He says slowly ) That, I take it, is General Mannon?

CHRISTINE — Judge Mannon then. Don’t forget he used to be a judge. He won’t forget it.

BRANT —(his eyes still fixed on the portrait — comes and sits in Mannon’s chair on the left of table. Unconsciously he takes the same attitude as Mannon, sitting erect, his hands on the arms of the chair — slowly ) Does Orin by any chance resemble his father?

CHRISTINE —(stares at him — agitatedly ) No! Of course not! What put such a stupid idea in your head?

BRANT — It would be damned queer if you fell in love with me because I recalled Ezra Mannon to you!

CHRISTINE —(going to him and putting an arm around his shoulder ) No, no, I tell you! It was Orin you made me think of! It was Orin!

BRANT — I remember that night we were introduced and I heard the name Mrs. Ezra Mannon! By God, how I hated you then for being his! I thought, by God, I’ll take her from him and that’ll be part of my revenge! And out of that hatred my love came! It’s damned queer, isn’t it?

CHRISTINE —(hugging him to her ) Are you going to let him take me from you now, Adam?

BRANT —(passionately ) You ask that!

CHRISTINE — You swear you won’t — no matter what you must do?

BRANT — By God, I swear it!

CHRISTINE —(kisses him ) Remember that oath! (She glances at the portrait — then turns back to Brant with a little shiver — nervously ) What made you sit there? It’s his chair. I’ve so often seen him sitting there —(forcing a little laugh ) Your silly talk about resemblances — Don’t sit there. Come. Bring that chair over here. (She moves to the chair at right center. He brings the chair at right of table close to hers. )

BRANT — We’ve got to decide what we must do. The time for skulking and lying is over — and by God I’m glad of it! It’s a coward’s game I have no stomach for! (He has placed the chair beside hers. She is staring at the portrait. ) Why don’t you sit down, Christine?

CHRISTINE —(slowly ) I was thinking — perhaps we had better go to the sitting-room. (then defiantly ) No! I’ve been afraid of you long enough, Ezra! (She sits down. )

BRANT — I felt there was something wrong the moment I saw her. I tried my damndest to put her off the course by giving her some softsoap — as you’d told me to do to blind her. (frowning ) That was a mistake, Christine. It made her pay too much attention to me — and opened her eyes!

CHRISTINE — Oh, I know I’ve made one blunder after another. It’s as if love drove me on to do everything I shouldn’t. I never should have brought you to this house. Seeing you in New York should have been enough for me. But I loved you too much. I wanted you every possible moment we could steal! And I simply couldn’t believe that he ever would come home. I prayed that he should be killed in the war so intensely that I finally believed it would surely happen! (with savage intensity ) Oh, if he were only dead!

BRANT — That chance is finished now.

CHRISTINE —(slowly — without looking at him ) Yes — in that way.

BRANT —(stares at her ) What do you mean? (She remains silent. He changes the subject uneasily. ) There’s only one thing to do! When he comes home I’ll wait for him and not give Vinnie the satisfaction of telling him. I’ll tell him myself. (vindictively ) By God! I’d give my soul to see his face when he knows you love Marie Brantôme’s son! And then I’ll take you away openly and laugh at him! And if he tries to stop me —! (He stops and glances with savage hatred at the portrait. )

CHRISTINE — What would you do then?

BRANT — If ever I laid hands on him, I’d kill him!

CHRISTINE — And then? You would be hanged for murder! And where would I be? There would be nothing left for me but to kill myself!

BRANT — If I could catch him alone, where no one would interfere, and let the best man come out alive — as I’ve often seen it done in the West!

CHRISTINE — This isn’t the West.

BRANT — I could insult him on the street before everyone and make him fight me! I could let him shoot first and then kill him in self-defense.

CHRISTINE —(scornfully ) Do you imagine you could force him to fight a duel with you? Don’t you know duelling is illegal? Oh, no! He’d simply feel bound to do his duty as a former judge and have you arrested! (She adds calculatingly, seeing he is boiling inside ) It would be a poor revenge for your mother’s death to let him make you a laughing stock!

BRANT — But when I take you off, the laugh will be on him! You can come on the “Flying Trades.”

CHRISTINE —(calculatingly reproachful ) I don’t think you’d propose that, Adam, if you stopped thinking of your revenge for a moment and thought of me! Don’t you realize he would never divorce me, out of spite? What would I be in the world’s eyes? My life would be ruined and I would ruin yours! You’d grow to hate me!

BRANT —(passionately ) Don’t talk like that! It’s a lie and you know it!

CHRISTINE —(with bitter yearning ) If I could only believe that, Adam! But I’ll grow old so soon! And I’m afraid of time! (then abruptly changing tone ) As for my sailing on your ship, you’ll find you won’t have a ship! He’ll see to it you lose this command and get you blacklisted so you’ll have no chance of getting another.

BRANT —(angrily ) Aye! He can do that if he sets about it. There are twice as many skippers as ships these days.

CHRISTINE —(calculatingly — without looking at him ) If he had only been killed, we could be married now and I would bring you my share of the Mannon estate. That would only be justice. It’s yours by right. It’s what his father stole from yours.

BRANT — That’s true enough, damn him!

CHRISTINE — You wouldn’t have to worry about commands or owners’ favors then. You could buy your own ship and be your own master!

BRANT —(yearningly ) That’s always been my dream — some day to own my own clipper! And Clark and Dawson would be willing to sell the “Flying Trades.” (then forgetting everything in his enthusiasm ) You’ve seen her, Christine.