The same room on the following morning at ten-twenty-five, by the
Grandfather clock.
The YOUNG CLERK is ushering in DANCY, whose face is perceptibly
harder than it was three months ago, like that of a man who has
lived under great restraint.
DANCY. He wanted to see me before the Court sat.
YOUNG CLERK. Yes, sir. Mr Twisden will see you in one minute. He had
to go out of town last night. [He prepares to open the waiting-room
door].
DANCY. Were you in the war?
YOUNG CLERK. Yes.
DANCY. How can you stick this?
YOUNG CLERK. [With a smile] My trouble was to stick that, sir.
DANCY. But you get no excitement from year's end to year's end. It'd
drive me mad.
YOUNG CLERK. [Shyly] A case like this is pretty exciting. I'd give a
lot to see us win it.
DANCY. [Staring at him] Why? What is it to you?
YOUNG CLERK. I don't know, sir. It's--it's like football--you want your
side to win. [He opens the waiting-room door. Expanding] You see some
rum starts, too, in a lawyer's office in a quiet way.
DANCY enters the waiting-room, and the YOUNG CLERK, shutting the
door, meets TWISDEN as he comes in, Left Forward, and takes from him
overcoat, top hat, and a small bag.
YOUNG CLERK. Captain Dancy's waiting, sir. [He indicates the
waiting-room].
TWISDEN. [Narrowing his lips] Very well. Mr Graviter gone to the
Courts?
YOUNG CLERK. Yes, sir.
TWISDEN. Did he leave anything for me?
YOUNG CLERK. On the table, sir.
TWISDEN. [Taking up an envelope] Thank you.
The CLERK goes.
TWISDEN. [Opening the envelope and reading] "All corroborates." H'm!
[He puts it in his pocket and takes out of an envelope the two notes,
lays them on the table, and covers them with a sheet of blotting-paper;
stands a moment preparing himself, then goes to the door of the
waiting-room, opens it, and says:] Now, Captain Dancy. Sorry to have
kept you waiting.
DANCY. [Entering] WINSOR came to me yesterday about General Canynge's
evidence. Is that what you wanted to speak to me about?
TWISDEN. No. It isn't that.
DANCY. [Looking at his wrist watch] By me it's just on the half-hour,
sir.
TWISDEN. Yes. I don't want you to go to the Court.
DANCY. Not?
TWISDEN. I have very serious news for you.
DANCY. [Wincing and collecting himself] Oh!
TWISDEN. These two notes. [He uncovers the notes] After the Court rose
yesterday we had a man called Ricardos here. [A pause] Is there any need
for me to say more?
DANCY. [Unflinching] No. What now?
TWISDEN. Our duty was plain; we could not go on with the case. I have
consulted Sir Frederic. He felt--he felt that he must throw up his
brief, and he will do that the moment the Court sits. Now I want to talk
to you about what you're going to do.
DANCY. That's very good of you, considering.
TWISDEN. I don't pretend to understand, but I imagine you may have done
this in a moment of reckless bravado, feeling, perhaps, that as you gave
the mare to De Levis, the money was by rights as much yours as his.
Stopping DANCY, who is about to speak, with a gesture.
To satisfy a debt of honour to this--lady; and, no doubt, to save your
wife from hearing of it from the man Ricardos. Is that so?
DANCY. To the life.
TWISDEN. It was mad, Captain Dancy, mad! But the question now is: What
do you owe to your wife? She doesn't dream--I suppose?
DANCY. [With a twitching face] No.
TWISDEN. We can't tell what the result of this collapse will be. The
police have the theft in hand. They may issue a warrant. The money
could be refunded, and the costs paid--somehow that can all be managed.
But it may not help. In any case, what end is served by your staying in
the country? You can't save your honour--that's gone. You can't save
your wife's peace of mind. If she sticks to you--do you think she will?
DANCY. Not if she's wise.
TWISDEN. Better go! There's a war in Morocco.
DANCY. [With a bitter smile] Good old Morocco!
TWISDEN. Will you go, then, at once, and leave me to break it to your
wife?
DANCY. I don't know yet.
TWISDEN. You must decide quickly, to catch a boat train. Many a man has
made good. You're a fine soldier.
DANCY. There are alternatives.
TWISDEN. Now, go straight from this office. You've a passport, I
suppose; you won't need a visa for France, and from there you can find
means to slip over. Have you got money on you? [Dancy nods]. We will
see what we can do to stop or delay proceedings.
DANCY. It's all damned kind of you. [With difficulty] But I must think
of my wife. Give me a few minutes.
TWISDEN. Yes, yes; go in there and think it out.
He goes to the door, Right, and opens it. DANCY passes him and goes
out. TWISDEN rings a bell and stands waiting.
CLERK. [Entering] Yes, sir?
TWISDEN. Tell them to call a taxi.
CLERK. [Who has a startled look] Yes, sir. Mr Graviter has come in,
air, with General Canynge. Are you disengaged?
TWISDEN. Yes.
The CLERK goes out, and almost immediately GRAVITER and CANYNGE
enter. Good-morning, General. [To GRAVITER]
Well?
GRAVITER. Sir Frederic got up at once and said that since the
publication of the numbers of those notes, information had reached him
which forced him to withdraw from the case. Great sensation, of course.
I left Bromley in charge. There'll be a formal verdict for the
defendant, with costs. Have you told Dancy?
TWISDEN. Yes. He's in there deciding what he'll do.
CANYNGE. [Grave and vexed] This is a dreadful thing, Twisden. I've
been afraid of it all along. A soldier! A gallant fellow, too. What on
earth got into him?
TWISDEN. There's no end to human nature, General.
GRAVITER. You can see queerer things in the papers, any day.
CANYNGE. That poor young wife of his! WINSOR gave me a message for you,
Twisden. If money's wanted quickly to save proceedings, draw on him.
Is there anything I can do?
TWISDEN. I've advised him to go straight off to Morocco.
CANYNGE. I don't know that an asylum isn't the place for him. He must
be off his head at moments. That jump-crazy! He'd have got a verdict on
that alone--if they'd seen those balconies. I was looking at them when I
was down there last Sunday. Daring thing, Twisden. Very few men, on a
dark night--He risked his life twice. That's a shrewd fellow--young De
Levis. He spotted Dancy's nature.
The YOUNG CLERK enters.
CLERK. The taxi's here, sir. Will you see Major Colford and Miss Orme?
TWISDEN. Graviter--No; show them in.
The YOUNG CLERK goes.
CANYNGE. Colford's badly cut up.
MARGARET ORME and COLFORD enter.
COLFORD. [Striding forward] There must be some mistake about this, Mr
Twisden.
TWISDEN. Hssh! Dancy's in there. He's admitted it.
Voices are subdued at once.
COLFORD. What? [With emotion] If it were my own brother, I couldn't
feel it more. But--damn it! What right had that fellow to chuck up the
case--without letting him know, too. I came down with Dancy this
morning, and he knew nothing about it.
TWISDEN. [Coldly] That was unfortunately unavoidable.
COLFORD. Guilty or not, you ought to have stuck to him--it's not playing
the game, Mr Twisden.
TWISDEN. You must allow me to judge where my duty lay, in a very hard
case.
COLFORD. I thought a man was safe with his solicitor.
CANYNGE. Colford, you don't understand professional etiquette.
COLFORD. No, thank God!
TWISDEN. When you have been as long in your profession as I have been in
mine, Major Colford, you will know that duty to your calling outweighs
duty to friend or client.
COLFORD. But I serve the Country.
TWISDEN. And I serve the Law, sir.
CANYNGE. Graviter, give me a sheet of paper. I'll write a letter for
him.
MARGARET. [Going up to TWISDEN] Dear Mr Jacob--pay De Levis. You know
my pearls--put them up the spout again. Don't let Ronny be--
TWISDEN. Money isn't the point, Margaret.
MARGARET. It's ghastly! It really is.
COLFORD. I'm going in to shake hands with him. [He starts to cross the
room].
TWISDEN. Wait! We want him to go straight off to Morocco. Don't upset
him. [To COLFORD and MARGARET] I think you had better go. If, a little
later, Margaret, you could go round to Mrs Dancy--
COLFORD. Poor little Mabel Dancy! It's perfect hell for her.
They have not seen that DANCY has opened the door behind them.
DANCY. It is!
They all turn round in consternation.
COLFORD. [With a convulsive movement] Old boy!
DANCY. No good, Colford. [Gazing round at them] Oh! clear out--I can't
stand commiseration; and let me have some air.
TWISDEN motions to COLFORD and MARGARET to go; and as he turns to
DANCY, they go out. GRAVITER also moves towards the door. The
GENERAL sits motionless. GRAVITER goes Out.
TWISDEN. Well?
DANCY. I'm going home, to clear up things with my wife. General
Canynge, I don't quite know why I did the damned thing. But I did,
and there's an end of it.
CANYNGE. Dancy, for the honour of the Army, avoid further scandal if
you can. I've written a letter to a friend of mine in the Spanish War
Office. It will get you a job in their war. [CANYNGE closes the
envelope].
DANCY. Very good of you. I don't know if I can make use of it.
CANYNGE stretches out the letter, which TWISDEN hands to DANCY, who
takes it. GRAVITER re-opens the door.
TWISDEN. What is it?
GRAVITER. De Levis is here.
TWISDEN. De Levis? Can't see him.
DANCY. Let him in!
After a moment's hesitation TWISDEN nods, and GRAVITER goes out.
The three wait in silence with their eyes fixed on the door, the
GENERAL sitting at the table, TWISDEN by his chair, DANCY between
him and the door Right. DE LEVIS comes in and shuts the door. He
is advancing towards TWISDEN when his eyes fall on DANCY, and he
stops.
TWISDEN. You wanted to see me?
DE LEVIS. [Moistening his lips] Yes. I came to say that--that I
overheard--I am afraid a warrant is to be issued. I wanted you to
realise--it's not my doing. I'll give it no support. I'm content. I
don't want my money. I don't even want costs. Dancy, do you understand?
DANCY does not answer, but looks at him with nothing alive in his
face but his eyes.
TWISDEN. We are obliged to you, Sir. It was good of you to come.
DE LEVIS. [With a sort of darting pride] Don't mistake me. I didn't
come because I feel Christian; I am a Jew. I will take no money--not
even that which was stolen. Give it to a charity. I'm proved right.
And now I'm done with the damned thing. Good-morning!
He makes a little bow to CANYNGE and TWISDEN, and turns to face
DANCY, who has never moved. The two stand motionless, looking at
each other, then DE LEVIS shrugs his shoulders and walks out. When
he is gone there is a silence.
CANYNGE. [Suddenly] You heard what he said, Dancy. You have no time to
lose.
But DANCY does not stir.
TWISDEN. Captain Dancy?
Slowly, without turning his head, rather like a man in a dream,
DANCY walks across the room, and goes out.
CURTAIN.