Complete Works of Wilkie Collins (2066 page)

Rachel
(
rising, and giving
FRANKLIN
the cheque
). Send that to my bankers, with your creditor’s address in Paris.
I
am your creditor now. (FRANKLIN
attempts to speak.
) No! I want no thanks. I want amendment; I want you — oh, Franklin, I do really want you to be worthy of yourself!

Franklin
(
earnestly
). It is in your power, Rachel, to make me all that you could wish.

Rachel
(
relenting
). I don’t understand you.

Franklin.
I have loved you for years. (RACHEL
tries to interrupt him.
) Absence has only made you dearer to me than ever. Grant me the one aspiration of my life! I will answer for living worthily, if I may only live to be worthy of
you.

Rachel
(
aside
). He is making love to me! (
To
FRANKLIN). How dare you make love to me, when I am so angry with you?

Franklin
(
taking her hand
). I have travelled night and day; I have returned to England only to see
you.
Don’t I deserve a little indulgence? Am I not worthy of one kind look?

Rachel
(
aside
). What a contemptible creature I am! Why don’t I tell him to leave the room? (
To
FRANKLIN.) Have you got my hand?

Franklin.
Yes, I’ve got your hand.

Rachel.
Let go of it!

Franklin
(
kissing her hand
). Say you forgive me.

Rachel
(
yielding
). Oh, where is Miss Clack? where is Miss Clack?

Franklin.
I am truly penitent, I am honestly desirous of being worthy of you. Don’t cast me off! Say: “Franklin, you may hope.”

Rachel.
Will you let me go, if I do?

Franklin
(
still holding her hand
). Yes, I will even make that sacrifice.

Rachel
(
yielding
). “Franklin, you may hope.”

Franklin
(
as before
). May I hope that you love me?

Rachel
(
in a whisper
). Yes!

Franklin.
My darling Rachel. (
He is on the point of taking her into his arms. The door on the left opens.
MISS CLACK
appears.
) The devil take her!

Miss Clack.
Oh, dear! dear! Have I come in at the wrong time? Shall I go back again, Rachel, and wait till you ring?

Rachel.
Drusilla, you are perfectly insufferable! Don’t stand there talking nonsense. Come and have some supper. (GODFREY
enters by the hall door.
)

Godfrey.
I am not in the way, Rachel, am I?

Rachel.
Good heavens! here is another modest person who is afraid of disturbing me! Make yourself of some use, Godfrey; open that bottle of wine. Betteredge seems to have deserted us. Franklin, ring the bell. (FRANKLIN
rings.
GODFREY
and
RACHEL
busy themselves at the table.
MISS CLACK
approaches
FRANKLIN
with an expression of extreme penitence.
)

Miss Clack.
I am so sorry. I came in at the wrong time. It must be so unpleasant to be caught in a ridiculous position, with your arms like this. (
She imitates
FRANKLIN’S
attempt to embrace
RACHEL. FRANKLIN
turns away angrily, and withdraws to the back, jealously watching
GODFREY
and
RACHEL
at the supper-table.
BETTEREDGE
enters by the hall door, answering the bell.
)

Rachel
(
to
BETTEREDGE). Where is Mr. Candy? I told you to invite him to sup with us.

Betteredge.
The doctor has just arrived, miss. (
He draws back from the hall door, and announces the doctor’s name as he enters.
) Mr. Candy! (
As
MR. CANDY
approaches
RACHEL, ANDREW
enters by the hall door with a bottle of champagne.
BETTEREDGE
takes it from him, and points to the painters’ utensils under the cabinet.
ANDREW
collects them and carries them out.
BETTEREDGE
opens the bottle of champagne, takes a glass, and approaches
MISS CLACK,
while
RACHEL
and
MR. CANDY
are speaking.
)

Rachel
(
advancing to shake hands with him
). I am glad to see you, Mr. Candy. Have you any news for me? How are you getting on in the neighbourhood?

Mr. Candy.
Much as usual, Miss Rachel. The population employs the doctor freely, and only hesitates when it comes to the questions of paying him. (
He notices
GODFREY.) Mr. Godfrey Ablewhite! (MR. CANDY
and
GODFREY
shake hands cordially. They remain in conversation with
RACHEL.)

Betteredge
(
to
MISS CLACK,
speaking after
MR. CANDY). I think you like it dry, miss? (
Aside, looking at the bottle in his hand.
) And plenty of it!

Miss Clack
(
modestly
). I am so little used to luxuries, Mr. Betteredge. Do you really think it will do me good?

Betteredge
(
confidentially
). That is my deliberate opinion, miss. (
He fills the glass.
MISS CLACK
receives it with humble gratitude, takes a sip, discovers that it is really dry, and finishes the glass at a draught.
GODFREY,
leaving
MR. CANDY
and
RACHEL,
approaches
BETTEREDGE
and takes the bottle from him.
BETTEREDGE
relieves
MISS CLACK
of her empty glass.
)

Godfrey.
We will help ourselves, my good Betteredge. Don’t you think you had better get another bottle?

Betteredge
(
looking at
MISS CLACK’S
empty glass
). Yes, sir, I think I had. (
He goes out by the hall door.
GODFREY
escorts
MISS CLACK
to the supper-table, where they join
RACHEL. MR. CANDY
discovers
FRANKLIN
and greets him cordially.
)

Mr. Candy.
Mr. Franklin Blake! Delighted to see you again, sir, after your long absence in foreign parts. (
Shaking hands.
) Excuse a professional remark. How feverish your hand is!

Franklin.
I have been travelling a good deal lately, and I haven’t recovered it yet.

Rachel
(
overhearing them
). He has given up his cigars, Mr. Candy, and he has not had a good night’s rest since. Is it because he has left off smoking?

Mr. Candy
(
speaking seriously
). Unquestionably, Miss Rachel. (
To
FRANKLIN.) You should have dropped your cigars gradually, Mr. Blake. It’s a serious trial to a man’s nervous system to give up the habitual use of tobacco at a moment’s notice. Take care what you eat and drink, sir, in the present state of your health. (
He turns away to the supper-table.
)

Franklin
(
to
RACHEL). A medical consultation for nothing! (RACHEL
goes to the supper-table.
FRANKLIN
speaks to himself.
) I suspect he is right about my nerves. (
He looks at his hand as he holds it out.
) It trembles like the hand of an old man!

Rachel.
Come and have some supper, Franklin! The doctor doesn’t condemn you to absolute starvation, I am sure. (
She addresses
MR. CANDY.) Let
me
prescribe for him, Mr. Candy. Give Mr. Blake some of that game pie.

Franklin.
Thank you, Rachel, I never eat supper.

Rachel.
It’s never too late to mend, Franklin. Begin now.

Mr. Candy
(
passing a plate with some pie on it to
FRANKLIN,
and speaking to him in a whisper.
) Take my advice, don’t eat it.

Franklin
(
looking at
MR. CANDY,
who is enjoying his pie
). You eat it yourself! (
He examines the pie.
) It looks delicious. How softly the truffles repose on their gamy bed! How persuasively they say: “Why don’t you eat us?” (
He tastes the pie.
GODFREY
has attended to
RACHEL
and
MISS CLACK
in the meantime.
MISS CLACK
addresses
MR. CANDY.
As the conversation proceeds,
FRANKLIN
finishes his pie, and helps himself to wine.
)

Miss Clack
(
severely
). Mr. Candy!

Mr. Candy.
Yes, Miss Clack?

Miss Clack.
Miss Rachel was speaking of the neighbourhood just now. I have my doubts of the neighbourhood. (
Taking up her glass.
) I thought I saw a beer-shop on our way from the station.

Mr. Candy
(
filling his glass
). If you had known where to look, you might have seen a dozen.

Miss Clack
(
finishing her champagne
). How unspeakably dreadful! Rachel! Do you hear that? A neighbourhood of beer-drinkers all round this beautiful house. And that neighbourhood your property!

Rachel.
What am
I
to do?

Miss Clack
(
with enthusiasm
). Establish branch connections with our London institutions. Grapple with beer-drinking in its domestic results! Set up a Mothers’-Small-Clothes-Conversion-Society! (RACHEL, FRANKLIN,
and
MR. CANDY
look at each other.
)

Godfrey
(
softly rattling his knife-handle on the table
). Hear! hear!

Franklin
(
looking up from his plate
). What does the Society do, Miss Clack?

Miss Clack
(
severely
). The Mothers’-Small-Clothes-Conversion-Society, sir, rescues unredeemed fathers’ trousers from the pawnbroker, and prevents their resumption on the part of the irreclaimable parent, by abridging them to suit the proportions of the innocent son. (GODFREY
applauds again with his knife-handle.
)

Franklin.
What becomes of the trouserless fathers, Miss Clack?