Complete Works of Wilkie Collins (2076 page)

Godfrey.
When may I see you again?

Rachel.
Wait for me in the garden. I will join you in a few minutes.

Godfrey.
Till then — (
He kisses his hand to her, turns away to the window with an air of relief, and speaks aside.
) The best day’s work I ever did in my life! (
He goes out on the right.
)

Rachel
(
confusedly
). Have I given him my promise? Am I engaged to be his wife? Why not? What have I done that is not wise and right? He is a good man — he is a true man; he will help me forget. (
She pauses thoughtfully.
BETTEREDGE
appears at the hall door and looks in.
)

Betteredge
(
in a whisper to himself
). Nobody with her! Now for Mr. Franklin! (
He disappears again.
RACHEL
continues.
)

Rachel
(
pursuing her thoughts
). I don’t expect to be happy, but surely I ought to feel contented, at least? Who could wish for truer devotion than Godfrey’s? (
She pauses again, and suddenly starts to her feet.
) Franklin! I’m thinking of Franklin again! Oh, how base I am — how hatefully, shamefully weak! Will nothing shake that man’s fatal influence over me? (FRANKLIN
appears at the hall door.
RACHEL,
standing with her back turned on him, walks angrily to the right.
) I will forget him! I will be true to Godfrey, if I break my heart in doing it! (
She turns to walk back again and sees
FRANKLIN.
She stops instantly, in dead silence, rooted to the spot.
FRANKLIN,
in silence on his side, slowly advances a few steps towards her and pauses. They look at each other.
)

Franklin
(
softly
). Rachel!

Rachel
(
rousing herself, and looking at him with contemptuous surprise
). Another lie? More treachery?

Franklin
(
louder
). Rachel!

Rachel
(
with bitter deliberation
).You have even degraded my honest old servant. Betteredge told me you had left the house. And now you steal your way in here, when I am alone. (
She speaks her next words, not angrily but with contemptuous calmness.
) You coward. You mean, miserable, heartless coward.

Franklin
(
controlling himself
). I remember the time, Rachel, when you could have told me that I had offended you in a worthier way than that. I regret that I permitted Betteredge to deceive you. I ask your pardon.

Rachel
(
with ironical humility
). I suppose
I
ought to ask
your
pardon? Perhaps there is some excuse for me. After what you have done, it does seem a cowardly action to try the experiment of taking me by surprise. But that is only a woman’s view. I should have done better if I had controlled myself, and said nothing.

Franklin
(
stung by her tone
). If my honour were not in your hands, I would leave you this instant, and never see you again. (
He pauses, overcome by his agitation, and supports himself by resting his hand on a chair; then continues, in faint, sad tones.
) I am weak and ill; I am not able to control myself as I ought. Be just to me, Rachel; I only ask you to be just. You speak of what I have done. What have I done?

Rachel
(
with rising anger
).You ask that question of
me?

Franklin.
I ask more. I ask why you insulted me before Betteredge and the police-officer. I ask what was in your mind when you said: “Franklin Blake, you are beneath being insulted, and you know it.”

Rachel
(
pointing to the door
). Leave the room!

Franklin.
Not until you have answered me!

Rachel.
You refuse?

Franklin.
I refuse!

Rachel
(
in violent exasperation
). There is one last degradation left for you — you shall be turned out by the servants. (
She approaches the table on which the bell is placed.
FRANKLIN
takes her by the hand, as she tries to touch the bell.
)

Franklin
(
firmly
). Look at me!

Rachel
(
feeling the influence of his eye and his touch
). Let me go!

Franklin
(
tenderly, still holding her hand
). Rachel, you once loved me.

Rachel
(
struggling more and more feebly against his influence over her
). Let me go!

Franklin
(
more and more tenderly
). Remember the happy old times when we were children together. Let the memory of your mother plead for me. I was her favourite; she could hardly have been fonder of me if I had been her own son!

Rachel
(
melting into tears
). Don’t speak of it, Franklin! You break my heart! Why do you come here to humiliate yourself? Why do you come here to humiliate me? Are you afraid I shall expose you? Have you not seen for yourself that I can’t expose you? I can’t tear you out of my heart! No matter how falsely I may be suspected, no matter how vilely I may be wronged, the secret of your infamy is safe in my keeping! (FRANKLIN
draws back from her slowly, overwhelmed by her last words.
)

Franklin
(
in low tones of horror
). My infamy?

Rachel
(
with a sudden outbreak of despair
). Be content with the confession that you have wrung from me. Go!

Franklin
(
as before
). My infamy?

Rachel
(
drawing back from him on her side
). He looks as if
I
had injured
him!
(
She turns again, appealing to him for the last time.
) I gave you one opportunity after another of owning the truth, or of making reparation in secret. I left unsaid nothing that I could say; I left undone nothing that I could do. (
Her anger begins to rise.
) And all the return you made was to look at me with your heartless pretence of innocence, as you are looking now!

Franklin
(
suddenly rising to indignation on his side
). Of what infamy do you believe me guilty? Say it in plain words, or
I
will ring the bell, and call every soul in the house to judge between you and me!

Rachel
(
roused to passion
). Oh! is there another man like this in the world? After seeing his dressing-gown in the policeman’s hands! After hearing me refuse to give any explanation, for
his
sake! You villain, you mean villain, I would rather have lost fifty diamonds, than see your face lying to me as it lies now!

Franklin
(
passionately
). What do you mean?

Rachel
(
more passionately on her side
). What I say!

Franklin
(
staggering back
). You believe that I stole the diamond?

Rachel
(
following him up furiously
). Believe? I
saw
you steal the diamond with my own eyes!!! (FRANKLIN
throws up his hands with a faint cry, and drops in a swoon at her feet.
RACHEL
starts back with a cry of horror.
) Oh God! have I killed him? Help! help! (BETTEREDGE
and
CUFF
enter together by the hall door.
RACHEL
appeals to them distractedly.
) Look! oh, look at him!

Betteredge
(
kneeling by
FRANKLIN,
raising his head, and feeling his heart
). Compose yourself, Miss Rachel. It’s only a fainting-fit. (
While
BETTEREDGE
is speaking,
CUFF
goes to a side-table, on which a bottle of water and some tumblers are placed, and returns to
BETTEREDGE
with a glass of water.
RACHEL,
at the same moment, pushes
BETTEREDGE
aside, and takes his place by
FRANKLIN.)

Rachel
(
answering
BETTEREDGE). Leave him to Me! Nobody shall touch him but Me! (
She kneels over
FRANKLIN,
resting his head on her knee, and sprinkling his forehead with water from the tumbler which
BETTEREDGE
receives from
CUFF,
and holds for her.
) Oh Betteredge, he doesn’t move, his colour doesn’t come back! (ANDREW
appears at the hall door, followed by the
POLICEMAN
with a telegram in his hand.
)

Andrew
(
entering the room
). The carriage is at the door, miss.

Rachel.
Send the carriage to the town for the doctor. Instantly! Instantly!

Andrew.
Yes, miss! (
He hurries out.
RACHEL
resumes her efforts to revive
FRANKLIN. BETTEREDGE
remains with her.
CUFF
notices the telegram in the
POLICEMAN’S
hands.
)

Cuff
(
to the
POLICEMAN). For me?

The Policeman.
For you. (
He hands the telegram to
CUFF,
and waits.
)

Cuff
(
snapping his fingers in triumph, after a glance at the telegram
). I’ve found the Moonstone! (
The curtain falls.
)

THE END OF THE SECOND ACT

THE THIRD ACT

Scene: as before. Time: evening, on the same day. The lamps are lit again, and the curtains are drawn over the window on the right, as in Act I. At the rise of the curtain,
FRANKLIN, BETTEREDGE,
and
MR. CANDY
are discovered.
FRANKLIN
is seated at a table, hiding his face in his hands.
MR. CANDY
stands on one side of him, and
BETTEREDGE
on the other.

Mr. Candy.
Are you quite sure of the facts, Mr. Blake? You have not long recovered from a fainting fit, and your mind may still be a little confused.

Franklin.
My mind is perfectly clear. Put me to the test in any way you like.

Mr. Candy.
Repeat what you said to me about Miss Rachel just now.

Franklin
(
repeating it
). Rachel told me, with her own lips, that she saw me take the diamond out of the cabinet drawer. And my dressing-gown has the stain of the wet varnish on it to prove that she spoke the truth.