Complete Works of Wilkie Collins (1985 page)

WEST. (
goes up
C.,
passionately
). Here, Wolf! (
enter,
R. U. E.
to
C., WOLF) The carriage at once.

LEY. (
to
MISS M.). I regret I did not arrive earlier.

Promenaders enter,
L. U. E.,
to exit
R. U. E.

LEY. But many thanks for the pleasant evening you have afforded me. (MRS. PENFOLD
kisses
MISS M.
and exits
R. U. E.
on arm of
GENTLEMAN. LADY
takes
WESTCRAFT’S
arm, but he pauses, looking over his shoulder at
LEYRAC.)

MISS M. (
to
LEYRAC,
aside
). Do not you go yet. I want to speak with you. I shall be back directly.

[
Exit,
R. D.

WEST. (
fiercely
). Come along, Wolf!

[
Exit,
R. U. E.,
with
LADY
on his arm, and
WOLF
following.

LEY. (
looking after
MISS M.). Certainly. (
lights down,
R.
and
L U. E’S. LEYRAC
alone
). She says I am not yet to bid her good night.
Ma foi!
Miss Milburn must understand well why I am here.

Enter,
R. D., MISS MILBURN.

Ah! Miss Milburn, confess! you were not in earnest when you gave me the invitation to your birthday party!

MISS M. (
laughingly
). And you were not in earnest either, when you accepted it. For you to come all the way from Paris on my account, across I don’t know how many oceans! Oh, how very absurd!

LEY. The height of absurdity I admit.

MISS M. You like to travel. You were in these seas, and you took the bold part of coming here, on the chance of seeing me again. I supposed you had quite forgotten me.

LEY. Forgotten you! You are right. This is not the action of the most part of men — but then, you are not like the most of women. But I travelled only to reach
here.
You begin to perceive. Why do you turn away? Yes, I have come all the way from Paris, I have crossed I don’t know how many oceans! for you! And do I not deserve one look? (
takes her hand
) Ah! (
about to draw her to him.
)

Enter,
R. U. E.
to
C., DAVID MICHAELMAS.

DAVID. Hem! I beg your pardon, sir. (
they start and retire from one another, confusedly.
)

MISS M. Oh! is not that the old servant you had with you when in Paris?

LEY. Yes. (R. C.)

MISS M. David? Is not that the name? (
offers her hand to
DAVID) You rendered me many services when I was in Europe. I am happy to welcome you in Trinidad! I suppose you are quite a stranger here?

DAVID. Oh! thank you, not exactly. This is the second time I have been here.

MISS M. Oh! What brought you?

DAVID. Well, my plantation brought me here this time, though it sent me away before, (
to
LEYRAC) A word with you, sir.

LEY. (
smiling
). Have you never heard of the name of Michaelmas, Miss Milburn?

DAVID. That’s my second name.

MISS M. I was not aware in Europe that I had the favor of being waited on by the owner of the Michaelmas estate.

LEY. I never knew of it myself until just before starting to come to Trinidad, and asking David if he had no objections to accompany me, he told me that he already had a local habitation and a name on the island.

DAVID. Not much to my credit, sir. It was very unexpected that I came into the property. I was very young, and my agents cheated me. I realized all the money on it that I could by mortgages, and went abroad, where I lost every penny of it in speculation, and have been a happier man for it ever since.

MISS M. It is going to be disposed of by auction.

DAVID. And so my presence is needed to sign some papers of the mortgages. (
to
LEYRAC) Only a word, sir.

LEY. What do you want? (R. C.
with
DAVID, MISS M. L.)

DAVID. It’s a woman, sir.

LEY. A woman!

DAVID. And something unusual in your case, sir; it’s an
old
woman! one of what they call quadroons in these parts, wishes to see you.

LEY. See me? Oh, it’s some mistake. (
lightly
) Pooh!

DAVID. It’s no mistake, sir. She says you are in danger on this island. There is something in it, sir. (
music, bass, tremolo
) Best to see what it means.

LEY. Well, wait for me in the shrubbery, and I will come to you. (DAVID
bows to him and to
MISS MILBURN,
and exit
R. U. E.,
by
D. F.) Singular! (
to
C.,
aloud to
MISS MILBURN) But the lights are put out and your guests have all gone.

MISS M. And you would be going, too? (
aside
) He said it was the first time in his life that he had been on this island, and yet a woman already makes an appointment with him. (
aloud
) Of course I may expect to see you to-morrow?

LEY. To-morrow. (
going up
C.,
gets his hat
) Au revoir!

[
Exit,
D. F.
and
L. U. E.

MISS M. (
aside, coming down
C.). I heard his man say “a woman.” He has gone to meet her. If I follow close — (
rings bell on
L.
table.
)

GIRL
enters,
R. D.

My cloak!

GIRL. Goin’ out, missee?

MISS M. My cloak, I say! (
exit
GIRL, R. D.) I will be there, too!

Enter
GIRL
with light mantle,
R. D.

Phoebe!

GIRL. Yes, missee!

MISS M. Sit up for me!

[
Exit
GIRL, R. D.
Exit
MISS M., D. F.
and
L. U. E.

Enter,
R. U. E.
to
C., WESTCRAFT.

WEST. (
looking
L. U. E.) Going out alone, and at this hour? By heaven! that Frenchman is at the bottom of all this! They’ll find one more than they expected at their meeting-place, be it where they may. (
feels that his knife is ready within his coat at his right shoulder behind, and exits
L. U. E.,
stealthily.
)

Scene closes in.

SCENE II. —
Forest in 1st grooves. Gas down.

Enter,
L.
to
C., DAVID.
Enter,
L.
to
L. C., PLATO.

PLATO. Well, sah, you all alone? de Count not come?

DAVID. He will not be long. We will wait for him here, if you please.

PLATO. I consider ‘um a pleasure to wait any whar wid you, sah.

DAVID. Indeed! May I have the honour to know whom I am addressing?

PLATO. I present my compliments and beg to present my card, sah. (
gives card.
)

DAVID. Ah!

Enter,
L. U. E., SECRETARY,
sleepily.

PLATO. And allow me to present my secretary. (SECRETARY
goes
R.
of
DAVID
at
C.)

DAVID (
reads card
). Mr. Plato.

PLATO. Dat’s me, sah.

DAVID. Then allow me to congratulate you on your name.

PLATO (
bows
). It’s ‘um pretty good name, sah.

DAVID (
reads card given by
SECRETARY). Mr. Horace, Mr. Washington, Mr. Spenser, Mr. Shakspeare. Mr. Milton. (SECRETARY
sits
R. C.,
and prepares to go to sleep
) All black, sir?

PLATO. All brack men, sah.

DAVID. Ah! They were all white the last time I heard of them. Might I ask you how you came by the names of Shakspeare and Milton, and so forth?

PLATO. We took ‘um, sah. Saving your presence, sah, we don’t see why de dam white man should hab all de good names to hisself, sah.

DAVID. That’s a quite unanswerable reason, Mr. Plato.

PLATO. I t’ank you, sah. (SECRETARY
goes to sleep
) I respect you, sah! You am de white man dat we men ob colour tinks de highest most ob on dis island.

DAVID. Thanks. Perhaps you can tell me why I deserve such a compliment. All I ever did was to run away from my plantation, which has returned the compliment by running away from me. It’s going to be sold for the benefit of the mortgagees.

PLATO. Answer me, sah. Did you eber try to teach de niggahs on you’ plantatium anyt’ing?

DAVID. Never.

PLATO. Berry well. Did you ever ax ‘um to do any work onless dey agreed to it demselves.

DAVID. Never.

PLATO. Den, dar you hab it. You left de brains ob de nigger sleep in him ‘kull; you left de han’s ob de nigger sleep in him pocket. God bress you! you good man! I offer you my hand. (DAVID,
stepping aside, nearly stumbles over
SECRETARY)

DAVID. Then I say, may ignorance flourish, and idleness be the best employment of human science. May I inquire if it was my words or yours that sent this worthy fellow off to sleep. (
touches
SECRETARY
with his foot.
SECRETARY
snores
)

PLATO. My secrumtary, sah! he am waiting for my orders before he go to bed. I am oberwhelmed wid de brack business ob dis island. Oh! de dam white man will not hab his own way much longer.

DAVID. Looking at it from the blackest point of view, I am very glad to hear it!

PLATO. T’ank you, sah! We hab two great political parties on dis island.

DAVID. So have we at home.

PLATO. I am sorry to hear it, sah! Dar’s de Conserbative Bracks an’ de Liberal Bracks.

DAVID. Strange coincidence! we have the Conservative Whites and the Liberal Whites. May I inquire how these political parties differ?

PLATO. We hab all on’y de one design in view — dat is de sacred cause ob Freedom! but we hab two ways ob gettin’ it. De Liberal idea am to git up early one fine mornin’ an’ kill all de white folks on de island.

DAVID. A truly liberal programme. But one can understand it, anyhow!

PLATO. De Conserbative idea am —
 
—

DAVID. Stop a minute. May I inquire — are you a Conservative?

PLATO (
proudly
). I am de Conserbative chief, sah!

DAVID. Speaking as a white man, I am delighted to hear it!