BLANCHE. Blessedly happy! Our long silences in those days were not broken by an oath and a fling out of the room. Oh, the happiness it means to a wife to see it is hard for her husband to leave her in the morning, and to be taken so quickly--even roughly--into his arms at night that she knows he has been longing to come back to her. Nothing grew tame that first year. And at its end I climbed to the highest step I had reached yet, when you leaned over my bed and cried big man's tears, the first I'd ever seen you cry, and kissed me first, and then little Richard lying on my warm arm, and said, "God bless you, little mother." [_There is a pause._ BLANCHE _cries softly a moment._ STERLING _is silent, ashamed. Again she turns upon him, rousing herself, but with a voice broken with emotion._] And what a _bad_ father you've been to that boy! STERLING. I didn't mean to! That's done, that's past, but Richard's my boy. I'll make him proud of me, somehow! I'll win your love back--you'll see! [BLANCHE _is about to speak in remonstrance, but stops because of the entrance of_ LEONARD. _He brings a small chemist's box of tablets in an envelope and a glass of water on a small silver tray._ LEONARD. Your medicine, sir. [_He puts it on the table and goes out Right._ STERLING. Thank you, thank you! [_He takes the box of tablets out of the envelope._ BLANCHE. [_Going to him._] _You don't realize_ why I've told you all this! STERLING. [_Counting out the tablets._] One, two. To give me hope! To give me hope! [_He empties the other ten tablets into the envelope, twists it up, and throws it in the fireplace._ BLANCHE. No, no, just the opposite! STERLING. Then you've defeated your end, dear; you will stay here with me. BLANCHE. [_Trying to make him realize the exact position._] Opposite you at the table, receiving our friends, keeping up appearances, yes--but nearer to you than that? No! Never! STERLING. But you _will_ stay? [LEONARD _enters from Left._ LEONARD. Miss Godesby, Mr. Warden. [_They enter._ [_All greet each other._ WARDEN _nods stiffly to_ STERLING, _barely acknowledging his greeting._ MISS GODESBY. [_To_ STERLING, _purposely speaking with good-humored raillery to relieve the tension of the situation._] Well, you're a nice lot, aren't you? STERLING. I'm so ashamed! I'm so ashamed! MISS GODESBY. Oh, never mind that now. BLANCHE. I have no words to thank you with. MISS GODESBY. Oh, that's all right. The truth is, I've made Warden bring me here, Sterling, for a bit of business. I had an emotional moment yesterday and went off my head a bit. I stand by what I said as to keeping quiet, but--well, I'm like any other old maid who hates dust on her mantelpiece--I'm fidgety not to make some sort of a bluff at putting this thing on a business basis. WARDEN. Excuse me, Miss Godesby, I think Sterling ought to know the truth. STERLING. _Now_ what?