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25 pages

English

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pubOne.info present you this new edition. At the window of her apartment in Hotel Bellingham, Mrs. Roberts stands looking out into the early nightfall. A heavy snow is driving without, and from time to time the rush of the wind and the sweep of the flakes against the panes are heard. At the sound of hurried steps in the anteroom, Mrs. Roberts turns from the window, and runs to the portiere, through which she puts her head.

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Publié par	Pub One Info
Date de parution	06 novembre 2010
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9782819946342
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0050€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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PART FIRST
SCENE I: MRS. ROBERTS; THEN MR. ROBERTS
At the window of her apartment in Hotel Bellingham,Mrs. Roberts stands looking out into the early nightfall. A heavysnow is driving without, and from time to time the rush of the windand the sweep of the flakes against the panes are heard. At thesound of hurried steps in the anteroom, Mrs. Roberts turns from thewindow, and runs to the portiere, through which she puts herhead.
MRS. ROBERTS: 'Is that you, Edward? So dark here! Weought really to keep the gas turned up all the time. '
MR. ROBERTS, in a muffled voice, from without: 'Yes,it's I. '
MRS. ROBERTS: 'Well, hurry in to the fire, do! Ugh,what a storm! Do you suppose anybody will come? You must be halffrozen, you poor thing! Come quick, or you'll certainly perish! 'She flies from the portiere to the fire burning on the hearth,pokes it, flings on a log, jumps back, brushes from her dress witha light shriek the sparks driven out upon it, and continues talkingincessantly in a voice lifted for her husband to hear in theanteroom. 'If I'd dreamed it was any such storm as this, I shouldnever have let you go out in it in the world. It wasn't at allnecessary to have the flowers. I could have got on perfectly well,and I believe NOW the table would look better without them. Thechrysanthemums would have been quite enough; and I know you'vetaken more cold. I could tell it by your voice as soon as youspoke; and just as quick as they're gone to-night I'm going to haveyou bathe your feet in mustard and hot water, and take eight ofaconite, and go straight to bed. And I don't want you to eat verymuch at dinner, dear, and you must be sure not to drink any coffee,or the aconite won't be of the least use. ' She turns andencounters her husband, who enters through the portiere, his facepale, his eyes wild, his white necktie pulled out of knot, and hisshirt front rumpled. 'Why, Edward, what in the world is the matter?What has happened? '
ROBERTS, sinking into a chair: 'Get me a glass ofwater, Agnes— wine— whisky— brandy— '
MRS. ROBERTS, bustling wildly about: 'Yes, yes. Butwhat— Bella! Bridget! Maggy! — Oh, I'll go for it myself, and IWON'T stop to listen! Only— only don't die! ' While Roberts remainswith his eyes shut, and his head sunk on his breast in token ofextreme exhaustion, she disappears and reappears through the doorleading to her chamber, and then through the portiere cutting offthe dining- room. She finally descends upon her husband with aflagon of cologne in one hand, a small decanter of brandy in theother, and a wineglass held in the hollow of her arm against herbreast. She contrives to set the glass down on the mantel and fillit from the flagon, then she turns with the decanter in her hand,and while she presses the glass to her husband's lips, begins topour the brandy on his head. 'Here! this will revive you, and it'llrefresh you to have this cologne on your head. '
ROBERTS, rejecting a mouthful of the cologne with afurious sputter, and springing to his feet: 'Why, you've given methe cologne to DRINK, Agnes! What are you about? Do you want topoison me? Isn't it enough to be robbed at six o'clock on theCommon, without having your head soaked in brandy, and your wholesystem scented up like a barber's shop, when you get home? '
MRS. ROBERTS: 'Robbed? ' She drops the wineglass,puts the decanter down on the hearth, and carefully bestowing theflagon of cologne in the wood-box, abandons herself to justice:'Then let them come for me at once, Edward! If I could have theheart to send you out in such a night as this for a few wretchedrosebuds, I'm quite equal to poisoning you. Oh, Edward, WHO robbedyou? '
ROBERTS: 'That's what I don't know. ' He continuesto wipe his head with his handkerchief, and to sputter a littlefrom time to time. 'All I know is that when I got— phew! — to thatdark spot by the Frog Pond, just by— phew! — that little group of—phew! — evergreens, you know— phew! — '
MRS. ROBERTS: 'Yes, yes; go on! I can bear it,Edward. '
ROBERTS: '— a man brushed heavily against me, andthen hurried on in the other direction. I had unbuttoned my coat tolook at my watch under the lamp-post, and after he struck againstme I clapped my hand to my waistcoat, and— phew! — '
MRS. ROBERTS: 'Waistcoat! Yes! '
ROBERTS: '— found my watch gone. '
MRS. ROBERTS: 'What! Your watch? The watch Willisgave you? Made out of the gold that he mined himself when he firstwent out to California? Don't ask me to believe it, Edward! But I'monly too glad that you escaped with your life. Let them have thewatch and welcome. Oh, nay dear, dear husband! ' She approaches himwith extended arms, and then suddenly arrests herself. 'But you'vegot it on! '
ROBERTS, with as much returning dignity as cancomport with his dishevelled appearance: 'Yes; I took it from him.' At his wife's speechless astonishment: 'I went after him and tookit from him. ' He sits down, and continues with resolute calm,while his wife remains standing before him motionless: 'Agnes, Idon't know how I came to do it. I wouldn't have believed I could doit. I've never thought that I had much courage— physical courage;but when I felt my watch was gone, a sort of frenzy came over me. Iwasn't hurt; and for the first time in my life I realised what anabominable outrage theft was. The thought that at six o'clock inthe evening, in the very heart of a great city like Boston, aninoffensive citizen could be assaulted and robbed, made me furious.I didn't call out. I simply buttoned my coat tight round me andturned and ran after the fellow. '
MRS. ROBERTS: 'Edward! '
ROBERTS: 'Yes, I did. He hadn't got half-a-dozenrods away— it all took place in a flash— and I could easily run himdown. He was considerably larger than I— '
MRS. ROBERTS: 'Oh! '
ROBERTS: '— and he looked young and very athletic;but these things didn't seem to make any impression on me. '
MRS. ROBERTS: 'Oh, I wonder that you live to tellthe tale,
Edward! '
ROBERTS: 'Well, I wonder a little at myself. I don'tset up for a great deal of— '
MRS. ROBERTS: 'But I always knew you had it! Go on.Oh, when I tell Willis of this! Had the robber any accomplices?Were there many of them? '
ROBERTS: 'I only saw one. And I saw that my onlychance was to take him at a disadvantage. I sprang upon him, andpulled him over on his back. I merely said, “I'll trouble you forthat watch of mine, if you please, ” jerked open his coat, snatchedthe watch from his pocket— I broke the chain, I see— and then lefthim and ran again. He didn't make the slightest resistance norutter a word. Of course it wouldn't do for him to make any noiseabout it, and I dare say he was glad to get off so easily. ' Withaffected nonchalance: 'I'm pretty badly rumpled, I see. He fellagainst me, and a scuffle like that doesn't improve one'sappearance. '
MRS. ROBERTS, very solemnly: 'Edward! I don't knowwhat to say! Of course it makes my blood run cold to realise whatyou have been through, and to think what might have happened; but Ithink you behaved splendidly. Why, I never heard of such perfectheroism! You needn't tell ME that he made no resistance. There wasa deadly struggle— your necktie and everything about you shows it.And you needn't think there was only one of them— '
ROBERTS, modestly: 'I don't believe there was more.'
MRS. ROBERTS: 'Nonsense! There are ALWAYS two! I'veread the accounts of those garottings. And to think you not onlygot out of their clutches alive, but got your property back—Willis's watch! Oh, what WILL Willis say? But I know how proud ofyou he'll be. Oh, I wish I could scream it from the house-tops. Whydidn't you call the police? '
ROBERTS: 'I didn't think— I hadn't time to think.'
MRS. ROBERTS: 'No matter. I'm glad you have ALL theglory of it. I don't believe you half realise what you've beenthrough now. And perhaps this was the robbers' first attempt, andit will be a lesson to them. Oh yes! I'm glad you let them escape,Edward. They may have families. If every one behaved as you'vedone, there would soon be an end of garotting. But, oh! I can'tbear to think of the danger you've run. And I want you to promiseme never, never to undertake such a thing again! '
ROBERTS: 'Well, I don't know— '
MRS. ROBERTS: 'Yes, yes; you must! Suppose you hadgot killed in that awful struggle with those reckless wretchestugging to get away from you! Think of the children! Why, you mighthave burst a blood-vessel!