HELEN No, I am not Helen White. I am Mrs. Maxwell Johnson. POLICEMAN Thank you, madam, thank you; it’s just a matter of form. You see these parties is incendiaries; they called me a mermaiden. Now, just two more questions--it’s just a matter of form: Is Miss Helen White here? HELEN No, Helen White is not here. MAXWELL And I’m glad she isn’t here, officer. POLICEMAN You may well be that, sir; you may well be that. Now, is Lionel Morris here? (_There is a pause, during which the purple statue shakes slightly._) MAXWELL Well, what do you think about it, officer? Take a look around the place. Want to look in the dumb waiter or down the kitchen sink? POLICEMAN Oh, I know he’s not here, Mr. Johnson, and I’m sorry to have troubled you. Much obliged to you. Good night, sir. MAXWELL Have a drink before you go? POLICEMAN Well, I hadn’t ought to, but I guess I will, thanks. (HELEN _pours the whiskey and_ MAXWELL _and the policeman lift their glasses_.) POLICEMAN Well, here’s how, sir. MAXWELL Here’s Joplin! HELEN Oh, I’ll drink that. (_She takes a sip from_ MAXWELL’S _glass_.) POLICEMAN What’s that, something new? MAXWELL No, it’s old as Adam and Eve. POLICEMAN Well, it’s a new one on me. Thank you, sir. Good night. MAXWELL Good night. (_The policeman goes out. After the door slams shut_, LIONEL _stands up, but remains behind the purple statue_.) Hadn’t you better go to some other apartment house? The cop’s gone down the elevator. He’ll be gone by the time you get downstairs. (LIONEL _goes out and as he turns he brushes against the purple statue, which topples on its pedestal. He bangs the door shut after him violently, and the statue falls to the floor and breaks into several pieces._ MAXWELL _and_ HELEN _look at it for a moment and then turn to each other and laugh_.) HELEN Oh, look what’s happened to the “Emancipation of Woman”! CURTAIN Transcriber’s Notes Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in the original book; otherwise they were not changed. Simple typographical errors were corrected; unbalanced quotation marks were remedied when the change was obvious, and otherwise left unbalanced.