Complete Works of Wilkie Collins (2039 page)

Grace
. Are you out of your senses?

Mercy
. Do what you asked
me
to do. Ring the bell. Call in the whole household. Ask them which of us is mad — you or I? You won’t? Then there is no more to be said between us. Leave the room!

Grace
(
furiously
). What!!!

(MERCY
springs to the table on which the handbell is placed, and strikes it. At the same moment the door on the right opens, and
JULIAN GRAY
appears. Both the women start at seeing him.
MERCY’S
head sinks on her breast.
JULIAN
remains close at the door.
)

Julian.
(
aside, looking from one to the other
). The one thing I dreaded! The mischief is done!

(
The door on the left is opened by the
SERVANT. LADY JANET
and
HORACE
enter.
HORACE
has a jewel-case in his hand.
)

Lady J.
(
discovering
GRACE,
and speaking to
MERCY). I said she was in the house! Has she frightened you? (MERCY
looks up, and makes a sign in the negative.
) Leave her to me. (MERCY
retires to the back;
HORACE
follows her and speaks to her, handing her the jewel-case, which she places unopened on the table.
JULIAN
speaks to
GRACE
remonstrating with her.
LADY J.
addresses the
SERVANT,
who stands at the door on the left, waiting his orders.
) Wait in the library; I may want you again. (
The
SERVANT
goes out.
LADY J.
advances and speaks to
GRACE,
who occupies the right-hand side of the stage.
) I have no desire to speak harshly to you. Your visits to my house can lead to no satisfactory result. In your own interests, I request you to withdraw.

Grace
. In my own interests, I claim a hearing, Lady Janet. I refuse to withdraw.

(LADY J.
expresses her indignation by a gesture.
)

Lady J.
(
To
GRACE.) Make up your mind to do what I have asked of you — (
she points to the door on the left
) — before I have walked back to that door. Don’t force me to remind you again, that I am mistress here. (
She returns slowly to the door, and turns to
GRACE.) Will you go?

Grace
(
pointing to
MERCY). I will
not
go! I insist on my right to the position which that woman has stolen from me. I dare her, before you all, to deny that she is Mercy Merrick!

(MERCY
advances, and attempts to answer.
HORACE
stops her.
JULIAN
keeps his eyes steadily fixed on
MERCY,
waiting to see what she will do.
)

Horace
(
to
MERCY). You degrade yourself if you answer her. Let us leave the room. (
He offers
MERCY
his arm.
)

Grace
. Yes! Take her out. It’s her place to go — not mine.

Mercy
(
looking defiantly at
GRACE). I refuse to leave the room.

Julian
(
aside, reproachfully to
GRACE).
You
have done this! She was penitent — and you have hardened her! Her pride was at your feet — and you have roused it.

(GRACE
turns away from him scornfully.
)

Horace
(
to
LADY J.). Lady Janet, how much longer are we to endure this?

Lady J.
Not much longer, Horace, I promise you. (
She takes
JULIAN’S
card out of her pocket, and opens the library door. The
SERVANT
appears.
LADY JANET
gives the card to the
SERVANT,
and continues to him in an undertone.
) Go to the police-station, and give that card to the inspector on duty. There is not a moment to lose.

Julian.
Pardon me. I have something to propose, before you send that card. (
He signs to the
SERVANT
to wait, and turns to
GRACE.) I wish first to say a word in private to this lady. (
He turns to
MERCY
next, and respectfully addresses her.
GRACE
listens with malicious curiosity.
) When my word is spoken, will you give me an opportunity of seeing you? We have still to continue the conversation which was interrupted a short time since. (MERCY’S
head sinks in confusion.
JULIAN
lowers his voice.
) Do you understand me?

Mercy
(
deeply agitated, in a whisper
). Only too well!

Horace
(
with jealous distrust, looking at
MERCY). Why is she whispering to him?

Julian
(
to
MERCY). You consent to see me in five minutes?

(MERCY
hesitates between her better impulses, and her remembrance of
GRACE’S
insults.
GRACE
addresses her satirically.
)

Grace
(
indicating
JULIAN). You needn’t be afraid to trust him alone with me.
I
am not interested in making a conquest of Mr. Julian Gray.

(JULIAN
turns from
GRACE
in disgust.
)

Mercy
(
to
JULIAN,
after an angry look at
GRACE). I have nothing more to say to you, Mr. Gray. There is no need for me to trouble you again.

(JULIAN
looks at her sadly, and lifts his hands in despair.
)

Julian
(
resignedly to
LADY J.). I beg your pardon for detaining the servant, aunt. You were right — my interference is useless. Send the card.

Lady J.
(
to the
SERVANT). Go. (
The
SERVANT
goes out with the card.
GRACE
observes him suspiciously.
LADY J.,
and
HORACE,
and
MERCY,
speak together.
GRACE
is left alone on one side of the stage, and
JULIAN
on the other.
)

Julian.
(
to himself, looking at
MERCY). Let the police officer do his work. Let her see Grace Roseberry on her way to the madhouse, and then let her persist in personating Grace Roseberry, if she can!

(
He walks apart, thinking.
)

Grace
(
looking at
MERCY). Mercy Merrick! Lady Janet has sent her servant out with a card. Is that card part of your plot against me?

Horace
(
to
GRACE,
while he prevents
MERCY
from answering
). Silence!

Grace
(
turning fiercely on
HORACE). Do
you
tell me to be silent? Fool! You have the greatest interest of anybody in finding out the truth. (
She points to
MERCY.) Do you want to marry an outcast from the streets?

Horace
(
infuriated
). Say another word, and I will put you out of the room with my own hands!

Julian.
Take the ladies into the library, Horace. And leave me here till the man comes.

Horace
(
to
JULIAN). I have something to say, before we go into the library. (
He goes up to get the jewels.
) That woman’s insult (
he points to
GRACE) shall not pass unanswered She has sense enough to see and sense enough to hear. Let her see and hear. (
He opens the case and displays a pearl necklace — then addresses
MERCY.) My love! my mother sends you her congratulations on our approaching marriage. She begs you to accept, as part of your bridal dress, these pearls. They have been in our family for centuries. As one of the family, honoured and beloved, my mother offers them to my wife.

(
He lifts the necklace to place it on
MERCY’S
neck.
)

Julian
(
to himself
). Will she endure that ordeal? (MERCY,
after a triumphant look at
GRACE,
allows
HORACE
to put the pearls round her neck.
JULIAN
continues aside.
) She does endure it! Can I have been mistaken in her? (JULIAN
withdraws thoughtfully towards the conservatory.
)

Horace
(
offering his arm to
MERCY). Now we may go into the library. (
He looks back at
GRACE.) She has seen and she has heard.

Grace
(
to
HORACE). Wait a little — and
you
will hear that your wife has stolen my name! Wait a little — and
you
will see your wife dismissed from this house!

Mercy
(
breaking away from
HORACE
in uncontrollable passion, and answering
GRACE). You are mad!

Lady J.
(
following
MERCY). You are mad!

Horace
(
following
LADY J.) You are mad!

(GRACE
shrinks back daunted by the treble accusation. The
SERVANT
enters by the conservatory.
)

The Servant
(
to
LADY J.). A person to see you, my Lady.

(
A man dressed in black enters by the conservatory. He offers to
LADY J.
the card which she has sent to the station.
JULIAN
takes the card, and descends the stage to
GRACE.
There is a pause. The man’s appearance strikes them all silent. They look at him. He waits for his orders.
GRACE,
in terror, points to him, and whispers to
JULIAN.

Grace
. Who is that? (JULIAN
places her in an easy chair, without answering.
GRACE
continues piteously.
) Do speak to me!
You
don’t think I’m mad? Why is that man here?

Julian.
You will soon know. (
He approaches
LADY J.) Will your Ladyship give the man his orders?

Lady J.
(
recoiling from the police officer
). I can’t speak to him! (
To
JULIAN.) I leave it to you.

Julian
(
to the officer.
) Wait there. (
He points to a chair at the back. The man seats himself.
MERCY
draws
HORACE
aside. They stand together in the front, as far from
GRACE
as the limits of the stage will permit, and speak in whispers.
)

Mercy
(
nervously
). Who is he?