COUNTY ATTORNEY No--it’s not cheerful. I shouldn’t say she had the homemaking instinct. MRS. HALE Well, I don’t know as Wright had, either. COUNTY ATTORNEY You mean that they didn’t get on very well? MRS. HALE No, I don’t mean anything. But I don’t think a place’d be any cheerfuller for John Wright’s being in it. COUNTY ATTORNEY I’d like to talk more of that a little later. I want to get the lay of things upstairs now. [_He goes to the left, where three steps lead to a stair door._ SHERIFF I suppose anything Mrs. Peters does’ll be all right. She was to take in some clothes for her, you know, and a few little things. We left in such a hurry yesterday. COUNTY ATTORNEY Yes, but I would like to see what you take, Mrs. Peters, and keep an eye out for anything that might be of use to us. MRS. PETERS Yes, Mr. Henderson. [_The women listen to the men’s steps on the stairs, then look about the kitchen._ MRS. HALE I’d hate to have men coming into my kitchen, snooping around and criticising. [_She arranges the pans under sink which the LAWYER had shoved out of place._ MRS. PETERS Of course it’s no more than their duty. MRS. HALE Duty’s all right, but I guess that deputy sheriff that came out to make the fire might have got a little of this on. [_Gives the roller towel a pull._] Wish I’d thought of that sooner. Seems mean to talk about her for not having things slicked up when she had to come away in such a hurry. MRS. PETERS [_Who has gone to a small table in the left rear corner of the room, and lifted one end of a towel that covers a pan._] She had bread set. [_Stands still._ MRS. HALE [_Eyes fixed on a loaf of bread beside the bread-box, which is on a low shelf at the other side of the room. Moves slowly toward it._] She was going to put this in there. [_Picks up loaf, then abruptly drops it. In a manner of returning to familiar things._] It’s a shame about her fruit. I wonder if it’s all gone. [_Gets up on the chair and looks._] I think there’s some here that’s all right, Mrs. Peters. Yes--here; [_Holding it toward the window_] this is cherries, too. [_Looking again._] I declare I believe that’s the only one. [_Gets down, bottle in her hand. Goes to the sink and wipes it off on the outside._] She’ll feel awful bad after all her hard work in the hot weather. I remember the afternoon I put up my cherries last summer. [_She puts the bottle on the big kitchen table, center of the room. With a sigh, is about to sit down in the rocking-chair. Before she is seated realizes what chair it is; with a slow look at it, steps back. The chair which she has touched rocks back and forth._ MRS. PETERS Well, I must get those things from the front room closet. [_She goes to the door at the right, but after looking into the other room, steps back._] You coming with me, Mrs. Hale? You could help me carry them.