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heartbreak house-第23部分
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prosecute this man when we don't want to?
THE BURGLAR。 Am I to be robbed of my salvation to save you the
trouble of spending a day at the sessions? Is that justice? Is it
right? Is it fair to me?
MAZZINI 'rising and leaning across the table persuasively as if
it were a pulpit desk or a shop counter'。 Come; come! let me show
you how you can turn your very crimes to account。 Why not set up
as a locksmith? You must know more about locks than most honest
men?
THE BURGLAR。 That's true; sir。 But I couldn't set up as a
locksmith under twenty pounds。
RANDALL。 Well; you can easily steal twenty pounds。 You will find
it in the nearest bank。
THE BURGLAR 'horrified'。 Oh; what a thing for a gentleman to put
into the head of a poor criminal scrambling out of the bottomless
pit as it were! Oh; shame on you; sir! Oh; God forgive you! 'He
throws himself into the big chair and covers his face as if in
prayer'。
LADY UTTERWORD。 Really; Randall!
HECTOR。 It seems to me that we shall have to take up a collection
for this inopportunely contrite sinner。
LADY UTTERWORD。 But twenty pounds is ridiculous。
THE BURGLAR 'looking up quickly'。 I shall have to buy a lot of
tools; lady。
LADY UTTERWORD。 Nonsense: you have your burgling kit。
THE BURGLAR。 What's a jimmy and a centrebit and an acetylene
welding plant and a bunch of skeleton keys? I shall want a forge;
and a smithy; and a shop; and fittings。 I can't hardly do it for
twenty。
HECTOR。 My worthy friend; we haven't got twenty pounds。
THE BURGLAR 'now master of the situation'。 You can raise it among
you; can't you?
MRS HUSHABYE。 Give him a sovereign; Hector; and get rid of him。
HECTOR 'giving him a pound'。 There! Off with you。
THE BURGLAR 'rising and taking the money very ungratefully'。 I
won't promise nothing。 You have more on you than a quid: all the
lot of you; I mean。
LADY UTTERWORD 'vigorously'。 Oh; let us prosecute him and have
done with it。 I have a conscience too; I hope; and I do not feel
at all sure that we have any right to let him go; especially if
he is going to be greedy and impertinent。
THE BURGLAR 'quickly'。 All right; lady; all right。 I've no wish
to be anything but agreeable。 Good evening; ladies and gentlemen;
and thank you kindly。
He is hurrying out when he is confronted in the doorway by
Captain Shotover。
CAPTAIN SHOTOVER 'fixing the burglar with a piercing regard'。
What's this? Are there two of you?
THE BURGLAR 'falling on his knees before the captain in abject
terror'。 Oh; my good Lord; what have I done? Don't tell me it's
your house I've broken into; Captain Shotover。
The captain seizes him by the collar: drags him to his feet: and
leads him to the middle of the group; Hector falling back beside
his wife to make way for them。
CAPTAIN SHOTOVER 'turning him towards Ellie'。 Is that your
daughter? 'He releases him'。
THE BURGLAR。 Well; how do I know; Captain? You know the sort of
life you and me has led。 Any young lady of that age might be my
daughter anywhere in the wide world; as you might say。
CAPTAIN SHOTOVER 'to Mazzini'。 You are not Billy Dunn。 This is
Billy Dunn。 Why have you imposed on me?
THE BURGLAR 'indignantly to Mazzini'。 Have you been giving
yourself out to be me? You; that nigh blew my head off! Shooting
yourself; in a manner of speaking!
MAZZINI。 My dear Captain Shotover; ever since I came into this
house I have done hardly anything else but assure you that I am
not Mr William Dunn; but Mazzini Dunn; a very different person。
THE BURGLAR。 He don't belong to my branch; Captain。 There's two
sets in the family: the thinking Dunns and the drinking Dunns;
each going their own ways。 I'm a drinking Dunn: he's a thinking
Dunn。 But that didn't give him any right to shoot me。
CAPTAIN SHOTOVER。 So you've turned burglar; have you?
THE BURGLAR。 No; Captain: I wouldn't disgrace our old sea calling
by such a thing。 I am no burglar。
LADY UTTERWORD。 What were you doing with my diamonds?
GUINNESS。 What did you break into the house for if you're no
burglar?
RANDALL。 Mistook the house for your own and came in by the wrong
window; eh?
THE BURGLAR。 Well; it's no use my telling you a lie: I can take
in most captains; but not Captain Shotover; because he sold
himself to the devil in Zanzibar; and can divine water; spot
gold; explode a cartridge in your pocket with a glance of his
eye; and see the truth hidden in the heart of man。 But I'm no
burglar。
CAPTAIN SHOTOVER。 Are you an honest man?
THE BURGLAR。 I don't set up to be better than my
fellow…creatures; and never did; as you well know; Captain。 But
what I do is innocent and pious。 I enquire about for houses where
the right sort of people live。 I work it on them same as I worked
it here。 I break into the house; put a few spoons or diamonds in
my pocket; make a noise; get caught; and take up a collection。
And you wouldn't believe how hard it is to get caught when you're
actually trying to。 I have knocked over all the chairs in a room
without a soul paying any attention to me。 In the end I have had
to walk out and leave the job。
RANDALL。 When that happens; do you put back the spoons and
diamonds?
THE BURGLAR。 Well; I don't fly in the face of Providence; if
that's what you want to know。
CAPTAIN SHOTOVER。 Guinness; you remember this man?
GUINNESS。 I should think I do; seeing I was married to him; the
blackguard!
HESIONE } 'exclaiming { Married to him!
LADY UTTERWORD } together' { Guinness!!
THE BURGLAR。 It wasn't legal。 I've been married to no end of
women。 No use coming that over me。
CAPTAIN SHOTOVER。 Take him to the forecastle 'he flings him to
the door with a strength beyond his years'。
GUINNESS。 I suppose you mean the kitchen。 They won't have him
there。 Do you expect servants to keep company with thieves and
all sorts?
CAPTAIN SHOTOVER。 Land…thieves and water…thieves are the same
flesh and blood。 I'll have no boatswain on my quarter…deck。 Off
with you both。
THE BURGLAR。 Yes; Captain。 'He goes out humbly'。
MAZZINI。 Will it be safe to have him in the house like that?
GUINNESS。 Why didn't you shoot him; sir? If I'd known who he was;
I'd have shot him myself。 'She goes out'。
MRS HUSHABYE。 Do sit down; everybody。 'She sits down on the
sofa'。
They all move except Ellie。 Mazzini resumes his seat。 Randall
sits down in the window…seat near the starboard door; again
making a pendulum of his poker; and studying it as Galileo might
have done。 Hector sits on his left; in the middle。 Mangan;
forgotten; sits in the port corner。 Lady Utterword takes the big
chair。 Captain Shotover goes into the pantry in deep abstraction。
They all look after him: and Lady Utterword coughs consciously。
MRS HUSHABYE。 So Billy Dunn was poor nurse's little romance。 I
knew there had been somebody。
RANDALL。 They will fight their battles over again and enjoy
themselves immensely。
LADY UTTERWORD 'irritably'。 You are not married; and you know
nothing about it; Randall。 Hold your tongue。
RANDALL。 Tyrant!
MRS HUSHABYE。 Well; we have had a very exciting evening。
Everything will be an anticlimax after it。 We'd better all go to
bed。
RANDALL。 Another burglar may turn up。
MAZZINI。 Oh; impossible! I hope not。
RANDALL。 Why not? There is more than one burglar in England。
MRS HUSHABYE。 What do you say; Alf?
MANGAN 'huffily'。 Oh; I don't matter。 I'm forgotten。 The burglar
has put my nose out of joint。 Shove me into a corner and have
done with me。
MRS HUSHABYE 'jumping up mischievously; and going to him'。 Would
you like a walk on the heath; Alfred? With me?
ELLIE。 Go; Mr Mangan。 It will do you good。 Hesione will soothe
you。
MRS HUSHABYE 'slipping her arm under his and pulling him
upright'。 Come; Alfred。 There is a moon: it's like the night in
Tristan and Isolde。 'She caresses his arm and draws him to the
port garden door'。
MANGAN 'writhing but yielding'。 How you can have the face…the
heart…'he breaks down and is heard sobbing as she takes him out'。
LADY UTTERWORD。 What an extraordinary way to behave! What is the
matter with the man?
ELLIE 'in a strangely calm voice; staring into an imaginary
distance'。 His heart is breaking: that is all。 'The captain
appears at the pantry door; listening'。 It is a curious
sensation: the sort of pain that goes mercifully beyond our
powers of feeling。 When your heart is broken; your boats are
burned: nothing matters any more。 It is the end of happiness and
the beginning of peace。
LADY UTTERWORD 'suddenly rising in a rage; to the astonishment of
the rest'。 How dare you?
HECTOR。 Good heavens! What's the matter?
RANDALL 'in a warning whisper'。 Tchtch…tch! Steady。
ELLIE 'surprised and haughty'。 I was not addressing you
particularly; Lady Utterword。 And I am not accustomed to being
asked how dare I。
LADY UTTERWORD。 Of course not。 Anyone can see how badly you have
been brought up。
MAZZINI。 Oh; I hope not; Lady Utterword。 Really!
LADY UTTERWORD。 I know very well what you meant。 The impudence!
ELLIE。 What on earth do you mean?
CAPTAIN SHOTOVER 'advancing to the table'。 She means that her
heart will not break。 She has been longing all her life for
someo
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