The Climbers Part 3

JESSICA AND RUTH. [_Taking her hands._] Good-by.

[RUTH _looks about the room to say good-by to it; she cries and hurriedly begins pulling down her veil, and starts to go out as_ JORDAN _enters Left and announces "Mr. Mason!"_

[MRS. HUNTER _fluffs her hair a little and hopes she looks becoming._

[MASON _is a typical New Yorker, well built, well preserved, dignified, and good-looking,--a solid man in every sense of the word._

MASON. [_Meeting_ RUTH, _shakes hands with her._] Miss Hunter.

RUTH. I am just going, Mr. Mason.

MASON. You must stay. I sent word to your house this morning to meet me here.

[_Shakes hands with the others._

RUTH. I was here all night.

MRS. HUNTER. Will you have some tea? The children were hungry.

MASON. No, thank you. [_To_ BLANCHE.] Isn't your husband here?

[JORDAN, _at a signal from_ MRS. HUNTER, _removes the tea things._

BLANCHE. No, he left us at the door when we came back.

MASON. Didn't he get a letter from me this morning asking him to meet me here?

BLANCHE. Oh, yes, he did mention a letter at breakfast, but my thoughts were away. He has been very much worried lately over his affairs; he doesn't confide in me, but I see it. I wish you could advise him, Mr.

Mason.

MASON. I cannot advise your husband if he won't _ask_ my advice. I don't think we'll wait for Mr. Sterling.

[_Gives chair to_ MRS. HUNTER.

MRS. HUNTER. I suppose you've come about all the horrid business. Why not just tell us how much our income is, and let all the details go. I really think the details are more than I can bear to-day.

MASON. That can be certainly as you wish; but I felt--as your business adviser--and besides I promised my old friend, your husband--it was my duty to let you know how matters stand with the least possible delay.

MRS. HUNTER. [_Beginning to break down._] George! George!

[RUTH _looks at her, furious, and bites her lips hard._ JESSICA _is standing with her back toward them._

MASON. Well, then--

[_He is interrupted by_ MRS. HUNTER, _who sees_ JESSICA.

MRS. HUNTER. Jess! How rude you are! Turn around this minute! [JESSICA _does not move._] What do you mean! Excuse me, Mr. Mason! Jess! Such disrespect to your father's will! Turn around! [_Angry._] Do you hear me?

JESSICA. [_With her back still turned, her shoulders shaking, speaks in a voice broken with sobs._] Leave me alone! Leave me alone--

[_She sits in a chair beside her and leans her arms upon its back and buries her face in her arms._

BLANCHE. [_With her hand on her mother's arm._] Mother! Don't worry her!

MRS. HUNTER. Go on, please, Mr. Mason, and remember, _spare us the details._ What is our income?

MASON. Mrs. Hunter, there is no income.

MRS. HUNTER. [_Quietly, not at all grasping what he means._] No income!

How is our money--

MASON. I am sorry to say there is _no_ money.

MRS. HUNTER. [_Echoes weakly._] No money?

MASON. Not a penny!

MRS. HUNTER. [_Realizing now what he means, cries out in a loud, hard, amazed voice._] What!

BLANCHE. [_With her hand on her shoulder._] Mother!

MRS. HUNTER. I don't believe it!

RUTH. [_To_ MASON.] My good friend, do you mean that literally--that my brother died without leaving _any_ money behind him?

MRS. HUNTER. For his wife and family?

MASON. I mean just that.

RUTH. But how?

MRS. HUNTER. Yes, _tell us the details_--every one of them! You can't imagine the shock this is to me!

MASON. Hunter sent for me two days before he died, and told me things had gone badly with him last year, but it seemed impossible to retrench his expenses.

RUTH. _Are you listening, Florence?_

MRS. HUNTER. Yes, of course I am; your brother was a very extravagant man!

MASON. This year, with his third daughter coming out, there was need of more money than ever. He was hara.s.sed nearly to death with financial worries. [RUTH _begins to cry softly._ MRS. HUNTER _gets angrier and angrier._] And finally, in sheer desperation, and trusting to the advice of the Storrings, he risked everything he had with them in the Consolidated Copper. The day after, he was taken ill. You know what happened. The Storrings, Hunter, and others were ruined absolutely; the next day Hunter died.

RUTH. Poor George! Why didn't he come to me; he must have known that everything I had was his!

MASON. He was too ill when the final blow came to realize it.

MRS. HUNTER. [_Angry._] But his _life insurance_,--there was a big policy in my name.

MASON. He had been obliged to let that lapse.