I won’t part with it.

LIZA

Why?

JOHN

I feel I won’t.  I never have.

LIZA

Feel you won’t?

JOHN

Yes, I have that feeling very strongly.  I’ve kept it always.  Everything else is gone.

LIZA

Had it long?

JOHN

Yes, yes.  About ten years.  I found I had it one morning in a train.  It’s odd that I can’t remember.

LIZA

But wot d’yer keep it for?

JOHN

Just for luck.

[Liza breaks into laughter.]

LIZA

Well, you are funny.

JOHN

I’m on my beam ends.  I don’t know if that is funny.

LIZA

You’re as down in your luck as ever you can be, and you go keeping a thing like that for luck.  Why, you couldn’t be funnier.

JOHN

Well, what would you do?

LIZA

Why, I ’ad a mascot once, all real gold; and I had rotten luck.  Rotten luck I had.  Rotten.

JOHN

And what did you do?

LIZA

Took it back to the shop.

JOHN

Yes?

LIZA

They was quite obliging about it.  Gave me a wooden one instead, what was guaranteed.  Luck changed very soon altogether.

JOHN

Could luck like mine change?

LIZA

Course it could.

JOHN

Look at me.

LIZA

You’ll be all right one of these days.  Give me that mascot.

JOHN

I—­I hardly like to.  One has an awfully strong feeling with it.

LIZA

Give it to me.  It’s no good.

JOHN

I—­I don’t like to.

LIZA