The Mousetrap

ANYA. It is she who drinks the tea. She always says we need more tea, but we use hardly any. We drink coffee.

HELEN. I suppose these women always pinch things, don’t they?

ANYA. And they think we are foreigners and we shall not know.

There is a pause.ANYAknits.

I’m afraid it is very dull for you, Miss Rollander, with only me to talk to. Invalids are not very amusing company.

HELENrises, moves upRand looks at the books in the bookcase.

HELEN. I really only came to bring back those books.

ANYA. Karl has too many books. Look at this room—look at the books everywhere. Students come and borrow the books and read them and leave them about, and then take them away and lose them. It is maddening—quite maddening.

HELEN. Can’t be much fun for you.

ANYA. I wish I were dead.

HELEN. (turning sharply to look atANYA) Oh, you mustn’t say that.

ANYA. But it’s true. I’m a nuisance and a bore to everybody. To my cousin, Lisa, and to my husband. Do you think it is nice to know one is a burden on people?

HELEN. Do you? (She turns away to the bookcase)

ANYA. I’d be better dead, much better dead. Sometimes I think I will end it all. It will be quite easy. Just a little overdose of my heart medicine and then everybody will be happy and free and I’d be at peace. Why should I go on suffering?

HELENcrosses above the armchair to the desk and looks out of the window.

HELEN. (bored and unsympathetic; with a sigh) Must be awful for you.

ANYA. You don’t know, you can’t possibly understand. You’re young and good-looking and rich and have everything you want. And here am I, miserable, helpless, always suffering, and nobody cares. Nobody really cares.

TheDOCTORenters downRand crosses toRofANYA. KARLfollows him on and stands below the sofa.HELENturns.

DOCTOR. Well, Anya, Karl tells me you’re going into the clinic in about two weeks’ time.

ANYA. It won’t do any good. I’m sure of it.

DOCTOR. Come, come, you mustn’t say that. I was reading a most interesting article in The Lancet the other day, which dealt with the matter. Only an outline, but it was interesting. Of course we’re very cautious in this country about the prospect of this new treatment. Afraid to commit ourselves. Our American cousins rush ahead, but there certainly seems to be a good chance of success with it.

ANYA. I don’t really believe in it, it won’t do any good.

DOCTOR. Now, Anya, don’t be a little misery. (He pushes the wheelchair towards the door down R)

KARLmoves to the door downRand holds it open.

We’ll have your weekly overhaul now and I’ll see whether you’re doing me credit as a patient or not.

ANYA. I can’t knit any more, my hands shake so, I drop the stitches.

KARLtakes the chair from theDOCTORand pushesANYAoff downR.

KARL. There’s nothing in that, is there, Doctor?

DOCTOR. No, no, nothing at all.

KARLexits withANYAdownR. TheDOCTORfollows them off.KARLre-enters and closes the door. He rather ignoresHELENwho stubs out her cigarette in the ashtray on the desk and crosses toLC.

KARL. (collecting his brief-case) I’m afraid I have to go out, I have a lecture at half past four.

HELEN. Are you angry with me for coming?

KARL. (formally) Of course not. It is very kind of you to return the books.

HELEN. (moving toLofKARL) You are angry with me. You’ve been so brusque—so abrupt, lately. What have I done to make you angry? You were really cross yesterday.

KARL. (crossing aboveHELENto the desk) Of course I was cross. (He takes a book from the desk and crosses belowHELENtoLof the sofa) You say that you want to learn, that you want to study and take your diploma, and then you do not work.

HELEN. Well, I’ve been rather busy lately—there’s been a lot on . . .

KARL. You’re not stupid, you’ve got plenty of intelligence and brains, but you don’t take any trouble. How are you getting on with your German lessons?

HELEN. (very off-handedly) I haven’t arranged about them yet.