The Mousetrap and Other Plays (31 page)

SARAH
. (
Moving up Centre
) I tell you I know what happened. She's laughing at me—somewhere—now, taunting me because I can't prove it—to
him.

GERARD
. (
Following
SARAH
) That is all you are thinking of—to prove it to Raymond? And you think he will not believe you without proof.

SARAH
. Do you?

GERARD
. No.

SARAH
. Then I must get proof. I must. I must. Oh, God, I
must.

(
The jingle of harness is heard off Left.
MISS
PRYCE
enters Right, crosses to the slope Left and looks off.
)

GERARD
. You do well to invoke God. It is a miracle you need. (
He crosses and sits down on the case.
)

SARAH
. Miracles don't happen, and there's no time—no time.

MISS
PRYCE
. (
Turning and moving Left Centre
) Were you talking about
miracles
?

SARAH
. (
Bitterly
) I was saying that miracles don't happen.

MISS
PRYCE
. Oh, but they do. A friend of mine had the most wonderful results from a bottle of water from Lourdes—really quite
remarkable.

SARAH
. (
To herself
) I must go on fighting. I won't give in.

MISS
PRYCE
. The doctors were really quite astonished. They said . . . (
She breaks off
) Is anything the matter, dear?

SARAH
. Yes, that she-devil, Mrs. Boynton.

MISS
PRYCE
. (
Shocked
) Oh, really, Miss King, I don't think . . . After all, we must remember she is
dead.

SARAH
.
De mortias.

MISS
PRYCE
. Quite—quite.

SARAH
. Death doesn't make people good who have been wicked.

MISS
PRYCE
. Wicked is rather a
strong
word, dear. I always feel people who take drugs are to be pitied rather than blamed.

SARAH
. I know what I'm talking about and . . . (
She stops
) What did you say? Mrs. Boynton didn't take drugs.

MISS
PRYCE
. (
Confused
) Oh, really, I never meant—I mean, I thought you, being a doctor, had probably noticed the signs. I'm sure
I
don't want to say anything against the poor old woman.

SARAH
. Mrs. Boynton didn't take drugs. Why do you think she did?

MISS
PRYCE
. Oh, but I'm afraid she was a drug addict, my dear. Lady Westholme goes about saying she
drank,
which of course wasn't so at all, but I haven't liked to contradict her because saying that anyone is a
dope fiend
is
worse.

SARAH
. (
Slowly but excited
) Why do you think Mrs. Boynton was a dope fiend?

MISS
PRYCE
. I should not dream of saying.

(
The
DRAGOMAN
enters down the slope Left.
)

There is such a thing as Christian charity.

DRAGOMAN
. Abraham good Christian dragoman. All my ladies and gentleman say Abraham first-class Christian dragoman. You come now, ladies, horses all ready.

(
SARAH
seizes
MISS
PRYCE
by the arm and sits her in the chair Right of the table.
)

SARAH
. You don't leave here until you tell me why you think Mrs. Boynton took drugs. You can't just hint things like that out of your imagination.

MISS
PRYCE
. (
Indignantly
) Not at all. It was not imagination. I saw her . . . (
She stops.
)

SARAH
. You saw what?

DRAGOMAN
. You come now.

SARAH
. (
Sharply
) Shut up, Abraham.

(
The
DRAGOMAN
exits to the marquee.
)

MISS
PRYCE
. (
Upset and rather on her dignity
) Really, I did not want to mention the occurrence, it seems so unkind. But since you have accused me of imagining—well, it was yesterday afternoon.

SARAH
. Yes?

MISS
PRYCE
. I came out of my tent—at least, not right out—I just pushed back the flap and tried to remember where I had left my book. Was it in the marquee, I said to myself, or was it in the deckchair.

SARAH
. Yes—yes.

MISS
PRYCE
. And then I noticed Mrs. Boynton. She was sitting up there quite alone and she rolled up her sleeve and injected the dope into her arm, looking about her first, you know, in a most
guilty
manner.

(
GERARD
rises and exchanges glances with
SARAH
.)

SARAH
. You're quite sure? What happened then?

MISS
PRYCE
. My dear, it was quite like a
novel.
She unscrewed the knob of her stick and put the hypodermic needle inside. So of course, I knew then that it was
drugs
—not
drink
, as Lady Westholme said.

(
CARBERY
and
LADY
WESTHOLME
enter Right.
CARBERY
beckons to the
BOYNTONS
.
NADINE
and
GINEVRA
rise and group with
RAYMOND
and
LENNOX
at the foot of the rock up Right.
)

CARBERY
. (
Moving Right Centre
) Miss King—Pryce. We're starting.

SARAH
. (
Crossing to Left of
CARBERY
) Colonel Carbery, Miss Pryce has something to tell you.

(
MISS
PRYCE
rises.
)

When she was alone in camp yesterday, she saw Mrs. Boynton inject something into her own arm.

CARBERY
. What's that?

(
NADINE
and
LENNOX
move down Right.
)

SARAH
. (
To
MISS
PRYCE
) That's quite true, isn't it?

MISS
PRYCE
. Yes, indeed.

SARAH
. After that Mrs. Boynton concealed the hypodermic needle in her stick, the head of which unscrews.

CARBERY
. (
Calling sharply
) Aissa.

(
The
DRAGOMAN
enters from the marquee.
)

(
To the
DRAGOMAN
)
Tal a hinna. Fee bataga.

(
The
DRAGOMAN
exits to the marquee.
)

SARAH
. (
To
RAYMOND
) Oh, Ray!

(
RAYMOND
moves to Left of
SARAH
.)

We've found out the truth.

(
The
DRAGOMAN
enters from the marquee with
MRS
.
BOYNTON
's stick. He crosses to
CARBERY
,
who takes the stick, unscrews the knob and produces the hypodermic needle, handling it carefully with his handkerchief.
)

She did it
herself.
(
She catches
RAYMOND
's arm excitedly
) Do you understand? She did it herself.

CARBERY
. Well, that seems to clinch matters. There will be traces of digitoxin in the barrel, and in all probability deceased's fingerprints. That, and Miss Pryce's evidence, seems conclusive. Mrs. Boynton took her own life.

RAYMOND
. Sarah!

SARAH
. (
Half crying
) Miracles do happen. Darling Miss Pryce, you're better than any Lourdes water.

CARBERY
. Well, we must be getting along. The plane is waiting at Ain Musa. (
He moves up Centre.
)

(
The
ARAB
BOY
enters from the marquee. He carries a cablegram which he hands to
CARBERY
.)

GINEVRA
. (
Moving to
GERARD
) Doctor Gerard—I—I did invent those things. Sometimes—(
Confusedly
) I really thought they were true. You will help me, won't you?

GERARD
. Yes,
chérie
, I will help you.

CARBERY
. (
Handing the cablegram to
LADY
WESTHOLME
) Lady Westholme, there's a cable they brought along for you.

(
LADY
WESTHOLME
opens the cable and reads it.
HIGGS
enters from the marquee.
)

LADY
WESTHOLME
. Dear me. Sir Eric Hartly-Witherspoon is dead.

HIGGS
. So's Queen Anne.

LADY
WESTHOLME
. (
Radiant
) This is
most
important. I must return to England at once.

CARBERY
. A near relation?

LADY
WESTHOLME
. No relation at all. Sir Eric was Member for Market Spotsbury. (
Pronounced Spurry
) That means a by-election. I am the prospective Conservative candidate and I may say that when I get into the House again . . .

HIGGS
. Yer seem mighty sure about it.

LADY
WESTHOLME
. Market Spotsbury has
always
returned a Conservative.

HIGGS
. Aye—but times is changin' and “always” 'as a 'abit of becomin' “never no more.” 'Oo's yer opponent?

LADY
WESTHOLME
. I believe some Independent candidate.

HIGGS
. What's 'is name?

LADY
WESTHOLME
. (
Nonplussed
) I've no idea. Probably someone
quite
unimportant.

HIGGS
. Ah'll tell yer 'is name—it's Alderman 'Iggs—and if I can keep you out of the first floor in Jerusalem—by gum—I'll keep yer out of the ground floor in Westminster.

CURTAIN

The Hollow

Presented by Peter Saunders at the Fortune Theatre, London, on 7th June 1951, with the following cast of characters:

(
in the order of their appearance
)

The play directed by Hubert Gregg
The play was subsequently transferred to the Ambassadors Theatre

 

SYNOPSIS OF SCENES

The action of the play passes in the garden room of Sir Henry Angkatell's house, The Hollow, about eighteen miles from London

ACT
I

A Friday afternoon in early September

ACT
II

S
CENE
1
 
  Saturday morning

S
CENE
2
 
  Later the same day

ACT
III