Man of the Hour rBROADHURST -NRLF SAMUEL FRENCH, 28-30 West 38th St., New Yor THE MAN OF THE HOUR A Plag In Jfattr Art* By GEORGE BROADHURST ^Revised, 1916, by George H. Broadhurst Copyright, 1916, by GEORGE H. BROADHURST ALL RIGHTS RESERVEL. AUTION: All persons arc hereby warned that "THE MAN OF THE HOUR," being fully pro tected under the Copyright Laws of the United States, is subject to royalty, and any one presenting the play without the consent of the author or his agent, will be liable to the penalties by law pro vided. Application for stage rights must be made to SAMUEL FRENCH. NEW YORK SAMUEL FRENCH PUBLISHER 26-30 WEST 38TH STREET LONDON SAMUEL FRENCH, Ltd., 26 SOUTHAMPTON STREET STRAND Especial notice should be taken that the possession of this book without a valid contract for production first having been obtained from the publisher, confers no ^ ght or license to professionals or amateurs to produce the play publicly or in private for gain or charity. In its present form this play is dedicated to the reading public only, and no performance of it may be given except by special arrangement with Samuel French, 28-30 West 38th Street, New York. SECTION 28 That any person who wilfully or for profit shall infringe any copyright secured by this act, or who shall knowingly and wilfully aid or abet such infringement shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment for not exceeding one year, or by a fine of not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars, or both ; in the discretion of the court. Act of March ^ 1909, THE MAN OF THE HOUR. ORIGINAL CAST. ALWYN BENNETT Frederick Perry CHAS. WAIN WRIGHT James E. Wilson SCOTT H. GIBBS Chas. Mackay RICHARD HORRIGAN /. O. LaBrasse JAMES PHELAN George Fawcett PERRY CARTER WAIN WRIGHT. . .Douglas Fairbanks JUDGE NEWMAN Chas. Stedman HENRY THOMPSON Geoffrey C. Stein WM. INGRAM Wm. Richards RICHARD P. RORERTS Bennett Southard HENRY WILLIAMS Mark J. Cody ARTHUR PAYNE Basil West OFFICE BOY Robt. A. Lothian DALLAS WAINWRIGHT Lillian Kemble CYNTHIA GARRISON Diva Marolda MRS. BENNETT Harriet Otis Dallenbaugh ACT I. A room in the house of CHAS. WAIN- WRIGHT. ACT II. The Mayor s office. ACT III. Reception room in the Charlton Hotel. ACT IV. Two Committee Rooms in the City Hall. 3 384725 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. CHARACTERS. ALWYN BENNETT CHARLES WAINWRIGHT TCOTT G. GIBBS RICHARD HORIGAN JAMES PHELAN PERRY CARTER WAINWRIGHT JUDGE BEWMAN HENRY THOMPSON RICHARD P. ROBERTS HENRY WILLIAMS MILLS, the BUTLER ARTHUR PAYNE DALLAS WAINWRIGHT CYNTHIA GARRISON MRS. BENNETT INGRAM NOTE : There are seventeen speaking parts in the play but it is so arranged that it could be played by fifteen people. As MILLS appears only in ACT I, he could double ROBERTS, WILLIAMS or PAYNE, and as INGRAM appears only in ACT II, he also could double one of those three characters. A description of each character is given as the entrance is made. THE TIME is the Present. THE PLACE is any large city in America. THE NAN OF THF HOUR ACT! SCENE: Room in CHARLES WAINWRIGHT S Sum mer home. The walls and ceiling are painted so as to represent the natural wood. There is a very large open fireplace R. built of cobble stones: this must be a distinct architectural feature of the room, which must convey the im pression of the principal lounging and living- room in a wealthy man s spacious home in the mountains or near the seashore. The furnish ings and furniture must tend to the same end. There is an exit R. below the fireplace and lead ing to a room which is used as WAINWRIGHT S office when he is occupying the house: another entrance down L. as if from a hall; another a stairway up-stage L. as though coming from the rooms in the upper stories and one c. through large windows leading either on to the ver andah, or to the lawn. There is a table c. with chairs R. and L. of it, a lounge L. and other furniture as required to dress :he stage and as necessitated by the business uf the play. On the table are some books a.id two messages re ceived by WAINWRIGHT over his private wire in the room off R. THE TIME is a summer day of last year. DISCOVERED -.When the Curtain rises CHARLES WAINWRIGHT is shown. He is a very rich 8 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. of myself getting up at such an hour. It was the country air, I suppose. How s the market ? WAIN WRIGHT. (Handing dispatches to GIBBS) Opens strong. GIBBS. (Looking at dispatches, puts message on table) Do you know this is the first business day I haven t been at my office in six years. (Sits at left of table c.) WAINWRIGHT. That is one of the things I like about you, Gibbs. I ve watched you ever since you put through that deal in Missouri Midland five years ago. Your methods were a little too spectacular to suit me perhaps, but you won and that s what counts. GIBBS. I had to stand some severe criticism for that deal. WAINWRIGHT. A successful man is always criticized. GIBBS. Anything new in the papers ? WAINWRIGHT. You haven t read them? GIBBS. No I was in too big a hurry to get within touch of that wire of yours. WAINWRIGHT. Then you haven t seen this (WAINWRIGHT picks up paper and reads) " We are able to state, on the highest authority, that the engagement of the niece of a great financier and street railway magnate to a prominent and daring young Wall Street operator will be announced in the near future. As the young lady and her brother are the only relatives of the magnate and as he will undoubtedly leave them the bulk of his great fortune and as the prospective groom is the head of a prominent Stock Exchange firm, the marriage, in addition to being a love match should be a most fortunate and advantageous one in every way." (Puts paper on table) No mistaking who is meant, is there! GIBBS. No, sir. I wonder what your niece will think about it ? THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 9 WAINWRIGHT. It s just what was needed to bring things to an issue. In fact it s such a clever stroke that I believe you made it, didn t you? GIBBS. Well I I didn t exactly cause the para graph to be written but-er-er ! (Rises) WAINWRIGHT. I congratulate you. As a forcing move, it couldn t be beaten. Dallas has dallied with you long enough. GIBBS. It isn t the waiting for a delicate answer that I mind. WAINWRIGHT. (c. Rises) I mind it. She knows I m in favor of the match and I want the matter settled. That was one of the reasons I asked you up here to give you a chance to speak to her again. GIBBS. If I were only sure she loved me. WAINWRIGHT. (Playing for a laugh) If she doesn t you can make her think she does and that s sufficient. Any man can make any unattached wo- ynan think she loves him if he keeps at it long enough! I m a bachelor and I know!" GIBBS. Any " Unattached " woman perhaps. But is Miss Wainwright unattached? WAINWRIGHT. Of course she is. GIBBS. At times I have thought that Alwyn Bennett was WAINWRIGHT. They re friends, nothing more. GIBBS. I m not so sure WAINWRIGHT. (Starts ticker) I am. In any case Dallas wouldn t marry Bennett. GIBBS. Why? (Goes toward table) WAINWRIGHT. She has an ideal (Crosses to GIBBS) the man who does things, (Puts message on table and goes to GIBBS) that is greatly in your favor. You have, alone and unaided made your way in the world. He s only a polo player GIBBS. (R. L. c.) Yes, but WAINWRIGHT. Besides, Bennett has known io THE MAN OF THE HOUR. Dallas for years. Had he wanted to marry her he would have shown it long ago. GIBBS. He was always slow getting started but start him once and he ll make up for all the time he s lost and he ll fight till he drops. Don t make any mistake about that. I know. (Stops ticker) WAIN WRIGHT. All the more reason then why you should settle the matter. Do it to-day. I ll see that you have the chance. GIBBS. I ll try. (THOMPSON re-enters with another message. He also has a blank for the reply. He hands both to WAINWRIGHT.) THOMPSON. There s an answer, sir. (WAINWRIGHT reads message and goes to table writes answer.) GIBBS. Thompson! (Crosses to R.) THOMPSON. Mr. Gibbs ! GIBBS. How is D. L. & K. this morning? THOMPSON. 62*4, sir. GIBBS. And Missouri Midland! THOMPSON. 94%, sir. (WAINWRIGHT hands reply to THOMPSON.) WAINWRIGHT. Rush it! THOMPSON. (Goes L. and reads despatch) Yes, sir. (THOMPSON exits as before R.) GIBBS. (After door is closed. R. c.) I didn t know Thompson was telegrapher as well as private secretary. WAINWRIGHT. A year ago he heard me speak of my difficulty in getting an intelligent man, who would keep his mouth shut, to handle my wire while I was here. He said nothing but before I came this THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 11 time he told me he could do it. He d been studying nights. GIBBS. (Goes in front of table) He s a jewel. WAINWRIGHT. There s one particularly good thing about Thompson, I can trust him implicitly. GIBBS. Implicitly ? WAINWRIGHT. Yes. He s been with me nine years and I ve tried him in a thousand ways. GIBBS. I wish I could find such a man. (Sits at L. of table) WAINWRIGHT. You ll try many before you do. (Referring to message in his hand) This will in terest you. GIBBS. Yes. WAINWRIGHT. It s from my office. It says Borough Street Railway stock is now offered at 63. I told them to tell your office to take all they could at that figure that they were to make no bids just pick up quietly all that was offered. GIBBS. You have given me twenty-five per cent of the deal and I am to handle it on the floor. WAINWRIGHT. But you are to purchase no stock without my orders and you re not to buy a single share for your private account. GIBBS. That s understood. WAINWRIGHT. (Going to R.) Only one thing can stop us. The defeat of the present administra tion in the election next Fall. GIBBS. I m sorry to say it, but it looks to me as though the administration would be defeated. (Sits L. of table with elbows on table facing WAIN- WRIGHT) WAINWRIGHT. (To c. in front of table) There are four months from now till the election and, properly campaigned, I think the administration can win. They have the organization good workers the office holders and the police. (R. of table) Only one thing more is necessary money. GIBBS. Money ? 12 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. WAINWRIGHT. And that will be forthcoming, providing Horigan agrees to my terms. He ll be here at noon. I ve asked Phelan, too. GIBBS. Phelan ? WAINWRIGHT. Yes, Alderman Phelan of the Eighth Ward. GIBBS. I thought he and Horigan were enemies. WAINWRIGHT. They are. I want to reconcile them. GIBBS. But why all this trouble for Phelan? (Rises and moves to WAINWRIGHT) Horigan s the boss. He controls the Council. Phelan has no vote but his own. WAINWRIGHT. Horigan is a bull-dog. He rules my main strength and has no more diplomacy than a mule. GIBBS. And Phelan? WAINWRIGHT. Phelan is a bull-dog crossed with a fox. He showed that when he was Chief of Police. He ll either be with me or against me. I prefer to have him with me. ( BUTLER enters L.) BUTLER. Judge Newman, sir. ^ WAINWRIGHT. Certainly. (BUTLER exits L. To GIBBS) I know what he wants. (JUDGE NEWMAN enters L. WAINWRIGHT goes to meet him. GIBBS drops dozvn R. He is a man of sixty, supine and ingratiating. Nature in tended him to be an honest man but forgot to give him the necessary backbone. His wife is domineering and masterful and in years.) JUDGE. How do you do, Charles. WAINWRIGHT. Glad to see you, Judge. Do you know Mr. Gibbs? THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 13 JUDGE. Indeed I m glad to meet you, Mr. Gibbs. (Crosses to GIBBS and takes his hand) GIBBS. And I to meet you, sir. WAINWRIGHT. (Making sign for all to be seated) In addition to being an old friend, the Judge is my nearest neighbor ; as you come from the station, the Bennetts are the nearest going the other way. JUDGE. And being a neighbor I thought I would drop in and and WAINWRIGHT. And make a friendly call I un derstand JUDGE. It was Mrs. Newman who suggested it. (To GIBBS) You don t know Mrs. Newman, do you? GIBBS. I haven t the pleasure. (R.) JUDGE. A wonderful woman simply wonderful. WAINWRIGHT. We were speaking of the ap proaching campaign as you came in, Judge. You come up for re-election, don t you ? JUDGE. I do if I get a renomination. GIBBS. Of course there s no question about that. JUDGE. But there is. (Turns to WAINWRIGHT) The last time I saw Mr. Horigan he intimated that he was against it. WAINWRIGHT. Horigan against it; that s bad. JUDGE. Very bad unless you use your influence with him. WAINWRIGHT. I d like to oblige you, Judge, but you know how I hate to mix in political matters. JUDGE. But for old time s sake and in view of our long friendship WAINWRIGHT. When you put it that way, much as I dislike it, I can t refuse. JUDGE. Thank you. Please take the matter up with Mr. Horigan as soon as you conveniently can. WAINWRIGHT. I ll do it to-day. JUDGE. To-day ? WAINWRIGHT. Mr. Horigan is coming to pay me I 4 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. "a little friendly call," too. He ll be here about noon. JUDGE. How fortunate. I ll drop in shortly after and see what the verdict is, with your permission of course. WAINWRIGHT. Certainly. JUDGE. Then I won t detain you any longer. (Rises and crosses to door L.) Good-morning, Mr. Gibbs. (To WAINWRIGHT) I ll see you a little later, Charles. (Exits L.) GIBBS. It was good of you to agree to help him. (R.) WAINWRIGHT. (Moves to back of table c.) I did it because it gives me " a friend on the bench." The longer you live the more useful you will find that to be. (DALLAS enters from stairs L. She is a prepossess ing, high-minded girl of twenty-five, dressed be comingly in modish summer clothes. It is evi dent from her manner that she is perturbed about something which has recently come to her notice. She comes down R. of lounge) DALLAS. Good-morning, Uncle. (Sits on Lounge L.) WAINWRIGHT. (c.) Dallas! DALLAS. Mr. Gibbs. GIBBS. How do you do? WAINWRIGHT. A good idea of mine having Mr. Gibbs up here, wasn t it? DALLAS. Yes. WAINWRIGHT. But he s here for to-day only, don t forget that. DALLAS. I ll remember. WAINWRIGHT. What s the programme? DALLAS. I haven t decided yet, Uncle. WAINWRIGHT. (R.) In any case, treat him well for my sake. (WAINWRIGHT indicates to GIBBS that THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 15 this is his chance. WAINWRIGHT exits R. There is a slight pause) GIBBS. (Crosses to table and takes up newspaper) you have seen this paper ? DALLAS. Yes. GIBBS. And are annoyed. DALLAS. Greatly. GIBBS. No more than I am. I wish I knew who did it. (Works R. a little leaves paper on table) DALLAS. You don t, do you? (Going to GIBBS R. c.) GIBBS. Certainly not. Did you think I knew DALLAS. No ! GIBBS. I m glad of that. But it s done DALLAS. I shall deny it. GIBBS. Why? You haven t refused me. DALLAS. But I have told you that I don t love you. GIBBS. But you have said you admire and re spect me. (Back of chair R.) DALLAS. Yes. GIBBS.^ For a beginning I am satisfied with that. Admiration and respect form the one foundation on which a lasting love is built. DALLAS. Are you sure? GIBBS. Quite. You wouldn t marry a man you didn t admire and respect would you? DALLAS. I wouldn t marry him. Perhaps I couldn t help loving him. GIBBS. Marry me. I ll win your love. You ve temporized for three months. Don t put me off any longer. You know I love you. DALLAS. Yes. I think you do. GIBBS. You know it, and you know how it would please your uncle. Say yes. (Drops down R.) DALLAS. You must wait. GIBBS. How long? DALLAS. I don t know. GIBBS. Is that fair? 16 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. DALLAS. I do it because I want to be fair. GIBBS. To whom? DALLAS. To you and to myself. GIBBS. At least tell me this. Is there (PERRY enters from stairs L. He is a light-hearted, buoyant chap of twenty-one. He is still a boy in every sense of the word. He is outspoken in manner and frank in his likes and dislikes. His love for his sister is sincere and unalloyed. GIBBS sees PERRY and stops. DALLAS turns to back of chair R.) GIBBS. Good-morning ! PERRY. (Very coolly) Good-morning. (Picks up newspaper from table and sits on lounge to read L. ) GIBBS. Fine weather. PERRY. ^ Yes. (Ostentatiously reads the paper. GIBBS notices his behavior and his eyes narrow and his jaiv sets viciously) DALLAS. Mr. Gibbs is here only for to-day. PERRY. Hope he ll have a pleasant time. GIBBS. (To DALLAS) I think you said you had no plans for to-day. DALLAS. Not yet. GIBBS. ^ When they are made, please let me know if I am included. I am entirely at your disposal. (Exits R.) DALLAS. (Moves to front of table) Perry, how could you be so rude ? PERRY. Because I don t like him. (Goes to table) Did you ask him? DALLAS. He denied it without my asking. PERRY. Guilty conscience. DALLAS. Perry! PERRY. I ll bet it is. That s just the kind of thing he d do. THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 17 DALLAS. I won t hear you speak that way about him. PERRY. (Referring to newspaper from table c.) "Oh, the highest authority!" " A love match." Wouldn t that drive you to the benches in the Park (Puts paper on table) How are you going to deny it by wire? DALLAS. No. PERRY. Good. The long distance phone is quicker. I ll call the editor up. And when you get through give me a chance. You can bet what I say will make Central keep off the wire ! (Starts as if to go to hall L.) DALLAS. Perry ! PERRY. (Stopping at door L.) Yes. DALLAS. I m not sure that I m going to deny it. PERRY. But if you don t people will imagine ! You don t mean to say there is anything in it (Going over to her R.) Little sister, you re not thinking of marrying him! DALLAS. What is there against Mr. Gibbs ? He is a college man an athlete a successful man a man with a future and a gentleman. What more could a girl ask? PERRY. I don t know what it is. I feel it, that s all. (Sincerely) You re the only thing I have in the world, Dallas, and I d just hate to see you married to him (DALLAS places her hand affec tionately on PERRY S shoulder and then walks away and sits R.) He s going to be just like Uncle a money-grub. If you marry Gibbs in two years you ll be in third place to a private wire and a long dis tance phone. ( Going to DALLAS. Sincerely) Don t do it. DALLAS. I ve not promised yet. PERRY. Gee. I m glad. If you must marry and I suppose a girl must why not pick out a chap i8 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. we know and like a chap like like Alwyn Bennett. There s a good idea, why not marry him? DALLAS. Don t talk nonsense. PERRY. It isn t nonsense. Why not marry Alwyn ? DALLAS. Oh for a thousand reasons. (Rises) PERRY. Give me one just one. I dare you ! DALLAS. Well, for one reason he hasn t asked me. And if that is not enough he isn t in love with me. PERRY. But he is. Isn t he around with you all the time? Don t you ride together, shoot together, fish together ! I ll bet he s in love with you. ( BUTLER appears L.) BUTLER. Mr. Bennett. (BENNETT enters L. He is a good-looking, prepos sessing young man of about thirty and is dressed in riding clothes. There is nothing in any sense weak about him, in fact he comes of fighting stock and takes after his forefathers, but his father having left him a fortune, thoughts of work for work s sake or for the mere doing of things, has never seriously entered his head. He comes on quickly and expectantly. He hopes to see DALLAS alone. Seeing her first his face lights up, but when his eye falls on PERRY his face drops somewhat. The BUTLER exits.) PERRY. Hello, Alwyn. Glad to see you. (Shake hands c. ) BENNETT. Same here. (To DALLAS) Good- morning ! DALLAS. Good-morning! (Back of chair R. of table) BENNETT. Well, I m ready to finish that set. PERRY. Why didn t you come yesterday? THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 19 BENNETT. Mother has a guest Miss Garrison. PERRY. Cynthia Garrison. BENNETT. Yes. PERRY. I want to see Miss Garrison. (Moves to front of table) Do you know her, Dallas? DALLAS. (Back of chair R. of table) Very well, indeed. She s a splendid girl. PERRY. She s a jolly good judge of Boston Terriers. I bought two of hers when her kennel was under the hammer Betty and Prince Charlie. They re beauties, too. I tried to meet her at the sale but they told me she wasn t there. BENNETT. (L. c.) She couldn t bear to see the dogs sold, but they had to go. PERRY. Why? BENNETT. She has no money and doesn t want to be dependent on her friends. Under similar cir cumstances, other girls have turned to raising chickens. Cynthia s tastes did not run that way; she chose Boston terriers, but she hadn t sufficient capital and the experiment failed. (DALLAS moves to front of table.) PERRY. She must be all right. I ll drop over to your place this afternoon. BENNETT. Do. But you ll have an opportunity to meet Miss Garrison before then. She and mother are coming in the car. (Crosses to c., to DALLAS) I rode on ahead thinking I might have a chance for a few words with (Turns to PERRY) Why not go down to meet them ? PERRY. I d look fine, wouldn t I? Standing in the middle of the road waving my handkerchief and shouting : " Stop the car ! Stop the car ! I want to meet Miss Garrison." BENNETT. They can t be far away. PERRY. All the less reason for me to go after them. ( Turns L. to sofa and picks up cap) 20 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. BENNETT. (To DALLAS) Come and see us play, (c.) DALLAS. (Shaking head) I m very sorry. (R.) BENNETT. Do come. DALLAS. We have a guest, too BENNETT. Oh ! PERRY. (Crosses to back of table) I say, Alwyn, does Miss Garrison know I have the dogs with me? BENNETT. I think not, Perry. (R. c.) PERRY. Isn t that bully ! I ll bet she ll jump for joy! And may be it won t put me solid with her right from the start. Oh, I guess, yes. ( BUTLER appears L. MRS. BENNETT and Miss GARRISON enter L. DALLAS goes to meet them, as she does so PERRY comes quickly to BENNETT. MRS. BENNETT is a woman of dis tinction and refinement and is about fifty years of age. She is not of the type which thinks it self young at fifty and which dresses in gay colors and uses every artifice to conceal its years. While not old-fashioned nor of somber mind her romance died with the death of her husband and she lives, and takes her joy, in her son. CYNTHIA GARRISON is a breezy, good- natured outdoor girl of nineteen or twenty DALLAS crosses to MRS. BENNETT.) MRS. BENNETT. Dallas, dear ! (DALLAS kisses MRS. BENNETT.) PERRY. (Apart to BENNETT) She s aces. (Up- stage R.) DALLAS. (Going to CYNTHIA) Cynthia. CYNTHIA. You darling. (CYNTHIA kisses DALLAS) PERRY. (To BENNETT) Don t I wish she d do that to me. (BENNETT smiles, pats PERRY on the THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 21 shoulder and goes up-stage. During the following scene PERRY hovers about and tries to attract DALLAS S attention) DALLAS. How long do you stay? CYNTHIA. As long as Mrs. Bennett lets me. (L.) MRS. BENNETT. Which means all summer. DALLAS. Isn t that splendid? We can see a lot of each other, can t we ? CYNTHIA. Yes, indeed. I have to make the most of it this time. As soon as summer is over this butterfly becomes an ant. (Moves to back of sofa L.) MRS. BENNETT. Don t be foolish, Cynthia. (Moves to sofa L.) DALLAS. An ant? (Moves to upper end of sofa) CYNTHIA. Yes, I can t live on my (CYNTHIA catches sight of PERRY who is trying to attract DALLAS attention. When he sees this he stops and endeavors to appear unconcerned. DALLAS crosses to chair L. of table) Excuse me, but I think some one is trying to flag us. (Moves to lower end of sofa) MRS. BENNETT. Why, it s Perry. DALLAS. Of course it is. PERRY. Yes. It s Perry! You almost over looked Perry, didn t you ? DALLAS. (To Miss CYNTHIA) Let me present my brother. Perry, this is Miss Garrison CYNTHIA. How do you do, Mr. Wainwright? PERRY. If you really want to know, Miss Garri son, I am living for the first time in my life. (Drops to front of table. PERRY bows low) Oh, pretty good ! DALLAS. Perry! What is the matter with you this morning? PERRY. The tense is wrong, Dallas. Whatever may have been the matter there is nothing the mat ter now. (Bows as before) Oh, not so bad. 22 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. CYNTHIA. Is this his regular gait or is he just warming up? PERRY. Warming up. Well, I like that. Alwyn, did you hear that? (PERRY goes up and joins BENNETT up c.) DALLAS. (Goes to MRS. BENNETT and CYNTHIA) And now tell me what you mean by " Being an ant." MRS. BENNETT. Cynthia has a perfectly absurd idea that CYNTHIA. Pardon me, but it isn t absurd. I haven t a dollar in the world; I won t live on my friends and so I m going to work. DALLAS. Work! (CYNTHIA nods.) CYNTHIA. Yes. DALLAS. What can you do? CYNTHIA. Don t know. I understand English pretty well, and can spell and punctuate properly. Perhaps they will help somehow. DALLAS. (To MRS. BENNETT) How does Alwyn feel about it? MRS. BENNETT. Just as I do. (Raising her voice) Don t you, Alwyn? BENNETT. What is it, mother? (BENNETT and PERRY come down) MRS. BENNETT. Cynthia and work. BENNETT. I don t like it. But she has made up her mind. CYNTHIA. Yes, but the question is what am I to do? If a girl makes a living with horses and dogs . PERRY. Speaking of dogs, remember I am the owner of Betty and Prince Charlie. ( Up c. back of table) CYNTHIA. I d not forgotten. (Going to PERRY) How are the darlings ? THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 23 PERRY. Splendid. I ll tell you a secret about them. They are here. CYNTHIA. Here? PERRY. Yes. CYNTHIA. Where are they? Take me to them. Why didn t you tell me before? PERRY. Hadn t a chance. CYNTHIA. Please take me. Please. PERRY. With pleasure. (Going to exit, goes c.) This way. CYNTHIA. (To MRS. BENNETT and DALLAS) You ll excuse me wont you? (Going to PERRY) It s the grandest surprise. You re just lovely. (CYNTHIA exits c. to R.) PERRY. What did I tell you? Oh, pretty good! (PERRY exits c. and R.) DALLAS. How did Cynthia s father lose his money ? BENNETT. (Crosses to L. of table) Speculation. MRS. BENNETT. How I dread speculation. (THOMPSON enters unseen R. As though to go to table. He sees MRS. BENNETT and gives a start as if recognizing her, and wondering if she would recognise him) Mr. Garrison married one of my dearest friends. He was cashier of a bank. After awhile they made him president. It was terrible. DALLAS. What is the real story about Mr. Garri son? (THOMPSON grips his hands and sets his teeth. Then he stands^ breathless listening.) MRS. BENNETT. You tell her, Alwyn. BENNETT. (Takes chair from L. of table, places it^ so that he may lean on it) Mr. Garrison was con sidered the most honorable of men. There was not even a breath of suspicion against him. One morning he was found dead. DALLAS. A suicide? 24 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. BENNETT. Yes. The bank was insolvent. The story goes that On the recommendation of a great financier he had made a large loan. It turned out badly. When he went to the financier about it, he told him of a deal in which he was interested and in which he could recoup the loss without any risk. Mr. Garrison took his advice and lost! Then he shot himself. DALLAS. Awful. BENNETT. But the awful part of the affair was, that his friend, the financier, had deliberately de ceived him, for investigation proved that he was on the other side of the deal. DALLAS. I did not think such things possible. MRS. BENNETT. Mrs. Garrison died the next day. She wasn t strong and the shock killed her. BENNETT. There was a boy, too, wasn t there? MRS. BENNETT. Yes, a boy at college. I didn t know him very well. DALLAS. What became of him ? MRS. BENNETT. He dropped out of sight. Went West I believe to avoid the disgrace. BENNETT. Poor chap! (Up-stage a little) MRS. BENNETT. Poor chap! (With an effort THOMPSON pulls himself together and goes to table. MRS. BENNETT sees him, rises and looks at him inquiringly.) THOMPSON. I am Mr. Wainwright s secretary. He has sent me for these despatches. (He picks up the messages. MRS. BENNETT sits again) DALLAS. Very well, (THOMPSON exits.) DALLAS. Has Cynthia no money at all? MRS. BENNETT. No. She receives a remittance THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 25 every month, though, but no one knows from whom it comes. BENNETT. (Drops down to back of lounge) First it was ten dollars monthly, then twenty, then twenty-five and now it s thirty. It has reached her regularly for nine years. MRS. BENNETT. Isn t it strange? DALLAS. Very. And a man killed himself; a woman died; (Rises, crosses to c. of table) a boy s life was ruined and a little girl was left dependent on friends so that a financier could add to his fortune. MRS. BENNETT. My husband used to say that most of the men who rise high in finance do it by mounting the corpses of those they had despoiled and betrayed. (DALLAS shudders.) DALLAS. Awful! MRS. BENNETT. I thank Heaven no one could say that about him. He was my one love while he lived. He is my one ideal now. BENNETT. Mother. (BENNETT goes to corner of lounge R.) DALLAS. And yet Mr. Bennett left a great fortune. MRS. BENNETT. (Crosses to table L., sits in chair) Great for those times but not for these, and every dollar of it honestly earned. You don t re member him of course. DALLAS. No. (R. of table) MRS. BENNETT. He was a magnificent man; I met him soon after he returned from the war, a young but distinguished soldier. Then he went into business and was as successful in peace as he had been in war? He never did a dishonorable act and never took a dishonest dollar and when my boy dies I hope that will be his epitaph. 26 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. DALLAS. Amen ! BENNETT. Amen! (Pause. He looks at DALLAS, conveys to audience the idea that he wishes to be alone with her. BENNETT comes down -front of sofa) Don t forget, mother. You have a guest. MRS. BENNETT. A guest ? BENNETT. And she s alone with Perry without a chaperone. We don t need one. MRS. BENNETT. Mm. Oh, certainly. (Rises. DALLAS goes R.) They re at the kennels, aren t they? BENNETT. Yes. MRS. BENNETT. Then I ll find them. (Goes to exit) You ll let me know when Cynthia can dis pense with my services? (Exit) BENNETT. Now! Seen the paper? (Drops down R. and takes it up from table) DALLAS. Yes. BENNETT. (Goes R. of table) Where do you suppose they get things like that ? Gibbs. Imagine him engaged to any girl. He s too busy making money. While he was asking her he might miss a commission on two hundred shares. (BENNETT laughs) DALLAS. Mr. Gibbs is here. BENNETT. Here ! DALLAS. Yes. BENNETT. (Seriously) You don t mean it. (Goes toward DALLAS, laughs to himself) Oh, pshaw! (There is a pause. The possibility of the truth slowly dawns on BENNETT. He turns to DALLAS and looks at her) Dallas ! There isn t any thing in it, is there ? DALLAS. Why not? (Rises) BENNETT. You don t mean to say that you care for him? DALLAS. You haven t the right to ask me that. (Moves to back of table) BENNETT. But I have. You know I love you. THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 27 DALLAS. No! You are like a child who finds someone has taken a toy to which he is accustomed. For a time he thinks he will never get over it but in a little while he finds another and then forgets. BENNETT. Do you really think that of me? (Sits R. of table) DALLAS. If you do love me, do something that will make me proud of you. I am not proud of you now. BENNETT. Dallas ! DALLAS. Your father left you great wealth. (To c., back of table) What have you done with it? Your youth is going fast. What have you done with it ? You have wealth and strength. What have you done with them? Above all you have talent and power what have you done with them? BENNETT. Why I I never thought ! DALLAS. I ll tell you what you have done with them. You have wasted them everyone. Your father fought and won. You are an idler a looker- on. You are merely a rich man s son a man to whom money was left. BENNETT. What is there for me to do? DALLAS. Do a man s work to the best of your ability. When you made those speeches for Mr. Lorimer at the last election I thought BENNETT. That was only to help a friend and for the fun of the thing. DALLAS. It s always that way. Why not do something for yourself and do it seriously. There are many opportunities. Take one BENNETT. And if I do (Rises and turns to DALLAS) Have I a chance for you? DALLAS. I have told Mr. Gibbs to wait. (Turns away) BENNETT. Then I have a chance. (Moves to back of table) And what you have said is true. I realize it. I have always realized it. Why, only the other day, I d made up my mind to quit this having 28 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. fun and do something I d made up my mind to it but Perry came over and took me to the ball-game and I forgot about it. (She shakes her head and moves away ; crosses to L. of table and sits in chair L.) But it will be different now. Till to-day I have been a rich man s son. Now I m really going to start for myself. I m going to begin on my own account for you. (Moves to L. of table) DALLAS. You can win if you ll try. BENNETT. Don t be afraid, I ll try. (Sits on end of table) DALLAS. The trouble is nothing less than a blow will arouse you. BENNETT. A blow? DALLAS. Would you have told me what you did just now if it hadn t been for that article? (Points to neivspaper. There is a slight pause) It has al ways been the same. The first time I saw you you were playing football. You were playing a hard game, but not a fighting game the game that wins. Suddenly, when your head was turned, a man struck you. It was a cowardly, unfair blow and it roused all the fighting blood in your veins. Five minutes later the man who struck you was carried off the field. That made no difference though. Your blood was up and you played with a fierceness that frightened me. You won the game and it was the blow that roused you. Do you remember? BENNETT. I should say I do. Do you know who struck it? DALLAS. No. BENNETT. Gibbs. DALLAS. Impossible. BENNETT. Ask him. DALLAS. Mr. Gibbs. (The voices of PHELAN and the BUTLER are heard off L. PHELAN is asking for admittance and THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 29 MILLS is protesting. BUTLER enters L. He is evidently perturbed.) DALLAS. What is it, Mills ? BUTLER. A a gentleman to see Mr. Wainwright, Miss. DALLAS. Well? BUTLER. He has no card, but he says his name is Phelan and that he is here by appointment. DALLAS. Ask Mr. Wainwright if he has such an appointment. BUTLER. Yes, Miss. (BUTLER exits R.) DALLAS. Mills has to be careful about Uncle s visitors so many strange people come to see him. WAINWRIGHT. (Off R.) Certainly I ll see Mr. Phelan. (BUTLER re-enters follozved by MR. WAIN- WRIGHT and GIBBS) Show Mr. Phelan in here at once. BUTLER. Yes, sir. (BUTLER exits L.) WAINWRIGHT. (Seeing BENNETT c. Back of table) Oh, I didn t know you were here, Mr. Bennett. I ll see my visitor in the library. DALLAS. Don t bother, Uncle, Alwyn and I were just going to join his mother. (To GIBBS) Won t you come, Mr. Gibbs ? GIBBS. Can t just now, thank you. DALLAS. I m sorry. Come Alwyn. (L. of ivin- dow. DALLAS and BENNETT exeunt c. to R.) GIBBS. He is " Alwyn." I am Mr. Gibbs. You see? (R.) WAINWRIGHT. I do. Perhaps you re right after all. GIBBS. I know I m right. WAINWRIGHT. Perhaps you are. (c.) (PHELAN enters L. He is a man of fifty or fifty- five, of at least the average height, somewhat florid of face, and of considerable bulk. Pie is 30 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. shrewd but good-natured; courageous yet good humored, and he has learned worldly zvisdom in the school of experience. He is an East side ALDERMAN, who rules his domain because the people knozv him and like him. Starting at the foot of the police ladder years before, he worked his way up till he became chief and zvhen retired by a new executive he went to the ward where he was always popular and ever since, has always been elected by a big major ity.) PHELAN. How do! WAIN WRIGHT. (Goes tozvard PHELAN, takes his hand, then passes him to GIBBS R.) Alderman! (They shake hands) Let me introduce Mr. Gibbs. This is Alderman Phelan. PHELAN. Of the Eighth. (Goesx.c.) The only man who run independent last election and carried his ward. GIBBS. Glad to meet you, Alderman. (R.) PHELAN. Same to you, young fellow. WAINWRIGHT. Were you on time ? PHELAN. About fifteen minutes behind, that s all. (WAINWRIGHT looks at watch.) PHELAN. (To WAINWRIGHT) Say, Horigan thinks he can down me next Fall. Nothin to it. I ll bury his man so deep a steam-shovel couldn t dig him out. (R. c.) WAINWRIGHT. Confident, aren t you? PHELAN. Why not? There ain t a voter in the Ward Dago, Greek or White that I can t call by his first name and tell him how many children he has ! I ve got my people right where I want em, Hongan! Wait, that s all! THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 31 WAIN WRIGHT. Why don t you and Horigan bury the hatchet? PHELAN. Bury the hatchet! The only time I ever bury any hatchet with Dick Horigan his head ll go with it. GIBBS. Is it wise to fight so strong a man? PHELAN. (R. Goes to GIBBS) It s all right for me because he s got to come into my territory to whip me ! Besides, I d be lonesome if I didn t have a fight on hand. I m the original red rag to the bull of trouble and I like it. WAIN WRIGHT. I want you and Horigan to be friends. (L. c.) PHELAN. No, sir. WAIN WRIGHT. Come now, if I had invited Hori gan to meet you here to-day, for instance, wouldn t he be welcome? PHELAN. Sure he d be as welcome as the typhoid fever. WAINWRIGHT. Well, you might as well know I have invited him. PHELAN. Here to meet me. WAINWRIGHT. Yes. But he doesn t know it any more than you did. PHELAN. If that s what you re plannin* you re wastin time. WAINWRIGHT. He s liable to be here any minute now. PHELAN. (Goes up c. Back of table) Then there s no use my waitin any longer. WAINWRIGHT. You re not afraid to meet him, are you? PHELAN. (Going to table. Quietly, but smartly) Afraid ! There ain t a man living I m afraid to meet. ( BUTLER enters L.) BUTLER. Mr. Horigan, sir. WAINWRIGHT. Show him in. ( GIBBS rises. BUTLER exits L. HORIGAN enters L. 32 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. He is a man of fifty-five of great physical strength and bull-dog courage and tenacity. These are evidenced by his firm step and his square jaws. He is essentially a fighting man, giving no quarter and asking none. He is a man of the people, has risen from the ranks till he is now the political boss of a great city. Rich and extremely powerful. As he has risen in influence he has acquired the habit of correct speech, somewhat by study and application but mostly absorption, till his lapses are now infre quent and not common. He radiates physical energy, strength, courage and stubborness.) HORIGAN. (L.) Good-morning, I was think ing that (Sees PHELAN. There is a short pause. L. C.) NOTE: The enmity existing between Phelan and Horigan must be shown sharply here by the attitude of the two men. PHELAN. (Indicating WAINWRIGHT) Ask him. HORIGAN. (To WAINWRIGHT) Well, what is it ? WAINWRIGHT. I disliked to see two such good fellows pulling against each other and I wanted to bring you together. HORIGAN. What did he say? PHELAN. I said there was nothing doing HORIGAN. That goes double with me. WAINWRIGHT. Isn t there any possible way I can reconcile HORIGAN, There isn t (Crossing to table L. c. To PHELAN back of table c.) I m after you, Phelan and this time I m going to get you. ^ PHELAN. You re as welcome as the flowers in Spring! And don t forget this. I m after you! HORIGAN. (Scornfully) YoulHuhl THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 33 PHELAN. Yes. Me. Huh! You re standin pretty solid now, but remember you ain t no sphinx! you can be pulled down! HORIGAN. At least we understand each other PHELAN. Yes, and always did. HORIGAN. (To WAINWRIGHT) If this was the business you asked me to come here, on, I want to say (Up to WAINWRIGHT L.) WAINWRIGHT. It wasn t the business. HORIGAN. Then perhaps we can get to it (Goes to c. above table c.) When he s gone. PHELAN. That s the end o the session for me. (To WAINWRIGHT) So long WAINWRIGHT. I m sorry Alderman. (Goes to PHELAN) PHELAN. That s all right. (HORIGAN comes down L. table. To GIBBS) So long. GIBBS. Good-bye, Mr. Phelan. PHELAN. (To HORIGAN) As for you, some day I ll drop something on you, and if it don t knock you flat I ll come back and walk around you to see what s holdin you up. (Exits L.) HORIGAN. Damn him. (c. above table. WAIN- WRIGHT comes down) WAINWRIGHT. Let me introduce Mr. Gibbs. HORIGAN. How are you? GIBBS. Mr. Horigan. HORIGAN. (Going to WAINWRIGHT) Did you hear what he said ; " He was going after me." Jim Phelan pull me down ! GIBBS. There s not much chance of that HORIGAN. There s none. But I ll get him. (Go to GIBBS R.) I ve got to get him for the sake of discipline. If he can defy me and win, others might think they can so I ve got to get him. (Crosses to WAINWRIGHT c., below table) Why did you bring him here ? ( GIBBS sits R.) 34 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. WAIN WRIGHT. I am interested in a matter to which there is sure to be opposition. HORIGAN. Well? WAINWRIGHT. And I want to win over any possible ally of the enemy before war is declared. HORIGAN. You re a clever man, Mr. Wainwright, but there are some things even you don t understand. I daren t compromise with Phelan if I wanted. If a man in the organization starts a fight with me there s no turning back. I never compromise with him. I crush him. That has kept me where I am. Everyone of them knows that with me it s obey or fight, and if it s a fight then it s a fight to a finish. (The above was the dictum of RICHARD CROCKER; during the above GIBBS drops down a little and HORIGAN finishes speech at L. corner of table. JUDGE NEWMAN enters L.) JUDGE. Good-morning, Mr. Horigan. I confess to being a little anxious. I hope I m not too early. HORIGAN. For what? JUDGE. Hasn t Mr. Wainwright spoken to you? WAINWRIGHT. (Going up a little) I ve had no opportunity, Judge. HORIGAN. (Going to JUDGE L. c.) If it s the re- nomination you mean, I m where I was before, I think you ve had your feet in the trough long enough. It s time somebody else had a chance. JUDGE. But consider the circumstances, Mr. Horigan. I ve given the best years of my life to the judiciary and Mrs. Newman says that HORIGAN. We ve got to take care of our active workers the men we can depend on the men who ll do the right thing. JUDGE. I m sure I ve always done what s right. HORIGAN. I said " The men who ll do the right thing" JUDGE. (Appealing) Charles! THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 35 WAIN WRIGHT. (Coming down) Leave the mat ter in my hands. I think I can adjust it to the sat isfaction of all concerned. JUDGE. (WAINWRIGHT moves R. c.) If you can, you ll put me under lasting obligations. HORIGAN. I ll say this much if anybody can get you the nomination Mr. Wainwright can. And now, we have some business to talk over. (He turns back on JUDGE) JUDGE. Certainly. (To WAINWRIGHT) I de pend on you. WAINWRIGHT. You may ! JUDGE. Thank you, Charlie! (JUDGE exits L.) WAINWRIGHT. What is there against him? (Crosses to HORIGAN) HORIGAN. (Going to WAINWRIGHT) Nothing. There s a man we cat! depend on more. You know as well as I do that it s mighty convenient at times to have your case come up before the right judge. WAINWRIGHT. He ll do. Let him have the nom ination. HORIGAN. Sure, if you want it. Anyway, it s best, to keep these judges on the anxious seat a bit it teaches em their place ! And now shall we get to business. WAINWRIGHT. Yes. HORIGAN. (Crosses to GIBBS R. c.) Then you ll excuse my saying it but I never talk business before a third party. Mr. Wainwright knows that. GIBBS. A very good rule indeed, Mr. Horigan. I m glad to have met you. HORIGAN. Huh! Huh! (Crosses R.) GIBBS. (To WAINWRIGHT) I ll join the others. (GIBBS exits c. to R.) HORIGAN. Well. WAINWRIGHT. Just a minute. (BUTLER ap pears) See that I am not disturbed. BUTLER. Yes, sir. (Exits) HORIGAN. And now? (Sits in chair R.) 36 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. WAINWRIGHT. (R. of table) What do you think your chances are at the coming election ? HORIGAN. With plenty of money and the right man we can win. WAINWRIGHT. That s what I think. HORIGAN. And we ve got to have the right man. WAINWRIGHT. And we ll get him. Now the point is this. The Borough street Railway, after the election will apply to the City Council for a franchise for a line from the docks to the river by way of Union St. and Franklin Ave. HORIGAN. And as you own the City Surface Line which is the Borough s rival you want the franchise killed when it comes up before the Alder man. WAINWRIGHT. Not at all. I want the franchise granted and I want it to be perpetual. HORIGAN. You want it ! (Rises and listens) What s that? WAINWRIGHT. What? HORIGAN. That ticking? WAINWRIGHT. It s my private wire in there. (Points R.) HORIGAN. Is there an operator? (Going to WAINWRIGHT) WAINWRIGHT. Yes. HORIGAN. Suppose he s listening. WAINWRIGHT. He isn t. HORIGAN. Suppose he is. WAINWRIGHT. He s my private secretary been with me for years. He s the one man I can trust. HORIGAN. Just the same I don t want him to overhear this. Send him away. WAINWRIGHT. He s all right I tell you. Don t be unreasonable. HORIGAN. If you re sure. WAINWRIGHT. I am. (HORIGAN crosses to L., back of table) As I said before I want the franchise passed. THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 37 HORIGAN. I heard it but I don t understand it what s the game? The Charter of the Borough Company becomes void if it is merged with your line. WAINWRIGHT. But there s nothing to prevent one man from owning both roads and running them separately, is there? HORIGAN. No. WAINWRIGHT. Well I own both roads. HORIGAN. You do. WAINWRIGHT. (Rises, moves to c.) I have al ready secured very cautiously a majority of Borough Stock, and I am adding to my interest every day though nobody knows it but you, Gibbs and my self. Can you see what will happen to Borough Stock after the franchise is granted and the news of my control becomes known ? (In front of table c.) HORIGAN. It will go kiting. WAINWRIGHT. (Goes to HORIGAN) I imagine that it will ! And now, you have it. (Crosses doivn L-) HORIGAN. And the franchise is to be perpetual. WAINWRIGHT. Yes. HORIGAN. The people will make an awful scream. WAINWRIGHT. Much good it will do them if we have the votes. HORIGAN. Well how does it interest me? (Moves R. and sits in chair R. of table) WAINWRIGHT. (Moves up to HORIGAN) I am a firm believer in the present administration. I am willing to give two hundred thousand dollars to ward the expenses of the coming election to help keep the present party in power. HORIGAN. That s fair enough but (R. c. HORIGAN points to himself) WAINWRIGHT. I will carry fifteen thousand 38 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. shares of Borough stock for your account at the market price, sixty-three. HORIGAN. Yes-? WAINWRIGHT. In two days after the franchise is granted the stock should jump twenty-five points. That would give you a profit of three hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars. (Turns away a little) HORIGAN. Three hundred and seventy-five thou sand for me, and you will make millions! (Rises) I thought I was a better friend of yours than that. WAINWRIGHT. You did? HORIGAN. (Moves to WAINWRIGHT) I value my friendship at twenty-five thousand shares at the present market price. Then if the stock does ad vance as you say it will, and I sell out, I shall make a little over six hundred thousand dollars. WAINWRIGHT. Well I hardly expected that ! HORIGAN. What s the use of beating about the bush ? You need me and those are my terms. You can take them or leave them. WAINWRIGHT. (R. c.) They are higher than I expected but rather than have any misunderstand ing HORIGAN. (R.) You accept? WAINWRIGHT. I do. HORIGAN. Then it s settled. (Offers hand to WAINWRIGHT) And now about the election. We must have the right man for Mayor we must ! (HORIGAN stops and looks quickly at door) WAINWRIGHT. (Goes toward HORIGAN) What is it? HORIGAN. Nothing. (From this point HORIGAN quietly works toward door R. up and down) With the wrong man we haven t the ghost of a chance. We might as well not make the fight if our candidate isn t right. I ve been thinking this thing over. I ve been thinking it over and (HORIGAN suddenly opens door R. THOMPSON enters quietly with a mes- THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 39 sage. He gives it to WAINWRIGHT and exits again R. without a word. HORIGAN closes door and stands with his back to it. There is a pause) He was listening. WAINWRIGHT. Nothing of the kind. HORIGAN. (Goes to WAINWRIGHT) He was, I tell you. WAINWRIGHT. I don t believe it. I have to trust someone and he b the one. HORIGAN. (Crosses to L.) I don t trust nobody. I write no letters, I sign no receipts, I keep no ac counts, I have no witnesses. It s my word and the other fellow s. I keep mine and I see that he keeps his. As for that man. (Pointing off R.) Watch him. (The above was the method and policy of CROCKER) WAINWRIGHT. I don t have to. I ve tried him and I know. (He shrugs shoulders) You were saying about the man for Mayor? (Moves to HORIGAN) HORIGAN. He s got to be a man the public knows nothing against. A machine man won t do. A corporation man won t do. A politician won t do. WAINWRIGHT. What do you want an angel? HORIGAN. I d like a young man a man of fine family a man with a good name a young man with money, so the people won t think he s after the graft a man the public thinks is out to do his duty, but one we know we can handle. WAINWRIGHT. I see. How would Gibbs do? HORIGAN. No. He s a Stock Exchange and Coroporation man. WAINWRIGHT. There s young Sawyer. HORIGAN. A fool and his face advertises it. WAINWRIGHT. Young Farley. HORIGAN. He wears a monocle. That kills him before he starts. WAINWRIGHT. Have you thought of anybody? 40 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. HORIGAN. Do you know a chap named Bennett Alwyn Bennett WAINWRIGHT. Yes. HORIGAN. What s the matter with him? WAINWRIGHT. I should never have thought of him. HORIGAN. Why not? He comes nearer filling the bill than anybody I know. His father was one of the organization too and got some big contracts from it years ago. WAINWRIGHT. (Reflectively) Bennett! (Going a little to R.) HORIGAN. I met young Bennett last election when he came to help Lorimer just for the fun of the thing. The boys all liked him. He was a good mixer and made a fine speech. I think he s our man. WAINWRIGHT. Perhaps he is. He s here. HORIGAN. Here ? WAINWRIGHT. ( Going to bell on wall L. HORIGAN goes R. a little) He s a neighbor of ours. I ll send for him. (Rings bell BUTLER appears) Tell Mr. Bennett I d like to see him as soon as convenient. ( BUTLER exits c. to R.) I imagine he ll do. (WAIN- WRIGHT comes down) HORIGAN. Wait. Can we handle him. WAINWRIGHT. I think so. He s in love with my niece. HORIGAN. Oh ! WAINWRIGHT. And, until her brother is twenty- five I control the money their father left them. HORIGAN. (Going R.) Oh! Easy! WAINWRIGHT. Then it s Bennett. HORIGAN. Yes, if he agrees. (MILLS enters.) MILLS. Mr. Bennett is playing tennis, sir. He says he ll be here in a moment. (MILLS exits L.) THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 41 HORIGAN. Tennis ! We ll teach him a better game than that. (R.) (Enter BENNETT to back of table BENNETT. You want to see me. WAINWRIGHT. I do. You know Mr Horigan. BENNETT. Certainly. I had the pleasure of meet ing Mr. Horigan at the last election. (Going down R. To HORIGAN) How do you do? (HORIGAN nods.) WAINWRIGHT. Mr. Horigan and I have just been discussing you. BENNETT. Yes? WAINWRIGHT. How would you like to run for Mayor ? BENNETT. For Mayor? WAINWRIGHT. Yes. BENNETT. Stop your joking. HORIGAN. We re not joking. (Goes to BENNETT) I control the nomination. It s yours if you want it. BENNETT. Really? HORIGAN. Yes. BENNETT. You take my breath away ! Why, oh, why, have you selected me ? HORIGAN. Because we want you. (Up to BENNETT) BENNETT. That answers, but doesn t explain. HORIGAN. It ll be a hard fight. BENNETT. Now I see. You think you have no chance and have chosen me for the sacrifice. Offer received but declined with thanks. (Goes up) WAINWRIGHT. Mr. Horigan expects to win. HORIGAN. That s what I do. But win or lose it s a fine chance for a young man to show what he s made of. 42 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. BENNETT. (Reflectively) So it is. So it is. (Going down a little) HORIGAN. See what it means if you win. Even if you lose you ll make a name for yourself. BENNETT. (To HORIGAN) If I accept do you really think there s a fighting chance? WAINWRIGHT. Yes. HORIGAN. And more there s a great chance. BENNETT. Then I accept. WAINWRIGHT. Good ! HORIGAN. Fine! BENNETT. But if I am elected I shall keep my oath of office. (Crosses R.) WAINWRIGHT. Certainly. (BENNETT crosses down R.) BENNETT. Don t make any mistake, gentlemen, I mean that. If elected I shall keep my oath of office. HORIGAN. (L. c. BENNETT R. WAINWRIGHT c.) Sure you will, sure. Sure you will. (To WAINWRIGHT.) CURTAIN. ACT II. SCENE: The action takes place in the executive office of the MAYOR. It is a high, noble-looking room, the mural decorations of which are quiet and dignified, and the furnishings and furniture in accord with them. The MAYOR S flat desk is R. and several chairs are about office. There are two entrances one about L. 2 from the wait ing room; and one R. above the desk and leading to an inner office. The time is about seven months later than ACT I. It is afternoon. THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 43 DISCOVERED -.When the curtain rises CYNTHIA enters from L. dressed as if for the street, crosses the stage and exits R. INGRAM enters R. and stands waiting for CYNTHIA to re-enter. He is a man of about sixty, not above the\ average height and a little feeble. He wears a door-keeper s uniform, he has in hand the list of appointments for the afternoon and for the following morning. CYNTHIA re-enters R. hav ing taken off her hat and coat. CYNTHIA. (Crosses to table c.) What is it, Ingram ? INGRAM. I was wondering if this was all his Honor s appointments for this afternoon, miss. (Crosses to R. of table) CYNTHIA. Well see. (CYNTHIA goes to desk, picks up a sheet of paper and looks at it) First, there s Alderman Phelan. INGRAM. Yes, Miss. CYNTHIA. Then there s Mr. Wainwright. INGRAM. Is that all, Miss? CYNTHIA. Yes, Ingram. INGRAM. It s very light for this afternoon. CYNTHIA. Isn t it. INGRAM. Could we compare the appointments for to-morrow morning now? CYNTHIA. Certainly. (Picks up another sheet) The Comptroller at nine-thirty. INGRAM. Yes. CYNTHIA. Then the report from the Board of Estimate then the District Attorney then the Committee on the new water supply then the chief- of -police then a delegation from the Citizens Union, and then Alderman Roberts. INGRAM. Thank you. I wouldn t like there to be any mistake. It s been many a day since the wrong party got past my gate. (Moves a little R.) CYNTHIA. How long have you been the Mayor s 44 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. door-keeper. (Moves to L. of table and sits in chair) INGRAM. Twenty-five years, Miss. CYNTHIA. What a long time. INGRAM. I ve seen them come and I ve seen them go, but His Honor s the youngest man I ve ever seen in that chair. It s a great responsibility he has. CYNTHIA. Yes, indeed. INGRAM. And to think I knew his father before him that I served under him during the war. CYNTHIA. Does Mr. Bennett know that? INGRAM. Not from me, Miss, I wouldn t presume to tell him. CYNTHIA. Oh, wouldn t you? (INGRAM hands mail to CYNTHIA. CYNTHIA begins to open the letters.) INGRAM. (Still gently. Moves to front of table and gives letters to CYNTHIA) The people that try to get past my gate and the excuses they invent and the lies they tell. They worried me for a long time, but I m used to it now. CYNTHIA. (Indicating correspondence) The private secretary and I have our troubles too. _ INGRAM. It s the same way at the Administra tion Ball. Lots of people have tried to get by me, but I ve shown them CYNTHIA. The Administration Ball is a great occasion, I m told. INGRAM. Indeed it is, Miss. Everybody in politics goes. So do many of the big moneyed men too. CYNTHIA. It must be funny to see them dancing. INGRAM. It isn t to dance they go, Miss. CYNTHIA. They go because they know they ll meet the people they want to meet. Why some of the biggest deals made are arranged the night of the Administration Bill. (PERRY knocks on door R. Enters) Mr. Wainwright ! (Rises) THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 45 PERRY. How did you guess? (Bus. toward desk) INGRAM. It s all right for the gentlemen to wait here, isn t it, Miss. CYNTHIA. Certainly. (Sits) INGRAM. That s what I thought, Miss. That s what I thought. ( INGRAM exits R.) PERRY. (Goes to desk) And how is the assistant private secretary? CYNTHIA. Pardon me. Mr. Walters is away this afternoon and I am secretary pro tern. PERRY. Pardon me! CYNTHIA. And, now, permit me in my official capacity as secretary pro tern, to ask what are you doing here? PERRY. I have a message for His Honor, nobody sent it but I thought I d bring it just the same. CYNTHIA. His Honor is not back from lunch. PERRY. I ve something for you as well. (Going back of desk around desk to L. of CYNTHIA) CYNTHIA. Yes? (Rises and goes in front of desk) PERRY. A photograph. (PERRY hands photo graph to CYNTHIA) CYNTHIA. Why, it s Betty and Prince Charlie. PERRY. Yes. You evidently didn t notice it, but I m there, too ! There I am at the end of the leash ! At this end not that. CYNTHIA. I saw you of course, but the dogs the darling dogs ! (She kisses the picture) PERRY. You see me but you kiss them. That s the first time I ever wished I was a dog. CYNTHIA. Don t be foolish. Do you know what I m going to do with this ? PERRY. I can imagine. CYNTHIA. What? PERRY. (Position to go R. of desk. Crosses around back of desk) Cut out the dogs heads, place one each side of your locket, wear them next 46 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. your heart, and throw the rest of it in the waste- paper basket. CYNTHIA. Nothing of the kind; I m going to frame it, just as it is, and write underneath it: " The Darlings." PERRY. (Going to desk .R. and leaning hands on it. Bending towards CYNTHIA) Why not write: " The Three Darlings." CYNTHIA. Because there are only two. (BENNETT enters R.) BENNETT. Hello, Perry. PERRY. Why, hello, Alwyn, I mean "Your Honor." BENNETT. (Gives hat to INGRAM) None of that. What brings you this time. (Taking off gloves and coming down R.) PERRY. I have a message for you (Crosses R., to BENNETT) BENNETT. Yes. PERRY. Dallas is home. BENNETT. What did she say ? PERRY. Say ? BENNETT. Yes. The message. PERRY. Oh, the message. BENNETT. Certainly. PERRY. Of course, the message. (To CYNTHIA) See, he wants to know about the message BENNETT. Well, what were you to tell me? PERRY. Why, I was to tell you I was to tell you BENNETT. Yes PERRY. I was to tell you that she s home. BENNETT. (Comes to PERRY) Did Dallas say you were to tell me that ? PERRY. No. BENNETT. Then whom is the message from? THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 47 PERRY. From me ! She s home ; came this morn ing. BENNETT. I know it. (Gives coat to INGRAM. INGRAM exits R. Going to chair, back of desk, and sitting there. PERRY goes to R. of desk} The Custom House phoned me the minute the boat had docked. Don t you come here with any such excuses. PERRY. (To CYNTHIA) What do you think of that ! Dallas gets back from a six months trip to Europe ; I came up here specially to tell him about it, and he accuses and reproaches me. Talk about ingratitude. (Goes R. a little) CYNTHIA. Awful. BENNETT. How is she well ? PERRY. Yes, and looking fine. (Going to R. of desk) ^ BENNETT. I don t suppose she happened to men tion me. PERRY. No, oh, no. BENNETT. No ! PERRY. Only asked about seven thousand ques tions the first five minutes. That s all. BENNETT. What did she ask about me ! (Crosses down to PERRY R.) PERRY. Why she asked whether you still had the same watch charm if you parted your hair on the side what colored neckties you were wear ing ! BENNETT. Stop it and tell me. PERRY. She didn t have to ask what kind of a campaign you made she had kept posted on that while on the other side but she did want to know all about this Borough Street Railway Franchise the papers are full of, and I ll be hanged if I could tell her. BENNETT. Well, I haven t time to instruct you in such matters now (Crosses to back of table) I think I shall drop around toyour house for a few minutes this afternoon. 48 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. PERRY. What did you say ? BENNETT. This afternoon! Your house! Me! PERRY. (Moves to R. of table) Oh, you beat Gibbs with the fllowers all right. Your bunch made his look like Maggie Murphy s off-the-ice roses when the picnic is over. BENNETT. (PERRY works behind BENNETT to L. of him. To CYNTHIA) We ve never had such light engagement, have we? CYNTHIA. No. BENNETT. Ingram will think he has a half holi- a CYNTHiA He and I had quite a talk just now. Did you know he served in the army under your father? BENNETT. Did he? < CYNTHIA. Yes. (BENNETT rings belt) BENNETT. Why didn t he tell me. PERRY (Going down L.) So your father was a soldier. I thought he was an engineer and con- . That was afterwards. (Note; IN GRAM enters R. BENNETT plays this scene with com plete sincerity but he must avoid being too serious To INGRAM /INGRAM crosses to R. of desk) And you served under my father? INGRAM. Yes, your Honor. And a fine soldier he was, too. BENNETT. Can you recall him t INGRAM. As though it were yesterday. I re member him first as a Lieutenant and what a gay, light-hearted boy he was. He d always a pleasant word for everybody and wherever there was fight- fog he d be in it if he could get there. We would have died for him. BENNETT. Dear old Dad! INGRAM. After we were mustered out I didnt see him for over twenty years I know that bed gone into business, and was the head of a big con- THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 49 tracting firm, but I didn t set eyes on him until one day he came to that very gate out there. I knew him in a minute and saluted. He looked at me for a second and then said ; " Bless me, if it isn t Ingram." He remembered me after all that time. He was a fine man if ever there was one, and, if your honor will excuse me, you should be proud of having such a father. BENNETT. I am proud, Ingram. (Rises) INGRAM. I saw him often after that, sir. He built the big aqueduct and the library building and had to come here to talk things over with the Mayor, and the City Engineer. He still had the pleasant word, and many a time, when he had to wait a minute, we ve sat out there and talked about the old times that would never come back for either of us. BENNETT. (Giving INGRAM his hand) We ll often talk about them, too. INGRAM. Thank you, your Honor! Is that all, your Honor? BENNETT. All for the present. INGRAM. Then just once for your father s son, your Honor ( INGRAM draws himself up salutes and exits R.) BENNETT. (Very sincerely) For my father s son. CYNTHIA. (Gently) No wonder your mother loved him. PERRY. (Getting back to Comedy) Ingram s all right! (Goes to the R. of BENNETT, crosses in front of desk) Say, Alwyn, I d like to see any body get his job away from him. BENNETT. (Lightly) So would I. (The tele phone rings, CYNTHIA answers it) CYNTHIA. Yes. This is his office who is it wishes to speak with him! Mrs. Bennett! How do you do. Certainly. (To BENNETT) Your mother. (BENNETT goes to phone) 50 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. BENNETT. (To his mother) Hello, mother, anything wrong? No? I m glad of that I ll be at liberty very soon, but I was going out certainly I ll wait if you won t be long (PERRY sits in chair R.) What? You have a surprise for me, a pleasant one what is it? Do tell me you won t. Very we ll good-bye. What ? No, I won t go. I ll stay here till you come. Good-bye. (BENNETT replaces phone) Mother has a surprise for me. PERRY. I ve been surprised over the phone, too, and generally I didn t like it. (INGRAM enters R.) INGRAM. Alderman Phelan, your Honor. BENNETT. (To PERRY) By appointment PERRY. Then I m off. (Rises and moves to table R. To CYNTHIA, above) Good-bye. CYNTHIA. Good-bye. PERRY. (Goes to exit R. To BENNETT) Say, Alwyn, don t be surprised if Dallas sends me with another message to morrow. (PERRY exits R.) BENNETT. You! (Raises book. To INGRAM) Show Mr. Phelan in. ( INGRAM exits R. BENNETT sits at his desk. To CYNTHIA) Perry s a great boy, isn t he ? CYNTHIA. Yes, indeed. (CYNTHIA takes some of the letters she has opened and exits L. BENNETT picks up document from desk. PHELAN enters R.) BENNETT. Well, Alderman, if I m not mistaken this is the first time you ve favored me. PHELAN. Yes, your honor, this is my first offense. (Crosses closer to table R.) BENNETT. Then I suppose it s something of importance. PHELAN. That all depends. The papers said this morning that you were going to veto the Borough Street Railway Franchise. If that s so I can take my hat and go. THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 51 BENNETT. That was unauthorized. I haven t announced any decision on the bill yet. Here it is. PHELAN. Then I m glad I ve come. Honest, your Honor, that bill s the coarsest work I ve seen. I ll bet that some of the men that voted for it has to go thro the door sideways to get out with their bundle. (Sits in chair R.) BENNETT. You didn t vote for it. PHELAN. Not me. I m not one of Horigan s solid thirteen. I m no bale of hay for him to buy and sell as he does them. BENNETT. Pardon me, Alderman, but judging from your generally accepted reputation you should be the last to say such things. PHELAN. Did you ever hear about set a thief to catch a thief. Well that s me this time. BENNETT. You re frank enough at any rate. PHELAN. Sure, when I do the talkin you don t need any motion pictures ! I ve been through the game from the go to the cases and this Borough deal is the roughest yet. They must have thought you easy to frame up a thing like that for you. BENNETT. Why? PHELAN. Because they know that when the public gets on to it they won t consider that the Alderman passed it, they ll only remember that you (Rises and crosses to R. of table) signed it. That s what they ll remember the Franchise bill that Bennett signed. BENNETT. Why do you trouble to tell me this. It isn t for love of me, is it? PHELAN. No, it ain t exactly for love of you it s because of Horigan. He s back of this bill and it s crookeder than a footpath through a pine wood. (INGRAM enters R.) INGRAM. Mr. Wainwright, your Honor? 52 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. BENNETT. He s a little ahead of time; may I see him? PHELAN. Sure, I can wait. (BENNETT nods to INGRAM who exits R.) Where shall I go? (Goes L. pointing L.) In there? BENNETT. (Going R.) Stay here. My business with Mr. Wainwright isn t private. (WAINWRIGHT enters R.) WAINWRIGHT. (Going to BENNETT) How do you do? BENNETT. (Rising. They shake hands; BEN NETT indicates chair which WAINWRIGHT declines) It was good of you to come. WAINWRIGHT. (To PHELAN) Alderman PHELAN. How do? BENNETT. You re acquainted. PHELAN. From way back. BENNETT. Then, as your time is valuable, Mr. Wainwright, I ll go to the point at once. I wanted to get your opinion of the Borough Street Railway bill. WAINWRIGHT. Really I I ? PHELAN. He owns the other road; he s against it ; give him a hard one. WAINWRIGHT. Pardon me, but I don t think I am against it. (R. of table) PHELAN. What? (Going to chair L. sits) WAINWRIGHT. I m inclined to be in favor of it. PHELAN. (Whistles softly) Phew! (PHELAN watches WAINWRIGHT shrewdly) WAINWRIGHT. (BENNETT sits in chair back of desk) My line is the Borough s rival in a sense but only in a sense. In this great city there is room for both of us to live and prosper. Why, then, should we fight each other? (WAINWRIGHT smiles benignantly) PHELAN. Ask me? THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 53 WAINWRIGHT. That the Franchise will be bene ficial to the Borough people, goes without saying. The passing of the bill by the Council caused a jump in the stock from 63 to 81. The announcement of your veto, which I am assured is unauthorized, caused a drop to-day from 8 1 to 73. So you see the power in your hands. If you veto the Bill the stock will drop to practically nothing, then what will be come of the widows and orphans whose money is invested in it ? PHELAN. Take my advice, see a Doctor. You have enlargement of the heart. WAINWRIGHT. Phelan will have his joke. (INGRAM enters R.) BENNETT. Well? INGRAM. A man who says his name is Thompson has a message for Mr. Wainwright, and says he must deliver it in person. WAINWRIGHT. (To BENNETT) My private secretary. BENNETT. (To INGRAM) Have Mr. Thompson come in (INGRAM exits R.) WAINWRIGHT. This is very unusual. I wonder what it means. PHELAN. (D. L.) If my private secretary bothered me, I d fire him so quick the movin picture machine wouldn t be able to catch his movements. (THOMPSON enters R. PHELAN sees THOMPSON and eyes him curiously) WAINWRIGHT. (To BENNETT) Excuse me. (WAINWRIGHT goes to THOMPSON) Well? THOMPSON. (Apart to WAINWRIGHT quickly R.) Mr. Horigan telephoned, sir, immediately after you left ; I told him you were here. He instructed me 54 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. to come and to say to you that he wished you to call on him at once as it was urgent. He said you would know where to find him. WAINWRIGHT. (To THOMPSON) Very good. (He goes to BENNETT. PHELAN still eyes THOMP SON. To BENNETT) I am extremely sorry that I can t remain to discuss the question further, but a most important matter demands my immediate at tention. BENNETT. I am sorry, too. (Rises) WAINWRIGHT. (Going R. towards exit) Please consider carefully all that I have said. If I am not opposed to the Franchise, I do not see how anyone else can reasonably oppose it. BENNETT. I ll consider it. Thank you for com ing. WAINWRIGHT. Come, Thompson, come. PHELAN. Just a minute. (THOMPSON stops, PHELAN crosses R. towards THOMPSON. To THOMPSON) How are you? (THOMPSON looks at PHELAN and then replies in the tone of a man who does not recognise the one addressing him, but who wishes to be polite.) THOMPSON. How do you do, sir? PHELAN. You know me, don t you ? THOMPSON. I think not, sir. PHELAN. You don t ? THOMPSON No, sir. PHELAN. I m Phelan, Alderman Phelan of the Eighth. THOMPSON. I have heard of you, of course, sir. PHELAN. But have never met me. THOMPSON. Not that I remember, sir. PHELAN. Mm ! (THOMPSON exits R.) THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 55 BENNETT. You seemed surprised when Mr. Wainwright said he was in favor of the franchise. PHELAN. Well, I should say I was. (Moves to R. of table) He smiled when he said it, and he never smiles unless he has swallowed the canary. BENNETT. Then you don t think he was prompted by a sense of justice. PHELAN. He has no more sense of justice than a four-year-old gorilla. You remember that affair about Garrison, the bank President the one who was thrown down by his friend the financier ? BENNETT. Yes. PHELAN. Do you know who the financier was? BENNETT. No. His name was suppressed. PHELAN. Wainwright! That s the fellow. (Moves down R.) BENNETT. Wainwright ? PHELAN. Yep. BENNETT. (Raising) You re sure? PHELAN. I ought to be I suppressed it. BENNETT. You ? PHELAN. Me. You forgot I was chief of Police BENNETT. So you were, and it was Wainwright. (Rises and moves down to L. of PHELAN) PHELAN. It was. I handled the case myself . bo you see he had a fine chance to talk, " justice and "fairness" to me. (Crosses to L. c.) There s something back of all this. BENNETT. You re right there is. It was at his house that Horigan offered me the nomination. PHELAN. I wonder if that was the day he sent forme. I met that fellow Gibbs there. The one the papers say is buyin Borough Stock. BENNETT. You re getting warm. (Going towards PHELAN) PHELAN. We ought to work this thing out to gether and when I get Horigan ril- BENNETT. I ll have no quarrel with Horigan. 56 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. PHELAN. There ain t a trick in this game I don t know. Let me put you wise to some o the things in that bill. First there s BENNETT. I know pretty nearly all there is to know about that bill I ve sat up nights with it alone and I ve spent hours over it with my counsel I ve done other things, too, and I have at least one surprise in store. Because I have been quiet it does not necessarily mean that I have been asleep. PHELAN. Your Honor, you are all right. BENNETT. I m glad you came, Alderman. Our motives are different but the end is the same and we may be able to help each other. PHELAN. You bet we can. (INGRAM enters R.) INGRAM. Mrs. Bennett, your Honor. BENNETT. Certainly. (INGRAM exits.) PHELAN. I didn t know you was married? BENNETT. My mother. PHELAN. (Going L.) Oh. (MRS. BENNETT enters R.) BENNETT. Mother. MRS. BENNETT. You ll be glad you waited, Alwyn. (Crosses to R. of table. DALLAS enters R.) BENNETT. And Dallas! (Moves to DALLAS) Well, this is a surprise. MRS. BENNETT. Didn t I tell you? DALLAS. How do you do, your Honor ! BENNETT. Now! Now! My, but I m glad to see you. (Goes to DALLAS and shakes hands, talks ad lib) PHELAN coughs) Mother, let me present Alderman Phelan. THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 57 MRS. BENNETT. Mr. Phelan ! PHELAN. Ma am. BENNETT. And this is Miss Wainwright, Alder man Phelan. DALLAS. (Going L., crosses to PHELAN) Alder man Phelan, who gives turkeys to the poor at Christmas ? PHELAN. Yes, miss. I turkey em in the winter and I picnic em in the summer. DALLAS. I ve read of your picnics. PHELAN. They re the days of my life, Miss. I ve had as many as twenty-five hundred at one of em most of em women and children ; women who never get a breath of fresh ait; and children who never see a blade of grass except, when I take em out. It s a happy day when I down a man who s agin me, it s a happy day when I help a man who s for me, but the happiest days for me are my picnic days BENNETT. Why, Phelan (Moves to back of desk c.) PHELAN. I know. I should remember the old woman s parrot. (To DALLAS) Excuse me, Miss. DALLAS. There s no need. (Sits L. of desk) MRS. BENNETT. But where is Mr. Gibbs ? (Sits R. of table) (BENNETT places chair for MRS. BENNETT.) BENNETT. Mr. Gibbs! (NOTE: MR. GIBBS plays this scene smilingly and with every appearance of good nature. En ters R.) GIBBS. Here I am. I stopped for a word with that old door-keeper of yours. And how is the Mayor this afternoon ? BENNETT. Quite well, thank you. GIBBS. Alderman! (R.) 58 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. PHELAN. How do. MRS. BENNETT. When I phoned you, Alwyn, I was at the Wainwrights . I d dropped in to see Dallas, this being her first day in town. Just as we were ready to come Mr. Gibbs called. GIBBS. And being naturally of a gallant disposi tion I came as their escort. BENNETT. Very kind of you, indeed. Sit down, please. I think we have enough seats. (To PHELAN) Phelan. GIBBS. I can stay only a moment so I ll stand if you don t mind. PHELAN. Me too. BENNETT. Certainly. GIBBS. And there is His Honor, the man who with a stroke of his pen can send Borough stock up to ninety or a hundred or down to practically noth ing. DALLAS. Can Mr. Bennett do that? GIBBS. He can, indeed. The mere announce ment that he intended to veto their franchise caused the stock to break eight point to-day. DALLAS. Are you going to veto it ? BENNETT. I can t tell. GIBBS. Of course he isn t it wouldn t be fair to his friends ? DALLAS. Why? GIBBS. Well it s generally understood that the men back of the bill are those who gave him his present opportunity, and it would not be right to use his power to the disadvantage of those who gave it to him. BENNETT. Whom do you mean by "the men back of the bill ? " GIBBS. I am merely repeating what is being gen erally said. For my own part I m glad the break came to-day. It enabled those who believe in the stock to get some at a low figure. THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 59 PHELAN. It is being " generally said " that your firm has more than anybody. GIBBS. We have our share, there s no denying that. (To DALLAS) And so you see, Miss Wain- wright, how openly I placed myself in Mr. Bennett s hands. BENNETT. This isn t fair. j GIBBS. Why not, it s perfectly true. You can either give me a fortune or take one from me. (To DALLAS and MRS. BENNETT) I am not in the least afraid. I know he will do the right thing. BENNETT. (Moves down to GIBBS R.) Mr. Gibbs, you have no right to thrust this information on me in this manner. GIBBS. I thought I was paying you the highest compliment possible. BENNETT. I knew your position fairly well be fore you stated it, but it will not influence me in the least. GIBBS. Certainly not, why should it? BENNETT. You can answer that question better than I can. GIBBS. I m sorry I rufHed you. BENNETT. You didn t. GIBBS. But I must say that I see no reason for your abruptness. Do you, Miss Wainwright? DALLAS. Really, Mr. Gibbs BENNETT. Please leave Miss Wainwright out of the matter. (A slight movement to D. R.) GIBBS. Anything you say! Well, my minute s up! Good-bye, Mrs. Bennett. (MRS. BENNETT bows) Good-afternoon, Miss Wainwright. DALLAS. Good-afternoon, Mr. Gibbs. GIBBS. I shall see you again soon I hope ? DALLAS. I hope so. GIBBS. Thank you. (He goes to BENNETT) I m sorry you misconstrued what I said but (He offers hand with every appearance of frankness) There s no hard feeling I hope. 60 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. BENNETT. Certainly not. (He makes the best of the situation and takes GIBBS hand) GIBBS. I m glad. Good-day. BENNETT. Good-day. GIBBS. (Going) Alderman. (PHELAN nods. GIBBS exits R.) PHELAN. I think I ll be movin too. (To DALLAS) Good-afternoon, Miss. DALLAS. (Rising and offering hand) Good- afternoon, Alderman. I m glad to have met you. PHELAN. Thank you? Miss. (PHELAN crosses to R. To MRS. BENNETT) Ma am. MRS. BENNETT. Good-afternoon. I m glad to have met you too. PHELAN. You re sure you ain t fishin for an in vite to one o my picnics. (All laugh) Don t for get this, though. If you hear of any woman or child that would like to go let me know about it and they don t have to belong to my ward either. (PHELAN exits R.) MRS. BENNETT. I really didn t wish to bring Mr. Gibbs but when he offered to come what could I do ? BENNETT. I understand, mother. MRS. BENNETT. Isn t Dallas looking well? BENNETT. (Crosses to c.) Splendid. DALLAS. Why shouldn t I ? I ve had a glorious holiday England, France, Italy, the Mediterranean, Egypt and I ve lived every minute of it. Even the rough$ voyage home was enjoyable. They simply couldn t keep me off the deck. BENNETT. Couldn t have kept me either if you were there DALLAS. Where s Cynthia? BENNETT. Here. (BENNETT opens door L.) Some one to see you. (CYNTHIA enters L.) THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 61 CYNTHIA. To see me. BENNETT. Yes. CYNTHIA. (Sees DALLAS) Dallas! DALLAS. Cynthia. (They kiss) CYNTHIA. Turn around and let me look at you. (DALLAS turns around) Heavenly. Isn t that hat the cutest thing. (To BENNETT) Did you ever see anything so becoming ? BENNETT. Never. CYNTHIA. Take off your coat, Dallas. (BENNETT helps take off DALLAS coat) Take if off. I want to see what the dress is like. (The coat is off. CYNTHIA eyes DALLAS critically) Are those (De scribing the dress) going to be the fashion? DALLAS. They are. CYNTHIA. I just hate them. I suppose I ll have to wear them, though, if they re going to be the style. DALLAS. I suppose you will. (To BENNETT) I know what you are thinking " Isn t that just like a woman." BENNETT. No, I m not. (Goes to DALLAS) When it comes to following the styles the men are just as bad. DALLAS. They are but you are the first man who ever acknowledged it (Goes to MRS. BENNETT) Isn t he? (CYNTHIA comes down L.) MRS. BENNETT. I think so. (BENNETT unseen by DALLAS and MRS. BENNETT pantomimes for CYNTHIA to take his mother into the room R. After bus., CYNTHIA under stands. ) CYNTHIA. (To MRS. BENNETT) Come and see my room, Mrs. Bennett! 62 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. MRS. BENNETT. I ve seen it, my dear. CYNTHIA. But I have something new I want to show you. MRS. BENNETT. Oh! What? (Going to CYNTHIA. BENNETT goes up a little) CYNTHIA. I can t tell you. It s a secret. DALLAS. Can t I see it, too ? BENNETT. (Coming down and interposing) No. CYNTHIA. Certainly not. BENNETT. This is a secret for mother alone. MRS. BENNETT. But, my dear (CYNTHIA points to BENNETT and DALLAS. CYNTHIA and MRS. BENNETT exeunt R. There is a slight pause. Then DALLAS impulsively offers her hand to BENNETT.) DALLAS. I m so glad to see you. (R. c.) BENNETT. (Taking DALLAS hand) Really? (L. C.) DALLAS. Really. BENNETT. Then I ll tell you a secret. You re not half as glad as I am. DALLAS. I read all about your campaign. Perry sent me the papers every day. BENNETT. I always knew he was good for some thing. DALLAS. They arrived in bundles. I would take them to my room, read the political news then throw them aside. When I had finished I looked like a lighthouse surrounded by a sea of newspapers. BENNETT. (Going to DALLAS) You were a lighthouse. I steered my course by you. DALLAS. And when I read of your election, and that your splendid campaign had carried the whole ticket to victory and saw what the papers pre dicted for you then I was proud proud that a man had found himself and that perhaps I had helped him. THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 63 BENNETT. You did it. DALLAS. You are the man of the hour. The youngest mayor the city has ever known. And what a future for you. BENNETT. It isn t the future I m thinking about. It s now, this very minute. (Pie takes both her hands. There is a short pause. He looks at her ad miringly) If such a thing were possible, you look sweeter than ever. DALLAS. Oh, Alwyn. BENNETT. Sweeter than ever! I meant it too when I said " You did it." Why did I accept the nomination because I thought it would please you. Why did I work as I did during the campaign be cause I thought it would please you. DALLAS. It more than pleases me. BENNETT. You told me to find my work, I think I have found it. You told me to do it to the best of my ability. I have tried. You have made a man of me. Whatever I have done you are the cause of it. DALLAS. You are wrong. BENNETT. You were the cause of it. DALLAS. No. I did not give you strength, nor courage, nor determination, nor the power to do things. They were within you always. BENNETT. If they were, you roused them to life. DALLAS. If I did, I thank God for it. You are going to do big things in the world, big things ! BENNETT. No matter what I do, it will mean nothing unlers you share it. I have grown since you went away. As I have grown my love for you has grown. It is the one thing in my life the one thing in my life the one real thing success, power, office will mean nothing without you. (The door R. opens quickly and HORIGAN enters. He is evidently in great rage. DALLAS turns up stage R. of table to c., then moves down L.) 64 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. HORIGAN. I m told that you Oh. I didn t know there was a lady here. BENNETT. Well there is a lady here. (BENNETT crosses to HORIGAN) HORIGAN. I ll wait BENNETT. (Indicating out R.) They should have told you. HORIGAN. They probably did only I didn t stop to listen. Let me know when you re ready. BENNETT. You needn t wait. HORIGAN. Oh, yes, I need. There is a matter that s got to be settled to-day now. (Indicating R.) I ll be out there. (Exits R.) DALLAS. Who is he ? BENNETT. Horigan. DALLAS. The boss ? BENNETT. Yes. Did you see the way he came in here as though he were the proprietor and I an em ployee. (Goes L.) If he thinks that DALLAS. Be careful, Alwyn? (Goes to BENNETT) Remember how powerful he is. BENNETT. He won t let me forget. DALLAS. (L. c.) Promise me you ll be careful. I know how headstrong and reckless you can be. BENNETT. Dallas. DALLAS. I saw it, you know. Promise me BENNETT. Very well. DALLAS. Thank you. My coat, please. (BENNETT gets coat from table c.) BENNETT. This evening, may I see you? DALLAS. Do. BENNETT. I will. (DALLAS indicates her coat; BENNETT helps her to put it on. BENNETT goes to door L. DALLAS goes to door R.) THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 65 BENNETT. Mother. MRS. BENNETT. (Off L.) Yes. BENNETT. Dallas is going. (Crosses back of table to door R. MRS. BENNETT enters L. followed by CYNTHIA.) MRS. BENNETT. Is she CYNTHIA. So soon (BENNETT goes to door R. and opens door.) DALLAS. A gentleman is waiting to see Alwyn. MRS. BENNETT. Oh. (To CYNTHIA) Good bye, dear CYNTHIA. Good-bye. (MRS. BENNETT, crosses to door R.) DALLAS. (To CYNTHIA) When are you coming to see me ? CYNTHIA. Some evening before long, I ll phone you. DALLAS. Do. MRS. BENNETT. Good-bye, Alwyn. (Exits R.) BENNETT. Good-bye, mother. (To DALLAS) Don t forget, I m to see you to-night. (At door R.) DALLAS. I ll remember. (DALLAS exits, closing door R. There is a short pause. BENNETT sits at his desk. HORIGAN enters. His anger has not subsided and he shows it in every look and tone. R. of table.) HORIGAN. (His anger plainly evident) I under stand Phelan was here this afternoon. BENNETT. (Quietly) He was. HORIGAN. About what ? BENNETT. Business, 66 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. HORIGAN. What business ? BENNETT. My business. HORIGAN. Well, I want you to understand one thing. No man can be friendly with Horigan and Phelan at the same time. It s him or me. Is that plain ! BENNETT. (Still quietly) Perfectly, and now I want you to understand one thing. No man can bully me either in this room or out of it. Is that plain ? HORIGAN. Do you mean to say BENNETT. You will oblige me also in the future by aUeast knocking on the door before you come in. This is my office and no other man s. HORIGAN. Do you mean to say BENNETT. (Playing for laugh) That s twice you ve said that! Is it your hearing or my speech that is defective? HORIGAN. (Turns, puts coat and hat on table R v then turns to R. of table) Bennett, you and me have got to come to a show down. You re a bright young fellow; you made a great fight, and won; the public likes you and the press likes you and you re the best material the party s got to-day. If you do what s right there ll be nothing you can t have. But you ve got to do what s right. BENNETT. What do you mean by doing what s right ! HORIGAN. I mean you ve got to do the square thing by them who made you. BENNETT. And who did make me? HORIGAN. Dick Horigan. Who were you till I took you up nobody! If I didn t make you the mayor of this town, I d like to know who did. BENNETT. The people did. HORIGAN. The hell they did. (Moves R.) Who gave you the nomination ? BENNETT. You. I admit that. But the people elected me, and I m going to do exactly as you ad- THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 67 vise. (Rising and talking across the desk) I m going to do the right thing by those who made me. HORIGAN. You mean to say BENNETT. There it is again! However I ll tell you this time. I mean that before I sign any bill (Takes up bill) I ve got to know that it s for the good not of the party not of the organization, but of the city. I told you I should keep my oath of office, I intend do it. HORIGAN. You ll sign that bill or BENNETT. Or what? HORIGAN. Or your political career ends right now. You think you re on top and that you can stay on top without the man who put you there. But you can t. I can pull you down just as easy as I put you up, and I ll do it unless you sign that bill. I pledged my word on it long before the election and you ve got to do it. (Crosses down R.) BENNETT. I made no such pledge. Before you did you should have been sure that you could de liver the goods. HORIGAN. Then, you won t sign it. BENNETT. (Goes to HORIGAN.) You said we should have to come to a show down. This is where we do it. You have no collar on my neck, I wear no man s tag. You can t sell me either for present or future delivery. If I sign that bill it will be because I think it an honest one, not because you agreed that I should do it. HORIGAN. I don t care why you sign it so long as you do sign it. BENNETT. Do you think it an honest bill? HORIGAN. Do I ! What do you take me for. I don t care whether it s honest or not. (Moves down R.) BENNETT. Well, I do, and I think it s crooked. HORIGAN. Oh, you do, eh? (Returns to BENNETT) BENNETT. Yes, I do. (BENNETT crosses down 68 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. to HORIGAN R. ) It permits them to use any motive- power they please; it allows them to charge five- cent fares without transfers; the little joker in paragraph six allows them to build a subway if they desire it ; under paragraph eight they can do an ex press business ; they could also build a conduit and rent it for telegraph or telephone wires; in fact it gives the streets absolutely to the company above and below, not for ten years, not fifty years, not for a hundred years, but forever. This franchise de livers to the Borough Company, bound hand and foot, not only us, but our children, and their chil dren s children until the day of Judgment and I tell you that the time for such things has gone by, never to return. HORIGAN. So weVe elected a reformer have we? BENNETT. (Crosses back to c. of desk) I was placed in my position to protect and defend the rights and property of my constituents. This bill asks me to give away a franchise for which I am offered two million dollars cash. HORIGAN. What ? BENNETT. I thought that would surprise you. In addition to this cash offer, the gentleman agrees to give to the City ten per cent of the gross receipts, and to turn over to the country the entire plant at a fair valuation at the end of fifty years if the City desires it. HORIGAN. Who does that? (Goes to desk. BENNETT hands him the letter) I guess it was one of those yellow newspapers. You don t suppose he means it do you? BENNETT. I m sure he does. Besides he agrees to deposit a check for one million dollars to bind the bargain. And now, why is the Council so eager to give away what this man is willing to pay for so liberally. HORIGAN. How should I know. (Crosses L.) THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 69 BENNETT. You do know, and yet I ll tell you. The answer is graft, Mr. Horigan graft ! HORIGAN. What do you call graft? (Turns and faces BENNETT) BENNETT. Graft is money to which a man is not morally entitled. (Sits in chair c.) HORIGAN. Then every man is a grafter. A lawyer will take a fee for showing his client how he can break the law and evade the punishment graft ! Churches and Colleges accept money they know has been obtained by fraud and oppression graft ! Newspapers and magazines publish advertisements they know to be fakes and worse graft! A rail road president accepts stock in a firm which ships over his line graft ! Senators become millionaires on a salary of seventy-five hundred dollars a year graft ! And so it goes, high and low, rich and poor they all graft, in fact the man who doesn t graft hasn t the chance or else he s a fool. (Moves down L.) BENNETT. You re wrong. Honesty pays now just as it always has done and always will do. Why did the people of Wisconsin send La Folette to the Senate because whatever his faults they knew he was an honest man ! Why did the people of Missouri make Folk their governor, because what ever his faults they knew he was an honest man! And why did the people of the United States make Roosevelt President, because whatever his faults they knew he was an honest man ! This bill isn t honest, but I am, and I won t sign it. HORTGAN. (Crosses to him} Then veto it. Veto it ! And to prove what I think of the newspapers and the people and to show you what size you are and what I think of you I ll pass it over your head. BENNETT. It takes a two-thirds majority to do that. You ll need fourteen votes. You have only thirteen. I ll see that you don t get the other. 70 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. HORIGAN. And I ll see that I do. (Down L. a little) BENNETT. (Rises) Moreover I know there s bribery here. I ll find who gives it and Til find who takes it and then I ll jail them everyone. I ll not only jail the Alderman who takes the bribes, J ll jail the " gentleman " who gives them. HORIGAN. (Moves up to table) Then let me tell you that the man who s back of this bill, the man you ll have to jail, is Mr. Wainwright, the uncle of the girl you re in love with. BENNETT. That s no great news. HORIGAN. Then perhaps this is. Every dollar of her fortune, and every dollar of her brother s fortune has been invested by Wainwright in Borough Street Railway Stock. And if you beat this franchise you ll ruin them both. You hear, you ll rum them both the girl and her brother. And now, do what you like about it, and be damned to you. (BENNETT takes pen, writes on franchise and shows it to HORIGAN) You ve vetoed it. BENNETT. I ve vetoed it. And now do as you like about it and be damned to you. CURTAIN. ACT III. SCENE : The scene is a parlor in the Charlton Hotel on the floor where the administration Ball is being held. It is luxuriously furnished in the manner usual to such rooms. There is an entrance c. leading to a hall and one L. leading to another room. (PERRY and CYNTHIA enter L. Two Step at Rise.) THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 71 PERRY. (L. c.) I tell you, it s true. CYNTHIA. (L.) It can t be. PERRY. But it is. Thompson has been watching you since the moment you came in. (BENNETT and MRS. BENNETT enter c. from L. and go down stage R.) CYNTHIA. But I ve never even seen Mr. Thomp son. PERRY. I ll keep an eye on Thompson. (CYNTHIA sits at table on seat down stage.) BENNETT. (To CYNTHIA c.) Did you enjoy the dance ? CYNTHIA. It was heavenly. PERRY. (L. c.) If there s anything better than a two-step with the right partner all a man has to do is to introduce me to it, and I m mortgaged to him for life. BENNETT. As you once said " Sailing swan-like on a sea of bliss." PERRY, (c.) Exactly! Can you see a swan a snow-white swan with web-feet on the crest of a wave like that. (Bus.) Then down into the trough like that! (Bus.) And then (With bus.) Up and down and up and down up and down ! Isn t it poetic ? CYNTHIA. No wonder you kept me waiting if I dance like that. (BENNETT and MRS. BENNETT laugh, seated R.) PERRY. Ah, but you don t ! You don t ! BENNETT. It s on you, Perry. (R. c.) PERRY. I don t care. The idea s great. (Going to table L. ; sits R. of fable) 72 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. ( GIBBS and DALLAS enter c. from L. as if from the dance.) GIBBS, (c.) Mrs. Bennett! (MRS. BENNETT bows.) DALLAS. (To MRS. BENNETT) May I sit by you? MRS. BENNETT. Of course. DALLAS. (To GIBBS) Thank you. (DALLAS sits by MRS. BENNETT) Mr. Gibbs is an excellent dancer but, somehow ! GIBBS, (c.) Somehow to-night he did not dance quite so well as usual. DALLAS. I didn t say that. In fact I am sure the fault was mine. GIBBS. That s very good of you. (To CYNTHIA) When we dance I hope to be more successful; I shall find you here ? CYNTHIA. Yes. GIBBS. Thank you ! ( GIBBS bows and exits c. to R.) PERRY. (To CYNTHIA) Are you going to dance with him? CYNTHIA. Why not? He s a splendid partner. PERRY. Of course I don t wish him any hard luck (Rises, crosses to c.) But I shouldn t lose any sleep if he were to slip and sprain his ankle. DALLAS. Perry ! CYNTHIA. Did you ever! PERRY. Very well. To show I m not heard- hearted make it his right ankle. MRS. BENNETT. You don t like Mr. Gibbs, do you, Perry ? PERRY. Not so that you would notice it. DALLAS. Perry plays favorities. PERRY. And when I do they generally win. (PERRY sits R. of table L.) THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 73 DALLAS. I m not dancing the next dance. BENNETT. Neither am I. PERRY. (To DALLAS) But the following one? DALLAS. (Looking at program) Mr. Gibbs. PERRY. Again ? DALLAS. They are rather close but then no one else asked me. BENNETT. The next to that is mine. DALLAS. Yes. MRS. BENNETT. I hope you won t quarrel as you did when you were children. DALLAS. Did we ? MRS. BENNETT. Often. You used to fight with him too PERRY. There! Don t ever talk about my dis position. DALLAS. I don t remember it. (To BENNETT) Do you? BENNETT. Not at all. I remember though once when I had an apple that you wanted ! PERRY. (Putting up his hand) Teacher, I know the answer she took it. BENNETT. Go to the head of the class. (Bus. for PERRY going to head of class. Goes and sits on chair up L. Music starts.) DALLAS. Did I take it ? (BENNETT nods.) BENNETT. Strange how I should remember a little thing like that. DALLAS. It wasn t little then. After all, time is the only thing that can give us a sense of proportion. PERRY. Meaning DALLAS. What seems important to-day is of no importance to-morrow, and the thing we think this 74 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. year we can t live without, next year we wonder why we wanted it at all. PERRY. Don t like the lesson. Recess. Recess. (PERRY gets up and joins CYNTHIA.) MRS. BENNETT. You are pessimistic to-night. DALLAS. Yes, I am. BENNETT. Why? DALLAS. A mood, I suppose. PERRY. What does she mean. CYNTHIA. (To PERRY) Why, that if you want a girl this year that you wouldn t want her next year? (Music March P. P.) PERRY. (To CYNTHIA) There s only one girl I want and I shall want her forever and ever. CYNTHIA. (To PERRY) There s no denying it you are a nice boy. PERRY. (To CYNTHIA) I am crazy about you. ( GIBBS re-enters.) GIBBS. (To CYNTHIA) Are you ready? CYNTHIA. Certainly. (To PERRY) Excuse me. (CYNTHIA and GIBBS exeunt c. to L. PERRY follows up c. then returns down R. c.) PERRY. (Down c.) Isn t he the human kill-joy! If I were starving and a piece of pie was in front of me and just as I was going to take it an unseen hand reached out and snatched it away I d say " Gibbs " and know I was right. DALLAS. He s not quite so bad as that. PERRY. (Going up c. L.) Well, I m going. There are some people I like to watch. DALLAS. (Going to PERRY up c.) Take me, please. I want an ice. BENNETT. Let me. DALLAS. No, thank you. THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 75 BENNETT. Oh, Dallas ! DALLAS. Please stay with your mother. I am coming back. BENNETT. Oh! Thank you. (DALLAS and PERRY exeunt c. to L. Still with an apparent air of buoyancy) Great affair, isn t it? (Crosses to mother) MRS. BENNETT. (Gently) What s wrong, dear? BENNETT. Wrong? MRS. BENNETT. You can t deceive me, Alwyn. Is it Dallas? BENNETT. Why, mother ! MRS. BENNETT. I don t think you have been to her house more than once since she came back. BENNETT. She is living with her uncle. MRS. BENNETT. Well? BENNETT. I exposed him as the backer of the Borough Franchise Bill. I am fighting that bill and Mr. Wainwright in every way I can, and I m not mincing matters, either. Dallas lives in his house. Don t you see ? MRS. BENNETT. I hadn t thought of it in that way. How unfortunate. BENNETT. There s another thing even more unfortunate. MRS. BENNETT. Well ? BENNETT. This is in confidence absolutely. MRS. BENNETT. Certainly. BENNETT. Her fortune and Perry s are in vested in Borough stock. If I do my duty and defeat the bill I ruin them both. MRS. BENNETT. Alwyn ! BENNETT. It was her uncle s doing. He thought to tie my hands by it. Clever work, wasn t it? MRS. BENNETT. It was dastardly ! And what a position to place you in ! My poor boy ! BENNETT. I ve hit on a way of saving them. MRS. BENNETT. Have you. How? BENNETT. The day after I vetoed the bill I an- ;6 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. nounced openly that I would fight it to the end and advised all owners of the stock to sell their holdings. MRS. BENNETT. Yes, but Mr. Wainwright replied that the bill would pass and told the stockholders not to sell. BENNETT. He did. Well, that day, I sent for Perry and explained. On my advice Perry made a demand on his uncle for the stock which belonged to Dallas and himself. MRS. BENNETT. What did Mr. Wainwright do? BENNETT. Refused to surrender it as I knew he would. MRS. BENNETT. And then ? BENNETT. Then I told Perry to sell short an amount equal to the number of shares owned by him and Dallas and I advanced him the necessary money. And so, no matter what happens, neither he nor Dallas can lose a dollar. MRS. BENNETT. Has Dallas been told of this? BENNETT. Certainly not. I want her love not her gratitude. To make sure that she shouldn t know, I made Perry give me his word of honor not to tell anyone about it under any circumstances. He also promised me not to sell one share more than he and Dallas held. It was to be a matter of protec tion for them not a stock speculation for profit. MRS. BENNETT. Of course (Rises, crosses to L. c.) It is right for you to protect the interests of Dallas and Perry but, in the meantime, what of Dallas, herself? BENNETT. Of Dallas? (Rises) MRS. BENNETT. And you. What of the feeling the sympathy between you. Is it as before? (Short pause. Places hands on his shoulders) Re member I am your mother, and I love you. BENNETT. (Arms about her) No, it isn t. I am constrained because I can t explain. She s con strained because she knows there is something I don t explain. THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 77 MRS. BENNETT. Why not tell her everything. BENNETT. How can I say, " I love you, Dallas, but I am not only opposing your uncle, but I am trying to beggar both your brother and yourself." In any case it is only till Friday. After that I can make everything clear. (PHELAN enters briskly from R.) PHELAN. (Speaking as he comes on) You were right, your honor. He is. (Sees MRS. BENNETT R., stops) Excuse me. MRS. BENNETT. You wish to see my son. PHELAN. Nothin important, Ma am. Nothin important! (MRS. BENNETT stops as if to remain, about to sit L.) Still, if it s all the same to you MRS. BENNETT. I understand. (Rises. Going L.) I ll see you later, dear. (To BENNETT. MRS. BENNETT exits L.) BENNETT, (c.) Well? PHELAN. (R.) You guessed it. Roberts is their man. BENNETT. If Horigan gets him they win. PHELAN. // he gets him. But if he don t Well, I ll hand Dick Horigan a jolt that ll set his birthday back about five years ! What are you goin to do ? BENNETT. Before he leaves to-night I must know positively where he stands. So keep an eye on him and don t let him go without my seeing him. (DALLAS enters c. from L. down R.) DALLAS. (Speaking as she comes in) I m true to my promise you see! Why, where s Mrs. Ben nett? PHELAN. I m afraid I drove her away. (Going R.) DALLAS. How cruel of you. PHELAN. Yes, Miss! But you ll excuse me. 78 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. won t you ? When it comes to cruelty I think I know where to draw the line! (Winking at BENNETT, going) Excuse me. (PHELAN exits to R.) DALLAS. Well (Sits R. on sofa) BENNETT. (R. c.) I m so glad you came to night. DALLAS. You weren t glad enough to ask me to come BENNETT. You know why don t you ? DALLAS. (Hesitatingly) No BENNETT. No? DALLAS. A Not absolutely. BENNETT. Ah ! But you do DALLAS. There are several things I don t know absolutely one in particular. BENNETT. What? DALLAS. You haven t been to see me since the day I returned. BENNETT. No, but you ve not had much chance to be lonesome. Mr. Gibbs has been very constant. DALLAS. Can t you at least be as friendly as you were? BENNETT. We can never be " friends " again, Dallas. (Going L.) The time for that passed long ago. Between us it must be all or nothing. ( There is a short pause) I shouldn t say this to-night. The time hasn t come. But it will come soon and then ! (Going back to DALLAS) Listen, Dallas, I am opposing your uncle. DALLAS. It has been made very evident to me. (Rises and moves R.) BENNETT. Don t think it is easy for me either. I must do it or surrender a fight which I set out to win, and which I intend to win if it s possible. DALLAS. / recognise that spirit. (Down R. Music stops) BENNETT. In addition to your uncle it involves others in a way I can t explain to you now (To DALLAS) THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 79 DALLAS. Others ? BENNETT. Yes. There are conditions obsta cles DALLAS. Obstacles ? BENNETT. Of course you don t understand and I can t make it clear. But on Saturday I can. On Saturday I shall be able to explain everything. Meanwhile, no matter how the struggle goes, no mat ter what you may hear or read, always remember this one thing, Dallas I love you. DALLAS. I don t understand and I don t know what to say. BENNETT. Say nothing, wait. (Two step) (HORIGAN and WAIN WRIGHT enter c. from L., HORIGAN sees BENNETT and DALLAS and stops. Comes down L. c.) DALLAS. (R.) Uncle. BENNETT. (R. c.) Good-evening. WAIN WRIGHT, (c.) Good-evening. BENNETT. (To DALLAS) Shall we go? (Offer ing arm) DALLAS. Please. (A look at HORIGAN. BENNETT and DALLAS exeunt R. talking) HORIGAN. (c.) There s something I don t like. Is she on your side or his? WAINWRIGHT. She s her own mistress. I can t forbid her speaking to the man though I told her as plainly as I could that he wasn t welcome at my house. You were saying about Roberts ? HORIGAN. I can get Roberts all right. (WILLIAMS enters hurriedly from L. He is about forty-five and is HORIGAN S leader in the Council. He comes down L.) WILLIAMS. Mr. Horigan. HORIGAN. Well, Williams, what is it? 80 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. WILLIAMS. Ellis he s deserted us HORIGAN. What! (Goes to (Together) WILLIAMS) WAINWRIGHT. Ellis? WILLIAMS. Yes. I ve just received a note from him saying his wife was ill and he had left with her for Hot Springs, Virginia, and so couldn t be at the meeting Friday. HORIGAN. He will be there the dog. (c.) WAINWRIGHT. How are the others ? WILLIAMS. We ve never had^ a fight like Ben nett s giving us and well, I think some of them would like to weaken. HORIGAN. / // fix them! (To WILLIAMS) Now about Ellis. You go after him by the first tram and have him back here on Friday without fail under stand, without fail! WILLIAMS. (Starts up) I ll do the best I can. HORIGAN. One thing more. (WILLIAMS comes to HORIGAN) Get word (WILLIAMS stops) quietly to Roberts. I d like to see him here. But whatever you do don t fail to bring back Ellis, even if you have to chloroform him! WILLIAMS. Right! (WILLIAMS exits c. to R.) WAINWRIGHT. What do you think ? HORIGAN. It looks bad. If we could only get to Bennett ! WAINWRIGHT. Impossible. HORIGAN. No man s impossible. I have one hook on my line yet, and I think it will land him. I wonder what his price is. ( GIBBS enters c. R. down L.) GIBBS. Any news? WAINWRIGHT. You are enjoying yourself, suppose ? THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 81 GIBBS. Hardly. I practically offended one partner and have just surrendered another. WAIN WRIGHT. (Going to GIBBS L. HORIGAN going R.) You re not asleep to-night then if you were this morning? GIBBS. Asleep ? WAINWRIGHT. Why didn t you let me know about that block of stock that was sold early ? GIBBS. (A little uneasily) I knew nothing about WAINWRIGHT. Well, other people did. I don t suppose you know who bought it either ? GIBBS. (As before) No! Of course not. ^ WAINWRIGHT. You d better keep your eyes open. Somebody is tailing on to our deal. HORIGAN. Tailing on! WAINWRIGHT. Some big blocks of Borough stock have been thrown on the market lately and have been quietly absorbed. I don t know who bought them (To GIBBS) Do you? GIBBS. I told you " no." WAINWRIGHT. Well you should. That s what you are in the deal for! However, the man who bought it will probably wish he hadn t, (c.) GIBBS. (L.) Why? WAINWRIGHT. (c.) Because we re likely to lose that s why. (Going up a little) GIBBS. (Getting alarmed) Lose! I understood we had another man and, with Mr. Horigan s thir teen, that made everything sure. HORIGAN. That s what we thought, only one of men has slipped. GIBBS. He s gone? HORIGAN. Yes. GIBBS. (Greatly alarmed) Then we ll lose any way and if we do (To himself) Good God! If we do! HORIGAN. We haven t quite lost yet. I think I can get my man back. 82 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. GIBBS. (Eagerly) Of course you can. And you ll try won t you, you ll try? HORIGAN. (Savagely and playing for laugh) No, I ll go home and play mumble-peg ! What s the matter with you? GIBBS. Why I I WAIN WRIGHT. He has 25% of the deal. HORIGAN. A man shouldn t play the game if he can t pay for his chips. (To GIBBS) Is Judge New man out there? GIBBS. Yes. HORIGAN. Tell him I want to see him. GIBBS. Yes, but I d like HORIGAN. (R.) This is my end of the deal. Tell him. ( GIBBS exits L.) WAINWRIGHT. What do you want with New man? (Drop down L. c.) HORIGAN. To talk to Bennett, (c.) WAINWRIGHT. That won t do any good. HORIGAN. It can t do any harm. I wonder where Roberts is. I sent word to him by that secretary of yours that I wanted to see him. WAINWRIGHT. Good. I thought Thompson might be useful. That s the reason I told him to come. HORIGAN. You ve looked up Roberts notes ? WAINWRIGHT. (Takes papers from pockets to refer to) Yes. There are two of them, one for fifteen thousand the other for seven. They are secured by the mortgage on his manufacturing plant. HORIGAN. You feel sure he can t meet them? WAINWRIGHT. Yes. They ve been extended twice already. (JUDGE NEWMAN enters L. WAINWRIGHT up stage R.) THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 83 JUDGE. Mr. Gibbs said you wished to see me (L. c.) HORIGAN. Yes. (Crosses to JUDGE) JUDGE. (Beaming) Delightful dance, isn t it? My girls have had all the best partners, and Mrs. Newman is so pleased! (To JUDGE L. c.) HORIGAN. (Going to JUDGE) I want you to tell Bennett to keep his hands off the Borough Franchise Bill. JUDGE. (Getting alarmed) I I don t think I know him well enough for that. HORIGAN. You re quick enough to ask favors. How about returning them ? JUDGE. I know Mr. Horigan, but WAIN WRIGHT. / got you the nomination ; remem ber that. (Drops down R. c.) HORIGAN. Right here you make good or welch, which is it to be ? JUDGE. I don t think that Mrs. Newman HORIGAN. Oh, damn Mrs. Newman ! JUDGE. Just as you say! That is I I don t think I know what to tell Mr. Bennett. HORIGAN. Yes you do you can offer him the nomination for Governor when his term of Mayor has expired and if you land him ask anything reas onable and you ll have it. JUDGE. If there should be a vacancy in the Su preme Court? HORIGAN. (L. c.) Any influence I have is yours. WAIN WRIGHT. (R.) Same here. JUDGED (L.) Then I feel sure I could get it and if I did, it would please Mrs. Newman so much. HORIGAN. (Grimly, but playing for laugh) On the level, Judge are you the father or the mother of your children ? JUDGE. (L.) Why Mr. Horigan HORIGAN. Don t bring Mrs. Newman into this again. You say she s happy in the ball-room leave her there ! 84 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. JUDGE. If you only knew Mrs. Newman you wouldn t HORIGAN. Well, I don t know her, and I don t want to ! And now let s get back to business. See Bennett to-night. JUDGE. Very well. I will. I ll watch for a good opportunity and will make the matter as clear to him as I possibly can. Anything else? HORIGAN. That s all. JUDGE. I ll look for him at once. (Up-stage c.) HORIGAN. And Judge JUDGE. Yes. (Stops and returns to HORIGAN c.) HORIGAN. Give my regards to Mrs. Newman. (JUDGE smiles and opens his mouth as if to speak) To-morrow! (The JUDGE S expression changes and he exits c. to R.) What^ I d like to know is does he love her or is he afraid of her? WAINWRIGHT. What s that other line you said you had out for Bennett. (R. c.) HORIGAN. (c.) It s a little idea of my own. I m expecting a report to be finished to-night. If it is, it s to be sent here. If it turns out the way I think it will I ll land him anyhow. (ROBERTS enters R.) WAINWRIGHT. (Genially) Good-evening, Mr. Roberts. ROBERT. Good-evening ! WAINWRIGHT. (To HORIGAN) I think we have finished I ll see you later. (Up c. To ROBERTS) Good-bye, Alderman! (With a bow to ROBERTS, exits c. to L.) ROBERTS. Is this wise? (Crosses to HORIGAN, R C ) HORIGAN. Why not? It s no crime to be seen talking to me. (c.) ROBERTS. (R. c.) To-morrow. HORIGAN. No now ! For ten years or more the THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 85 Aldermen sent from your ward have been trying to get through a Brookville Park bill, but they ve never been able. ROBERTS. No. HORIGAN. It would mean a big public improve ment right in the heart of your ward and one that your voters want. If you could get the bill through it would be quite a feather in your cap, wouldn t it ? ROBERTS. Yes. HORIGAN. Well, introduce it and it ll go through. ROBERTS. Thank you. HORIGAN. Of course you ll introduce it after the Borough Franchise is passed. (There is a pause. PHELAN is unseen appears c. He looks in for a second then disappears R. to L.) ROBERTS. I I voted against the bill before HORIGAN. Yes, but this is an amended bill with all the discrepancies taken out. Besides, the street car line doesn t touch your ward. The park does and stays th^re. See! The fact that a mutual friend has taken up your notes at the Sturtevant Trust Company and has sent them to you, saving your business for you, won t cut any figure at all. ROBERTS. I I am an honest man. (Moves a little to R.) HORIGAN. (Goes a little R.) Of course! You think the bill as amended is all right but seeing a change to get something your constituents want, you get it for them. That s honesty combined with busi ness. ROBERTS. Yes. HORIGAN. Then there you are. (There is a pause) ROBERTS. How am I sure that the notes ? HORIGAN. Wainwright controls the Sturtevant T rus t I ll deliver them to-morrow. (Short pause) 86 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. Shall I? (There is another pause, then ROBERTS nods) You get the notes to-morrow and everything is understood. ROBERTS. Yes. HORIGAN. Good-night. (Exits c. to L.) (WILLIAMS meets HORIGAN c. with package of paper exits c. There is a short pause; ROBERTS pulls himself together and walks to wards exit R. PHELAN enters R.) PHELAN. What do you think of the party ? ROBERTS. Why splendid (Starts as if to go R.) PHELAN. What s the hurry? ROBERTS. Nothing in particular. PHELAN. Then wait a minute I m lonesome. (Takes ROBERTS, crosses L. c.) ROBERTS, (c.) Oh, very well. (BENNETT enters c. from R.) BENNETT. What is this a little social gathering ? (L. c.) PHELAN. (R.) Yes. But you can get in. (To ROBERTS) Can t he? ROBERTS. Certainly. BENNETT. Thanks. No one knows how I wish Friday was over. You haven t changed front on the Franchise bill, of course. ROBERTS. The the alterations that have been made in it BENNETT. Well? ROBERTS. I haven t considered them carefully yet BENNETT. They are such that no honest man will reverse his opinion for them, and so I count on you to be with us. May I ? ROBERTS. When I have looked the bill over THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 87 BENNETT. You ll have to do it soon. When will you do it and let me know ? ROBERTS. I object to being catechised by you, Mr. Bennett, I am my own master and I shall do as I please. BENNETT. You can t dodge the issue in that way. PHELAN. That s right. It s no use four-flushin any longer. ROBERTS. Anyway, I m not answerable to you (Crosses to L.) I m answerable to my constituents. BENNETT. And I ll see that they call on you for an answer. ROBERTS. Well, any time they do I ll be ready. (Exits to L.) PHELAN. (Going to BENNETT) Noiv what? BENNETT. I ll look after him. (c.) PHELAN. Same plan you ve used against Horigan s men ? BENNETT. Yes. (JUDGE enters R. c.) JUDGE. (To BENNETT) I thought I saw you strolling this way. (Down R. c.) BENNETT. (L. c.) Did you wish to see me, Judge JUDGE. Oh, nothing important PHELAN. (To BENNETT) So long. JUDGE. Don t let me drive you away, Mr. Phelan. PHELAN. Judge when the umpire s called three strikes on me, nobody has to tell me to get away from the plate. (Exits to R.) BENNETT. Well, Judge? (Sits) JUDGE. You er you won t misunderstand me will you ? BENNETT. (L. c.) I hope not. JUDGE, (c.) Don t you think you have fought the Borough Franchise hard enough? 88 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. BENNETT. No, I am against perpetual franchises on principle. JUDGE. The gentlemen from whom I come rep resent the two most powerful interests which are factors in your career money and organized politics. BENNETT. Yes? JUDGE. Money and organized politics. BENNETT. Which as usual are working shoulder to shoulder! In other words you come from Horigan and Mr. Wainwright. JUDGE. Yes ! Take the advice of a man much older than yourself and who has seen many promis ing careers blighted by one foolish step. Do not an tagonize the interests I have mentioned. The public forgets money and politics never do. BENNETT. I do not take my position to please them or the public. I do it for my own purpose and to please myself. JUDGE. If you will do as they desire if you re main neutral I am authorized to offer you BENNETT. Yes ? JUDGE. The nomination for Governor when your term has expired. BENNETT. So that s the bribe (Rises and moves to JUDGE R. c.) is it, and you are the man selected as the go-between ? JUDGE. (R. indignantly) Bribe! Go-between! What do you mean, sir ? BENNETT. Aren t you trying to bribe me? JUDGE. No, Sir. BENNETT. Then what are you trying to do? JUDGE. I merely came to you with a proposition. BENNETT. Didn t you offer me the nomination for Governor in return for a betrayal of trust! If that isn t bribery, what is it? (Busi. There is a short pause) Come! What is it? JUDGE. It s it s BENNETT. (Crossing to R.) Mr. Newman I THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 89 am not surprised that they should make it but I am surprised that you should bring it. You ! A Judge ! I A Judge ! ! God help justice while money and politics can control the judges ! JUDGE. Er I never was so insulted in my life. (Drops down L.) If Mrs. Newman were to hear of this I BENNETT. Take my advice and don t let her. JUDGE. (Returns back to BENNETT R.) Whether Mrs. Newman hears of it or not, Mr. Wainwright shall and at once sir at once (Going) Bribery sir! The idea! The idea! (Exits R.) (There is a short pause. HORIGAN looks in, then enters c. from R. unseen by BENNETT down R. C.) HORIGAN. (R. c.) I ve got you this time. Do you hear ? I ve got you. BENNETT. Really! (R.) HORIGAN. Yes, really ! When it came to a fight between you and me I looked your record over but there was nothing I could use. Then I thought of your father BENNETT. My father! HORIGAN. Yes. What would you say if I told you he was one of us that he was a grafter too? BENNETT. (Going to HORIGAN) I should say you lied. HORIGAN. Well, I do tell you! He was one of us. And I don t lie. BENNETT. You ll have to do better than that. (Turns away a little L.) HORIGAN. You don t believe it, eh? BENNETT. Of course I don t. What do you think lam? HORIGAN. And what do you think I am a fool ? (Going to BENNETT) Do you imagine I d come to 90 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. you with such a story at this stage of the game un less I had the proofs ? BENNETT. Proofs? You say you have proofs? ( Turns and faces HORIGAN ) HORIGAN. Oh, that touches you, doesn t it? BENNETT. I don t believe you. HORIGAN. But you soon will. When I thought of your father I remembered he made his money pretty fast (Crosses L. c. to R. of table) that he be longed to the organization, and that he built the library and the aqueduct. And then I had an idea! BENNETT. Well? (Crosses to c.) HORIGAN. I had the specifications for both build ings dug out and I sent for Morris and Cherrington, the engineers. You ve heard of them? BENNETT. Yes. HORIGAN. Then you know they re the best in the land that they re not our people and that they can t be bought. Don t you? BENNETT. Yes. HORIGAN. I hired them to examine the buildings and to see whether or not they were up to specifica tion. I told them that I wanted no theories that I wanted the facts. Well, I got them. Here s their report. The facts are here. (Produces the report) BENNETT. Well ? HORIGAN. The report shows they were two of the crookedest jobs ever done inferior materials, when the materials called for were used at all in stead of solid granite granite casings with lime and mortar between ; iron beams instead of steel ; concrete foundations less than half the required depth; common tiles instead of fireproof; in fact, such coarse and rotten work that if it was tried to day it would be exposed before morning. Talk about grafters ! Your father with his gang was the king of them ; that s what he was, the King of the grafters. THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 91 (During the above speech, despite his efforts at control, HORIGAN S voice has gradually risen.) BENNETT. Ssh! Ssh! Ssh! HORIGAN. / don t care who hears. (Going to table L. and throking copy of report on it) There s a copy of the report. Look it over. (Turns up stage) ^ And now listen to me. If the Borough Franchise Bill passes Friday night that report will be buried forever. If it s beat, every paper in America will have it the next morning. That s all I ve got to say. (Goes to exit) You re in a fine position to talk about grafters, you are ! ( HORIGAN exits R. c. BENNETT stands immovable for a time, then sloivly picks up report L. ; sits on chair. He reads it.) BENNETT. (To himself) It s true. It s true. (MRS. BENNETT enters L.) MRS. BENNETT. Alwyn, I m rather tired, dear. (Speaks off) Very well, good-night. You needn t come, but if you don t mind I think I ll go home. (Instinctively BENNETT tries to hide the report. Rises.) BENNETT. Certainly. MRS. BENNETT. What is that? BENNETT. What ? MRS. BENNETT. That paper in your hand. BENNETT. (L. c.) Oh, it s only a report. MRS. BENNETT. (L.) So you re not free from business even here. It s a shame. A man ought never to take his business outside his office. Your father never did. (With a sigh) Oh, dear, what a man he was ! And you are like him. You are his 92 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. son. (There is a pause. BENNETT, greatly troubled and still undecided, again looks at his mother. She turns and catches the glance) Alwyn, why do you look at me like that ? BENNETT. I I I was trying to decide some thing. MRS. BENNETT. What? BENNETT. I was trying to decide whether it is better to do what is right, knowing it will bring un- happiness to those you love, or to let the right go by default, and leave their happiness with them. MRS. BENNETT. There can be no question of that, dear. Right is right, no matter what happens. BENNETT. I m not sure. MRS. BENNETT. What is troubling you? (Sits L. of table) There have never been secrets between us, my boy. Tell me. BENNETT. It s about a friend of mine. He wishes me to advise him. MRS. BENNETT. Yes, dear. BENNETT. (Sits R. of table) He occupies an im portant position of trust. A man wishes him to be tray those who placed him there, and threatens, if he declines, to publish some facts which would prove his father, who is dead, to have been dis honest. What should my friends do? MRS. BENNETT. It is a hard problem, dear but there is only one answer. He must be faithful to his trust. BENNETT. That is what you advise me to tell him. MRS. BENNETT. Yes. BENNETT. I will. (Rises, crosses to R.) MRS. BENNETT. (Rises and crosses to c.) Oh, Alwyn, we should both of us thank God every day that I was blessed with such a husband, and you with such a father. (There is a pause) BENNETT. (R.) Yes, but suppose just sup pose that it had been father. THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 93 MRS. BENNETT, (c.) I decline to suppose any thing of the kind. (There is a pause) Why do you ask me to suppose such a thing ? BENNETT. For no reason, mother. (Trying to turn the subject) Shall we go? MRS. BENNETT. (Getting vaguely alarmed) Wait, Alwyn ! There is something about your ques tion that I don t like. BENNETT. You imagine it. MRS. BENNETT. There is something vague, and shadowy. I know it s nothing real and yet, it frightens me. BENNETT. Please. MRS. BENNETT. The mention of your father has made me understand more clearly what it means to them. No wonder you hesitated. (With a sudden thought) And Alwyn! BENNETT. Mother. MRS. BENNETT, (c.) Why did you look at me as you did? BENNETT. (R.) For no reason. MRS. BENNETT. But there was a reason. Tell me the truth now, Alwyn tell me the truth has anyone spoken against your father? (There is a pause. In BENNETT S silence his mother reads his answer) What did they say? BENNETT. He said father did not get his money honestly. MRS. BENNETT. And you what did you do you told him he lied BENNETT. Yes. I told him he lied. MRS. BENNETT. And then BENNETT. Then he proved he spoke the truth. MRS. BENNETT. Alwyn ! BENNETT. He proved it he proved it ! MRS. BENNETT. He proved that your father I won t say it. It s a lie ! It s a lie ! BENNETT. It is the truth, mother. MRS. BENNETT. Your father, dishon Alwyn! 94 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. (Moves to L. of BENNETT) My boy! Tell me it isn t true. He deceived you, didn t he? He de ceived you. BENNETT. Do you think anyone could deceive me in this, and do you think I would have told you if I were not sure absolutely sure MRS. BENNETT. Your father! Your father! (MRS. BENNETT breaks down and weeps bitterly. BENNETT comforts her. She regains control over herself) What is it? BENNETT. The library and the aqueduct ! Horigan discovered it. He threatens to expose it unless I allow the Borough Franchise to pass. MRS. BENNETT. And if you let it pass BENNETT. He will say nothing that is what I was trying to decide. MRS. BENNETT. Right is right no matter what happens. BENNETT. Then you think I should ! MRS. BENNETT. Do what is right, my boy, do what is right ! (Arms around BENNETT) BENNETT. I will! I will! MRS. BENNETT. And now take me to the car riage, please. BENNETT. I ll go home with you. (Moves R. towards exit R.) MRS. BENNETT. No. Your place is here. BENNETT. Very well. (They go toward exit R.) MRS. BENNETT. My boy ! BENNETT. It s you, I m thinking of. (MRS. BENNETT and BENNETT exeunt to R. PERRY enters L., turns up c.) PERRY. Alwyn! Alwyn! (PHELAN enters c, To PHELAN) Seen his Honor? PHELAN. Not lately. (Down c.) PERRY. (L. c.) I had something to tell him. PHELAN. (c.) Won t I do? x - THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 95 PERRY. Hardly. I ll tell you this, though. I m the happiest chap! (Shakes hands with PHELAN) PHELAN. Money? PERRY. No. PHELAN. Girl? PERRY. How did you guess ? PHELAN. Always one or the other at your age. PERRY. (Going to exit L.) She only let me off when I came to tell Alwyn. (At exit) Gee! But I m happy. (Exits L.) PHELAN. (c.) I used to be like that. (Enter THOMPSON, c.) THOMPSON. I beg your pardon, I was looking for Mr. Wainwright, Mr. Phelan. (Going to as if to exit R.) PHELAN. Were you, Mr. Garrison. (THOMPSON gives an almost imperceptible start, then quickly pulls himself.) THOMPSON. You ve forgotten my name. It is Thompson. (Moves to PHELAN R. c.) ^ PHELAN. (c.) Perhaps it is now, but the first time we met it was Garrison. THOMPSON. (R. c.) Absurd. I never saw you till the other day. PHELAN. Oh, yes, you did. Shall I tell when it was? It was the day your father shot himself. THOMPSON. My father did not shoot himself, and my name is Thompson not Garrison. PHELAN. That s right. When you start a bluff, play the hand through. THOMPSON. I don t understand you. PHELAN. Yes, you do. And don t overlook this, my boy, I m your friend. (CYNTHIA and PERRY enter L.) 96 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. PERRY. Isn t it great to be engaged ? CYNTHIA. Isn t it? PERRY. Oh ! pshaw ! we can t be alone anywhere. CYNTHIA. It s a shame! Oh, I ve lost my fan. PERRY. I ll get it for you, and when I come back, I ll find a place where we can be alone. (PERRY exits L. CYNTHIA looks after him.) PHELAN. (c.) Do you know who that is? THOMPSON. (R. c.) Yes. PHELAN. (c.) And you still deny that you re Garrison ? THOMPSON. Yes. PHELAN. Miss Garrison. CYNTHIA. What is it, Mr. Phelan? PHELAN. Here s somebody I want you to know. (CYNTHIA goes toward PHELAN.) CYNTHIA. Yes. (There is a pause) PHELAN. Haven t you ever seen him before? CYNTHIA. I think not. THOMPSON. There. You see. PHELAN. Think again someone you knew years ago. (THOMPSON tries to avert his face. To THOMPSON) Turn round and let her look at you. (THOMPSON looks squarely at CYNTHIA) Haven t you seen him before ? CYNTHIA. Yes, I think I think I have. (There is a pause) It s Henry! It s Henry! (Going to THOMPSON R. c.) PHELAN. (Going a little L.) Your brother! CYNTHIA. Yes, my brother. (She crosses to THOMPSON) You remember me, don t you ? THOMPSON. (R.) No. No. Miss Garrison, I do not remember you, you are mistaken. I am not your brother. PHELAN. (L. c.) She s your sister, and you THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 97 know it. Man alive, how can you deny your flesh and blood like that. CYNTHIA. (R. c.) You do remember me. You must! I have never ceased to think of you. I didn t know you at first, because I was only a little girl when ! And you ve changed. But I knew you were alive and that you thought of me and every night I ve prayed that you might come back to me. Don t deny me any longer. You are all I have in the world. I ve no father, no mother, no one but you. THOMPSON. Cynthia! (They embrace) PHELAN. (c.) I knew I was right. THOMPSON. Yes. But you don t know what you have done. PHELAN. Oh, yes, I do. There was a reason for his not coming to you. There s still a reason. You mustn t tell a soul. CYNTHIA. (R. c.) Not tell them that he s my brother. THOMPSON. No one! Promise me! Promise me! CYNTHIA. Alderman (PHELAN nods.) PHELAN. It won t be for long. (Turns up c.) THOMPSON. Promise me. You must ! CYNTHIA. Very well, I promise. (THOMPSON holds out his arms. CYNTHIA goes to him. He embraces her. PERRY re-enters with fan, L.) PERRY. I found it. (Music Waltz pp. PERRY sees the embrace, and pauses amazed. Starts to fan himself, then drops fan) If this is a dream won t somebody please wake me up. CYNTHIA. (Going to c.) I can explain it very 98 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. easily. When you left me I was sitting over there, wasn t I ? PERRY. (L.) You were but you got up and proceeded to get busy. CYNTHIA, (c.) Yes. I got up because Mr. Phelan asked me. He wanted me to meet my my (PHELAN places his hand on her arm warn- ingly. There is a pause. L. c.) That is he wanted me to to (Points to seat had sat on) I was sitting over there, that s all I can tell you. (Going up L. a little) PERRY. (L.) It is very lucid undoubtedly, but I don t quite grasp it. PHELAN. You don t, eh ? Then I ll explain it to you. (Crosses to PERRY) PERRY. (L.) Ah! Now we will hear from Mr. Fixit. PHELAN. Oh, go to the devil! (Moves L.) PERRY. (Crosses to THOMPSON) Haven t you anything to say? THOMPSON. No! PERRY. (R.) Well, you will have something to say. W r hat right have you to kiss the girl that I am engaged to. PHELAN. Engaged ! THOMPSON. You re engaged to her? PERRY. Yes. That is I was engaged. Gee! But can t things happen quickly. Less than ten minutes ago she told me and I told her and we told each other ! Well, life will never be the same to me again. Good-bye. (Starts toward exit L.) CYNTHIA. Perry. PHELAN. (L. c.) Stop! Stop! (PERRY stops) Come here! (Pause) Come here. (PERRY conies back. Indicating CYNTHIA) Look at her. (To CYNTHIA) Lift up your face and look him in the eye like the girl you are. (CYNTHIA looks at PERRY. To PERRY) What do you see there. Is THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 99 there anything but the real thing and goodness, is there ? PERRY. (L.) Of course there isn t! But I saw it. Don t forget that. I saw it. PHELAN. She couldn t do anything to be ashamed of, and you know it. If you don t know it, you don t know it, you don t love her. If you do love her you ll trust her. It s up to you. PERRY. Why doesn t she explain. PHELAN. Do you trust her ? That s the question and the happiness of both of you is at stake. (There is a pause. PERRY smiles slowly, then opens his arms.) PERRY. Of course I trust her. I d trust her with my life! But you will explain, won t you? CYNTHIA. (L. c.) Yes. Some day. PHELAN. (c.) Of course she ll explain. THOMPSON. (R.) Cynthia! CYNTHIA. Yes. THOMPSON. Tell him. CYNTHIA. May I? THOMPSON. Yes. But he s to say nothing with out my permission. PHELAN. You ll agree to that, won t you? PERRY. Of course I will. PHELAN. And now be off with you. PERRY. Alderman, will come to the wedding? PHELAN. Yes, and I ll kiss the bride too. PERRY. See her blush ! CYNTHIA. Oh, Perry! PERRY. I m just crazy about you. (PERRY laughs. They exeunt L. There is a pause) PHELAN. I used to be like that. I had a girl too. While everything was all right I was living in heaven, but when she threw me down my address was 23 Lemon St. (PHELAN goes to THOMPSON ioo THE MAN OF THE HOUR. and shakes his hand) Young fellow, I want to shake you by the hand. You re grit clean through. (JUDGE enters c. from R.) JUDGE. (Down c.) I beg your pardon, Alder man, but have you seen Mr. Wainwright? PHELAN. Not lately. (To THOMPSON) And now come along, I want to introduce you to the Mayor. (They exit R.) (DALLAS laughs off L. She enters with GIBBS talking.} JUDGE. Excuse me, but have you seen Mr. Wain wright ? GIBBS. Not for sometime, but I don t think he can be far away. JUDGE. Perhaps he s gone. DALLAS. Uncle wouldn t mention it to me and I am sure he wouldn t go without letting me know. (Crosses R. Enter WAINWRIGHT c. and L. Mttsic stops) Here s Mr. Wainwright now. WAINWRIGHT. They told me you was looking for me, Judge. What is it ? JUDGE. I have just been grossly insulted. DALLAS. Insulted ? JUDGE. Yes. GIBBS. By whom. JUDGE. Mr. Bennett. DALLAS. You must be mistaken, Judge. (Sits R.) WAINWRIGHT. Of course you d say that. If you can be on friendly terms with Bennett after what he said about me you must think he can t insult any man. I sent to ask him to be friends to let the past be forgotten. Judge I apologize for the in dignity I caused you I should have known better. (Crosses to JUDGE R.) L THE MAN OF THE HQURv; . /.tot. JUDGE. That s all right, Charles. And anything I can do for you, you have only to call upon me. WAINWRIGHT. Thanks. (JUDGE exits R.) DALLAS. So Mr. Bennett refused your offer of friendship ? WAINWRIGHT. Yes. (Crosses, comes to c.) DALLAS. Then he must have had a reason for it. WAINWRIGHT. He had. You are the reason. DALLAS. I am. WAINWRIGHT. You! It is no secret that he wishes to marry you. Neither is it a secret that Mr. Gibbs wishes to marry you. DALLAS. Well? (R. c.) WAINWRIGHT. Gibbs is interested with me and interested heavily. If Bennett defeats the bill again it means that practically all Gibbs has will be lost. If that occurs, he must, as an honest man, drop out of the running, leaving the field clear for Bennett. The scheme has been known to us for some time. DALLAS. (Rises) I don t believe it. WAINWRIGHT. To gain his point, he not only planned to ruin Gibbs but he is willing to beggar Perry and yourself as well. DALLAS. To beggar Perry and me! (Rises) WAINWRIGHT. (c.) Yes. Thinking that Borough Stock was a safe and profitable purchase I sold out the investments I was holding for you and put everything in the borough company. DALLAS. Then if Mr. Bennett succeeds Perry and I will be dependent on you? It doesn t seem possible, and yet he (Going to GIBBS to him L.) he did know about you, didn t he ? (WAINWRIGHT crosses R.) GIBBS. (L.) It isn t myself, it s you I care about. 102 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. I can t tell you how I feel when I think of that man doing his best to ruin you and realize that / am the cause of it. DALLAS. But, Mr. Gibbs ! GIBBS. We haven t lost yet though and we ll fight fight to the end. Yes and we ll win we ve got to win to save you. DALLAS. To save me from Mr. Bennett. (BENNETT enters.) WAIN WRIGHT. That s the idea exactly. {Going a little R.) BENNETT. (Enters c.) My dance, I think. (Down c. Music, march pp.) DALLAS. Just a minute please. (L. c.) You know of course that Mr. Gibbs is interested deeply in the Borough Street Railway franchise. I heard him tell you so. BENNETT, (c.) Please don t talk about such matters now. DALLAS. (L. c.) I must. You know it, don t you? BENNETT. Yes. DALLAS. (L. c.) But do you know that Perry to say nothing of myself is heavily involved too? Do you know that if you succeed all the money that we have will be lost and that we shall be dependent on Mr. Wainwright? BENNETT. Dallas ! DALLAS. Do you know it? (There is a short pause) BENNETT. Yes, I know it. DALLAS. And knowing it means ruin for us. You still intend to oppose the bill ? BENNETT, (c.) I must. DALLAS. Why ? BENNETT. It is my duty to oppose it. GIBBS. (L.) Duty? THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 103 WAINWRIGHT. (R. c.) Duty! That s a fine ex cuse. Was it your " duty " that made you sell stock short, the day after you vetoed the bill. BENNETT. I did not sell the stock short, (c.) WAINWRIGHT. Openly no! You hadn t the courage to do that, so you selected her brother as the stool-pigeon and sold it through him. DALLAS. He speculated in Borough stock. WAINWRIGHT. He did and used your brother as the cat s paw. Perry s actions made me suspicious and I had him watched. The result is that I have positive proof that he advanced Perry the money to sell the stock short. Now can you see why he fights the bill. DALLAS. (L. c.) If he defeats it? WAINWRIGHT. He makes money! That is an other reason why he is trying to defeat it ! DALLAS. This isn t true. It can t be true, Alwyn. (There is a pause) Deny it, Alwyn. Deny it. WAINWRIGHT. (R.) He can t! It is true! DALLAS. (L. c.) And if it is you can explain, can t you ? BENNETT, (c.) No. WAINWRIGHT. There you see GIBBS. (L.) And he talks of " duty." DALLAS. (L. c.) Alwyn. Did you do as he says ? BENNETT. Yes. DALLAS. And can give no explanation. BENNETT, (c.) None. WAINWRIGHT. (R.) What do you think of your ideal now ? DALLAS. (L. c.) Think of him. I haven t the words to express what I think of him. I thought I knew him, I find I do not. I thought I understood him, I find I have been mistaken. I thought him a man of honor, instead I find a man who uses his public office for his private gain! Mr. Gibbs, you have waited for your answer long enough. Any time you desire it now it will be ready. 104 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. GIBBS. Dear. BENNETT. You mean DALLAS. You know what I mean and you under stand. BENNETT. Dallas. DALLAS. Your arm please. (DALLAS and GIBBS exeunt L.) WAINWRIGHT. That fixes that little matter all right. Whatever happens now you loose her. BENNETT. At least I shall retain my self respect. I love your niece, you know it. She means more to me than ^the^ office of Mayor, Governor, President or anything in the world. WAINWRIGHT. No one knows of this except us four. I haven t even told Horigan. There is an easy way to win her why not take it ? BENNETT. Because I ll win her the right way or not at all. I won t purchase her at a price. I d give my life to have her come to me fairly and honestly, but I won t graft even for her. CURTAIN. ACT IV. SCENE: The scene is a divided stage set as in diagram below. It shows two rooms in the City Hall with a door between them. In each room is an oblong table, c. on which are pens, ink and paper. There is a chair R. L. c. and another R. L. c. of each table, and there are also two comfortable office chairs in each room, as well as a telephone. The room R. is used by HORIGAN as his office on thA important occasions when he considers his presence necessary at the City Hall. When the THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 105 curtain rises HORIGAN, WAINWRIGHT and GIBBS are discovered in the room. There is about them an air of tension and excitement. GIBBS is palpably nervous, WAINWRIGHT shows sup pressed anxiety and HORIGAN is carrying mat ters with an air of steadiness and coolness which he is far from feeling. WAINWRIGHT is sitting L. GIBBS c. up. HORIGAN is sitting R.) WAINWRIGHT. (L. of table) How long do you think it will before they take up our bill? HORIGAN. (R. of table) About half an hour, I should say. GIBBS, (c. of table) And if Ellis or Roberts should not come before then we shall ! HORIGAN. Don t worry they ll come. GIBBS. Perhaps one of them is here now. HORIGAN. No. If there was, Williams would have reported. GIBBS. Then he knows where you are? HORIGAN. Sure. When the deal s important enough to bring me over here anybody who has business with me knows he can find me in this room. WAINWRIGHT. And a very convenient room it is too. GIBBS. Why? WAINWRIGHT. Because there s only that door. (Indicating the door R.) between it and one of the ante-rooms to the Council Chamber. GIBBS. I see. HORIGAN. This office and the two next that way, (Indicating the room L.) belonged to the Comp troller, but when he moved his office upstairs they were turned into the so-called Committee rooms. They re practically never used and now it s under stood that when I m on the ground this one belongs to me. GIBBS. Good idea. io6 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. (HORIGAN takes out a cigar-case and offers it to WAINWRIGHT.) HORIGAN. Have a cigar. WAINWRIGHT. No thanks. HORIGAN. (To GIBBS) Gibbs. GIBBS. Thank you. ( GIBBS takes a cigar, puts it between his touch, but does not light it. Instead he chews on it nervously. HORIGAN offers case to WAIN- WRIGHT. HORIGAN replaces cigar case in his pocket. WILLIAMS enters R. from Council Chamber.) WILLIAMS. Ellis has come HORIGAN. Good. GIBBS. Now all we need is Roberts. HORIGAN. That s all. HORIGAN. There s an awful mob in there. (In dicating council chamber) The gallery ^ is packed. WAINWRIGHT. How are they behaving? HORIGAN. All right so far; if they make any trouble, put through a motion to have the gallery cleared. We may have to call in the police, if we do, we ll call em in. (Ready phone. WILLIAMS exits R. HORIGAN goes to the phone) Give me 900 F. (Short pause) Is this the Station House? Hello. Is the captain there ! Tell him Mr. Horigan wants to talk to him. Yes, Mr. Horigan ! (Short pause) Yes, this is Horigan. That you, Captain? I m at the City Hall. There s a mob in the Alder- manic Chamber and it may be necessary to clear em out. Send up a squad of the boys right away. Tell them to bring their night sticks with them, take no back talk and not to be afraid to use them. Yes, I ll stand behind em for anything they do. Right away remember. Good-bye. ( HORIGAN replaces phone. Goes down R.) I ll show them people THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 107 they re not up against a kindergarten. (There is a pause) (PAYNE enters committee room from entrance c. He comes in briskly, sits at table, and writes quickly.) WAINWRIGHT. I hope it won t be necessary to use force HORIGAN. Why ? WAINWRIGHT. I prefer diplomacy. HORIGAN. That s something I don t understand. GIBBS. They are the voters, you know. HORIGAN. Yes. They vote but we count. (Tele phone bell rings. HORIGAN goes to telephone) Yes, this is Mr. Horigan. Who? Alderman Roberts. GIBBS. (Quickly) Roberts he isn t coming! HORIGAN. (Savagely) Oh, shut up. (At tele phone) No ! Not you Roberts ! I said " not you." (Both WAINWRIGHT and GIBBS are deeply inter ested, GIBBS intensely so and shoiving it plainly. He chezvs nervous on his cigar) Yes, this is Horigan. What do you want to see me for? (Pause) No. It s all settled. (Short pause) It is I tell you. (Another pause) Well, if you must see me come to my room at the City Hall. (Short pause) No, I won t come to see you. GIBBS. (Nervously) Perhaps you d better. HORIGAN. I ll be waiting for you. You know my room. (Short pause) Then don t come that way ! Come through the two committee rooms and knock on my door twice (Short pause) under stand, I ll be waiting yes alone and see that you come for if you don t look out for yourself (HORIGAN replaces phone goes down R.) GIBBS. Will he come? HORIGAN. Yes. GIBBS. How soon? (Goes to HORIGAN) HORIGAN. Says he ll be here in fifteen minutes. io8 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. GIBBS. But if he isn t? HORIGAN. (Playing for laugh) What are you the human interrogation point ! If he isn t, he won t be but he will ! WAINWRIGHT. (Sitting L. of table. Indicating GIBBS) He s nervous to-night. HORIGAN. I should say he is. Look at that cigar. (They look at the cigar which GIBBS has been chewing) Have another. And smoke this one don t try to make a meal of it. (WAINWRIGHT rises and crosses to HORIGAN. HORIGAN hands a fresh cigar to GIBBS. DALLAS and PERRY appear at door c. leading to Com mittee Room. PAYNE sits L. of table.) PERRY. (To DALLAS) I ll ask him. DALLAS. Do. (They enter the room.) PERRY. (Crosses down R. DALLAS above table c.) I beg your pardon, but can you tell me where the meeting of the aldermen is, to-night? PAYNE. (Briskly without looking up) At the end of the hall. (Indicating R.) PERRY. Thank you. (PERRY and DALLAS start to exeunt c.) PAYNE. Not much use your going biggest crowd ever in there and talk about being hot it s so hot that compared to it (PAYNE looks up and sees DALLAS) I beg your pardon. (Rises) PERRY. A big crowd is there. PAYNE. Enormous. DALLAS. (Going to PERRY) Then there s no chance of our getting seats. PAYNE. I may be able to get one. I m a news paper man. May I try ? DALLAS. But the trouble ? THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 109 PAYNE. (Starting to go) None at all. I assure you. DALLAS. You re very kind. PERRY. Will it be all right for us to wait here? PAYNE. Certainly. Nominally this is a com mittee room, really it s nothing of the sort. We often work in here. PAYNE exits c. to R. DALLAS goes up c. then down L. PERRY goes down R.) GIBBS. I m going where I can walk about. (Exits R.) HORIGAN. I thought you said Gibbs was game. WAINWRIGHT. He is. HORIGAN. No. He s a quitter, and there are two things I can t stand for, a traitor and a quitter. (Rises and moves to front of desk, meets WAIN- WRIGHT c. Then turns up-stage, takes seat at back) PERRY. And now what? (Going to DALLAS) DALLAS. (L. c.) I suppose I was foolish to come, but I couldn t help it. I had to know what was being done. PERRY. You re upset. That s what s the matter with you. (R. c.) DALLAS. (Rises) I m more than upset. Since the night of the ball I I PERRY. The first days of the engagement are said to be the happiest, in peoples lives. It certainly hasn t been that way with you. DALLAS. No, it hasn t. PERRY. Poor old girl. (PERRY places his arm about DALLAS) DALLAS. Don t. If you sympathize with me I Oh, I don t know what I shall do. (BENNETT and PHELAN enter c. from R.) BENNETT. (Speaking as he comes on) I know I promised it but ! (c. Sees DALLAS. There is a pause) Good-evening. no THE MAN OF THE HOUR. (DALLAS bows.) PHELAN. (L.) Evenin f Miss. DALLAS. (Faintly, down L.) Alderman. BENNETT. I merely wish to write a short note. (To PHELAN) Perhaps it isn t necessary, anyway. PHELAN. You said you d send it. And though / found him he s doin business with you. BENNETT. Very well. (To DALLAS) Excuse me. (BENNETT sits at table and writes c.) PHELAN. (PHELAN comes down L. to DALLAS) I read in the papers about your engagement. DALLAS. Did you ? PHELAN. I m sorry Mr. Gibbs is lined up against us in this Borough Franchise fight because we ll put him away sure. Why, our first blow will land on him so hard he won t know his own home with out seein his name on the door-plate. (BENNETT finishes writing and hands note to PHELAN.) BENNETT. Where shall I meet you? PHELAN. This is as good a place as any unless ! (Looks at DALLAS and PERRY) PERRY. We shall go in a minutes or so PHELAN. Then what s the matter with this? BENNETT. It suits me. PHELAN. Then here it is. (To DALLAS) Evenin ! (DALLAS bows. PHELAN exits c. to L. There is short pause) BENNETT. This is the first chance I have had to offer my felicitations. I hope you ll be very happy. DALLAS. Thank you. (BENNETT starts toward exit c.) PERRY. (Goes to BENNETT) What s the hurry? THE MAN OF THE HOUR. m BENNETT. I might be needed. PERRY. Why, is the big fight on ? BENNETT. Will be soon. DALLAS. Of course you are going to fight to the end? BENNETT. Certainly ! Why shouldn t I ? DALLAS. Why should you ? BENNETT. Dallas and this is probably the last time I shall call you by that name I am not going to plead for a rehearing the verdict was against me. And I accepted it as best I can. But some day I think you ll find you have made a mistake. DALLAS. Perhaps. BENNETT. I don t mean in preferring Gibbs to me I mean that you have made a mistake some where in your judgment of me and I hope that some day you will find it out because I want to be set right in your eyes. That s all. Good-bye. (To PERRY) Good-night, Perry PERRY. Good-night, Alwyn. (BENNETT exits through doors c. R. and across the hall) He s a thoroughbred. (PERRY comes down R. DALLAS comes down L.) DALLAS. I used to think that. PERRY. Why have you changed your mind ? DALLAS. You know very well why I have changed it, but you don t seem to realize that if he succeeds to-night nearly all the money we have will be lost. PERRY. Oh, yes, I do realize it. But fear not little sister, brother Perry will take care of you. DALLAS. Can t you be serious ? PERRY. Not about this. What do I care for the vulgar money. (Crosses u. R.) (PAYNE enters R. crosses the hall quickly and enters room. PERRY turns up-stage R. DALLAS turns up L.) ii2 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. PAYNE. I was in great luck got two seats on the lower floor, (c. back of desk) DALLAS. It is very kind of you. PAYNE. Not all. I ve told the door-keeper. He ll send a man with you. DALLAS. Thank you once more. PAYNE, (c.) I don t know how long you ll be able to stand it. There s an awful crowd in there. PERRY. We ll manage some way. Thank you very much. (PERRY and DALLAS exeunt c. to R. PAYNE R. resumes his writing c. of desk) WAINWRIGHT. What about that other one you had out for Bennett? HORIGAN. It hooked him all right. WAINWRIGHT. Evidently you didn t land him. HORIGAN. No. WAINWRIGHT. Then if Roberts doesn t come? HORIGAN. He will. WAINWRIGHT. Was it wise to have him come here? HORIGAN. I ll tell you. He wants to weaken. I don t want to let him and it improves my chances fifty per cent by having him come here. I ve found by experience that it makes a heap of difference if the other felloiv comes to see you, or if you go to see him. WAINWRIGHT. When are you going to make public that story I told you about Bennett selling the stock HORIGAN. At what the story writers call "the psychological moment." It hasn t come yet, but it soon will. ( GIBBS enters R.) GIBBS. (To WAINWRIGHT) I have a surprise for you. (DALLAS and PERRY enter R.) THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 113 WAINWRIGHT. Dallas! (Rises) GIBBS. I found her out there and persuaded her to come to see you. (DALLAS sees HORIGAN.) DALLAS. (To GIBBS) But you didn t tell me Uncle was alone. GIBBS. Let me present Mr. Horigan. (Introduc ing ^ HORIGAN and indicating DALLAS) Miss Wain- wright! (They bowindicating PERRY) Mr. Wainwright. PERRY. How do you do ! ( HORIGAN bows.) WAINWRIGHT. What are you doing here? PERRY. (Going down R.) I brought Dallas to see the fun. DALLAS. No, I made him bring me. WAINWRIGHT. Why ? DALLAS. My uncle s money s in the balance so is my fiance s so is my brothers so is my own I am interested more than anyone. Why should 7 be expected to stay quietly at home waiting for the news? HORIGAN. There s the right spirit? (To GIBBS) I congratulate you. (WILLIAMS enters R. hurriedly) WILLIAMS. What! The police have come. DALLAS and PERRY. The police ! HORIGAN. (To DALLAS) That s all right. (To (WILLIAMS) Well, you know what to do. Afraid to take the responsibility. But you will. DALLAS. Why have the police come ? HORIGAN. To clear the Gallery if necessary. WAINWRIGHT. So you see, you can t go in there. DALLAS. Why not ? I m not going in the gallery. WAINWRIGHT. Anyway you can t go on the floor. You can sit in the ante-room and wait. ii 4 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. DALLAS. Sit and wait. Sit and wait that s all you men think a woman is good for ? I shall go in. HORIGAN. (To WILLIAMS) Then see about a seat for Miss Wainwright. PERRY. We have them. HORIGAN. See that she gets one next to the ante room so there ll be no trouble getting out. Have somebody moved if necessary. PERRY. Yes, I ll fix it. (WILLIAMS exits R.) DALLAS. (To HORIGAN) You are very kind. HORIGAN. Not at all. There isn t any danger. (To PERRY) There probably won t be the slightest disturbances but if there is, at first sign of it, see that she gets into that ante-room. PERRY. I will. HORIGAN. (To DALLAS) And remember this room is entirely at your disposal. DALLAS. Thank you. PERRY. Now let s be off. (PERRY, DALLAS and GIBBS exeunt) HORIGAN. Gibbs. GIBBS. Yes. HORIGAN. Tell Williams to spring that story about Bennett s speculation. He ll know what to do. GIBBS. Good. (Exits) HORIGAN. (Goes doivn R. and moves to front of desk) The girl s all right. She has spirit. Two years after she s married to Gibbs they ll either quit or he ll be eating out of her hand! Personally I think they ll quit. WAINWRIGHT. (Going to L. c.) Why? HORTGAN. She ll find the yellow streak. Had it been Bennett He may be a fool but he s a man ! I thought you told me he was in love with her. WAINWRTGTTT. He was. And is still. HORIGAN. Sure? THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 115 WAINWRIGHT. Yes. He s crazy over her. HORIGAN. (Reflectively) Oh, is he? (The door L. leading into the room L. is opened cautiously and ROBERTS enters. He sees PAYNE, hesitates then starts to drazv back but PAYNE S attention is attracted and he looks up and sees him.) PAYNE. Good-evening, Alderman. ROBERTS. Good-evening. PAYNE. There s a full attendance to-night. You re the last. ROBERTS. I m late, but I couldn t help it. (PAYNE gathers up his paper preparatory to leaving) Going ? PAYNE. Yes, I ve just finished the preliminary to the real stuff. " The Alderman moved uneasily, for the gallery was packed with a mob ominously quiet, and that sort of thing. (He goes to exit c.) Coming Alderman ? ROBERTS. Not just now. (PAYNE exits c. to R. There is a short pause. Then he goes to door R. and knocks twice.) HORIGAN. (To WAINWRIGHT) Roberts. (HORIGAN pantomimes for WAINWRIGHT to leave. WAIN WRIGHT exits R. HORIGAN goes to door L.) Who is it ? ROBERTS. Roberts. (HORIGAN opens door, ROBERTS :nters and crosses R. HORIGAN closes door, and locks it. PAYNE appears at door c. of room L. just as the door closes.) PAYNE. I guessed as much. (Hesitates as if not knowing what to do. As if struck bv a good thought) I will. (Quickly goes doivn hall to R.) Ii6 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. HORIGAN. Well, what is it? ROBERTS. I can t do it. HORIGAN. Can t do what? ROBERTS. Vote for that bill. ROBERTS. (Goes towards HORIGAN) Do you know what Bennett did? He came into my ward, organized a committee of voters and sent them to me at my house. They said * If you vote against the bill you re honest. If you vote for it, you re a thief. Which are you? Then I tried to explain and they said : We think you re a thief, Roberts. Friday night will tell whether you are or not." HORIGAN. You ll have the money when that s all blown over. Then you ll find people won t ask how you got it. They ll only ask have you got it. ROBERTS. Then they sent their wives to call on my wife while I was away. They said to her " Ay your husband honest or isn t he? Our husbands want to know. If he is honest, he will vote as he did before. For your own sake find out what he s going to do ! " When I returned she asked me what it meant, and I couldn t explain. I can t stand it. I m not a thief. I m an honest man. HORIGAN. Of course you are. You vote for the Franchise because of your Park Hill. ROBERTS. No I don t. I agreed to vote for it because well, you know why. And I can t do it. HORIGAN. You ll have to do it ! ROBERTS. I can t, I tell you. HORIGAN. I say you can and will. I sent you those notes and if ROBERTS. There they are take them. (Places notes on table) HORIGAN. No. They re yours. ROBERTS. They re not. I don t want them. HORIGAN. Neither do I. I hold you to your word. (PAYNE re-appears at door c. of room L. He THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 117 pantomimes off R. as if telling someone " Yes, that s the place" Then he stands back in the hall and watches the door to the room R. The door v. of room R. suddenly opens and BENNETT enters. There is a short pause.) BENNETT. I think I m interested in this. HORIGAN. What do you mean by ! BENNETT. (To ROBERTS) Well, what are you going to do? (ROBERTS is R. of table. HORIGAN L. of table, BENNETT back c. of table.) ROBERTS. I I (His eyes wander to the notes on desk) HORIGAN. See here ! BENNETT. I still think you re an honest man and \i(Sees the notes) What s this ? (Picks up notes and looks at them) Notes HORIGAN. Put those down. BENNETT. Are they yours ? HORIGAN. Anyway they re not yours, and if you dare read them BENNETT. Make up your mind right now that I m going to read them (Reads notes) So that s it. (Goes to ROBERTS. Looks at ROBERTS, who drops his head) What about it, Roberts ? You were to get these in return for your vote, weren t you? (Short pause) Weren t you? (ROBERTS nods) I thought so. ROBERTS. I could have kept them and have voted as I did before and he couldn t have said a word, but I didn t. I came to give them back. I m honest. BENNETT. (Kindly) Of course you are. Heat- tempted to bribe you and you refused. It s as clear as day. Go into the Council Room and vote as your conscience tells you. (ROBERTS exits R. PAYNE comes into room L. BENNETT carefully folds the n8 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. notes, puts them in his pocket and starts towards the door v. HORICAN interposes) Well? HORIGAN. Give me those notes ! BENNETT. Why should I ? They re not endorsed over to you and they re not cancelled. They belong to the Sturtevant Trust Company and they ll receive them to-morrow after they have been photo graphed. HORIGAN. You don t leave this room till I get them. BENNETT. Don t be a fool. I could go this way (Indicating door R. which leads to ante-room) without any trouble. Instead I am going that way (Indicating door c.) because I am going into that room. (Indicating room L.) And it s nearer. And just get this into your head. You can t bully me. I m not afraid of you. I m going into that room that way and you can t stop me. HORIGAN. I can try. BENNETT. You can if you wish. It s for you to say. (Goes towards the door. He looks HORIGAN squarely in the eye. It is a test of the will of the two men and BENNETT wins. HORIGAN falters. He goes to door opens it and exits c. to L. HORIGAN gives an ejaculation of rage and discomfiture, and goes down L. BENNETT enters room L. through c. from R.) I m much obliged to you, Payne. (Going c.) PAYNE. I was right? BENNETT. Yes. PAYNE. Do I get the story ? BENNETT. Certainly. You re entitled to it. I ll see you when the session is over. PAYNE. Much obliged. (BENNETT exits c. to R. PAYNE resumes writing. PHELAN enters L. shutting the door cautiously behind him. PAYNES sees PHELAN) His honor has promised me the full story. PHELAN. Then you re sure to get it. THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 119 PAYNE. It s going to be a corker. PHELAN. That s what it is. (Exits c. to R.) ( GIBBS enters room R. through door R.) GIBBS. I saw Roberts come in. It s all right, isn t it ? HORIGAN. We ve lost. (Up L. c.) GIBBS. Lost ? HORIGAN. Bennett s whipped us. GIBBS. (Sitting on R. chair of table. Panic stricken) Good God ! Good God! HORIGAN. (c. above table) What are you squealing about? You ve got only twenty-five per cent of the deal. GIBBS. That would be bad enough but I ve I ve HORIGAN. You ve what? (There is a pause. Goes to GIBBS. HORIGAN looks at GIBBS and the truth strikes him takes him by collar of coat, lifts him up and looks him in the face, then drops him in chair) You are the man who was tailing on. So you bought the stock for your own account. You were false to your partners. Damn you it serves you right, (down GIBBS) GIBBS. I thought I might as well buy the stock as anyone else. It wouldn t do Wainwright any harm. It wouldn t do you any harm, and it would have made me a million instead I m a bankrupt. HORIGAN. Don t whine about it. Stand-up and take your medicine like the rest of us. GIBBS. Is there no way we can get Bennett to keep his hands off? I d do anything. HORIGAN. Anything ? GIBBS. Yes, anything! HORIGAN. (Goes to GIBBS) Then there s one more chance. I ve always known one of three things to get a man money, ambition or a woman. 120 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. Bennett s price isn t money and it isn t ambition, perhaps it is a woman. GIBBS. (Rising and going to front of table to) A woman ? HORIGAN. Yes, and you know which one. He s in love with the girl you re engaged to! Under stand ? GIBBS. No. HORIGAN. Tell him you ll break the engagement if he ll let the bill go through. It s our only chance. GIBBS. He wouldn t do it. HORIGAN. It could do no harm to try, and if he refused and said anything about it, it would be your word against his. GIBBS. I could deny it, couldn t I ? HORIGAN. Certainly. (Unlocking door leading to room L. Going back of table) He s in there ; ask him in here, and try it. GIBBS. He woudln t. (Going in front of table) HORIGAN. It s the only thing that stands between you and ruin. It means a lot to me tooyou ll do it? GIBBS. Yes. HORIGAN. Good. (Exits c.) GIBBS. I was told his honor was here. PAYNE. He was, but he s left want to see him? GIBBS. I ve got to see him. Know where he s gone? PAYNE. No. GIBBS. Thanks. (Exits up c.) PAYNE. Much obliged. (Exits) (PERRY and DALLAS enter room R.) PERRY. What an awful crowd there is in there? (Crosses to L. of table) DALLAS. Dreadful. It was suffocating. (Sits in chair R. of table) THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 121 (PHELAN appears at door R., comes on closing door after him.) PHELAN. You re the man / want to see. (To the R. of PERRY) PERRY. What about? (L.) PHELAN. (c.) That lie they re telling in there about his honor selling Borough Stock through you PERRY. You d better ask him. PHELAN. I have. PERRY. Does he deny it ? PHELAN. No. He don t deny it and he won t explain. PERRY. Then there you are. (Drops down L.) DALLAS. (R.) He did it, Mr. Phelan. He ad mitted it to me. PHELAN. But why did he do it? (c.) DALLAS. For the profit of course. PHELAN. Profit? If it was money he wanted he could have had a million just for keeping his hands off. What s the profit he could make through him compared to that ? DALLAS. I I never thought of it in that light Perry ! PHELAN. (To PERRY) You can clear this up and you ve got to do it. Do you hear you ve got PERRY. (L.) Got to! Don t take that tone with me Mr. Phelan. PHELAN. I was wrong boy but you don t seem to understand what this means. They re sayin in there that s Bennett s a fraud and worse. That he used his office to make money for himself and I know it s a lie. You know it too, and you must tell you must to save him. PERRY. But I promised. DALLAS. What did you promise ? PERRY. I can t tell you. PHELAN. You ve got to tell. If this story isn t 122 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. contradicted Bennett s ruined, his career is ended, his reputation gone and he s down and out forever. It s up to you for I know you can save him if you ll tell the truth. DALLAS. If you can, Perry, do! do! PERRY. Does it mean all that ? PHELAN. Yes. And now tell me, boy he didn t sell the stock to make money for himself, did he ? PERRY. Of course not and anybody who thought he did must have had weed in his roof garden. PHELANO I knew it. (Crosses back of desk R.) DALLAS. (Crosses to PERRY L.) Then if he didn t do it for himself for whom did he do it? PERRY. For you and me principally for you. DALLAS. For me? (L. c.) PERRY. Yes. The day after he vetoed the bill he publicly stated he would fight it to the end and ad vised all the stockholders to sell out didn t he? DALLAS. Yes. PHELAN. But Wainwright told em not to PERRY. Exactly. Well it was Alwyn against Uncle and I was with Alwyn. Uncle refused to surrender the actual stock he held for Dallas and me. So on Alwyn s advice I sold the exact amount of our holdings to protect us. Alwyn loaned me the money ; that s all he had to do with it. DALLAS. Then he couldn t possibly profit by it. PERRY. Of course not. PHELAN. Young man come with me. (R.) PERRY. Where PHELAN. In there to tell em the truth. PERRY. You bet I will. (Goes to door) Wait here, Dallas, I won t be long. (PHELAN and PERRY exeunt) DALLAS. (Alone) He did it for me. And I accused him oh, the terrible things I said (Sits L.) (BENNETT and GIBBS enter room L.) THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 123 GIBBS. Hello, Bennett. I ve been looking for you. (R. of desk) BENNETT ignores GIBBS.) BENNETT. Well. GIBBS. I want to see you. BENNETT. I ve no time to spare. GIBBS. This is important. BENNETT. Well. (Comes down c.) GIBBS. (Indicating room R.) Come in here. BENNETT. (Going front of table) No. If you ve anything to say to me say it. ( GIBBS hesitates not knowing just how to begin. DALLAS sits.) GIBBS. You ve won the fight, and yet you ve lost, haven t you ? (DALLAS hears the voices and remains silent.) BENNETT. What? (L. c.) GIBBS. (R. c.) What I ve won Dallas! I ve won what you want. You ve won what / want. Can t we trade ? (DALLAS rises and stands listening.) BENNETT. You ll have to speak plainer. GIBBS. Dallas was tricked into marrying me. She doesn t care a straw for me. She loves you and you love her. Don t you? BENNETT. Well ? GIBBS. Just the same, she agreed to marry me. And as long as I hold her to it, she ll keep her promise. You want me to speak plainly and I ll do it. A word from you and the Borough Franchise Bill, will pass. Say it and I ll break the engagement 124 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. and leave Dallas free to marry you. If you don t say it / // marry her! BENNETT. No. GIBBS. Wait. You don t realize what it means. The defeat of the bill won t make you any money it won t help you politically it won t do you any good in the world it s just what you call " a matter of principle." On the other hand, there s Dallas, the girl you love and who loves you. It s not only your happiness, it s hers, to. That s the way it stands on the one hand your " principle " on the other, her happiness and yours ! Which is it to be ? BENNETT. What a dog you are, Gibbs ! What a low, miserable, cowardly cur you are ! I thought I understood you pretty well, I thought I knew how mean and despicable you could be. But I was mis taken. I didn t know half of it. GIBBS. Then you refuse? BENNETT. Yes, I refuse. GIBBS. You re a fool. (Goes down R.) BENNETT. And now, listen. When you see me get out of my way. Don t come near me, don t speak to me, for if ever you do I ll serve you worse than I did before. So, remember. (Exits c. to R. There is a slight pause) PERRY. (Enters R.) I soon made everything plain to them. They understand and nobody blames him. (GIBBS enters room R.) GIBBS. Why, Dallas I ! DALLAS. Mr. Bennett called you a low, miserable, cowardly cur I endorse the sentiment to the last letter. PERRY. I don t know what it s all about but that goes with me too. GIBBS. You don t mean to say that THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 125 DALLAS. I mean to say that I heard your proposi tion and Mr. Bennett s reply. GIBBS. Surely you don t take that seriously, it you do DALLAS. I was tricked once. I can t be tricked again. GIBBS. But Dallas I DALLAS. And to think I promised to marry such a man as you that you ve had your arm about me that I ve felt your kiss on my cheek You! You! Oh, the degradation! I shall never forget it. I thank God that I came here to-night that I found you out before it was too late. And now go! GIBBS. But if you ll only let me DALLAS. That is all, Mr. Gibbs. ( GIBBS exits c.) They lied to me ! They lied to me ! (Going L.) PERRY. Who? DALLAS. Uncle and Mr. Gibbs. PERRY. Well, I don t know what they said, but I am willing to take half the bet. DALLAS. And Alwyn what will he think of me ? What can he think of me? (Cries and sinks inte chair L. of table} PERRY. That s right, have a good cry. Don t be a piker, have a good one! (There is a pause. Softly) Don t forget he has often told me he loves you. DALLAS. He has, hasn t he? PERRY. (Back to comedy) That s what! Un less my ears got the wires crossed. DALLAS. (Rising) I must see him, to-night. PERRY. To-night ? DALLAS. (Goes down L. PERRY joins her) I have misunderstood and wronged him. I must tell him so. (PHELAN and PAYNE enter room L. at donr c. from L.) PHELAN. All you have to do is to hunt up his 126 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. honor, say that everything s O. K. and that I m waitin for him here. PAYNE. I m to get the full story remember. His honor said so. PHELAN. Oh, you ll get it all right. (PAYNE exits c. to R. PHELAN goes down c. back of table.) DALLAS. I m going to Mr. Phelan PERRY. But see here DALLAS. I am (DALLAS enters room L. PERRY follows. PHELAN sees them and looks surprised. To PHELAN) I must see Mr. Bennett. Will you tell him please ? PHELAN. This is his busy evening. DALLAS. I have something urgent to say to him, and I want to say it to-night. PHELAN. He has a very important engagement coming off in a few minutes. PERRY. (Going to corner of table) This is im portant too. DALLAS. Very important. (PHELAN looks DALLAS in the face. She drops her eyes and he understands.) PHELAN. Sure you shall see him. Could you wait a little while. DALLAS. Certainly. PHELAN. Then if you ll just step this way I ll fix it for you. (PHELAN opens door L.) DALLAS. (Going to door L.) There ll be no mis take. PHELAN. I should say not. No matter who s in there, it s all right. DALLAS. Thank you. (Exeuni L.) PERRY. Well, you see, Alderman THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 127 PHELAN. Of course I see get out. PERRY. Since you ask me so politely I will. (Exeunt L.) PHELAN. (Alone) Mistake? Hardly. (BENNETT enters c. from R. and goes to PHELAN.) BENNETT. It s all right. PHELAN. In there! (Indicates door R.) BENNETT. No trouble was there? PHELAN. None. Say, but I m going to enjoy this? BENNETT. They ll be here in a minute. I pressed Payne into service again and sent word by him I wanted to see them here. PHELAN. That fellow Payne s all right. Fine little messenger boy too. (HORIGAN and WAIN WRIGHT enter room R.) WAINWRIGHT. What can he want? HORIGAN. To let us know his terms I suppose. WAINWRIGHT. Shall we go in ? HORIGAN. There s nothing to gain by waiting. (HORIGAN and WAINWRIGHT enter room L.) PHELAN. Ha! HORIGAN. I understand you want to see us BENNETT. I do. HORIGAN. You ve got us beat we admit it so, name your price. WAINWRIGHT. Yes. What do you want ? BENNETT. I have no price. HORIGAN. You must want something what is it? BENNETT. Nothing. WAINWRIGHT. Then why did you send for us ? BENNETT. To tell you that to-morrow you ll both 128 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. be indicted for bribery to let you know that every step you take is watched. WAIN WRIGHT. You can t prove anything against me. HORIGAN. You talk like a fool. If you do indict me what of it? I control the District Attorney and some of the Judges ! As for this Roberts mat ter I m not worrying about that. A smart lawyer can explain it in a thousand ways. (Goes up R.) WAIN WRIGHT. In any case you can t connect me with it. (To BENNETT) BENNETT. I think I can. Still I have this satis faction if I fail, I can connect you with half a dozen or so of similar enterprises. WAINWRIGHT. Guess work and generalities are not proof, Mr. Bennett. BENNETT. For instance, what about the two hundred thousand dollars in cash and the tweny-five thousand shares of stock at 63 which you were to give Mr. Horigan for the Borough Franchise. (WAINWRIGHT and HORIGAN are amazed) Pretty good guess, wasn t it? WAINWRIGHT. That kind of evidence won t go in court. The court will want proof and you have none. BENNETT. Haven t I? (Opens door L. THOMP SON enters L.) WAINWRIGHT (Astounded) Thompson? BENNETT. No not Thompson ! Garrison ! THOMPSON. Yes, Garrison! (Goes to WAIN- WRIGHT) The son of the man you betrayed the son of the woman who died because of it. That s who I am Henry Garrison! (The situation dawns on WAINWRIGHT. He is overcome by the meaning and the horror of it. He gasps and seems about to collapse.) BENNETT. (To WAINWRIGHT) Now you un derstand ? THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 129 WAINWRIGHT. (To THOMPSON) You have be trayed me? (Sits) THOMPSON. Betrayed you! What have I been waiting for and watching and working for but to betray you. When they telegraphed me to come home what did I find my mother dead my father, disgraced, and with a bullet hole My little sister dependent on friends (THOMPSON puts his finger to his temple) And you did it. WAINWRIGHT. No ! THOMPSON. You did it. They wouldn t tell me who it was but I put things together and I soon un derstood. Then I said I ll pay him back no matter how long it takes, I ll pay him back ! (WAINWRIGHT trembles and draws in his under lip) I schemed and planned and plotted, and the day I went to work for you I know my turn was sure to come if I could only wait patiently and work cautiously. So I schooled myself to be deferential, to fetch for you and carry for you, to say " thank you, sir " and " I hope you are pleased, sir " while all the time I was aching to put my fingers to your throat. (WAIN- WRIGHT instinctively puts his hands to his throat as if to protect himself) After a while you began to tempt me and try me but I understood and re fused to be caught. So day by day, I worked my self into your confidence until at last you trusted me you trusted me! The rest was easy! HORIGAN. You were listening when / was there. THOMPSON. I was always listening. (To WAIN- WRIGHT) I made copies of the confidential des patches you sent. I took down your private inter views in shorthand ! Every day I made a duplicate of the note book into which I took your letters as you dictated them and I left you the copy while I kept the original. I kept track of the checks by which you completed your transactions and when the time came I procured them I secured the proofs, the absolute proofs and I ve turned them 130 THE MAN OF THE HOUR. over to him. (Indicating BENNETT) And you ll go to jail you ll go to jail and when you come out I ll kill you. Do you hear, I ll kill you. WAINWRIGHT. No! No! BENNETT. (Goes to THOMPSON) Steady boy. THOMPSON. I will! I will I tell you! I ll kill you ! Oh, if I could wait nine years for this, don t you think I can wait for that ! (WAINWRIGHT looks about apprehensively and appealingly, THOMPSON begins to break down and become hysterical) Nine years Nine years of humbling myself. Of watch ing and waiting and praying for this day to come and it s here It s here at last it s here. (Down L. THOMPSON sobs hysterically. BENNETT pantomimes for PHELAN to take him away.) PHELAN. Come lad ! (Puts his arm about THOMPSON and takes him tozvards exit L.) THOMPSON. Don t forget when you come out I shall be waiting (Going) after nine years nine years ! (THOMPSON exeunts L. There is a pause. WAIN- WRIGHT in seat R. of table. WILLIAMS enters from room R. WAINWRIGHT drops into chair R. of table.) (Police effect off.) HORIGAN. The police have come. (WILLIAMS enters room L.) BENNETT. Police? What police? (Rises c.) HORIGAN. The police I sent for. I ll call em in. BFNNETT. No. No, I say. Phelan tell the man in command of the police that you come from the THE MAN OF THE HOUR. 131 Mayor and he s to take orders from no one but me. PHELAN. Sure. (Goes towards exit) WAINWRIGHT. There s no need. I withdraw the bill. (PHELAN stops and comes down. WILLIAMS looks at HORIGAN. BENNETT sits in chair c. back of desk.) HORIGAN. Don t you understand. He withdraws the bill, see to it. (WILLIAMS exits R. Drops dozvn R.) PHELAN. (To HORIGAN) Horigan, I told you I should drop something on you! I ve done it too. HORIGAN. You ? PHELAN. Me! I found Thompson. I saw him with Wainwright, knew I d seen him before, thought it over, remembered, and then went after him. I ve dropped it on you all right, and I don t think I ll have to walk round you either. HORIGAN. (To BENNETT) About that report of the library and the aqueduct don t forget that. (Up-stage) BENNETT. It will be published in the morning. HORIGAN. No! It wouldn t be good politics. I m going to hold it over. BENNETT. Oh, no, you re not. I have already sent it to the press with the information that I shall return to the city every dollar due under the con tracts. HORIGAN. Bennett, you re either the biggest fool, or the best politician in the country. WAINWRIGHT. (Rising) There s no use my asking for mercy? HORIGAN. What s the matter with you, Wain wright ? Brace up and come along. So long as you have money don t worry ! The woods are full of 132 THE MAN OF THE HOUR, investigations, and subpoenas, and indictments, but I notice there are damn few rich men in jail even to day. (HORIGAN and WAIN WRIGHT exeunt c. to R.) BENNETT. He s a rogue, but he has nerve. (Rises and moves around R. to front of desk) PHELAN. Yes, he s a game bird but he flies funny ! Don t forget your other engagement. BENNETT. What engagement? (PHELAN opens door L. DALLAS enters L. and goes towards BENNETT. PHELAN exits L.) BENNETT. Dallas. DALLAS. Forgive me, Alwyn, I shall never for give myself. BENNETT. For what? DALLAS. For what I thought of you for what I said. BENNETT. You didn t understand. DALLAS. No. But I should have believed in you. BENNETT. Do you believe in me now? DALLAS. I believe in you and I love you. BENNETT. Dallas. DALLAS. I love you dear I love you. BENNETT. But Gibbs. DALLAS. There s no one but you there never was anyone but you. BENNETT. Dallas ! CURTAIN. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY BERKELEY Return to desk from which borrowed. This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 2oOct 1L2BG LD 21-95m^ll, 50(2877sl6)476 ID 381725 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY