Plays: Lady Frederick, The Explorer, A Man of Honour. Maugham William Somerset

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СКАЧАТЬ want to be left alone with the old villain?

Fouldes

      You show no respect for my dyed hairs, young man.

Lady Frederick

      I've not seen him for years, you know.

Mereston

      Oh, all right. I say, you're coming for a ride to-morrow, aren't you?

Lady Frederick

      Certainly. But it must be in the afternoon.

Fouldes

      I'm sorry, but Charles has arranged to motor me over to Nice in the afternoon.

Mereston

      [To Lady Frederick.] That'll suit me A 1. I had an engagement, but it was quite unimportant.

Lady Frederick

      Then that's settled. Good-night.

Mereston

      Good-night.

[He goes out with Gerald. Lady Frederick turns and good-humouredly scrutinises Paradise Fouldes.Lady Frederick

      Well?

Fouldes

      Well?

Lady Frederick

      You wear excellently, Paradine.

Fouldes

      Thanks.

Lady Frederick

      How do you manage it?

Fouldes

      By getting up late and never going to bed early, by eating whatever I like and drinking whenever I'm thirsty, by smoking strong cigars, taking no exercise, and refusing under any circumstances to be bored.

Lady Frederick

      I'm sorry you had to leave town in such a hurry. Were you amusing yourself?

Fouldes

      I come to the Riviera every year.

Lady Frederick

      I daresay, but not so early.

Fouldes

      I've never surrendered so far to middle age as to make habits.

Lady Frederick

      My dear Paradine, the day before yesterday, Lady Mereston, quite distracted, went to the post office and sent you the following wire: "Come at once, your help urgently needed. Charlie in toils designing female, Maud." Am I right?

Fouldes

      I never admit even to myself that a well-dressed woman is mistaken.

Lady Frederick

      So you started post-haste, bent upon protecting your nephew, and were infinitely surprised to learn that the designing female was no other than your humble servant.

Fouldes

      You'd be irresistible, Lady Frederick, if you didn't know you were so clever.

Lady Frederick

      And now what are you going to do?

Fouldes

      My dear lady, I'm not a police officer, but a very harmless, inoffensive old bachelor.

Lady Frederick

      With more wiles than the mother of many daughters and the subtlety of a company promoter.

Fouldes

      Maud seems to think that as I've racketted about a little in my time, I'm just the sort of man to deal with you. Set a thief to catch a thief, don't you know? She's rather fond of proverbs.

Lady Frederick

      She should have thought rather of: When Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war. I hear Lady Mereston has been saying the most agreeable things about me.

Fouldes

      Ah, that's women's fault; they always show their hand. You're the only woman I ever knew who didn't.

Lady Frederick

      [With a brogue.] You should have avoided the Blarney Stone when you went to Ireland.

Fouldes

      Look here, d'you want to marry Charlie?

Lady Frederick

      Why should I?

Fouldes

      Because he's got fifty thousand a year, and you're head over ears in debt. You've got to raise something like four thousand pounds at once, or you go under. You've got yourself a good deal talked about during the last ten years, but people have stood you because you had plenty of money. If you go broke they'll drop you like a hot potato. And I daresay it wouldn't be inconvenient to change Lady Frederick Berolles into Lady Mereston. My sister has always led me to believe that it is rather attractive to be a Marchioness.

Lady Frederick

      Unlike a duchess, its cheap without being gaudy.

Fouldes

      You asked me why you might want to marry a boy from ten to fifteen years younger than yourself, and I've told you.

Lady Frederick

      And now perhaps you'll tell me why you're going to interfere in my private concerns?

Fouldes

      Well, you see his mother happens to be my sister, and I'm rather fond of her. It's true her husband was the most sanctimonious prig I've ever met in my life.

Lady Frederick

      I remember him well. He was president of the Broad Church Union and wore side-whiskers.

Fouldes

      But she stuck to me through thick and thin. I've been in some pretty tight places in my day, and she's always given me a leg up when I wanted it. I've got an idea it would just about break her heart if Charlie married you.

Lady Frederick

      Thanks.

Fouldes

      You know, I don't want to be offensive, but I think it would be a pity myself. And besides, unless I'm much mistaken, I've got a little score of my own that I want to pay off.

Lady Frederick

      Have you?

Fouldes

      You've got a good enough memory not to have forgotten that you made a blithering fool of me once. I swore I'd get even with you, and by George, I mean to do it.

Lady Frederick

      [Laughing.] And how do you propose to stop me if I make up my mind that I'm going to accept Charlie?

Fouldes

      Well, he's not proposed yet, has he?

Lady Frederick

      Not yet, but I've had to use every trick and device I can think of to prevent him.

Fouldes

      Look here, I'm going to play this game with my cards on the table.

Lady Frederick

      Then I shall be on my guard. You're never so dangerous as when you pretend to be frank.

Fouldes

      I'm sorry you should think so badly of me.

Lady Frederick

      I don't. Only it was a stroke of genius when Nature put the soul of a Jesuit priest into the body of a Yorkshire squire.

Fouldes

      I wonder what you're paying me compliments for. You must be rather afraid of me.

[They look at one another for a moment.Lady Frederick

      Well, let's look at these cards.

Fouldes

      First of all, there's this money you've got СКАЧАТЬ