|
LOYALTIES
LOYALTIES JOHN GALSWORTHY PERSONS OF THE PLAY
In the Order of Appearance
CHARLES WINSOR.................. Owner of Meldon Court near Newmarket
LADY ADELA...................... His Wife
FERDINAND DE LEVIS.............. Young rich and new
TREISURE........................ Winsor's Butler
GENERAL CANYNGE................. A Racing Oracle
MARGARET ORME................... A Society Girl
CAPTAIN RONALD DANDY D.S.O..... Retired
MABEL........................... His Wife
INSPECTOR DEDE.................. Of the County Constabulary
ROBERT.......................... Winsor's Footman
A CONSTABLE..................... Attendant on Dede
AUGUSTUS BOBBING................ A Clubman
LORD ST ERTH.................... A Peer of the Realm
A FOOTMAN....................... Of the Club
MAJOR COLFORD................... A Brother Officer of Dancy's
EDWARD GRAVITER................. A Solicitor
A YOUNG CLERK................... Of Twisden & Graviter's
GILMAN.......................... A Large Grocer
JACOB TWISDEN................... Senior Partner of Twisden & Graviter
RICARDOS........................ An Italian in Wine
ACT I.
SCENE I. CHARLES WINSOR's dressing-room at Meldon Court near
Newmarket of a night in early October.
SCENE II. DE LEVIS'S Bedroom at Meldon Court a few minutes later.
ACT II.
SCENE I. The Card Room of a London Club between four and five in
the afternoon three weeks later.
SCENE II. The Sitting-room of the DANCYS' Flat the following
morning.
ACT III.
SCENE I. OLD MR JACOB TWISDEN'S Room at TWISDEN & GRAVITER'S in
Lincoln's Inn Fields at four in the afternoon three
months later.
SCENE II. The same next morning at half-past ten.
SCENE III. The Sitting-room of the DANCYS' Flat an hour later.
ACT I
SCENE I
The dressing-room of CHARLES WINSOR owner of Meldon Court near
Newmarket; about eleven-thirty at night. The room has pale grey
walls unadorned; the curtains are drawn over a window Back Left
Centre. A bed lies along the wall Left. An open door Right Back
leads into LADY ADELA's bedroom; a door Right Forward into a long
corridor on to which abut rooms in a row the whole length of the
house's left wing. WINSOR's dressing-table with a light over it
is Stage Right of the curtained window. Pyjamas are laid out on the
bed which is turned back. Slippers are handy and all the usual
gear of a well-appointed bed-dressing-room. CHARLES WINSOR a tall
fair good-looking man about thirty-eight is taking off a smoking
jacket.
WINSOR. Hallo! Adela!
V. OF LADY A. [From her bedroom] Hallo!
WINSOR. In bed?
V. OF LADY A. No.
She appears in the doorway in under-garment and a wrapper. She
too is fair about thirty-five rather delicious and suggestive
of porcelain.
WINSOR. Win at Bridge?
LADY A. No fear.
WINSOR. Who did?
LADY A. Lord St Erth and Ferdy De Levis.
WINSOR. That young man has too much luck--the young bounder won two
races to-day; and he's as rich as Croesus.
LADY A. Oh! Charlie he did look so exactly as if he'd sold me a carpet
when I was paying him.
WINSOR. [Changing into slippers] His father did sell carpets
wholesale in the City.
LADY A. Really? And you say I haven't intuition! [With a finger on her
lips] Morison's in there.
WINSOR. [Motioning towards the door which she shuts] Ronny Dancy took
a tenner off him anyway before dinner.
LADY A. No! How?
WINSOR. Standing jump on to a bookcase four feet high. De Levis had to
pay up and sneered at him for making money by parlour tricks. That
young Jew gets himself disliked.
LADY A. Aren't you rather prejudiced?
WINSOR. Not a bit. I like Jews. That's not against him--rather the
contrary these days. But he pushes himself. The General tells me he's
deathly keen to get into the Jockey Club. [Taking off his tie] It's
amusing to see him trying to get round old St Erth.
LADY A. If Lord St Erth and General Canynge backed him he'd get in if he
did sell carpets!
WINSOR. He's got some pretty good horses. [Taking off his waistcoat]
Ronny Dancy's on his bones again I'm afraid. He had a bad day. When a
chap takes to doing parlour stunts for a bet--it's a sure sign. What
made him chuck the Army?
LADY A. He says it's too dull now there's no fighting.
WINSOR. Well he can't exist on backing losers.
LADY A. Isn't it just like him to get married now? He really is the
most reckless person.
WINSOR. Yes. He's a queer chap. I've always liked him but I've never
quite made him out. What do you think of his wife?
LADY A. Nice child; awfully gone on him.
WINSOR. Is he?
LADY A. Quite indecently--both of them. [Nodding towards the wall
Left] They're next door.
WINSOR. Who's beyond them?
LADY A. De Levis; and Margaret Orme at the end. Charlie do you realise
that the bathroom out there has to wash those four?
WINSOR. I know.
LADY A. Your grandfather was crazy when he built this wing; six rooms in
a row with balconies like an hotel and only one bath--if we hadn't put
ours in.
WINSOR. [Looking at his watch] Half-past eleven. [Yawns] Newmarket
always makes me sleepy. You're keeping Morison up.
LADY ADELA goes to the door blowing a kiss. CHARLES goes up to his
dressing-table and begins to brush his hair sprinkling on essence.
There is a knock on the corridor door.
Come in.
DE LEVIS enters clad in pyjamas and flowered dressing-gown. He is
a dark good-looking rather Eastern young man. His face is long
and disturbed.
Hallo! De Levis! Anything I can do for you?
DE LEVIS. [In a voice whose faint exoticism is broken by a vexed
excitement] I say I'm awfully sorry Winsor but I thought I'd better
tell you at once. I've just had--er--rather a lot of money stolen.
WINSOR. What! [There is something of outrage in his tone and glance as
who should say: "In my house?"] How do you mean stolen?
DE LEVIS. I put it under my pillow and went to have a bath; when I came
back it was gone.
WINSOR. Good Lord! How much?
DE LEVIS. Nearly a thousand-nine hundred and seventy I think.
WINSOR. Phew! [Again the faint tone of outrage that a man should have
so much money about him].
DE LEVIS. I sold my Rosemary filly to-day on the course to Bentman the
bookie and he paid me in notes.
WINSOR. What? That weed Dancy gave you in the Spring?
DE LEVIS. Yes. But I tried her pretty high the other day; and she's in
the Cambridgeshire. I was only out of my room a quarter of an hour and
I locked my door.
WINSOR. [Again outraged] You locked--
DE LEVIS. [Not seeing the fine shade] Yes and had the key here. [He
taps his pocket] Look here! [He holds out a pocket-book] It's been
stuffed with my shaving papers.
WINSOR. [Between feeling that such things don't happen and a sense that
he will have to clear it up] This is damned awkward De Levis.
DE LEVIS. [With steel in his voice] Yes. I should like it back.
WINSOR. Have you got the numbers of the notes?
DE LEVIS. No.
WINSOR. What were they?
DE LEVIS. One hundred three fifties and the rest tens and fives.
WINSOR. What d'you want me to do?
DE LEVIS. Unless there's anybody you think--
WINSOR. [Eyeing him] Is it likely?
DE Levis. Then I think the police ought to see my room. It's a lot of
money.
WINSOR. Good Lord! We're not in Town; there'll be nobody nearer than
Newmarket at this time of night--four miles.
The door from the bedroom is suddenly opened and LADY ADELA appears.
She has on a lace cap over her finished hair and the wrapper.
LADY A. [Closing the door] What is it? Are you ill Mr De Levis?
WINSOR. Worse; he's had a lot of money stolen. Nearly a thousand
pounds.
LADY A. Gracious! Where?
DE LEVIS. From under my pillow Lady Adela--my door was locked--I was in
the bath-room.
LADY A. But how fearfully thrilling!
WINSOR. Thrilling! What's to be done? He wants it back.
LADY A. Of course! [With sudden realisation] Oh! But Oh! it's quite
too unpleasant!
WINSOR. Yes! What am I to do? Fetch the servants out of their rooms?
Search the grounds? It'll make the devil of a scandal.
DE LEVIS. Who's next to me?
LADY A. [Coldly] Oh! Mr De Levis!
WINSOR. Next to you? The Dancys on this side and Miss Orme on the
other. What's that to do with it?
DE LEVIS. They may have heard something.
WINSOR. Let's get them. But Dancy was down stairs when I came up. Get
Morison Adela! No. Look here! When was this exactly? Let's have as
many alibis as we can.
DE LEVIS. Within the last twenty minutes certainly.
WINSOR. How long has Morison been up with you?
LADY A. I came up at eleven and rang for her at once.
WINSOR. [Looking at his watch] Half an hour. Then she's all right.
Send her for Margaret and the Dancys--there's nobody else in this wing.
No; send her to bed. We don't want gossip. D'you mind going yourself
Adela?
LADY A. Consult General Canynge Charlie.
WINSOR. Right. Could you get him too? D'you really want the police
De Levis?
DE LEVIS. [Stung by the faint contempt in his tone of voice] Yes I do.
WINSOR. Then look here dear! Slip into my study and telephone to the
police at Newmarket. There'll be somebody there; they're sure to have
drunks. I'll have Treisure up and speak to him. [He rings the bell].
LADY ADELA goes out into her room and closes the door.
WINSOR. Look here De Levis! This isn't an hotel. It's the sort of
thing that doesn't happen in a decent house. Are you sure you're not
mistaken and didn't have them stolen on the course?
DE LEVIS. Absolutely. I counted them just before putting them under my
pillow; then I locked the door and had the key here. There's only one
door you know.
WINSOR. How was your window?
DE LEVIS. Open.
WINSOR. [Drawing back the curtains of his own window] You've got a
balcony like this. Any sign of a ladder or anything?
DE LEVIS. No.
WINSOR. It must have been done from the window unless someone had a
skeleton key. Who knew you'd got that money? Where did Kentman pay you?
DE LEVIS. Just round the corner in the further paddock.
WINSOR. Anybody about?
DE LEVIS. Oh yes!
WINSOR. Suspicious?
DE LEVIS. I didn't notice anything.
WINSOR. You must have been marked down and followed here.
DE LEVIS. How would they know my room?
WINSOR. Might have got it somehow. [A knock from the corridor] Come in.
TREISURE the Butler appears a silent grave man of almost
supernatural conformity. DE LEVIS gives him a quick hard look
noted and resented by WINSOR.
TREISURE. [To WINSOR] Yes sir?
WINSOR. Who valets Mr De Levis?
TREISURE. Robert Sir.
WINSOR. When was he up last?
TREISURE. In the ordinary course of things about ten o'clock sir.
WINSOR. When did he go to bed?
TREISURE. I dismissed at eleven.
WINSOR. But did he go?
TREISURE. To the best of my knowledge. Is there anything I can do sir?
WINSOR. [Disregarding a sign from DE LEVIS] Look here Treisure
Mr De Levis has had a large sum of money taken from his bedroom within
the last half hour.
TREISURE. Indeed Sir!
WINSOR. Robert's quite all right isn't he?
TREISURE. He is sir.
DE LEVIS. How do you know?
TREISURE's eyes rest on DE LEVIS.
TREISURE. I am a pretty good judge of character sir if you'll excuse
me.
WINSOR. Look here De Levis eighty or ninety notes must have been
pretty bulky. You didn't have them on you at dinner?
DE LEVIS. No.
WINSOR. Where did you put them?
DE LEVIS. In a boot and the boot in my suitcase and locked it.
TREISURE smiles faintly.
WINSOR. [Again slightly outraged by such precautions in his house] And
you found it locked--and took them from there to put under your pillow?
DE LEVIS. Yes.
WINSOR. Run your mind over things Treisure--has any stranger been
about?
TREISURE. No Sir.
WINSOR. This seems to have happened between 11.15 and 11.30. Is that
right? [DE LEVIS nods] Any noise-anything outside-anything suspicious
anywhere?
TREISURE. [Running his mind--very still] No sir.
WINSOR. What time did you shut up?
TREISURE. I should say about eleven-fifteen sir. As soon as Major
Colford and Captain Dancy had finished billiards. What was Mr De Levis
doing out of his room if I may ask sir?
WINSOR. Having a bath; with his room locked and the key in his pocket.
TREISURE. Thank you sir.
DE LEVIS. [Conscious of indefinable suspicion] Damn it! What do you
mean? I WAS!
TREISURE. I beg your pardon sir.
WINSOR. [Concealing a smile] Look here Treisure it's infernally
awkward for everybody.
TREISURE. It is sir.
WINSOR. What do you suggest?
TREISURE. The proper thing sir I suppose would be a cordon and a
complete search--in our interests.
WINSOR. I entirely refuse to suspect anybody.
TREISURE. But if Mr De Levis feels otherwise sir?
DE LEVIS. [Stammering] I? All I know is--the money was there and it's
gone.
WINSOR. [Compunctious] Quite! It's pretty sickening for you. But so
it is for anybody else. However we must do our best to get it back for
you.
A knock on the door.
WINSOR. Hallo!
TREISURE opens the door and GENERAL. CANYNGE enters.
Oh! It's you General. Come in. Adela's told you?
GENERAL CANYNGE nods. He is a slim man of about sixty very well
preserved intensely neat and self-contained and still in evening
dress. His eyelids droop slightly but his eyes are keen and his
expression astute.
WINSOR. Well General what's the first move?
CANYNGE. [Lifting his eyebrows] Mr De Levis presses the matter?
...
|
