The Mousetrap and Other Plays (51 page)

HENRIETTA
. Don't worry about that. I've got it now. I think you're quite safe, Gerda. (
She sits Left of
GERDA
on the sofa.
) You must go away and live in the country quietly somewhere—and forget.

GERDA
. (
Unhappily
) Yes, yes, I suppose I must. I don't know what to do. I don't really know where to go. I can't make up my mind—John always decided everything. My head aches.

HENRIETTA
. (
Rising
) I'll go and get the tea.

(
She crosses and exits Left.
GERDA
looks cunningly towards the door Left, rises, moves to the drinks table, takes a small poison bottle out of her handbag and stretches out her hand towards
HENRIETTA
's glass. She pauses, takes a handkerchief from her handbag and lifts the glass with it.
HENRIETTA
reenters quietly Left. She carries a tray of tea.
GERDA
,
with her back to
HENRIETTA
,
is unaware of the entry. As
HENRIETTA
watches
,
GERDA
tips the contents of the poison bottle into
HENRIETTA
's glass, then replaces the bottle and handkerchief in her handbag.

HENRIETTA
quietly exits.
GERDA
turns, moves below the sofa and sits.

HENRIETTA
reenters, crosses to the coffee table and puts the tray on it.
) Here's your tea, Gerda.

GERDA
. Thank you so much, Henrietta.

HENRIETTA
. (
Moving to the drinks table
) Now, where's my drink? (
She picks up her glass.
)

GERDA
. (
Pouring milk into the cup
) This is just what I wanted. You are very good to me, Henrietta.

HENRIETTA
. (
Moving slowly down Right.
) Shall I have this? Or shall I have a cup of tea with you?

GERDA
. (
Pouring the tea; cunningly
) You don't really like tea, do you, Henrietta?

HENRIETTA
. (
Sharply
) I think,
today
, I prefer it. (
She puts her glass on the coffee table and crosses to the door Left.
) I'll go and get another cup.

(
She exits Left.
GERDA
frowns with annoyance, and rises. She looks around, sees the revolver on the mantelpiece, glances at the door Left, then runs to the mantelpiece and picks up the revolver. She examines it, notes that it is loaded, nods with satisfaction and utters a little sob. The
INSPECTOR
enters down Right.
)

INSPECTOR
. What are you doing with that gun, Mrs. Cristow?

GERDA
. (
Turning; startled
) Oh, Inspector, how you startled me. (
She puts her hand over her heart.
) My heart—my heart isn't strong, you know.

INSPECTOR
. (
Crossing to Right of
GERDA
) What were you doing with that gun?

GERDA
. I found it here.

INSPECTOR
. (
Taking the revolver from
GERDA
) You know all about loading a gun, don't you? (
He unloads it, puts the cartridges in one pocket and the revolver in another.
)

GERDA
. Sir Henry very kindly showed me. Is—is the inquest over?

INSPECTOR
. Yes.

GERDA
. And the verdict?

INSPECTOR
. It was adjourned.

GERDA
. That's not right. They should have said it was wilful murder and that she did it.

INSPECTOR
. She?

GERDA
. That actress. That Veronica Craye. If they adjourn things, she'll get away—she'll go back to America.

INSPECTOR
. Veronica Craye didn't shoot your husband, Mrs. Cristow.

GERDA
. She did. She did. Of course she did.

INSPECTOR
. No. The gun wasn't in her bag when we first searched this room. It was put there afterwards. (
He pauses.
) We often know quite well who's guilty of crime, Mrs. Cristow—(
He looks meaningly at her
) but we can't always get sufficient evidence.

(
GERDA
,
terrified, steps back, stumbles and collapses on to the pouffe.
)

GERDA
. (
Wildly
) Oh, John—John—where are you? I want you, John.

INSPECTOR
. Mrs. Cristow—Mrs. Cristow—don't—don't, please.

(
GERDA
sobs hysterically. The
INSPECTOR
crosses to the coffee table, picks up
HENRIETTA
's glass, sniffs it, takes it to
GERDA
and hands it to her.
GERDA
,
not noticing what it is, drinks the contents of the glass. After a few moments, she rises, staggers and crosses below the sofa. As she starts to fall the
INSPECTOR
crosses to her and lowers her on to the sofa.
HENRIETTA
enters Left. She carries a cup and saucer. She crosses hurriedly to Left of the sofa, kneeling and putting the cup and saucer on the coffee table, as the
INSPECTOR
takes the empty glass from
GERDA
.)

HENRIETTA
. Gerda, Gerda. (
She sees the glass. To the
INSPECTOR
) Did you—did you give her
that?

INSPECTOR
. Why, what was in it?

HENRIETTA
. She put something in it—out of her bag.

(
The
INSPECTOR
picks up
GERDA
's handbag, opens it and takes out the poison bottle.
)

INSPECTOR
. (
Reading the label
) I wonder how she got hold of that? (
He feels
GERDA
's pulse, then shakes his head.
) So—she's killed herself.

HENRIETTA
. (
Rising and crossing to Right
) No, it was meant for me.

INSPECTOR
. For you, why?

HENRIETTA
. Because I—I knew—something. (
She crosses above the sofa to the back of the armchair Centre.
)

INSPECTOR
. You knew she'd killed her husband? Oh yes,
I
knew that too. We get to know people in our job. You're not the killer type. She was.

HENRIETTA
. (
Breaking to the fireplace
) She loved John Cristow—too much.

INSPECTOR
. The worshipper—that was the name of the statue, wasn't it? What happens next for you?

HENRIETTA
. John told me once that if he were dead, the first thing I'd do would be to model a figure of grief. It's odd, but that's exactly what I'm going to do.

(
The
INSPECTOR
moves to the writing table.
LADY
ANGKATELL
enters up Centre from Left. She looks radiant.
)

LADY
ANGKATELL
. (
Moving down Centre
) It was a wonderful inquest.

(
The
INSPECTOR
lifts the telephone receiver.
)

Exactly as they describe it in books, and . . . (
She sees
GERDA
.) Has—has Gerda . . . ?

(
The
INSPECTOR
looks at her in silence.
HENRIETTA
puts her hands to her eyes to hide her tears.
)

(
She nods her head.
) How very, very fortunate . . .

INSPECTOR
. (
Into the telephone
) Get me the police station, will you?

(
HENRIETTA
starts to sob as—the Curtain falls.
)

CURTAIN

The Mousetrap

Presented by Peter Saunders at the Ambassadors Theatre, London, on 25th November 1952, with the following cast of characters:

(
in the order of their appearance
)

The play produced by Peter Cotes

Décor by Roger Furse

SYNOPSIS OF SCENES

ACT
I

S
CENE
1
 
  The Great Hall at Monkswell Manor. Late afternoon

S
CENE
2
 
  The same. The following day after lunch

ACT
II

The same. Ten minutes later

Time: the present

ACT ONE

Scene I

SCENE
:
The Great Hall at Monkswell Manor. Late afternoon.

The house looks not so much a period piece but a house which has been lived in by generations of the same family with dwindling resources. There are tall windows up Centre; a big arched opening up Right leading to the entrance hall, the front door and the kitchen; and an arched opening Left leading upstairs to the bedrooms. Up Left leading off the stairs is the door to the library; down Left is the door to the drawing room; and down Right the door (opening on stage) to the dining room. Right is an open fireplace, and beneath the window up Centre a windowseat and a radiator.

The hall is furnished as a lounge. There is some good old oak, including a large refectory table by the window up Centre, an oak chest in the entrance hall up Right, and a stool on the stairs Left. The curtains and the upholstered furniture—a sofa Left Centre, an armchair Centre, a large leather armchair Right, and a small Victorian armchair down Right—are shabby and old-fashioned. There is a combined desk and bookcase Left, with a radio and telephone on it and a chair beside it. There is another chair up Right Centre by the window, a Canterbury containing newspapers and magazines above the fireplace and a small half-circular card table behind the sofa. There are two wall brackets over the fireplace which are worked together; and a wall bracket on the Left wall, one Left of the library door and one in the entrance hall, which are also worked together. There are double switches Left of the arch up Right, and on the downstage side of the door down Left, and a single switch on the upstage side of the door down Right. A table lamp stands on the sofa table.

Before Curtain rises the House LIGHTS fade to a complete blackout and the music of “Three Blind Mice” is heard.

When Curtain rises the stage is in complete darkness. The music fades, giving place to a shrill whistle of the same tune, “Three Blind Mice.” A woman's piercing scream is heard, then a mixture of male and female voices saying:
“My God, what's that?” “Went that way!” “Oh, my God!”
Then a police whistle sounds, followed by several other police whistles, all of which fade to silence.

VOICE ON THE RADIO
. . . and according to Scotland Yard, the crime took place at twenty-four Culver Street, Paddington.

The lights
come up, revealing the Hall at Monkswell Manor. It is late afternoon, and almost dark. Snow can be seen falling heavily through the windows up Centre. There is a fire burning. A freshly painted signboard is standing on its side on the stairs against the archway Left; it has on it in large letters:
M
ONKWELL
M
ANOR
G
UEST
H
OUSE
.

The murdered woman was a Mrs. Maureen Lyon. In connection with the murder, the police are anxious to interview a man seen in the vicinity, wearing a dark overcoat, light scarf, and a soft felt hat.

(
MOLLIE RALSTON
enters through the arch up Right. She is a tall, pretty young woman with an ingenuous air, in her twenties. She puts down her handbag and gloves on the armchair Centre, then crosses to the radio and switches it off during the next speech. She places a small parcel in the desk cupboard.
)

Motorists are warned against ice-bound roads. The heavy snow is expected to continue, and throughout the country there will be a certain freezing, particularly at points on the north and northeast coast of Scotland.