class="smcap">Mrs. Lawer. Oh, Mrs. Warren, trust me in everything ... are you sure Betty has always been what she seemed ... I mean——

Mrs. Warren. Mrs. Lawer, do you mean to say that Betty ... Betty Warren ... my daughter——

Mrs. Lawer. My dear, we must face the truth ... we must prepare ourselves for the worst ... we must——

(Clara enters.)

Clara. It's them "Helpin' Hand" ladies, if you please, ma'am. The lot of 'em.

Mrs. Warren. Bring them in, Clara ... have them come right in. Oh! Oh!

Mrs. Lawer. You must be calm, my dear ... perfectly calm.

(Mrs. Lawty, Mrs. Pickering, and Mrs. Romney enter from the hall.)

Mrs. Warren. Oh, my dear ladies. Do ... do be seated.

(They all sit down quietly. There is a long pause. Mrs. Pickering moves restlessly.)

Mrs. Pickering. Mrs. Warren, we have adjourned our meeting of the "Helping Hand" until next week in order to come to you ... the poor, dear natives of the South Sea Islands will have to wait another week for their napkins and tablecloths.

Mrs. Romney. A very short time ... considering they have not had such necessary luxuries for several centuries.

Mrs. Lawty. Still, it was with some feeling of ... of regret that we left our work of altruism unfinished, until next week.

Mrs. Pickering. But we feel that our first duty is at home. Yes, we all felt that our duty was toward you, Mrs. Warren, at present.

Mrs. Warren. Ladies, I am overcome with your kindness.

Mrs. Pickering. We shall now consider ... consider ways and means of—of helping you, Mrs. Warren, out of this unspeakable—or, let us say, embarrassing situation.

Mrs. Lawty. Let us rather call it ... unfortunate situation.

Mrs. Romney. No matter what we call it ... let us get on——

Mrs. Pickering. The facts are these: Mrs. Lawty tells us she heard Betty, with her own ears, openly say that the man under consideration, Doctor Hunter, was a revolutionist and——

Mrs. Lawty. I said conversationalist. Though he probably is both.

Mrs. Romney. I think she must have meant conventionalist.

Mrs. Pickering. Nevertheless, one is as bad as the other. They all go hand in hand.

Mrs. Warren. But I believe Betty only said he was a good conversationalist and——

Mrs. Lawty. Anyway, she said he talked a lot about it.

Mrs. Pickering. I fear it must be one of those dreadful, sinful new religions one hears so much of nowadays.

Mrs. Warren. Oh!

Mrs. Lawty. Also, we understand from very reliable sources that Mrs. Hunter is never seen with her husband in public.

Mrs. Pickering. And that he calls her dreadful names.

Mrs. Lawty. Most suspicious!

Mrs. Romney. Oh, I don't believe a word of it.

Mrs. Lawty. Believe it or not, Mrs. Romney ... my information is most reliable.

Mrs. Warren. Is there any way, ladies, of overcoming this situation, I mean——

Mrs. Romney. You might call on Mrs. Hunter to-morrow, Mrs. Warren.

Mrs. Lawty. Never!

Mrs. Lawer. You might write her a very formal letter, very formal, my dear, asking her to call.

Mrs. Pickering. Ask Mrs. Hunter to come here? I think she would never set her foot in the house.

Mrs. Lawer. At any rate, we must do something at once before——

Mrs. Lawty. Before they elope.

Ladies. (They all begin to talk at once) Before it is too late. Oh! Ah! But do you really think—I never thought of that. Poor Mrs. Warren! Do you suppose that Mrs. Hunter—— Oh! Etc.

Mrs. Warren. Ladies! Ladies! Do you really think Betty would——

Mrs. Lawty. One never knows what to think!

Mrs. Warren. Clara! Clara!

(Clara enters from the hall. She holds a letter in her hand.)

Clara. Yes, ma'am.

Mrs. Warren. Did you find Betty?

Clara. I went to her room again, ma'am, but she did not seem to be in and she is nowhere in the garden.

Mrs. Pickering. Not in her room! Not in the garden!

Mrs. Warren. You mean, Clara, she is nowhere to be found? Clara, was her room disturbed ... I mean, did it look as if ... as if ... as if she might have left hurriedly?

Clara. Why, I didn't go in, ma'am. The door was locked.

Mrs. Warren. Locked?

Ladies. (Looking at each other knowingly) Locked!

Clara. Here is a note, ma'am. It was just left by Doctor Hunter's boy, ma'am.

Mrs. Pickering. A letter!

Mrs. Romney. From Doctor Hunter!

Mrs. Lawty. Perhaps they have eloped!

(The ladies jump to their feet.)

Mrs. Lawer. And her room locked ... she must have gone through the window!

Ladies. Gone!

Mrs. Warren. (Who has been too busy looking for her spectacles to notice what has been going on about her) Why, it is a letter for—— (She looks up.) Ladies, what is the matter? What has happened? Why are you all so excited?

Mrs. Lawty. Don't you understand? It is a letter from Doctor Hunter saying they have eloped!

Mrs. Warren. (Sinking deep into her chair) Oh!

(Betty appears in the door at left.)

Betty. Ladies.

Mrs. Warren. (Waving the letter weakly) Betty! Betty! Betty!

Betty. Mother!

Mrs. Warren. (Looking up) Betty ... Betty, is that you?

Ladies. Oh!

Betty. Why are you all so—excited? Mother, what is it?

Ladies. Oh! (They all sit down again.)

Mrs. Warren. Then you—then you—— Oh, where have you been?

Betty. Why, just taking a little nap, Mother. Really, I didn't know the ladies were here or I should have come right down.

Mrs. Warren. Then you haven't ... you