The students enter their classroom after Sarah and Katie turn in their play. The other children begin filing past them into the classroom, some of them standing around talking in low voices. Danny Wade is always alone and always sits slumped in his seat. One student goes to stand with Miss Mulkey by the teacher's desk. She is Melanie Rivers and she is striking. Her gorgeous mantle of hair flows loose and she frequently tosses it, while the other girls wear sensible braids or bobs. She is dressed in an elegant velvet frock and party slippers instead of the serviceable outfits her peers wear. In the hallway, Sarah finishes with Katie's dress and they enter the room as Miss Mulkey calls the class to order. MISS MULKEY: Take your seats, children. I want to introduce a new student to the class. This is Melanie Rivers. She has moved to Portland from Hollywood, California. The children gasp except for Katie and Danny. Will raises his hand. MISS MULKEY: Yes, Will. WILL (to Melanie): Do you know any movie stars? MELANIE: I don't actually know any movie stars, but I've seen lots and lots of them. Greta Garbo's limousine used to go past our house nearly every morning. EDDIE: Greta Garbo? Who cares about old Greta Garbo? MISS MULKEY: Raise your hand if you wish to speak, Edwin! Eddie raises his hand. MISS MULKEY (wearily): Yes, Edwin. EDDIE (to Melanie): Did you ever see Tom Mix or Hoot Gibson? WILL (raising his hand): Or Rin Tin Tin? MELANIE (with a dazzling smile): I've petted Rin Tin Tin. My uncle knows his trainer and he took me to see him. The class oohs and aahs except for Katie and Danny. MELANIE (with a toss of her hair): Who is going to show me where the lunch room is at lunch time? ------------------------------------------------------ Scene 3 The cast are walking to Melanie's house for rehearsal after school on Tuesday. MELANIE (gaily): We're almost there! WILL: I hope you all realize I have to leave early for my paper route. As they approach Melanie's apartment building, they all stop short except for Melanie, who approaches her front door. She turns to find the children staring, dumbfounded. MELANIE: Here we are! EDDIE: Do you live here? MELANIE: Of course I do! BETTY (whispering to Sarah and Katie): I've never known anyone who lived in an apartment. Melanie takes out a key and unlocks the door. EDDIE: Golly! You carry a key? MELANIE: Come on in, all of you. I made some lemonade. They enter the apartment's living room. Melanie exits to fetch the lemonade from the kitchen and the children stand in a clump, dazed by their surroundings. The room is immaculate, blue and white, devoid of clutter, as if profesionally decorated. The children fidget and fuss with their clothing and their hair, suddenly self-conscious. Katie tugs Sarah's arm. KATIE: It's so still. I wonder where her mother is? Melanie returns with a tray of lemonade and cookies and sets it on a coffee table. MELANIE: Here we are! Everyone help themselves! The children sit primly, take refreshments politely, and eat daintily. Melanie flitters among them, urging them to take more and enjoy themselves. Suddenly she flies to a piano and bangs on the keyboard. Martha shrieks. MELANIE: Ladies and gentleman. I will now play for you my favorite song. She dives enthusiastically into "California Here I Come." The children clap wildly when she finishes. WILL: Boy! You really can make the old keys dance! Can you play anything else? MELANIE: Anything you want! I play by ear. EDDIE: Row row row! The children have a merry singalong to "Row Row Row Your Boat." They race faster and faster until they collapse in giggles. Will glances at the clock and jumps to his feet. WILL (hurrying off): I've got to go! Thanks for the lemonade! KATIE: Aren't we going to rehearse at all? I thought that's why we came! SARAH (jumping to her feet): Yes, we are. We'll pretend that's the window, and this chair is the door, and the couch is the bed. Come on, Melanie, let's start. Melanie flops on the couch, moaning and groaning, clutching her head and her stomach. Wanda giggles. SARAH: Stop that, both of you! MELANIE: Am I doing something wrong? She's supposed to be sick, isn't she? SARAH: Not groaning sick! MELANIE: All right, I won't groan. She proceeds to writhe and make terrible faces. Wanda and Martha giggle. A clock strikes five. KATIE: Five o'clock! I have to go home! MELANIE: Five o'clock! She jumps up and races offstage. The children look at each other uncertainly, glance where Melanie exited to see if she's coming back, shrug at each other, and head for the door. SARAH (calling): Goodbye, Melanie. Melanie races back on wearing a kimono and bedroom slippers, her hair in a ponytail. She herds the children out the door. MELANIE: We'll do it again tomorrow. As the children head for home, Sarah and Katie together, Melanie frantically grabs the empty glasses and carries them offstage. KATIE: That wasn't much of a rehearsal. SARAH: No, it wasn't, and it's my fault. I should have made them start sooner. KATIE: It wasn't your fault. It was Melanie's fault. She didn't want to rehearse. She only wanted to have fun. (pause) I'm not going again. (pause) It's a waste of time. Anyway, my mother won't let me go if Melanie's mother isn't home. SARAH: Maybe she will be there tomorrow. KATIE: I don't think so. I think her mother works. And I don't think she knows that Melanie wears her best clothes to school, either. Did you see how quickly she ran and changed when it was five o'clock? SARAH: Lots of people are supposed to change after school. KATIE: Into play clothes. Not a bathrobe. SARAH (raising her voice): What's the difference? KATIE (shouting right back): A lot of difference. SARAH: You don't like Melanie. You never have! I think you're jealous! KATIE: Oh! Katie stops short, too angry to speak, struggling for words, her feet planted, her fists on her hips. KATIE: Well, if that's what you think, Sarah Abbott, you can just go ahead and think it. I don't care! ----------------------------------------------------------------- Eddie and Sarah talk after Miss Mulkey reveals that Miss Lane thinks someone in their class has taken her diamond ring. EDDIE: Sarah! Hey, Sarah! Wait up! Boy, that was some third degree, wasn't it? I thought she was going to shine a light in my eyes and get out her rubber hose! SARAH (giggling): Oh, Eddie. EDDIE: Seriously! I think old monkey-face thinks I did it! SARAH: That's silly. You were with me and the rest of the cast. EDDIE: Who do you think did it? SARAH: I can't believe anyone in our class would steal. EDDIE: Anybody'll steal if they're poor enough. And you'd be surprised to find out who's getting Thanksgiving baskets in our class. I saw the list. SARAH: Are you sure? That's awful, isn't it? That's charity. EDDIE: I don't know. I'd take one if someone offered one to me. There's going to be some good stuff in those baskets! My mom's making brownies! Anyway, I'll bet one of those baskets is going to the guy who stole Miss Lane's ring. And I'll bet I can find out who it is! Sherlock Holmes is on the case! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sarah finally unburdens herself to her mother. SARAH: The rehearsals aren't rehearsals. Melanie's mother is never there, and I felt so... mean...to her, hiding in the bedroom. I feel as bad about Melanie as I do about the quarrel with Katie, and Miss Lane's diamond ring, and the Thanksgiving baskets... MRS. ABBOTT: That's quite a load of worries for one girl. I'm not at all pleased with you, Sarah. You deceived me. SARAH: I didn't mean to. MRS. ABBOTT: Didn't you? You know the rules, Sarah, and you know they don't include playing at houses where no adult is home. SARAH: I'm sorry. I don't know why I did it. I didn't like being there. MRS. ABBOTT: I suppose it was exciting. Melanie must be a fascinating little girl. SARAH: Oh, she is! MRS. ABBOTT: Not like Katie. SARAH: (head lowered): Melanie's different. MRS. ABBOTT: I've known a few Melanies in my time. They're fun to be with. It's good to have all kinds of friends, Sarah, but it isn't good to be led. You let Melanie lead you and that was your mistake. You didn't stop to think whether you thought the things you were doing were right or wrong. SARAH: I suppose I should be punished. MRS. ABBOTT: You have been. I think you've found out that doing wrong things isn't much fun. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frustrated by the children's behavior on the playground, Miss Mulkey plays a game with them after recess. MISS MULKEY: Children, I'd like you to form a line at the front of the room, please. We're going to play a game. The children look at each other, surprised and confused, but they do as they're told, Mary on one end and Eddie on the other. MISS MULKEY: This game is called "Gossip." I'm going to whisper something in Mary's ear. Mary will whisper it to Katie, and Katie will whisper to Betty, and so on. Miss Mulkey bends to whisper in Mary's ear. Mary whispers to Katie. As the game proceeds, the children exchange questioning looks with the people whispering to them and occasionally giggle. They giggle more and more as the game continues. Eddie, the last one, is guffawing blatantly. MISS MULKEY: Well, Edwin? What did you hear? EDDIE: The tooth (he cracks up)...the tooth ate Lucy. All the children roar. SARAH: What did you say to Mary, Miss Mulkey? OTHERS: Yes, yes, what was it, what did you really say? MISS MULKEY: I said the truth is elusive. You may take your seats.