SNOOKS. It won’t hurt it, lady. Just leave it out in the sun for an hour. Now the spirits of Jupiter. [_He fills the medicine dropper from a small bottle and lets a slow, interminable procession of drops fall into the bowl. Jerry watches intently and with gathering anxiety. At about the fourteenth drop he starts every time one falls. Finally Mr. Snooks ceases._] JERRY. How many did you count? SNOOKS. Sixteen. JERRY. I counted eighteen. SNOOKS. Well, a drop or so won’t make no difference. Now you got a funnel? JERRY. I’ll get one. [_He goes for it._] SNOOKS. Good stuff, lady. This is as good as what you used to buy for the real thing. _Charlotte does not deign to answer._ You needn’t worry about that spoon. If that spoon had a been the real thing it w’na done like that. You can try out all your stuff that way. A lot of stuff is sold for silver nowadays that ain’t at all. _Jerry returns with the funnel, and Mr. Snooks pours the contents of the bowl into the two glass jars._ SNOOKS [_holding up one jar admiringly_]. The real thing. CHARLOTTE. It’s cloudy. SNOOKS [_reproachfully_]. Cloudy? You call that cloudy? That isn’t cloudy. Why, it’s just as clear---- _He holds it up and pretends to look through it. This is unquestionably a mere gesture, for the mixture is heavily opaque and not to be pierced by the human eye._ CHARLOTTE [_disregarding him and turning scornfully to Jerry_]. I wouldn’t drink it if it was the last liquor in the world. SNOOKS. Lady, if this was the last liquor in the world it wouldn’t be for sale. JERRY [_doubtfully_]. It does look a little--cloudy. SNOOKS. No-o-o--! Why you can see right through it. [_He fills a glass and drinks it off._] Why, it just needs to be filtered. That’s just nervous matter. CHARLOTTE AND JERRY [_together_]. Nervous matter? JERRY. When did we put that in? SNOOKS. We didn’t put it in. It’s just a deposit. Sure, that’s just nervous matter. Any chemis’ will tell you. CHARLOTTE [_sardonically_]. Ha-ha! “Nervous matter.” There’s no such thing. SNOOKS. Sure! That’s just nervous matter. [_He fills the glass and hands it to her._] Try it! CHARLOTTE. Ugh! _As he comes near she leans away from him in horror. Snooks offers the glass to Jerry._ If you drink any of that stuff they’ll have to analyze you all over again. _But Jerry drinks it._ CHARLOTTE. I can’t stand this. When your--when _he’s_ gone I’ll thank you to open the windows. [_She goes out and up-stairs._] SNOOKS _[with a cynical laugh_]. Your old lady’s a little sore on you, eh? JERRY [_bravely_]. No. She doesn’t care what I do. SNOOKS. You ought to give her a bat in the eye now and then. That’d fix her. JERRY [_shocked_]. Oh, no; you oughtn’t to talk that way. SNOOKS. Well, if you like ’em to step around.... Sixteen bucks, please. _Jerry searches his pockets._