Brian Friel Plays 1 (49 page)

Something disquieting about that line ‘going on and on and on’, isn’t there? Ha-ha.

(
JUDITH
and
ALICE
enter.
CASIMIR
resumes
pacing.
JUDITH
in
a
dark
dress
and
carrying
Alice
’
s
case.
ALICE
with
coat
and
handbag.
They
deposit
these
things
in
the
study
.)

ALICE:
Thanks. Just leave it there.

JUDITH:
When’s your bus?

ALICE:
We’ve another fifteen or twenty minutes yet.

JUDITH:
Willie’ll be here. He said he’ll run you down.

ALICE:
That’d be handy.

(
They
both
come
out
to
the
lawn.
)

ALICE:
There’s tea in there if you want it.

EAMON:
None for me.

ALICE:
Casimir?

CASIMIR:
Not at the moment, thank you.

JUDITH:
Did you get your flight fixed up?

CASIMIR:
Mrs Moore did all the phoning‚ made all the arrangements. She was wonderful.

JUDITH:
Does Helga know?

CASIMIR:
I sent her a telegram. I should be home at midnight.

(
EAMON
touches
ALICE
’s
cheek
with
his
index
finger
.)

EAMON:
It’s healed.

ALICE:
Is it?

EAMON:
Almost.

ALICE:
I heal quickly.

EAMON:
Sorry.

ALICE:
I’ve packed your things.

EAMON:
Thanks.

ALICE:
Have you the tickets?

(
He
taps
hi
s
jacket
packet
.)

ALICE:
I’ll be glad to be home, if it’s only to get a sleep. (
Aloud
) Tom hasn’t left yet, has he?

JUDITH:
He’s in the library; some dates he wants to check again.

EAMON:
‘Check’‚ ‘recheck’, double-check’, ‘cross-check’.

JUDITH:
He’s talking about waiting over until the morning.

EAMON:
Wasn’t he lucky to be here for Father’s death? I suppose he’ll interpret that as ‘the end of an epoch’.

JUDITH:
Isn’t it?

EAMON:
Is it?

CASIMIR:
He’s from Chicago, he tells me. And I suspect he may be a very wealthy man: his uncle owns the Bell Telephone Company.

EAMON:
He should never have been let set foot here.

JUDITH:
He asked my permission.

EAMON:
To pry?

JUDITH:
To chronicle.

EAMON:
Ah.

JUDITH:
To record the truth.

EAMON:
Better still. And you said, ‘Go ahead, stranger’.

JUDITH:
Is there something to hide?

(
EAMON
spreads
his
hands.
)

JUDITH:
Besides – it’s my home.

(
Brief
pause.
Then
quickly.
)

ALICE:
It wasn’t exactly the biggest funeral ever seen in Ballybeg, was it?

CASIMIR:
Did you notice – the whole village closed down.

ALICE:
For the minute it took the hearse to pass through. And as Sister Thérèse would say: ‘The multitude in the church was a little empty, too.’

CASIMIR:
I thought the requiem mass very moving.

ALICE:
Until Miss Quirk cut loose. For God’s sake did nobody tell her it wasn’t the wedding?

JUDITH:
She would have played anyway.

ALICE:
But maybe not
This
Is
My
Lovely
Day.
Or is that one of the two pieces?

JUDITH:
You might have got
Bless
This
House
.

ALICE:
Father would not have been amused. Casimir, will you please stop prowling around?

CASIMIR:
Oh. Sorry – sorry.

(
He
sits – as
if
he
were
about
to
take
off
again
.)

ALICE:
Who was the man standing just behind Willie at the graveside? – glasses, pasty-looking, plump, bald. I noticed him in the chapel, too; in the front pew on the men’s side.

EAMON:
Jerry.

ALICE:
Who?

EAMON:
Jerry McLaughlin.

ALICE:
Who’s Jerry Mc –? Not –!

(
EAMON
nods.
)

ALICE:
For God’s sake! But that man could be her father, Judith!

JUDITH:
Easy.

(
The
music
stops
suddenly.
Silence.
)

ALICE:
She couldn’t have heard me, could she?

CLAIRE:
Casimir!

CASIMIR:
Hello-hello.

CLAIRE:
What’s the name of this?

ALICE:
(
Relieved
)
God.

(
CASIMIR
leaps
up
.)

CASIMIR:
A test! She’s testing me again! (
Shouts.
)
Go ahead! I’m ready! I’m waiting!

(
He
moves
upstage
and
stands
poised
,
waiting.
His
eyes
are
shut
tight
,
etc.
etc.
as
before.
The
music
is
the
Ballade
in
A
flat
major
,
Op.
47.
)

ALICE:
You never told me he was like that.

JUDITH:
Like what?

ALICE:
That’s an elderly man. (
To
EAMON
) Did you know he was like that?

CASIMIR:
Good Lord – good Lord – good Lord – good Lord –

ALICE:
She’s only – what? – twenty-seven? – twenty-eight?

CASIMIR:
I know it – I know it so well – but what is it? – what
is
it? –

ALICE:
Thank God the wedding’s postponed for three months. Maybe she’ll come to her senses in the meantime. How could the poor child marry a man like that, for God’s sake?

JUDITH:
I’ve no idea. (
Rises.
)
There are some things we’ve got to get settled before you all leave. (
Shouts
.)
Claire, could you come out for a few minutes?

ALICE:
So that’s Jerry McLaughlin.

EAMON:
He looks older than he is.

JUDITH:
Claire!

ALICE:
O dear, dear, dear, dear, dear.

(
The
music
stops.
CASIMIR
comes
downstage.
)

CASIMIR:
(
To
EAMON
) It’s a sonata – a sonata – I know that – either 58 or 59 – but which? – which?

EAMON:
Don’t ask me.

ALICE:
(
To
EAMON
) What age is he?

CASIMIR:
Oh, Lord, I should know. Alice?

ALICE:
What?

CASIMIR:
58 or 59?

ALICE:
Is he serious?

CASIMIR:
59 – that’s my guess.

ALICE:
He’s right.

CASIMIR:
Am I?

ALICE:
He must be that. Oh, the poor baby!

(
CLAIRE
enters – she
is
not
wearing
mourning
clothes.
ALICE
studies
her
face
with
anxious
compassion
.)

CLAIRE:
(
To
CASIMIR
) Well?

CASIMIR:
It’s a sonata.

CLAIRE:
Is it?

CASIMIR:
Isn’t it?

ALICE:
Claire darling, that was just beautiful playing.

CLAIRE:
Thanks.

CASIMIR:
Yes; it’s a sonata.

CLAIRE:
So you’ve said.

CASIMIR:
Is it not?

ALICE:
Would you like to sit here, facing the sun?

CLAIRE:
I’m fine. (
To
CASIMIR)
You don’t know!

JUDITH:
Please, everybody –

CASIMIR:
And it’s either – and I’m not absolutely certain –

CLAIRE:
You don’t know!

JUDITH:
Claire –

CASIMIR:
It’s either the –

JUDITH:
May I –?

CASIMIR:
58 – right?

JUDITH:
Please may I speak?

CLAIRE:
(
Whispers
)
Wrong.

CASIMIR:
(
Whispers
)
59?

JUDITH:
Could I have a moment now that we’re all here?

CASIMIR:
Sorry – sorry. I beg your pardon, Judith.

CLAIRE:
(
Whispers
)
Completely wrong.

JUDITH:
We haven’t got all that much time. (
To
CASIMIR
) Here’s a seat.

(
He
sits.
CLAIRE
grins
at
him
behind
Judith
’
s
back.
He
signals
another
answer
.
She
rejects
this
,
too.
He
is
deflated.
ALICE
has
not
taken
her
eyes
off
CLAIRE
.
Now
she
goes
to
her.
)

ALICE:
I got a glimpse of you coming down the aisle this morning and I had a sudden memory of you coming down on the morning of your first communion; and you looked exactly the same as you did then – not one day older – a beautiful little innocent child. Hasn’t changed a bit, has
she? (
She
looks
round
for
confirmation;
but
everyone
is
silent
and
waiting
.)
What’s wrong?

JUDITH:
I would like to talk about what’s to happen now that Father’s gone – before you all leave.

ALICE:
Sorry. Sorry. Of course. Go ahead.

JUDITH:
I know he has left everything to the four of us – the house, the furnishings, the land. And the question is: what are we going to do?

ALICE:
Well, as far as I’m concerned, my home’s in London, Casimir’s is in Hamburg, and this house is yours and Claire’s. (
To
CASIMIR
) Isn’t that right?

CASIMIR:
Oh, yes; oh‚ yes, indeed.

ALICE:
Naturally we’ll come back now and again. But the Hall must be your home. So the next time we’re here we’ll sign over to you whatever our share is – or better still have the papers drawn up and sent to us. The important thing is to have it all formal. (
TO
CASIMIR
) Don’t you agree?

CASIMIR:
I –

ALICE:
(
To
JUDITH
) I see no problem.

EAMON:
What has Casimir to say?

CASIMIR:
Me? Oh, yes, Alice is right, absolutely right. I mean I would hope to bring the boys over some time for a holiday – a short holiday – if I may. But I would be really happy for you to have it all, Judith – and Claire – oh, yes, very happy. You deserve it. It should be yours. It must be yours. Oh, yes.