SCHWARTZENHOPFEL
Take one seventy-five and be a decent man—a skilled mechanic who respects himself and his craft too much to be a thief. Will that do?
CHAUFFEUR (thickly)
If they all treated us like that, nobuddy ’ud steal except dirty scoundrels, sir. (Goes out)
MRS. FELIX
You see: the generals make the morals of their soldiers. Let generals loot a church-treasure, and the privates will loot a hen-roost. Magnus steals a Subway. Therefore, his manager steals his profits, his valet steals his stickpins, his chauffeur his gasoline.
SCHWARTZENHOPFEL
Reform always begins at the top, I know. The trouble with us—(corrects himself) with Socialists and anarchists—they try to begin reforms among the ignorant. It will take me many years to break even with my criminal misunderstanding.
MRS. FELIX (suddenly touched)
I’ll help you. (In a whisper) I love you, John—