DOROTHY. You mean to hear them talk they have it.

PETRA. No. Señorita.

DOROTHY. [Intrigued] You mean they really…?

PETRA. [Sadly] Yes, Señorita.

DOROTHY. I don’t believe a word of it. And you think Mr. Philip is a really bad man?

PETRA. [Earnestly] Frightful!

DOROTHY. Oh, I wonder where he is?

[There is a noise of heavy boots coming down the corridor. PHILIP and THREE COMRADES in I.B. uniform enter 110, and PHILIP switches on the light. PHILIP is bareheaded, wet, and dishevelled looking. One of the COMRADES is MAX, the one with the broken face. He is covered with mud and as they come into the room, he sits down on a chair before the table, facing the back of the chair, and resting his hands and his chin on the top of the back of the chair. He has an amazing face. One of the other COMRADES has a short automatic rifle slung over his shoulder. The other has a long Mauser parabellum pistol in a wooden holster strapped to his leg.

PHILIP. I want you to block these two rooms off the corridor. Any one to see me you bring them in. How many comrades have you below?

TheCOMRADEwith the rifle. Twenty-five.

PHILIP. Here are the keys to room one o eight and one eleven.

[He hands one to each]

Have the doors open and stand just inside the door, so you can watch the corridor. No, better get a chair apiece and sit inside the door where you can watch. All right. Get along…. Comrades!

[THEY salute and go out. PHILIP goes over to the broken-faced COMRADE. He puts his hand on his shoulder. The audience has seen for several moments that he is asleep, but PHILIP does not know it]

PHILIP. Max.

[MAX wakes, looks at PHILIP and smiles]

Was it very bad, Max?

[MAX looks at him and smiles again and shakes his head]

MAX. Nicht zu schwer.

PHILIP. And when comes he?

MAX. In the evenings of grand bombardment.

PHILIP. And where?

MAX. To the roof of a house at the top of Extremadura road. It has a little tower.

PHILIP. I thought he came to Garabitas.

MAX. So did I.

PHILIP. And when gives more grand bombardment?

MAX. Tonight.

PHILIP. When?

MAX. Fiertel nach zwölf.

PHILIP. You’re sure?

MAX. You should see the shells. Everything all laid out. Also they are very sloppy soldiers. If I did not have this face I could have stayed and worked a gun. Maybe they put me on the staff even.

PHILIP. Where did you change the uniform? I was out there looking for you at a couple of places.