to good works. Unfortunately, Artie is a little the worse for drink and, instead of woodworking, succeeds in putting his hand through a glass panel. Helen tends his cut wrist and the boy is dazzled by her attentions. The next morning Ann calls at the emporium to find out why Kipps stood her up the previous night and the shop girls take delight in making the worst out of the events. Ann snaps back at them in his defence, but when Kipps appears she smacks his face and storms out. But better is in store for Artie. Chitterlow arrives with good news: it really is a fortune, Kipps has inherited an income of £1200 a year At that Kipps passes out, but he's himself again by the time Shalford comes in to give him the sack. With all the hauteur of the newly rich, Kipps resigns in an irrevocable fashion and the boys and girls join together to sing of his future.has-olc The new gentleman runs into the Walsinghams who are now decidedly keen to know him. Helen invites him to dinner, the son offers his services as a business adviser, and Mrs Walsingham exudes charm instead of condescension. As they leave, Kipps looks after Helen and dreams. She isn't, of course. She's a nice enough example of genteel, impoverished, seaside society whose university education has only served to make her less than content with life in Folkestone. She's not at all averse to the bright, well-off Artie. She invites him to join her at the forthcoming regatta and Artie is in seventh heaven. At the regatta on 'The Old Military Canal' Artie asks Helen to marry him and she accepts. She will make a gentleman of him. Young Walsingham calls for the champagne Artie has ordered at his suggestion, and the maid brings the bottle. It is Ann. When she hears from Artie's own lips that he has asked Helen to marry him, she flings the tray to the floor and pulling up her skirt takes the half-sixpence from her bloomers. Hurling it back at him she rushes out. Artie goes to follow her, but Helen puts out her arm and he turns back again as the rain pours down on their celebration. Act 2 Artie is forlorn and he doesn't heed Chitterlow who attempts to put woman trouble in its unimportant place in the scheme of things as Artie moons sadly over his loss. When it comes to the point, however, he goes back to the Walsinghams. In spite of his efforts and Helen's determined patience, he fits ill in such society and at Mrs Botting's Solarium Dance he commits further solecisms. Under constant criticism from the Walsinghams, he bites back his natural retorts and keeps on trying to be 'proper', but when he hears of the punishments that Ann has been subjected to following the incident at the regatta it is too much for him. He bursts out fulsomely against Mrs Boiling and refuses to apologise. has-scrWhen Helen and the other Walsinghams take Mrs Botting's part, he bundles them all together on the receiving end of an angry speech and ends up by calling the wedding off and running away down to the basement kitchen to find Ann. He's been a fool. She's his girl and she must come away and marry him. Ann is not keen on upsetting the order of things but, now that they've finally got round to talking on such a subject, she does love him. So Artie and Ann are married at a lively ceremony captured in a comical set of photographs. Married life begins in a rented house with Kipps still trying to be a gentleman and Ann not at all keen on having to have a maid when she'd rather do the work herself. When she answers the door to callers in her working clothes, Kipps 'gets angry and she can only answer,. Kipps is building a big house for them to live in When they quarrel he looks at the place where it will be, and dreams, not hearing Ann singing in counterpoint. But Kipps' plans are not going to come true. While he was still courting Helen, he gave all his money into the hands of young Walsingham as his financial manager, and Walsingham has played the market and lost every penny. Now Artie is more or less back where he started, but not quite. He sells up everything that is left, including the land where the big house was to have been, and they put together enough money to rent a little bookshop. There they live modestly and happily ever after... until one day Chitterlow turns up again. Once upon a time, back in the rich days, Kipps had given his friend £200 for a quarter share in a play, hoping
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