The Mousetrap

GERARD. Are you not being a little cruel to that young man?

SARAH. I can’t stand a man who’s tied to his mother’s apron strings.

GERARD. Oh, la, la, so that is the trouble. (He takes some quinine from his case and fills his own hypodermic syringe.) So you are, after all, just the English Miss. And you call yourself a budding psychologist? Do you not recognize a psychological problem when you see one?

SARAH. Do you mean that old woman? (She looks up towardsMRS. BOYNTON.) She’s like some obscene Buddha—brooding over us all. Ugh! How they can all be devoted to her I can’t imagine. It’s thoroughly unhealthy. (She sits Left of the table.)

GERARD. You are wrong. They’re not devoted to her. And she—she is not devoted to them. You have not been yourself since you have arrived here or you would have noticed many things.

SARAH. Travelling with Lady Westholme and Miss Pryce gets on my nerves.

GERARD. (Moving to Right of the table) Naturally. Lady Westholme is exactly fitted to the life she leads and enjoys it immensely. Miss Pryce is realizing the dream of a lifetime in travelling abroad. Both of them have got what they want, whereas you have not got what you want.

SARAH. What do I want?

GERARD. You want that young man who has just gone away.

SARAH. Really, Doctor Gerard, nothing of the kind.

GERARD. English Miss.

SARAH. I’m not an English Miss. (She rises and moves down Left.)

GERARD. But it is what you are. (He moves to Right of her.) You will talk learnedly of sex problems and sex life—but when it comes to a flesh-and-blood young man, you protest and blush just like your great-grandmother would have done. But come, let us be colleagues. Admittedly that young man is completely dominated by his mother—she has what I cannot but consider a most unhealthy power over him. Do we rescue him or do we not?

SARAH. Can we?

GERARD. (Taking her hands for a moment) I think perhaps you can. Now—where is this man?

SARAH. Through the marquee. I’ll show you.

(SARAH and GERARD exit to the marquee. NADINE enters from the slope Left. She walks as though very tired. She moves to the table and looks at the open cases. The ARAB BOY enters Right, carrying a tray.)

BOY. (Crossing to the table) Good afternoon, ma’am.

NADINE. Hullo, Abdulla.

(The ARAB BOY collects the dirty glasses from the table, crosses and exits Right. NADINE picks the bottles out of GERARD’s case and puts them back, as though curious but only half aware of what she is doing. COPE strides on down the slope Left. NADINE starts and moves from the table.)

COPE. So there you are. (He crosses to Right Centre.) You’ve been running away from me, Nadine.

NADINE. What makes you think that?

COPE. Nadine, things can’t go on like this. I’ve got to talk to you.

NADINE. (Crossing to him) Oh, please, Jeff, please.

COPE. (Turning her to face him) No, listen. I’ve loved you for a long time. You know that. I want you to have some happiness in your life.

NADINE. Perhaps no one is happy.

COPE. That’s nonsense, dear, and you know it. You’ve been a loyal wife to Lennox—you’ve put up with an impossible life for his sake and you’ve never complained. But the time’s come when you’ve got to think of yourself. I’m not expecting romantic devotion from you—but you do like me a little, don’t you?

NADINE. I like you very much.

COPE. You’re not doing Lennox any good by staying with him. Divorce him and marry me.

(SARAH enters from the marquee.)

(He moves Right) We might take a walk later—when the sun isn’t so hot.

NADINE. Yes.

(COPE exits Right. SARAH looks at NADINE, then sits Left of the table.)

Miss King.

SARAH. Yes?

NADINE. May I say something to you?

SARAH. Why, of course.

NADINE. (Moving to Right of the table) I saw you talking to my brother-in-law just now.

SARAH. Really?

NADINE. Do help him if you can.

SARAH. What makes you think I can help him?

NADINE. If you can’t help him, nobody can.

SARAH. He could help himself if he liked.