That’s what’s the matter, and this is Friday and it’s six-thirty now. They ought to have been here three-quarters of an hour ago—mighty good thing they’re late. ETHEL I wonder if the maid has forgotten, too. MRS. BENSON My goodness, what if she has forgotten! You be straightening the room—I’ll go and see her. _Exit Mrs. Benson. Enter butler._ WALTER Sorry, I’m so long, Miss Ethel. ETHEL You don’t look so very long to me. Fix the fire and see that everything is ready for company, the Asterbilts are coming. WALTER The Asterbilts! You having those swell bugs here! You had better order a butler and have him delivered at once. _Exit Walter._ ETHEL This is an awful state of affairs. Here the swellest people in town are coming and we’re not ready. I didn’t much want to have them, but mother insisted. She said it was time I ought to be getting acquainted with some of the good people of the city. I’m not very ambitious, if they’re all like Mr. Smith. Some idea he’s got of what love is; and father makes so many mistakes. He simply can’t learn the city ways and this is the first time we’ve invited in any society people. Well, it’s too late now to talk about it—we’d might as— _Enter Mr. Benson._ MR. BENSON Mailed your letters, Ethel. Why, what’s up, girl—be ye cleanin’ house so soon? Don’t think you’ll last if you go over this house at that pace. ETHEL We invited the Asterbilts for supper and we’d forgotten all about it till it was past the time they were supposed to be here. They’re almost an hour late now. This is enough to give one nervous prostration. Maybe they’re not coming, though. MR. BENSON By jinks, I hope they’ll come. I was just wonderin’ the other day why we couldn’t have in some of our neighbors and get acquainted a little. Why, we don’t even know the people across the street from us. Out on the farm we knew people from six to twelve miles around. _Enter Mrs. Benson._ MRS. BENSON The maid says everything is ready. Wonder why they don’t come or phone us. I wish they wouldn’t come, now. Why, what will they think of us in these clothes? _Enter Walter. Hands Mrs. Benson a card._ MRS. BENSON _Reading._ They’re here, show them up, Walter. WALTER I’m afraid I’m a poor butler. _Exit._ MR. BENSON I don’t see what there is to worry about—your clothes are clean and neat. What more can they expect? By jinks, I don’t let a little thing like that worry me. _Enter Mr. and Mrs. Asterbilt, preceded by butler._ MRS. BENSON