INGOLDSBY (_with hasty meekness_) I’ll call you anything you like; but I want to know who it was that _spoke_. You say it wasn’t you-- LANCELOT (_very emphatically_) No, it wasn’t. I wouldn’t ’a’ told you to look under the settee, would I? INGOLDSBY (_with a gesture toward Rupert_) And this gentleman says it wasn’t he. RUPERT Why, it spoke again after I came out. INGOLDSBY (_quite bewildered_) So it did. Then who-- LANCELOT I don’t care who it was; what I want to point out, right here and now, before we go any further, why, I’m in a position to say that I got some plans for my future life and I don’t expect to have any intaference with ’em from my family, or from anybody that wants to _join_ my family either. All up to now, I’ve spent my life in a dependent position, so to speak, but after what’s happened here lately, and knowin’ all the _things_ I _do_ know-- (_His voice has risen during this oration, and Jessie, after a glance to the left entrance, attempts to moderate him._) JESSIE Hush! There’s somebody-- LANCELOT I don’t care _who’s_ comin’, I’m goin’ to say my say. I expect to settle my own future in my own way, and any lady that I may decide to make _another_ member of this family-- JESSIE _Hush!_ (_The eyes of Lancelot follow hers to the left entrance and his stern manner is instantly softened._) LANCELOT It’s her. (_Mrs. Curtis comes in, but stops uncertainly near the entrance._) MRS. CURTIS Oh! I’m afraid I-- (_She turns to go._) LANCELOT Wait. I was just talkin’ to ’em about you. MRS. CURTIS You were, Mr. Briggs? LANCELOT (_to the others, reprovingly_) _She_ never calls me Lancelot. Missuz--Missuz Curtis, I didn’t have to tell ’em; they’d already found out you were a widow. We don’t need to bother about that anyway. MRS. CURTIS _We_ don’t? LANCELOT I’ve found out a good _many_ things since I saw you, and I’m goin’ to tell you the whole biznuss. MRS. BRIGGS Shame! JESSIE (_with a despairing laugh_) What would it matter? There’s somebody _else_ here that knows “the whole biznuss”! MRS. CURTIS (_struck by this_) What did you say, Miss Briggs? INGOLDSBY (_warmly_) She made a sensible remark, madam. There is a person concealed in this room-- MRS. CURTIS (_impulsively_) Oh, dear! How did you know? ALL THE OTHERS What? MRS. CURTIS Nothing. INGOLDSBY All right! (_To Rupert._) I think I know now where he is, and I’m going to have him out. MRS. CURTIS (_gasping, then imploringly_) _Please_ stop! INGOLDSBY (_halting_) Why? MRS. CURTIS (_weakly_) It’s a friend of mine. LANCELOT (_apprehensively_) A friend of yours? MRS. CURTIS I--I’ll answer for him. He’ll never mention--ah--anything. He really wouldn’t be interested. He doesn’t know any of you. THE MYSTERIOUS VOICE No; and doesn’t care to! INGOLDSBY (_angrily_) Now, I _will_-- MRS. CURTIS _Please_ don’t! INGOLDSBY