Six Characters in Search of an Author - Luigi Pirandello (short novels to read txt) 📗

she has left me, and is lost. If I now see her here before me, it is only to renew for me the tortures I have suffered for her too. The Father The eternal moment! She Indicating The Step-Daughter. is here to catch me, fix me, and hold me eternally in the stocks for that one fleeting and shameful moment of my life. She can’t give it up! And you sir, cannot either fairly spare me it. The Manager I never said I didn’t want to act it. It will form, as a matter of fact, the nucleus of the whole first act right up to her surprise. Indicates The Mother. The Father Just so! This is my punishment: the passion in all of us that must culminate in her final cry. The Step-Daughter I can hear it still in my ears. It’s driven me mad, that cry!⁠—You can put me on as you like; it doesn’t matter. Fully dressed, if you like⁠—provided I have at least the arm bare; because, standing like this She goes close to The Father and leans her head on his breast. with my head so, and my arms round his neck, I saw a vein pulsing in my arm here; and then, as if that live vein had awakened disgust in me, I closed my eyes like this, and let my head sink on his breast. Turning to The Mother. Cry out mother! Cry out! Buries head in The Father’s breast, and with her shoulders raised as if to prevent her hearing the cry, adds in tones of intense emotion. Cry out as you did then! The Mother Coming forward to separate them. No! My daughter, my daughter! And after having pulled her away from him. You brute! you brute! She is my daughter! Don’t you see she’s my daughter? The Manager Walking backwards towards footlights. Fine! fine! Damned good! And then, of course⁠—curtain! The Father Going towards him excitedly. Yes, of course, because that’s the way it really happened. The Manager Convinced and pleased. Oh, yes, no doubt about it. Curtain here, curtain! At the reiterated cry of The Manager, the Machinist lets the curtain down, leaving The Manager and The Father in front of it before the footlights. The Manager The darned idiot! I said “curtain” to show the act should end there, and he goes and lets it down in earnest. To The Father, while he pulls the curtain back to go on to the stage again. Yes, yes, it’s all right. Effect certain! That’s the right ending. I’ll guarantee the first act at any rate. Act III When the curtain goes up again, it is seen that the stage hands have shifted the bit of scenery used in the last part, and have rigged up instead at the back of the stage a drop, with some trees, and one or two wings. A portion of a fountain basin is visible. The Mother is sitting on the Right with the two children by her side. The Son is on the same side, but away from the others. He seems bored, angry, and full of shame. The Father and The Step-Daughter are also seated towards the Right front. On the other side (Left) are the Actors, much in the positions they occupied before the curtain was lowered. Only The Manager is standing up in the middle of the stage, with his hand closed over his mouth in the act of meditating. The Manager Shaking his shoulders after a brief pause. Ah yes: the second act! Leave it to me, leave it all to me as we arranged, and you’ll see! It’ll go fine! The Step-Daughter Our entry into his house Indicates The Father. in spite of him.⁠ ⁠… Indicates The Son. The Manager Out of patience. Leave it to me, I tell you! The Step-Daughter Do let it be clear, at any rate, that it is in spite of my wishes. The Mother From her corner, shaking her head. For all the good that’s come of it.⁠ ⁠… The Step-Daughter Turning towards her quickly. It doesn’t matter. The more harm done us, the more remorse for him. The Manager Impatiently. I understand! Good Heavens! I understand! I’m taking it into account. The Mother Supplicatingly. I beg you, sir, to let it appear quite plain that for conscience sake I did try in every way.⁠ ⁠… The Step-Daughter Interrupting indignantly and continuing for The Mother.⁠ ⁠… to pacify me, to dissuade me from spiting him. To Manager. Do as she wants: satisfy her, because it is true! I enjoy it immensely. Anyhow, as you can see, the meeker she is, the more she tries to get at his heart, the more distant and aloof does he become. The Manager Are we going to begin this second act or not? The Step-Daughter I’m not going to talk any more now. But I must tell you this: you can’t have the whole action take place in the garden, as you suggest. It isn’t possible! The Manager Why not? The Step-Daughter Because he Indicates The Son again. is always shut up alone in his room. And then there’s all the part of that poor dazed-looking boy there which takes place indoors. The Manager Maybe! On the other hand, you will understand⁠—we can’t change scenes three or four times in one act. Leading Man They used to once. The Manager Yes, when the public was up to the level of that child there. Leading Lady It makes the illusion easier. The Father Irritated. The illusion! For Heaven’s sake, don’t say illusion. Please don’t use that word, which is particularly painful for us. The Manager Astounded. And why, if you please? The Father It’s painful, cruel, really cruel; and you ought to understand that. The Manager But why? What ought we to say then? The illusion, I tell you, sir, which