plays [2]
blessing with a
full heart.
MARY. I am sure of him. It is that which makes my happiness
complete. Even to our marriage I should find it hard to say
'Yes' when he said 'No.'
LESLIE. Your father is trying to speak. I'll wager he echoes
you.
MARY (TO OLD BRODIE). My poor dearie! Do you want to say
anything to me? No? Is it to Mr. Leslie, then?
LESLIE. I am listening, Mr. Brodie.
MARY. What is it, daddie?
OLD BRODIE. My son - the Deacon - Deacon Brodie - the first at
school.
LESLIE. I know it, Mr. Brodie. Was I not the last in the same
class? (TO MARY.) But he seems to have forgotten us.
MARY. O yes! his mind is wellnigh gone. He will sit for hours
as you see him, and never speak nor stir but at the touch of
Will's hand or the sound of Will's name.
LESLIE. It is so good to sit beside you. By and by it will be
always like this. You will not let me speak to the Deacon? You
are fast set upon speaking yourself? I could be so eloquent,
Mary - I would touch him. I cannot tell you how I fear to trust
my happiness to any one else - even to you!
MARY. He must hear of my good fortune from none but me. And
besides, you do not understand. We are not like families, we
Brodies. We are so clannish, we hold so close together.
LESLIE. You Brodies, and your Deacon!
OLD BRODIE. Deacon of his craft, sir - Deacon of the Wrights -
my son! If his mother - his mother - had but lived to see!
MARY. You hear how he runs on. A word about my brother and he
catches it. 'Tis as if he were awake in his poor blind way to
all the Deacon's care for him and all the Deacon's kindness to
me. I believe he only lives in the thought of the Deacon.
There, it is not so long since I was one with him. But indeed I
think we are all Deacon-mad, we Brodies. Are we not, daddie
dear?
BRODIE (WITHOUT, AND ENTERING). You are a mighty magistrate,
Procurator, but you seem to have met your match.
SCENE II
To these, BRODIE and LAWSON.
MARY (CURTSEYING). So, uncle! you have honoured us at last.
LAWSON. QUAM PRIMUM, my dear, QUAM PRIMUM.
BRODIE. Well, father, do you know me? (HE SITS BESIDE HIS
FATHER AND TAKES HIS HAND.)
[OLD BRODIE. William - ay - Deacon. Greater man - than - his
father.
BRODIE. You see, Procurator, the news is as fresh to him as it
was five years ago. He was struck down before he got the
Deaconship, and lives his lost life in mine.
LAWSON. Ay, I mind. He was aye ettling after a bit handle to
his name. He was kind of hurt when first they made me
Procurator.]
MARY. And what have you been talking of?
LAWSON. Just o' thae robberies, Mary. Baith as a burgher and a
Crown offeecial, I tak' the maist absorbing interest in thae
robberies.
LESLIE. Egad, Procurator, and so do I.
BRODIE (WITH A QUICK LOOK AT LESLIE). A dilettante interest,
doubtless! See what it is to be idle.
LESLIE. Faith, Brodie, I hardly know how to style it.
BRODIE. At any rate, 'tis not the interest of a victim, or we
should certainly have known of it before; nor a practical tool-
mongering interest, like my own; nor an interest professional and
official, like the Procurator's. You can answer for that, I
suppose?
LESLIE. I think I can; if for no more. It's an interest of my
own, you see, and is best described as indescribable, and of no
manner of moment to anybody. [It will take no hurt if we put off
its discussion till a month of Sundays.]
BRODIE. You are more fortunate than you deserve. What do you
say, Procurator?
LAWSON. Ay is he! There is no a house in Edinburgh safe. The
law is clean helpless, clean helpless! A week syne it was auld
Andra Simpson's in the Lawnmarket. Then, naething would set the
catamarans but to forgather privily wi' the Provost's ain butler,
and tak' unto themselves the Provost's ain plate. And the day,
information was laid before me offeecially that the limmers had
made infraction, VI ET CLAM, into Leddy Mar'get Dalziel's, and
left her leddyship wi'
full heart.
MARY. I am sure of him. It is that which makes my happiness
complete. Even to our marriage I should find it hard to say
'Yes' when he said 'No.'
LESLIE. Your father is trying to speak. I'll wager he echoes
you.
MARY (TO OLD BRODIE). My poor dearie! Do you want to say
anything to me? No? Is it to Mr. Leslie, then?
LESLIE. I am listening, Mr. Brodie.
MARY. What is it, daddie?
OLD BRODIE. My son - the Deacon - Deacon Brodie - the first at
school.
LESLIE. I know it, Mr. Brodie. Was I not the last in the same
class? (TO MARY.) But he seems to have forgotten us.
MARY. O yes! his mind is wellnigh gone. He will sit for hours
as you see him, and never speak nor stir but at the touch of
Will's hand or the sound of Will's name.
LESLIE. It is so good to sit beside you. By and by it will be
always like this. You will not let me speak to the Deacon? You
are fast set upon speaking yourself? I could be so eloquent,
Mary - I would touch him. I cannot tell you how I fear to trust
my happiness to any one else - even to you!
MARY. He must hear of my good fortune from none but me. And
besides, you do not understand. We are not like families, we
Brodies. We are so clannish, we hold so close together.
LESLIE. You Brodies, and your Deacon!
OLD BRODIE. Deacon of his craft, sir - Deacon of the Wrights -
my son! If his mother - his mother - had but lived to see!
MARY. You hear how he runs on. A word about my brother and he
catches it. 'Tis as if he were awake in his poor blind way to
all the Deacon's care for him and all the Deacon's kindness to
me. I believe he only lives in the thought of the Deacon.
There, it is not so long since I was one with him. But indeed I
think we are all Deacon-mad, we Brodies. Are we not, daddie
dear?
BRODIE (WITHOUT, AND ENTERING). You are a mighty magistrate,
Procurator, but you seem to have met your match.
SCENE II
To these, BRODIE and LAWSON.
MARY (CURTSEYING). So, uncle! you have honoured us at last.
LAWSON. QUAM PRIMUM, my dear, QUAM PRIMUM.
BRODIE. Well, father, do you know me? (HE SITS BESIDE HIS
FATHER AND TAKES HIS HAND.)
[OLD BRODIE. William - ay - Deacon. Greater man - than - his
father.
BRODIE. You see, Procurator, the news is as fresh to him as it
was five years ago. He was struck down before he got the
Deaconship, and lives his lost life in mine.
LAWSON. Ay, I mind. He was aye ettling after a bit handle to
his name. He was kind of hurt when first they made me
Procurator.]
MARY. And what have you been talking of?
LAWSON. Just o' thae robberies, Mary. Baith as a burgher and a
Crown offeecial, I tak' the maist absorbing interest in thae
robberies.
LESLIE. Egad, Procurator, and so do I.
BRODIE (WITH A QUICK LOOK AT LESLIE). A dilettante interest,
doubtless! See what it is to be idle.
LESLIE. Faith, Brodie, I hardly know how to style it.
BRODIE. At any rate, 'tis not the interest of a victim, or we
should certainly have known of it before; nor a practical tool-
mongering interest, like my own; nor an interest professional and
official, like the Procurator's. You can answer for that, I
suppose?
LESLIE. I think I can; if for no more. It's an interest of my
own, you see, and is best described as indescribable, and of no
manner of moment to anybody. [It will take no hurt if we put off
its discussion till a month of Sundays.]
BRODIE. You are more fortunate than you deserve. What do you
say, Procurator?
LAWSON. Ay is he! There is no a house in Edinburgh safe. The
law is clean helpless, clean helpless! A week syne it was auld
Andra Simpson's in the Lawnmarket. Then, naething would set the
catamarans but to forgather privily wi' the Provost's ain butler,
and tak' unto themselves the Provost's ain plate. And the day,
information was laid before me offeecially that the limmers had
made infraction, VI ET CLAM, into Leddy Mar'get Dalziel's, and
left her leddyship wi'