The girl with the green eyes : $b A play in four acts — John Shaqi
The girl with the green eyes : $b A play in four actsFitch, Clyde
General
The girl with the green eyes : $b A play in four acts
Fitch, Clyde
American drama -- 20th century
GEOFFREY. And she doesn't suspect?
AUSTIN. Not the slightest.
[_A pause._
GEOFFREY. Need she?
AUSTIN. The worst? No, _never_!
GEOFFREY. [_He rises, with new encouragement._] You'll give me your
word?
AUSTIN. Yes. [_Shakes his hand._] I know how much she loves you; _I_
wouldn't have her know anything. It's made us some ugly scenes, but they
soon pass, and when you are once out of your trouble for good, we'll
have no excuse, I'm sure, for any more!
GEOFFREY. Then I shall go to bed to-night with the respect still of at
least two women who are dear to me, my mother and Jinny, even if I lose
the respect and love of the one woman who is dearer! Only think, Jack,
how I've got to stand up there--never mind about myself--and make _her
suffer tortures_! Good-by. God give me courage to do the heart-breaking
thing I must do.
AUSTIN. I am sure the one hope you have of forgiveness is in your
manliness of going to her as you are doing and telling her yourself
_all_ the truth!
GEOFFREY. And that, like everything else, I owe to you.
AUSTIN. No, to _Jinny_! Good luck!
[_He shakes GEOFFREY'S hand and GEOFFREY goes out Right._
AUSTIN. [_Goes to the door Left, opens it, and calls to JINNY, in the
next room._] Jinny, Geoffrey's gone,--what are you doing?
JINNY. [_Answers in a very little staccato voice._] Waiting till you
should have the leisure to receive me!
AUSTIN. Come along!
[_Leaves the doorway._
[_JINNY enters Left and stands in the doorway._
JINNY. [_With affected nonchalance._] I didn't care to go downstairs for
dinner, so I have had a tray up here. Maggie brought up something for
you, too; would you like it now?
AUSTIN. [_Ignoring purposely her mood and manner._] I shouldn't mind! I
do feel a little hungry.
[_He sits in the arm-chair._
JINNY. [_Speaks off through the doorway Left._] Bring in the tray for
Mr. Austin, Maggie.
MAGGIE. [_Off stage._] Yes'm.
[_JINNY pulls forward a little tea table beside his chair. Her whole
manner must be one of slow, dragging carelessness, like the calm
before a storm. Her expression must be hard. She carries the telegram
still unopened, and on top of it the theatre tickets torn into
pieces._
[_MAGGIE brings in the tray, puts it on the table, and goes out Right.
On the tray are chops, peas, some whiskey, a syphon, a roll, etc._
AUSTIN. [_Sits down quickly and with a show of eagerness._] Ah!
[_Begins to eat as if he were hungry and enjoyed it._
[_JINNY sits on the sofa at his Left, and looks at him,--AUSTIN is of
course conscious of JINNY'S mood, but pretends not to notice it._
AUSTIN. [_After a silence during which he eats._] I say I _am_ hungry!
And these chops _are_ very good, aren't they?
[_No answer._
I'll tell you what it is, Jinny! Of course travelling is great sport and
all the rest of it, but after all one does get tired of hotels, and to
quote a somewhat familiar refrain, "There's no place like home."
[_No answer._
Have you a headache, Jinny?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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