Brian Friel Plays 1 (38 page)

Authors: Brian Friel

BOOK: Brian Friel Plays 1

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SIR
:
(
Looking up
) Frank, I –

FRANK
:
No, I’m not addressing you, Sir; I’m not addressing them; I suppose I’m not addressing anybody. And I am fully aware that protesting at this stage is pointless – pointless.

SIR
:
You can –

FRANK
:
No, no, no, of course it is. Absolutely pointless. The ledger’s the ledger, isn’t it? Nothing can be changed now – not a thing. But an injustice
has
been done to me, Sir, and a protest must be made. I don’t claim that I have been blameless. Maybe my faults have been greater than most. But it does seem – well, spiteful that when a point is reached
in my life, and late in my life, when certain modest ambitions are about to be realized, when certain happinesses that I never experienced are suddenly about to be attainable, it does seem spiteful that these fulfilments should be snatched away from me – and in a particularly wounding manner. Yes, I think that is unfair. Yes, that is unjust. And that is why I make this formal protest, Sir. Against an injustice done to me. Because I have been treated unfairly, Sir – that is all. (
He
stops
and
looks
around
at
the
others
– all
isolated,
all
cocooned
in
their
private
thoughts.
He
opens
his
mouth
as
if
he
is
about
to
address
them,
but
they
are
so
remote
from
him
that
he
decides
against
it.
He
turns
slowly
and
begins
to
walk
up
stage.
)

SIR
:
Frank!

(
FRANK
ignores
the
call
and
goes
through
the
door
right
off
the
fireplace,
closing
it
behind
him
– this
is
the
only
time
this
door
is
used.
Pause.
Suddenly
TOM
,
now
sober,
jumps
to
his
feet.
He
is
very
agitated,
and
when
he
looks
at
the
others,
so
contained,
so
remote,
his
panic
increases.
He
goes
to
BEN
.)

TOM
:
You’re not going to let him go, are you? You’re going to stop him, aren’t you? For God’s sake, Ben, you’ve got to stop him! (
BEN
remains
encased
and
intact
in
his
privacy.
TOM
looks
to
HELEN
and
goes
to
her.
)

You know what’s going to happen! You know what he’s going to do! Stop him. Helen! Stop him! Stop him! (
She
looks
at
him
as
if
he
were
a
stranger.
)

Don’t you hear what I’m saying – he has got to be stopped! (
HELEN
looks
away
from
him.
TOM
now
addresses
them all.
) How can you all sit there! You know what he’s going to do! (
No
one
responds.
TOM
now
looks
to
SIR
– and
rushes
to
him.
He
is
about
to
cry
with
panic
and
despair.
)

You’re going to stop him, aren’t you, Sir? Yes, you’re the one who can save him. You’re not going to let him do that to himself – no, no, you’re not.

SIR
:
The ledger can’t be –

TOM
:
What can the ledger not be? – to hell with the ledger – that’s what I say – to hell with that corrupt ledger.

SIR
:
Tom, sit down –

TOM
:
Great – great – ‘Tom, sit down’ – you know what Frank’s
going to do and all you can say is ‘Tom, sit down’.

SIR
:
Sit down and keep quiet.

TOM
:
I will not sit down and I will not keep quiet! My friend, Frank, has gone into that back room and not one of you is going to –

SIR
:
Shut up! Now!

TOM
:
I will –

SIR
:
You had your opportunities and you squandered them.

TOM
:
I never had –

SIR
:
Many opportunities, many times. You should have spoken then. We’ll have none of your spurious concern now that it’s all over. So sit down and shut up!

TOM
:
(
Suddenly
deflated
)
If I had – sometimes, I – I always tried to – Oh, my Jesus –

(
For a
few
seconds
his
mouth
keeps
opening
and
shutting,
but
no
words
come.
He
looks
at
the
others.
Pause.
Then
he
shuffles
over
to
ANNA
,
sits
beside
her,
put
his
arm
round
her,
and
rests
his
face
on
her
shoulders.
His
body
shakes
as
he
cries
quietly.
Pause.
Then
suddenly
TINA
comes
stumbling
down
the
stairs
in
a
panic
and
rushes
into
the
living-room.
She
is
in
a
frenzy
and
looks
around
wildly.
Then:
)

TINA
:
(
Shouts
) Daddy-Daddy-Daddy-Daddy!

(
SIR
leaps
to
his
feet.
)

SIR
:
(
Tense
whisper
) Not yet! Tina! Not yet!

(
She
freezes.
Pause.
Then
a
single
revolver
shot
off.
TINA
’
s
hands
go
up
to
her
face.
She
screams.
Silence.
Pause.
SIR
sits
again.
Then
very
slowly,
the
others
relax
and
emerge
from
their
cocoons.
Cigarettes
are
lit.
A
sense
of
relief.
Serenity.
The
remaining
sequence
must
not
be
played
in
a
sad,
nostalgic
mood.
MIRIAM
enters
in
coat
and
headscarf.
TOM
,
now
fully
sober,
sits
with
his
arms
around
ANNA
.
From
his
stool
SIR
watches
this
slow
awakening.
Then
he
rises,
stretching
his
arms,
smiling.
)

SIR
:
Well – well – well – well – well – well – well. (
He
goes
into
the
living-room
.)
That wasn’t too bad, was it?

(
No
one
answers
– they
are
still
not
quite
out
of
their
reveries.
He
goes
to
TINA
,
catches
her
chin
and
wags
it.
)

And how are you? All right?

(
She
smiles
and
nods.
)

(
To
all
) That wasn’t too bad after all now, was it? No, of course it wasn’t. (
To
HELEN
) And you with your worries that things were being ‘distorted’ – (
To
ANNA
) – and you afraid that you’d ‘messed it all up’ – (
To
both
) I told you, didn’t I? Incidentally, Anna, we made a mistake, you and I – well me, really.

ANNA
:
What was that?

SIR
:
I never introduced you! You’re the only person who wasn’t introduced. (
Opening
ledger.
) So let’s rectify that – right?

ANNA
:
No, please, Sir –

SIR
:
But I
want
to –

ANNA
:
Please, It doesn’t matter now, not in the least. It’s of no importance now.

SIR
:
I’m sorry. My mistake.

ANNA
:
It doesn’t matter.

SIR
:
As you wish. (
He
leafs
through
the
ledger.
) I’m sure you’re all tired, so what I think we’ll do is go straight to the postscript and wind it up with that, ‘Not yet, Tina! Not yet! – Single revolver shot – etc., etc. –’
We’ve been through all that –

TOM
:
There was never any doubt in my mind that it was an unfortunate accident. Never. And I said that at the inquest. I mean we were such terrific friends all our lives – no one was going to tell me that Frank Butler took – that it wasn’t an accident. And I saw to it that my friend was buried with the full rites of the Church. I saw to that. It was the least I could do for my friend, Frank Butler – my terrific friend, Frank.

(
SIR
has
been
waiting
patiently
for
this
to
end.
)

SIR
:
Yes. A brief enough postscript as it happens. ‘Funeral on Friday afternoon. The following morning Charlie Donnelly arrived with a van and removed all the furnishings –’ By the way, where is Charlie? Charlie!

(
He
goes
off
left
to
look
for
him.
)

MIRIAM
:
I was worried about the children – you know – what I’d tell them.

TOM
:
Naturally. And how are the kids?

MIRIAM
:
I’d given them corn flakes and a fry for their breakfast – they’re a great crowd for fries – and they were sitting round the table eating like nobody’s business and I said quietly, ‘Your Granda’s dead,’ I said. ‘Your Granda’s gone to Heaven to join your Grandma‚’ I said. And when they began to cry I said, ‘Don’t cry for your Granda,’ I said. ‘Your Granda was a good man and a brave man. Ask anybody‚’ I said, ‘and they’ll tell you how good and brave your Granda was.’ Wasn’t I right, Father?

TOM
:
God have mercy on his good soul.

MIRIAM
:
And they listened to me. You should have seen them. They did – they listened – and they stopped crying. But he was a good man, you know – a good man and a brave man. No – a great man and a brave man.

(
She
moves
slowly
off
right
.)

SIR
:
(
Off
left
) Charlie! Charlie!

TOM
:
You’re going back to London, aren’t you?

HELEN
:
Tomorrow afternoon.

TOM
:
Tina’s going with you?

HELEN
:
Yes.

TOM
:
You’ll look after her well, Helen, won’t you? It’s a big city and she’s never been away from home and –

TINA
:
Don’t worry about me. I’ll be all right. I can look after myself.

TOM
:
You’ll be in digs with Helen – that’s good. And she’ll get you fixed up in a job.

TINA
:
I’m not a child, Father. I’m almost nineteen.

TOM
:
All the same, my love –

TINA
:
(
Bitterly
) Why the sudden concern about me? Why all the platitudes? You’re the one in trouble, Father – not me.