you, Bella?

BELLA. Yes, ma'am.

GEORGIANA. I'll be there in a minute--be quick, Lizzie.

BELLA. [_Lower voice._] Mr. Carley, have you seen the evening papers?

STEVEN. No!

BELLA. I just bought one and it's got an article about the 91st
regiment.

STEVEN. What about it?

[_Looks to see if door is closed._

BELLA. [_Same voice._] They say it may 'a' been wiped out of existence:
it's three weeks now since news of it was due, and the paper's afraid
they've met with an ambyscade or something like that.

STEVEN. Oh, when the newspapers are hard up for news they get up
something about the Philippines! It's the modern sea-serpent. When
there's absolutely nothing else to print--no girl suicide in Brooklyn,
or cyclone in Kansas, or joke on Chicago, then they give the Philippines
a paragraph or an insurrection. Don't you worry, Miss Shindle.

[_He sits in the arm-chair near the sofa._

BELLA. But it says the island they went against was the heathenest of
the lot, and that there's no good reason why if they'd hadn't no fight
with the natives, we shouldn't 'a' had news from them.

STEVEN. The whole question of news in a case like this is too uncertain
to make so much alarm about. The men's idea is not to send picture
postal cards of daily movements home to America, but to lick the natives
into shape!

BELLA. I'm sure you do comfort me. Don't know as Miss Georgiana told
you, but my young man's out there, with Mr.--Lieutenant Coleman.

STEVEN. Well, don't worry. You just make up your mind the papers are
short of news to-night.

BELLA. Goodness, they won't be to-morrow with all they're going to print
about this ball! Say, I've a friend whose sister's a literary lady and
writes for the Sunday papers in Buffalo. She's got an article in my
line, called the "Heads of the Smart Set which was Set at the Grand
Duke." Ain't that a cute name for an article? And it don't mean their
heads either; it means their coffyures, as she says--she speaks French.
She was born and raised in Niagara Falls, near to Canada, where the
language comes natural,--over the water, as it were!

STEVEN. [_Going to her._] I wouldn't mention this newspaper report to
Miss Carley--it would only needlessly alarm her, perhaps, and spoil her
evening.

BELLA. Oh, I wouldn't for worlds.

[_She moves to the dressing table as_ GEORGIANA _comes in._

GEORGIANA. Here I am'. Oh, my dear Steve! You'll be late. You're not
dressed yet.

STEVEN. All right. I