Complete Poems and Plays (66 page)

You may bring the tray in now, Miss Barraway.

[
Enter
A
LEX
]

A
LEX
.
Well! Well! and how have we got on?

J
ULIA
.
                                                               Everything is in order.

A
LEX
.
The Chamberlaynes have chosen?

R
EILLY
.
                                                       They accept their destiny.

A
LEX
.
And
she
has made the choice?

R
EILLY
.
                                                 She will be fetched this evening.

[N
URSE-
S
ECRETARY
enters
with
a
tray
,
a
decanter
and
three
glasses,
and
exit.
R
EILLY
pours
drinks.
]

And now we are ready to proceed to the libation.

A
LEX
.
The words for the building of the hearth.

[
They
raise
their
glasses
]

R
EILLY
.
Let them build the hearth

Under the protection of the stars.

A
LEX
.
Let them place a chair each side of it.

J
ULIA
.
May the holy ones watch over the roof,

May the moon herself influence the bed.

[
They
drink
]

A
LEX
.
The words for those who go upon a journey.

R
EILLY
.
Protector of travellers

Bless the road.

A
LEX
.
Watch over her in the desert.

Watch over her in the mountain.

Watch over her in the labyrinth.

Watch over her by the quicksand.

J
ULIA
.

Protect her from the Voices

Protect her from the Visions

Protect her in the tumult

Protect her in the silence.

[
They
drink
]

R
EILLY
.
There is one for whom the words cannot be spoken.

A
LEX
.
They can not be spoken yet.

J
ULIA
.
                                                You mean Peter Quilpe.

R
EILLY
.
He has not yet come to where the words are valid.

J
ULIA.
Shall we ever speak them?

A
LEX
.
                                              Others, perhaps, will speak them.

You know, I have connections — even in California.

CURTAIN

The
drawing-room
of
the
Chamberlaynes
’
London
flat.
Two
years
later.
A
late
afternoon
in
July.
A C
ATERER’S
M
AN
is
arranging
a
buffet
table.
L
AVINIA
enters
from
side
door.

C
ATERER’S
M
AN
.
Have you any further orders for us, Madam?

L
AVINIA
.
You could bring in the trolley with the glasses

And leave them ready.

C
ATERER’S
M
AN
.
              Very good, Madam.

[
Exit.
L
AVINIA
looks
about
the
room
critically
and
moves
a
bowl
of
flowers.
]

[
Re-enter
C
ATERER’S
M
AN
with
trolley
]

L
AVINIA
.
There, in that corner. That’s the most convenient;

You can get in and out. Is there anything you need

That you can’t find in the kitchen?

C
ATERER’S
M
AN
.
                                  Nothing, Madam.

Will there be anything more you require?

L
AVINIA
.
Nothing more, I think, till half past six.

[
Exit
C
ATERER’S
M
AN
]

[E
DWARD
lets
himself
in
at
the
front
door
]

E
DWARD
.
I’m in good time, I think. I hope you’ve not been worrying.

L
AVINIA
.
Oh no. I did in fact ring up your chambers,

And your clerk told me you had already left.

But all I rang up for was to reassure you …

E
DWARD
[
smiling
].
That you hadn’t run away?

L
AVINIA
.
                                                              Now Edward, that’s unfair!

You know that we’ve given
several
parties

In the last two years. And I’ve attended
all
of them.

I hope you’re not too tired?

E
DWARD
.
                                  Oh no, a quiet day.

Two consultations with solicitors

On quite straightforward cases. It’s you who should be tired.

L
AVINIA
.
I’m not tired yet. But I know that I’ll be glad

When it’s all over.

E
DWARD
.
                     I like the dress you’re wearing:

I’m glad you put on that one.

L
AVINIA
.
                                      Well, Edward!

Do you know it’s the first time you’ve paid me a compliment

Before
a party? And that’s when one needs them.

E
DWARD
.
Well, you deserve it. — We asked too many people.

L
AVINIA
.
It’s true, a great many more accepted

Than we thought would want to come. But what can you do?

There’s usually a lot who don’t want to come

But all the same would be bitterly offended

To hear we’d given a party without asking them.

E
DWARD
.
Perhaps we ought to have arranged to have two parties

Instead of one.

L
AVINIA
.
              That’s never satisfactory.

Everyone who’s asked to either party

Suspects that the other one was more important.

E
DWARD
.
That’s true. You have a very practical mind.

L
AVINIA
.
But you know, I don’t think that you need worry:

They won’t all come, out of those who accepted.

You know we said, ‘we can ask twenty more

Because they will be going to the Gunnings instead’.

E
DWARD
.
I know, that’s what we said at the time;

But I’d forgotten what the Gunnings’ parties were like.

Their guests will get just enough to make them thirsty;

They’ll come on to us later, roaring for drink.

Well, let’s hope that those who come to us early

Will be going on to the Gunnings afterwards,

To make room for those who come from the Gunnings.

L
AVINIA
.
And if it’s very crowded, they can’t get at the cocktails,

And the man won’t be able to take the tray about,

So they’ll go away again. Anyway, at that stage

There’s nothing whatever you can do about it:

And everyone likes to be seen at a party

Where everybody else is, to show they’ve been invited.

That’s what makes it a success. Is that picture straight?

E
DWARD
.
Yes, it is.

L
AVINIA
.
                   No, it isn’t. Do please straighten it.

E
DWARD
.
Is it straight now?

L
AVINIA
.
                                 Too much to the left.

E
DWARD
.
How’s that now?

L
AVINIA.
                               No, I meant the right.

That will do. I’m too tired to bother.

E
DWARD
.
After they’re all gone, we will have some champagne,

Just ourselves. You lie down now, Lavinia

No one will be coming for at least half an hour;

So just stretch out.

L
AVINIA
.
                     You must sit beside me,

Then I can relax.

E
DWARD
.
                 This is the best moment

Of the whole party.

L
AVINIA
.
                     Oh no, Edward.

The best moment is the moment it’s over;

And then to remember, it’s the end of the season

And no more parties.

E
DWARD
.
                         And no more committees.

L
AVINIA
.
Can we get away soon?

E
DWARD
.
                                        By the end of next week

I shall be quite free.

L
AVINIA
.
                        And we can be alone.

I love that house being so remote.

E
DWARD
.
That’s why we took it. And I’m really thankful

To have that excuse for not seeing people;

And you do need to rest now.

[
The
doorbell
rings
]

L
AVINIA
.
                                     Oh, bother!

Now who would come so early? I simply
can’t
get up.

C
ATERER’S
M
AN
.
Mrs. Shuttlethwaite!

L
AVINIA
.
                                                 Oh, it’s Julia!

[
Enter
J
ULIA
]

J
ULIA
.
Well, my dears, and here I am!

I seem
literally
to have caught you napping!

I know I’m much too early; but the fact is, my dears,

That I have to go on to the Gunnings’ party —

And you know what
they
offer in the way of food and drink!

And I’ve had to miss my tea, and I’m simply ravenous

And dying of thirst. What can Parkinson’s do for me?

Oh yes, I know this is a Parkinson party;

I recognised one of their men at the door —

An old friend of mine, in fact. But I’m forgetting!

I’ve got a surprise: I’ve brought Alex with me!

He only got back this morning from somewhere —

One of his mysterious expeditions,

And we’re going to get him to tell us all about it.

But what’s become of him?

[
Enter
A
LEX
]

E
DWARD
.
                                  Well, Alex!

Where on earth do you turn up from?

A
LEX
.
Where on earth? From the East. From Kinkanja —

An island that you won’t have heard of

Yet. Got back this morning. I heard about your party

And, as I thought you might be leaving for the country,

I said, I must not miss the opportunity

To see Edward and Lavinia.

L
AVINIA
.
                                    How are you, Alex?

A
LEX
.
I did try to get you on the telephone

After lunch, but my secretary couldn’t get through to you.

Never mind, I said — to myself, not to her —

Never mind: the unexpected guest

Is the one to whom they give the warmest welcome.

I know them well enough for that.

J
ULIA
.
                                                  But tell us, Alex.

What were you doing in this strange place —

What’s it called?

A
LEX
.
                       Kinkanja.

J
ULIA
.
                                      What were you doing

In Kinkanja? Visiting some Sultan?

You were shooting tigers?

A
LEX
.
                                     There are no tigers, Julia,

In Kinkanja. And there are no sultans.

I have been staying with the Governor.

Three of us have been out on a tour of inspection

Of local conditions.

J
ULIA
.
                           What about? Monkey nuts?

A
LEX
.
That was a nearer guess than you think.

No, not monkey nuts. But it had to do with monkeys —

Though whether the monkeys are the core of the problem

Or merely a symptom, I am not so sure.

At least, the monkeys have become the pretext