ACT I
SCENE I: It is Saturday afternoon, about one o'clock.
The room is a large one in an old brown-stone house. The ceiling is high, the floor ancient. It serves for a sleeping as well as a living room. Off it at one end is a kitchen, at the other a small bedroom.
There is no woman's touch in the place, but in spite of its dilapidation there is a mellow and intellectual air--lent, perhaps, by the books and magazines that lie scattered about; some old college pennants on the wall; also both architectural drawings and original cartoons. There is a good architect's drawing board in use by a window and a rack containing many rolls of drawings and prints.
TED is sitting on the couch, reading an old book. He wears a once excellent but now threadbare suit.
TIPPY wears shabby old dressing gown, short. He has no trousers on. He is pressing his pants on an ironing board.
Each is silent and preoccupied, KEN makes a finishing touch with color brush, then turns his board down to a more vertical position and backs off, surveying his work.
KEN. Take a squint at that, Tippy.
[TIPPY carefully turns iron on end and steps over to look at drawing.]
TIPPY. H'm. Very charming. Very charming. If Comrade Stalin could see that he would order one for each member of his harem.