Dudley A coincidence. An accident. A quirk of fate. One of those things. Dismiss the thought. That poor cripple hobbled out of here ten minutes ago.

Lorene He said he was going to commit suicide. I only wanted to be of help. (She goes.)

Dudley Be of help? What kind of help could she be of? (He runs to the telephone in the corner.) Gee whiz, Elsie. Gee whiz. I’ll never leave you again. (He turns the pages of a little address book.) Why do I always forget the number? I’ve tried to get her on the phone a hundred times this week and I still forget the number. She won’t come to the phone, but I keep trying anyway. She’s out. She’s not in. She’s working. I get the wrong number. Everything goes haywire. I can’t sleep. (Defiantly.) She’ll come to the phone one of these days. If there’s anything to true love at all, she’ll come to the phone. Sunset 7349.

He dials the number, as Joe goes on studying the toys. They are one big mechanical toy, whistles and a music box. Joe blows into the whistles, quickly, by way of getting casually acquainted with them.

Tom and Kitty stop dancing. Tom stares at her.

Dudley Hello. Is this Sunset 7349? May I speak to Elsie? Yes. (Emphatically, and bitterly.) No, this is not Dudley Bostwick. This is Roger Tenefrancia of Montreal, Canada. I’m a childhood friend of Miss Mandelspiegel. We went to kindergarten together. (Hand over phone.) Goddamnit. (Into phone.) Yes. I’ll wait, thank you.

Tom I love you.

Kitty You want to go to my room?

Tom can’t answer.

Kitty Have you got two dollars?

Tom (shaking his head with confusion) I’ve got five dollars, but I love you.

Kitty (looking at him) You want to spend all that money?

Tom embraces her. They go. Joe watches. Goes back to the toy.

Joe Where’s that longshoreman, McCarthy?

Nick He’ll be around.

Joe What do you think he’ll have to say today?

Nick Plenty, as usual. I’m going next door to see who won that third race at Laurel.

Joe Precious Time won it.

Nick That’s what you think. (He goes.)

Joe (to himself) A horse named McCarthy is running in the sixth race today.

Dudley (on the phone) Hello. Hello. Elsie? Elsie? (His voice weakens; also his limbs.) My God. She’s come to the phone. Elsie, I’m at Nick’s on Pacific Street. You’ve got to come here and talk to me. Hello. Hello, Elsie? (Amazed.) Did she hang up? Or was I disconnected?

He hangs up and goes to the bar. Wesley is still playing the piano.

Harry is still dancing. Joe has wound up the big mechanical toy and is watching it work. Nick returns.

Nick (watching the toy) Say. That’s some gadget.

Joe How much did I win?

Nick How do you know you won?

Joe Don’t be silly. He said Precious Time was going to win by ten lengths, didn’t he? He’s in love, isn’t he?