Complete Poems and Plays (53 page)

The fact that you can’t give a reason for wanting her

Is the best reason for believing that you want her.

E
DWARD
.
I want to see her again — here.

U
NIDENTIFIED
G
UEST
.
                              You shall see her again — here.

E
DWARD
.
Do you mean to say that you know where she is?

U
NIDENTIFIED
G
UEST
.
That question is not worth the trouble of an answer.

But if I bring her back it must be on one condition:

That you promise to ask her no questions

Of where she has been.

E
DWARD
.
                          I will not ask them.

And yet — it seems to me — when we began to talk

I was not sure I wanted her; and now I want her.

Do I want her? Or is it merely your suggestion?

U
NIDENTIFIED
G
UEST
.
We do not know yet. In twenty-four hours

She will come to you here. You will be here to meet her.

[
The
doorbell
rings
]

E
DWARD
.
I must answer the door.

[E
DWARD
goes
to
the
door
]

So it’s you again, Julia!

[
Enter
J
ULIA
and
P
ETER
]

J
ULIA
.
Edward, I’m so glad to find you.

Do you know, I must have left my glasses here,

And I simply can’t see a thing without them.

I’ve been dragging Peter all over town

Looking for them everywhere I’ve been.

Has anybody found them? You can tell if they’re mine —

Some kind of a plastic sort of frame —

I’m afraid I don’t remember the colour,

But I’d know them, because one lens is missing.

U
NIDENTIFIED
G
UEST
[
Sings
]
.

You will keep our appointment?

E
DWARD
.
                                          I shall keep it.

U
NIDENTIFIED
G
UEST
[
Sings
]
.

[
Exit
]

J
ULIA
.
Edward, who
is
that dreadful man?

I’ve never been so insulted in my life.

It’s very lucky that I left my spectacles:

This
is what I call an adventure!

Tell me about him. You’ve been
drinking
together!

So this is the kind of friend you have

When Lavinia is out of the way! Who is he?

E
DWARD
.
I
don’t know.

J
ULIA
.
                           
You
don’t know?

E
DWARD
.
                                                    I never saw him before in my life.

J
ULIA
.
But how did he come here?

E
DWARD
.
                                        
I
don’t know.

J
ULIA
.
You
don’t know! And what’s his name?

Did I hear him say his name was Riley?

E
DWARD
.
I don’t know his name.

J
ULIA
.
                                             You don’t know his
name
?

E
DWARD
.
I tell you I’ve no idea who he is

Or how he got here.

J
ULIA
.
                        But what did you talk about

Or were you singing songs all the time?

There’s altogether too much mystery

About this place to-day.

E
DWARD
.
                           I’m very sorry.

J
ULIA
.
No, I love it. But that reminds me

About my glasses. That’s the greatest mystery.

Peter! Why aren’t you looking for them?

Look on the mantelpiece. Where was I sitting?

Just turn out the bottom of that sofa —

No, this chair. Look under the cushion.

E
DWARD
.
Are you quite sure they’re not in your bag?

J
ULIA
.
Why no, of course not: that’s where I keep them.

Oh, here they are! Thank you, Edward;

That really was very clever of you;

I’d never have found them but for you.

The next time I lose
anything
,
Edward,

I’ll come straight to you, instead of to St. Anthony.

And now I must fly. I’ve kept the taxi waiting.

Come along, Peter.

P
ETER
.
                       I hope you won’t mind

If I don’t come with you, Julia? On the way back

I remembered something I had to say to Edward …

J
ULIA
.
Oh, about Lavinia?

P
ETER
.
                                No, not about Lavinia.

It’s something I want to consult him about,

And I could do it now.

J
ULIA
.
                             Of course I don’t mind.

P
ETER
.
Well, at least you must let me take you down in the lift.

J
ULIA
.
No, you stop and talk to Edward. I’m not helpless yet.

And besides, I like to manage the machine myself —

In a lift I can meditate. Good-bye then.

And thank you — both of you — very much.

[
Exit
]

P
ETER
.
I hope I’m not disturbing you, Edward.

E
DWARD
.
I seem to have been disturbed already;

And I did rather want to be alone.

But what’s it all about?

P
ETER
.
                               I want your help.

I was going to telephone and try to see you later;

But this seemed an opportunity.

E
DWARD
.
                                         And what’s your trouble?

P
ETER
.
This evening I felt I could bear it no longer.

That awful party! I’m sorry, Edward;

Of course it was really a very nice party

For everyone but me. And that wasn’t your fault.

I don’t suppose you noticed the situation.

E
DWARD.
I did think I noticed one or two things;

But I don’t pretend I was aware of everything.

P
ETER
.
Oh, I’m very glad that you didn’t notice:

I must have behaved rather better than I thought.

If you didn’t notice, I don’t suppose the others did,

Though I’m rather afraid of Julia Shuttlethwaite.

E
DWARD
.
Julia is certainly observant,

But I think she had some other matter on her mind.

P
ETER
.
It’s about Celia. Myself and Celia.

E
DWARD
.
Why, what could there be about yourself and Celia?

Have you anything in common, do you think?

P
ETER
.
It seemed to me we had a great deal in common.

We’re both of us artists.

E
DWARD
.
                         I never thought of that.

What arts do you practise?

P
ETER
.
                                    You won’t have seen my novel,

Though it had some very good reviews.

But it’s more the cinema that interests both of us.

E
DWARD
.
A common interest in the moving pictures

Frequently brings young people together.

P
ETER
.
Now you’re only being sarcastic:

Celia was interested in the art of the film.

E
DWARD
.
As a possible profession?

P
ETER
.
                                              She might make it a profession;

Though she had her poetry.

E
DWARD
.
                                  Yes, I’ve seen her poetry —

Interesting if one is interested in Celia.

Apart, of course, from its literary merit

Which I don’t pretend to judge.

P
ETER
.
                                             Well, I can judge it,

And I think it’s very good. But that’s not the point.

The point is, I thought we had a great deal in common

And I think she thought so too.

E
DWARD
.
                                         How did you come to know her?

[
Enter
A
LEX
]

A
LEX
.
Ah, there you are, Edward! Do you know why
I
’ve looked in?

E
DWARD
.
I’d like to know first how you
got
in, Alex.

A
LEX
.
Why, I came and found that the door was open

And so I thought I’d slip in and see if anyone was with you.

P
ETER
.
Julia must have left it open.

E
DWARD.
                                          Never mind;