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

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

Yardsley. Now, then, Perkins, lend us your shoulder, and--one, two,three--push! Ah! She starts; she moves; she seems to feel thethrill of life along her keel. We must have gained an inch. 0ncemore, now. My, but this is a weighty piano!

Bradley. Must be full of Wagnerian music. Why don't you get a pianoof lighter quality, Perkins? This isn't any kind of an instrumentfor amateur stage-arms to manage.

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

Yardsley. Not a bit of it. We need one more push. Get her rolling,and keep her rolling until she stands over there in that corner; andbe careful to stop her in time, I should hate to push a piano throughone of my host's parlor walls just for the want of a little care.(They push until the piano stands against the wall 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 nothinglike having the prompter up high, because amateur actors when theyforget their lines, always look up in the air. Perkins, go sit outin the hall and imagine yourself an enthusiastic audience--will you?--and tell us if you can see the piano. If you can see it, we'll haveto put it somewhere else.