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Title: Clarion Call



Author: Josephine Tey (writing as Gordon Daviot)



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Language: English



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Clarion Call

by

Gordon Daviot

A Play in One Act

First Published in Leith Sands and Other Short Plays, Duckworth, 1946

This e-book edition: Project Gutenberg Australia, 2016

                              CHARACTERS







                         In order of appearance







                       POLLY ANLISS.



                       MRS. WEBB.



                       MRS. ANLISS.



                       SAMMY WOOD.



                       TOMMY ANLISS.







The scene is the living-room of a lower middle-class family in a



provincial town. At the back, left, is a window, and right of it the



door opening on to the street. Left is the fireplace, decorated with



overmantel. Down, left, the open door to the kitchen. The room is very



neat and clean, and the furnishings what one would expect. By the right



wall is a sofa; two easy-chairs by the fire, one basket and one, the



veteran of more than one auction sale, of leather. In the middle is a



table set for tea. There are flowers, and the china and the cloth are



obviously the best; one is aware that this is an occasion.







When the curtain goes up a girl of eighteen or so is putting the



finishing touches to the table, not with any air of anticipation, but



with a gloomy suggestion of doing her duty. A middle-aged woman, MRS.



ANLISS, the girl's mother, is preening herself at the mirror over the



fireplace, and her friend, MRS. WEBB, who has obviously "run in", is



standing on the opposite side of the table from the fire, admiring the



spread. On the sofa sits SAMMY WOOD, a reporter; young, untidy, bored



by the job. He is still wearing his overcoat, unbuttoned and spread



voluminously round him, and is playing with his soft hat.







In sheer exuberance MRS. WEBB leans over and tweaks a flower into



place in the vase. POLLY stops her own tweakings at once.







  POLLY.: [Coldly] Does it not please you, Mrs. Webb?







  MRS. WEBB.: Oh, now, dearie, no offence meant. My mind wasn't thinking



what my hand was doing. I'm that excited.







  MRS. ANLISS.: A quarter past already. Oh, my, but my heart hasn't



beaten like this since I had indigestion in the spring. Do I look all



right?







  WOOD.: You look like a bride, Mrs. Anliss.







  MRS. ANLISS.: Well, let me tell you, Mr. Wood, I'm a deal more excited



this minute than I was on my wedding day. Cool as a cucumber, I was, and



everyone said so. It was John who was all of a dither. Always was



excitable, John was. That's why I've been a widow this fifteen years,



Mr. Wood. Just wore himself out dashing from one thing to another. The



boy who's coming home now was just like him. Always wanted something but



the thing he had.







  WOOD.: [With a hint of prompting] But he was a nice boy, Mrs. Anliss.



You were very fond of him.







  MRS. ANLISS.: [Matter of fact] Of course I was fond of him. Wasn't he



my only son?







  MRS. WEBB.: Ah, he was a nice boy, Tommy. [To WOOD] High-spirited,



you know, but always with a cheery word for everyone. I mind once he



gave our Willy his Saturday penny because Will had fallen and hurt



himself over at Roberts' fence.







  WOOD.: [Pulling out his notebook] A very fine spirit, Mrs. Anliss.







  MRS. ANLISS.: I don't remember that. I wonder what made him do it?







  POLLY.: He saw Mr. Roberts watching, and Mr. Roberts gave him sixpence.



He bought striped balls, and ate them all himself, and he was sick all



over the clean sheets on Saturday night.







  MRS. ANLISS.: Oh, yes, I remember the sheets.







  WOOD.: Oh, come, Miss Anliss! you mustn't remember your brother's



childish escapades against him.







  POLLY.: I'm not remembering anything. It was Mrs. Webb who brought that



up.







  WOOD.: Well, now, Miss Polly—Polly Anliss. Anyone ever call you



polyanthus?







  POLLY.: Oh, yes. They called me that my first day in the infants.







  WOOD.: [Hastily] What do you remember most distinctly about the



brother you haven't seen for seven years?







  POLLY.: That he always took the only sugar cookie on the plate.







  WOOD.: Dear me; I hope you have provided well to-day.







  MRS. ANLISS.: I'm thinking with that fine ham the Clarion sent us we



won't get the length of cookies. I really don't know why the Clarion



should bother about folks like us.







  WOOD.: But it is folks like you who are the backbone of this nation,



Mrs. Anliss. You brought up a fine son, and we have had the pleasure of



restoring him to you; and we are naturally interested in his homecoming,



and anxious to share in the rejoicings. Wouldn't you—er—wouldn't you



like a few more of your neighbours in to share your happiness with you?







  MRS. ANLISS.: Mrs. Webb here is the only neighbour we care to have,



thank you. If it comes to that, the neighbours weren't all that fond of



Tommy.







  WOOD.: [With a glance out of the window] Judging by all the people at



the doors and windows, they seem to be taking a great interest in his



home-coming.







  MRS. ANLISS.: It doesn't take much to interest them. Do you think he'll



be by the train or the bus?







  WOOD.: If I knew that, Mrs. Anliss, I shouldn't be here waiting. I



should have met him and brought him to you personally on behalf of my



paper.







  MRS. WEBB.: It's a fine paper the Clarion. My man says you can't



sprain your finger nowadays without the Clarion gives you



compensation. He says they've made breaking a leg a positive pleasure.







  WOOD.: [Repeating a lesson] We like to feel that our public is our



responsibility. We believe that a colossal organisation like ours should



be used in the service of our readers. Since we began our Lost Friends



department we have been the means of uniting no less than four hundred



and fifty-seven couples who had lost sight of each other in the rush of



life. Mothers and sons [he bows a little to MRS. ANLISS to



acknowledge her part in the great achievement], husbands and wives, old



friends who had gone different ways. The Clarion called them together.



It is a pleasant experience, Mrs. Anliss, to share in human joy. We



newspaper men see so much of the tragic side of life.







  MRS. WEBB.: Yes, you must see some awful things. When young Mrs. Apfel



committed suicide there was a reporter there before the police. Had a



camera and all. Her husband threw him out of the window before he could



get anything, though. A nice young man, he seemed. I was sorry for him.



Quite worried over the camera being broken, he was. They cost quite a



bit, it seems.







  MRS. ANLISS.: Are you going to take our photos?







  WOOD.: I am.







  MRS. ANLISS.: Dear me, fancy me being in the paper!







  WOOD.: Of course, I can't guarantee that it will appear. That depends



on one of the editors. He decides what goes in, and it may be that in a



pressure of news he chooses something else.







  POLLY.: The little boy who stuck his head through the railings and



couldn't get it back; or the parrot and the kitten that eat together.







  MRS. ANLISS.: Polly Anliss, I don't know what is wrong with you. It ill



becomes any member of this house—







   The door is burst open by an excited woman, and a crowd of women and



      girls can be seen behind her.







  [Chorus]. He's coming, Mrs. Anliss! He's coming! Here he is, coming



up the street!







   WOOD darts out of the room, through the crowd at the door, and is



      seen passing the window. A moment later he reappears escorting a



      young man. The crowd at the door, who have turned to watch his



      advent, give back with little cries of "Well, well, here he is!



      Welcome back, Tommy!" WOOD leads in a youth of twenty-two whose



      hearing is a mixture of swagger and embarrassment.







  WOOD.: Mrs. Anliss, I have great pleasure on behalf of the Daily



Clarion in restoring your son to you.







   There is a feeble cheer from the women who have crowded round the



      door again.







  MRS. ANLISS.: Well, Tommy.







  TOMMY.: Hullo, Ma.







  WOOD.: Aren't you going to kiss your mother, my boy?







                                              TOMMY kisses his mother.







  WOOD.: And your sister. You haven't forgotten your sister in seven



years, have you?







  TOMMY.: Is that Polly? Help! You were a kid last time I saw you. I



suppose you don't remember me at all?







  POLLY.: Oh, I remember you all right.







  MRS. ANLISS.: And you remember Mrs. Webb?







  TOMMY.: Willy Webb's mother? Oh, yes. How are you? [He shakes hands.]







  WOOD.: Well, Mrs. Anliss, now for the photograph. Just here, I think.



[He manoeuvres MRS. ANLISS and her son into the corner by the door so



that the crowd make a background, several having been pushed forward so



far in the excitement that they are now definitely in the room. POLLY



slips out by the door, left, to the kitchen and thence outside.] Come



along, Mrs. Webb.







  MRS. WEBB.: Oh, but I'm not a relation, you know. I'm only a neighbour.







  WOOD.: You may not be a relation, but you are a registered reader. Just



here, Mrs. Webb. That's right. [To TOMMY and his mother] I think it



would be more appropriate if you embraced each other, don't you?







  TOMMY.: [Doubtfully] Well, we were never much on hugging.







  WOOD.: Put your arm round her, then. [He assists TOMMY to put a limp



left arm on MRS. ANLISS'S SHOULDER.] Now, Mrs. Anliss, you hold his



hand so [puts MRS. ANLISS'S right hand into the dangling right hand



of her son, and bending both at the elbow, as if they were dolls]. Now,



Miss Polly. Why, where is Miss Polly? [MRS. ANLISS moves as if to go in



search of her.] No, don't move, Mrs. Anliss! Keep just where you are.



[He goes to the door, left, which POLLY has shut behind her, opens



it, and calls] Miss Polly! Miss Polly, we're taking the photograph!



Miss Polly!







  TOMMY.: Oh, never mind Polly. Let's get it over with.







  WOOD.: [Coming back] Well, all ready? Don't jump when the light



flares. Look happy everyone. This is a joyful occasion. [The three



principals stand in strained attitudes, while the intruding neighbours



crane grinning behind. He takes the photograph.]







  MRS. WEBB.: Oh! I never could bear these things. Worse than the Fifth



of November.







  WOOD.: There we are! [Bundling up] Well, that's that! [The relief in



his voice is more apparent than he knows, but no one is interested in



him.] Now I must leave you to your celebration.







  MRS. ANLISS.: Oh, but you're going to stay and have some of the ham



with us, and a cup of tea, aren't you?







  WOOD.: That's very nice of you, Mrs. Anliss, very nice. If my time were



my own I should be delighted to. But I am merely the slave of the



Clarion, you know. [Hastily] A happy slave, of course; a Mercury.



But a mere servant. My paper will be waiting to hear all about your



son's arrival, and beyond the paper is the public. I must go, Mrs.



Anliss. It has given me great pleasure to be present at your reunion. On



behalf of the paper I congratulate you both, and hope that you will have



long-continued happiness together. [He shakes hands with MRS.



ANLISS, TOMMY, and as an afterthought, with MRS. WEBB.]







  MRS. ANLISS.: [As she shakes hands] I'm sure we're all very grateful.







  WOOD.: [To the neighbours] Now, good people, since both you and the



Daily Clarion have seen Tommy safely home, I suggest that we all leave



him in the arms of his family for a little quiet chat over old times.



[He shepherds the crowd expertly out of the doorway, and waves his hat



to the family.] Goodbye everyone.







  MRS. ANLISS.: Goodbye, Mr. Wood. Pleased to see you any time you're by.



Just drop in.







  WOOD.: That's the idea, Mrs. Anliss. We're all friends on the paper.







                   [Exit, and shuts door. Enter POLLY from the left.







  MRS. ANLISS.: I don't know what all these people wanted to push in for.



It would suit Mrs. Bell better to wash her front room curtains.



[Turning and seeing POLLY] Where did you get to, Polly Anliss? You



must have heard Mr. Wood shouting for you!







  POLLY.: I heard him all right.







  MRS. ANLISS.: Then why couldn't you be polite enough to answer. I don't



know what he must have thought.







  TOMMY.: Oh, never mind Polly. When are we going to have tea?







  MRS. ANLISS.: Yes, yes. I'm forgetting. You must be hungry after that



long journey. You know, I can hardly believe that you're Tommy. You've



grown a lot since fifteen.







  MRS. WEBB.: A fine man he's grown into.







  TOMMY.: You haven't changed, Ma. You don't look a day older.







  MRS. ANLISS.: [Pleased] Are you starting telling fibs the minute



you're inside the house? Polly, is the kettle boiling?







  POLLY.: Just about.







  MRS. ANLISS.: Well, make the tea, girl; don't stand there. [Exit



POLLY.] Sit down, Tommy, sit down. [She indicates one of the



easy-chairs, but TOMMY pulls out a chair from the table and sits in



it.]







  TOMMY.: And how's Willy, Mrs. Webb? Still hanging round the old town?







  MRS. WEBB.: [Stung but controlled] I don't know so much about hanging



round. He has a good job with Parker's garridge. Three fifteen a week,



and he's engaged to a fine girl and putting by every week for the



wedding. No need for him to leave town. [In spite of herself she cannot



keep the emphasis off the pronoun.]







  MRS. ANLISS.: Of course not. Willy's a good son to his mother, and



he'll make a good husband to his girl. A son to be proud of.







  TOMMY.: [Rising to the implication] Meaning that I'm not.







  MRS. ANLISS.: Well, I don't exactly boast about you yet.







  TOMMY.: [Smugly] But you thought enough of me to advertise for me to



come.







  MRS. ANLISS.: I couldn't help wondering where you'd got to.







  TOMMY.: Oh. Just curiosity.







  MRS. ANLISS.: I don't know about curiosity. The thought of you was



always dig-digging at me when I had nothing else to do. I couldn't put



my feet up for a minute but you'd come into my mind and spoil my rest.



It was like having a tap dripping somewhere when you're warm in bed at



nights. So when the Clarion started finding lost friends and that, I



thought I'd just as well to give them your name. They don't charge



anything.







  TOMMY.: And I suppose if they'd charged something you wouldn't have



done it!







  MRS. ANLISS.: Well, they mightn't have found you. How was I to know? If



I'd been sure they'd find you, I would have paid up quite willing, for



the peace of mind it gives me. It's nice to know you're not in prison or



anything.







  TOMMY.: In prison! Well, I like that!







  MRS. ANLISS.: Well, how was I to know? It's just as likely as making a



fortune. [Enter POLLY with tea and hot water.] Here's tea. Draw in



your chair, Mrs. Webb.







   MRS. ANLISS sits with her back to the fire, POLLY opposite her,



      TOMMY facing the audience, and MRS. WEBB with her back to it.



      MRS. ANLISS pours tea.







  MRS. ANLISS.: Polly, carve the ham. [POLLY begins to carve.] Your



hair's grown a lot darker, Tommy. Two lumps, Mrs. Webb. [She sugars



MRS. WEBB'S tea.] How many do you take now, Tommy? Funny not knowing



my own son's tastes, isn't it?







  TOMMY.: Three lumps, and another for luck. [To POLLY] No fat for me.







  POLLY.: It's all fat.







  TOMMY.: Well, cut till you find some lean for me. What did you buy a



ham that was all fat for?







  MRS. ANLISS.: We didn't buy it. The Daily Clarion sent us it as a



present.







  TOMMY.: Oh, then of course it's all fat!







  MRS. ANLISS.: I don't think you need speak like that about the



Clarion. It's thanks to the Clarion you're here. We should all be



grateful to them.







  MRS. WEBB.: It was a nice thought, I think, sending the ham.







  TOMMY.: Thought! You don't imagine they thought about it, do you? They



bought hams wholesale from the docks at tuppence the pound, so they



could sling one out to everyone they united.







  MRS. WEBB.: Why should they do a thing like that?







  TOMMY.: Why should they pay my fare home? Just advertisement! It's a



wonder they haven't Daily Clarion printed on the ham.







   POLLY unconsciously tilts the ham a little so that she can look



      underneath.







  MRS. ANLISS.: Pay your fare! Did they do that?







  TOMMY.: Of course they did; I'm here, aren't I? They stalled about it



at first, but I said no fare nothing doing, so they forked out. It looks



well in the account, see? "Mr. Anliss, not being in affluent circs.,



etc., etc., the Daily Clarion came to the rescue, etc., etc."







  MRS. ANLISS.: And you're pleased to have that published about you! That



you hadn't the money to come to see your folks after seven years.







  TOMMY.: They can say anything they like about me as long as they give



me three quid for nothing. They tried to palm me off with a railway



ticket, but I said I couldn't go home in the clothes I was wearing. So



they forked out.







  MRS. ANLISS.: Tommy Anliss, I'm ashamed of you, downright ashamed.



Haven't you an atom of self-respect in your composition?







  TOMMY.: Oh, don't start jawing the minute I'm in the house. Here I come



from the other end of the country to see you and all you do is jaw.







  MRS. ANLISS.: You wouldn't have come at all, I don't wonder, if you



didn't get your fare paid.







  TOMMY.: Well, you didn't spend anything on advertising for me, did you?



So we're quits.







  MRS. WEBB.: Did you find it hard to get leave off from your business I



Most bosses are terrible mean with holidays.







  TOMMY.: [Airily] Oh, no. I'm very much my own master. I take my



holidays when I think I will.







  POLLY.: What exactly is your business?







  TOMMY.: I'm an agent.







  MRS. ANLISS.: For what?







  TOMMY.: Anything that has an agency.







  MRS. ANLISS.: You're not a bookie, are you?







  POLLY.: He'd have had the money to come home if he'd been a bookie.







  TOMMY.: Who said I hadn't the money to come home! All I said was that



I'd be a fool to spend money if the Clarion would spend it for me.







  MRS. WEBB.: [Kindly] There's nothing wrong with that, Tommy.







  TOMMY.: [To his mother] Talking of money, I suppose you wouldn't like



to put a little into my business?







  MRS. ANLISS.: [Simply] I wouldn't.







  TOMMY.: Not even if I showed you a record of the commissions I made



last year?







  MRS. ANLISS.: Not even, if you took me in person to a gold mine and



pulled chunks out of the ground to show me.







  TOMMY.: I was afraid you wouldn't. This family never had any



enterprise. Always afraid to take a chance.







  MRS. ANLISS.: And when did you ever show any enterprise?







  POLLY.: Well, he did take Father's watch with him when he left.







  TOMMY.: Of course I did. Sons have first right to their fathers'



watches. And what good was it doing wrapped up in cotton wool in a



drawer?







  MRS. ANLISS.: If I didn't know that it was the only thing between you



and certain starvation, I would have been much angrier about that watch



than I was. Did you pawn it, or did you sell it?







  TOMMY.: Neither.







  MRS. ANLISS.: You didn't part with it! Why, Tommy—







  TOMMY.: I auctioned it.







  MRS. ANLISS.: Auctioned!







  TOMMY.: You can get far more out of two men wanting the same watch than



out of one man that has to be persuaded he wants one at all.







  MRS. WEBB.: [Genuine] You're that cute, Tommy, it's a wonder to me



you're not a millionaire.







  TOMMY.: I wonder myself sometimes.







  POLLY.: You have to work to be a millionaire.







  TOMMY.: What do you do, Polly? Just "put the kettle on"?







  MRS. ANLISS.: Polly has a very good job with the bus company. In the



office. She's in charge of her own department now.







  TOMMY.: And what do they give you for that?







  POLLY.: They don't give it to me. I earn it. And it keeps me and Mother



very comfortably, thank you.







  MRS. WEBB.: Ay, they're a good firm, the buses. And getting bigger



every day. They've made a big difference to this town, even if they are



a mixed blessing.







  TOMMY.: Mixed? What's wrong with buses?







  MRS. WEBB.: [Going on with her explanation even before he has asked]



In the old days I didn't have to see that sister-in-law of mine more



than twice a year. We went to her when the gooseberries were ripe, and



she came to us at Christmas. But now she's in and out of town as free as



a wasp. I suppose you came by train, Tommy.







  TOMMY.: No, I came by road.







  MRS. ANLISS.: One of Gaffney's buses, was it?







  TOMMY.: No, a lorry. A chap I know was coming north with a load. He



gave me a lift.







  POLLY.: [Into the pause] Did you buy the postcard yourself?







  TOMMY.: Card?







  POLLY.: The postcard that said: Expect me Tuesday afternoon.







  TOMMY.: Smarty! You'll never get a husband if you chip a fellow like



that.







  POLLY.: What makes you think I want one?







  TOMMY.: I don't think. Every girl wants a husband.







  POLLY.: That's just a male superstition. For your information [that is



an echo of "the Office"] no girl ever wants a husband.







  TOMMY.: No? Then why does she work so hard to get one!







  POLLY.: Because some other girl's got one. It would be the same if it



was some kind of hat. It's the fashion, that's all. But it's not nearly



so fashionable as it used to be.







  MRS. ANLISS.: [Indulgently] Polly, you talk an awful lot of nonsense.







  POLLY.: The first girl that found a whole week's wages in her hand on



Friday night instead of what was left over after the pub and the "dogs"



and the "pools", she started a new fashion. A hundred years from now



it'll be a disgrace to have a husband. They'll have to be hidden in back



rooms out of sight; like keeping pet rabbits in a tenement.







  TOMMY.: You know, if you're not careful you'll find yourself preaching



off a soap-box at a street corner.







  POLLY.: What would I waste my time preaching to men about?







  TOMMY.: Why men?







  POLLY.: You don't find women standing round street corners. They're



busy washing up, and mending the socks the men have stood through.







  MRS. WEBB.: [Once more kindly bridging a social gulf] I suppose



you're not married, are you, Tommy?







  TOMMY.: Not me! I'll look them over a while longer before I pick one.







  POLLY.: I hope you provide shelter for the queue.







  TOMMY.: [To MRS. WEBB] How's Liz?







  MRS. WEBB.: Oh, Liz is fine, thank you, fine. She—







  TOMMY.: [Patronising], I'll maybe have time to drop round and see her



after tea.







  POLLY.: I shouldn't, if I were you.







  TOMMY.: No? And why not, may I ask? Afraid the wicked prodigal will



upset the little stay-at-home?







  POLLY.: Not exactly; but she's expecting her third any day now.







  TOMMY.: [Flatly] Oh? Married, is she?







  MRS. ANLISS.: Things haven't stood still since you left town, you know,



Tommy.







  TOMMY.: [Recovering] I should say not! Three's going it a bit, isn't



it?







  MRS. ANLISS.: They can afford it. Liz did well for herself. A car, and



a maid, and stalls every Saturday at the Palladium.







  MRS. WEBB.: There's good money in the motor business these days.



[Tentatively] You wouldn't be interested in that, would you, Tommy?



Jim was saying there was a vacancy in the west garage. Good prospects,



he said, if the—







  TOMMY.: What! Me settle down in this town?







  MRS. ANLISS.: What's wrong with the town? One town's very like another



when you're settled. A Boots, an International, a Woolworths, and some



baker or other; who's to tell whether they are in Plymouth or Paisley?







  TOMMY.: The football teams are different. Oh, I suppose the town's all



right for a chap that's content with a weekly wage and a ten-shilling



bonus at Christmas. But there's no scope in it.







  MRS. ANLISS.: Scope for what, may I ask?







  TOMMY.: For a fellow with ideas.







  MRS. WEBB.: [Genuine] Have you got ideas, Tommy?







  TOMMY.: Bursting with them. Take it from me, if you want to get



anywhere you've got to have ideas.







  POLLY.: You haven't got an idea you're Napoleon, have you? That gets



you into an asylum.







  TOMMY.: No; and when I'm living in Park Lane, young Polly, I won't ask



you to stay.







  POLLY.: No one lives in Park Lane any more. They live in Belgrave



Square.







  TOMMY.: [Stung] How do you know?







  POLLY.: Even a burglar knows that.







  MRS. ANLISS.: Well, I only hope that your ideas won't get you into



trouble. It seems to me that half the police court cases in the



Clarion start with someone getting notions. And a lot of good ideas go



bad on folks. Like people inventing gunpowder and forgetting to get out



of the way. And there's the law, you know.







  TOMMY.: I'm not proposing to be a criminal!







  MRS. ANLISS.: Perhaps not, but that's the catch. I read in the



Clarion that there's practically nothing you can do but there's a law



says you can't. They've just forgotten to reverse them. If they don't



happen to like what you're doing, they look back to see what they can



find, and sure enough you find yourself in jail. There's a law says you



can be put to death for wearing red on Sunday, or something like that.



So don't let them catch you with any ideas that they mightn't like.







  TOMMY.: Don't you worry, no one's catching me with anything.







  MRS. WEBB.: Perhaps when Tommy's had time to look round he'll like the



old place so much he'll forget Park Lane. And I wouldn't wonder



but—[There is a whistle outside] Someone whistling. [As they pause



to listen for its repetition] Some of your old pals come to look you



up, Tommy.







                                              The whistle is repeated.







  TOMMY.: It's Harry! [He begins to eat the last few mouthfuls of his



meal in haste.]







  MRS. ANLISS.: Who's Harry?







  TOMMY.: I didn't think he'd be so soon.







  MRS. ANLISS.: If he's a friend, you'd better bring him in for some tea.







  TOMMY.: He's not exactly a friend . . . [At the window, peering



sideways down the street] Yes, it's Harry. [With a wave of his arm to



indicate acquiescence] Coming! He's the chap that gave me the lift. He



just dropped some goods here, and then he's going east to Marbury before



he goes south to-morrow. We'll spend the night in Marbury. [He is



reaching for his coat and hat which are hanging on the back of the



door.]







  MRS. ANLISS.: [Staggered] You mean you're going away with him? Now?







  TOMMY.: That's the idea.







  MRS. ANLISS.: But you've only just come home! What will Mr. Wood think!







  TOMMY.: [Bending over to gulp the remains of his tea] Who's Mr. Wood?







  MRS. ANLISS.: The gentleman from the Clarion.







  TOMMY.: Oh, him! You don't imagine you'll ever see him again, do you?



By this time he doesn't even remember what part of town you live in.



Cheer up, Ma. It's been a good party, and maybe we'll have our photos in



the paper to-morrow. Who knows? For once I'll have to buy a Clarion.







  MRS. ANLISS.: [Still speaking out of her daze] Don't you buy it



regular?







  TOMMY.: Me? I don't buy anything but Midday Specials.







  MRS. ANLISS.: Then how did you . . .







  TOMMY.: Oh, the ad. I saw the paper in a tea shop one day. What about a



couple of quid to help me on the way, Ma?







  MRS. ANLISS.: A couple of . . .! You've got a nerve! With three pounds



from the Clarion lying in your pocket this minute.







  TOMMY.: [Cheerfully] Make it ten bob, then. For old sake's sake.



Think how nice—







  MRS. ANLISS.: Not one penny will you get from me, you impudent



good-for-nothing. [This is said matter-of-factly, and without any great



feeling.]







  TOMMY.: O.K., Ma, O.K. If you change your mind the Ritz will always



find me. [He pockets a couple of scones from the table, pats his mother



on the back] Let me know when Polly gets married so that I can come



home and say I told you so! So long, Mrs. Webb. Say hullo to Willy for



me!







                He goes. The three women stare in silence at the door.







  POLLY.: Well! I can sleep in my own bed after all.







  MRS. WEBB.: [Whose soft heart is afraid that MRS. ANLISS may be



hurt] He's just thoughtless, Mrs. Anliss. He's young yet.







  MRS. ANLISS.: [Still staring at the door] And that's what I changed



my wash day for!







  MRS. WEBB.: [Preparing to go] Well, it's time I popped back and put



Bill's meat on the stove.







  MRS. ANLISS.: You'll do nothing of the sort. It's not near that time



yet, and you know it. You just wait till I get out of these corsets, and



we'll have some fresh tea in peace and comfort. Polly, see to the



kettle, and put away that lump of lard [she is referring to the



Clarion ham]. And give the fire a bit stick. It's near out with all



the excitement. You'll find yesterday's Clarion under the cushion.







                                        [She makes for the door, left.







               POLLY picks the Clarion from under the chair cushion.







  MRS. WEBB.: [Anxious to express her goodwill] Would you like me just



to give these cups a swill?







  POLLY.: [All sweetness and light] Thank you, Mrs. Webb. That would be



very kind of you. [As MRS. WEBB begins to gather the cups together;



pausing in the act of tearing the page, and reading] "Miss Margaret



Rains and her only brother, who, having been parted for twenty years,



were united yesterday by the kind offices of the Clarion." I wonder if



they found any lean in their ham?







                      She tears with a will as the curtain comes down.







                                CURTAIN

THE END

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