force himself in here.

MRS. DUDGEON. He shall come here. Does he expect us to leave his
father's house for his convenience? Let them all come, and come
quickly, and go quickly. They shall not make the will an excuse to
shirk half their day's work. I shall be ready, never fear.

ANDERSON (coming back a step or two). Mrs. Dudgeon: I used to have some
little influence with you. When did I lose it?

MRS. DUDGEON (still without turning to him). When you married for love.
Now you're answered.

ANDERSON. Yes: I am answered. (He goes out, musing.)

MRS. DUDGEON (to herself, thinking of her husband). Thief! Thief!! (She
shakes herself angrily out of the chair; throws back the shawl from her
head; and sets to work to prepare the room for the reading of the will,
beginning by replacing Anderson's chair against the wall, and pushing
back her own to the window. Then she calls, in her hard, driving,
wrathful way) Christy. (No answer: he is fast asleep.) Christy. (She
shakes him roughly.) Get up out of that; and be ashamed of
yourself--sleeping, and your father dead! (She returns to the table;
puts the candle on the mantelshelf; and takes from the table drawer a
red table cloth which she spreads.)

CHRISTY (rising reluctantly). Well, do you suppose we are never going
to sleep until we are out of mourning?

MRS. DUDGEON. I want none of your sulks. Here: help me to set this
table. (They place the table in the middle of the room, with Christy's
end towards the fireplace and Mrs. Dudgeon's towards the sofa. Christy
drops the table as soon as possible, and goes to the fire, leaving his
mother to make the final adjustments of its position.) We shall have
the minister back here with the lawyer and all the family to read the
will before you have done toasting yourself. Go and wake that girl; and
then light the stove in the shed: you can't have your breakfast here.
And mind you wash yourself, and make yourself fit to receive the
company. (She punctuates these orders by going to the cupboard;
unlocking it; and producing a decanter of wine, which has no doubt
stood there untouched since the last state occasion in the family, and
some glasses, which she sets on the table. Also two green ware plates,
on one of which she puts a barmbrack with a knife beside it. On the
other she shakes some biscuits out of a tin, putting back one or two,
and counting the rest.) Now mind: there are ten biscuits there: let
there be ten there when I come back