The Mousetrap and Other Plays (21 page)

LADY
WESTHOLME
. Later. We'll let you know.

DRAGOMAN
. Very good. (
He moves up Right.
) When you want Abraham, you just call Abraham. I come.

(
The
DRAGOMAN
exits up Right.
)

MISS
PRYCE
. He's really very obliging.

LADY
WESTHOLME
. He talks too much.

MISS
PRYCE
. I think, you know, that perhaps I shall lie down for a little. The sun is very hot.

LADY
WESTHOLME
. I shall go to my tent, but I shall not lie down. I shall write letters. (
She moves Right.
)

MISS
PRYCE
(
Crossing to Right
) You have such wonderful energy, dear Lady Westholme.

LADY
WESTHOLME
. It's just a question of training.

(
LADY
WESTHOLME
and
MISS
PRYCE
exit Right.
GERARD
strolls to
RAYMOND
)

GERARD
. You reflect very earnestly upon something.

RAYMOND
. I was thinking about our journey down here, it was like coming down into an illustration of Hell. Winding through those narrow gorges, I kept saying to myself, “Down into the valley of death”—(
He pauses
) “the valley of death . . .”

GERARD
. So that is how you felt? But it was not death you found at the end of your journey.

RAYMOND
. (
Natural again
) No—it was a very pleasant camp, tents or caves to suit one's fancy, a really excellent dinner.

GERARD
. And friendly faces to greet you.

RAYMOND
. Yes, I—I remembered seeing you at the
King Solomon
and Cope had mentioned you to us.

GERARD
. I really meant Miss King. She you already knew, did you not?

RAYMOND
. (
Upset
) Yes—yes, I suppose so. I wish she had come on the expedition this morning. She—she backed out very suddenly.

GERARD
. (
Moving Centre
) Young ladies change their minds. But she missed much of interest and scenery.

(
SARAH
enters from the marquee. She carries a small metal case containing a hypodermic.
RAYMOND
rises and moves Right Centre.
)

SARAH
. Doctor Gerard—one of the Bedouin . . . (
She pauses as
RAYMOND
moves towards them.
)

GERARD
. Yes?

SARAH
. (
Without looking at
RAYMOND
;
brusquely
) One of the guides is ill, acute malaria. Have you got any quinine with you? Stupidly, I seem to have left mine in Jerusalem. I've got my hypodermic here—(
She indicates the case
) if you want to give it intravenously.

GERARD
. I have a small medicine case of drugs with me. I will get it.

(
GERARD
exits hurriedly Right.
SARAH
moves above the table and puts her case on it.
RAYMOND
is in a pitiable state of nervousness.
)

RAYMOND
. Sarah. (
He pauses
)

(
SARAH
ignores
RAYMOND
.)

(
He crosses to Right of the table
) You despise me, don't you? I don't wonder. I despise myself.

SARAH
. I really don't know what you are talking about.

RAYMOND
. It was like a dream to arrive here—and find you. I thought at first you were a ghost—because I'd been thinking about you so much. (
He moves to Right of her.
) I love you. I want you to know that. It isn't me—the real man—who—who behaved so badly that day at the
King Solomon.
I can't answer for myself even now. (
He nervously clasps and unclasps his hands.
) It's my nerves. I can't depend on them. If she tells me to do things, I have to do them—I can't help it. I know that I can never make you understand. It's courage I need—courage. And I haven't got it.

(
GERARD
enters Right, carrying his drug case. He pauses a moment and observes
SARAH
and
RAYMOND
.
RAYMOND
moves quickly away from
SARAH
,
crosses and exits Right.
)

GERARD
. (
Crossing to the table
) I fear I interrupted something. (
He puts his case on the table and opens it.
)

SARAH
. (
Trying to be matter of fact
) Nothing of any importance.

GERARD
. Are you not being a little cruel to that young man?

SARAH
. I can't stand a man who's tied to his mother's apron strings.

GERARD
. Oh,
la, la,
so that is the trouble. (
He takes some quinine from his case and fills his own hypodermic syringe.
) So you are, after all, just the English Miss. And you call yourself a budding psychologist? Do you not recognize a psychological problem when you see one?

SARAH
. Do you mean that old woman? (
She looks up towards
MRS
.
BOYNTON
.) She's like some obscene Buddha—brooding over us all. Ugh! How they can all be devoted to her I can't imagine. It's thoroughly unhealthy. (
She sits Left of the table.
)

GERARD
. You are wrong. They're not devoted to her. And she—she is not devoted to them. You have not been yourself since you have arrived here or you would have noticed many things.

SARAH
. Travelling with Lady Westholme and Miss Pryce gets on my nerves.

GERARD
. (
Moving to Right of the table
) Naturally. Lady Westholme is exactly fitted to the life she leads and enjoys it immensely. Miss Pryce is realizing the dream of a lifetime in travelling abroad. Both of them have got what they want, whereas you have not got what
you
want.

SARAH
. What do I want?

GERARD
. You want that young man who has just gone away.

SARAH
. Really, Doctor Gerard, nothing of the kind.

GERARD
. English Miss.

SARAH
. I'm not an English Miss. (
She rises and moves down Left.
)

GERARD
. But it is what you are. (
He moves to Right of her.
) You will talk learnedly of sex problems and sex life—but when it comes to a flesh-and-blood young man, you protest and blush just like your great-grandmother would have done. But come, let us be colleagues. Admittedly that young man is completely dominated by his mother—she has what I cannot but consider a most unhealthy power over him. Do we rescue him or do we not?

SARAH
. Can we?

GERARD
. (
Taking her hands for a moment
) I think perhaps you can. Now—where is this man?

SARAH
. Through the marquee. I'll show you.

(
SARAH
and
GERARD
exit to the marquee.
NADINE
enters from the slope Left. She walks as though very tired. She moves to the table and looks at the open cases. The
ARAB
BOY
enters Right, carrying a tray.
)

BOY
. (
Crossing to the table
) Good afternoon, ma'am.

NADINE
. Hullo, Abdulla.

(
The
ARAB
BOY
collects the dirty glasses from the table, crosses and exits Right.
NADINE
picks the bottles out of
GERARD
's case and puts them back, as though curious but only half aware of what she is doing.
COPE
strides on down the slope Left.
NADINE
starts and moves from the table.
)

COPE
. So there you are. (
He crosses to Right Centre.
) You've been running away from me, Nadine.

NADINE
. What makes you think that?

COPE
. Nadine, things can't go on like this. I've got to talk to you.

NADINE
. (
Crossing to him
) Oh, please, Jeff, please.

COPE
. (
Turning her to face him
) No, listen. I've loved you for a long time. You know that. I want you to have some happiness in your life.

NADINE
. Perhaps no one is happy.

COPE
. That's nonsense, dear, and you know it. You've been a loyal wife to Lennox—you've put up with an impossible life for his sake and you've never complained. But the time's come when you've got to think of
yourself.
I'm not expecting romantic devotion from you—but you do like me a little, don't you?

NADINE
. I like you very much.

COPE
. You're not doing Lennox any good by staying with him. Divorce him and marry me.

(
SARAH
enters from the marquee.
)

(
He moves Right
) We might take a walk later—when the sun isn't so hot.

NADINE
. Yes.

(
COPE
exits Right.
SARAH
looks at
NADINE
,
then sits Left of the table.
)

Miss King.

SARAH
. Yes?

NADINE
. May I say something to you?

SARAH
. Why, of course.

NADINE
. (
Moving to Right of the table
) I saw you talking to my brother-in-law just now.

SARAH
. Really?

NADINE
. Do help him if you can.

SARAH
. What makes you think I can help him?

NADINE
. If you can't help him, nobody can.

SARAH
. He could help himself if he liked.

NADINE
. That's where you're wrong. We're an odd family. He can't.

SARAH
. You're a very devoted family—I know. Your mother-in-law told me so.

NADINE
. No, we're not. That's the last thing we are.

(
SARAH
looks in surprise at
NADINE
.)

(
She moves nearer to
SARAH
and lowers her voice.
) Do you know what
she
—(
she gestures towards
MRS
.
BOYNTON
) was before my father-in-law married her?

SARAH
. What was she?

NADINE
. She was a wardress in a prison. (
She pauses.
) My father-in-law was the governor. He was a widower with three young children, the youngest, Jinny, only six months old.

SARAH
. (
Looking at
MRS
.
BOYNTON
) Yes—I can see her as a wardress.

NADINE
. It's what she still is—Lennox and Raymond and Jinny have been the prisoners. They've never known what it is to live outside the prison walls.

SARAH
. Not even now—here—abroad?

NADINE
. Yes. She's brought the prison walls with her. She's never allowed them to make friends—to have outside contacts—to have any ideas or interests of their own. It's all been done under the pretence of solicitude and devotion—but there's no devotion.

SARAH
. What is there, then?

NADINE
. Something that frightens me—something cruel—something that rejoices and gloats in its own power . . .

(
MRS
.
BOYNTON
moves, puts down her book and peers forward.
)

MRS
.
BOYNTON
. (
Calling
) Nadine. Come and help me.

NADINE
. (
To
SARAH
;
urgently
) I didn't understand when I married Lennox—I left things too late. I think he's beyond help. But it's different with Raymond. You could fight.

MRS
.
BOYNTON
. (
Calling
) Nadine.

NADINE
. Coming, Mother. (
She goes up on the rock to
MRS
.
BOYNTON
)

(
The
ARAB
BOY
enters from the marquee.
)

BOY
. (
To
SARAH
) Selun, he very bad. You come, Miss Doctor.

SARAH
. (
Rising
) Very well.

(
SARAH
and the
ARAB
BOY
exit to the marquee.
RAYMOND
enters Right and crosses to the table. He picks up a bottle that
NADINE
has left out of the case, at first casually, then with suddenly awakened attention. He stares down at it.
NADINE
helps
MRS
.
BOYNTON
to rise.
)