Brian Friel Plays 2 (12 page)

Kate
Sorry?

Jack
That quotation.

Kate
What’s that, Jack?

Jack
‘O ruddier than the cherry / O sweeter than the berry’ – no, it’s not Gilbert and Sullivan. But it’ll come back to me, I promise you. It’s all coming back. (
Again he
moves
off
.)

Kate
Jack.

Jack
Yes?

Kate
You are going to start saying Mass again?

Jack
We’ve agreed on next Monday, haven’t we? Haven’t we, Maggie?

Maggie
Yes.

Jack
At first light. The moment Rose’s white cock crows. A harvest ceremony. You’ll have to find a big gong somewhere, Kate.

He
leaves.
Pause.
Kate
and
Maggie
stare
at
each
other
in
concern,
in
alarm.
They
speak
in
hushed
voices.

Kate
I told you – you wouldn’t believe me – I told you.

Maggie
Shhh.

Kate
What do you think?

Maggie
He’s not back a month yet.

Kate
Yesterday I heard about their medicine man who brought a woman back from death –

Maggie
He needs more time.

Kate
And this morning it was ‘the spirits of the tribe’! And when I mentioned Mass to him you saw how he dodged about.

Maggie
He said he’d say Mass next Monday, Kate.

Kate
No, he won’t. You know he won’t. He’s changed, Maggie.

Maggie
In another month, he’ll be –

Kate
Completely changed. He’s not our Jack at all. And it’s what he’s changed into that frightens me.

Maggie
Doesn’t frighten me.

Kate
If you saw your face … of course it does … Oh, dear God –

Maggie
now
drifts
back
to
the
range.
Kate
goes
to
the
table
and
with
excessive
vigour
wipes
it
with
a
damp
cloth.
Then
she
stops
suddenly,
slumps
into
a
seat
and
covers
her
face
with
her
hands.
Maggie
watches
her,
then
goes
to
her.
She
stands
behind
her
and
holds
her
should
ers
with
her
hands.
Kate
grasps
Maggie’s
hand
in
hers.

Maggie
All the same, Kitty, I don’t think it’s a sight I’d like to see.

Kate
What sight?

Maggie
A clatter of lepers trying to do the Military Two-step.

Kate
God forgive you, Maggie Mundy! The poor creatures are as entitled to –

She
breaks
off
because
Chris’s
laughter
is
heard
off.
Kate
jumps
to
her
feet.

This must be kept in the family, Maggie! Not a word of this must go outside these walls – d’you hear? – not a syllable!

Chris
and
Gerry
enter
left.
He
enters
backways,
pulling
Chris
who
holds
the
end
of
his
walking
stick.

Throughout
the
scene
he
keeps
trying
to
embrace
her.
She
keeps
avoiding
him.

Gerry
No false modesty. You know you’re a great dancer, Chrissie.

Chris
No, I’m not.

Gerry
You should be a professional dancer.

Chris
You’re talking rubbish.

Gerry
Let’s dance round the garden again.

Chris
We’ve done that; and down the lane and up again – without music. And that’s enough for one day. Tell me about signing up. Was it really in a church?

Gerry
I’m telling you – it was unbelievable.

Chris
It was a real church?

Gerry
A Catholic church as a matter of interest.

Chris
I don’t believe a word of it.

Gerry
Would I tell you a lie? And up at the end – in the sanctuary? – there were three men, two of them with trench-coats; and between them, behind this lectern and wearing a sort of military cap, this little chappie who spoke in an accent I could hardly understand. Naturally I thought he was Spanish. From Armagh, as it turned out.

Chris
I’m sure he couldn’t understand you either.

Gerry
He described himself as the recruiting officer. ‘Take it from me, comrade, nobody joins the Brigade without my unanimity.’

She
laughs
–
and
avoids
his
embrace.

Chris
It’s a wonder he accepted you.

Gerry
‘Do you offer your allegiance and your loyalty and
your full endeavours to the Popular Front?’

Chris
What’s the Popular Front?

Gerry
The Spanish government that I’m going to keep in power. ‘I take it you are a Syndicalist?’ ‘No.’ ‘An Anarchist?’ ‘No.’ ‘A Marxist?’ ‘No.’ ‘A Republican, a Socialist, a Communist?’ ‘No.’ ‘Do you speak Spanish?’ ‘No.’ ‘Can you make explosives?’ ‘No.’ ‘Can you ride a motor-bike?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘You’re in. Sign here.’

Chris
So you’ll be a dispatch rider?

Gerry
imitates
riding
a
motor-bike.

And you leave on Saturday?

Gerry
First tide.

Chris
How long will you be away?

Gerry
As long as it takes to sort the place out.

Chris
Seriously, Gerry.

Gerry
Maybe a couple of months. Everybody says it will be over by Christmas.

Chris
They always say it will be over by Christmas. I still don’t know why you’re going.

Gerry
Not so sure I know either. Who wants salesmen that can’t sell? And there’s bound to be
something
right about the cause, isn’t there? And it’s somewhere to go – isn’t it? Maybe that’s the important thing for a man: a
named
destination – democracy, Ballybeg, heaven. Women’s illusions aren’t so easily satisfied – they make better drifters. (
Laughs
.) Anyhow he held out a pen to sign on the dotted line and it was only when I was writing my name that I glanced over the lectern and saw the box.

Chris
What box?

Gerry
He was standing on a box. The chappie was a midget!

Chris
Gerry!

Gerry
No bigger than three feet.

Chris
Gerry, I –

Gerry
Promise you! And when we were having a drink afterwards he told me he was invaluable to the Brigade – because he was a master at disguising himself!

Chris
Gerry Evans, you are –

Gerry
Let’s go down to the old well.

Chris
We’re going nowhere. Come inside and take a look at this wireless. It stops and starts whenever it feels like it.

Gerry
I told you: I know nothing about radios.

Chris
I’ve said you’re a genius at them.

Gerry
Chrissie, I don’t even know how to –

Chris
You can try, can’t you? Come on. Michael misses it badly.

She
runs
into
the
kitchen.
He
follows.

You should see Jack striding through the meadow. He looks like a new man.

Kate
(
to Gerry
) Were you talking to him?

Gerry
He wants to do a swap with me: I’m to give him this hat and he’s to give me some sort of a three-cornered hat with feathers that the district commissioner gave him. Sounds a fair exchange.

Maggie
Chrissie says you’re great with radios, Gerry.

Gerry
I’ll take a look at it – why not?

Maggie
All I can tell you is that it’s not the battery. I got a new one yesterday.

Gerry
Let me check the aerial first. Very often that’s where the trouble lies. Then I’ll have a look at the ignition and sparking plugs. Leave it to Gerry.

He
winks
at
Chris
as
he
goes
out
the
front
door
and
off
right.

Maggie
He sounds very knowledgeable.

Chris
It may be something he can’t fix.

Kate
I know you’re not responsible for Gerry’s decisions, Christina. But it would be on my conscience if I didn’t tell you how strongly I disapprove of this International Brigade caper. It’s a sorry day for Ireland when we send young men off to Spain to fight for godless Communism.

Chris
For democracy, Kate.

Kate
I’m not going to argue. I just want to clear my conscience.

Chris
That’s the important thing, of course. And now you’ve cleared it.

Gerry
runs
on
and
calls
through
the
window:

Gerry
Turn the radio on, Chrissie, would you?

Maggie
It’s on.

Gerry
Right. (
He runs off
again
.)

Chris
Just as we were coming out of the town we met Vera McLaughlin, the knitting agent, (
softly
) Agnes and Rose aren’t back yet?

Maggie
They’ll be here soon.

Chris
She says she’ll call in tomorrow and tell them
herself. The poor woman was very distressed.

Kate
Tell them what?

Chris
She’s not buying any more hand-made gloves.

Maggie
Why not?

Chris
Too dear, she says.

Kate
Too dear! She pays them a pittance!

Chris
There’s a new factory started up in Donegal Town. They make machine gloves more quickly there and far more cheaply. The people Vera used to supply buy their gloves direct from the factory now.

Maggie
That’s awful news, Chrissie.

Chris
She says they’re organizing buses to bring the workers to the factory and back every day. Most of the people who used to work at home have signed on. She tried to get a job there herself. They told her she was too old. She’s forty-one. The poor woman could hardly speak.

Maggie
Oh God … poor Aggie … poor Rose … what’ll they do?

Agnes
enters
the
garden.
Kate
sees
her.

Kate
Shhh. They’re back. Let them have their tea in peace. Tell them later.

They
busy
themselves
with
their
tasks.
Agnes
is
carrying
two
small
pails
of
blackberries
which
she
leaves
outside
the
door
of
the
house.
Just
as
she
is
about
to
enter
the
kitchen
a
voice
off
calls
her:

Gerry
(
off
) Who is that beautiful woman!

She
looks
around,
puzzled.