Let me. (_She goes._) It may be Wallace. (_At phone._) Yes: this is 116 Chelsea. Long Distance? (_He starts as she says to him_) It must be our boy. (_At phone._) Who? Oh--_Mr._ William White? Yes: he’ll be here. (_She hangs up receiver._) She’ll ring when she gets the connection through. WHITE (_Turning away_) It takes so long these days. HILDA Funny he didn’t ask for me. WHITE What made you think it was Wallace? HILDA I took it for granted. He must be having a hard time at college with all the boys full of war fever. WHITE And a father with my record. HILDA He should be proud of the example. He has more than other boys to cling to these days when everybody is losing his head as the band plays and the flag is waved. He won’t be carried away by it. He’ll remember all we taught him. Ah, Will, when I think we now have conscription--as they have in Germany--I thank God every night our boy is too young for the draft. WHITE But when his time comes what will he do? HILDA (_Calmly_) He will do it with courage. WHITE (_Referring to her brother’s letter_) Either prison or acceptance! HILDA I would rather have my son in prison than have him do what he felt was wrong. Wouldn’t you? WHITE (_Evasively_) We won’t have to face that problem for two years. HILDA And when it comes--if he falters--I’ll give him these notes of that wonderful speech you made at the International Conference in 1910. (_Picking it up._) I was looking through it only this morning. WHITE (_Troubled_) Oh, that speech. HILDA (_Glancing through it with enthusiasm_) “All wars are imperialistic in origin. Do away with overseas investments, trade routes, private control of ammunition factories, secret diplomacy....” WHITE Don’t you see that’s all dead wood? HILDA (_Not heeding him_) This part gave me new strength when I thought of Wallace. (_Reading with eloquence._) “War will stop when young men put Internationalism above Nationality, the law of God above the dictates of statesmen, the law of love above the law of hate, the law of self-sacrifice above the law of profit. There must be no boundaries in man’s thought. Let the young men of the world once throw down their arms, let them once refuse to point their guns at human hearts, and all the boundaries of the world will melt away and peace will find a resting-place in the hearts of men!” WHITE (_Taking it from her_) And I made you believe it! What silly prophets we radicals were. (_He tears it up._) Mere scraps of paper, dear; scraps of paper, now. HILDA But it was the truth; it still _is_ the truth. WHITE Hilda, there’s something I want to talk over very very seriously with you. I’ve been putting it off. HILDA Yes, dear? (_The outer door is heard to bang._) Listen: wasn’t that the front door? WHITE Perhaps it’s the maid? HILDA (_A bit nervously_) No: she’s upstairs. No one rang. Please see. WHITE (_Smiling_) Now don’t worry! It can’t possibly be the Secret Service. HILDA