sin. That’s the only proof he can give of a contrite spirit.
MISS VERNON.
Nonsense. He can give a much more sensible proof by acting differently
in future.
GRACE.
That would be so easy now.
MISS VERNON.
But actions aren’t good because they’re difficult.
GRACE.
Part of my punishment is the feeling that except for this horrible
mistake we should both be so much happier than we were before.
MISS VERNON.
You love Claude now, don’t you?
GRACE.
With all my heart.
MISS VERNON.
I have an idea that it’s only your sin that has made your love worth
having.
ARCHIBALD.
[_Rather shocked._] Helen.
MISS VERNON.
You were rather hard and selfish before because you had nothing in
particular to reproach yourself with. Perhaps it was necessary that you
should step from the narrow path of virtue in order to become a virtuous
woman.
ARCHIBALD.
Helen, you can’t mean that.
MISS VERNON.
It’s very often only repentance that makes men and women human.
ARCHIBALD.
Repentance is useless without sacrifice.
GRACE.
Yes, I feel that. And the only sacrifice I can make is to lay bare my
soul before Claude and accept my punishment.
ARCHIBALD.
And then, I think Claude should be given the chance of deciding for
himself. It’s not fair to leave him in ignorance.
MISS VERNON.
[_To_ GRACE.] Don’t you know that Claude loves you, and trusts you, and
believes in you?
GRACE.
That is all my torment. I’m so unworthy. If I didn’t love him--if I
didn’t want him to love me so much--it wouldn’t be so dreadful.... I
can’t bear that there should be this secret between us. I know that he’s
not loving me, but some fancy of his own heart. And I’m jealous. I’m
jealous of the woman he loves who isn’t me. And I want him to love me as
I am, as I love him.
MISS VERNON.
Grace, don’t forget that I’ve loved him, too, hopelessly, without any
thought of a return. It gives me some claim, doesn’t it?
[ARCHIBALD _looks at her quickly, with surprise, but does not
speak_.
MISS VERNON.
The only thing I care for is his happiness. And I beseech you to have
mercy on him.
GRACE.
What do you mean?
MISS VERNON.
If you destroy his belief in you he’ll have nothing left. He thinks he’s
strong, but he isn’t. He depends on a few simple principles, and some of
them are already giving way under his feet. He wants you now more than
ever. You can give him back his self-reliance. And you’re going to
humiliate him. Besides everything else, the misery and the grief, don’t
you see what a blow it’ll be to his vanity? I beseech you to have mercy.
GRACE.
You’re asking me to go on living the hateful lie. But I can’t breathe.
The air about me seems heavy with deceit. If Claude doesn’t love me for
what I am, what can his love be to me?
MISS VERNON.
My dear, it’s not for ourselves that our friends love us, but for the
grace and the beauty that they’ve given us out of their own hearts. And
the only way we can show them our gratitude is by doing all we can to
preserve those precious illusions they have about us.
GRACE.
I don’t want a love that’s based on illusion. At the back of my mind
there was the hope that if I told Claude, some day in the future he
might forgive me. And we could start fresh with mutual knowledge and
mutual confidence. But if I don’t tell him, we can never come together.
Even though we’re not separated for an hour, there’ll always be this
barrier between us.
MISS VERNON.
Then let that be your punishment.
GRACE.
[_Startled._] That! [_With a little laugh of scorn._] You don’t know
what you’re asking me to do. It’s because I love Claude so much that I
_can’t_ let him go on thinking I’m good and pure and chaste.
ARCHIBALD.
And how can good come out of a lie, Helen?
MISS VERNON.
Perhaps it wouldn’t be a lie always. Don’t you remember the Happy
Hypocrite? Love can work many miracles.
GRACE.
[_With a sort of gasp._] You mean--you think I might become really what
Claude thinks me?
MISS VERNON.
You might try.
GRACE.
D’you know that I should never have a moment’s peace?
MISS VERNON.
If you love Claude really, that mightn’t be too great a price to pay for
his happiness.
GRACE.
[_Vehemently._] Oh, it’s all very well for you to talk, but you don’t
know what this sense of shame is. It’s killing me. And the degradation
of being loved for what you’re not. And you want me never to escape from
it. Oh, you’re right. It would be a fiendish punishment.
MISS VERNON.
It’s the only return you can make for all the love that Claude has given
you.
GRACE.
[_Taking up the thought._] For his wonderful kindness, and all these
years of thought and loving tenderness.
[_For a moment_ GRACE _stares in front of her as the words sink
in_.
MISS VERNON.
Grace, it’s I who ask you now to be brave.
GRACE.
[_With a great sigh._] I seem to see the chance of a greater sacrifice
than anything I’d ever dreamt of. I wonder.... I believe there’s a
chance.... [_With a sudden start._] Oh! listen.
[_She has heard_ CLAUDE _come in. There is a sound of voices in the
hall._
GRACE.
That’s settled it. It’s too late now to do anything.
MISS VERNON.
What is it?
GRACE.
Claude’s just come in. I heard him speaking to Moore. He’s been given
the letter.
MISS VERNON.
D’you mean to say.... [_Some part of the facts dawns upon her and she
bursts out violently._] Oh, it’s not that the human race are wicked that
I mind, or that they’re weak--you _can_ give them backbone; but what I
can’t get over is that they are such blooming fools.
GRACE.
Will you leave me, both of you? Claude had better find me alone.
MISS VERNON.
[_To_ ARCHIBALD, _after a glance at_ GRACE.] Come.
[_They go out._ GRACE _is horribly frightened. She stands quite
still, pulling her handkerchief about._ CLAUDE _comes in_. _He has
a letter in his hand. He flings it on a table._ GRACE _sees with a
start that it is unopened_.
GRACE.
[_Forcing herself to seem natural._] Is the inquest over?
CLAUDE.
[_Sinking dejectedly into a chair._] They brought in a verdict of
suicide while of unsound mind.
GRACE.
That was what you expected, wasn’t it?
CLAUDE.
Yes.
GRACE.
You must be thankful it’s finished and done with.
CLAUDE.
[_With an effort._] The jury passed a vote of censure on me.
GRACE.
Claude!
CLAUDE.
Oh, if you’d only heard the questions they asked me! There were
reporters there, so it’ll be in the papers and you can read for
yourself. They made me appear a perfect brute.
GRACE.
I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as you fancy.
CLAUDE.
You see, I hadn’t a chance of defending myself. I wasn’t going to make
excuses to a parcel of Dissenting shopkeepers. It made me look as if I
hadn’t a leg to stand on.
GRACE.
After all, what can it matter what a dozen yokels think of you?
CLAUDE.
And afterwards when I came out--they had the inquest in that big room
upstairs at the Insoley Arms--there was a crowd outside, people I’d
known all my life, I suppose they’d been taking the opportunity to have
a good soak, and they hissed me as I passed.
GRACE.
Didn’t you say that you were going to abolish the rule?
CLAUDE.
Of course I’m going to abolish the rule. Hang it all, it’s caused
wretchedness enough.
GRACE.
I wish you’d had an opportunity of telling them.
CLAUDE.
[_Rather shamefacedly._] The coroner asked me what I was going to do
about it. I couldn’t knuckle under then with all those people round me.
I simply couldn’t, Grace. I was obliged to say that I meant to be master
in my own house, and I didn’t propose to let anyone dictate to me.
GRACE.
[_Putting her hand on his shoulder._] I’m afraid you’ve been awfully
worried, old man.
CLAUDE.
It’s given me a bit of a knock to find out that they--they just hate me.
I was rather fond of the people on the estate, and I thought they were
fond of me. When they’ve been in trouble I’ve done every damned thing I
could to help them. When times have been bad I’ve not bothered much
about the rents, and we’ve never been rich. Hang it all, I’ve given them
all my time and my thoughts for years, and the only result is that they
can’t stick me. They haven’t got any mercy if I’ve made a mistake. They
give me no credit for good intentions.
GRACE.
I’m sure you exaggerate, Claude. You fancy they feel more bitter than
they really do.
CLAUDE.
Oh, if you’d only seen them! The pleasure they took in having a dig at
me! I could see the hatred on their faces. Oh, I expect Archibald is
right. Our time down here is over. The only fellow they want in the
country now is the Jew stockbroker with his pockets full of money.
GRACE.
Darling, _I_ know that you’ve always acted for the best. _I_ know how
much you’ve done for the people on the estate. After all, it wasn’t for
their gratitude that you did it, was it? It was because it was your
duty.
CLAUDE.
[_Rising._] Oh, Grace, I don’t know what I should do without you. You’ve
been so awfully good to me through the whole thing. I’m so grateful to
you.
GRACE.
What nonsense!
CLAUDE.
I was so afraid it would make a difference to you, but it hasn’t, has
it?
GRACE.
[_Shaking her head._] No.
CLAUDE.
If I lost you, Grace, I couldn’t live. Without you--I can’t imagine life
without you.
GRACE.
How absurd you are, Claude.
CLAUDE.
I’m talking rot, aren’t I?
[_He notices the letter, which he had put on the table, and picks
it up._ GRACE _catches her breath_.
CLAUDE.
Hulloa! I forgot to open this. Moore gave it me as I came in. [_With
surprise._] It’s your hand-writing.
GRACE.
[_Quite naturally, holding out her hand._] It’s nothing. I was afraid I
should have gone out by the time you came in, and I wanted to remind you
about the herbaceous border. It’s only a note.
CLAUDE.
[_Giving her the letter._] Are you going out?
GRACE.
I was going to motor to Wells with Helen Vernon.
[_As she speaks she tears the letter into little bits._
CLAUDE.
Don’t leave me to-day, Grace. I want you so awfully badly.
GRACE.
[_Sinking with exhaustion into a chair._] No, I won’t leave you ... if
you want me.
[CLAUDE _kneels down by her side_.
CLAUDE.
I always want you, Grace. You’re so much to me.... After all, nothing
can really matter to me so long as I have you. It’s such a comfort to
think that I can trust you. And you’ll never round on me. I’m awfully
grateful for you, Grace.
[_He buries his face in her lap, kissing her hands._
GRACE.
[_In a trembling voice._] I can never be such a wife to you as you
deserve, Claude. But I can try. If you can believe in me always, Claude,
perhaps in time I can become what you believe me. [_He makes a
movement._] No, don’t look at me. I want you to know that I love you
with all my heart, I love you with my body, and I love you with my soul.
I want to forget myself and think only of you. What does my happiness
matter so long as I can make you happy?
[_She bends down and kisses his hair._
THE END