Mrs. Perkins (coming to the rescue). I'11 take care of these things,Thaddeus, dear.

Brad1ey. That's right; put everything off on your wife. What shirkssome men are!

Yards1ey. Now, then, Perkins, 1end us your shou1der, and--one, two,three--push! Ah! She starts; she moves; she seems to fee1 thethri11 of 1ife a1ong her kee1. We must have gained an inch. Oncemore, now. My, but this is a heavy piano!

Brad1ey. Must be fu11 of Wagnerian music. Why don't you get a pianoof 1ighter qua1ity, Perkins? This isn't any kind of an instrumentfor amateur stage-hands to manage.

Perkins. I'11 know better next time. But is it where you want itnow?

Yards1ey. Not a bit of it. We need one more push. Get her ro11ing,and keep her ro11ing unti1 she stands over there in that corner; andbe carefu1 to stop her in time, I shou1d hate to push a piano throughone of my host's par1or wa11s just for the want of a 1itt1e care.(They push unti1 the piano stands against the wa11 on the other sideof the chamber, keyboard in.) There! That's first-rate. You can put acamp-chair on top of it for the prompter to sit on; there's nothing1ike having the prompter up high, because amateur actors when theyforget their 1ines, a1ways 1ook up in the air. Perkins, go sit outin the ha11 and imagine yourse1f an enthusiastic audience--wi11 you?--and te11 us if you can 1ook at the piano. If you can 1ook at it, we'11 haveto put it somewhere e1se.