mateur].
Stealing nickels doesn't develop the imagination.

UNA [desperately]. How can you love your wife? Some simple, economizing,
prosaic, hausfrau who----

GEORGE [with spirit]. I don't know what you're saying, but you better be
careful not to insult my wife. She's as good as you are and a rector's
daughter.

UNA [dumbfounded]. What?

GEORGE. Yes. Daughter of one of the biggest sky-pilots in town. I met
her at a settlement house. She put the question to me, too.

UNA [angry and doubting]. She----?

GEORGE. Sure. I've been through something like this before or I'd never
been able to stand it so well.

UNA [as before]. Your wife----?

GEORGE. Had a good deal more pluck than you, though. Up and told her
father she would marry me if he liked it or lumped it. He said he'd cut
her. And he did. We never seen him since. But Naomi and I don't care.
That's her name; so you can see she's a Bible-poacher's daughter. Naomi
and I've been happier than any people on earth. [Sternly.] She's taught
me to stand when a lady was standing. That's why I wouldn't obey you.
She's teaching me how to speak, too, and if I do say "ain't" and a
lot of other things I oughtn't to when I'm excited, that ai--isn't her
fault.

UNA. Then she--Naomi--has done everything unusual that I wanted to do,
before I did?

GEORGE. Sure. You can't be unusual to-day. Too much brains been in the
world before.

UNA. How is it I never heard this story, if her father's so well known?

GEORGE. D'you think your father's the only one can keep things out of
the papers?

UNA [going over and weeping on her father's shoulder]. Oh! And I wanted
to be unique.

BRAITHEWAITE [patting her]. There, there, dear. [To GEORGE.] You'd
better go, now, Coxey.

GEORGE. And my job?

BRAITHEWAITE. I'll see you still keep it.

GEORGE. Thanks. I don't want to.

BRAITHEWAITE. No?

GEORGE. I want a better.

BRAITHEWAITE [putting his daughter aside]. Indeed! Pray what?

GEORGE [nonchalantly]. Superintendent or something. I leave it to you.
You know more about what jobs there are than I do.

BRAITHEWAITE [controlling his anger]. And on what basis do you ask for a
better job?

GEORGE. Naomi always said my chance would come and I could take it, if I
had nerve and my eyes open. I think now's the time.

BRAITHEWAITE. Why?

GEORGE. Oh, this story about your daughter wouldn't look nice.

UNA. Oh!

BRAITHEWAITE. You forget the power your father-in-law and I have in