Loyalties - John Galsworthy (reading like a writer TXT) 📗

the numbers of those notes, information had reached him which forced him to withdraw from the case. Great sensation, of course. I left Bromley in charge. There’ll be a formal verdict for the defendant, with costs. Have you told Dancy?

TWISDEN. Yes. He’s in there deciding what he’ll do.

CANYNGE. [Grave and vexed] This is a dreadful thing, Twisden. I’ve been afraid of it all along. A soldier! A gallant fellow, too. What on earth got into him?

TWISDEN. There’s no end to human nature, General.

GRAVITER. You can see queerer things in the papers, any day.

CANYNGE. That poor young wife of his! WINSOR gave me a message for you, Twisden. If money’s wanted quickly to save proceedings, draw on him. Is there anything I can do?

TWISDEN. I’ve advised him to go straight off to Morocco.

CANYNGE. I don’t know that an asylum isn’t the place for him. He must be off his head at moments. That jump-crazy! He’d have got a verdict on that alone—if they’d seen those balconies. I was looking at them when I was down there last Sunday. Daring thing, Twisden. Very few men, on a dark night—He risked his life twice. That’s a shrewd fellow—young De Levis. He spotted Dancy’s nature.

The YOUNG CLERK enters.

CLERK. The taxi’s here, sir. Will you see Major Colford and Miss Orme?

TWISDEN. Graviter—No; show them in.

The YOUNG CLERK goes.

CANYNGE. Colford’s badly cut up.

MARGARET ORME and COLFORD enter.

COLFORD. [Striding forward] There must be some mistake about this, Mr Twisden.

TWISDEN. Hssh! Dancy’s in there. He’s admitted it.

Voices are subdued at once.

COLFORD. What? [With emotion] If it were my own brother, I couldn’t feel it more. But—damn it! What right had that fellow to chuck up the case—without letting him know, too. I came down with Dancy this morning, and he knew nothing about it.

TWISDEN. [Coldly] That was unfortunately unavoidable.

COLFORD. Guilty or not, you ought to have stuck to him—it’s not playing the game, Mr Twisden.

TWISDEN. You must allow me to judge where my duty lay, in a very hard case.

COLFORD. I thought a man was safe with his solicitor.

CANYNGE. Colford, you don’t understand professional etiquette.

COLFORD. No, thank God!

TWISDEN. When you have been as long in your profession as I have been in mine, Major Colford, you will know that duty to your calling outweighs duty to friend or client.

COLFORD. But I serve the Country.

TWISDEN. And I serve the Law, sir.

CANYNGE. Graviter, give me a sheet of paper. I’ll write a letter for him.

MARGARET. [Going up to TWISDEN] Dear Mr Jacob—pay De Levis. You know my pearls—put them up the spout again. Don’t let Ronny be—

TWISDEN. Money isn’t the point, Margaret.

MARGARET. It’s ghastly! It really is.

COLFORD. I’m going in to shake hands with him. [He starts to cross the room].

TWISDEN. Wait! We want him to go straight off to Morocco. Don’t upset him. [To COLFORD and MARGARET] I think you had better go. If, a little later, Margaret, you could go round to Mrs Dancy—

COLFORD. Poor little Mabel Dancy! It’s perfect hell for her.

They have not seen that DANCY has opened the door behind them.

DANCY. It is!

They all turn round in consternation.

COLFORD. [With a convulsive movement] Old boy!

DANCY. No good, Colford. [Gazing round at them] Oh! clear out—I can’t stand commiseration; and let me have some air.

TWISDEN motions to COLFORD and MARGARET to go; and as he turns to DANCY, they go out. GRAVITER also moves towards the door. The GENERAL sits motionless. GRAVITER goes Out.

TWISDEN. Well?

DANCY. I’m going home, to clear up things with my wife. General Canynge, I don’t quite know why I did the damned thing. But I did, and there’s an end of it.

CANYNGE. Dancy, for the honour of the Army, avoid further scandal if you can. I’ve written a letter to a friend of mine in the Spanish War Office. It will get you a job in their war. [CANYNGE closes the envelope].

DANCY. Very good of you. I don’t know if I can make use of it.

CANYNGE stretches out the letter, which TWISDEN hands to DANCY, who takes it. GRAVITER re-opens the door.

TWISDEN. What is it?

GRAVITER. De Levis is here.

TWISDEN. De Levis? Can’t see him.

DANCY. Let him in!

After a moment’s hesitation TWISDEN nods, and GRAVITER goes out. The three wait in silence with their eyes fixed on the door, the GENERAL sitting at the table, TWISDEN by his chair, DANCY between him and the door Right. DE LEVIS comes in and shuts the door. He is advancing towards TWISDEN when his eyes fall on DANCY, and he stops.

TWISDEN. You wanted to see me?

DE LEVIS. [Moistening his lips] Yes. I came to say that—that I overheard—I am afraid a warrant is to be issued. I wanted you to realise—it’s not my doing. I’ll give it no support. I’m content. I don’t want my money. I don’t even want costs. Dancy, do you understand?

DANCY does not answer, but looks at him with nothing alive in his face but his eyes.

TWISDEN. We are obliged to you, Sir. It was good of you to come.

DE LEVIS. [With a sort of darting pride] Don’t mistake me. I didn’t come because I feel Christian; I am a Jew. I will take no money—not even that which was stolen. Give it to a charity. I’m proved right. And now I’m done with the damned thing. Good-morning!

He makes a little bow to CANYNGE and TWISDEN, and turns to face DANCY, who has never moved. The two stand motionless, looking at each other, then DE LEVIS shrugs his shoulders and walks out. When he is gone there is a silence.

CANYNGE. [Suddenly] You heard what he said, Dancy. You have no time to lose.

But DANCY does not stir.

TWISDEN. Captain Dancy?

Slowly, without turning his head, rather like a man in a dream, DANCY walks across the room, and goes out.

 

CURTAIN.

SCENE III

The DANCYS’ sitting-room, a few minutes later. MABEL DANCY is sitting alone on the sofa with a newspaper on her lap; she is only just up, and has a bottle of smelling-salts in her hand. Two or three other newspapers are dumped on the arm of the sofa. She topples the one off her lap and takes up another as if she couldn’t keep away from them; drops it in turn, and sits staring before her, sniffing at the salts. The door, Right, is opened and DANCY comes in.

MABEL. [Utterly surprised] Ronny! Do they want me in Court?

DANCY. No.

MABEL. What is it, then? Why are you back?

DANCY. Spun.

MABEL. [Blank] Spun? What do you mean? What’s spun?

DANCY. The case. They’ve found out through those notes.

MABEL. Oh! [Staring at his face] Who?

DANCY. Me!

MABEL. [After a moment of horrified stillness] Don’t, Ronny! Oh! No! Don’t! [She buries her face in the pillows of the sofa].

DANCY stands looking down at her.

DANCY. Pity you wouldn’t come to Africa three months ago.

MABEL. Why didn’t you tell me then? I would have gone.

DANCY. You wanted this case. Well, it’s fallen down.

MABEL. Oh! Why didn’t I face it? But I couldn’t—I had to believe.

DANCY. And now you can’t. It’s the end, Mabel.

MABEL. [Looking up at him] No.

DANCY goes suddenly on his knees and seizes her hand.

DANCY. Forgive me!

MABEL. [Putting her hand on his head] Yes; oh, yes! I think I’ve known a long time, really. Only—why? What made you?

DANCY. [Getting up and speaking in jerks] It was a crazy thing to do; but, damn it, I was only looting a looter. The money was as much mine as his. A decent chap would have offered me half. You didn’t see the brute look at me that night at dinner as much as to say: “You blasted fool!” It made me mad. That wasn’t a bad jump-twice over. Nothing in the war took quite such nerve. [Grimly] I rather enjoyed that evening.

MABEL. But—money! To keep it!

DANCY. [Sullenly] Yes, but I had a debt to pay.

MABEL. To a woman?

DANCY. A debt of honour—it wouldn’t wait.

MABEL. It was—it was to a woman. Ronny, don’t lie any more.

DANCY. [Grimly] Well! I wanted to save your knowing. I’d promised a thousand. I had a letter from her father that morning, threatening to tell you. All the same, if that tyke hadn’t jeered at me for parlour tricks!—But what’s the good of all this now? [Sullenly] Well—it may cure you of loving me. Get over that, Mab; I never was worth it—and I’m done for!

MABEL. The woman—have you—since—?

DANCY. [Energetically] No! You supplanted her. But if you’d known I was leaving a woman for you, you’d never have married me. [He walks over to the hearth].

MABEL too gets up. She presses her hands to her forehead, then walks blindly round to behind the sofa and stands looking straight in front of her.

MABEL. [Coldly] What has happened, exactly?

DANCY. Sir Frederic chucked up the case. I’ve seen Twisden; they want me to run for it to Morocco.

MABEL. To the war there?

DANCY. Yes. There’s to be a warrant out.

MABEL. A prosecution? Prison? Oh, go! Don’t wait a minute! Go!

DANCY. Blast them!

MABEL. Oh, Ronny! Please! Please! Think what you’ll want. I’ll pack. Quick! No! Don’t wait to take things. Have you got money?

DANCY. [Nodding] This’ll be good-bye, then!

MABEL. [After a moment’s struggle] Oh! No! No, no! I’ll follow—I’ll come out to you there.

DANCY. D’you mean you’ll stick to me?

MABEL. Of course I’ll stick to you.

DANCY seizes her hand and puts it to his lips. The bell rings.

MABEL. [In terror] Who’s that?

The bell rings again. DANCY moves towards the door.

No! Let me!

She passes him and steals out to the outer door of the flat, where she stands listening. The bell rings again. She looks through the slit of the letter-box. While she is gone DANCY stands quite still, till she comes back.

MABEL. Through the letter-bog—I can see–-It’s—it’s police. Oh! God! … Ronny! I can’t bear it.

DANCY. Heads up, Mab! Don’t show the brutes!

MABEL. Whatever happens, I’ll go on loving you. If it’s prison—I’ll wait. Do you understand? I don’t care what you did—I don’t care! I’m just the same. I will be just the same when you come back to me.

DANCY. [Slowly] That’s not in human nature.

MABEL. It is. It’s in Me.

DANCY. I’ve crocked up your life.

MABEL. No, no! Kiss me!

A long kiss, till the bell again startles them apart, and there is a loud knock.

DANCY. They’ll break the door in. It’s no good—we must open. Hold them in check a little. I want a minute or two.

MABEL. [Clasping him] Ronny! Oh, Ronny! It won’t be for long—I’ll be waiting! I’ll be waiting—I swear it.

DANCY. Steady, Mab! [Putting her back from him] Now!

He opens the bedroom door, Left, and stands waiting for her to go. Summoning up her courage, she goes to open the outer door. A sudden change comes over DANCY’S face; from being stony it grows almost maniacal.

DANCY. [Under his breath] No! No! By God! No! He goes out into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

MABEL has now opened the outer door, and disclosed INSPECTOR DEDE and the YOUNG CONSTABLE who were summoned to Meldon Court on the night of the theft, and have been witnesses in the case. Their voices are heard.

MABEL. Yes?

INSPECTOR. Captain Dancy in, madam?

MABEL. I am not quite sure—I don’t think so.

INSPECTOR. I wish to speak to him a minute. Stay here, Grover. Now, madam!

MABEL. Will you come in while I see?

She comes in, followed by the INSPECTOR.

INSPECTOR.