ACT I

by Susan Glaspell

　　SCENE: The kitchen is the now abandonedfarmhouse of JOHN WRIGHT, a gloomy kitchen, and left withouthaving been put in order—unwashed pans under the sink, a loafof bread outside the bread-box, a dish-towel on thetable—other signs of incompleted work. At the rear the outerdoor opens and the SHERIFF comes in followed by theCOUNTY ATTORNEY and HALE. The SHERIFF and HALEare men in middle life, the COUNTY ATTORNEY is a youngman; all are much bundled up and go at once to the stove. They arefollowed by the two women—the SHERIFF's wife first;she is a slight wiry woman, a thin nervous face. MRS HALE islarger and would ordinarily be called more comfortable looking, butshe is disturbed now and looks fearfully about as she enters. Thewomen have come in slowly, and stand close together near thedoor.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: (rubbing his hands) This feels good.Come up to the fire, ladies.

　　MRS PETERS: (after taking a step forward) I'mnot—cold.

　　SHERIFF: (unbuttoning his overcoat and stepping away from thestove as if to mark the beginning of official business) Now, MrHale, before we move things about, you explain to Mr Henderson justwhat you saw when you came here yesterday morning.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: By the way, has anything been moved? Are thingsjust as you left them yesterday?

　　SHERIFF: (looking about) It's just the same. When itdropped below zero last night I thought I'd better send Frank outthis morning to make a fire for us—no use getting pneumoniawith a big case on, but I told him not to touch anything except thestove—and you know Frank.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: Somebody should have been left hereyesterday.

　　SHERIFF: Oh—yesterday. When I had to send Frank to MorrisCenter for that man who went crazy—I want you to know I hadmy hands full yesterday. I knew you could get back from Omaha bytoday and as long as I went over everything here myself—

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: Well, Mr Hale, tell just what happened when youcame here yesterday morning.

　　HALE: Harry and I had started to town with a load of potatoes.We came along the road from my place and as I got here I said, I'mgoing to see if I can't get John Wright to go in with me on a partytelephone.' I spoke to Wright about it once before and he put meoff, saying folks talked too much anyway, and all he asked waspeace and quiet—I guess you know about how much he talkedhimself; but I thought maybe if I went to the house and talkedabout it before his wife, though I said to Harry that I didn't knowas what his wife wanted made much difference to John—

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: Let's talk about that later, Mr Hale. I do wantto talk about that, but tell now just what happened when you got tothe house.

　　HALE: I didn't hear or see anything; I knocked at the door, andstill it was all quiet inside. I knew they must be up, it was pasteight o'clock. So I knocked again, and I thought I heard somebodysay, 'Come in.' I wasn't sure, I'm not sure yet, but I opened thedoor—this door (indicating the door by which the two womenare still standing) and there in that rocker—(pointingto it) sat Mrs Wright.

　　(They all look at the rocker.)

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: What—was she doing?

　　HALE: She was rockin' back and forth. She had her apron in herhand and was kind of—pleating it.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: And how did she—look?

　　HALE: Well, she looked queer.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: How do you mean—queer?

　　HALE: Well, as if she didn't know what she was going to do next.And kind of done up.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: How did she seem to feel about your coming?

　　HALE: Why, I don't think she minded—one way or other. Shedidn't pay much attention. I said, 'How do, Mrs Wright it's cold,ain't it?' And she said, 'Is it?'—and went on kind ofpleating at her apron. Well, I was surprised; she didn't ask me tocome up to the stove, or to set down, but just sat there, not evenlooking at me, so I said, 'I want to see John.' And thenshe—laughed. I guess you would call it a laugh. I thought ofHarry and the team outside, so I said a little sharp: 'Can't I seeJohn?' 'No', she says, kind o' dull like. 'Ain't he home?' says I.'Yes', says she, 'he's home'. 'Then why can't I see him?' I askedher, out of patience. ''Cause he's dead', says she. 'Dead?'says I. She just nodded her head, not getting a bit excited, butrockin' back and forth. 'Why—where is he?' says I, notknowing what to say. She just pointed upstairs—like that(himself pointing to the room above) I got up, with the ideaof going up there. I walked from there to here—then I says,'Why, what did he die of?' 'He died of a rope round his neck', saysshe, and just went on pleatin' at her apron. Well, I went out andcalled Harry. I thought I might—need help. We went upstairsand there he was lyin'—

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: I think I'd rather have you go into thatupstairs, where you can point it all out. Just go on now with therest of the story.

　　HALE: Well, my first thought was to get that rope off. It looked... (stops, his face twitches) ... but Harry, he went up tohim, and he said, 'No, he's dead all right, and we'd better nottouch anything.' So we went back down stairs. She was still sittingthat same way. 'Has anybody been notified?' I asked. 'No', says sheunconcerned. 'Who did this, Mrs Wright?' said Harry. He said itbusiness-like—and she stopped pleatin' of her apron. 'I don'tknow', she says. 'You don't know?' says Harry. 'No', saysshe. 'Weren't you sleepin' in the bed with him?' says Harry. 'Yes',says she, 'but I was on the inside'. 'Somebody slipped a rope roundhis neck and strangled him and you didn't wake up?' says Harry. 'Ididn't wake up', she said after him. We must 'a looked as if wedidn't see how that could be, for after a minute she said, 'I sleepsound'. Harry was going to ask her more questions but I said maybewe ought to let her tell her story first to the coroner, or thesheriff, so Harry went fast as he could to Rivers' place, wherethere's a telephone.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: And what did Mrs Wright do when she knew thatyou had gone for the coroner?

　　HALE: She moved from that chair to this one over here(pointing to a small chair in the corner) and just sat therewith her hands held together and looking down. I got a feeling thatI ought to make some conversation, so I said I had come in to seeif John wanted to put in a telephone, and at that she started tolaugh, and then she stopped and looked at me—scared,(the COUNTY ATTORNEY, who has had his notebook out, makesa note) I dunno, maybe it wasn't scared. I wouldn't like to sayit was. Soon Harry got back, and then Dr Lloyd came, and you, MrPeters, and so I guess that's all I know that you don't.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: (looking around) I guess we'll goupstairs first—and then out to the barn and around there,(to the SHERIFF) You're convinced that there was nothingimportant here—nothing that would point to any motive.

　　SHERIFF: Nothing here but kitchen things.

　　(The COUNTY ATTORNEY, after again lookingaround the kitchen, opens the door of a cupboard closet. He gets upon a chair and looks on a shelf. Pulls his hand away,sticky.)

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: Here's a nice mess.

　　(The women draw nearer.)

　　MRS PETERS: (to the other woman) Oh, her fruit; it didfreeze, (to the LAWYER) She worried about that when itturned so cold. She said the fire'd go out and her jars wouldbreak.

　　SHERIFF: Well, can you beat the women! Held for murder andworryin' about her preserves.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: I guess before we're through she may havesomething more serious than preserves to worry about.

　　HALE: Well, women are used to worrying over trifles.

　　(The two women move a little closertogether.)

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: (with the gallantry of a youngpolitician) And yet, for all their worries, what would we dowithout the ladies? (the women do not unbend. He goes to thesink, takes a dipperful of water from the pail and pouring it intoa basin, washes his hands. Starts to wipe them on the roller-towel,turns it for a cleaner place) Dirty towels! (kicks his footagainst the pans under the sink) Not much of a housekeeper,would you say, ladies?

　　MRS HALE: (stiffly) There's a great deal of work to bedone on a farm.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: To be sure. And yet (with a little bow toher) I know there are some Dickson county farmhouses which donot have such roller towels. (He gives it a pull to expose itslength again.)

　　MRS HALE: Those towels get dirty awful quick. Men's hands aren'talways as clean as they might be.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: Ah, loyal to your sex, I see. But you and MrsWright were neighbors. I suppose you were friends, too.

　　MRS HALE: (shaking her head) I've not seen much of her oflate years. I've not been in this house—it's more than ayear.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: And why was that? You didn't like her?

　　MRS HALE: I liked her all well enough. Farmers' wives have theirhands full, Mr Henderson. And then—

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: Yes—?

　　MRS HALE: (looking about) It never seemed a very cheerfulplace.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: No—it's not cheerful. I shouldn't say shehad the homemaking instinct.

　　MRS HALE: Well, I don't know as Wright had, either.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: You mean that they didn't get on very well?

　　MRS HALE: No, I don't mean anything. But I don't think a place'dbe any cheerfuller for John Wright's being in it.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: I'd like to talk more of that a little later. Iwant to get the lay of things upstairs now. (He goes to theleft, where three steps lead to a stair door.)

　　SHERIFF: I suppose anything Mrs Peters does'll be all right. Shewas to take in some clothes for her, you know, and a few littlethings. We left in such a hurry yesterday.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: Yes, but I would like to see what you take, MrsPeters, and keep an eye out for anything that might be of use tous.

　　MRS PETERS: Yes, Mr Henderson.

　　(The women listen to the men's steps on thestairs, then look about the kitchen.)

　　MRS HALE: I'd hate to have men coming into my kitchen, snoopingaround and criticising.

　　(She arranges the pans under sink which theLAWYER had shoved out of place.)

　　MRS PETERS: Of course it's no more than their duty.

　　MRS HALE: Duty's all right, but I guess that deputy sheriff thatcame out to make the fire might have got a little of this on.(gives the roller towel a pull) Wish I'd thought of thatsooner. Seems mean to talk about her for not having things slickedup when she had to come away in such a hurry.

　　MRS PETERS: (who has gone to a small table in the left rearcorner of the room, and lifted one end of a towel that covers apan) She had bread set. (Stands still.)

　　MRS HALE: (eyes fixed on a loaf of bread beside thebread-box, which is on a low shelf at the other side of the room.Moves slowly toward it) She was going to put this in there,(picks up loaf, then abruptly drops it. In a manner of returningto familiar things) It's a shame about her fruit. I wonder ifit's all gone. (gets up on the chair and looks) I thinkthere's some here that's all right, Mrs Peters. Yes—here;(holding it toward the window) this is cherries, too.(looking again) I declare I believe that's the only one.(gets down, bottle in her hand. Goes to the sink and wipes itoff on the outside) She'll feel awful bad after all her hardwork in the hot weather. I remember the afternoon I put up mycherries last summer.

　　(She puts the bottle on the big kitchen table,center of the room. With a sigh, is about to sit down in therocking-chair. Before she is seated realizes what chair it is; witha slow look at it, steps back. The chair which she has touchedrocks back and forth.)

　　MRS PETERS: Well, I must get those things from the front roomcloset, (she goes to the door at the right, but after lookinginto the other room, steps back) You coming with me, Mrs Hale?You could help me carry them.

　　(They go in the other room; reappear, MRSPETERS carrying a dress and skirt, MRS HALE followingwith a pair of shoes.)

　　MRS PETERS: My, it's cold in there.

　　(She puts the clothes on the big table, andhurries to the stove.)

　　MRS HALE: (examining the skirt) Wright was close. I thinkmaybe that's why she kept so much to herself. She didn't evenbelong to the Ladies Aid. I suppose she felt she couldn't do herpart, and then you don't enjoy things when you feel shabby. Sheused to wear pretty clothes and be lively, when she was MinnieFoster, one of the town girls singing in the choir. Butthat—oh, that was thirty years ago. This all you was to takein?

　　MRS PETERS: She said she wanted an apron. Funny thing to want,for there isn't much to get you dirty in jail, goodness knows. ButI suppose just to make her feel more natural. She said they was inthe top drawer in this cupboard. Yes, here. And then her littleshawl that always hung behind the door. (opens stair door andlooks) Yes, here it is.

　　(Quickly shuts door leading upstairs.)

　　MRS HALE: (abruptly moving toward her) Mrs Peters?

　　MRS PETERS: Yes, Mrs Hale?

　　MRS HALE: Do you think she did it?

　　MRS PETERS: (in a frightened voice) Oh, I don't know.

　　MRS HALE: Well, I don't think she did. Asking for an apron andher little shawl. Worrying about her fruit.

　　MRS PETERS: (starts to speak, glances up, where footsteps areheard in the room above. In a low voice) Mr Peters says itlooks bad for her. Mr Henderson is awful sarcastic in a speech andhe'll make fun of her sayin' she didn't wake up.

　　MRS HALE: Well, I guess John Wright didn't wake when they wasslipping that rope under his neck.

　　MRS PETERS: No, it's strange. It must have been done awfulcrafty and still. They say it was such a—funny way to kill aman, rigging it all up like that.

　　MRS HALE: That's just what Mr Hale said. There was a gun in thehouse. He says that's what he can't understand.

　　MRS PETERS: Mr Henderson said coming out that what was neededfor the case was a motive; something to show anger, or—suddenfeeling.

　　MRS HALE: (who is standing by the table) Well, I don'tsee any signs of anger around here, (she puts her hand on thedish towel which lies on the table, stands looking down at table,one half of which is clean, the other half messy) It's wiped tohere, (makes a move as if to finish work, then turns and looksat loaf of bread outside the breadbox. Drops towel. In that voiceof coming back to familiar things.) Wonder how they are findingthings upstairs. I hope she had it a little more red-up up there.You know, it seems kind of sneaking. Locking her up in town andthen coming out here and trying to get her own house to turnagainst her!

　　MRS PETERS: But Mrs Hale, the law is the law.

　　MRS HALE: I s'pose 'tis, (unbuttoning her coat) Betterloosen up your things, Mrs Peters. You won't feel them when you goout.

　　(MRS PETERS takes off her fur tippet, goes to hang it on hookat back of room, stands looking at the under part of the smallcorner table.)

　　MRS PETERS: She was piecing a quilt. (She brings the largesewing basket and they look at the bright pieces.)

　　MRS HALE: It's log cabin pattern. Pretty, isn't it? I wonder ifshe was goin' to quilt it or just knot it?

　　(Footsteps have been heard coming down thestairs. The SHERIFF enters followed by HALE and the COUNTYATTORNEY.)

　　SHERIFF: They wonder if she was going to quilt it or just knotit! (The men laugh, the women look abashed.)

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: (rubbing his hands over the stove)Frank's fire didn't do much up there, did it? Well, let's go out tothe barn and get that cleared up. (The men go outside.)

　　MRS HALE: (resentfully) I don't know as there's anythingso strange, our takin' up our time with little things while we'rewaiting for them to get the evidence. (she sits down at the bigtable smoothing out a block with decision) I don't see as it'sanything to laugh about.

　　MRS PETERS: (apologetically) Of course they've got awfulimportant things on their minds.

　　(Pulls up a chair and joins MRS HALE at thetable.)

　　MRS HALE: (examining another block) Mrs Peters, look atthis one. Here, this is the one she was working on, and look at thesewing! All the rest of it has been so nice and even. And look atthis! It's all over the place! Why, it looks as if she didn't knowwhat she was about!

　　(After she has said this they look at each other,then start to glance back at the door. After an instant MRSHALE has pulled at a knot and ripped the sewing.)

　　MRS PETERS: Oh, what are you doing, Mrs Hale?

　　MRS HALE: (mildly) Just pulling out a stitch or twothat's not sewed very good. (threading a needle) Bad sewingalways made me fidgety.

　　MRS PETERS: (nervously) I don't think we ought to touchthings.

　　MRS HALE: I'll just finish up this end. (suddenly stoppingand leaning forward) Mrs Peters?

　　MRS PETERS: Yes, Mrs Hale?

　　MRS HALE: What do you suppose she was so nervous about?

　　MRS PETERS: Oh—I don't know. I don't know as she wasnervous. I sometimes sew awful queer when I'm just tired. (MRS HALEstarts to say something, looks at MRS PETERS, then goeson sewing) Well I must get these things wrapped up. They may bethrough sooner than we think, (putting apron and other thingstogether) I wonder where I can find a piece of paper, andstring.

　　MRS HALE: In that cupboard, maybe.

　　MRS PETERS: (looking in cupboard) Why, here's abird-cage, (holds it up) Did she have a bird, Mrs Hale?

　　MRS HALE: Why, I don't know whether she did or not—I'venot been here for so long. There was a man around last year sellingcanaries cheap, but I don't know as she took one; maybe she did.She used to sing real pretty herself.

　　MRS PETERS: (glancing around) Seems funny to think of abird here. But she must have had one, or why would she have a cage?I wonder what happened to it.

　　MRS HALE: I s'pose maybe the cat got it.

　　MRS PETERS: No, she didn't have a cat. She's got that feelingsome people have about cats—being afraid of them. My cat gotin her room and she was real upset and asked me to take it out.

　　MRS HALE: My sister Bessie was like that. Queer, ain't it?

　　MRS PETERS: (examining the cage) Why, look at this door.It's broke. One hinge is pulled apart.

　　MRS HALE: (looking too) Looks as if someone must havebeen rough with it.

　　MRS PETERS: Why, yes.

　　(She brings the cage forward and puts it on thetable.)

　　MRS HALE: I wish if they're going to find any evidence they'd beabout it. I don't like this place.

　　MRS PETERS: But I'm awful glad you came with me, Mrs Hale. Itwould be lonesome for me sitting here alone.

　　MRS HALE: It would, wouldn't it? (dropping her sewing)But I tell you what I do wish, Mrs Peters. I wish I had come oversometimes when she was here. I—(looking around theroom)—wish I had.

　　MRS PETERS: But of course you were awful busy, MrsHale—your house and your children.

　　MRS HALE: I could've come. I stayed away because it weren'tcheerful—and that's why I ought to have come. I—I'venever liked this place. Maybe because it's down in a hollow and youdon't see the road. I dunno what it is, but it's a lonesome placeand always was. I wish I had come over to see Minnie Fostersometimes. I can see now—(shakes her head)

　　MRS PETERS: Well, you mustn't reproach yourself, Mrs Hale.Somehow we just don't see how it is with other folksuntil—something comes up.

　　MRS HALE: Not having children makes less work—but it makesa quiet house, and Wright out to work all day, and no company whenhe did come in. Did you know John Wright, Mrs Peters?

　　MRS PETERS: Not to know him; I've seen him in town. They say hewas a good man.

　　MRS HALE: Yes—good; he didn't drink, and kept his word aswell as most, I guess, and paid his debts. But he was a hard man,Mrs Peters. Just to pass the time of day withhim—(shivers) Like a raw wind that gets to the bone,(pauses, her eye falling on the cage) I should think shewould 'a wanted a bird. But what do you suppose went with it?

　　MRS PETERS: I don't know, unless it got sick and died.

　　(She reaches over and swings the broken door,swings it again, both women watch it.)

　　MRS HALE: You weren't raised round here, were you? (MRSPETERS shakes her head) You didn't know—her?

　　MRS PETERS: Not till they brought her yesterday.

　　MRS HALE: She—come to think of it, she was kind of like abird herself—real sweet and pretty, but kind of timidand—fluttery. How—she—did—change.(silence; then as if struck by a happy thought and relieved toget back to everyday things) Tell you what, Mrs Peters, whydon't you take the quilt in with you? It might take up hermind.

　　MRS PETERS: Why, I think that's a real nice idea, Mrs Hale.There couldn't possibly be any objection to it, could there? Now,just what would I take? I wonder if her patches are inhere—and her things.

　　(They look in the sewing basket.)

　　MRS HALE: Here's some red. I expect this has got sewing thingsin it. (brings out a fancy box) What a pretty box. Lookslike something somebody would give you. Maybe her scissors are inhere. (Opens box. Suddenly puts her hand to her nose)Why—(MRS PETERS bends nearer, then turns her faceaway) There's something wrapped up in this piece of silk.

　　MRS PETERS: Why, this isn't her scissors.

　　MRS HALE: (lifting the silk) Oh, MrsPeters—it's—

　　(MRS PETERS bends closer.)

　　MRS PETERS: It's the bird.

　　MRS HALE: (jumping up) But, Mrs Peters—look at it!It's neck! Look at its neck!

　　It's all—other side to.

　　MRS PETERS: Somebody—wrung—its—neck.

　　(Their eyes meet. A look of growingcomprehension, of horror. Steps are heard outside. MRS HALEslips box under quilt pieces, and sinks into her chair.Enter SHERIFF and COUNTY ATTORNEY. MRS PETERSrises.)

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: (as one turning from serious things tolittle pleasantries) Well ladies, have you decided whether shewas going to quilt it or knot it?

　　MRS PETERS: We think she was going to—knot it.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: Well, that's interesting, I'm sure. (seeingthe birdcage) Has the bird flown?

　　MRS HALE: (putting more quilt pieces over the box) Wethink the—cat got it.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: (preoccupied) Is there a cat?

　　(MRS HALE glances in a quick covert way atMRS PETERS.)

　　MRS PETERS: Well, not now. They're superstitious, you know. Theyleave.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: (to SHERIFF PETERS, continuing aninterrupted conversation) No sign at all of anyone having comefrom the outside. Their own rope. Now let's go up again and go overit piece by piece. (they start upstairs) It would have tohave been someone who knew just the—

　　(MRS PETERS sits down. The two women sit therenot looking at one another, but as if peering into something and atthe same time holding back. When they talk now it is in the mannerof feeling their way over strange ground, as if afraid of what theyare saying, but as if they can not help saying it.)

　　MRS HALE: She liked the bird. She was going to bury it in thatpretty box.

　　MRS PETERS: (in a whisper) When I was a girl—mykitten—there was a boy took a hatchet, and before myeyes—and before I could get there—(covers her facean instant) If they hadn't held me back I wouldhave—(catches herself, looks upstairs where steps areheard, falters weakly)—hurt him.

　　MRS HALE: (with a slow look around her) I wonder how itwould seem never to have had any children around, (pause)No, Wright wouldn't like the bird—a thing that sang. She usedto sing. He killed that, too.

　　MRS PETERS: (moving uneasily) We don't know who killedthe bird.

　　MRS HALE: I knew John Wright.

　　MRS PETERS: It was an awful thing was done in this house thatnight, Mrs Hale. Killing a man while he slept, slipping a ropearound his neck that choked the life out of him.

　　MRS HALE: His neck. Choked the life out of him.

　　(Her hand goes out and rests on thebird-cage.)

　　MRS PETERS: (with rising voice) We don't know who killedhim. We don't know.

　　MRS HALE: (her own feeling not interrupted) If there'dbeen years and years of nothing, then a bird to sing to you, itwould be awful—still, after the bird was still.

　　MRS PETERS: (something within her speaking) I know whatstillness is. When we homesteaded in Dakota, and my first babydied—after he was two years old, and me with no otherthen—

　　MRS HALE: (moving) How soon do you suppose they'll bethrough, looking for the evidence?

　　MRS PETERS: I know what stillness is. (pulling herselfback) The law has got to punish crime, Mrs Hale.

　　MRS HALE: (not as if answering that) I wish you'd seenMinnie Foster when she wore a white dress with blue ribbons andstood up there in the choir and sang. (a look around theroom) Oh, I wish I'd come over here once in a while!That was a crime! That was a crime! Who's going to punish that?

　　MRS PETERS: (looking upstairs) We mustn't—takeon.

　　MRS HALE: I might have known she needed help! I know how thingscan be—for women. I tell you, it's queer, Mrs Peters. We liveclose together and we live far apart. We all go through the samethings—it's all just a different kind of the same thing,(brushes her eyes, noticing the bottle of fruit, reaches out forit) If I was you, I wouldn't tell her her fruit was gone. Tellher it ain't. Tell her it's all right. Take this in to proveit to her. She—she may never know whether it was broke ornot.

　　MRS PETERS: (takes the bottle, looks about for something towrap it in; takes petticoat from the clothes brought from the otherroom, very nervously begins winding this around the bottle. In afalse voice) My, it's a good thing the men couldn't hear us.Wouldn't they just laugh! Getting all stirred up over a littlething like a—dead canary. As if that could have anything todo with—with—wouldn't they laugh!

　　(The men are heard coming down stairs.)

　　MRS HALE: (under her breath) Maybe they would—maybethey wouldn't.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: No, Peters, it's all perfectly clear except areason for doing it. But you know juries when it comes to women. Ifthere was some definite thing. Something to show—something tomake a story about—a thing that would connect up with thisstrange way of doing it—

　　(The women's eyes meet for an instant. Enter HALEfrom outer door.)

　　HALE: Well, I've got the team around. Pretty cold out there.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: I'm going to stay here a while by myself,(to the SHERIFF) You can send Frank out for me, can't you? Iwant to go over everything. I'm not satisfied that we can't dobetter.

　　SHERIFF: Do you want to see what Mrs Peters is going to takein?

　　(The LAWYER goes to the table, picks upthe apron, laughs.)

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: Oh, I guess they're not very dangerous thingsthe ladies have picked out. (Moves a few things about,disturbing the quilt pieces which cover the box. Steps back)No, Mrs Peters doesn't need supervising. For that matter, asheriff's wife is married to the law. Ever think of it that way,Mrs Peters?

　　MRS PETERS: Not—just that way.

　　SHERIFF: (chuckling) Married to the law. (moves towardthe other room) I just want you to come in here a minute,George. We ought to take a look at these windows.

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: (scoffingly) Oh, windows!

　　SHERIFF: We'll be right out, Mr Hale.

　　(HALE goes outside. The SHERIFF followsthe COUNTY ATTORNEY into the other room. Then MRS HALErises, hands tight together, looking intensely at MRSPETERS, whose eyes make a slow turn, finally meeting MRSHALE's. A moment MRS HALE holds her, then her own eyespoint the way to where the box is concealed. Suddenly MRSPETERS throws back quilt pieces and tries to put the box in thebag she is wearing. It is too big. She opens box, starts to takebird out, cannot touch it, goes to pieces, stands there helpless.Sound of a knob turning in the other room. MRS HALE snatchesthe box and puts it in the pocket of her big coat. Enter COUNTYATTORNEY and SHERIFF.)

　　COUNTY ATTORNEY: (facetiously) Well, Henry, at least wefound out that she was not going to quilt it. She was goingto—what is it you call it, ladies?

　　MRS HALE: (her hand against her pocket) We callit—knot it, Mr Henderson.

　　(CURTAIN)