Susan:  Oh, no, ma’am.  I always refer to him as Mr. Lincoln.

Mrs. Lincoln:  Yes, but you must say the President.

Susan: I’m afraid I shan’t ever learn, ma’am.

Mrs. Lincoln:  You must try.

Susan:  Yes, of course, ma’am.

Mrs. Lincoln:  And bring any visitors up.

Susan:  Yes, ma’am.  There’s a lady waiting now.

Mrs. Lincoln:  Then why didn’t you say so?

Susan:  That’s what I was going to, ma’am, when you began to talk about Mr.—­I mean the President, ma’am.

Mrs. Lincoln:  Well, show her up.

SUSAN goes.  MRS. LINCOLN closes her writing desk. SUSAN returns, showing in MRS. GOLIATH BLOW.

Susan:  Mrs. Goliath Blow.

She goes.

Mrs. Blow:  Good-afternoon, Mrs. Lincoln.

Mrs. Lincoln:  Good-afternoon, Mrs. Blow.  Sit down, please.

They sit.

Mrs. Blow:  And is the dear President well?

Mrs. Lincoln:  Yes.  He’s rather tired.

Mrs. Blow:  Of course, to be sure.  This dreadful war.  But I hope he’s not getting tired of the war.

Mrs. Lincoln:  It’s a constant anxiety for him.  He feels his responsibility very deeply.

Mrs. Blow:  To be sure.  But you mustn’t let him get war-weary.  These monsters in the South have got to be stamped out.

Mrs. Lincoln:  I don’t think you need be afraid of the President’s firmness.

Mrs. Blow:  Oh, of course not.  I was only saying to Goliath yesterday, “The President will never give way till he has the South squealing,” and Goliath agreed.

SUSAN comes in.

Susan:  Mrs. Otherly, ma’am.

Mrs. Lincoln:  Show Mrs. Otherly in.

SUSAN goes.

Mrs. Blow:  Oh, that dreadful woman!  I believe she wants the war to stop.

Susan (at the door):  Mrs. Otherly.

MRS. OTHERLY comes in and SUSAN goes.

Mrs. Lincoln:  Good-afternoon, Mrs. Otherly.  You know Mrs. Goliath Blow?

Mrs. Otherly:  Yes.  Good-afternoon. She sits.

Mrs. Blow:  Goliath says the war will go on for another three years at least.

Mrs. Otherly:  Three years?  That would be terrible, wouldn’t it?

Mrs. Blow:  We must be prepared to make sacrifices.

Mrs. Otherly:  Yes.

Mrs. Blow:  It makes my blood boil to think of those people.

Mrs. Otherly:  I used to know a lot of them.  Some of them were very kind and nice.

Mrs. Blow:  That was just their cunning, depend on it.  I’m afraid there’s a good deal of disloyalty among us.  Shall we see the dear President this afternoon, Mrs. Lincoln?