A demand to shut the damn thing off has been made and ignored, but the cloth makes Clara look benign. Shapes move indistinctly across the room. SEVERIN UNCK, sixteen years old, sits in silhouette, her hair longer than it will ever be again.] PERCIVAL UNCK It’s for your own good, my little hippopotamus. SEVERIN Don’t call me that. There are more lies in this house than wallpaper. Don’t pile on any new ones. The roof won’t stand the weight. PERCIVAL Ada said you can stay with her until this has all blown over. We’ll go after the New Year’s parade. If you’d rather a flat in the city, perhaps we can come to some arrangement … SEVERIN What about Mary? PERCIVAL Mary’s shooting on location this year. SEVERIN [begins to cry] Why? Papa, I want to stay here. This is my home. Don’t you love me? PERCIVAL I am disruptive to your life right now. And … you are disruptive to mine. I love you, but there’s a great deal of trouble at the moment. SEVERIN Oh, there’s always trouble.
