Brian Friel Plays 1 (66 page)

BRIDGET:
We did. Didn’t we, Doalty?

OWEN:
Did you see Manus following them out?

BRIDGET:
I didn’t see him going out but I saw him coming in by himself later.

OWEN:
Did George and Maire come back to the dance?

BRIDGET:
No.

OWEN:
Did you see them again?

BRIDGET:
He left her home. We passed them going up the back
road – didn’t we, Doalty?

OWEN:
And Manus stayed till the end of the dance?

DOALTY:
We know nothing. What are you asking us for?

OWEN:
Because Lancey’ll question me when he hears Manus’s gone. (
Back
to
BRIDGET
.) That’s the way George went home? By the back road? That’s where you saw him?

BRIDGET:
Leave me alone, Owen. I know nothing about Yolland. If you want to know about Yolland, ask the Donnelly twins.

(
Silence.
DOALTY
moves 
over
to
the
window.
)

(
To
SARAH
) He’s a powerful fiddler, O’Shea, isn’t he? He told our Seamus he’ll come back for a night at Hallowe’en.

(
OWEN
goes
to
DOALTY
who
looks
resolutely
out
the
window.
)

OWEN:
What’s this about the Donnellys? (
Pause.
)
Were they about last night?

DOALTY:
Didn’t see them if they were.

(
Begins
whistling
through
his
teeth.
)

OWEN:
George is a friend of mine.

DOALTY:
So.

OWEN:
I want to know what’s happened to him.

DOALTY:
Couldn’t tell you.

OWEN:
What have the Donnelly twins to do with it? (
Pause.
) Doalty!

DOALTY:
I know nothing, Owen – nothing at all – I swear to God. All I know is this: on my way to the dance I saw their boat beached at Port. It wasn’t there on my way home, after I left Bridget. And that’s all I know. As God’s my judge. The half-dozen times I met him I didn’t know a word he said to me; but he seemed a right enough sort … (
With
sudden
excessive
interest
in
the
scene
outside.
)
Cripes, they’re crawling all over the place! Cripes, there’s millions of them! Cripes, they’re levelling the whole land!

(
OWEN
moves
away.
MAIRE
enters.
She
is
bareheaded
and
wet
from
the
rain;
her
hair
in
disarray.
She
attempts
to
appear
normal
but
she
is
in
acute
distress,
on
the
verge
of
being
distraught.
She
is
carrying
the
milk-can.
)

MAIRE:
Honest to God, I must be going off my head. I’m half way here and I think to myself, ‘Isn’t this can very light?’ and I look into it and isn’t it empty.

OWEN:
It doesn’t matter.

MAIRE:
How will you manage for tonight?

OWEN:
We have enough.

MAIRE:
Are you sure?

OWEN:
Plenty, thanks.

MAIRE:
It’ll take me no time at all to go back up for some.

OWEN:
Honestly, Maire.

MAIRE:
Sure it’s better you have it than that black calf that’s … that … (
She
looks
around.
)
Have you heard anything?

OWEN:
Nothing.

MAIRE:
What does Lancey say?

OWEN:
I haven’t seen him since this morning.

MAIRE:
What does he
think
?

OWEN:
We really didn’t talk. He was here for only a few seconds.

MAIRE:
He left me home, Owen. And the last thing he said to me – he tried to speak in Irish – he said, ‘I’ll see you yesterday’ – he meant to say ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’ And I laughed that much he pretended to get cross and he said ‘Maypoll! Maypoll!’ because I said that word wrong. And off he went, laughing – laughing, Owen! Do you think he’s all right? What do
you
think?

OWEN:
I’m sure he’ll turn up. Maire.

MAIRE:
He comes from a tiny wee place called Winfarthing. (
She
suddenly
drops
on
her
hands
and
knees
on
the
floor
– where
OWEN
had
his
map
a
few
minutes
ago
– and
with
her
finger
traces
out
an
outline
map.
)
Come here till you see. Look. There’s Winfarthing. And there’s two other wee villages right beside it; one of them’s called Barton Bendish – it’s there; and the other’s called Saxingham Nethergate – it’s about there. And there’s Little Walsingham – that’s his mother’s townland. Aren’t they odd names? Sure they make no sense to me at all. And Winfarthing’s near a big town called Norwich. And Norwich is in a county called Norfolk. And Norfolk is in the east of England. He drew a map for me on the wet strand and wrote the names on it. I have it all in my head now: Winfarthing – Barton Bendish – Saxingham Nethergate – Little Walsingham – Norwich –
Norfolk. Strange sounds, aren’t they? But nice sounds; like Jimmy Jack reciting his Homer. (
She
gets
to
her
feet
and
looks
around;
she
is
almost
serene
now.
To 
SARAH
) You were looking lovely last night, Sarah. Is that the dress you got from Boston? Green suits you. (
To
OWEN
) Something very bad’s happened to him, Owen. I know. He wouldn’t go away without telling me. Where is he, Owen? You’re his friend – where is he? (
Again
she
looks
around
the
room;
then
sits
on
a
stool.
)
I didn’t get a chance to do my geography last night. The master’ll be angry with me. (
She
rises
again.
)
I think I’ll go home now. The wee ones have to be washed and put to bed and that black calf has to be fed … My hands are that rough; they’re still blistered from the hay. I’m ashamed of them. I hope to God there’s no hay to be saved in Brooklyn. (
She
stops
at
the
door.
)
Did you hear? Nellie Ruadh’s baby died in the middle of the night. I must go up to the wake. It didn’t last long, did it?

(
MAIRE
leaves.
Silence.
Then.
)

OWEN:
I don’t think there’ll be any class. Maybe you should …

(
OWEN
begins
picking
up
his
texts.
DOALTY
goes
to
him.
)

DOALTY:
Is he long gone? – Manus.

OWEN:
Half an hour.

DOALTY:
Stupid bloody fool.

OWEN:
I told him that.

DOALTY:
Do they know he’s gone?

OWEN:
Who?

DOALTY:
The army.

OWEN:
Not yet.

DOALTY:
They’ll be after him like bloody beagles. Bloody, bloody fool, limping along the coast. They’ll overtake him before night for Christ’s sake.

(
DOALTY
returns
to
the
window.
LANCEY
enters
– now
the
commanding
officer.
)

OWEN:
Any news? Any word?

(
LANCEY
moves
into
the
centre
of
the
room
,
looking
around
as
he
does.
)

LANCEY:
I understood there was a class. Where are the others?

OWEN:
There was to be a class but my father –

LANCEY:
This will suffice. I will address them and it will be their responsibility to pass on what I have to say to every family in this section.

(
LANCEY
indicates
to
OWEN
to
translate.
OWEN
hesitates,
trying
to
assess
the
change
in
LANCEY
’
s
manner
and
attitude.
)

I’m
in a hurry, O’Donnell.

OWEN:
The captain has an announcement to make.

LANCEY:
Lieutenant Yolland is missing. We are searching for him. If we don’t find him, or if we receive no information as to where he is to be found, I will pursue the following course of action. (
He
indicates
to
OWEN
to
translate.
)

OWEN:
They are searching for George. If they don’t find him –

LANCEY:
Commencing twenty-four hours from now we will shoot all livestock in Ballybeg.

(
OWEN
stares
at
LANCEY
.)

At once.

OWEN:
Beginning this time tomorrow they’ll kill every animal in Baile Beag – unless they’re told where George is.

LANCEY:
If that doesn’t bear results, commencing forty-eight hours from now we will embark on a series of evictions and levelling of every abode in the following selected areas –

OWEN:
You’re not –!

LANCEY:
Do your job. Translate.

OWEN:
If they still haven’t found him in two days time they’ll begin evicting and levelling every house starting with these townlands.

(
LANCEY
reads
from
his
list.
)

LANCEY:
Swinefort.

OWEN:
Lis na Muc.

LANCEY:
Burnfoot.

OWEN:
Bun na hAbhann.

LANCEY:
Dromduff.

OWEN:
Druim Dubh.

LANCEY:
Whiteplains.

OWEN:
Machaire Ban.

LANCEY:
Kings Head.

OWEN:
Cnoc na Ri.

LANCEY:
If by then the lieutenant hasn’t been found, we will proceed until a complete clearance is made of this entire section.

OWEN:
If Yolland hasn’t been got by then, they will ravish the whole parish.

LANCEY:
I trust they know exactly what they’ve got to do.

(
Pointing
to
BRIDGET
.) I know you. I know where you live.

(
Pointing
to
SARAH
.) Who are you? Name!

(
SARAH
’
s
mouth
opens
and
shuts,
opens
and
shuts.
Her
face
becomes
contorted.
)

What’s your name?

(
Again
SARAH
tries
frantically.
)

OWEN:
Go on, Sarah. You can tell him.

(
But
SARAH
cannot.
And
she
knows
she
cannot.
She
closes
her
mouth.
Her
head
goes
down.
)

OWEN:
Her name is Sarah Johnny Sally.

LANCEY:
Where does she live?

OWEN:
Bun na hAbhann.

LANCEY:
Where?

OWEN:
Burnfoot.

LANCEY:
I want to talk to your brother – is he here?

OWEN:
Not at the moment.

LANCEY:
Where is he?

OWEN:
He’s at a wake.

LANCEY:
What wake?

(
DOALTY
,
who
has
been
looking
out
the
window
all
through
LANCEY
’
s
announcements,
now
speaks
– calmly,
almost
casually.
)