The Mousetrap and Other Plays (124 page)

PHILIP
. Elsa broke the news to Caroline that she and Amyas planned to marry. (
Maliciously
) Quite a shock for Caroline.

MEREDITH
. No! You're joking!

(
PHILIP
shrugs, moves to the armchair
R
,
picks up the magazine, sits and reads
)

(
He goes on to the terrace and turns to Amyas
) Amyas! You—this—it can't be true?

AMYAS
. I don't know yet what you're talking about. What can't be true?

MEREDITH
. You and Elsa. Caroline . . .

AMYAS
. (
cleaning his brush
) Oh, that.

MEREDITH
. Look here, Amyas, you can't just for the sake of a sudden infatuation, break up your whole married life. I know Elsa's very attractive . . .

AMYAS
. (
grinning
) So you've noticed that, have you?

MEREDITH
. (
crossing below Amyas to
R
;
much concerned
) I can quite understand a girl like Elsa bowling any man over, yes, but think of
her
—she's very young, you know. She might regret it bitterly later on. Can't you pull yourself together? For little Carla's sake? Make a clean break here and now, and go back to your wife.

(
AMYAS
looks up thoughtfully
)

(
He crosses to the bench and turns
) Believe me, it's the right thing. I know it.

AMYAS
. (
after a pause; quietly
) You're a good chap, Merry. But you're too sentimental.

MEREDITH
. Look at the position you've put Caroline in by having the girl down here.

AMYAS
. Well, I wanted to paint her.

MEREDITH
. (
angrily
) Oh, damn your pictures!

AMYAS
. (
hotly
) All the neurotic women in England can't do that.

MEREDITH
. (
sitting on the bench
) It's disgraceful the way you've always treated Caroline. She's had a miserable life with you.

AMYAS
. I know—I know. I've given Caroline one hell of a life—and she's been a saint about it. (
He rises and moves down
R
) But she always knew what she was letting herself in for. Right from the start I told her what an egotistic loose-living bastard I was. (
He turns
) But this is different.

MEREDITH
. (
quickly
) This is the first time you've brought a woman into the house and flaunted her in Caroline's face.

AMYAS
. (
crossing to the trolley
) What you don't seem to understand, Meredith, is that when I'm painting, nothing else matters—least of all a pair of jealous, quarrelling women. (
He turns to the trolley and picks up the glass of beer
)

(
ANGELA
enters by the door up
L
and moves slowly to easel. She is now clean and tidy, in a cotton frock
)

Don't worry, Merry, everything's going to be all right, you'll see. (
He sips the beer
) Oh, it's warm. (
He turns and sees Angela
) Hullo, Angy, you're looking remarkably clean and tidy.

ANGELA
. (
abstracted
) Oh—yes. (
She crosses to Amyas
) Amyas, why does Elsa say she's going to marry you? She couldn't. People can't have two wives. It's bigamy. (
Confidentially
) You can go to prison for it.

(
AMYAS
glances at Meredith, puts his glass on the trolley, puts an arm around Angela's shoulder and leads her to
RC
)

AMYAS
. Now, where did you hear that?

ANGELA
. I was out here. I heard it through the window.

AMYAS
. (
sitting on the stool by the easel
) Then it's time you got out of the habit of eavesdropping.

(
ELSA
enters up
C
with her bag and gloves, which she puts on the table up
LC
)

ANGELA
. (
hurt and indignant
) I wasn't—I couldn't
help
hearing. Why did Elsa say that?

AMYAS
. It was a kind of joke, darling.

(
CAROLINE
enters by the door up
L
and moves down
L
)

CAROLINE
. It's time we started. Those of us who are going to walk.

MEREDITH
. (
rising
) I'll drive you.

CAROLINE
. I'd rather walk.

(
ELSA
comes on to the terrace
)

Take Elsa in the car. (
She crosses below Amyas to Angela
)

ELSA
. (
moving to
R
of Meredith
) Don't you grow herbs and all sorts of exciting things?

CAROLINE
. (
to Angela
) That's better. You won't be able to wear jeans at school, you know.

ANGELA
. (
crossing angrily down
L
) School! I wish you wouldn't keep on about
school.

MEREDITH
. (
continuing to Elsa
) I make cordials and potions. I have my own little laboratory.

ELSA
. It sounds fascinating. You must show me.

(
CAROLINE
crosses to Angela, looking at Elsa on the way. She straightens Angela's pig-tails
)

MEREDITH
. I shall probably deliver a lecture. I'm terribly enthusiastic about my hobby.

ELSA
. Doesn't one pick certain herbs by the light of the moon?

CAROLINE
. (
to Angela
) You'll like school, you know, once you get there.

MEREDITH
. (
to Elsa
) That was the old-fashioned superstition.

ELSA
. You don't go as far as that?

MEREDITH
. No.

ELSA
. Are they
dangerous?

MEREDITH
. Some of them are.

CAROLINE
. (
turning
) Sudden death in a little bottle. Bella-donna. Hemlock.

(
ANGELA
runs between Elsa and Meredith and puts her arms around his waist
)

ANGELA
. You read us something once—about Socrates—and how he died.

MEREDITH
. Yes, conine—the active principle of hemlock.

ANGELA
. It was wonderful. It made me want to learn Greek.

(
They all laugh.
AMYAS
rises and picks up his paintbox
)

AMYAS
. We've talked enough. Let's get started. (
He moves towards the door up
L
) Where's Phil? (
He glances in the french windows and calls
) Phil.

PHILIP
. Coming.

(
AMYAS
exits by the door up
L
.
PHILIP
rises and puts down the magazine.
ELSA
goes into the room and collects her gloves and bag
)

ANGELA
. (
moving to
R
of Caroline
) Caroline—(
she whispers anxiously
) it isn't possible, is it, for Elsa to marry Amyas?

(
CAROLINE
replies calmly, overheard only by
MEREDITH
)

CAROLINE
. Amyas will only marry Elsa after I am dead.

ANGELA
. Good. It
was
a joke.

(
ANGELA
runs off down
L
)

MEREDITH
. (
moving to
R
of Caroline
) Caroline—my dear—I can't tell you . . .

CAROLINE
. Don't . . . Everything's finished—I'm finished . . .

(
PHILIP
comes on to the terrace
)

PHILIP
. The lady's waiting to be driven.

MEREDITH
. (
slightly at a loss
) Oh.

(
MEREDITH
goes into the room and escorts
ELSA
off up
C
.
MISS
WILLIAMS
enters up
C
and looks off after Meredith and Elsa. She stands in the room, uncertain for a moment, then goes to the french windows and overhears the last of the conversation between Philip and Caroline
)

CAROLINE
. (
to Philip; brightly
) We'll go by the wood path, shall we?

PHILIP
. (
moving to
R
of
CAROLINE
) Caroline—is it in order for me to offer my condolences?

CAROLINE
. Don't.

PHILIP
. Perhaps you realize, now, that you made a mistake.

CAROLINE
. When I married him?

PHILIP
. Yes.

CAROLINE
. (
looking Philip straight in the eye
) However it may turn out—I made no mistake. (
She resumes her light manner
) Let's go.

(
CAROLINE
exits down
L
.
PHILIP
follows her off.
MISS
WILLIAMS
comes on to the terrace
)

MISS
WILLIAMS
. (
calling
) Mrs. Crale. (
She moves below the bench
) Mrs. Crale.

(
CAROLINE
re-enters down
L
)

CAROLINE
. Yes, Miss Williams?

MISS
WILLIAMS
. I'm going into the village. Shall I post the letters that are on your desk?

CAROLINE
. (
turning to go
) Oh, yes, please. I forgot them.

MISS
WILLIAMS
. Mrs. Crale——

(
CAROLINE
turns
)

—if I could do anything—anything at all to help . . .

CAROLINE
. (
quickly
) Please. We must go on as usual—just behave as usual.

MISS
WILLIAMS
. (
fervently
) I think you're wonderful.

CAROLINE
. Oh, no, I'm not. (
She moves to
L
.
of Miss Williams
) Dear Miss Williams. (
She kisses her
) You've been such a comfort to me.

(
CAROLINE
exits quickly down
L
.
MISS
WILLIAMS
looks after her, then sees the empty beer bottle and glass on the trolley. She picks up the bottle, looks at it for a moment, and then looks off after Caroline. She puts the bottle in the ice-bucket, picks up the ice-bucket and glass and crosses below the bench to the french windows. As she does so, the lights slowly dim to
BLACK
-
OUT
.
A spotlight comes up on Justin down
L
)

JUSTIN
. We come now to the next morning, the morning of the seventeenth. Miss Williams?

(
The spotlight fades
,
MISS
WILLIAMS
'
voice can be heard in the darkness
)

MISS
WILLIAMS
. I'd been going through Angela's school list with Mrs. Crale. She looked tired and unhappy but she was very composed. The telephone rang, and I went into the garden room to answer it.

(
The
LIGHTS
come up. A clean glass and a fresh bottle of beer, not in an ice-bucket, is on the trolley.
PHILIP
is seated on the bench on the terrace reading a Sunday paper. The telephone rings.
MISS
WILLIAMS
enters up
C
,
goes to the telephone and lifts the receiver. She carries a school list.
CAROLINE
follows Miss Williams on, with her spectacles in her hand. She looks towards the telephone, then crosses wearily above the stool to the armchair
R
and sits
)

(
Into the telephone
) Yes? . . . Oh, good morning, Mr. Blake . . . Yes, he's here. (
She looks through the french windows to Philip and calls
) Mr. Blake, it's your brother, he'd like to have a word with you. (
She holds out the receiver
)

(
PHILIP
rises, folds his paper, tucks it under his arm, comes into the room and takes the receiver
)

PHILIP
. (
into the telephone
) Hullo, Philip here . . .

MISS
WILLIAMS
. (
crossing above the stool to
R
of it; to Caroline
) That completes the school list, Mrs. Crale. I wonder if you would like to give it a final check? (
She sits on the right end of the stool
)