The Complete Plays of J. M. Barrie - 30 Titles in One Edition. Джеймс Барри

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ —

      VOICES (from the crowd). Are they to be married?

      LORD RINTOUL (sulkily). Yes, that is it.

      NANNY. And you are willing?

      (LORD RINTOUL looks furiously at CAPTAIN HALLIWELL.)

      HALLIWELL (maliciously). Lord Rintoul is delighted.

      (Joyous shouts from Crowd, LORD RINTOUL is scowling at HALLIWELL, who smiles at him maliciously.)

      JEAN (bursting forward). A ladyship! I’m to be a ladyship’s servant! (Turns to back, calls grandiloquently) Sanders McCormick, are you there?

      VOICE (inside gate from unseen man in Crowd). Ay, I am, Jean!

      JEAN. Then here ‘s my answer now, Sanders. (With a grand wave of her arms) It’s hopeless. (Curtseys to babbie.)

      (Laughter from Crowd.)

      LORD RINTOUL. My daughter asks me to tell you that it was Captain Halliwell who brought this match about. So three cheers for Captain Halliwell!

      (HALLIWELL is furious. The Crowd cheer, HALLIWELL exits furiously at gate, followed by Soldiers and DAVIDSON. The Crowd leaves, cheering and laughing, NANNY goes down to BABBIE, shakes hands.)

      GAVIN. Rob! (He grasps DOW’S hand.)

      DOW. I’M GLAD. I’M GLAD.

      (dow exits through gate.)

      NANNY. I see the whole thing clear now! (To gavin) You kent she was a leddyship all the time!

      (SILVA and ANDREW shake hands with GAVIN.)

      SNECKY (gleaming — to GAVIN). Mr. Dishart, ‘Her Boy Am I.’ whamond. Mr. Dishart. I want to give you your first marriage present, the key of the Manse. (Hands key, shakes hands, and goes to babbie.) I’m Chief Elder.

      (BABBIE kisses him. He stands amazed and then exits through gate, followed by Elders. Exeunt all Weavers.

      GAVIN crosses and unlocks Manse door. He puts hat on seat and he and BABBIE look at LORD RINTOUL and then at each other, BABBIE signs to him to leave it to her. She takes courage by kissing marriage lines and makes GAVIN kiss them. She goes halfway to LORD RINTOUL and stops.)

      BABBIE. Father — (Kneels and puts arms round his neck.)

      Father, I am so sorry this has occurred. I love him so much, father, I really do — but — but — but I love my dear sweet darling father best. What did you say, father?

      LORD RINTOUL (who has so far submitted without gesture). Mr. Dishart, may I go inside — out of this girl’s sight i (As LORD RINTOUL is taking a step toward Manse door, cheering is heard in distance. He grins.)

      Listen to them cheering Halliwell! (Laughing.)

      (The cheering turns into a snatch of the hated song, which dies away.)

      BABBIE (quickly). You HAD THE BEST of IT WITH Dick, AT ALL EVENTS, FATHER! (Laughing.)

      LORD RINTOUL (chuckling). Hadn’t I! (Sternly) You minx! (He has started to go to the door when he turns and looks at her curiously.) Do you understand the seriousness of it?

      (She is serious and can only nod in reply. He is moved and speaks kindly.)

      If you are afraid, child, and he is generous — you can perhaps leave him still.

      BABBIE (going to him and putting hand in his, sweetly). Daddy dear, I am afraid — but I am not so afraid as that.

      LORD RINTOUL (wondering). Not afraid for yourself, Mr. Dishart?

      GAVIN. No, sir.

      LORD RINTOUL. She is — an odd one, you know.

      GAVIN. Yes, I know.

      BABBIE. You do!

      LORD RINTOUL. Both so confident. (He is thinking of their future.) I wonder. (More lightly) Mr. Dishart, if you would just let me bring this about her shoulders for once. I think I might forgive her in time.

      (GAVIN smiles, LORD RINTOUL goes into Manse, GAVIN and BABBIE, who are some distance apart, are arrested in their desire to rush into each other’s arms by a boy-andgirl shyness.)

      GAVIN. Babbie, my wife.

      BABBIE (after a pause). Eleven days.

      (They embrace.)

      GAVIN. I do like being married.

      BABBIE. So do I — to you, I mean.

      GAVIN. That’s what I mean, too.

      BABBIE (a little tremulously as she looks at the church). Is that it?

      GAVIN. Yes, my dear church.

      (Lights in Manse appear.)

      BABBIE. I can’t think what father meant when he said, ‘I wonder.’ gavin. Babbie, that is the window of your drawingroom.

      (She blows it a kiss.)

      Just come a little nearer this way.

      BABBIE. Was it from there you threw the rose?

      GAVIN. Yes, it fell there; no, a little farther to the left, there.

      BABBIE. I shall plant a rose-tree there. (Places her hand on his breast.)

      GAVIN. My dear wife, it is a beautiful May evening and before we go indoors I should so like to walk you once round the premises as if I owned you, you know, to let the stars see us.

      (He shyly crooks his arm and she puts her hand in it. They make a brief turn of the garden and he is now strutting while she is shy. They get to Manse door.)

      Babbie!

      (SNECKY, ANDREW, WHAMOND, SILVA, and DOW kneel behind wall, with arms on wall, GAVIN and BABBIE run into the Manse.)

      The Wedding Guest

       Table of Contents

Table of Contents

       Act I

       Act II

       Act III

       Act IV

СКАЧАТЬ