Look here, father, about this man Morgan and his old sewing machine. Don't they want to get grandfather to put some money into it? Isn't that what he's up to?
Fanny You little silly! What on earth are you talking about? Eugene Morgan's perfectly able to finance his own inventions these days.
I'll bet he borrows money from Uncle Jack.
Georgie. Why do you say such a thing?
He just strikes me as that sort of a man. Isn't he father?
Wilbur He was a fairly wild fellow twenty years ago. He's like you in one thing, Georgie. He spent too much money. Only he didn't have any mother to get money out of her grandfather for it. But I believe he's done fairly well of late years, and I doubt if he needs anybody else's money to back his horseless carriage.
Oh, what's he brought the old thing here for, then?
Wilbur I'm sure I don't know. You'll want to ask him.
Fanny Eugene Morgan isn't in your father's thoughts at all one way or the other. Why should he be?...
What makes you and everybody so excited over this man Morgan?
Fanny Excited!
Fanny Can't...can't people be glad to see an old friend without silly children like you having to make a to-do about it? I've just been suggesting to your mother that she might give a little dinner for him.
Fanny For whom, Georgie.
[mocking her]
For whom, Georgie.
Fanny For Mr. Morgan and his daughter.
Oh look here. Don't do that. Mother mustn't do that.
Fanny [mocking him]
Mother mustn't do that.
Fanny Wouldn't look...See here Georgie Minafer! I suggest that you just march straight on into your room. Sometimes you say things that show you have a pretty mean little mind.
What upsets you this much?
Fanny I know what you mean. You're trying to insinuate that I get your mother to invite Eugene Morgan here on my account...
I'm gonna move to a hotel.
Fanny ...because he's a widower.
Fanny What?
Ha, ha, ha. [Fanny cackles back in mock laughter at him] I'm trying to insinuate that you're setting your cap for him and getting mother to help you?
Fanny OH! [Fanny slams her door on him]
Remember this. Our first machine. The original Morgan Invincible.
Fanny How quaint!
Did you ever see anything so lovely...as your mother [Isabel] - she's a darling, and Papa looks as if he were going to either explode or utter loud sounds.
It makes us all happy Eugene. Give him your hand, Fanny. There. If brother Jack were here, Eugene would have his three oldest and best friends congratulating him all at once. We know what brother Jack thinks about it, though.
I used to write verse about twenty years ago. Remember that?
I'm almost thinking I could do it again. To thank you for making a factory visit into such a kind celebration.
Lucy's on a visit, Father. She's spending a week with a school friend.
Fanny George, how does it happen you didn't tell us before? He never said a word to us about Lucy going away!
Probably afraid to. Didn't know that he might break down and cry if we tried to speak of it, isn't that so, Georgie? [He laughs at George]
Fanny [to George]
Or didn't Lucy tell you that she was going?
At any rate, Georgie didn't approve. I suppose you two aren't speaking again. Ha, ha, ha, ha.
Fanny George! You've struck just the right treatment to adopt. You're doing just the right thing.
Fanny Your father would thank you if he could see what you're doing.
Why the mysterious detective business? You make me dizzy!
Fanny You don't care to hear that I approve of what you're doing?
For the gosh sakes, what in the world is wrong with you?
Fanny Oh, you're always picking on me, always! Ever since you were a little boy!
Fanny You wouldn't treat anybody in the world like this, except old Fanny! 'Old Fanny,' you say, 'It's nobody but old Fanny, so I'll kick her. Nobody'll resent it. I'll kick her all I want to!' And you're right. I haven't got anything in the world since my brother died. Nobody. Nothing!
Fanny I never, never in the world would have told you about it or even made the faintest reference to it...if I hadn't seen that somebody else had told you, or you'd have found out for yourself in some way.
Somebody else had told me what?
Fanny How people are talking about your mother.
Fanny Of course, I understood what you were doing when you started being rude to Eugene. I knew you'd give Lucy up in a minute if it came to a question of your mother's reputation.
Fanny ...because you said...
Look here! Just what do you mean?
Fanny I only wanted to say that I'm sorry for you, George, that's all. But it's only old Fanny, so whatever she says, pick on her for it. Hammer her! Hammer her!
Fanny It's only poor old lonely Fanny!
Jack said that if there was any gossip, it was about you! He said people might be laughing about the way you ran after Morgan, but that was all.
Fanny Oh yes, it's always Fanny, ridiculous old Fanny, always, always!
Listen. You said mother let him come here just on your account, and now you say...
Fanny He did. Anyhow, he liked to dance with me. He danced with me as much as he did with her...
You told me mother never saw him except when she was chaperoning you.
Fanny Well, you don't suppose that stops people from talking, do you? They just thought I didn't count! 'It's only Fanny Minafer,' I suppose they'd say. Besides, everybody knew he'd been engaged to her.
Fanny Everybody knows it. Everybody in this town knows that Isabel never really cared for any other man in her life.
I believe I'm going crazy. You mean you lied when you told me there wasn't any talk?
Fanny It never would have amounted to anything if Wilbur had lived.
You mean Morgan might have married you?
Fanny No, because I don't know that I'd have accepted him.
Are you trying to tell me that because he comes here and they see her with him, driving and all that, they think that they were right in saying that she was, she was in love with him before, before my father died?
Fanny Why, George! Don't you know that's what they say? You must know that everybody in town...What are you going to do, George?
I'm only going to be getting $8 a week at the law office. You'd be paying more of the expenses than I would.
Fanny I'd be paying? I'd be paying?
Certainly you would. We'd be using more of your money than mine.
Fanny My money. My money. [She makes a desperate laugh] I've got $28, that's all.
Fanny That's all. I know I told you I didn't put everything in the Headlight Company, but I did. Every cent, and it's gone...Oh, I know what you're gonna do. [Sobbing] You're, you're gonna leave me in the lurch!
I knew your mother wanted me to watch over you, and try and make something like a home for you, and I tried. I tried to make things as nice for you as I could...I walked my heels down looking for a place for us to live. I-I walked and walked over this town. I didn't ride one block on a streetcar.
Fanny [about the boiler she is leaning against]
It's not hot, it's cold. The plumber's disconnected it. I wouldn't mind if they hadn't...I wouldn't mind if it burned me George!
