Mr. Pim Passes By: A Comedy in Three ActsMilne, A. A. (Alan Alexander)
General
Mr. Pim Passes By: A Comedy in Three Acts
Milne, A. A. (Alan Alexander)
English drama -- 20th century
GEORGE (_looking up and seeing_ OLIVIA). Really, Olivia, we've got
something more important, more vital to us than curtains, to discuss, now
that we _are_ alone at last.
OLIVIA. I wasn't going to discuss them, dear. (_Sits_.)
GEORGE. Of course, I'm always glad to see Aunt Julia in my house, but I
wish she hadn't chosen this day of all days to come to lunch.
OLIVIA. It wasn't Aunt Julia's fault. It was really Mr. Pim who chose the
wrong day.
GEORGE (_fiercely and rising_). Good heavens, is it true?
OLIVIA. About Jacob Telworthy?
GEORGE. Yon told me he was dead. (_Moving down to_ L. _of_ L.C. _table_.)
You always said that he was dead.
OLIVIA. Well, I always thought that he was dead. He was as dead as
anybody could be. All the papers said he was dead.
GEORGE (_scornfully_). The papers!(_Crossing up to smoking-table for his
pipe_.)
OLIVIA (_as if this would settle it for_ GEORGE). The _Times_ said he was
dead. There was a paragraph about him. Apparently even his death was
fraudulent.
GEORGE (_coming down_ C.). Yes, yes, I'm not blaming you, Olivia, but
what are we going to do, that's the question, what are we going to do? My
God, it's horrible! (_Crossing to fireplace_.) You've never been married
to me at all! You don't seem to understand.
OLIVIA. It is a little difficult to realize. You see, it doesn't seem to
have made any difference to our happiness.
GEORGE. No, that's what's so terrible. (OLIVIA _looks up surprised_.) I
mean--well, of course, we were quite innocent in the matter. (_Sits in
arm-chair down_ L.) But, at the same time, nothing can get over the fact
that we--we had no right to--to be happy.
OLIVIA. Would you rather we had been miserable?
GEORGE. You're Telworthy's wife, that's what you don't seem to
understand. You're Telworthy's wife. You--er--forgive me, Olivia, but
it's the horrible truth--you committed bigamy when you married me. (_In
horror, going up_ L.) Bigamy! (_Coming round to_ C.)
OLIVIA. It is an ugly word, isn't it?
GEORGE. Yes, but you don't understand. (_Coming quickly down_ C., _sits
on stool_ L.C., _facing her_.) Look here, Olivia, old girl, the whole
thing is nonsense, eh? It isn't your husband, it's some other Telworthy
that this fellow met. That's right, isn't it? Some other shady swindler
who turned up on the boat, eh? This sort of thing doesn't happen to
people like _us_--committing bigamy and all that. Some other fellow.
OLIVIA (_shaking her head_). I knew all the shady swindlers in Sydney....
They came to dinner.... There were no others called Telworthy.
GEORGE (_rising with gesture of despair_). Well, what are we going to do?
OLIVIA. You sent Mr. Pim away so quickly. He might have told us things.
Telworthy's plans. Where he is now. You hurried him away so quickly.
GEORGE. I've sent a note round to ask him to come back. My one idea at
the moment was to get him out of the house--to hush things up. (_Going up
to writing-table_.)
OLIVIA. You can't hush up two husbands.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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