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Page 1 of 11907 · PDF PAGE 80
74 A DRAMATIC VERSION OF DENys trregular intervals, whtle DENYS clears his Sir! pray let 2k I knov | throat repeatedly. This continues long, not pray jet me speak. VY YOU Denys fidgeting more and more. DENYS, ALAIN politely :| The wind has gone down some- ° what. We know you. [ALAIN falls into a fit of silent D laughter. DENYS rtses and puts ENYS. [Lronicadly.| I am too honoured. ALAIN. Well? DENYs. You speak of a lady tome. You mistake me ALAIN. [I hope so. DENYS. Do not entrust a stranger with your family secrets, is my advice—as a man of the…
1907 · PDF PAGE 88
…e to occupy one thought of your mind. Alas! although you must die for me to- morrow-—[She stops short, and watts for him to respond, but DENYS is indeed think- ing of something else.) What! You are too proud to link yourself with the dis- honoured house of Malétroit? I too have my pride: and now—and now—I would no more marry you than I would marry my uncle’s groom. [Stamps her foot. DENYS turns round and looks at her tngutringly. He has not heard what she has been saying; he becomes again absorbed in his own thoughts. BLANCHE gets angrier and a…
1907 · PDF PAGE 79
…DOOR 73 ALAIN, Well, well, that’s all right. Here you are, which is the great thing after all, isn’t it? Sit down, my dear young friend [Denys zncomfortably and slowly takes a chair}, and we shall—er—arrange our little affair. You arrived uninvited, but believe me, most welcome. DENYS. Sir, you persist in error. I am a stranger: Denys de Beaulieu is my name, and I am here under a safe-conduct. That you see me in your house is only owing to—your door. ALAIN, Ah! my door—a hospitable fancy of mine ! DENYS. I don’t understand. I did not wish... oh…
1907 · PDF PAGE 87
… life—and I can commit suicide by merest idleness, a talent I am master of, and one most agree- able to my nature. BLANCHE, Oh! Monsieur Denys, but I love you. [Comes and clings to hts knees.) I dot I do! I will not kill myself, but I will make you love me—— DENYS. A harder task than you think, little one. BLANCHE. Or tolerate me at least. [ Crees. DENYS. O bother ! I shall cry too in a minute. BLANCHE. You are very unkind. I hate you. DENYS. How much of all this is truth? What with pity and drawing-room manners and so on, Truth is the kernel o…
1907 · PDF PAGE 82
76 A DRAMATIC VERSION OF DENYS. I am a prisoner then? ALAIN, I state the facts, and leave the inference to Monsieur’s indulgence. But before you alto- gether decline this marriage, it would be perhaps properer did I present you to the lady. DENYS. [Sees that he must humour his strange host; rises and bows in acyutescence with znane sintle and phrase.) Ah, Monsieur, you make me too happy ! [This speech ts not ironical but con- ventional and absurd. ALAIN strikes the gong. Enter PRIEST and bows. ALAIN. Require the presence of the Lady Blanche de …
1907 · PDF PAGE 77
THE SIRE DE MALETROIT’S DOOR 71 FLORIMOND. O this miserable sot ! [Crouches again, DENYS sees him. DENYS. O thank God! Here's another poor devil, a gentleman by his clothes, and a thief by his manner, and I daresay a good fellow. [Goes to FLORIMOND and slaps him on the back.] Sir, do you know this cursed Paris? My inn, which I have lost, is the Sign of the Green Grass—I should say the Field o’ Spring--and ’tis hard by the Church of St. Anselm, that is hard by,the river, and the hardest of all is that neither church, inn, nor river can I find th…
1907 · PDF PAGE 81
…east— give it up—up come stairs—ah ! stairs come up—I mean / come—a murrain on these courtly phrases! and here I stand [rzses and dows], Denys de Beaulieu, Damoiseau de Beaulieu, in the Province of Normandy, at your lordship’s service. ALAIN, That is your way of looking after the lady’s reputation. Hear mine! Allow me first to introduce myself as Alain de Malé- troit, Sire de Malétroit, and Warden of the Marches under his Majesty King Charles— DENYS. Whom God preserve ! [ Waves his broken sword. ALAIN, What excellent sentiments, and what an unf…
1907 · PDF PAGE 84
78 A DRAMATIC VERSION OF DENYS. A moment, of your grace, Mademoiselle. Do not think that I am some obscure fortune- hunter who will jump at the chance so strangely offered him. My nameis as noble as your own—ay! were things otherwise, I would still spare you. As itis, I have but to do as my duty and my interest—and yours— demand. We will see if Monsieur de Malé- troit can cage me here for ever. [Looks at sword meditatively.| That is unfortunate. BLANCHE, I am so afraid, sir: I know my uncle well: but—thank you,—thank you ! DENYS. Is Monsieur de…
1907 · PDF PAGE 85
…r heels from my battlements [jerks Azs thumod toward the window), if I cannot wipe out the dishonour, I shall at least stop the scandal. DENYS. Frankly, sir, I think your troubles must have turned your brain; there are other ways of settling such imbroglios among gentlemen. ALAIN. Alas, sir! Tam old. When I was younger I should have been delighted to honour you ; but Iam the sole male member of my ancient house. Faithful retainers are the sinews of age, and I were a fool did I not employ the strength I have. DENYS. Oh, hang me now, and have don…
1907 · PDF PAGE 83
THE SIRE DE MALETROIT’S DOOR 77 ALAIN, This gentleman drank a little too much for dinner. DENYS. Nay, by St. Denys, not enough, else had F been now along under Cousin Henri’s table, and not in this house of maniacs and men-at-arms, and beauties in distress. Oh, pardon me, I am rude. [W2th lively gal- lantry.| Mademoiselle! I wrong myself when I forget myself: what I would say is that if the arm or brain of Denys de Beaulieu can save you, it isat your disposal [starts: but sertous, struck|—I mean—[Aside.] St. Denys, what a coil is here! Is it po…
1907 · PDF PAGE 89
…t our happiness stand in the cold and knock at our door all night? BLANCHE. Don’t! Don’t make me more miserable and hopeless than I am. [DENYS determines to make a general advance. DENYS. [Zenderly.| Little fool ! [He waits. She struggles in herself ; and at last ruefuland pouting, gets up and stands before him downcast, rubbing her eyes. He takes full advantage of hts position. [ith mock severity.) Aren’t youashamed of yourself ? BLANCHE. [ Sobbia7¢.| After all you have heard? DENYS. [With double entendre.) 1 have heard nothing. [He opens his …
1907 · PDF PAGE 86
80 A DRAMATIC VERSION OF BLANCHE. Oh, sir, do not be more cruel than our fate itself—to speak as if I could think so. DENYS. [Petzes himself.] You will perhaps sigh once—TI hope you will sigh once !—and then you will forget, and laugh, and go back to your old life. Ah! what can I think of all this? BLANCHE. I know what you must think, Monsieur de Beaulieu; you dare not say it—but you wrong me. Oh! before God, you wrong me. DENYS. [Distressed.| Don’t! Don’t! BLANCHE, Do yield: do marry me! Let me tell you how it all came about—you are so brave a…
1907 · PDF PAGE 78
… muttering, ‘* Perdition catch the fool who invented these ctreular statrs.’| Ha! He seems a little uncertain of the stair. Hush! [Auter DENYS, who remains behind arrvas, ALAIN Szés, DENYS. [|Stambles and swears.) O these stairs! They go round and round, or seem to go round—faith! I have seen an entire castle do as much—and lead nowhere. [Pushes against arras and ts seen by audience. He hastily withdraws.] Oh, they do though! Shall I knock? Shall I go in? Shal. I stay here till morning? There are three fools there, and I have a poor choice: to …
1907 · PDF PAGE 76
…abiding love ofa brave man. How like little Florise her voice is when she sings ! [By thts fool's talk he loses his oppor- tunity. Enter DENYS. DENYs. Cold is no word for it. [Shudders.] Where the devil have I got to now? Jad I but vowed St. Denys a candle and put the same in my pocket, I would not now be in the dark. Here was a lane, and the folk had called it Wolf’s Throat, and now here’s a door and devil a name toit. Fool I was to stay winebibbing with Cousin Henri, and triple knave he to send me forth without a boy and a light. True! he was…