The 'Mind the Paint' Girl - Arthur Wing Pinero (free children's online books TXT) š
- Author: Arthur Wing Pinero
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Maud.
Going to the bedroom door. Ha, ha, ha! Ho, ho, ho! Thatās how I like to hear her talk. Ha, ha, ha, ha!
Maud vanishes into the bedroom, closing the door, and Lily, having tied up her stockings, rises and comes to the settee.
Mrs. Upjohn.
Still pressing the bell-push. Now I donāt believe Iāve rung.
Lily.
At the uttermost tension. Ah, stop it, mother; stop it! Sitting on the settee. Weāre not calling the fire-brigade.
Jimmie.
At the back of the settee, to Lily. Iāll wait in your bedroom till the men have been shown up, and sneak out that way. Bending over Lily. Mind! If Nicko is willing, after all, that you should make your choiceāā
Mrs. Upjohn.
Advancing. Yes, dearie, if āe is willingāā
Lily.
Frantically. I tell you I have made it. I keep on telling you Iāve chosenāIāve chosenāIāve chosen! Clenching her hands. If you torment me any more, either of youāā!
Mrs. Upjohn and Jimmie retreat precipitately to the bedroom door. They open the door and then, standing in the doorway, listen intently.
Jimmie.
Disappearing. Ahāā!
Mrs. Upjohn.
Partially disappearing. Ahā! Only her head visible, speaking to Lily in a hoarse whisper. Motherās āere, dearie.
The head is withdrawn and the door softly closed. After a pause, Gladys enters at the other door followed by Jeyes and Farncombe. The men are carrying their hats and canes. Gladys retires, closing the door, and Jeyes comes to Lily and shakes hands with her.
Jeyes.
To Lily, gently. How are you to-day, Lil? Very fagged?
Lily.
Almost inaudibly. I am a little. Jeyes turns from her, to lay his hat and cane upon the box-ottoman, and then Farncombe, who has hung back, advances hesitatingly to the further side of the centre table and bows to Lily. She rises and, avoiding his eyes, gives him a limp hand across the table. How dāye do? To Jeyes who, having got rid of his hat and cane, moves away from the ottoman. Sit down, wonāt you? She resumes her seat upon the settee and Jeyes, with a nod, sits in the arm-chair by the centre table. Farncombe remains standing and again she addresses him without meeting his eyes. And you?
Farncombe, with another bow, sits upon the fauteuil-stool. There is a brief silence and then Jeyes speaks.
Jeyes.
Lilāā
Lily.
Y-yes?
Jeyes.
In the first place, Farncombe wants you distinctly to understand how it is heās committing this breach of his compact with you. To Farncombe. You promisedāā?
Farncombe.
I promised never to attempt to come near Miss Parradell again, nor even to enter the theatre.
Jeyes.
To Lily. And if Iām any judge of a man, Lily, Farncombe would have kept his promise. Heād have kept it faithfully, but for me. Iāve brought him alongāinsisted on it. Emphatically. Iāve brought him along. See?
Lily.
W-w-why, Nicko?
Jeyes.
Iāll tell you, my dear. You remember, when we left you early this morning, ordering us to walk away together and to part good friends?
Lily.
P-perfectly.
Jeyes.
Well, we did walk away together, and we did part good friends. But we didnāt part at all till some hours later, in his rooms. We didnāt part till Iād made him stand by me and listen to me while I had a long jaw with my brother on the āphone.
Lily.
Wonderingly. Withāyourāā?
Jeyes.
About that Rhodesian business.
Lily.
What Rhodesian business?
Jeyes.
I mentioned it to you yesterday. Bob owns a third, with Peter Chalmers and Tom Dalby, of a group of farms near Bulawayo, and heās been badgering me eternally to cut this and to settle out there as their agent. Simply. And Iāve accepted, old girl.
Lily.
With a blank face. Ac-cepted?
Jeyes.
Grimly. Leaving you to bring an action against me, to recover damages for a broken heart. Drawing a deep breath. Yes, Iām chucking you, Lil. I give you formal notice of my intention; and you can drive down to your solicitors this afternoon and instruct them to writ me without delay. Forcing a laugh. Ha, ha, ha!
Lily.
Faintly. Nickoāā!
Jeyes.
Unlessāunless youāve an idea of consoling yourself shortly withāwith another chap, and prefer not to carry the matter into Court.
Lily.
About to rise. Nickoāā!
Jeyes.
Restraining her by a gesture. Hāsh! No, no, no. She sinks back. Ah, LilāLilāI know youāre full of generous, honest impulses, though I did tear you to rags in Farncombeās hearing a few hours ago. But Iām not going to allow you to sacrifice yourself to them; IāIāIāve come to my senses, and Iām not going to permit it. Bending forward. Oh, my dear, why should I make you pay for the weaknesses of my character? Because thatās what it āud amount to. Iāve bullied you for having played skittles with my life, my career. So you have! Damn it, so you have! But youāve done it out of blind thoughtlessness; and if Iād been a fairly strong man, with some ballast in me, you couldnāt have landed me where I amānot you nor fifty Pandora girls! Sitting erect. And thatāthatās the moral of the tale; andāandā abruptly, to Farncombe Thereās nothing more, is there, Farncombe?
Farncombe.
Brokenly. Except thatāthat Iād like to repeatāwhat Iāve already said to Jeyesāthat Iā his elbows on the table, his head bowed oh, you make me feel terribly small, Jeyes.
Again there is a pause, and then Lily struggles to her feet and holds out her hand to Jeyes uncertainly, and at once he rises and takes her in his arms. Farncombe also rises and, standing behind the settee, turns his back to Jeyes and Lily.
Lily.
To Jeyes, choking. Ah, NickoāI canātāI canātāā
Jeyes.
Patting her shoulder. Ahāā!
Lily.
Why, whatāwhat would become of my resolutionsāā?
Jeyes.
Resolutions?
Lily.
Toāto raise you up, Nicko.
Jeyes.
You are raising me upāsetting me on my legs again.
Lily.
In a fright. Andāand drawing Eddie into my net!
Jeyes.
Oh, weāve talked of that too, he and I. Heās given me an account of what passed between you here. My dear girl, your conscience may be quite clear on that point. Nobody can ever reproach you with trying to draw him into your net.
Lily.
They wouldāthey wouldāā
Jeyes.
At all events, the task you have to face now is to prove to the worldāhis worldāthat Miss Parradell is equal to playing āleadā on a bigger stage than the stage of the Pandora. Holding her at armsā length and shaking her fondly. And youāll do it! Ho, ho, ho, ho! Youāll do it! Ha, ha, haā! His voice dies away miserably and he releases her. Then, pulling himself together, he looks at his watch. Well, Iāve got to lunch with Bob at half-past one at the Junior Carltonāā
Lily.
Agitatedly. Ah, itās not nearly that, Nicko; itās not nearly that! Nickoā! She passes him, moving towards the door on the left as if to intercept him, and then turns to him. A strip of ribbon lies upon the spot where she has been standing. After gazing at it for a moment, he stoops and picks it up. Ohā! He folds the ribbon carefully and puts it into his pocket. Ohā! Hitching up her stocking through her robe, piteously. Ha, ha!
Jeyes.
Ha, ha, haāā!
They face one another, laughing, and then she sits upon the fauteuil-stool and drops her head upon the table and he fetches his hat and cane from the box-ottoman.
Lily.
Weeping. NickoāNickoāā!
Jeyes.
Coming to her. Oh, this isnāt good-bye, Lil, not by any manner oā means, my dear. Weāll kill the fatted calf several times before I startāyou, I, and the boy. Besides, by-and-by, you and he must take a trip and come out to see me. āSeringa Valeā is the farm where I shall be quartered, Bob tells me. Looking into space. Jermyn Street to Seringa Vale! Shaking himself. Phāh, there are no great distances in these days! To Farncombe, with a change of tone. Farncombeā Farncombe comes forward. You dine with me to-night, recollect; itās an engagement.
Farncombe.
Yes.
Jeyes.
Eight oāclock.
Farncombe.
Eight oāclock.
Jeyes.
Cataniās.
Farncombe.
Cataniās.
Without looking at Lily again, Jeyes goes to the door and opens it. Farncombe follows him and the two men halt in the doorway.
Jeyes.
To Farncombe, with a motion of his head towards Lily. And afterwardsāyou fetch her from the theatre and take her home. Thatās your job.
Lily.
Rising. Ohāā!
Farncombe goes out on to the landing with Jeyes and parts from him at the top of the stairs. Then Farncombe slowly returns, closes the door, and finds Lily sitting upon the settee in a woeful attitude.
Farncombe.
Coming to Lily and standing before her, thoughtfully. Lilyāā
Lily.
Feebly. Ehāehāā?
Farncombe.
Iām afraid thereās one thing finer than winning the woman you love and, when youāve won her, being prepared to go through fire and water for her.
Lily.
Whatās that?
Farncombe.
Having the courage to give her up, as Jeyes has done.
Lily.
With a renewed outburst. Oh, Nicko! Poor Nicko! Poor Nicko!
Farncombe.
Sitting beside her and taking her hand consolingly. By George, heās a brick, isnāt he!
Lily.
After a pause, drying her eyes. Eddieāā
Farncombe.
Yes?
Lily.
Ifāif ever we marryāā
Farncombe.
His jaw falling. Ifāā!
Lily.
W-w-when, then. When we marry, youāll be obliged to resign your commission in the Guards, wonāt you?
Farncombe.
Snapping his fingers. Pāsh! I shanāt care a rap about that.
Lily.
Snatching her hand away. The snobs! The snobs! Theyād let you marry any bit of trash in your own set; but a Pandora girl, though sheās as pure as the Queen of Englandāā! Oh, the contemptible snobs!
Farncombe.
Regaining possession of her hand. Hāsh! Hāsh! Itāitās the practiceāā
Lily.
Blow the practice! A cheerful reflection for me, itāll be. The arrant snobs!
Farncombe.
Stroking her hand. Ah! Ah!
Lily.
And thenāpoor mother! Youāyou wonāt be very proud of poor mother.
Farncombe.
Your mother? Boyishly. Oh, sheāsheās an awfully good sort.
Lily.
She hasnāt an H. to her name.
Farncombe.
Inadvertently. She oughtnāt to have.
Lily.
Withdrawing her hand again, sharply. She calls herself Hupjohn, you mean!
Farncombe.
Distressed. No, no, no. In a difficulty. Erāat any rate, hās donāt lead you to heaven, do they?
Lily.
Gloomily. Youāre right; motherās lead her to āeaven. Rising and walking away. Well, youād better go now.
Farncombe.
Rising. And to-nightāā?
Lily.
No; Iāll come home alone.
Farncombe.
Lilyāā!
Lily.
Imperatively. Pleaseāā!
Farncombe.
Whenāā?
Lily.
Moving to the door on the left. Not for two or three days. Give me time to shake down over this.
Farncombe.
Taking up his hat and cane which he has left upon the centre table. Sunday?
Lily.
Fretfully. No.
Farncombe.
Monday?
Lily.
Opening the door. No.
Farncombe.
Joining her at the door. Tuesday?
Lily.
Appealingly. IāIāll write. Again he takes her hand, she keeping him at a distance. He attempts to lessen the distance, but she checks him, shaking her head. Not just yet, Eddie. He smiles at her tenderly and, with a bow, departs. From the doorway, she watches him disappear; then she shuts the door and wanders listlessly to the door of the bedroom. Her hand lingers upon the knob for a moment, and then she opens the door a little way and calls. Mother! Motherāā!
She leaves the door and is returning to the settee when Mrs. Upjohn enters.
Mrs. Upjohn.
All agog. Yes, Lil? Lily seats herself upon the settee without speaking.
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