The House Is on Fire

Sally is woken up by a loud sound coming from the upstairs of Mrs. Cowley’s house. It turns out to be Elliott, who is pressing Maria to recount the fire. Maria is upset, but Elliott is insistent, and Sally begins to eavesdrop. As Maria recounts being carried out, Elliott continues to criticize her. Maria says she saw Cecily in the middle of the fire, and Sally worries about the effect this will have on Elliott, who is already behaving irrationally. Maria continues, saying that she thinks she was having a vision, that Cecily is dead, and that she appeared to Maria to drag her to hell. This upsets Elliott even further. He opens the door to find Sally listening in on them.

Jack spent the night in the same room as Anderson, who wanted to make sure he wouldn’t run off. He dreamed that Anderson locked him in the burning theater.

Placide arrives, and the members of the company gather together. Jack sits with Lydia Placide and is brave enough to hold her hand. He thinks about how she will always have a job in the theater but never a father who is honest or kind.