BISHOP. You're a very witty young man. Your sense of humor will
save you from any dangerous doctrine.

MARTIN. His sense of humor saves him from anything serious.

BISHOP. While I don't approve of a flippant attitude toward life,
it is far better than accepting dangerous and destructive
doctrines--such as Russian Communism.

MARTIN. Dangerous to world capitalism--but constructive of a new
civilization.

BISHOP. Young man, may I ask if you are American born?

MARTIN. I was born on a Dakota farm. My father was an American
kulak. An insurance company expropriated him.

LAURA. Bishop Holden didn't come to get into arguments with you
boys.

BISHOP. Another time, perhaps. I think I could convince you that
you're following a dangerous delusion.

MARTIN. Thanks, Laura. You're right. I'll run along.

TIPPY. I'll go with you. I've a bit of shopping I ought to do.

MARTIN. I'll get your hat. [_Goes to bedroom._]

BISHOP. And how is your business progressing, Timothy? Kenneth
wrote me about it. Don't be ashamed of it. Don't be ashamed of
honest labor, young man.--You are boarding dogs, I believe.

TIPPY. No. I have no place for that. I only wash them.

BISHOP. You wash them and they pay you?

TIPPY. Yes sir. That is, I wash the dogs, and the people pay me.

BISHOP. Ah yes. I understand.

[MARTIN _comes out with_ TIPPY'S _hat. Picks up his own._]

TIPPY. Clean dogs for clean people.

MARTIN. Lap dogs for kept women.--People are desperate and
destitute.--And Tippy washes dogs for a living!

BISHOP. It's a sad world. It's true that some have too much, and
many have too little....

MARTIN. But we mustn't protest. The meek shall inherit the earth!

BISHOP. And the devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.

MARTIN. I respect any man for his convictions. But it seems to me,
sir, if you want to save the church when the revolution comes to
America, you had better see to it that the class sympathy of the
church agrees with the class sympathy of the man who founded it.

TIPPY. [_Hurriedly._] Good-bye, sir. [TIPPY _and_ MARTIN _go._]

[LAURA _quickly gathers up the tea things and puts them on a tray
and goes to kitchen. In the following scene she is on and off. The_
BISHOP _walks about, troubled and silent. He looks at posters,
picks up the Russian books and looks at them._]

BISHOP. Russian. Why are you studying Russian?

KEN. I find it interesting.

BISHOP. Chinese would be interesting. Why Russian?

KE