Page:Plunder (Perlman).djvu/43

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37

EDWARD

Yea, that stupid old bitch who burned to death. Someone put her to carrying pails of red hot metal and she dropped them and then fell into it. Christ did we have to rush her old man out of there! We practically had the whole country on our back.

DARIUS STARK

Our plant, Ed? This is the twentieth century--such things don't happen any more--not in any of my plants.

PRETORIA

Harold! Edward is lying! He beat my father!

HAROLD

You're lying Ed! You couldn't have been in India at that time!

EDWARD

(points to book)

Doesn't this show you I wasn't even in South Africa when your father was beaten? You losing your mind Pretoria? Can't you understand I was preventing a riot just when you say I was in one?

DARIUS STARK

Pipe down, Harold. He says he wasn't in it.

PRETORIA

Harold! It isn't true.

HAROLD

All right, Pretoria. All right! It's obvious Edward was in the riot. Is that a reason to pull the whole house down? You know Edward looked for fights wherever he went before we put a muzzle on him--it's his only way of proving he's a man. Fights are his normal exercise--he couldn't have known your father was on the other side of this particular one. We can't undo that now! All we can do is see to it that wild men no longer carry our image abroad.