plays [71]
shorten sail! Lay aloft there, look smart! . .
. What's that? Only the negroes in the hold . . . . . . . Mr.
Yeo, she can't live long at this; I have a wife and child in
Barnstaple. . . . Christ, what a sea! Hold on, for God's sake -
hold on fore and aft! Great God! (AS THOUGHT THE SEA WERE MAKING
A BREACH OVER THE SHIP AT THE MOMENT).
ARETHUSA. O!
GAUNT. They seem quieter down below there . . . No water - no
light - no air - seven days battened down, and the seas mountain
high, and the ship labouring hell-deep! Two hundred and five,
two hundred and five, two hundred and five - all to eternal
torture!
ARETHUSA. O pity him, pity him! Let him sleep, let him forget!
Let her prayers avail in heaven, and let him rest!
GAUNT. Hester, no, don't smile at me. Rather tears! I have
seen you weep - often, often; two hundred and five times. Two
hundred and five! (WITH RING. Hester, here is your ring (HE
TRIES TO PUT THE RING ON HIS FINGER). How comes it in my hand?
Not fallen off again? O no, impossible! it was made smaller,
dear, it can't have fallen off! Ah, you waste away. You must
live, you must, for the dear child's sake, for mine, Hester, for
mine! Ah, the child. Yes. Who am I to judge? Poor Kit French!
And she, your little maid, she's like you, Hester, and she will
save him! How should a man be saved without a wife?
ARETHUSA. O father, if you could but hear me thank and bless
you! (THE TAPPING OF PEW'S STICK IS HEARD APPROACHING. GAUNT
PASSES L. FRONT AND SITS.)
GAUNT (BEGINNING TO COUNT THE TAPS). One - two - two hundred and
five
ARETHUSA (LISTENING). God help me, the blind man! (SHE RUNS TO
DOOR, C.; THE KEY IS PUT INTO THE LOCK FROM WITHOUT, AND THE DOOR
OPENS.)
SCENE III
ARETHUSA (AT BACK OF STAGE BY THE DOOR); GAUNT (FRONT L.); TO
THESE, PEW, C.
PEW (SOTTO VOCE). All snug. (COMING DOWN.) So that was you, my
young friend Christopher, as shot by me on the road; and so you
was hot foot after old Pew? Christopher, my young friend, I
reckon I'll have the bowels out of that chest, and I reckon
you'll be lagged and scragged for it. (AT THESE WORDS ARETHUSA
LOCKS THE DOOR, AND TAKES THE KEY.) What's that? All still.
There's something wrong about this room. Pew, my 'art of oak,
you're queer to-night; brace up, and carry off. Where's the
tool? (PRODUCING KNIFE.) Ah, here she is; and now for the
chest; and the gold; and rum - rum - rum. What! Open? . . .
old clothes, by God! . . . He's done me; he's been before me;
he's bolted with the swag; that's why he ran: Lord wither and
waste him forty year for it! O Christopher, if I had my fingers
on your throat! Why didn't I strangle the soul out of him? I
heard the breath squeak in his weasand; and Jack Gaunt pulled me
off. Ah, Jack, that's another I owe you. My pious friend, if I
was God Almighty for five minutes! (GAUNT RISES AND BEGINS TO
PACE THE STAGE LIKE A QUARTERDECK, L.) What's that? A man's
walk. He don't see me, thank the blessed dark! But it's time to
slip, my bo. (HE GROPES HIS WAY STEALTHILY TILL HE COMES TO
GAUNT'S TABLE, WHERE HE BURNS HIS HAND IN THE CANDLE.) A candle
- lighted - then it's bright as day! Lord God, doesn't he see
me? It's the horrors come alive. (GAUNT DRAWS NEAR AND TURNS
AWAY.) I'll go mad, mad! (HE GROPES TO THE DOOR, STOPPING AND
STARTING.) Door. (HIS VOICE RISING FOR THE FIRST TIME, SHARP
WITH TERROR.) Locked? Key gone? Trapped! Keep off - keep off
of me - keep away! (SOTTO VOCE AGAIN.) Keep your head, Lord
have mercy, keep your head. I'm wet with sweat. What devil's
den is this? I must out - out! (HE SHAKES THE DOOR VEHEMENTLY.)
No? Knife it is then - knife - knife - knife! (HE MOVES WITH
THE KNIFE RAISED TOWARDS GAUNT, INTENTLY LISTENING, AND CHANGING
HIS DIRECTION AS GAUNT CHANGES HIS POSITION ON THE STAGE.)
ARETHUSA (RUSHING TO INTERCEPT HIM). Father, father, wake!
GAUNT. Hester, Hester! (HE TURNS, IN TIME TO SEE ARETHUSA
GRAPPLE PEW IN THE CENTRE OF THE STAGE,
. What's that? Only the negroes in the hold . . . . . . . Mr.
Yeo, she can't live long at this; I have a wife and child in
Barnstaple. . . . Christ, what a sea! Hold on, for God's sake -
hold on fore and aft! Great God! (AS THOUGHT THE SEA WERE MAKING
A BREACH OVER THE SHIP AT THE MOMENT).
ARETHUSA. O!
GAUNT. They seem quieter down below there . . . No water - no
light - no air - seven days battened down, and the seas mountain
high, and the ship labouring hell-deep! Two hundred and five,
two hundred and five, two hundred and five - all to eternal
torture!
ARETHUSA. O pity him, pity him! Let him sleep, let him forget!
Let her prayers avail in heaven, and let him rest!
GAUNT. Hester, no, don't smile at me. Rather tears! I have
seen you weep - often, often; two hundred and five times. Two
hundred and five! (WITH RING. Hester, here is your ring (HE
TRIES TO PUT THE RING ON HIS FINGER). How comes it in my hand?
Not fallen off again? O no, impossible! it was made smaller,
dear, it can't have fallen off! Ah, you waste away. You must
live, you must, for the dear child's sake, for mine, Hester, for
mine! Ah, the child. Yes. Who am I to judge? Poor Kit French!
And she, your little maid, she's like you, Hester, and she will
save him! How should a man be saved without a wife?
ARETHUSA. O father, if you could but hear me thank and bless
you! (THE TAPPING OF PEW'S STICK IS HEARD APPROACHING. GAUNT
PASSES L. FRONT AND SITS.)
GAUNT (BEGINNING TO COUNT THE TAPS). One - two - two hundred and
five
ARETHUSA (LISTENING). God help me, the blind man! (SHE RUNS TO
DOOR, C.; THE KEY IS PUT INTO THE LOCK FROM WITHOUT, AND THE DOOR
OPENS.)
SCENE III
ARETHUSA (AT BACK OF STAGE BY THE DOOR); GAUNT (FRONT L.); TO
THESE, PEW, C.
PEW (SOTTO VOCE). All snug. (COMING DOWN.) So that was you, my
young friend Christopher, as shot by me on the road; and so you
was hot foot after old Pew? Christopher, my young friend, I
reckon I'll have the bowels out of that chest, and I reckon
you'll be lagged and scragged for it. (AT THESE WORDS ARETHUSA
LOCKS THE DOOR, AND TAKES THE KEY.) What's that? All still.
There's something wrong about this room. Pew, my 'art of oak,
you're queer to-night; brace up, and carry off. Where's the
tool? (PRODUCING KNIFE.) Ah, here she is; and now for the
chest; and the gold; and rum - rum - rum. What! Open? . . .
old clothes, by God! . . . He's done me; he's been before me;
he's bolted with the swag; that's why he ran: Lord wither and
waste him forty year for it! O Christopher, if I had my fingers
on your throat! Why didn't I strangle the soul out of him? I
heard the breath squeak in his weasand; and Jack Gaunt pulled me
off. Ah, Jack, that's another I owe you. My pious friend, if I
was God Almighty for five minutes! (GAUNT RISES AND BEGINS TO
PACE THE STAGE LIKE A QUARTERDECK, L.) What's that? A man's
walk. He don't see me, thank the blessed dark! But it's time to
slip, my bo. (HE GROPES HIS WAY STEALTHILY TILL HE COMES TO
GAUNT'S TABLE, WHERE HE BURNS HIS HAND IN THE CANDLE.) A candle
- lighted - then it's bright as day! Lord God, doesn't he see
me? It's the horrors come alive. (GAUNT DRAWS NEAR AND TURNS
AWAY.) I'll go mad, mad! (HE GROPES TO THE DOOR, STOPPING AND
STARTING.) Door. (HIS VOICE RISING FOR THE FIRST TIME, SHARP
WITH TERROR.) Locked? Key gone? Trapped! Keep off - keep off
of me - keep away! (SOTTO VOCE AGAIN.) Keep your head, Lord
have mercy, keep your head. I'm wet with sweat. What devil's
den is this? I must out - out! (HE SHAKES THE DOOR VEHEMENTLY.)
No? Knife it is then - knife - knife - knife! (HE MOVES WITH
THE KNIFE RAISED TOWARDS GAUNT, INTENTLY LISTENING, AND CHANGING
HIS DIRECTION AS GAUNT CHANGES HIS POSITION ON THE STAGE.)
ARETHUSA (RUSHING TO INTERCEPT HIM). Father, father, wake!
GAUNT. Hester, Hester! (HE TURNS, IN TIME TO SEE ARETHUSA
GRAPPLE PEW IN THE CENTRE OF THE STAGE,