"No, Mr. Feist, mamma's breaking. Every day since her stroke I can see it more. It nearly kills me, too. It's pretty lonesome for her, up here away from all her old friends. Outside of my husband and Bleema, not a soul in the house talks her language except Sol and Etta when they come over." "She's my nice darling grandma," said Miss Pelz, suddenly pirouetting up from her chair around the table, kissing the old lips lightly and then back again, all in a butterfly jiffy. MRS. PELZ (_sotto to Mr. Feist_). Ain't she the sweetest thing with her grandmother? "Umh!" said Mr. Spencer, draining his wine-glass to the depth of its stem. "Mr. Pelz, believe me if the Atlantic Ocean was made out of this stuff, you wouldn't have to engage passage for me; I'd swim across." "You better learn how first," said Mr. Pelz. "You've cost me a fortune already in dummies for the water scenes." "It's a riot, Mr. Pelz, the way they go mad over me in that Pelham Bay scene in 'The Marines Are Coming.' I dropped into the Buckingham to see it last night, and before I knew it the house had it that I was present and was going wild over me. They had to throw the spotlight on the box." "I love that scene, too, Lester! Honest, I just squeeze up with excitement where you stand there at the edge of the deck and take the plunge into the water to rescue Norma Beautiful." "You mean a super for five a day takes the plunge." "Tell you another scene where I simply raise the roof off the house in--" MR. PELZ: Williams, pass Mr. Feist some more of them little cabbages. "Brussels sprouts, dad." MRS. PELZ: I guess you miss Norma Beautiful not playing with you in "Saint Elba," don't you, Lester? You and her are so used to playing with each other. "I was the one first suggested she wouldn't be the type to play Josephine, Mrs. Pelz. Too thin. I've got to be contrasted right or it kills me--" "Williams, a little more of that chicken stuffing. It's almost good enough to remind me how you and grandma used to make it, Rosie." "Speaking of 'Saint Elba,' Mr. Pelz, somebody must speak to Mabel Lovely about the way she keeps hogging center-stage in that scene with me on--" "There's no center-stage left to hog with you in the picture, Spencer." "She crowds me to profile. They want me full-face. If you'd put in a word to Sol to direct it that way! Other night, at the Buckingham, it was a riot every time I turned full-face. Just because a fellow happens to have a good profile is no reason why--" "Well, Feist, how does the war look to-day?" "Ugly, Pelz, ugly. Every hour this country lets pass with Belgium unavenged she is going to pay up for later." "It's not our fight, Mr. Feist." "Maybe it's not our fight, Mr. Spencer, but if ever there was a cause that is all humanity's fight, it is those bleeding and murdered women and children of Belgium. You're sailing over there yourself next week, Mr. Spencer, and I hope to God you will see for yourself how much of our fight it is."