erstand.

ISMAN. Yes... so they mentioned. Ah! Here's Estelle!

ESTELLE. [Enters, centre, with an armful of roses.] Ah! Mrs.
Bagley-Willis! Good evening!

MRS. B.-W. Good evening, Estelle.

EST. Good evening, father. Hello, Gerald.

GER. My, aren't we gorgeous to-night!

EST. Just aren't we!

MRS. B.-W. The adventure doesn't seem to have hurt you. Where is your
mother?

GER. She went into the drawing-room. [MRS. B.-W. and ISMAN go off,
right; ESTELLE is about to follow.] Estelle!

EST. What is it?

GER. What's this I hear about your adventure last night?

EST. [With sudden seriousness.] Oh, Gerald! [Comes closer.] It was a
frightful thing! I've hardly dared to think about it!

GER. Tell me.

EST. Gerald, that man was talking straight at me... he meant every bit
of it for me!

GER. Tell me the story.

EST. Why, you know, Lord Alderdyce had heard about this wild fellow,
Steve O'Hagen, who's made such a sensation this campaign. And he's
interested in our election and wanted to hear O'Hagen speak. He said
he had a friend who'd arrange for us to be introduced to him; and so
we went down there. And there was a most frightful crowd... it was an
outdoor meeting, you know. We pushed our way into a saloon, where the
mob was shouting around this O'Hagen. And then he caught sight of us...
and Gerald, from the moment he saw me he never took his eyes off me!
Never once!

GER. [Smiling.] Well, Estelle... you've been looked at before.

EST. Ah, but never like that!

GER. What sort of a man is he?

EST. He's small and dark and ugly... he wore a rough reefer and cap ...
but Gerald, he's no common man! There's something strange and terrible
about him... there's a fire blazing in him. The detective who was with
us introduced us to him... and he stood there and stared at me! I tried
to say something or other... "I've been so interested in your speech,
Mr. O'Hagen." And he laughed at me... "Yes, I've no doubt." And then
suddenly... it was as if he leaped at me! He pointed his finger straight
into my face, and his eyes fairly shone. "Wait for me! I'll be with you!
I'm coming to the top!"

GER. Good God!

EST. Imagine it! I was simply paralyzed! "Mark what I tell you," he went
on... "it'll be of interest to you some day to remember it. You may wait
for me! I'm coming! You will not escape me!"

GER. Why... he's mad!

EST. He was like a wild beast. Everybody in the place was staring at
us as he rushed on. "You ha