Curtain rises at once on Scene II. Interior of Room 109. There is a bed with a night table by it, two cretonne-covered chairs, a tall armoire with mirror, and a typewriter on another table. Beside the typewriter is a portable victrola. There is an electric heater which is glowing brightly, and a tall handsome blondeGIRLis sitting in one of the chairs reading with her back to the lamp which is on the table beside the phonograph. Behind her are two large windows with their curtains drawn. There is a map of Madrid on the wall, and aMANabout thirty-five, wearing a leather jacket, corduroy trousers, and very muddy boots, is standing looking at it. Without looking up from her book, the girl, whose name isDOROTHY BRIDGES, says in a very cultivated voice:

DOROTHY. Darling, there’s one thing you really could do, and that’s clean your boots before you come in here.

[The man, whose name is ROBERT PRESTON, goes on looking at the map]

And darling, don’t you put your finger on it. It makes smudges.

[PRESTON continues to look at the map]

Darling, have you seen Philip?

PRESTON. Philip who?

DOROTHY. Our Philip.

PRESTON. [Still looking at the map] Our Philip was in Chicote’s with that Moor that bit Rodgers, when I came up the Gran Via.

DOROTHY. Was he doing anything awful?

PRESTON. [Still looking at the map] Not yet.

DOROTHY. He will though. He’s so full of life and good spirits.

PRESTON. The spirits are getting awfully bad at Chicote’s.

DOROTHY. You make such dull jokes, darling. I wish Philip would come. I’m bored, darling.

PRESTON. Don’t be a bored Vassar bitch.

DOROTHY. Don’t call me names, please. I don’t feel up to it just now. And besides, I’m not typical Vassar. I didn’t understand anything they taught me there.

PRESTON. Do you understand anything that’s happening here?

DOROTHY. No, darling. I understand a little bit about University City, but not too much. The Casa del Campo is a complete puzzle to me. And Usera—and Carabanchel. They’re dreadful.

PRESTON. God, I wonder sometimes why I love you.

DOROTHY. I wonder why I love you, too, darling. I don’t think it’s very sensible, really. It’s just sort of a bad habit I’ve gotten into. And Philip’s so much more amusing, and so much livelier.

PRESTON. He’s much livelier, all right. You know what he was doing last night before they shut Chicote’s? He had a cuspidor, and he was going around blessing people out of it. You know, sprinkling it on them. It was better than ten to one he’d get shot.

DOROTHY. But he never does. I wish he’d come.

PRESTON. He will. He’ll be here as soon as Chicote’s shuts.

[There is a knock at the door]

DOROTHY. It’s Philip. Darling, it’s Philip.