The Mousetrap

VERA. There isn’t anything to say—(Pause. WARGRAVE rises; to up Centre) I wonder what the time is. It’s this awful waiting—waiting for the hours to go by and yet feeling that they may be the last. What is the time?

LOMBARD. Half past eight.

VERA. Is that all?

LOMBARD. Pretty awful light, this. How are the candles holding out?

BLORE. There’s a whole packet. Storm’s dying down a bit, what do you think, sir? (Rises; goes up to window.)

WARGRAVE. Perhaps. We mustn’t get too optimistic.

ARMSTRONG. The murderer’s got everything on his side. Even the weather seems to be falling in with his plans.

(WARGRAVE sits Left sofa. Long pause.)

BLORE. (Rising) What about something to eat?

VERA. (Rises. Crossing up Left) If you like, I’ll go out and open some tongue and make some coffee. But you four stay here. (To WARGRAVE) That’s right, isn’t it?

WARGRAVE. Not quite. You see, Miss Claythorne, it might be inadvisable to eat or drink something that you had prepared out of our sight.

VERA. Oh! (Slowly) You don’t like me, do you?

WARGRAVE. It’s not a question of likes or dislikes.

(VERA sits down Left.)

LOMBARD. There are very few tricks that will get past you, Sir Lawrence. You know, if you won’t be offended at my saying so, you’re my fancy.

WARGRAVE. (Rises to Left, looking at him coldly through his spectacles in the best court manner) This is hardly the moment, Captain Lombard, for any of us to indulge in the luxury of taking offence.

LOMBARD. (Up Right Centre) I don’t think it’s Blore. (To BLORE) I may be wrong, but I can’t feel you’ve got enough imagination for this job. All I can say is, if you are the criminal, I take my hat off to you for a damned fine actor.

BLORE. Thank you—for nothing. (Sits Left sofa.)

LOMBARD. (Pause. Looks atARMSTRONG) I don’t think it’s the doctor. I don’t believe he’s got the nerve. (Looks at VERA down Left) You’ve got plenty of nerve, Vera. On the other hand, you strike me as eminently sane. Therefore, you’d only do murder if you had a thoroughly good motive.

VERA. (Sarcastically) Thank you.

ARMSTRONG. (Rises) I’ve thought of something.

LOMBARD. Splendid. Animal, vegetable or mineral?

ARMSTRONG. That man (Points toBLORE) says he’s a police officer. But we’ve no proof of that. He only said so after the gramophone record, when his name had been given. Before that he was pretending to be a South African millionaire. Perhaps the police officer is another impersonation. What do we know about him? Nothing at all.

LOMBARD. He’s a policeman all right. Look at his feet.

BLORE. (Rises and sits again) That’s enough from you, Mr. Lombard.

LOMBARD. (ARMSTRONGsits chair Right Centre) Well, now we know where we are. By the way, Miss Claythorne suspects you, Doctor. Oh, yes, she does. Haven’t you seen her shoot a dirty look from time to time? It all works out quite prettily. I suspect Sir Lawrence. Blore suspects me. Armstrong suspects Blore. (To WARGRAVE) What about you, sir?

WARGRAVE. Quite early in the day, I formed a certain conclusion. It seemed to me that everything that had occurred pointed quite unmistakably to one person. (Pause. He looks straight ahead.) I am still of the same opinion. (Above Left sofa)

VERA. Which one?

WARGRAVE. Well—no, I think it would be inadvisable to mention that person’s name at the present time.

LOMBARD. Inadvisable in the public interest?

WARGRAVE. Exactly.

(EVERYONE looks at each other.)

BLORE. What about the food idea?

ARMSTRONG. No, no, let’s stay here. We’re safe here.

VERA. I can’t say I’m hungry.

LOMBARD. I’m not ravenous myself. You can go out and have a guzzle by yourself, Blore.

BLORE. Tell you what. Suppose I go and bring in a tin of biscuits? (Rises to Left 2 door.)

LOMBARD. Good idea.

(BLORE starts to go.)

LOMBARD. Oh, Blore.

BLORE. Eh?

LOMBARD. An unopened tin, Blore.

(BLORE goes out; takes candle from bookcase. A pause EVERYBODY watches door. A gust of wind—the curtains rattle. VERA rises. WARGRAVE sits Left sofa.)

LOMBARD. It’s only the wind—making the curtains rattle.

VERA. (Up Centre) I wonder what happened to the bathroom curtain? The one that Rogers missed.