The Second Mrs. Tanqueray Arthur W. Pinero (free children's online books txt) đ
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for you to despair in this way. Itâs all right, I tell youâ âit shall be all right.
Paula
Shivering. What are we to do?
Hugh
Hold our tongues.
Paula
Eh?
Staring vacantly.
Hugh
The chances are a hundred to one against anyone ever turning up who knew us when we were together. Besides, no one would be such a brute as to split on us. If anybody did do such a thing we should have to lie! What are we upsetting ourselves like this for, when weâve simply got to hold our tongues?
Paula
Youâre as mad as I am!
Hugh
Can you think of a better plan?
Paula
Thereâs only one plan possibleâ âletâs come to our senses!â âMr. Tanqueray must be told.
Hugh
Your husband! What, and I lose Ellean! I lose Ellean!
Paula
Youâve got to lose her.
Hugh
I wonât lose her! I canât lose her!
Paula
Didnât I read of your doing any number of brave things in India? Why, you seem to be an awful coward!
Hugh
Thatâs another sort of pluck altogether; I havenât this sort of pluck.
Paula
Oh, I donât ask you to tell Mr. Tanqueray. Thatâs my job.
Hugh
Standing over her. Youâ âyouâ âyouâd better! Youâ â!
Paula
Rising. Donât bully me! I intend to.
Hugh
Taking hold of her; she wrenches herself free. Look here, Paula! I never treated you badlyâ âyouâve owned it. Why should you want to pay me out like this? You donât know how I love Ellean!
Paula
Yes, thatâs just what I do know.
Hugh
I say you donât! Sheâs as good as my own mother. Iâve been downright honest with her too. I told her, in Paris, that Iâd been a bit wild at one time, and, after a damned wretched day, she promised to forgive me because of what Iâd done since in India. Sheâs behaved like an angel to me! Surely I oughtnât to lose her, after all, just because Iâve been like other fellows! No; I havenât been half as rackety as a hundred men we could think of. Paula, donât pay me out for nothing; be fair to me, thereâs a good girlâ âbe fair to me!
Paula
Oh, Iâm not considering you at all! I advise you not to stay here any longer; Mr. Tanqueray is sure to be back soon.
Hugh
Taking up his hat. Whatâs the understanding between us then? What have we arranged to do?
Paula
I donât know what youâre going to do; Iâve got to tell Mr. Tanqueray.
Hugh
By God, you shall do nothing of the sort!
Approaching her fiercely.
Paula
You shocking coward!
Hugh
If you dare! Going up to the window. Mind! If you dare!
Paula
Following him. Why, what would you do?
Hugh
After a short pause, sullenly. Nothing. Iâd shoot myselfâ âthatâs nothing. Good night.
Paula
Good night.
He disappears. She walks unsteadily to the ottoman, and sits; and as she does so her hand falls upon the little silver mirror, which she takes up, staring at her own reflection.
Act IV
The Drawing room at âHighercoombe,â the same evening.
Paula is still seated on the ottoman, looking vacantly before her, with the little mirror in her hand. Lady Orreyed enters. Lady Orreyed There you are! You never came into the billiard room. Isnât it maddeningâ âCayley Drummle gives me sixty out of a hundred and beats me. I must be out of form, because I know I play remarkably well for a lady. Only last monthâ âPaula rises. Whatever is the matter with you, old girl? Paula Why? Lady Orreyed Staring. Itâs the light, I suppose. Paula replaces the mirror on the table. By Aubreyâs bolting from the billiard table in that fashion I thought perhapsâ â Paula Yes; itâs all right. Lady Orreyed Youâve patched it up? Paula nods. Oh, I am jolly gladâ â! I meanâ â Paula Yes, I know what you mean. Thanks, Mabel. Lady Orreyed Kissing Paula. Now take my advice; for the futureâ â Paula Mabel, if Iâve been disagreeable to you while youâve been staying here, Iâ âI beg your pardon. Walking away and sitting down. Lady Orreyed You disagreeable, my dear? I havenât noticed it. Dodo and me both consider you make a first-class hostess, but then youâve had such practice, havenât you? Dropping on to the ottoman and gaping. Oh, talk about being sleepyâ â! Paula Why donât youâ â! Lady Orreyed Why, dear, I must hang about for Dodo. You may as well know it; heâs in one of his moods. Paula Under her breath. Ohâ â! Lady Orreyed Now, itâs not his fault; it was deadly dull for him while we were playing billiards. Cayley Drummle did ask him to mark, but I stopped that; itâs so easy to make a gentleman look like a billiard-marker. This is just how it always is; if poor old Dodo has nothing to do, he loses count, as you may say. Paula Hark! Sir George Orreyed enters, walking slowly and deliberately; he looks pale and watery-eyed. Sir George With mournful indistinctness. Iâm âfraid weâve lefâ you a greaâ deal to yourself tonight, Mrs. Tanqueray. Attraâtions of billiards. I apolâgise. I say, whereâs olâ Aubrey? Paula My husband has been obliged to go out to a neighbourâs house. Sir George I want his advice on a rather pressing matter connected with my familyâ âmy family. Sitting. Tomorrow will do just as well. Lady Orreyed To Paula. This is the mood I hate soâ âdrivelling about his precious family. Sir George The fact is, Mrs. Tanqueray, I am not easy in my minâ âbout the way I am treatinâ my poor olâ mother. Lady Orreyed To Paula. Do you hear that? Thatâs his mother, but my mother he wonât so much as look at! Sir George I shall write to Bruton Street firsâ thing in the morning. Lady Orreyed To Paula. Mamma has stuck to me through everythingâ âwell, you know! Sir George Iâll get olâ Aubrey to figure out a letter. Iâll drop line to Uncle Fitz tooâ âdooced shame of the olâ feller to chuck me over in this manner. Wiping his eyes. All my family have chucked me over.Free ebook «The Second Mrs. Tanqueray Arthur W. Pinero (free children's online books txt) đ» - read online now
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