bruno an' the Polish girl!

SELMA

Why, it's behind your own part.i.tion, Mr. John!

JOHN

Where is it, Jette?

MRS. JOHN

I ain't goin' to tell that.

_The child begins to cry._

JOHN

[_To SELMA._] The truth! Or I'll turn you over to the police, y'understan'? See this rope? I'll tie you hand and foot!

SELMA

[_Involuntarily, in the extremity of her fear._] It's cryin' now! You know that child well enough. Mr. John.

JOHN

Me?

[_Utterly at sea he looks first at SELMA, then at Ha.s.sENREUTER.

Suddenly a suspicion flashes upon him as he turns his gaze upon his wife. He believes that he is beginning to understand and wavers._

MRS. JOHN

Don't you let a low down lie like that take you in, Paul! It's all invented by the fine mother that girl has outa spite! Paul, why d'you look at me so?

SELMA

That's low of you, mother John, that you wants to make me out so bad now.

Then I won't be careful neither not to let nothin' out! You know all right that I carried the young lady's child down here an' put it in the nice, clean bed. I c'n swear to that! I c'n take my oath on that!

MRS. JOHN

Lies! Lies! You says that my child ain't my child!

SELMA

Why, you ain't had no child at all, Mrs. John!

MRS. JOHN

[_Embraces her husband's knees._] Oh, that ain't true at all!

JOHN

You leave me alone, Henrietta! Don' dirty me with your hands!

MRS. JOHN

Paul, I couldn't do no different. I had to do that, I was deceived myself an' then I told you about it in my letter to Hamburg an' then you was so happy an' I couldn't disappoint you an' I thought: it's gotta be! We c'n has a child this way too an' then ...

JOHN

[_With ominous calmness._] Lemme think it over, Jette. [_He goes to the chest of drawers, opens a drawer and flings the baby linen and baby dresses that he finds therein into the middle of the room._] C'n anybody understan' how week after week, an' month after month, all day long an'

half the nights she could ha' worked on this trash till her fingers was b.l.o.o.d.y?

MRS. JOHN

[_Gathers up the linen and the dresses in insane haste and hides them carefully in the table drawer and elsewhere._] Paul, don' do that! You c'n do anythin' else! It's like tearin' the last rag offa my naked body!