(_They go out, Back, banging the door shut after them. She drops her pocket book on the table, picks up her coat and puts it on. A light knock sounds on the door, Back. She starts to answer the door, but halts abruptly and a look of suspicion comes over her face. Her eyes light upon the pocket book. She picks it up, goes to the cupboard, Left, drops it in the crockery jar, puts the lid on, closes the cupboard door and hurries to the door, Back. Just as she reaches it, the knock sounds again. She opens it. Chick Avery stands outside._) LUCY BELLE Chick--! CHICK (_making an obsequious bow_) Dat’s me! LUCY BELLE Come in! (_He enters, carrying a suit case, which he deposits near the door. He looks a little more spruce than in the preceding act and carries himself with a decidedly prosperous air. Lucy Belle closes the door, and they both come down to Center._) CHICK De boat jes’ git in. LUCY BELLE It did--? CHICK Mighty good ter see yo’ agin. LUCY BELLE (_with a coy toss of her head_) Go ’long! CHICK On mah way ter de Gran’ Imperial. LUCY BELLE (_trying to place the name_) Gran’ Imperial--! CHICK Colored hotel ovah yere on M Street. LUCY BELLE Oh--de one Jim Mumbly keep! CHICK (_nodding_) Yas. LUCY BELLE Uster be de Johnson House. CHICK (_with a laugh_) Yas, yas. Change its name ev’y monf. LUCY BELLE Is yo’ stoppin’ dere, now? CHICK Jes’ now an’ den. Git tired gwine ’way out ter mah broder’s in G’orgetown ev’y time I’se in town. Min’ ef I leave dis suit case yere till I see ef dey got a room at de hotel? LUCY BELLE No, indeedy! CHICK Ef dey is, I’ll sen’ a boy ovah fo’ it--ef dey ain’, I’ll drap back an’ git it an’ go on out ter G’orgetown,--’less yo’ wan’ ter put me up yere. LUCY BELLE W’at yo’ talkin’ ’bout? CHICK (_sitting on the edge of the table_) Jes’ met ole man Pocher gwine down de line. LUCY BELLE Yo’ did--! CHICK Say he jes’ give up his room. LUCY BELLE (_removing her jacket and throwing it over the back of a chair_) I reckon he tol’ yo’ de truf. CHICK W’at’s de mattah? LUCY BELLE Boys in de alley keep aftah him all de time. Pesters him ter deaf. Puts salt on de do’step an’ ev’ythin’ like dat. CHICK Go ’long! LUCY BELLE Done ev’ythin’ dey could ter git his goat. CHICK Hard bunch, ain’ dey? LUCY BELLE ’Deed dey is--an’ I ain’ had no time ter lay fo’ ’em. CHICK Mighty sorry yo’ havin’ dis trouble. Ef dey’s any way I kin he’p yo’ clean up fo’ ’em, lemme know. LUCY BELLE Ain’ nuffin’ yo’ kin do. I oughter put de _po_-lice on ’em--but, yo’ knows, dat gwine ter make all kin’-a trouble fo’ me. (_He nods._) Dere people ’ud blackguard me--an’ raise hell. CHICK Why don’ yo’ move? LUCY BELLE (_shaking her head_) Kain’t right now. CHICK Gwine ter keep on rentin’ it? LUCY BELLE W’at--? CHICK De room. LUCY BELLE Sho’--! CHICK Got anabody fo’ it? LUCY BELLE (_irritated by the assumption she should act so quickly_) W’at yo’ spec’? He only jes’ give it up. CHICK