SCORNFUL ONE Sometimes even better. LAWYER Well now, Ladies, let us drop personal dissentions for the moment. This unfortunate young man, Mr. Wallace, is much moved by your generosity. He had made up his mind to die for woman’s honor. Now it seems he is not to do so--a change of plan to which he has not yet adjusted himself. His perturbation makes him unequal to selecting the lady who was with him on the night of October 25. [_Door swings, PRISONER looks around nervously._] So--I would like to get your feeling. Since it seems unnecessary for all of you to have been with the young man on the night of October 25-- [_Again door swings._ PRISONER [_In a rasped voice._] Could that door be closed? It makes me--nervous. [_MOTHERLY WOMAN closes the door._ LAWYER Now, doubtless you will agree with me that we should always eliminate waste. If a woman’s honor is to be sacrificed, may I without indelicacy inquire who would sacrifice least? SHIELDED ONE [_Firmly._] I would. LAWYER [_Weakly._] _You_ would? CHEATED ONE [_In a voice dull as destiny._] The rest of you can talk as long as you like. _I_ shall stay. [_She rises and takes firm hold of the unfortunate young man’s chair._ LAWYER Well, there seems something final about that. MOTHERLY ONE Tell us, are you the one? CHEATED ONE I am the one to stay. SCORNFUL ONE Now, don’t cheat. Tell us, are you-- CHEATED ONE [_Passion flaming through sullenness._] Cheat? Cheat? You say to me, don’t cheat? I don’t cheat. I’ve been cheated. Cheated out of my chance to have a man I wanted by a man who would have what he wanted. Then he saved my woman’s honor. Married me and cheated me out of my life. I’m just something to be cheated. That’s the way I think of myself. Until this morning. Until I read about Gordon Wallace. Then I saw a way to get away from myself. It’s the first thing I ever wanted to do that I’ve done. You’ll not cheat me out of this. Don’t you try! SHIELDED ONE But she is thinking of it in just a personal way. CHEATED ONE That’s why I stay. SHIELDED ONE But think of my poor sisters! All those unfortunate women-- CHEATED ONE The only unfortunate woman I’ll think about is myself. SHIELDED ONE [_Wildly._] You hear her? The only unfortunate woman she’ll think about-- MOTHERLY ONE [_Approaching CHEATED ONE._] Now we really must ask you-- SILLY ONE Love is so beautiful! SCORNFUL ONE You can’t cheat just because you’ve been cheated. CHEATED ONE [_Inflamed--incoherent._] You say cheat to me again? You say _cheat_ to-- LAWYER [_Stepping in to pacify._] Ladies--ladies. Surely there must be a way out of the difficulty. Perhaps we can work out some way to-- SCORNFUL ONE To save _both_ of them through Gordon Wallace! [_All women except CHEATED ONE draw together excitedly. The PRISONER, who has rapidly been approaching the breaking point makes a move as if he must try to escape. The CHEATED ONE is watching the other women._ SCORNFUL ONE