The Mousetrap and Other Plays (105 page)

HELEN
. You are the child, wrapped up in a cloud of sentimentality, and pretence. You even humbug yourself. If you had courage—now, I've got courage and I'm a realist. I'm not afraid to look at things and see them as they are.

KARL
. You are a child that hasn't grown up.

HELEN
. (
exasperated
) Oh! (
She crosses above the armchair to the desk and stares rather furiously out of the window
)

The
DOCTOR
pushes
ANYA
in down
R
.

DOCTOR
. (
as they enter; cheerfully
) All very satisfactory.

KARL
takes over from the
DOCTOR
and pushes
ANYA
to her usual place
C
.
The
DOCTOR
goes up
C
.

ANYA
. (
as she is going across
) That's what he says. All doctors are liars.

KARL
collects his brief-case.

DOCTOR
. Well, I must be off. I have a consultation at half-past four. Good-bye, Anya. Good afternoon, Miss Rollander. I'm going up Gower Street, Karl, I can give you a lift if you like.

KARL
. Thank you, Doctor.

DOCTOR
. I'll wait downstairs in the car.

The
DOCTOR
exits up
C
, closing the door behind him.
KARL
closes his brief-case and moves to
R
of
ANYA

ANYA
. Karl, forgive me, Karl.

KARL
. Forgive you, sweetheart? What is there to forgive?

ANYA
. Everything. My moods, my bad temper. But it isn't really me, Karl. It's just the illness. You do understand?

KARL
. (
with his arm affectionately round her shoulders
) I understand.

HELEN
half turns her head to look at them, frowns, and turns back to the window.

Nothing you say will ever hurt me because I know your heart.

KARL
claps
ANYA
's hand, they look at each other, and then she kisses his hand.

ANYA
. Karl, you will be late for your lecture. You must go.

KARL
. I wish I didn't have to leave you.

ANYA
. Mrs. Roper will be back any minute and she will stay with me till Lisa gets back.

HELEN
. I'm not going anywhere in particular, I can stay with Mrs. Hendryk till Miss Koletzky gets back.

KARL
. Would you, Helen?

HELEN
. Of course.

KARL
. That's very kind of you. (
To
ANYA
) Good-bye, darling.

ANYA
. Good-bye.

KARL
. Thank you, Helen.

KARL
exits up
C
, closing the door behind him. The daylight starts to fade.

HELEN
. (
crossing above the wheelchair to the sofa
) Is Miss Koletzky a relation? (
She sits on the sofa
)

ANYA
. Yes, she's my first cousin. She came to England with us and has stayed with us ever since. This afternoon she has gone to see some friends who are passing through London. They are at the Hotel Russell, not very far away. It is so seldom we see friends from our own country.

HELEN
. Would you like to go back?

ANYA
. We cannot go back. A friend of my husband's, another professor, fell into disgrace because of his political view—he was arrested.

HELEN
. How did that affect Professor Hendryk?

ANYA
. His wife and children, you see, were left quite destitute. Professor Hendryk insisted that we should take them into our house. But when the authorities got to hear about it, they forced him to resign his position.

HELEN
. Really, it didn't seem worth it, did it?

ANYA
. That's what I felt, and I never liked Maria Schultz in the least. She was a most tiresome woman, always carping and criticizing and moaning about something or other. And the children were very badly behaved and very destructive. It seems too bad that because of them we had to leave our nice home and come over here practically as refugees. This will never be home.

HELEN
. It does seem rather rough luck on you.

ANYA
. Men don't think of that. They only think of their ideas of what is right, or just, or one's duty.

HELEN
. I know. Such an awful bore. But men aren't realists like we are.

There is a pause as
HELEN
lights a cigarette she has taken from a case in her handbag. A clock outside strikes four.

ANYA
. (
looking at her watch
) Lisa never gave me my medicine before she went out. She is very tiresome sometimes the way she forgets things.

HELEN
. (
rising
) Can I do anything?

ANYA
. (
pointing to the shelves on the wall down
R
) It's on the little shelf over there.

HELEN
moves to the shelves down
R
.

The little brown bottle. Four drops in water.

HELEN
stubs out her cigarette in the ashtray on the cupboard
R
, and takes the bottle of medicine and a glass from the shelves.

It's for my heart, you know. There's a glass over there and a dropper.

HELEN
moves to the bookshelves
R
.

Be careful, it's very strong. That's why they keep it out of reach. Sometimes I feel so terribly depressed and I threaten to kill myself, and they think perhaps if I had it near me I'd yield to temptation and take an overdose.

HELEN
. (
taking the dropper-stopper from the bottle
) You often want to, I suppose?

ANYA
. (
complacently
) Oh, yes, one feels so often that one would be better dead.

HELEN
. Yes, I can understand that.

ANYA
. But, of course, one must be brave and go on.

HELEN
's back is towards
ANYA
.
She throws a quick glance over her shoulder.
ANYA
is not looking her way but is engrossed in her knitting.
HELEN
tilts the bottle and empties all the contents into the glass, adds some water then takes the glass to
ANYA
.

HELEN
. (
R
of
ANYA
) Here you are.

ANYA
. Thank you, my dear. (
She take the glass in her left hand and sips
)

HELEN
stands up
R
of
ANYA
.

It tastes rather strong.

HELEN
. Four drops, you said?

ANYA
. Yes, that's right. (
She drinks it down quickly, then leans back and puts the glass on her work-table
)

HELEN
,
tensely strung up, stands watching
ANYA
.

The Professor works much too hard, you know. He takes more pupils than he ought to do. I wish—I wish he could have an easier life.

HELEN
. Perhaps some day he will.

ANYA
. I doubt it. (
With a little tender smile
) He's so good to everyone. So full of kindness. He is so good to me, so patient. (
She catches her breath
) Ah!

HELEN
. What is it?

ANYA
. Just—I don't seem to be able to get my breath. You're sure you didn't give me too much?

HELEN
. I gave you the right dose.

ANYA
. I'm sure—I'm sure you did. I didn't mean—I didn't think . . . (
Her words get slower as she settles back almost as if she is about to go to sleep. Her hand comes up very slowly toward her heart
) How strange—how very—strange. (
Her head droops sideways on the pillow
)

HELEN
moves
R
of
ANYA
and watches her. She is now looking frightened. Her hand goes to her face and then down again.

HELEN
. (
in a low voice
) Mrs. Hendryk.

There is silence.

(
A little louder
) Mrs. Hendryk.

HELEN
moves to
R
of
ANYA
,
takes her wrist and feels the pulse. When she finds that it has stopped she gasps and flings the hand down in horror, then backs slightly down
R
.
She moves below the armchair, round it and stands above the work-table, without taking her eyes off
ANYA
.
She stands staring for some moments at
ANYA
, then shakes herself back to reality, sees the glass on the work-table, picks it up and wipes it on her handkerchief, then leans over and puts it carefully into
ANYA
's left hand. She then goes and leans exhausted over the left arm of the sofa. Again she pulls herself together, moves to the bookcase
R
and picks up the medicine bottle and dropper. She wipes her fingerprints off the bottle and crosses to
R
of
ANYA
.
She gently presses
ANYA
's right hand round the bottle, then moves above the work-table, puts the bottle down, takes the dropper out and leaves it beside the bottle. She moves slightly up
C
,
looks around, then goes quickly to the sofa for her bag and gloves and moves quickly to the doors up
C
.
She stops suddenly and dashes to the shelf for the water jug, wiping it with her handkerchief as she crosses to the work-table, where she puts down the jug. She again goes to the doors up
C
.
The sound of a barrel organ is heard off.
HELEN
flings open the right door and exits in the hall to
R
.
The front door is heard to slam. There is quite a pause, then the front door is heard opening and closing.
MRS
.
ROPER
pops her head in the doorway up
C
.

MRS
.
ROPER
. I got the tea.

MRS
.
ROPER
withdraws her head and disappears to
L
.
She reappears in the doorway, taking off her hat and coat. These she hangs on a hook off
R
of the double doors.

And I got the bacon and a dozen boxes of matches. Isn't everything a price these days? I tried to get some kidneys for young Muriel's supper, tenpence each they were, and they looked like little shrunken heads. (
She crosses above the table
RC
towards the door down
R
) She'll have to have what the others have and like it. I keep telling her money doesn't grow on trees.

MRS
.
ROPER
exits down
R
.
There is a considerable pause, then the front door opens and closes.
LISA
enters up
C
from
R
, putting her doorkey into her bag.

LISA
. (
as she enters
) Have I been long? (
She crosses to the desk, glances at
ANYA
and thinking she is asleep, smiles, turns to the window and removes her hat. After putting her hat on the desk she turns towards
ANYA
and begins to realize that possibly
ANYA
is more than asleep
) Anya? (
She rushes to
R
of
ANYA
and lifts her head. She takes her hand away and
ANYA
's head falls again. She sees the bottle on the work-table, moves above the wheelchair, picks up the glass and then the bottle
)

MRS
.
ROPER
enters down
R
as
LISA
is holding the bottle.

MRS
.
ROPER
. (
startled
) Oh, I didn't hear you come in, miss. (
She moves up
R
)

LISA
. (
putting the bottle down with a bang; startled by
MRS
.
ROPER
's sudden appearance
) I didn't know you were here, Mrs. Roper.

MRS
.
ROPER
. Is anything wrong?

LISA
. Mrs. Hendryk—I think Mrs. Hendryk is dead. (
She moves to the telephone, lifts the receiver and dials
)

MRS
.
ROPER
moves slowly up
L
of
ANYA
, sees the bottle, then turns slowly round to stare at
LISA
, who is waiting impatiently for someone to answer her call. She has her back to
MRS
.
ROPER
and does not see the look. The lights BLACK-OUT as—