Complete Works of Wilkie Collins (2041 page)

Mercy
(
to
HORACE —
interposing
). If you cannot speak without insulting one of us, I beg you will
not
address yourself to Mr. Julian Gray.

Horace
(
bowing ironically
). It’s quite needless to defend Mr. Julian Gray. Lady Janet only allowed me to leave her on condition of my behaving with perfect politeness. I have two privileged persons to deal with — a parson and a woman. I beg to apologise if I have forgotten the clergyman’s profession and the lady’s sex.

Julian.
You have forgotten more than that. You have forgotten that you were born a gentleman and. bred a man of honour. It is bad enough to unjustly suspect an old friend. But it is still more unworthy of you to acknowledge your suspicions before a woman whom your own choice has doubly bound you to respect.

Horace
(
angrily
). Keep your advice to yourself! And thank your stars that your profession protects you.

(
He walks aside, on the right.
)

Julian
(
calmly
). My profession has its obligations, Horace. My profession forbids me to answer you.

Mercy
(
to
JULIAN). Say no more to him! For my sake, for his sake, say no more. (JULIAN
retires to the back, on the right, and seats himself, keeping his eye on
HORACE. MERCY
continues aside
). Oh, what a contrast between them! What poor malice, what petty insolence on one side! What manly calmness, what true dignity on the other! (
She advances eagerly, and speaks to
HORACE.) Don’t lower yourself in my estimation at such a moment as this! What do you wish to say to me?

Horace.
You owe me an explanation —
 
—

Mercy
(
interrupting him
). I have promised you an explanation.

Horace.
You know what I mean. I am not asking you now why you sent the police officer out of the house. That is another matter — that is for Lady Janet to hear as well as for me. You have something else to account for, in which I alone am concerned.

Mercy
. What have I to account for?

Horace.
Your conduct with Julian Gray. You and he have some secret understanding together. He speaks to you confidentially — he is always with you when my back is turned. I have seen you whispering to him. Lady Janet found you in this room with your hand in his. I have a right to ask for an explanation of these things, and I do ask for it.

Mercy
(
warning him
). Don’t return to that!

Horace.
I insist on returning to it! I insist on an answer! (JULIAN
rises.
)

Mercy
. I refuse to degrade myself and to degrade Mr. Julian Gray by giving you an answer.

Horace.
Take care what you are doing! Change your mind before it is too late!

(JULIAN
advances a few steps towards them.
)

Mercy
. You have had my reply.

Horace
(
breaking out
). I say again, Take care! You are placing our engagement in jeopardy. Do you think I will consent to marry a woman who has secrets from me with another man?

Mercy
(
as before
). You have had my reply.

Horace
(
furiously
). You are as false as hell! All is over between you and me.

(JULIAN
advances a few steps more. At the same moment, the
SERVANT
enters by the centre, with a telegram on a salver.
)

The Servant
(
offering the telegram to
MERCY). For you, miss.

(MERCY
eagerly opens the telegram.
JULIAN
and
HORACE
both pause, and look at her. The
SERVANT
goes out.
)

Mercy
(
to herself
). From the Matron! (
She reads.
) “I feel the same interest in you as ever. I will call this evening, and take you back to the Refuge myself.” (
She turns to
JULIAN,
and, handing him the telegram, continues sadly.
) The answer that I told you of. You need feel no further anxiety about me now.

(JULIAN
reads the telegram.
)

Horace
(
advancing
). More secrets! Another private understanding, before my face! (
To
JULIAN.) What right have you to read that telegram?

Julian
(
calmly
). Gently, Horace!

Horace.
Give it to me! (
He advances.
) Give it up, or it will be the worse for you!

Mercy
. Give it to
me.
(
She takes it from
JULIAN,
and turns to
HORACE.) Do you insist on reading it?

Horace.
Yes!

Mercy
. Read it!

Julian
(
stopping her as she hands the telegram to
HORACE). Spare him! Remember he is unprepared.

Mercy
(
to
HORACE). Do you hear that? After what you have said to him, his great heart forgives and feels for you. (
She turns to
JULIAN
with an irrepressible outburst of admiration.
) Oh, if I had met you in past days, what a different life mine might have been!

Horace.
Give me the telegram!

Mercy
(
to
JULIAN.) Pray for him and for me. The time has come.

(
She gives
HORACE
the telegram.
JULIAN
turns away, and hides his face in his hands.
)

Horace
(
reading
) “From the Matron, Western District Refuge, to Miss Roseberry, Mablethorpe House.” (
He looks up at
MERCY
and speaks.
) What does this mean?

Mercy
(
in low, firm tones
). Read the message.

Horace
(
reading
). “I feel the same interest in you as ever. I will call this evening and take you back to the Refuge myself.” (
To
MERCY —
with a change to terror in his voice and manner.
) This can’t be for
you?

Mercy
(
as before
). It
is
for me.

Horace
(
loudly — in terror
). What have you to do with a Refuge?

Mercy
(
still without any change
). I have come from a Refuge; and I am going back to a Refuge. Mr. Horace Holmcroft, I am Mercy Merrick.

(HORACE
staggers back with a cry of horror.
MERCY
rests her hand on a table near her, and stands, waiting her sentence, with her head on her breast.
JULIAN
hurries to
HORACE.)

Horace
(
waving him back.
) Don’t touch me! Let me be — let me be! (
A pause — he speaks to himself.
) Am I out of my senses? Am I deluded by a dream? (
To
JULIAN.) Julian, did
you
hear her? Did she really say it? Answer me!

Julian
(
pointing to
MERCY). There is your answer. Look — and pity her!

(HORACE
looks at
MERCY,
and sinks upon the sofa on the left. He speaks his next words faintly to himself.
)

Horace.
Mercy Merrick! Mercy Merrick!

Julian
(
to
MERCY). Speak to him! rouse him! Tell him all!

Mercy
. Have I not told him enough? (
She points to him.
) See what I have done already! (JULIAN
turns to go out by the centre.
MERCY
continues.
) Where are you going?

Julian.
You have been hurried into speaking before the appointed time. Let me spare you the hard necessity of repeating your confession. Let me tell Lady Janet the truth, while you remain here!

Horace
(
rousing himself
). Don’t leave me, Julian! I’m broken by what I have gone through. Don’t leave me!

Mercy
(
sadly
). Stay here — in pity to him, and in pity to me!

(JULIAN
signs to her that he yields. She advances slowly towards
HORACE. JULIAN
speaks aside.
)

Julian.
She little thinks what she condemns me to suffer. I never loved her as I love her now! (
He glances at
MERCY —
standing before
HORACE.) How she looks at him! Can he resist that look? Will he forgive her? (
He returns to the place at the back which he has previously occupied.
)

Mercy
(
to
HORACE —
humbly
). Mr. Holmcroft!

Horace
(
with an outburst of anger
). Is the confession of your infamy
not
complete? Or do you come here to excuse the vile deception which you have practised on me?

Mercy
. I have but one excuse — a life without hope. May
you
never know the temptation which tried
me
when the shell struck its victim in the French cottage! I had no future to look forward to. I had no friend to advise me. The years of my womanhood had been wasted in the vain struggle to win back my lost place in the world. Such was my position on the fatal day when the Germans attacked the cottage! I was alone with the dead woman.
Her
name was untainted —
her
future offered me the position which had been denied to my honest efforts — which was mine if I stooped to win it by a fraud. Thank Mr. Julian Gray if I stand here self-accused of my deception before the man whom I have wronged.

Julian.
Thank the noble nature, Horace, which answered when I called upon it. Honour the woman who has told you the truth, at the sacrifice of everything which a woman values most. (HORACE
remains silent.
)

Mercy
(
aside, looking at
JULIAN.)
His
heart is the heart that feels for me.
His
words are the words which comfort and pardon me! (
To
HORACE.) I have little more to say, Mr. Holmcroft. Miss Roseberry heard the story of my life when we first met. Miss Roseberry can tell you what I have suffered, if you care to know it. I ask your pardon for having
once
presumed to love you. I renounce all claim on you, as the one atonement which a lost creature can make to the man whom she has deceived. Before we part for ever, sir, will you take my hand as a token that you forgive me?