Lawson. Ay, I made a note o that observation, William [and assoilzied mysel]. Marys a guid lass, and Im her uncle, and Im here to be answered. Is it to be ay or no?
Brodie. Its to be no. This marriage must be quashed; and hark ye, Procurator, you must help me.
Lawson. Me? yere daft! And what for why?
Brodie. Because Ive spent the trust-money, and I cant refund it.
Lawson. Ye reprobate deevil!
Brodie. Have a care, Procurator. No wry words!
Lawson. Do you say it to my face, sir? Dod, sir, Im the Crown Prosecutor.
Brodie. Right. The Prosecutor for the Crown. And where did you get your brandy?
Lawson. Eh?
Brodie. Your brandy! Your brandy man! Where do you get your brandy? And you a Crown official and an elder!
Lawson. Whaur the deevil did ye hear that?
Brodie. Rogues all! Rogues all, Procurator!
Lawson. Ay, ay. Lord save us! Guidsake, to think o that noo!.. Can ye give me some o that Cognac? Im.. Im sort o shaken, William, Im sort o shaken. Thank you, William! (Looking, piteously at glass.) Nunc est bibendum. (Drinks.) Troth, Im set ajee a bit. Wha the deevil tauld ye?
Brodie. Ask no questions, brother. We are a pair.
Lawson. Pair, indeed! Pair, William Brodie! Upon my saul, sir, yere a brazen-faced man that durst say it to my face! Tak you care, my bonnie young man, that your craig doesna feel the wecht o your hurdies. Keep the plainstanes side o the gallows. Via trita, via tuta, William Brodie!
Brodie. And the brandy, Procurator? and the brandy?
Lawson. Ay.. weel.. bet sae! Let the brandy bide, man, let the brandy bide! But for you and the trust-money.. damned! Its felony. Tutor in rem suam, ye ken, tutor in rem suam. But O man, Deacon, whaur is the siller?
Brodie. Its gone O how the devil should I know? But itll never come back.
Lawson. Dear, dear! A gone to the winds o heaven! Sae yere an extravagant dog, too. Prodigus et furiosus! And that puir lass eh, Deacon, man, that puir lass! I mind her such a bonny bairn.
Brodie (stopping his ears). Brandy, brandy, brandy, brandy, brandy
Lawson. William Brodie, monys the long day that Ive believed in you; prood, prood was I to be the Deacons uncle; and a sore hearing have I had of it the day. Thats past; thats past like Flodden Field; its an auld sang noo, and Im an aulder man than when I crossed your door. But mark ye this mark ye this, William Brodie, I may be no sae guids I should be; but theres no a saul between the east sea and the wast can lift his een to God that made him, and say I wranged him as ye wrang that lassie. I bless God, William Brodie ay, though he was like my brother I bless God that he that got ye has the hand of death upon his hearing, and can win into his grave a happier man than me. And ye speak to me, sir? Think shame think shame upon your heart!
Brodie. Rogues all!
Lawson. Youre the son of my sister, William Brodie. Mair than that I stop not to inquire. If the siller is spent, and the honour tint Lord help us, and the honour tint! sae be it, I maun bow the head. Ruin shallna come by me. Na, and Ill say mair, William; we have a our weary sins upon our backs, and maybe I have mair than mony. But, man, if ye could bring half the jointure.. [potius quam pereas].. for your mithers son? Na? You couldna bring the half? Weel, weel, its a sair heart I have this day, a sair heart and a weary. If I were a better man mysel.. but there, there, its a sair heart that I have gotten. And the Lord kens Ill help ye if I can. [Potius quam pereas.]
SCENE VBrodie. Sore hearing, does he say? My hands wet. But its victory. Shall it be go? or stay? [I should show them all I can, or they may pry closer than they ought.] Shall I have it out and be done with it? To see Mary at once [to carry bastion after bastion at the charge] there were the true safety after all! Hurry hurrys the road to silence now. Let them once get tattling in their parlours, and its death to me. For Im in a cruel corner now. Im down, and I shall get my kicking soon and soon enough. I began it in the lust of life, in a hey-day of mystery and adventure. I felt it great to be a bolder, craftier rogue than the drowsy citizen that called himself my fellow-man. [It was meat and drink to know him in the hollow of my hand, hoarding that I and mine might squander, pinching that we might wax fat.] It was in the laughter of my heart that I tip-toed into his greasy privacy. I forced the strong-box at his ear while he sprawled beside his wife. He was my butt, my ape, my jumping-jack. And now.. O fool, fool! [Duped by such knaves as are a shame to knavery, crimes rabble, hells tatterdemalions!] Shorn to the quick! Rooked to my vitals! And I must thieve for my daily bread like any crawling blackguard in the gutter. And my sister.. my kind, innocent sister! She will come smiling to me with her poor little love-story, and I must break her heart. Broken hearts, broken lives!.. I should have died before.
SCENE VIBrodie, MaryMary (tapping without). Can I come in, Will?
Brodie. O yes, come in, come in! (Mary enters.) I wanted to be quiet, but it doesnt matter, I see. You women are all the same.
Mary. O no, Will, theyre not all so happy, and theyre not all Brodies. But Ill be a woman in one thing. For Ive come to claim your promise, dear; and Im going to be petted and comforted and made much of, altho I dont need it, and.. Why, Will, whats wrong with you? You look.. I dont know what you look like.
Brodie. O nothing! A splitting head and an aching heart. Well! youve come to speak to me. Speak up. What is it? Come, girl! What is it? Cant you speak?
Mary. Why, Will, what is the matter?
Brodie. I thought you had come to tell me something. Here I am. For Gods sake out with it, and dont stand beating about the bush.
Mary. O be kind, be kind to me.
Brodie. Kind? I am kind. Im only ill and worried, cant you see? Whimpering? I knew it! Sit down, you goose! Where do you women get your tears?
Mary. Why are you so cross with me? Oh, Will, you have forgot your sister! Remember, dear, that I have nobody but you. Its your own fault, Will, if youve taught me to come to you for kindness, for I always found it. And I mean you shall be kind to me again. I know you will, for this is my great need, and the day Ive missed my mother sorest. Just a nice look, dear, and a soft tone in your voice, to give me courage, for I can tell you nothing till I know that youre my own brother once again.
Brodie. If youd take a hint, youd put it off till to-morrow. But I suppose you wont. On, then, Im listening. Im listening!
Mary. Mr. Leslie has asked me to be his wife.
Brodie. He has, has he?
Mary. And I have consented.
Brodie. And.. ?
Mary. You can say that to me? And that is all you have to say?
Brodie. O no, not all.
Mary. Speak out, sir. I am not afraid.
Brodie. I suppose you want my consent?
Mary. Can you ask?
Brodie. I didnt know. You seem to have got on pretty well without it so far.
Mary. O shame on you! shame on you!
Brodie. Perhaps you may be able to do without it altogether. I hope so. For youll never have it Mary!.. I hate to see you look like that. If I could say anything else, believe me, I would say it. But I have said all; every word is spoken; theres the end.
Mary. It shall not be the end. You owe me explanation; and Ill have it.
Brodie. Isnt my No enough, Mary?
Mary. It might be enough for me; but it is not, and it cannot be, enough for him. He has asked me to be his wife; he tells me his happiness is in my hands poor hands, but they shall not fail him, if my poor heart should break! If he has chosen and set his hopes upon me, of all women in the world, I shall find courage somewhere to be worthy of the choice. And I dare you to leave this room until you tell me all your thoughts until you prove that this is good and right.
Brodie. Good and right? They are strange words, Mary. I mind the time when it was good and right to be your fathers daughter and your brothers sister.. Now!.
Mary. Have I changed? Not even in thought. My father, Walter says, shall live and die with us. He shall only have gained another son. And you you know what he thinks of you; you know what I would do for you.
Brodie. Give him up.
Mary. I have told you: not without a reason.
Brodie. You must.
Mary. I will not.
Brodie. What if I told you that you could only compass your happiness and his at the price of my ruin?
Mary. Your ruin?
Brodie. Even so.
Mary. Ruin!
Brodie. It has an ugly sound, has it not?
Mary. O Willie, what have you done? What have you done? What have you done?
Brodie. I cannot tell you, Mary. But you may trust me. You must give up this Leslie.. and at once. It is to save me.
Mary. I would die for you, dear, you know that. But I cannot be false to him. Even for you, I cannot be false to him.
Brodie. We shall see. Let me take you to your room. Come. And, remember, it is for your brothers sake. It is to save me.
Mary. I am true Brodie. Give me time, and you shall not find me wanting. But it is all so sudden.. so strange and dreadful! You will give me time, will you not? I am only a woman, and.. O my poor Walter! It will break his heart! It will break his heart! (A knock.)
Brodie. You hear!
Mary. Yes, yes. Forgive me. I am going. I will go. It is to save you, is it not? To save you. Walter.. Mr. Leslie.. O Deacon, Deacon, God forgive you! (She goes out.)
Brodie. Amen. But will He?
SCENE VIIBrodie, HuntHunt (hat in hand). Mr. Deacon Brodie, I believe?
Brodie. I am he, Mr.
Hunt. Hunt, sir; an officer from Sir John Fielding of Bow Street.
Brodie. There can be no better passport than the name. In what can I serve you?
Hunt. Youll excuse me, Mr. Deacon.
Brodie. Your duty excuses you, Mr. Hunt.
Hunt. Your obedient. The fact is, Mr. Deacon [we in the office see a good deal of the lives of private parties; and I neednt tell a gentleman of your experience its part of our duty to hold our tongues. Now], its come to my knowledge that you are a trifle jokieous. Of course I know there aint any harm in that. Ive been young myself, Mr. Deacon, and speaking
Brodie. O, but pardon me. Mr. Hunt, I am not going to discuss my private character with you.
Hunt. To be sure you aint. [And do I blame you? Not me.] But, speaking as one man of the world to another, you naturally see a great deal of bad company.
Brodie. Not half so much as you do. But I see what youre driving at; and if I can illuminate the course of justice, you may command me. (He sits, and motions Hunt to do likewise.)
Hunt. I was dead sure of it; and and upon art, Mr. Deacon, I thank you. Now (consulting pocket-book), did you ever meet a certain George Smith?
Brodie. The fellow they call Jingling Geordie? (Hunt nods.) Yes.
Hunt. Bad character.
Brodie. Let us say.. disreputable.
Hunt. Any means of livelihood?
Brodie. I really cannot pretend to guess, I have met the creature at cock-fights [which, as you know, are my weakness]. Perhaps he bets.
Hunt. [Mr. Deacon, from what I know of the gentleman, I should say that if he dont if he aint open to any mortal thing he aint the man I mean.] He used to be about with a man called Badger Moore.
Brodie. The boxer?
Hunt. Thats him. Know anything of him?
Brodie. Not much. I lost five pieces on him in a fight; and I fear he sold his backers.
Hunt. Speaking as one admirer of the noble art to another, Mr. Deacon, the losers always do. I suppose the Badger cockfights like the rest of us?
Brodie. I have met him in the pit.
Hunt. Well, its a pretty sport. Im as partial to a main as anybody.
Brodie. Its not an elegant taste, Mr. Hunt.
Hunt. It costs as much as though it was. And that reminds me, speaking as one sportsman to another, Mr. Deacon, I was sorry to hear that youve been dropping a hatful of money lately.
Brodie. You are very good.
Hunt. Four hundred in three months, they tell me.
Brodie. Ah!
Hunt. So they say, sir.
Brodie. They have a perfect right to say so, Mr. Hunt.
Hunt. And you to do the other thing? Well, Im a good hand at keeping close myself.
Brodie. I am not consulting you, Mr. Hunt; tis you who are consulting me. And if there is nothing else (rising) in which I can pretend to serve you.. ?
Hunt (rising). Thats about all, sir, unless you can put me on to anything good in the way of heckle and spur? Id try to look in.
Brodie. O, come, Mr. Hunt, if you have nothing to do, frankly and flatly I have. This is not the day for such a conversation; and so good-bye to you. (A knocking, C.)
Hunt. Servant, Mr. Deacon. (Smith and Moore, without waiting to be answered, open and enter, C.They are well into the room before they observe Hunt.) [Talk of the Devil, sir!]
Brodie. What brings you here? (Smith and Moore, confounded by the officers presence, slouch together to right of door. Hunt, stopping as he goes out, contemplates the pair, sarcastically. This is supported by Moore with sullen bravado; by Smith, with cringing airiness.)
Hunt (digging Smith in the ribs). Why, you are the very parties I was looking for! (He goes out, C.)
SCENE VIIIBrodie, Moore, SmithMoore. Wot was that cove here about?
Brodie (with folded arms, half-sitting on bench). He was here about you.
Smith (still quite discountenanced). About us? Scissors! And what did you tell him?
Brodie (same attitude). I spoke of you as I have found you. [I told him you were a disreputable hound, and that Moore had crossed a fight.] I told him you were a drunken ass, and Moore an incompetent and dishonest boxer.
Moore. Look here, Deacon! Wots up? Wot I ses is, if a coves got any thundering grudge agin a cove, why cant he spit it out, I ses.
Brodie. Here are my answers (producing purse and dice). These are both too light. This purse is empty, these dice are not loaded. Is it indiscretion to inquire how you share? Equal with the Captain, I presume?
Smith. Its as easy as my eye, Deakin. Slink Ainslie got letting the merry glass go round, and didnt know the right bones from the wrong. Thats hall.