Produced by David Widger HALL-MARKED AND OTHERS From Six Short Plays By John Galsworthy CONTENTS: HALL-MARKED DEFEAT THE SUN PUNCH AND GO HALL-MARKED A Satiric Trifle CHARACTERS HERSELF. LADY ELLA. THE SQUIRE. THE MAID. MAUD. THE RECTOR. THE DOCTOR. THE CABMAN. HANNIBAL and EDWARD HALL-MARKED The scene is the sitting-room and verandah of HER bungalow. The room is pleasant, and along the back, where the verandah runs, it seems all window, both French and casement. There is a door right and a door left. The day is bright; the time morning. [HERSELF, dripping wet, comes running along the verandah, through the French window, with a wet Scotch terrier in her arms. She vanishes through the door left. A little pause, and LADY ELLA comes running, dry, thin, refined, and agitated. She halts where the tracks of water cease at the door left. A little pause, and MAUD comes running, fairly dry, stolid, breathless, and dragging a bull-dog, wet, breathless, and stout, by the crutch end of her 'en-tout-cas']. LADY ELLA. Don't bring Hannibal in till I know where she's put Edward! MAUD. [Brutally, to HANNIBAL] Bad dog! Bad dog! [HANNIBAL snuffles.] LADY ELLA. Maud, do take him out! Tie him up. Here! [She takes out a lace handkerchief ] No--something stronger! Poor darling Edward! [To HANNIBAL] You are a bad dog! [HANNIBAL snuffles.] MAUD. Edward began it, Ella. [To HANNIBAL] Bad dog! Bad dog! [HANNIBAL snuffles.] LADY ELLA. Tie him up outside. Here, take my scarf. Where is my poor treasure? [She removes her scarf] Catch! His ear's torn; I saw it. MAUD. [Taking the scarf, to HANNIBAL] Now! [HANNIBAL snuffles.] [She ties the scarf to his collar] He smells horrible. Bad dog--getting into ponds to fight! LADY ELLA. Tie him up, Maud. I must try in here. [Their husbands, THE SQUIRE and THE RECTOR, come hastening along the verandah.] MAUD. [To THE RECTOR] Smell him, Bertie! [To THE SQUIRE] You might have that pond drained, Squire! [She takes HANNIBAL out, and ties him to the verandah. THE SQUIRE and RECTOR Come in. LADY ELLA is knocking on the door left.] HER VOICE. All right! I've bound him up! LADY ELLA. May I come in? HER VOICE. Just a second! I've got nothing on. [LADY ELLA recoils. THE SQUIRE and RECTOR make an involuntary movement of approach.] LADY ELLA. Oh! There you are! THE RECTOR. [Doubtfully] I was just going to wade in---- LADY ELLA. Hannibal would have killed him, if she hadn't rushed in! THE SQUIRE. Done him good, little beast! LADY ELLA. Why didn't you go in, Tommy? THE SQUIRE. Well, I would--only she---- LADY ELLA. I can't think how she got Edward out of Hannibal's awful mouth!