Collected Novels and Plays (66 page)

AURORA:

I’ll be on my way ….

TITHONUS:

Oh stay, please!

AURORA:

Really, I can’t bear scenes!

LAOMEDON:

In my opinion, young lady, it might be a good thing for you to hear what I have to say.

AURORA:

Aren’t you forgetting as usual who I am?

LAOMEDON:

I know who you are. And I know my place. But since you have condescended to meddle with human affairs, and with my son’s life in particular, it wouldn’t hurt you to learn how sensible people think down here—whatever the thinking processes may be where you come from.

AURORA (
gaily
):

Oh, we never think!

LAOMEDON:

I thought as much.

AURORA:

And even with people, Laomedon, I never feel the really brilliant ones think at all!

TITHONUS:

Neither do I!

AURORA:

Besides, Tithonus is teaching me about people.

LAOMEDON:

You see me as an old bore, don’t you?

TITHONUS:

Of course not, Father.

AURORA:

Or at least, a very distinguished one.

LAOMEDON:

No matter. That is how I saw my father at your age, and how your son will see you. Nature is very economical.

AURORA:

An example to us all!

LAOMEDON:

I am a soldier, a simple man who has worked hard. And what
you
can’t believe is that I’ve enjoyed it. There’s nothing finer than to live through every difficulty that comes your way.

TITHONUS:

It may have been so in your own life. But if, as you say, you’re a simple person who enjoys the difficulty of living, why can’t I be a difficult person who doesn’t enjoy it? Because I don’t!

AURORA:

Neither do I!

TITHONUS:

I’m wasting my youth, is that what you think? And wilful waste makes woeful want?

LAOMEDON:

You may scoff at your father’s maxims, as I once did. That will not make them less true. They are convenient expressions of profound human laws. I have proven them by bitter experience.

AURORA:

Experience isn’t always bitter, you know.

LAOMEDON:

I don’t speak of
your
experience, Aurora.

We’ll have our talk later. I see I’ve chosen a bad time.

AURORA (
whispering to TITHONUS
):

Go on! Stand up to him!

TITHONUS:

All right, Father. Tell me plainly what you expect me to do.

LAOMEDON:

Tell me first what you
do
do.

AURORA:

He reads!

TITHONUS:

Yes! I spent much of yesterday reading. Didn’t you see me?

LAOMEDON:

I saw you on the sofa with some books.

TITHONUS:

Well, I was reading.

LAOMEDON:

May I know which authors you were reading?

TITHONUS:

Different ones. Ovid. Ossian. Mrs. Browning.

LAOMEDON:

Go on.

TITHONUS:

I’m—ah—about to begin a large painting. The canvas isn’t quite prepared, but I have a whole notebook of sketches.

LAOMEDON:

What is to be the subject of your painting?

TITHONUS:

I haven’t altogether decided. Possibly a
Massacre of the Innocents
—or else a pastoral scene of some sort,
Pan Among Nymphs
, you know ….

AURORA:

Oh, do let me pose for you! The way I look on the ceiling at the Rospigliosi’s—well, it’s just not
me!

LAOMEDON (
to TITHONUS
):

What else?

TITHONUS:

At the moment, there’s nothing else.

LAOMEDON:

Thank you. You have answered my question.

TITHONUS:

If anything, I’m ashamed there should be so much, at such a time.

LAOMEDON:

I shall now answer yours. I notice that your mother’s death does not keep you from agreeable society.

AURORA:

But he’s so young! You must make allowances!

LAOMEDON (
cheerfully
):

I do. Since he is unfit to take charge of his own life, I shall have to do it for him. That’s the allowance I make for his youth.

Believe me, I have your interest at heart. I merely expect you to do something serious and responsible, Tithonus. Don’t look as if it were the end of the world!

Tell me, have you a genuine distaste for work? Or do you reject as a matter of course whatever
I
recommend?

TITHONUS:

There is one thing I can do, Father, that might satisfy you.

LAOMEDON:

I’m very easy to please, you know. I had a reputation for it throughout my regiment.

TITHONUS:

I told Mrs. Mallow this morning, I’ve decided to leave home.

AURORA:

Tithonus, how wonderful! You’ll come with me!

You can’t imagine—I’ve been asking him for months! He needs to travel, it’s so broadening!

LAOMEDON (
after a pause
):

Do as you wish, Tithonus. You may one day regret—no, I have nothing more to say.

TITHONUS:

Father, wait, I want you to understand!

LAOMEDON:

I want to understand. But not now.

Will you be leaving before lunch?

TITHONUS:

No, I needn’t ….

LAOMEDON:

Splendid! Perhaps you can spare a moment or two then, in private.

TITHONUS:

Certainly, Father.

AURORA:

He is rather pompous, even for one’s father. I suppose it’s the result of a military career. Ho hum, what shall we do until lunch?

We could make love!

TITHONUS:

Really, Aurora! If somebody came in—

AURORA:

All right! It was only an idea!

Modesty, modesty!

Well, then, on with my education! Last time we took up—let me see, was it pain? Sportsmanship? One’s brotherhood to the ape?

TITHONUS:

You remember perfectly well—we talked about religion.

AURORA:

Ah yes, religion! I was fascinated—to see oneself through the eyes of others! Couldn’t we go on with that?

TITHONUS:

You’re disappointed, aren’t you, that I’m not leaving with you until after I’ve talked to Father?

AURORA:

No, not at all.

TITHONUS:

Well,
I
would be—having to wait even a few hours.

AURORA:

But you see, I have no sense of time. You’re giving me what I wanted. A few hours or a few days sooner or later, what difference does it make?

TITHONUS:

It would make a difference to me. I
need
time. Some days I choke on my food. I feel I can’t keep up with life.

AURORA:

Really? Why I could sit for days over a meal, even a dull meal.

TITHONUS:

Or else I don’t try at all. I lie down. I sleep.

AURORA:

Now this interests me very much. Oh darling, you see why I love you! You show me what people feel. In no time at all I’ll be having the same feelings myself! Go on!

TITHONUS:

Aurora, I’ve tried to put it out of my head, but I can’t. You don’t
really
understand what I say, do you?

AURORA (
biting her lip
):

No, I don’t.

But tell me—darling, I’m serious now—why should I understand?

TITHONUS:

You’re forever smiling!

AURORA:

I
am
she who smiles. I am the rosy-fingered one. What do you mean by understanding?

TITHONUS:

You see!

AURORA:

I
do
see. I see what is shown to me, my dear. When I go into a room and find, say, a book lying on the table, it is not my way to open it. I’ve never held letters to the light in order to read what might be inside. If the book lies open, if the letter has been dropped, open, to the floor—why then, I do read it. I feel it has been left for me to read. I mean, I never see the hidden side of things. That must always be most unpleasant. If
people are unhappy, I don’t want to know about it. I’ll do anything—I’ll even lie to them!—in order to keep them smiling. I can’t bear to know what people do in the dark.

TITHONUS:

But you do know.

AURORA:

With you, I don’t think of it as being in the dark ….

TITHONUS (
taking her face in his hands
):

And what do you see now?

AURORA:

I see that you’re handsome and full of life. When I get my camera I shall photograph only you. I see that your ear is translucent. The capillaries fan out like twigs against a sunset—

You’re hurting me! I see what’s
there! I
see light and love!

TITHONUS:

You see your own light and your own love!

AURORA:

Darling!

TITHONUS:

I don’t mean that. Aurora, I love you. But to see only what is shown to us isn’t understanding. Understanding is when we see in the dark, the way a cat does. Some part of me is dark and sad, invisible in your brightness. Understanding will be the day you come to me suffering, or with a capacity for suffering. Understanding has more to do with tears than with smiling. And you’ve never wept.

AURORA:

No. Would I enjoy that?

Be reasonable! If gloom and murkiness are what you want, there are plenty who’ll be delighted to oblige you. Just don’t ask—

Oh, silly me! I
have
something that will cheer you up!

TITHONUS:

That’s not what I need!

AURORA:

But I have! I’m not the goddess of the dawn for nothing. Ah, now you’re interested!

TITHONUS:

Tell me then.

AURORA:

Perhaps now I won’t, you’ve been so horrid.

TITHONUS:

Ah, don’t play with me! Tell me or not, as you please, but don’t play these games!

AURORA:

I’ve brought a little gift. Oh, promise you’ll like it!

TITHONUS:

What is it?

AURORA:

Nothing at all, really. Something you once said you wanted ….

TITHONUS:

Aurora! It isn’t—

AURORA (
nodding
):

Are you pleased?

TITHONUS:

Oh my angel! You’re sure? There’s no mistake?

AURORA:

Mistake! Oh really now!

TITHONUS:

Forgive me. But tell me yourself, then, what it is.

AURORA:

You’re such a baby! You
know
what it is!

TITHONUS:

But say it!

AURORA:

One doesn’t put these things into words … Must I?

TITHONUS:

You’re playing with me again!

AURORA (
annoyed
):

But I love to play! All right. Henceforth you are immortal. There!

TITHONUS:

Say it again!

AURORA:

Henceforth you are immortal.

TITHONUS:

I’ll never die?

AURORA:

Never.

TITHONUS:

Can it be that simple? Don’t I need to do something?

AURORA:

No. You may kiss me if you like.

TITHONUS:

I can’t believe it! And I said you didn’t understand! Do you know what it means?

AURORA:

So very much?
I’m
glad, too. To me it means that I shall have you always. Didn’t you want to kiss me?

TITHONUS:

Oh, I love you! Aurora—thank you!

AURORA:

You’re welcome, I’m sure.

TITHONUS:

But how—I’m sorry, I want to know everything. How did you go about it?

AURORA:

Well, let me see. You expressed the wish—mercy, it must have been a month ago. I didn’t think too much about it at first. Then I began to rack my brains. I wanted you to have some little thing from me, something small and useful that you would always have to remember me by. And it came to me! Just the thing, I said to myself.

TITHONUS:

There’s nobody like you!

AURORA:

Well, after that I had to wait. Every day I’d ask if he was in a good humor.

TITHONUS:

He?

AURORA (
pointing upward
):

He’s fearfully bad-tempered, or can be. It’s quite proverbial. And while it was little enough to ask, since everybody’s entitled to
one
gift, I didn’t want to be refused. Well, to make a long story short, yesterday evening I was given the sign. I slipped right in and spoke my piece, rather prettily, I must say.