Loyalties by John Galsworthy (romantic love story reading .TXT) š
LADY A. I've told the Dancys--she was in bed. And I got through toNewmarket, Charles, and Inspector Dede is coming like the wind on a motorcycle.
MARGARET. Did he say "like the wind," Adela? He must have imagination.Isn't this gorgeous? Poor little Ferdy!
WINSOR. [Vexed] You might take it seriously, Margaret; it's prettybeastly for us all. What time did you come up?
MARGARET. I came up with Adela. Am I suspected, Charles? Howthrilling!
WINSOR. Did you hear anything?
MARGARET. Only little Ferdy splashing.
WINSOR. And saw nothing?
MARGARET. Not even that, alas!
LADY A. [With a finger held up] Leste! Un peu leste! Oh! Here are theDancys. Come in, you two!
MABEL and RONALD DANCY enter. She is a pretty young woman withbobbed hair, fortunately, for she has just got out of bed, and is inher nightgown and a wrapper. DANCY is in his smoking jacket. Hehas a pale, determined face with high cheekbones, small, deep
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TWISDEN. [Pouring some tea into the saucer] Without knowing, I canāt tell you.
WINSOR and MARGARET exchange looks, and TWISDEN drinks from the saucer. MARGARET. Tell him, Charles.
WINSOR. Well! It rained that evening at Meldon. The General happened to put his hand on Dancyās shoulder, and it was damp.
TWISDEN puts the saucer down and replaces the cup in it. They both look intently at him.
TWISDEN. I take it that General Canynge wonāt say anything heās not compelled to say.
MARGARET. No, of course; but, Mr Jacob, they might ask; they know it rained. And he is such a George Washington.
TWISDEN. [Toying with a pair of tortoise-shell glasses] They didnāt ask either of you. Still-no harm in your telling Dancy.
WINSOR. Iād rather you did it, Margaret.
MARGARET. I daresay. [She mechanically takes out her cigarette-case, catches the lift of TWISDENāS eyebrows, and puts it back].
WINSOR. Well, weāll go together. I donāt want Mrs Dancy to hear.
MARGARET. Do tell me, Mr Jacob; is he going to win?
TWISDEN. I think so, Margaret; I think so.
MARGARET. Itāll be tooāfrightful if he doesnāt get a verdict, after all this. But I donāt know what we shall do when itās over. Iāve been sitting in that Court all these three days, watching, and itās made me feel thereās nothing we like better than seeing people skinned. Well, bye-bye, bless you!
TWISDEN rises and pats her hand.
WINSOR. Half a second, Margaret. Wait for me. She nods and goes out. Mr Twisden, what do you really think?
TWISDEN. I am Dancyās lawyer, my dear Charles, as well as yours.
WINSOR. Well, can I go and see Canynge?
TWISDEN. Better not.
WINSOR. If they get that out of him, and recall me, am I to say he told me of it at the time?
TWISDEN. You didnāt feel the coat yourself? And Dancy wasnāt present? Then what Canynge told you is not evidenceāheāll stop your being asked.
WINSOR. Thank goodness. Good-bye!
WINSOR goes out.
TWISDEN, behind his table, motionless, taps his teeth with the eyeglasses in his narrow, well-kept hand. After a long shake of his head and a shrug of his rather high shoulders he snips, goes to the window and opens it. Then crossing to the door, Left Back, he throws it open and says
TWISDEN. At your service, sir.
GILMAN comes forth, nursing his pot hat.
Be seated.
TWISDEN closes the window behind him, and takes his seat.
GILMAN. [Taking the clientās chair, to the left of the table] Mr Twisden, I believe? My nameās Gilman, head of Gilmanās Department Stores. You have my card.
TWISDEN. [Looking at the card] Yes. What can we do for you?
GILMAN. Well, Iāve come to you from a sense of duty, sir, and also a feelinā of embarrassment. [He takes from his breast pocket an evening paper] You see, Iāve been followinā this Dancy caseāitās a good deal talked of in Putneyāand I read this at half-past two this afternoon. To be precise, at 2.25. [He rises and hands the paper to TWISDEN, and with a thick gloved forefinger indicates a passage] When I read these numbers, I āappened to remember givinā change for a fifty-pound noteādonāt often āave one in, you knowāso I went to the cash-box out of curiosity, to see that I āadnāt got it. Well, I āad; and here it is. [He draws out from his breast pocket and lays before TWISDEN a fifty-pound banknote] It was brought in to change by a customer of mine three days ago, and he got value for it. Now, thatās a stolen note, it seems, and youād like to know what I did. Mind you, that customer of mine Iāve known āimāwellā eight or nine years; an Italian he isāwine salesman, and so farās I know, a respectable man-foreign-lookinā, but nothinā more. Now, this was at āalf-past two, and I was at my head branch at Putney, where I live. I want you to mark the time, so as youāll see I āavenāt wasted a minute. I took a cab and I drove straight to my customerās private residence in Putney, where he lives with his daughterāRicardos his name is, Paolio Ricardos. They tell me there that heās at his business shop in the City. So off I go in the cab again, and there I find him. Well, sir, I showed this paper to him and I produced the note. āHere,ā I said, āyou brought this to me and you got value for it.ā Well, that man was taken aback. If Iām a judge, Mr Twisden, he was taken aback, not to speak in a guilty way, but he was, as you might say, flummoxed. āNow,ā I said to him, āwhere did you get itāthatās the point?ā He took his time to answer, and then he said: āWell, Mr Gilman,ā he said, āyou know me; I am an honourable man. I canāt tell you offhand, but I am above the board.ā Heās foreign, you know, in his expressions. āYes,ā I said, āthatās all very well,ā I said, ābut here Iāve got a stolen note and youāve got the value for it. Now I tell you,ā I said, āwhat Iām going to do; Iām going straight with this note to Mr Jacob Twisden, whoās got this Dancy-De Levis case in āand. Heās a well-known Society lawyer,ā I said, āof great experience.ā āOh!ā he said, āthat is what you do?āāfunny the way he speaks! āThen I come with you!āāAnd Iāve got him in the cab below. I want to tell you everything before he comes up. On the way I tried to get something out of him, but I couldnātāI could not. āThis is very awkward,ā I said at last. āIt is, Mr Gilman,ā was his reply; and he began to talk about his Sicilian claretāa very good wine, mind you; but under the circumstances it seemed to me uncalled for. Have I made it clear to you?
TWISDEN. [Who has listened with extreme attention] Perfectly, Mr Gilman. Iāll send down for him. [He touches a hand-bell].
The YOUNG CLERK appears at the door, Left Forward.
A gentleman in a taxi-waiting. Ask him to be so good as to step up. Oh! and send Mr Graviter here again.
The YOUNG CLERK goes out.
GILMAN. As I told you, sir, Iāve been followinā this case. Itās what you might call piquant. And I should be very glad if it came about that this helped Captain Dancy. I take an interest, because, to tell you the truth, [Confidentially] I donāt likeāwell, not to put too fine a point upon it āEbrews. They work harder; theyāre more sober; theyāre honest; and theyāre everywhere. Iāve nothing against them, but the fact isāthey get on so.
TWISDEN. [Cocking an eye] A thorn in the flesh, Mr Gilman.
GILMAN. Well, I prefer my own countrymen, and thatās the truth of it.
As he speaks, GRAVITER comes in by the door Left Forward.
TWISDEN. [Pointing to the newspaper and the note] Mr Gilman has brought this, of which he is holder for value. His customer, who changed it three days ago, is coming up.
GRAVITER. The fifty-pounder. I see. [His face is long and reflective].
YOUNG CLERK. [Entering] Mr Ricardos, sir.
He goes out. RICARDOS is a personable, Italian-looking man in a frock coat, with a dark moustachioed face and dark hair a little grizzled. He looks anxious, and bows.
TWISDEN. Mr Ricardos? My name is Jacob Twisden. My partner. [Holding up a finger, as RICARDOS would speak] Mr Gilman has told us about this note. You took it to him, he says, three days ago; that is, on Monday, and received cash for it?
RICARDOS. Yes, sare.
TWISDEN. You were not aware that it was stolen?
RICARDOS. [With his hand to his breast] Oh! no, sare.
TWISDEN. You received it fromā?
RICARDOS. A minute, sare; I would weesh to explainā[With an expressive shrug] in private.
TWISDEN. [Nodding] Mr Gilman, your conduct has been most prompt. You may safely leave the matter in our hands, now. Kindly let us retain this note; and ask for my cashier as you go out and give him [He writes] this. He will reimburse you. We will take any necessary steps ourselves.
GILMAN. [In slight surprise, with modest pride] Well, sir, Iām in your āands. I must be guided by you, with your experience. Iām glad you think I acted rightly.
TWISDEN. Very rightly, Mr Gilmanāvery rightly. [Rising] Good afternoon!
GILMAN. Good afternoon, sir. Good afternoon, gentlemen! [To TWISDEN] Iām sure Iām very āappy to have made your acquaintance, sir. Itās a well-known name.
TWISDEN. Thank you.
GILMAN retreats, glances at RICARDOS, and turns again.
GILMAN. I suppose thereās nothing else I ought to do, in the interests of the law? Iām a careful man.
TWISDEN. If there is, Mr Gilman, we will let you know. We have your address. You may make your mind easy; but donāt speak of this. It might interfere with Justice.
GILMAN. Oh! I shouldnāt dream of it. Iāve no wish to be mixed up in anything conspicuous. Thatās not my principle at all. Good-day, gentlemen.
He goes.
TWISDEN. [Seating himself] Now, sir, will you sit down.
But RICARDOS does not sit; he stands looking uneasily across the table at GRAVITER.
You may speak out.
RICARDOS. Well, Mr Tweesden and sare, this matter is very serious for me, and very delicateāit concairns my honour. I am in a great difficulty.
TWISDEN. When in difficultyācomplete frankness, sir.
RICARDOS. It is a family matter, sare, Iā
TWISDEN. Let me be frank with you. [Telling his points off on his fingers] We have your admission that you changed this stopped note for value. It will be our duty to inform the Bank of England that it has been traced to you. You will have to account to them for your possession of it. I suggest to you that it will be far better to account frankly to us.
RICARDOS. [Taking out a handkerchief and quite openly wiping his hands and forehead] I received this note, sare, with others, from a gentleman, sare, in settlement of a debt of honour, and I know nothing of where he got them.
TWISDEN. Hām! that is very vague. If that is all you can tell us, Iām afraidā
RICARDOS. Gentlemen, this is very painful for me. It is my daughterās good nameā[He again wipes his brow].
TWISDEN. Come, sir, speak out!
RICARDOS. [Desperately] The notes were a settlement to her from this gentleman, of whom she was a great friend.
TWISDEN. [Suddenly] I am afraid we must press you for the name of the gentleman.
RICARDOS. Sare, if I give it to you, and it does āim āarm, what will my daughter say? This is a bad matter for me. He behaved well to her; and she is attached to him still; sometimes she is crying yet because she lost him. And now we betray him, perhaps, who knows? This is very unpleasant for me. [Taking up the paper] Here it gives the number of another noteāa āundred-pound note. I āave that too. [He takes a note from his breast pocket].
GRAVITER. How much did he give you in all?
RICARDOS. For my daughterās settlement one thousand pounds. I understand he did not wish to give a cheque because of his marriage. So I did not think anything about it being in notes, you see.
TWISDEN. When did he give you this money?
RICARDOS. The middle of Octobare last.
TWISDEN. [Suddenly looking up] Mr Ricardos, was it Captain Dancy?
RICARDOS. [Again wiping his forehead] Gentlemen, I am so fond of my daughter. I have only the one, and no wife.
TWISDEN. [With an effort] Yes, yes; but I must know.
RICARDOS. Sare, if I tell you, will you give me your good word that my daughter shall not hear
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