YOUNG M. There! That"s enough! You"re gettin" excited. You come away with me.
FAITH"s look at him is like the look of a dog at her master.
JOHNNY. [From the background] I know you"re a blackguard--I"ve seen your sort.
FAITH. [Firing up] Don"t call him names! I won"t have it. I"ll go with whom I choose! [Her eyes suddenly fix themselves on the YOUNG MAN"S face] And I"m going with him!
COOK enters.
MR MARCH. What now, Cook?
COOK. A Mr Barnabas in the hall, sir. From the police.
Everybody starts. MRS MARCH drinks off her fifth little gla.s.s of brandy, then sits again.
MR MARCH. From the police?
He goes out, followed by COOK. A moment"s suspense.
YOUNG M. Well, I can"t wait any longer. I suppose we can go out the back way?
He draws FAITH towards the windows. But JOHNNY stands there, barring the way. JOHNNY. No, you don"t.
FAITH. [Scared] Oh! Let me go--let him go!
JOHNNY. You may go. [He takes her arm to pull her to the window] He can"t.
FAITH. [Freeing herself] No--no! Not if he doesn"t.
JOHNNY has an evident moment of hesitation, and before it is over MR MARCH comes in again, followed by a man in a neat suit of plain clothes.
MR MARCH. I should like you to say that in front of her.
P. C. MAN. Your service, ma"am. Afraid I"m intruding here. Fact is, I"ve been waiting for a chance to speak to this young woman quietly.
It"s rather public here, sir; but if you wish, of course, I"ll mention it. [He waits for some word from some one; no one speaks, so he goes on almost apologetically] Well, now, you"re in a good place here, and you ought to keep it. You don"t want fresh trouble, I"m sure.
FAITH. [Scared] What do you want with me?
P. C. MAN. I don"t want to frighten you; but we"ve had word pa.s.sed that you"re a.s.sociating with the young man there. I observed him to-night again, waiting outside here and whistling.
YOUNG M. What"s the matter with whistling?
P. C. MAN. [Eyeing him] I should keep quiet if I was you. As you know, sir [To MR MARCH] there"s a law nowadays against soo-tenors.
MR MARCH. Soo--?
JOHNNY. I knew it.
P. C. MAN. [Deprecating] I don"t want to use any plain English--with ladies present--
YOUNG M. I don"t know you. What are you after? Do you dare--?
P. C. MAN. We cut the darin", "tisn"t necessary. We know all about you.
FAITH. It"s a lie!
P. C. MAN. There, miss, don"t let your feelings--
FAITH. [To the YOUNG MAN] It"s a lie, isn"t it?
YOUNG M. A blankety lie.
MR MARCH. [To BARNABAs] Have you actual proof?
YOUNG M. Proof? It"s his job to get chaps into a mess.
P. C. MAN. [Sharply] None of your lip, now!
At the new tone in his voice FAITH turns and visibly quails, like a dog that has been shown a whip.
MR MARCH. Inexpressibly painful!
YOUNG M. Ah! How would you like to be insulted in front of your girl?
If you"re a gentleman you"ll tell him to leave the house. If he"s got a warrant, let him produce it; if he hasn"t, let him get out.
P. C. MAN. [To MR MARCH] You"ll understand, sir, that my object in speakin" to you to-night was for the good of the girl. Strictly, I"ve gone a bit out of my way. If my job was to get men into trouble, as he says, I"d only to wait till he"s got hold of her. These fellows, you know, are as cunning as lynxes and as impudent as the devil.
YOUNG M. Now, look here, if I get any more of this from you--I--I"ll consult a lawyer.
JOHNNY. Fellows like you--
MR MARCH. Johnny!
P. C. MAN. Your son, sir?
YOUNG M. Yes; and wants to be where I am. But my girl knows better; don"t you?
He gives FAITH a look which has a certain magnetism.
P. C. MAN. If we could have the Court cleared of ladies, sir, we might speak a little plainer.
MR MARCH. Joan!
But MRS MARCH does not vary her smiling immobility; FAITH draws a little nearer to the YOUNG MAN. MARY turns to the fire.
P. C. MAN. [With half a smile] I keep on forgettin" that women are men nowadays. Well!
YOUNG M. When you"ve quite done joking, we"ll go for our walk.