The Man from Home by Harry Leon Wilson (book series to read .TXT) đź“•
MADAME DE CHAMPIGNY [quickly]. You are invidious, mon ami! My affair isnot settled--am I a clumsy oof?
HAWCASTLE [leaning toward her across the table and speaking sharply andearnestly]. No, Hélène. Your little American, brother Horace, is so inlove with you, if you asked him suddenly, "Is this day or night?" hewould answer, "It's Hélène." But he's too shy to speak. You're awoman--you can't press matters; but Almeric's a man--he can. He can urgean immediate marriage, which means an immediate settlement, and a directone.
MADAME DE CHAMPIGNY [seriously, quickly]. It will not be small, thatsettlement?
[He shakes his head grimly, leaning back to look at her. She continueseagerly.]
You have decide' what sum?
[He nods decidedly.]
What?
HAWCASTLE [sharply, with determination, yet quietly]. A hundred andfifty thousand pounds!
MADAME DE CHAMPIGNY [excited and breathless]. My friend! Will she?
[Turns and stares toward ETHEL'S room, where the pia
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And don't you go out of it, either.
He shall not. This way.
[The three go into the hotel. Immediately on their disappearance LADY CREECH'S curtains are whisked aside; she pops out of the window with the suddenness of Punch, leans far out with her head upside down, at the risk of her neck, trying to watch them even after they have entered the hotel. Laughter of MADAME DE CHAMPIGNY heard at left. LADY CREECH waves her hand as if signalling in that direction and withdraws from window.]
[Enter HORACE and MADAME DE CHAMPIGNY from the garden, he carrying her parasol and looking into her eyes. She is laughing.]
[Enter LADY CREECH from the hotel, wildly excited.]
Have you seen my brother—where is Lord Hawcastle?
On the other side of the hotel, Lady [pg 099] Creech; down there on the last terrace just as far as you can go.
[Exit LADY CREECH down left.]
Ah, but you laugh at me, chere Comtesse!
[gently]
It is because I cannot believe you are always serious.
Serious? Like a lady to her knight of old, set me some task to prove how serious I am.
[Deliriously.]
Anything!
Ah, gladly! Complete those odious settlement! Overcome the resistance of this bad man who so trouble your sweet sister!
You promise me when it is settled that I may speak to you
[becomes suddenly nervous and embarrassed]
—that I may speak to you—
[sweetly]
Yes—speak to me—
Speak as—as you must know I want to speak—as I hardly dare—
[softly, her eyes upon the ground]
Ah, that shall be when you please, dear friend.
[almost choked with gratitude]
Oh!
[He kisses her hand.]
[HAWCASTLE and LADY CREECH enter [pg 100] from the garden, LADY CREECH talking excitedly.]
[ALMERIC enters through the gates.]
I tell you I couldn't hear a word they said, they mumbled their words so. But upon my soul, Hawcastle, if I couldn't hear, didn't I see enough?
Upon my soul, I believe you did.
Quite a family pow-wow you're havin'.
Is there anything unusual in the village?
Ra-ther! Carabiniere all over the shop—still huntin' that bandit feller.
Don't mumble your words!
[shouting]
Lookin' for a bally bandit.
[She screams faintly.]
Be quiet!
He's still in this neighborhood, they think.
[to HAWCASTLE]
What did I tell you? Now, how long—
You shall not repeat one word of what you saw. Almeric, find your betrothed and ask her to come here.
Rumbo! I don't mind, pater!
[Exit into the hotel.][pg 101]
What's the row?
My dear young man, I congratulate you that you and your sister need no longer submit to an odious dictation.
[Enter PIKE briskly from the hotel.]
[as he enters, genially]
Looks to me like it was going to clear up cold.
[LADY CREECH haughtily stalks off into the garden.]
[pleasantly]
Good-afternoon, Mr. Pike.
[going to the motor]
Howdy!
[Begins touching different parts of the engine.]
[MADAME DE CHAMPIGNY and HORACE haughtily follow LADY CREECH.]
[suavely, to PIKE]
Mr. Pike, it is an immense pity that there should have been any misunderstanding in the matter of your ward's betrothal.
[looking up for a moment, mildly]
Oh, I wouldn't call it a misunderstanding.
It would ill become a father to press upon the subject of his son's merits—
[plaintively]
I don't want to talk about him with you—I don't want to hurt your feelings.[pg 102]
Perhaps I might better put it on the ground of your ward's wishes—of certain advantages of position which it is her ambition to attain.
[troubled]
I can't talk about it with anybody but her.
[Enter MARIANO from the hotel with a letter on a tray. Goes to PIKE.]
There is another matter—
[PIKE stands examining envelope of the letter in profound thought.]
I fear I do not have your attention.
[MARIANO goes into the hotel.]
[looking up]
Go ahead!
There is another matter to which I may wish to call your attention.
[genially]
Oh, I'll talk about anything else with you.
[suavely]
This is a question distinctly different
[with a glance at the hotel, his voice growing somewhat threatening]
—distinctly!
[ETHEL enters from the hotel.]
[to HAWCASTLE, in a troubled voice]
You wished me to come here.
[going to her and taking her hand]
My child, I wish you to have another chat with our strangely prejudiced friend on the subject so near [pg 103] to all our hearts. And I wish to tell you that I see light breaking through our clouds. Even if he prove obdurate, do not be downcast—all will be well.
[Turns and goes out into the garden, his voice coming back in benign, fatherly tones.]
All will be well!
[PIKE stands regarding ETHEL, who does not look up at him.]
[gently]
I'm glad you've come, Miss Ethel. I've got something here I want to read to you.
[coldly]
I did not come to hear you read.
When I got your letter at home I wrote to Jim Cooley, our vice-consul at London, to look up the records of these Hawcastle folks and write to me here about how they stand in their own community.
[astounded]
What!
What's thought of them by the best citizens, and so on.
[enraged]
You had the audacity—you—to pry into the affairs of the Earl of Hawcastle!
Why, I'd 'a' done that—I wouldn't 'a' stopped at anything—I'd' 'a' done that if it had been the Governor of Indiana himself![pg 104]
You didn't consider it indelicate to write to strangers about my intimate affairs?
[placatingly]
Why, Jim Cooley's home-folks! His office used to be right next to mine in Kokomo.
It's monstrous—and when they find what you've done—Oh, hadn't you shamed me enough without this?
I expect this letter'll show who ought to be ashamed. Now just let's sit down here and try to work things out together.
[with a slight, bitter laugh]
"Work things out together!"
I'm sorry—for you, I mean. But I don't see any other way to do it, except—together. Won't you?
[She moves slowly forward and sits at extreme left of the bench. He watches her, noticing how far she withdraws from him, bows his head humbly, with a sad smile, then sits, not quite at the extreme right of the bench, but near it.]
I haven't opened the letter yet. I want you to read it first, but I ought to tell you there's probably things in it'll hurt your feelings, sort of, mebbe.
[icily]
How?[pg 105]
Well, I haven't much of a doubt but Jim'll have some statements in it that'll show you I'm right about these people. If he's got the facts, I know he will.
How do you know it?
Because I've had experience enough of life—
In Kokomo?
Yes, ma'am! there's just as many kinds of people in Kokomo as there is in Pekin, and I didn't serve a term in the legislature without learning to pick underhand men at sight. Now that Earl, let alone his havin' a bad eye—his ways are altogether too much on the stripe of T. Cuthbert Bentley's to suit me.
[He opens the envelope slowly, continuing.]
T. Cuthbert was a Chicago gentleman with a fur-lined overcoat. He opened up a bank in our town, and when he caught the Canadian express, three months later, all he left in Kokomo was the sign on the front door. That was painted on. And as for the son. But there—I don't know as I have a call to say more.
[Takes the letter from the envelope.]
Here's the letter; read it for yourself.[pg 106]
[Gives it to her, watching her as she reads.]
[reading]
"Dear Dan: The Earldom of Hawcastle is one of the oldest in the Kingdom, and the St. Aubyns have distinguished themselves in the forefront of English battles from Agincourt and Crecy to Sebastopol.
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