ACT ONE
SCENE: The exterior of a “walk-up” apartment-house, in a mean quarter of New York. It is of ugly brownstone and was built in the ’90’s. Between the pavement of large, gray flagstones and the front of the house, is a deep and narrow “area-way,” guarded by a rusted, ornamental iron railing. At the right, a steep flight of rotting wooden steps leads down to the cellar and to the janitor’s apartment, the windows of which are just visible above the street level. Spanning the area-way is a “stoop” of four shallow, stone steps, fllanked on either side by a curved stone balustrade. Beyond the broad fourth step, another step leads to the double wooden outer doors of the house; and as these are open, the vestibule, and the wide, heavy glass-panelled entrance door beyond are visible. Above the outer doors, is a glass fanlight, upon which appears the half-obliterated house number. At the left side of the doorway is a sign which reads: “Flat To-Let. 6 Rooms. Steam Heat.”
On either side of the stoop, are the two narrow windows of the ground-floor apartments. In one of the windows, at the left, is a sign bearing the legend: “Prof. Filippo Fiorentino. Music for all occasions.
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