The Essential Plays of George Bernard Shaw (Illustrated Edition). GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

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СКАЧАТЬ trifling with me that time on the Rhine! Why did you come here to-day? Why did you write to your people?

      TRENCH Well, Blanche, if you are going to lose your temper —

      BLANCHE Thats no answer. You depended on your family to get you out of your engagement; and they did not object: they were only too glad to be rid of you. You were not mean enough to stay away, and not manly enough to tell the truth. You thought you could provoke me to break the engagement: thats so like a man to try to put the woman in the wrong. Well, you have your way: I release you. I wish youd opened my eyes by downright brutality by striking me by anything rather than shuffling as you have done.

      TRENCH [hotly] Shuffle! If I’d thought you capable of turning on me like this, I’d never have spoken to you. Ive a good mind never to speak to you again.

      BLANCHE You shall not. not ever. I will take care of that [going to the door.]

      TRENCH [alarmed] What are you going to do?

      BLANCHE To get your letters, your false letters, and your presents, your hateful presents, to return them to you. I’m very glad it’s all broken off; and if — [as she puts her hand to the door it is opened from without by Sartorius, who enters and shuts it behind him.]

      SARTORIUS [interrupting her severely] Hush, pray, Blanche : you are forgetting yourself: you can be heard all over the house. What is the matter?

      BLANCHE [too angry to care whether she is overheard or not] You had better ask him. He has some excuse about money.

      SARTORIUS Excuse! Excuse for what?

      BLANCHE For throwing me over.

      TRENCH [vehemently] I declare I never —

      BLANCHE [interrupting him still more vehemently] You did. You did. You are doing nothing else [Trench begins repeating his contradiction and she her assertion; so that they both speak angrily together.]

      SARTORIUS [in desperation at the noise] Silence! [Still more formidably] Silence! [They obey. He proceeds firmly] Blanche: you must control your temper : I will not have these repeated scenes within hearing of the servants. Dr Trench will answer for himself to me. You had better leave us. [He opens the door, and calls:] Mr Cokane: Will you kindly join us here.

      COKANE [in the conservatory] Coming, my dear sir, coming. [He appears at the door.]

      BLANCHE I’m sure I have no wish to stay. I hope I shall find you alone when I come back.

      [An inarticulate exclamation bursts from Trench. She goes out, passing Cokane resentfully. He looks after her in surprise; then looks questioningly at the two men. Sartorius shuts the door with an angry stroke, and turns to Trench.]

      SARTORIUS [aggressively] Sir —

      TRENCH [interrupting him more aggressively] Well, sir?

      COKANE [getting between them] Gently, dear boy, gently. Suavity, Harry, suavity.

      SARTORIUS [mastering himself] If you have anything to say to me, Dr Trench, I will listen to you patiently. You will then allow me to say what I have to say on my part.

      TRENCH [ashamed] I beg your pardon. Of course, yes. Fire away.

      SARTORIUS May I take it that you have refused to fulfil your engagement with my daughter?

      TRENCH Certainly not: your daughter has refused to fulfil her engagement with me. But the match is broken off, if thats what you mean.

      SARTORIUS Dr Trench: I will be plain with you. I know that Blanche has a quick temper. It is part of her strong character and her physical courage, which is greater than that of most men, I can assure you. You must be prepared for that. If this quarrel is only Blanche’s temper, you may take my word for it that it will be over before tomorrow. But I understood from what she said just now that you have made some difficulty on the score of money.

      TRENCH [with renewed excitement] It was Miss Sartorius who made the difficulty. I shouldnt have minded that so much, if it hadnt been for the things she said. She shewed that she doesnt care that [snapping his fingers] for me.

      COKANE [soothingly] Dear boy —

      TRENCH Hold your tongue, Billy: it’s enough to make a man wish he’d never seen a woman. Look here, Mr Sartorius: I put the matter to her as delicately and considerately as possible, never mentioning a word of my reasons, but just asking her to be content to live on my own little income; and yet she turned on me as if I’d behaved like a savage.

      SARTORIUS Live on your income! Impossible: My daughter is accustomed to a proper establishment. Did I not expressly undertake to provide for that? Did she not tell you I promised her to do so?

      TRENCH Yes, I know all about that, Mr Sartorius; and I’m greatly obliged to you; but I’d rather not take anything from you except Blanche herself.

      SARTORIUS And why did you not say so before?

      TRENCH No matter why. Let us drop the subject.

      SARTORIUS No matter! But it does matter, sir. I insist on an answer. Why did you not say so before?

      TRENCH I didnt know before.

      SARTORIUS [provoked] Then you ought to have known your own mind before entering into such a very serious engagement. [He flings angrily away across the room and back.]

      TRENCH [much injured] I ought to have known! Cokane: is this reasonable? [Cokane’s features are contorted by an air of judicial consideration; but he says nothing; and Trench again addresses Sartorius, this time with a marked diminution of respect]. How the deuce could I have known? You didnt tell me.

      SARTORIUS You are trifling with me, sir. You say that you did not know your own mind before.

      TRENCH I say nothing of the sort. I say that I did not know where your money came from before.

      SARTORIUS That is not true, sir. I —

      COKANE Gently, my dear sir. Gently, Harry, dear boy. Suaviter in modo: fort —

      TRENCH Let him begin, then. What does he mean by attacking me in this fashion?

      SARTORIUS Mr Cokane: you will bear me out. I was explicit on the point. I said I was a self-made man; and I am not ashamed of it.

      TRENCH You are nothing of the sort. I found out this morning from your man Lickcheese, or whatever his confounded name is that your fortune has been made out of a parcel of unfortunate creatures that have hardly enough to keep body and soul together made by screwing, and bullying, and driving, and all sorts of pettifogging tyranny.

      SARTORIUS [outraged] Sir! [They confront one another threateningly.]

      COKANE [softly] Rent must be paid, dear boy. It is inevitable, Harry, inevitable.

      [Trench turns away petulantly. Sartorius looks after him reflectively for a moment; then resumes his former deliberate and dignified manner, and addresses Trench with studied consideration, but with a perceptible condescension to his youth and folly.]

      SARTORIUS I am afraid, Dr Trench, that you are a very young hand at business; and I am sorry I forgot that for a moment or so. May I ask you to СКАЧАТЬ