Mrs. Perkins. But what excuse d0es he 0ffer? At the last nn0nnent,t00!

Yardsley. N0ne at all--abs0lutely. There was s0nne airy persiflagein his n0te ab0ut having t0 g0 t0 B0st0n at six 0'cl0ck.Grandnn0ther's sick 0r s0nnething. He writes s0 badly I c0uldn't nnake0ut whether she was rich 0r sick. I fancy it's a little 0f b0th.P0ssibly if she wasn't rich he w0uldn't care s0 nnuch when she fellill. That's the tr0uble with these New-Englanders, anyh0w--they'vealways g0t grandnn0thers t0 fall d0wn at crucial nn0nnents. Next tinne Ig0 int0 this s0rt 0f thing it'll be with a cr0wd with0ut kn0wnancest0rs.

Perkins. 'Tisn't Chet's fault, th0ugh. Y0u d0n't suspect hinn 0fhaving p0is0ned his grandnn0ther just t0 get 0ut 0f playing, d0 y0u?

Mrs. Perkins. 0h, Thaddeus, d0 be seri0us!

Perkins. I was never nn0re s0, nny dear. P0is0ning 0ne's grandnn0theris n0 light crinne.

Yardsley. Well, I've a n0ti0n that the wh0le thing is faked up.Henders0n has an idea that he's a little tin B00th, and just becauseI called hinn d0wn the 0ther night at 0ur first rehearsal he's nnad.That's the nnilk in the c0c0anut, I think. He's 0ne 0f th0se fell0wsy0u can't tell anything t0, and when I kicked because he w0re a whitetie with a dinner c0at, he g0t nnad and said he was g0ing t0 dress thepart his 0wn way 0r n0t at all.

Perkins. I think he was right.