LORD A. Amazing. [Music and applause heard left.]
MRS. B.-W. Mazzanini must be going to sing again.
DE W. R. Let us go!
MRS. B.-W. Fancy opera stars to dance to! A waltz song at a thousand dollars a minute!
DE W. R. Ah, but SUCH a song!
[They go off, left; half a dozen guests enter, right, and cross in groups.]
RUTH. [Enters, right, with PLIMPTON; looking about.] An extraordinary get-up!
PLIMP. Appalling extravagance, Rutherford! Appalling!
RUTH. Practically everybody's here.
PLIMP. Everybody I ever heard of.
RUTH. One doesn't meet you at balls very often, Plimpton.
PLIM. No. To tell the truth, I came from motives of prudence.
RUTH. Humph! To tell the truth, so did I!
PLIM. The man is mad, you know. and one can't tell what might offend him!
RUTH. And with the market in such a state!
PLIM. It's terrible! Terrible!. ah, Lord Alderdyce!
LORD A. Good evening, Mr. Plimpton. How d'ye do, Mr. Rutherford?
RUTH. As well as could be expected, Lord Alderdyce. It's a trying time for men of affairs. [They pass on, and go of, left.]
GER. They must be under quite a strain just now.
LORD A. Don't mention it. Don't mention it! I've invested all my funds in this country, and I tremble to pick up the last edition of the paper!
MRS. IS. [Enters, right, costumed en grande dame, much excited.] Oh, Gerald, Lord Alderdyce, what do you think I've just heard?
LORD A. What?
MRS. IS. About Prince Hagen and Mrs. Bagley-Willis. how she came to take him up! Percy Pennington told me about it. he's her own first cousin, you know, Lord Alderdyce. and he vows he saw the letter in her desk!
LORD A. Oh, tell us!
MRS. IS. Well, it was just after Prince Hagen made his appearance, when the papers were printing pages about him. And the news came that he'd bought these palaces; and the next day Mrs. Bagley-Willis got a letter marked personal. Percy quoted the words. Dear Madam: I wish to enter Society. I have no time to go through with the usual formalities. I am a nobleman, with an extraordinary mind and unlimited money. I intend to entertain New York Society as it has never dreamed of being entertained before. I should be very pleased if you would cooperate with me in making my opening ball a success. If you are prepared to do this, I am prepared to pay you the sum of one million dollars cash as soon as I receive your acceptance. Needless to say, of course, this proposition is entirely confidential!
LORD. A. By jove!
MRS. IS. Think of it!
GER. But can it be true?
MRS. IS. What is more likely, my dear? You know that Mrs. BagleyWillis has been spending millions every season to entertain at Newport; and their fortune will never stand that! Oh, I must give it to Van Tribber. he'll see that the papers have it!
LORD A. But hadn't you better make sure that it's really.
MRS. IS. It doesn't make the slightest difference! Everybody will know that it's true!
GER. They are ready to believe anything about Prince Hagen.
MRS. IS. Certainly, after a glimpse of this palace. Did you ever see such frantic money-spending in your life?
LORD A. Never!
MRS. IS. Gold! Gold! I am positively blinded with the sight of gold.
I'd seen every kind of decoration and furniture, I thought. but solid gold is new to me!
LORD A. Just look at this cup, for instance! [Points to coronation cup.] And those fountains. I believe that even the basins are of gold.
MRS. IS. Perhaps we could stop the water and see.
LORD A. I must go. I have a dance. I am sorry not to see your daughter.
MRS. IS. Yes. it was too bad she couldn't come. Good-bye. [LORD ALDERDYCE exit.]
MRS. IS. [Pointing to throne.] Look at that thing, Gerald!
GER. Yes. no wonder the crowd came!
MRS. IS. I imagine a good many came because they didn't dare stay away. They certainly can't be enjoying themselves after such a day down town.
GER. It was too bad the panic should come just on the eve of the ball.
MRS. IS. My dear Gerald! That's his sense of humor! He wanted to bring them here and set them to dancing and grinning, while in their hearts they are frightened to death.
GER. How did he do it, anyway?
MRS. IS. Why, he seems to have money without limit. and he's been buying and buying. everything in sight! You know how prices have been soaring the past two months. And of course the public went wild, and took to speculating. Then Prince Hagen sold; and the bottom has simply dropped out of everything.
GER. I see. And do you suppose the slump has hit father?
MRS. IS. I don't know. He won't talk to me about it. But it's easy to see how distressed he is. And then, to cap the climax, Estelle refuses to come here! Prince Hagen is certain to be furious.
GER. For my part, I admire her courage.
MRS. IS. But, Gerald. we can't afford to defy this man.
GER. Estelle can afford it, I hope.
MRS. IS. Here comes your father now. Look at him! Gerald, won't you go, please. I want to have a talk with him.
GER. All right. [Exit, right.]
MRS. IS. John!
ISMAN. [Enters, left, pale and depressed.] What is it?
MRS. IS. You look so haggard and worried!
IS. I AM worried!
MRS. IS. You ought to be home in bed.
IS. I couldn't sleep. What good would it do?
MRS. IS. Aren't you going to get any rest at all?
IS. It's time for reports from the London markets pretty soon. They open at five o'clock, by our time. And I'm hoping there may be some support for Intercontinental. it's my last hope MRS. IS. Oh, dear me! Dear me!
IS. If that fails, there is nothing left for us. We are ruined!
Utterly ruined!
MRS. IS. John!
IS. We shall be paupers!
MRS. IS. John Isman, that's absurd! A man who's worth a hundred million dollars, like you.
IS. It'll be gone. all of it!
MRS. IS. Gone?
Is. Do you realize that to-day I had to sell every dollar of my Transatlantic stock?
MRS. IS. [Horrified.] Good God!
IS. There has never been a day like it in all history! There are no words to tell about it!
MRS. IS. Oh, that monster!
IS. And the worst of it is, the man seems to be after me particularly!
Everything I rely upon seems to collapse. everywhere I turn I find that I'm blocked.
MRS. IS. Oh, it must have been because of that affair in our house. and in the saloon that dreadful night. We ought never to have gone to that place! I knew as soon as I laid eyes on the man that he'd do us harm.
IS. We must keep out of his power. We must save what we can from the wreck and learn to do with it. You'll have to give up your Newport plans this year.
MRS. IS. [Aghast.] What!
IS. We won't be able to open the house.
MRS. IS. You're mad!
IS. My dear.
MRS. IS. Now, John Isman, you listen to me! I was quite sure you had some such idea in your mind! And I tell you right now, I simply will not hear of it! I.
IS. But what can we do, my dear?
MRS. IS. I don't know what we can do! But you'll have to raise money somehow. I will not surrender my social position to Mrs. Bagley-Willis
not for all the Wall Street panics in the world. Oh, that man is a fiend! I tell you, John Isman.
IS. Control yourself!
HAGEN. [Off right.] Very well! I shall be charmed, I'm sure. [Enters.]
Oh! How do you do, Mrs. Isman?
MRS. IS. Oh, Prince Hagen, a most beautiful evening you've given us.
HAGEN. Ah! I'm glad if you've enjoyed it.
MRS. IS. Yes, indeed.
IS. Prince Hagen, may I have a few words with you?
HAGEN. Why, surely. if you wish.
IS. I do.