Read Complete Poems and Plays Online
Authors: T. S. Eliot
Tags: #Literature, #20th Century, #American Literature, #Poetry, #Drama, #v.5, #Amazon.com, #Retail
And back to Joshua Park in the evening,
And once a year our holiday at Dawlish’.
And to think that was only the beginning of my travels!
It’s been a very unusual privilege
To see as much of Europe as I have,
Getting Lady Elizabeth out of her difficulties.
C
OLBY
.
Perhaps she won’t even arrive by this plane.
E
GGERSON
.
Oh, that could happen. She sometimes gets lost,
Or loses her ticket, or even her passport.
But let’s not be crossing any bridges
Until we come to them. That’s what
I
always say.
And I’m sure you’ll like her. She’s
such
a lady!
And what’s more, she has a good heart.
C
OLBY
.
Everybody seems to be kind-hearted.
But there’s one thing I do believe, Mr. Eggerson:
That
you
have a kind heart. And I’m convinced
That you always contrive to think the best of everyone.
E
GGERSON
.
You’ll come to find that I’m right, I assure you.
[
Enter
S
IR
C
LAUDE
]
S
IR
C
LAUDE
.
Hello! Still here? It’s time you were off.
E
GGERSON
.
I’m just going. There’s plenty of time.
[
Looks
at
his
watch
]
I’ll arrive at the airport with minutes to spare,
And besides, there’s the Customs. That’ll take her a time,
From my experience.
L
ADY
E
LIZABETH
M
ULHAMMER’S
voice
off
.
*
Just open that case, I want something out of it.
Unwrap that — It’s a bottle of medicine.
Now, Parkman, will you give it to the driver?
He tells me that he suffers from chronic catarrh.
S
IR
C
LAUDE
.
Hello! What’s that?
[
Opens
door
on
to
landing
and
listens
]
She’s here, Eggerson! That’s her voice.
Where is she? Oh, she’s gone out again.
[
Goes
to
the
window
and
looks
down
on
the
street
]
She’s having a conversation with the cabman.
What can they be talking about? She’s coming in!
L
ADY
E
LIZABETH
M
ULHAMMER’S
voice
off.
*
No, Gertrude, I haven’t had any lunch,
And I don’t want it now. Just bring me some tea.
Nothing with it. No, I forgot:
You haven’t learned yet how to make tea properly.
A cup of black coffee. Is Sir Claude at home?
I’ll speak to him first.
S
IR
C
LAUDE
.
Good heavens, Eggerson, what
can
have happened?
E
GGERSON
.
It’s perfectly amazing. Let
me
go down to meet her.
S
IR
C
LAUDE.
Where ought we to be? What ought we to be doing?
E
GGERSON
[
at
the
open
door
]
.
She’s speaking to the parlourmaid. She’s coming up.
S
IR
C
LAUDE
.
Colby, sit at the desk, and pick up some papers.
We must look as if we’d been engaged in business.
[
Enter
L
ADY
E
LIZABETH
M
ULHAMMER
]
E
GGERSON &
S
IR
C
LAUDE
[
simultaneously
]
.
Lady Elizabeth!
Elizabeth!
S
IR
C
LAUDE
.
What on earth has happened?
E
GGERSON
.
Lady Elizabeth! This is most surprising.
L
ADY
E
LIZABETH
.
What’s surprising, Eggerson? I’ve arrived, that’s all.
E
GGERSON
.
I was just starting for Northolt to meet you.
L
ADY
E
LIZABETH
.
That was very thoughtful of you, Eggerson,
But quite unnecessary. And besides,
I didn’t come by air. I arrived at Victoria.
S
IR
C
LAUDE
.
Do you mean to say that you changed your ticket?
E
GGERSON
.
Yes, how did you manage to change your ticket?
L
ADY
E
LIZABETH
.
I went to the agency and got them to change it.
I can’t understand why you’re both so surprised.
You know I’m a very experienced traveller.
S
IR
C
LAUDE
.
Oh yes, of course we know that, Elizabeth.
But why did you change your plans?
L
ADY
E
LIZABETH
.
Because of Mildred Deverell.
She’s been having the treatment with me,
And she can’t go by air — she says it makes her sea-sick;
So we took the night train, and did the Channel crossing.
But who is this young man? His face is familiar.
S
IR
C
LAUDE
.
This young man is Eggerson’s successor.
You know that Eggerson’s been meaning to retire …
E
GGERSON
.
Under medical orders, Lady Elizabeth:
The doctor made it very imperative …
S
IR
C
LAUDE
.
Mr. Simpkins had very strong recommendations …
E
GGERSON
.
And at the same time, he had another tempting offer:
So we had to make a quick decision.
S
IR
C
LAUDE
.
I didn’t want to bother you, during your treatment …
E
GGERSON
.
And Mr. Simpkins is much more highly qualified
Than I am, to be a confidential clerk.
Besides, he’s very musical.
L
ADY
E
LIZABETH
.
Musical?
Isn’t this the young man I interviewed
And recommended to Sir Claude? Of course it is.
I remember saying: ‘He has a good aura.’
I remember people’s auras almost better than their faces.
What did you say his name was?
S
IR
C
LAUDE
.
Colby Simpkins.
L
ADY
E
LIZABETH
[
counting
on
her
fingers
]
.
Thirteen letters. That’s very auspicious —
Contrary to what most people think.
You should be artistic. But you look rather frail.
I must give you lessons in the art of health.
Where is your home, Mr. Colby?
C
OLBY
.
Simpkins.
E
GGERSON
.
Mr. Colby Simpkins.
L
ADY
E
LIZABETH
.
I prefer Colby.
Where are you living?
S
IR
C
LAUDE
.
His home’s outside London.
But I want to have him closer at hand —
You know what a bother it’s been for Eggerson —
So I’m having the flat in the mews done over.
L
ADY
E
LIZABETH
.
But all in the wrong colours, I’m sure. My husband
Does not understand the importance of colour
For our spiritual life, Mr. Colby.
Neither, I regret to say, does Eggerson.
What colour have you chosen, between you?
S
IR
C
LAUDE
.
I thought a primrose yellow would be cheerful.
L
ADY
E
LIZABETH
.
Just what I expected. A primrose yellow
Would be absolutely baneful to Mr. Colby.
He needs a light mauve. I shall see about that.
But not today. I shall go and rest now.
In a sleeping-car it is quite impossible
To get one’s quiet hour. A quiet hour a day
Is most essential, Dr. Rebmann says.
S
IR
C
LAUDE
.
Rebmann? I thought it was a Dr. Leroux.
L
ADY
E
LIZABETH
.
Dr. Leroux is in Lausanne.
I have been in Zürich, under Dr. Rebmann.
S
IR
C
LAUDE
.
But you were going out to Dr. Leroux
In Lausanne. What made you go to Zürich?
L
ADY
E
LIZABETH
.
Why, I’d no sooner got to Lausanne
Than whom should I meet but Mildred Deverell.
She was going on to Zürich. So she said: ‘Come to Zürich!
There’s a wonderful doctor who teaches mind control.’
So on I went to Zürich.
S
IR
C
LAUDE
.
So on you went to Zürich.
But I thought that the doctor in Lausanne taught mind control?
L
ADY
E
LIZABETH
.
No, Claude, he only teaches
thought
control.
Mind control is a different matter:
It’s more advanced. But I wrote you all about it.