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65 pages

English

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In this delightful play, English humor writer Jerome K. Jerome tackles the timeless issue of women's rights. When Mrs. Chilvers takes up the cause of women's suffrage, her new-found radicalism scandalizes her husband and sends shock waves through the family.

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Publié par	The Floating Press
Date de parution	01 mars 2017
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781776677795
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0100€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

THE MASTER OF MRS. CHILVERS
AN IMPROBABLE COMEDY
* * *
JEROME K. JEROME

*
The Master of Mrs. Chilvers An Improbable Comedy First published in 1911 Epub ISBN 978-1-77667-779-5 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77667-780-1 © 2015 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
*
The Cast of "the Master of Mrs. Chilvers" Characters in the Play The First Act The Second Act The Third Act The Fourth Act
The Cast of "the Master of Mrs. Chilvers"
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AS IT WAS PRODUCED AT THE ROYALTY THEATRE, LONDON, ON APRIL 26TH,1911, UNDER THE MANAGEMENT OF MESSRS. VEDRENNE & EADIE.
Lady Mogton — Mary Rorke Annys Chilvers — Lena Ashwell Phoebe Mogton — Ethel Dane Janet Blake — Gillian Scaife Mrs. Mountcalm Villiers — Sarah Brooke Elizabeth Spender — Auriol Lee Rose Merton — Esme Beringer Mrs. Chinn — Sydney Fairbrother Geoffrey Chilvers, M.P. — Dennis Eadie Dorian St. Herbert — Leon Quartermaine Ben Lamb, M.P. — A. E. Benedict William Gordon — Edmund Gwenn Sigsby — Michael Sherbrooke Hake — H. B. Tabberer Mr. Peekin — Gerald Mirrielees Mr. Hopper — Stanley Logan Mrs. Peekin — Rowena Jerome Miss Borlasse — Cathleen Nesbitt Miss Ricketts — Hetta Bartlett
Characters in the Play
*
GEOFFREY CHILVERS, M.P. [President Men's League for the Extensionof the Franchise to Women] A loving husband, and (would-be)affectionate father. Like many other good men, he is in sympathywith the Woman's Movement: "not thinking it is coming in histime."
ANNYS CHILVERS [nee Mogton, Hon. Sec. Women's ParliamentaryFranchise League] A loving wife, and (would-be) affection mother.Many thousands of years have gone to her making. A generation ago,she would have been the ideal woman: the ideal helpmeet. But newideas are stirring in her blood, a new ideal of womanhood isforcing itself upon her.
LADY MOGTON [President W.P.F.L.] She knows she would be of moreuse in Parliament than many of the men who are there; is naturallyannoyed at the Law's stupidity in keeping her out.
PHOEBE MOGTON [Org. Sec. W.P.F.L.] The new girl, thinking more ofpolitics than of boys. But that will probably pass.
JANET BLAKE [Jt. Org. Sec. W.P.F.L.] She dreams of a new heavenand a new earth when woman has the vote.
MRS. MOUNTCALM VILLIERS [Vice-President W.P.F.L.] She was gettingtired of flirting. The Woman's Movement has arrived just at theright moment.
ELIZABETH SPENDER [Hons. Treas. W.P.F.L.] She sees womaneverywhere the slave of man: now pampered, now beaten, but everthe slave. She can see no hope of freedom but through warfare.
MRS. CHINN A mother.
JAWBONES A bill-poster. Movements that do not fit in with theessentials of life on thirty shillings a week have no message sofar as Jawbones is concerned.
GINGER Whose proper name is Rose Merton, and who has to reconcileherself to the fact that so far as her class is concerned theprimaeval laws still run.
DORIAN ST. HERBERT [Hon. Sec. M.L.E.F.W.] He is interested in allthings, the Woman's Movement included.
BEN LAMB, M.P. As a student of woman, he admits to being in theinfants' class.
SIGSBY An Election Agent. He thinks the modern woman suffers fromover-indulgence. He would recommend to her the teachings of St.Paul.
HAKE A butler. He does not see how to avoid his wife beingpractically a domestic servant without wages.
A DEPUTATION It consists of two men and three women. Superiorpeople would call them Cranks. But Cranks have been of someservice to the world, and the use of superior people is still to bediscovered.
The First Act
*
SCENE:- Drawing-room, 91, Russell Square.
TIME:- Afternoon.
[MRS. ELIZABETH SPENDER sits near the fire, reading a book. She isa tall, thin woman, with passionate eyes, set in an oval face ofolive complexion; the features are regular and severe; her massivedark hair is almost primly arranged. She wears a tailor-madecostume, surmounted by a plain black hat. The door opens andPHOEBE enters, shown in by HAKE, the butler, a thin, ascetic-looking man of about thirty, with prematurely grey hair. PHOEBEMOGTON is of the Fluffy Ruffles type, petite, with a retroussenose, remarkably bright eyes, and a quantity of fluffy light hair,somewhat untidily arranged. She is fashionably dressed in thefussy, flyaway style. ELIZABETH looks up; the two young womenshake hands.]
PHOEBE Good woman. 'Tisn't three o'clock yet, is it?
ELIZABETH About five minutes to.
PHOEBE Annys is on her way. I just caught her in time. [ToHAKE.] Put a table and six chairs. Give mamma a hammer and acushion at her back.
HAKE A hammer, miss?
PHOEBE A chairman's hammer. Haven't you got one?
HAKE I'm afraid not, miss. Would a gravy spoon do?
PHOEBE [To ELIZABETH, after expression of disgust.] Fancy a housewithout a chairman's hammer! [To HAKE.] See that there'ssomething. Did your wife go to the meeting last night?
HAKE [He is arranging furniture according to instructions.] I'mnot quite sure, miss. I gave her the evening out.
PHOEBE "Gave her the evening out"!
ELIZABETH We are speaking of your wife, man, not your servant.
HAKE Yes, miss. You see, we don't keep servants in our class.Somebody's got to put the children to bed.
ELIZABETH Why not the man—occasionally?
HAKE Well, you see, miss, in my case, I rarely getting home muchbefore midnight, it would make it so late. Yesterday being mynight off, things fitted in, so to speak. Will there be anywriting, miss?
PHOEBE Yes. See that there's plenty of blotting-paper. [ToELIZABETH.] Mamma always splashes so.
HAKE Yes, miss. [He goes out.]
ELIZABETH Did you ever hear anything more delightfully naive? He"gave" her the evening out. That's how they think of us—as theirservants. The gentleman hasn't the courage to be straightforwardabout it. The butler blurts out the truth. Why are we meetinghere instead of at our own place?
PHOEBE For secrecy, I expect. Too many gasbags always about theoffice. I fancy—I'm not quite sure—that mamma's got a new idea.
ELIZABETH Leading to Holloway?
PHOEBE Well, most roads lead there.
ELIZABETH And end there—so far as I can see.
PHOEBE You're too impatient.
ELIZABETH It's what our friends have been telling us—for the lastfifty years.
PHOEBE Look here, if it was only the usual sort of thing mammawouldn't want it kept secret. I'm inclined to think it's a newdeparture altogether.
[The door opens. There enters JANET BLAKE, followed by HAKE, whoproceeds with his work. JANET BLAKE is a slight, fragile-lookingcreature, her great dark eyes—the eyes of a fanatic—emphasise thepallor of her childish face. She is shabbily dressed; a plain,uninteresting girl until she smiles, and then her face becomesquite beautiful. PHOEBE darts to meet her.] Good girl. Wasafraid—I say, you're wet through.
JANET It was only a shower. The 'buses were all full. I had toride outside.
PHOEBE Silly kid, why didn't you take a cab?
JANET I've been reckoning it up. I've been half over Londonchasing Mrs. Mountcalm-Villiers. Cabs would have come, at the veryleast, to twelve-and-six.
PHOEBE Well -
JANET [To ELIZABETH.] Well—I want you to put me down as acontributor for twelve-and-six. [She smiles.] It's the only way Ican give.
PHOEBE [She is taking off JANET'S cloak; throws it to HAKE.] Havethis put somewhere to dry. [She pushes JANET to the fire.] Getnear the fire. You're as cold as ice.
ELIZABETH All the seats inside, I suppose, occupied by thechivalrous sex.
JANET Oh, there was one young fellow offered to give me up hisplace, but I wouldn't let him. You see, we're claiming equality.[Smiles.]
ELIZABETH And are being granted it—in every direction where itworks to the convenience of man.
PHOEBE [Laughs.] Is she coming—the Villiers woman?
JANET Yes. I ran her down at last—at her dress-maker's. Shemade an awful fuss about it, but I wouldn't leave till she'dpromised. Tell me, it's something quite important, isn't it?
PHOEBE I don't know anything, except that I had an urgent telegramfrom mamma this morning to call a meeting of the entire Councilhere at three o'clock. She's coming up from Manchester on purpose.[To HAKE.] Mrs. Chilvers hasn't returned yet, has she?
HAKE Not yet, miss. Shall I telephone -
PHOEBE [Shakes her head.] No; it's all right. I have seen her.Let her know we are here the moment she comes in.
HAKE Yes, miss. [He has finished the arrangements. The table hasbeen placed in the centre of the room, six chairs round it, one ofthem being a large armchair. He has placed writing materials and alarge silver gravy spoon. He is going.]
PHOEBE Why aren't you sure your wife wasn't at the meeting lastnight? Didn't she say anything?
HAKE Well, miss, unfortunately, just as she was starting, Mrs.Comerford—that's the wife of the party that keeps the shopdownstairs—looked in with an order for the theatre.
PHOEBE Oh!
HAKE So I thought it best to ask no questions.
PHOEBE Thank you.
HAKE Thank you, miss. [He goes out.]
ELIZABETH Can nothing be done to rouse the working-class woman outof her apathy?
PHOEBE Well, if you ask me, I think a good deal has been done.
ELIZABETH Oh, what's the use of our deceiving ourselves? Thegreat mass are utterly indifferent.
JANET [She is seated in an easy-chair near the fire.] I wastalking to a woman only yesterday—in Bethnal Green. She keeps ahusband and three children by taking in washing. "Lord, miss," shelaughed, "what would we do with the vote if we did have it? Onlyone thing more to give to the men."
PHOEBE That's rather good.
ELIZABETH The curse of it is that it's true. Why should they put