The Mousetrap and Other Plays (103 page)

HELEN
. (
rather pleased
) Oh, thank you, Professor Hendryk. (
She crosses above the armchair to
R
of
KARL
) I really am grateful. I am indeed, and I shall try very hard. Please don't be against me.

KARL
. I'm not against you.

HELEN
. Yes, you are. You feel you've been bullied into this by me and my father. But I'll do you credit. I will, really.

KARL
. (
smiling
) Then that is understood. There is no more to be said.

HELEN
. It's sweet of you. Very sweet of you. I am grateful. (
She gives
KARL
a sudden quick kiss on the cheek, then turns away, gathers up the books, moves up
C
and stands in the doorway, smiling at
KARL
.
Coyly
) Wednesday. At four?

HELEN
exits up
C
to
R
, leaving the doors open.
KARL
looks after her with some surprise. His hand goes to his cheek and he finds lipstick on it. He wipes his cheek with his handkerchief, smiles, then shakes his head a little doubtfully. He goes to the record player, puts on the record of the “Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto,” switches on, then goes to the desk and sits. He starts to do a little work, but pauses to listen to the music.
LISA
enters down
R
.
She stands there a moment, listening and watching
KARL
, but he is not aware that she is there. Her hands go up slowly to her face as she tries to retain composure, then suddenly she breaks down, rushes to the sofa and slumps on to the right end of it.

LISA
. Don't. Don't. Take it off.

KARL
, startled, swings round.

KARL
. (
puzzled
) It's the Rachmaninoff, Lisa. You and I have always loved it.

LISA
. I know. That's why I can't bear it just now. Take it off.

KARL
rises and stops the music.

KARL
. (
crossing to
L
of the sofa
) You know, Lisa. You've always known.

LISA
. Don't. We've never said anything.

KARL
. But we've known, haven't we?

LISA
. (
in a different, matter-of-fact voice
) Anya is asking for you.

KARL
. (
coming out of a kind of dream
) Yes. Yes, of course. I'll go to her.

KARL
crosses and exits down
R
.
LISA
stares after him in an attitude of despair.

LISA
. Karl. (
She beats her hands on the sofa
) Karl. Oh, Karl.

LISA
collapses miserably, her head in her hands, over the right arm of the sofa as the lights BLACK OUT and

the
CURTAIN
falls.

Scene II

SCENE
:
The same. A fortnight later. Afternoon.

When the CURTAIN rises, the lights come up. The right half of the double doors is open.
ANYA
is in her wheelchair
C
, with her work-table
L
of her. She is knitting.
KARL
is seated at the desk, making notes from various books.
MRS
.
ROPER
is dusting the shelves of the bookcase
R
.
Her vacuum cleaner is below the sofa.
LISA
enters from her bedroom, comes into the room and picks up her handbag from the armchair. She is dressed ready for going out.

ANYA
. (
vexedly; half crying
) I've dropped another stitch. Two stitches. Oh, dear!

LISA
replaces her handbag on the armchair, leans over the work-table and takes the knitting.

LISA
. I'll pick them up for you.

ANYA
. It's no good my trying to knit. Look at my hands. They won't keep still. It's all hopeless.

MRS
.
ROPER
moves to
R
of the table
RC
and dusts the books on it.

MRS
.
ROPER
. Our life's a vale of tears, they do say. Did you see that piece in the paper this morning? Two little girls drowned in a canal. Lovely children, they were. (
She leaves the duster on the table
RC
, moves below the sofa, picks up the vacuum cleaner and moves towards the door down
R
) By the way, Miss Koletzky, we're out of tea again.

MRS
.
ROPER
exits down
R
.
LISA
has sorted out the knitting and returns it to
ANYA
.

LISA
. There. That's all right now.

ANYA
. Shall I ever get well again?

MRS
.
ROPER
re-enters down
R
, collects her duster on the table
RC
.

(
Wistfully and rather sweetly
) I want so much to get well.

MRS
.
ROPER
. 'Course you will, dearie, of course you will. Never say die. (
She dusts the chair
L
of the table
RC
) My Joyce's eldest he has fits something shocking. Doctor says he'll
grow out of it, but I don't know myself.
(
She crosses above the table
RC
to the door down
R
, giving an odd flick with the duster here and there
) I'll do the bedroom now, shall I? So that it'll be ready for you when the doctor comes.

LISA
. If you please, Mrs. Roper.

MRS
.
ROPER
exits down
R
, leaving the door open.

ANYA
. You'd better go, Lisa, you'll be late.

LISA
. (
hesitating
) If you would like me to stay . . .

ANYA
. No, of course I don't want you to stay. Your friends are only here for one day. Of course you must see them. It's bad enough to be a helpless invalid without feeling that you're spoiling everybody else's pleasure.

MRS
.
ROPER
, off, interrupts the calm with the sound of the vacuum cleaner and by singing an old music hall song in a raucous voice.

KARL
. Oh, please!

LISA
. (
crossing to the door down
R
and calling
) Mrs. Roper. Mrs. Roper.

The vacuum and the singing stop.

Do you mind? The Professor is trying to work.

MRS
.
ROPER
. (
off
) Sorry, miss.

LISA
crosses above
ANYA
to the armchair and picks up her handbag. She is rather amused at the incident, and
KARL
and
ANYA
join in.
KARL
fills his brief-case with papers and books.

ANYA
. Do you remember our little Mitzi?

LISA
. Ah, yes, Mitzi.

ANYA
. Such a nice, willing little maid. Always laughing and such pretty manners. She made good pastry, too.

LISA
. She did.

KARL
. (
rising and picking up his brief-case
) There now, I am all ready for my lecture.

LISA
. (
moving to the doors up
C
) I'll be back as soon as I can, Anya. Good-bye, Anya.

ANYA
. Enjoy yourself.

LISA
. Good-bye, Karl.

KARL
. Good-bye, Lisa.

LISA
exits up
C
to
R
.

(
He moves below the armchair
) Someday, sweetheart, you will be well and strong. (
He sits in the armchair and fastens his brief-case
)

ANYA
. No, I shan't. You talk to me as though I were a child or an imbecile. I'm ill. I'm very ill and I get worse and worse. You all pretend to be so bright and cheerful about it. You don't know how irritating it is.

KARL
. (
gently
) I am sorry. Yes, I can see it must be very irritating sometimes.

ANYA
. And I irritate and weary you.

KARL
. Of course you don't.

ANYA
. Oh, yes, I do. You're so patient and so good, but really you must long for me to die and set you free.

KARL
. Anya, Anya, don't say these things. You know they are not true.

ANYA
. Nobody ever thinks of me. Nobody ever considers me. It was the same when you lost your Chair at the university. Why did you have to take the Schultzes in?

KARL
. They were our friends, Anya.

ANYA
. You never really liked Schultz or agreed with his views. When he got into trouble with the police we should have avoided them altogether. It was the only safe thing to do.

KARL
. It was no fault of his wife and children, and they were left destitute. Somebody had to help them.

ANYA
. It need not have been us.

KARL
. But they were our friends, Anya. You can't desert your friends when they are in trouble.

ANYA
. You can't, I know that. But you didn't think of me. The result of it was you were told to resign and we had to leave our home and our friends and come away to this cold, grey, horrible country.

KARL
. (
rising, crossing and putting his brief-case on the left arm of the sofa
) Come now, Anya, it's not so bad.

ANYA
. Not for you, I dare say. They've given you a post at the university in London and it's all the same to you, as long as you have books and your studies. But I'm ill.

KARL
. (
crossing to
R
of
ANYA
) I know, dearest.

ANYA
. And I have no friends here. I lie alone day after day with no-one to speak to, nothing interesting to hear, no gossip. I knit and I drop the stitches.

KARL
. There now . . .

ANYA
. You don't understand. You don't understand anything. You can't really care for me, or you would understand.

KARL
. Anya, Anya. (
He kneels beside her
)

ANYA
. You're selfish, really, selfish and hard. You don't care for anyone but yourself.

KARL
. My poor Anya.

ANYA
. It's all very well to say “poor Anya.” Nobody really cares about me or thinks about me.

KARL
. (
gently
) I think about you. I remember when I saw you first. In your little jacket all gaily embroidered in wool. We went for a picnic up the mountain. Narcissus were out. You took off your shoes and walked through the long grass. Do you remember? Such pretty little shoes and such pretty little feet.

ANYA
. (
with a sudden pleased smile
) I always had small feet.

KARL
. The prettiest feet in the world. The prettiest girl. (
He gently strokes her hair
)

ANYA
. Now I'm faded and old and sick. No use to anybody.

KARL
. To me you are the same Anya. Always the same.

The front door bell rings.

(
He rises
) That's Dr. Stoner, I expect. (
He goes behind the wheelchair and straightens the cushions.
)

MRS
.
ROPER
enters down
R
.

MRS
.
ROPER
. Shall I see who it is?

MRS
.
ROPER
exits up
C
to
R
.
KARL
goes to the desk, picks up a couple of pencils and puts them in his pocket. There is a sound of the front door opening and closing and voices off.
MRS
.
ROPER
enters up
C
from
R
.
HELEN
follows her on. She is carrying the two books which she borrowed.

It's a young lady to see you, sir. (
She moves slowly down
R
)

KARL
moves up
LC
.

HELEN
. (
moving to
R
of
KARL
) I've brought some of your books back. I thought you might be wanting them. (
She stops on seeing
ANYA
and her face drops
)

KARL
. (
taking the books from
HELEN
and moving to
L
of
ANYA
) Dearest, you remember Miss Rollander?