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A Bit O' Love, a play by John Galsworthy |
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Act 3 Scene 2 |
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_ ACT III SCENE II [The BURLACOMBES' high and nearly empty barn. A lantern is hung by a rope that lifts the bales of straw, to a long ladder leaning against a rafter. This gives all the light there is, save for a slender track of moonlight, slanting in from the end, where the two great doors are not quite closed. On a rude bench in front of a few remaining, stacked, square-cut bundles of last year's hay, sits TIBBY JARLAND, a bit of apple in her mouth, sleepily beating on a tambourine. With stockinged feet GLADYS, IVY, CONNIE, and MERCY, TIM CLYST, and BOBBIE JARLAND, a boy of fifteen, are dancing a truncated "Figure of Eight"; and their shadow are dancing alongside on the walls. Shoes and some apples have been thrown down close to the side door through which they have come in. Now and then IVY, the smallest and best of the dancers, ejaculates words of direction, and one of the youths grunts or breathes loudly out of the confusion of his mind. Save for this and the dumb beat and jingle of the sleepy tambourine, there is no sound. The dance comes to its end, but the drowsy TIBBY goes on beating.]
CLYST. [In his teasing, excitable voice] Yu maids don't dance 'elf's well as us du. Bobbie 'e's a great dancer. 'E dance vine. I'm a gude dancer, meself. GLADYS. A'n't yu conceited just? CLYST. Aw! Ah! Yu'll give me kiss for that. [He chases, but cannot catch that slippery white figure] Can't she glimmer! MERCY. Gladys! Up ladder! CLYST. Yu go up ladder; I'll catch 'ee then. Naw, yu maids, don't yu give her succour. That's not vair [Catching hold of MERCY, who gives a little squeal.] CONNIE. Mercy, don't! Mrs. Burlacombe'll hear. Ivy, go an' peek. [Ivy goes to flee side door and peers through.]
[TIBBY, overcome by drowsiness, has fallen back into the hay, asleep. GLADYS, leaning against the hay breaks into humming:] "There cam' three dukes a-ridin', a-ridin', a-ridin',
CONNIE. There won't be no prize if Mr. Strangway goes away. 'Tes funny 'twas Mrs. Strangway start us. IVY. [From the door] 'Twas wicked to hiss him. [A moment's hush.]
BOBBIE. I never did. GLADYS. Oh! Bobbie, yu did! Yu blew in my ear. CLYST. 'Twas the praaper old wind in the trees. Did make a brave noise, zurely. MERCY. 'E shuld'n' 'a let my skylark go. CLYST. [Out of sheer contradictoriness] Ya-as, 'e shude, then. What du yu want with th' birds of the air? They'm no gude to yu. IVY. [Mournfully] And now he's goin' away. CLYST. Ya-as; 'tes a pity. He's the best man I ever seen since I was comin' from my mother. He's a gude man. He'em got a zad face, sure enough, though. IVY. Gude folk always 'ave zad faces. CLYST. I knu a gude man--'e sold pigs--very gude man: 'e 'ad a budiful bright vase like the mane. [Touching his stomach] I was sad, meself, once. 'Twas a funny scrabblin'--like feelin'. GLADYS. If 'e go away, whu's goin' to finish us for confirmation? CONNIE. The Rector and the old grey mare. MERCY. I don' want no more finishin'; I'm confirmed enough. CLYST. Ya-as; yu'm a buty. GLADYS. Suppose we all went an' asked 'im not to go? IVY. 'Twouldn't be no gude. CONNIE. Where's 'e goin'? MERCY. He'll go to London, of course. IVY. He's so gentle; I think 'e'll go to an island, where there's nothin' but birds and beasts and flowers. CLYST. Aye! He'm awful fond o' the dumb things. IVY. They're kind and peaceful; that's why. CLYST. Aw! Yu see tu praaper old tom cats; they'm not to peaceful, after that, nor kind naighther. BOBBIE. [Surprisingly] If 'e's sad, per'aps 'e'll go to 'Eaven. IVY. Oh! not yet, Bobbie. He's tu young. CLYST. [Following his own thoughts] Ya-as. 'Tes a funny place, tu, nowadays, judgin' from the papers. GLADYS. Wonder if there's dancin' in 'Eaven? IVY. There's beasts, and flowers, and waters, and 'e told us. CLYST. Naw! There's no dumb things in 'Eaven. Jim Bere 'e says there is! 'E thinks 'is old cat's there. IVY. Yes. [Dreamily] There's stars, an' owls, an' a man playin' on the flute. Where 'tes gude, there must be music. CLYST. Old brass band, shuldn' wonder, like th' Salvation Army. IVY. [Putting up her hands to an imaginary pipe] No; 'tis a boy that goes so; an' all the dumb things an' all the people goo after 'im--like this. [She marches slowly, playing her imaginary pipe, and one by one they all fall in behind her, padding round the barn in their stockinged feet. Passing the big doors, IVY throws them open.] An' 'tes all like that in 'Eaven. [She stands there gazing out, still playing on her imaginary pipe. And they all stand a moment silent, staring into the moonlight.]
IVY. A goldie-cup--a big one. An' millions o' little goldie-cups on the floor of 'Eaven. MERCY. Oh! Bother 'Eaven! Let's dance "Clapperclaws"! Wake up, Tibby! GLADYS. Clapperelaws, clapperclaws! Come on, Bobbie--make circle! CLYST. Clapperclaws! I dance that one fine. IVY. [Taking the tambourine] See, Tibby; like this. She hums and beats gently, then restores the tambourine to the sleepy TIBBY, who, waking, has placed a piece of apple in her mouth. CONNIE. 'Tes awful difficult, this one. IVY. [Illustrating] No; yu just jump, an' clap yore 'ands. Lovely, lovely! CLYST. Like ringin' bells! Come ahn! [TIBBY begins her drowsy beating, IVY hums the tune; they dance, and their shadows dance again upon the walls. When she has beaten but a few moments on the tambourine, TIBBY is overcome once more by sleep and falls back again into her nest of hay, with her little shoed feet just visible over the edge of the bench. Ivy catches up the tambourine, and to her beating and humming the dancers dance on.] [Suddenly GLADYS stops like a wild animal surprised, and cranes her neck towards the aide door.]
GLADYS. [Whispering] I hear--some one comin' across the yard. [She leads a noiseless scamper towards the shoes. BOBBIE JARLAND shins up the ladder and seizes the lantern. Ivy drops the tambourine. They all fly to the big doors, and vanish into the moonlight, pulling the door nearly to again after them.] [There is the sound of scrabbling at the hitch of the side door, and STRANGWAY comes into the nearly dark barn. Out in the night the owl is still hooting. He closes the door, and that sound is lost. Like a man walking in his sleep, he goes up to the ladder, takes the rope in his hand, and makes a noose. He can be heard breathing, and in the darkness the motions of his hands are dimly seen, freeing his throat and putting the noose round his neck. He stands swaying to and fro at the foot of the ladder; then, with a sigh, sets his foot on it to mount. One of the big doors creaks and opens in the wind, letting in a broad path of moonlight.] [STRANGWAY stops; freeing his neck from the noose, he walks quickly up the track of moonlight, whitened from head to foot, to close the doors.] [The sound of his boots on the bare floor has awakened TIBBY JARLAND. Struggling out of her hay nest she stands staring at his whitened figure, and bursts suddenly into a wail.]
STRANGWAY. [Turning--startled] Who's that? Who is it? TIBBY. O-oh! A ghosty! Oo-ooo! STRANGWAY. [Going to her quickly] It's me, Tibby--Tib only me! TIBBY. I seed a ghosty. STRANGWAY. [Taking her up] No, no, my bird, you didn't! It was me. TIBBY. [Burying her face against him] I'm frighted. It was a big one. [She gives tongue again] O-o-oh! STRANGWAY. There, there! It's nothing but me. Look! TIBBY. No. [She peeps out all the same.] STRANGWAY. See! It's the moonlight made me all white. See! You're a brave girl now? TIBBY. [Cautiously] I want my apple. [She points towards her nest. STRANGWAY carries her there, picks up an apple, and gives it her. TIBBY takes a bite.]
STRANGWAY. [Giving her the tambourine, and carrying her back into the' track of moonlight] Now we're both ghosties! Isn't it funny? TABBY. [Doubtfully] Yes. STRANGWAY. See! The moon's laughing at us! See? Laugh then! [TABBY, tambourine in one hand and apple in the other, smiles stolidly. He sets her down on the ladder, and stands, holding her level With him.]
STRANGWAY. No! Full moon, Tibby! Shall we wish for it? TABBY. Full mune. STRANGWAY. Moon! We're wishing for you. Moon, moon! TIBBY. Mune, we're wishin' for yu! STRANGWAY. What do, you wish it to be? TIBBY. Bright new shillin'! STRANGWAY. A face. TIBBY. Shillin', a shillin'! STRANGWAY. [Taking out a shilling and spinning it so that it falls into her pinafore] See! Your wish comes true. TIBBY. Oh! [Putting the shilling in her mouth] Mune's still there! STRANGWAY. Wish for me, Tibby! TIBBY. Mune. I'm wishin' for yu! STRANGWAY. Not yet! TIBBY. Shall I shake my tambouline? STRANGWAY. Yes, shake your tambouline. TIBBY. [Shaking her tambourine] Mune, I'm shaken' at yu. [STRANGWAY lays his hand suddenly on the rope, and swings it up on to the beam.]
STRANGWAY. To put it out of reach. It's better---- TIBBY. Why is it better? [She stares up at him.] STRANGWAY. Come along, Tibby! [He carries her to the big doors, and sets her down] See! All asleep! The birds, and the fields, and the moon! TIBBY. Mune, mune, we're wishing for yu! STRANGWAY. Send her your love, and say good-night. TIBBY. [Blowing a kiss] Good-night, mune! [From the barn roof a little white dove's feather comes floating down in the wind. TIBBY follows it with her hand, catches it, and holds it up to him.] TIBBY. [Chuckling] Luke. The mune's sent a bit o' love! STRANGWAY. [Taking the feather] Thank you, Tibby! I want that bit o' love. [Very faint, comes the sound of music] Listen! TIBBY. It's Miss Willis, playin' on the pianny! STRANGWAY. No; it's Love; walking and talking in the world. TIBBY. [Dubiously] Is it? STRANGWAY. [Pointing] See! Everything coming out to listen! See them, Tibby! All the little things with pointed ears, children, and birds, and flowers, and bunnies; and the bright rocks, and--men! Hear their hearts beating! And the wind listening! TIBBY. I can't hear--nor I can't see! STRANGWAY. Beyond----[To himself] They are--they must be; I swear they are! [Then, catching sight of TIBBY'S amazed eyes] And now say good-bye to me. TIBBY. Where yu goin'? STRANGWAY. I don't know, Tibby. VOICE OF MERCY. [Distant and cautious] Tibby! Tibby! Where are yu? STRANGWAY. Mercy calling; run to her! [TIBBY starts off, turns back and lifts her face. He bends to kiss her, and flinging her arms round his neck, she gives him a good hug. Then, knuckling the sleep out of her eyes, she runs.] [STRANGWAY stands, uncertain. There is a sound of heavy footsteps; a man clears his throat, close by.]
CREMER. Jack Cremer. [The big man's figure appears out of the shadow of the barn] That yu, zurr? STRANGWAY. Yes, Jack. How goes it? CREMER. 'Tes empty, zurr. But I'll get on some'ow. STRANGWAY. You put me to shame. CREMER. No, zurr. I'd be killin' meself, if I didn' feel I must stick it, like yu zaid. [They stand gazing at each other in the moonlight.]
CREMER. What's that? [Then, as STRANGWAY does not answer] I'll just be walkin'--I won' be gain' 'ome to-night. 'Tes the full mune-- lucky. STRANGWAY. [Suddenly] Wait for me at the crossroads, Jack. I'll come with you. Will you have me, brother? CREMER. Sure! STRANGWAY. Wait, then. CREMER. Aye, zurr. [With his heavy tread CREMER passes on. And STRANGWAY leans against the lintel of the door, looking at the moon, that, quite full and golden, hangs not far above the straight horizon, where the trees stand small, in a row.]
[He moves away, following JACK CREMER. The full moon shines; the owl hoots; and some one is shaking TIBBY'S tambourine.] [THE END] _ |
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