The Children's Hour, Act 1 Summary

As Mrs. Mortar half-listens, Peggy reads Portia's "The quality of mercy..." speech from Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice". Karen comes in, and as she comments to one of the girls about her missing bracelet, Mary arrives late. Although Mrs. Mortar accepts her explanation, Karen confronts Mary about her frequent lying. When Mary says she's ill, Karen sends her to lie down and asks Mrs. Mortar to get Martha to call Joe.

Martha comes in, having made the call. Karen and Martha discuss Mary, how poor a teacher Mrs. Mortar (Martha's aunt) is, and Martha's unhappiness about Karen's engagement to Joe. As Karen reassures her, Joe arrives, going immediately with Karen to look at Mary. Mrs. Mortar returns, and Martha reluctantly tells her it's time for her to leave the school. The angry Mrs. Mortar accuses Martha of...