lity has always been the most powerful force
to make man go along the path of duty, even though the way seemed
hard.

LAURA. At least I have spared Ken that! He _can_ do as he pleases.
I am still working, and can take care of myself.

BISHOP. Yes, quite right. That is the way we must present it to
him. That he need consider only himself.

LAURA. Poor Ken. What can he ...

BISHOP. Sh!

[KEN _enters, followed by_ MARTIN _and_ TIPPY.]

KEN. Who said I had no manners! [_To_ BISHOP _and_ LAURA, _with
absurd, ironic dignity._] The boys say I wasn't a gentleman. I
apologize.

LAURA. Never mind, Ken.

KEN. A man ought to be a gentleman, even to his wife. [_She turns
away. To his father._] A man ought to respect his father. I
apologize.

BISHOP. I accept your apology, son.

KEN. [_To boys._] There you are! I apologized to my father. He
accepted my apology. [_To_ LAURA.] I apologize.

LAURA. All right, Ken. I accept your apology. [_At the end of her
self-control._] And now that's enough.

KEN. No. I got one more apology to make.

TIPPY. All right, Ken. I'll take the next one.

KEN. I didn't insult you.

TIPPY. No. Well, whom did you insult?

KEN. I insulted Mr. Prescott.

BISHOP. Prescott?

LAURA. You haven't anything to apologize to him for, Ken!

KEN. I called him a lousy heel. If that's all right with you, I
won't apologize.

TIPPY. You did what?

KEN. I called up Mr. Prescott on the telephone and told him ...

LAURA. When did you call him on the telephone?

KEN. Before.

BISHOP. You were drunk!

KEN. I wasn't drunk then.

LAURA. What did you tell him?

KEN. Specifically?--Specifically I told him--Martin'll like
this.... [_Looks about blankly, doesn't see_ MARTIN.] I told him
that as a multimillionaire, as a captain of industry, as a pillar
of capitalistic society, he ought to be ashamed of himself for
robbing the widows and the orphans and taking the money out of the
collection baskets of the House of God to pay an architect to draw
plans for a wastebasket.

TIPPY. Good Lord!

KEN. [_To_ LAURA.] You think I ought to apologize to him for that?

BISHOP. If you really did say anything like that to Prescott, of
course you will have to apologize.

KEN. [_To_ LAURA.] Dad is a gentleman. And he thinks I ought to
apologize. Well, what do you think?

LAURA. Oh, leave me alone, leave me alone!

BISHOP. But surely that is all a figment of your imagination.--When
a man has been under the i