Act 2, Scene 4 Lines

EN

UR

when seated

Gentlemen. I have treated a number of the girls who claim they got sick here. One of them, the girl’s jaw rotted so bad I removed it just by lifting the bone out of her mouth.

“You can put that away.”

Maybe you’d rather look at it on x ray. This was an expensive case to treat and I never did get no compensation. The girl died. Her family never paid.

‘What has that got to do with us?”

Here it is straight: There’s going to be a lot more girls coming out and saying they got sick here. So maybe we can do business. I scratch your back, you scratch mine. That sort of thing.

“I’m not following you”

Suppose you was to give me a list of girls who worked here. I’d see to it there weren’t no more lawsuits.

“You think you could cure them?”

I couldn’t put out no cure, no. I’m saying—I scratch your back, you scratch mine.

“How so, Dr.Knef”

I’d examine them for radium necrosis, and then I would come up with a favorable diagnosis for you—pytherorea, say, or something else. Quite a few cases would just die a natural death anyway—and the rest we can put off for a while until the statue of limitations kicks in and it’s too late to sue.

“You’ll persuade them they haven’t got a case against the company?”

Exactly. And if it did come to court—I could testify that it was some other problem. And it would be strong testimony coming from the dentist who treated them.

“What makes you so sure these girls will come to you?”

They’ll come to me quick if I don’t charge ‘em nothing.

“Becasue we’d be paying you”

Exactly right. We understand each other Mr.Roeder

“Exactly what are you asking for Dr.Knef?”

I’d need ten thousand dollars—for my trouble so so, and for every girl I’d agree to from here on out, two dollar for every visit, plus expenses for the x-rays. I’m suggesting a gentleman’s agreement here—better off if we don’t put it in writing.

“No.”

All right, we’ll put it in writing—

“we’ll have nothing to do with it”

Immoral you say? You’re a fine one to be talking about morals. When you got your own hired guns, ready to testify—

“Those are expert witnesses”

Expert witnesses? Paid lackeys is more like it. And none of ‘em’s got the dirt's I got. If you’re smart, you’ll play ball with me. Believe me, there’s plenty of other people interested in the information.

“You’re threatening me.”

Just a business proposition, Mr.Roeder. Just looking out for my interests—same way you look after yours/

“See Dr.Knef to the door”

All right, all right! You don’t want to play ball—Fine. But believe me, when all this shakes out, it won’t be me holding the short end of the stick.

EX

P4