The Mousetrap and Other Plays (115 page)

JEFF
. (
not listening
) I wanted to have a word with you, Mr. Fogg. (
He moves down
C
) It's this business about Carla's mother. The whole thing's given her a bit of a jolt.

JUSTIN
. (
very cold and legal
) Not unnaturally.

JEFF
. It's a shock to learn suddenly that your mother was a cold-blooded poisoner. I don't mind telling you that it was a bit of a jolt to
me
, too.

JUSTIN
. Indeed!

(
JEFF
moves and sits on the upstage end of the desk
)

JEFF
. There I was, all set to marry a nice girl, uncle and aunt some of the nicest people in Montreal, a well-bred girl, money of her own, everything a man could want. And then—out of the blue—
this.

JUSTIN
. It must have upset you.

JEFF
. (
with feeling
) Oh, it did.

JUSTIN
. (
quietly
) Sit down, Mr.—er . . .

JEFF
. What?

JUSTIN
. (
nodding towards the chair
C
) On the chair.

(
JEFF
looks at the chair
C
, then rises, moves to the chair and sits on it
)

JEFF
. Oh, I'll admit that, just at first, I thought of backing out—you know, kids—things like that?

JUSTIN
. You have strong views about heredity?

JEFF
. You can't do any cattle breeding without realizing that certain strains repeat themselves. “Still,” I said to myself, “it isn't the girl's fault. She's a fine girl. You can't let her down. You've just got to go through with it.”

(
JUSTIN
picks up the box of cigarettes and lighter and crosses above Jeff to
L
of him
)

JUSTIN
. Cattle breeding.

JEFF
. So I told her it made no difference at all. (
He takes a packet of American cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket
)

JUSTIN
. But it does?

JEFF
. (
taking a cigarette from his packet
) No, no, I've put it behind me. But Carla's got some morbid idea in her head of raking the whole thing up. That's got to be stopped. (
He offers Justin a cigarette
)

JUSTIN
. Yes? No. (
He puts the cigarette box quickly on the table
L
)

JEFF
. She'll only upset herself. Let her down lightly—but let your answer be “
No.”
See?

(
JEFF
lights his cigarette. At the same moment,
JUSTIN
flicks the lighter he holds, sees Jeff has his own, so extinguishes it quickly, and puts it on the table
L
)

JUSTIN
. I see.

JEFF
. Of course—I suppose making all these enquiries would be quite—er—good business for your firm. You know, fees, expenses, all that . . .

JUSTIN
. (
crossing below Jeff to
R
) We are a firm of solicitors, you know, not inquiry agents.

JEFF
. Sorry, must have explained myself clumsily.

JUSTIN
. Yes.

JEFF
. What I want to say is—I'll stump up the necessary—but drop it.

JUSTIN
. (
moving behind the desk
) You will excuse me, Mr.—er . . . but Miss Le Marchant is my client.

JEFF
. (
rising
) Yep, well, if you're acting for Carla, you must agree that it's best for her not to go harrowing herself raking up the past. Make her give it up. Once we're married, she'll never think of it again.

JUSTIN
. And will you never think of it again?

JEFF
. That's a good question. Yes, I dare say I'll have one or two nasty moments.

JUSTIN
. If the coffee should taste bitter . . . ?

JEFF
. That sort of thing.

JUSTIN
. Which won't be very pleasant for her.

JEFF
. (
cheerily
) Well, what can a man do? You can't undo the past. Glad to have met you, Fogg. (
He offers his hand
)

(
JUSTIN
looks at Jeff's hand, then picks up Jeff's hat from the desk and puts it in the outstretched hand.
JEFF
exits.
JUSTIN
turns to the window, opens it wide, then lifts the telephone receiver
)

JUSTIN
. (
into the telephone
) Has Miss Le Marchant left yet? . . . Well, ask her to come back for a minute. I shan't keep her long. (
He replaces the receiver, crosses to the table
L
, takes a cigarette from the box, lights it, then returns to
R
of the desk
)

(
CARLA
enters
)

CARLA
. (
looking coldly at Justin
) Yes?

JUSTIN
. I've changed my mind.

CARLA
. (
startled
) What?

JUSTIN
. That's all. I've changed my mind. I will fix up an appointment for you to see Mr. Philip Blake here. I will let you know when.

(
CARLA
smiles
)

Go on. Don't keep Mr.—er . . . don't keep him waiting. He wouldn't be pleased. You'll be hearing from me. (
He ushers Carla to the arch
)

(
CARLA
exits
)

(
He goes to the desk and lifts the receiver. Into the telephone
) Get me Kellway, Blake and Leverstein, will you? I want to speak to Mr. Philip Blake personally. (
He replaces the receiver
) Cattle breeding!

The lights dim to
BLACK
-
OUT

Scene II

SCENE
—
Justin Fogg's room.

It is a very handsome room. A door up
R
leads to the outer office. Up
L
is a cupboard for drinks, let into the wall. A large and ornate desk is
L
with a damask-covered swivel chair behind it. A chair, to match, for visitors is down
R
.
There are shaded, electric wall-brackets
R
and
L
.
On the desk there is an intercom in addition to the telephone.

When the
LIGHTS
come up,
PHILIP
BLAKE
is sitting at the desk, smoking and reading the “Financial Times.” He is a good-looking man of fifty odd, grey at the temples, with a slight paunch. He is self-important, with traces of nervous irritability. He is very sure of himself. The intercom buzzes.
PHILIP
presses the switch.

PHILIP
. (
into the intercom
) Yes?

VOICE
. (
through the intercom
) Miss Le Marchant's here, Mr. Blake.

PHILIP
. Ask her to come in.

VOICE
. Yes, Mr. Blake.

(
PHILIP
releases the switch, frowns, folds his newspaper and lays it on the desk, rises, moves down
L
of the desk, turns and faces the door. He shows slight traces of uneasiness while he waits.
CARLA
enters. She wears a different coat, and carries different gloves and handbag
)

PHILIP
. Good Lord.

(
PHILIP
and
CARLA
look at each other for a moment, then
CARLA
closes the door and moves down
C
)

Well, so it's Carla. (
He recovers himself and shakes hands with her
) Little Carla! (
With rather forced geniality
) You were—what—five years old when I saw you last.

CARLA
. Yes. I must have been just about. (
She screws up her eyes
) I don't think I remember you . . .

PHILIP
. I was never much of a children's man. Never knew what to say to them. Sit down, Carla.

(
CARLA
sits on the chair down
R
and places her handbag on the floor beside the chair
)

(
He offers the box of cigarettes from the desk
) Cigarette?

(
CARLA
declines
)

(
He replaces the box on the desk, moves behind the desk and looks at his watch
) I haven't much time, but . . . (
He sits at the desk
)

CARLA
. I know you're a terribly busy person. It's good of you to see me.

PHILIP
. Not at all. You're the daughter of one of my oldest and closest friends. You remember your father?

CARLA
. Yes. Not very clearly.

PHILIP
. You should. Amyas Crale oughtn't to be forgotten. (
He pauses
) Now, what's this all about? This lawyer chap—Fogg—son of old Andrew Fogg, I suppose—

(
CARLA
nods
)

—wasn't very clear about why you wanted to see me. (
There is a trace of sarcasm in his voice during the following sentence
) But I gathered that it wasn't just a case of looking up your father's old friends?

CARLA
. No.

PHILIP
. He told me that you'd only recently learnt the facts about your father's death. Is that right?

CARLA
. Yes.

PHILIP
. Pity, really, you ever had to hear about it at all.

CARLA
. (
after a pause; firmly
) Mr. Blake, when I came in just now you were startled. You said “Good Lord!” Why?

PHILIP
. Well, I . . .

CARLA
. Did you think, just for the moment, that it was my mother standing there?

PHILIP
. There is an amazing resemblance. It startled me.

CARLA
. You—you didn't like her?

PHILIP
. (
dryly
) Could you expect me to? She killed my best friend.

CARLA
. (
stung
) It
could
have been suicide.

PHILIP
. Don't run away with that idea. Amyas would never have killed himself. He enjoyed life far too much.

CARLA
. He was an artist, he could have had temperamental ups and downs.

PHILIP
. He didn't have that kind of temperament. Nothing morbid or neurotic about Amyas. He had his faults, yes—he chased women, I'll admit—but most of his affairs were quite short lived. He always went back to Caroline.

CARLA
. What fun that must have been for her!

PHILIP
. She'd known him since she was twelve years old. We were all brought up together.

CARLA
. I know so little. Tell me.

PHILIP
. (
sitting back comfortably in his chair
) She used to come and stay at Alderbury for the holidays with the Crales. My family had the big house next door. We all ran wild together. Meredith, my elder brother, and Amyas were much of an age. I was a year or two younger. Caroline had no money of her own, you know. I was a younger son, out of the running, but both Meredith and Amyas were quite good catches.

CARLA
. How cold-blooded you make her sound.

PHILIP
. She
was
cold-blooded. Oh, she appeared impulsive, but behind it there was a cold calculating devil. And she had a wicked temper. You know what she did to her baby half-sister?

CARLA
. (
quickly
) No?

PHILIP
. Her mother had married again, and all the attention went to the new baby—Angela. Caroline was jealous as hell. She tried to kill the baby.

CARLA
. No!

PHILIP
. Went for her with a pair of scissors, I believe. Ghastly business. The child was marked for life.

CARLA
. (
outraged
) You make her sound a—a monster!

PHILIP
. (
shrugging
) Jealousy is the devil.

CARLA
. (
studying him
) You hated her—didn't you?

PHILIP
. (
startled
) That's putting it rather strongly.

CARLA
. No, it's true.

PHILIP
. (
stubbing out his cigarette
) I suppose I'm bitter. (
He rises, moves to
R
of the desk and sits on the downstage corner of it
) But it seems to me that you've come over here with the idea in your head that your mother was an injured innocent. That isn't so. There's Amyas's side of it, too. He was your father, girl, and he loved life . . .

CARLA
. I know. I know all that.

PHILIP
. You've got to see this thing as it was. Caroline was no good. (
He pauses
) She poisoned her husband. And what I can't forget, and never will forget, is that
I
could have saved him.