LESLIE. A thief's sister! Why are you here? why are you here? Tell me! Why do you not speak? Man, I know you of old. Are you Brodie, and have nothing to say? BRODIE. To say? Not much--God help me!--and commonplace, commonplace like sin. I was honest once; I made a false step; I couldn't retrace it; and ... that is all. LESLIE. You have forgot the bad companions! BRODIE. I did forget them. They were there. LESLIE. Commonplace! Commonplace! Do you speak to me, do you reason with me, do you make excuses? You--a man found out, shamed, a liar, a thief--a man that's killed me, killed this heart in my body; and you speak! What am I to do? I hold your life in my hand; have you thought of that? What am I to do? BRODIE. Do what you please; you have me trapped. (_JEAN WATT is heard singing without two bars of "Wanderin' Willie," by way of signal._) LESLIE. What is that? BRODIE. A signal. LESLIE. What does it mean? BRODIE. Danger to me: there is some one coming. LESLIE. Danger to you? BRODIE. Some one is coming. What are you going to do with me? (_A knock at the door._) LESLIE (_after a pause_). Sit down. (_Knocking._) BRODIE. What are you going to do with me? LESLIE. Sit down. (_BRODIE sits in darkest part of stage. LESLIE opens door and admits LAWSON. Door open till end of Act._) SCENE V BRODIE, LAWSON, LESLIE LAWSON. This is an unco' time to come to your door; but eh, laddie, I couldna bear to think o' ye sittin' yer lane in the dark. LESLIE. It was very good of you. LAWSON. I'm no' very fond of playing hidee in the dark mysel': and noo that I'm here---- LESLIE. I will give you a light. (_He lights the candles. Lights up._) LAWSON. God A'michty! William Brodie! LESLIE. Yes, Brodie was good enough to watch with me. LAWSON. But he gaed awa' ... I dinna see ... an' Lord be guid to us, the window's open! LESLIE. A trap we laid for them: a device of Brodie's. BRODIE (_to LAWSON_). Set a thief to catch a thief. (_Passing to LESLIE, aside._) Walter Leslie, God will reward. (_JEAN signals again._) LAWSON. I dinna like that singin' at siccan a time o' the nicht. BRODIE. I must go. LAWSON. Not one foot o' ye. I'm ower glad to find ye in guid hands. Ay, ye dinna ken how glad. BRODIE (_aside to LESLIE_). Get me out of this. There's a man there will stick at nothing. LESLIE. Mr. Lawson, Brodie has done his shift. Why should we keep him? (_JEAN appears at the door, and signs to BRODIE._) LAWSON. Hoots! this is my trade. That's a bit o' "Wanderin' Willie." I've had it before me in precognitions; that same stave has been used for a signal by some o' the very warst o' them. BRODIE (_aside to LESLIE_). Get me out of this. I'll never forget to-night. (_JEAN at door again._) LESLIE. Well, good-night, Brodie. When shall we meet again? LAWSON. Not one foot o' him. (_JEAN at door._) I tell you, Mr. Leslie---- SCENE VI _To these, JEAN_ JEAN (_from the door_). Wullie, Wullie!