Waste: A Tragedy, In Four ActsGranville-Barker, Harley
General
Waste: A Tragedy, In Four Acts
Granville-Barker, Harley
Adultery -- Drama; Politicians -- Drama; Women's rights -- Drama
CANTELUPE. You are forming it to carry disestablishment, are you not, Cyril?
Therefore you will form it in the best interests of the best scheme
possible.
HORSHAM. Trebell was and is the best man I know of for the purpose. I'm a
little weary of saying that.
_He folds his arms and awaits further developments. After a moment_
CANTELUPE _gets up as if to address a meeting._
CANTELUPE. Then if you would prefer not to include me ... I shall feel
justified in giving independent support to a scheme I have great faith in.
[_And he sits down again._]
BLACKBOROUGH. [_Impatiently._] My dear Cantelupe, if you think Horsham can
form a disestablishment cabinet to include Trebell and exclude you, you're
vastly mistaken. I for one....
FARRANT. But do both of you consider how valuable, how vital Trebell is to
us just at this moment? The Radicals trust him....
BLACKBOROUGH. They hate him.
HORSHAM. [_Elucidating._] Their front bench hates him because he turned them
out. The rest of them hate their front bench. After six years of office, who
wouldn't?
BLACKBOROUGH. That's true.
FARRANT. Oh, of course, we must stick to Trebell, Blackborough.
BLACKBOROUGH _is silent; so_ HORSHAM _turns his attention to his
cousin._
HORSHAM. Well, Charles, I won't ask you for a decision now. I know how hard
it is to accept the dictates of other men's consciences ... but a necessary
condition of all political work; believe me.
CANTELUPE. [_Uneasily._] You can form your cabinet without me, Cyril.
_At this_ BLACKBOROUGH _charges down on them, so to speak._
BLACKBOROUGH. No, I tell you, I'm damned if he can. Leaving the whole high
church party to blackmail all they can out of us and vote how they like!
Here ... I've got my Yorkshire people to think of. I can bargain for them
with you in a cabinet ... not if you've the pull of being out of it.
HORSHAM. [_With charming insinuation._] And have you calculated,
Blackborough, what may become of us if Trebell has the pull of being out of
it?
BLACKBOROUGH _makes a face._
BLACKBOROUGH. Yes ... I suppose he might turn nasty.
FARRANT. I should hope he would.
BLACKBOROUGH.[_Tackling_ FARRANT _with great ease._] I should hope he would
consider the matter not from the personal, but from the political point of
view ... as I am trying to do.
HORSHAM. [_Tasting his epigram with enjoyment._] Introspection is the only
bar to such an honourable endeavour, [BLACKBOROUGH _gapes._] You don't
suffer from that as--for instance--Charles here, does.
BLACKBOROUGH. [_Pugnaciously._] D'you mean I'm just pretending not to attack
him personally?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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