Oracle 1927

L ORRE : I couldn't go through Santa Barbara without seeing you. Do you m i n d ? ( Mae smiles in reply. Lo1·re continues, looking aroun d the room with an air of awe and timidfity. ) And this is your home Mae ? ' It is awfully nice.

MAE ( crossing, and seatin g herself on t he diva n ) : We l ike it here. Won't you smoke ?

LORRE (1a.s he takes a worn package of cigwrettes from his pocket ) : My, but you m ust be h appy here. ( M1a e 1mdioates that he is to sit in the easy chair b y the fire-place.

L orre accepts the pro/erred cfuair and sit-s, his legs nonchalantly crrossed, the fingers of one hand oaressing the textwie of t he chair arm while the other hand holds his cigarette. He m uses, g.azimg thought­ fullty at the ciga rette. In the silen ce th·at follows, Mia e covertly studies L orre. ) M A E : When did you come out, Lorre ?

LORRE ( s-till m usimg ) : Last week. ( Lorre fum b les mth the package, and ofjers ,a cig,arette to Mae. She accepts it and s mooithes it o ut . They both light up. L CYrre simks ba,ck into the ch;air. ) LORRE : I 've quit the store. I bummed my way out from New York to San Francisco, and got a l ift down here yesterday i n a car. I 'm going to paint stage scenery i n Los Angeles. That wiff make enough money to keep me alive while I ' m doing my own painting. But I will be here i n Sant a Barbara two or three weeks before I go.

MAE (�m p ulsiv ely, as she thinks of the vacation the.{, ha,s b een planned) : B ut- ( oalm er) That's j ust wonderful, Lorre. I'm so glad you l eft.

You hated that j ob so.

LORRE (,animate d ) : Mae, do you remember the day you said I'd never have the courage t o leave the store ? That was the day we had a long argu­ ment about your solo dance with the O ukranski Company. ( Mae nods Well, a month later, about t h e time y o u married Max pensiv e lty . ) Dahlgren, I got a raise. Then a nother followed, and father congratu­ lated me o n settling down. About two weeks ago h e made me head of the furniture department-that's a pretty b ig j ob, you know. He told m e that he was glad I had given u p trying t o be temperamental .

H e l ooked s o damned solid and comfortable that I laughed i n h i s face, went back to o u r-wel l ( with an QIJ>Ologetic s mile ) my rooms, a n d n e v e r saw the office a g a i n . ( Lorre pwuses an d folds his arm s ) I h a d t h e courage, M ae. ( Mia,s had b een listenimg, sm oking her cig(JJre tte wiJth quick, short pu.ffs. She ka,s grad1))(1llty relaxed on the divOJn until now she seems perfectly a t ease. ) MAE : Good for you, Lorre. That 's splendid.

LORRE ( leaning back, a n d blowing s m o ke thoughtfully tow ards the ceil­ ing ) : I like the way you are wearing your hair, now, Mae ; so black a n d wavy, a n d careless.

MAE : Thank you, Lorre. Max made m e change it.

LORRE ( Starts t o smile. He rises and strolls around the room . He g oes t o the table and disinterestedly turns a few leaves o f a b ook lyimg there . ) : You should be happy here, Mae. MAE ( curtlty ) : We like it here.

Two hundred thirteen