VENDALE continues.) The letter! I had forgotten the caution. I am warned to trust nobody.
(He returns to the safe, and stands before it, hesitating, with his back towards OBENREIZER.)
Obenreizer. (stealthily advancing). Not a soul to see us! And I am the strongest of the two!
(At the moment when he is within arm’s length of VENDALE, the door from the court-yard is loudly opened, and JOEY reappears. OBENREIZER starts back.)
Joey. Did you call, Master George?
Vendale. No! Don’t interrupt us!
Joey (aside, after a suspicious look at OBENREIZER). I won’t shut the door this time!
(He goes out, leaving the door into the yard open.)
Vendale. (to OBENREIZER, putting back the receipt). Well? Have you read the letters?
Obenreizer. I can’t tell you how surprised and sorry I am! Let us hope there is some mistake.
Vendale. I have another letter, received this morning, which confirms the news.
Obenreizer. May I see it?
Vendale. It forbids me to act on my own discretion; otherwise you should see it directly.
(He turns to lock the safe. At the same moment OBENREIZER turns, and looks towards the yard. The door is wide open, and JOEY and his men are passing backwards and forwards within view.)
Obenreizer. (aside). Force is hopeless. I’ll try fraud! (To VENDALE.) Suppose you show me the receipt?
Vendale. The very thing I was thinking of! But there’s an obstacle in the way. This letter insists on my keeping the whole thing a profound secret from everybody.
Obenreizer. Without excepting me? Surely they must have forgotten——?
Vendale. No doubt they have forgotten! I had thought of asking your advice. And more—the receipt must be conveyed to Switzerland by private hand. I don’t know who I can trust——
Obenreizer. Take it yourself—and I’ll go with you. Nothing could happen better. I came to tell you this morning that I have business which forces me to go to Switzerland.
Vendale. (aside). Leave Marguerite!
Obenreizer. If Defresnier’s partner had remembered what he ought to have remembered, he would have saved you a world of trouble. As it is, what can you do? You are acting in a very serious matter, and acting entirely in the dark. As a man of business, you have no choice. You must be guided, not by the spirit, but by the letter of your instructions. You must go as I go—at once!
Vendale. I must speak to Marguerite first.
Obenreizer. By all means! Come and dine at my house—bring your luggage with you—and we will start by the mail train together. Is it agreed?
Vendale. Agreed!
Obenreizer. At seven to-night?
Vendale. At seven to-night.
Obenreizer. You take the receipt of course?
Vendale. I take the receipt.
Obenreizer. (aside). And I take it from you on the road!
(Exit.)
Joey. I’ll carry your luggage, sir, to Mr. Openrazor’s house.
Vendale. You have been listening!
Joey. Not exactly, sir; but I’ve heard everything, for all that!
(The Scene closes.)
SECOND SCENE—A room in WILDING’S house—the room already shown in the Second Scene of the Second Act. Enter SALLY GOLDSTRAW, followed by JOEY.
Sally. Mr. Joey!
Joey. Miss Goldstraw!
Sally. Your proper place is in the cellars; and my proper place is in the house.
Joey. If you prefer the cellars, Miss, I’ll follow you, there, with the greatest pleasure.
Sally. Why do you want to follow me at all?
Joey. For the reason, Miss, that the first man followed the first woman—because he took a liking to her!
Sally. And the first woman, Mr. Joey, led him all wrong afterwards. I don’t desire you lead you wrong. I wish you good morning.
Joey. Please to stop where you are, Miss. There’s another reason for my follering you. I’m uneasy in my mind.
Sally. How can I help that?
Joey. How can you help that? I’ll tell you. What do you do, when you cut your finger, and it hurts you? You take a bit of rag, and you smear a bit of balsam on it, and you clap the whole on the place, and you’re all right again. I’m the cut finger; and you’re the balsam and the rag.
Sally. I’m much obliged to you, Mr. Joey, for likening me to balsam and rag!
Joey. You’re heartily welcome, Miss! At the same time, if you please, we won’t lose sight of the state of my mind. P’r’aps it’s the Wapours I’ve took in at the pores. P’r’aps it’s the gift of prophesying which has come strong on me lately? Whether it’s one, or whether it’s t’other, I’m uneasy in my mind about the way things is going on in this house. Now just look into the matter, to please me! (Attempts to put his arm round her waist.)
Sally. I don’t look at things with my waist, Mr. Joey—and you don’t look at things with your arm! (Aside, after a glance at JOEY’S leather apron.) How can a man possibly fall in love, when he wears such an apron as that?
Joey (aside). She likes my apron. What follers her liking my apron? She likes me! (To SALLY.) Look at it, Miss, with any part of you you please, so long as you do look at it. It all begun with poor Master Wilding changing the name of the Firm. He changed the luck of the Firm, when he did that. What happens afterwards? He dies to begin with. Then, a bit of that cursed stuff in the cellars falls on Master George. Then, a letter comes from foreign parts, and brings bad news. And now, here’s Master George going away from us in a hurry, in company with that Mr. Openrazor, who turns my stomach whenever I look at him. If something ain’t done to bring the luck round, you mark my words—it will end badly!
Sally. Bring the luck round! Why are you looking at me? Who’s to do it?
Joey. You!
Sally. I! What can you be thinking of? Why, I am the cause—the innocent cause, Mr. Joey—of everything that you complain of! If I had not come here to apply for the situation, poor Mr. Wilding need never have known the truth—and all the rest of it need never have happened. If you know your own mind, you ought to hate me! I am the miserable creature who has brought the ill luck into the house——
Joey. All the more reason, Miss, for you to bring the good luck back again. (Aside.) That was well said, I think!
Sally (aside). He has evidently fallen in love with me, in spite of his apron!
Joey. You can do it, Miss, as easy as one and one make two.
Sally. How, Mr. Joey?
Joey. By changing your name, Miss, from Goldstraw (which is good) to Ladle (which is better). (Aside.) That was well said, I think!
Sally. What, Mr. Joey! You, of all the people in the world, recommend me to change the name of the Firm? What next, I wonder?
Joey.