Oh!... And, Aunt Letitia, you've opened Emily's trunk! LETITIA Yes, Susan is going to be in a pageant. SUSAN Who was Emily? NATHANIEL She was-- LETITIA Nathaniel dear, you must not satisfy her curiosity. (_To Susan_) You go find Jonathan, dear, and tell him that his uncle is here. (_To Nathaniel_) I'll put these things away, and we'll go into the house. SUSAN (_reluctantly_) Good-bye, Mr. Clay. NATHANIEL Good-bye, Susan. You'll come back, won't you? SUSAN Oh, yes. Good-bye. NATHANIEL Good-bye. [_Susan goes out._ LETITIA She hates to go. She's never seen anyone just like you: and I have only seen one. NATHANIEL Who's Jonathan? LETITIA He's the one.... He's Emily's boy. NATHANIEL You mean Emily-- LETITIA No, no, my dear. Emily was married, left the stage. She wasn't happy. The boy was her only comfort. NATHANIEL He's my nephew. Why, I'm Uncle Nathaniel. Oh, Aunt Letty, I'm getting to be an old man! LETITIA Nathaniel, Jonathan doesn't know about his mother. I sent Susan away because I didn't want her to associate these things with Jonathan's mother. NATHANIEL My God, Emily didn't do anything wrong. LETITIA Well, she was an actress. NATHANIEL And a good one, too. LETITIA Yes, yes, dear. All that has been talked over many times, but John is the head of the family and he doesn't approve of the stage. NATHANIEL So! John is still himself. LETITIA John is austere, Nathaniel. He is a Clay through and through and he holds to the traditions of the family. NATHANIEL I remember the traditions, Aunt Letitia. LETITIA I never oppose John. He feels that he is right. But it _is_ very hard sometimes to live up to his rules. NATHANIEL Has he rules? LETITIA Well, he has ideas, dear--much like your father's. We might call them rules. NATHANIEL Where is Emily? LETITIA Two years ago, Nathaniel. [_There is a moment's silence._ NATHANIEL Did she ever go back to the stage? LETITIA No. John forbade it. NATHANIEL And John is still forbidding. LETITIA John is the head of the family. NATHANIEL So.... The Clay family is still an absolute monarchy. LETITIA Nathaniel, dear, will you promise me-- NATHANIEL (_with a smile_) I'll try. LETITIA Will you promise not to antagonize John? NATHANIEL Will John antagonize _me_? I came back to see my home--to see you, my dear aunt. But I am a grown man now. LETITIA Won't you try to be patient? It will be pleasanter for me. And I have waited so long to see you, Nathaniel. There are seventeen very, very long years for us to talk about. Let John have his way. NATHANIEL Well, I'll try for a few days. But I give you warning, my ideas have been settling during the past few years, too. LETITIA Remember, he is used to being obeyed just as your father was. NATHANIEL Yes, I remember that, dear Aunt; but John isn't my father. He is just a brother to whom fate gave a fifteen years' start by birth.