The Mousetrap

RAYMOND. No. I . . .

MRS. BOYNTON. You’ll keep out of her way. You’ll be rude to her.

RAYMOND. No . . .

MRS. BOYNTON. (With force) You’ll do what I want.

RAYMOND. I—I . . .

MRS. BOYNTON. You’ll do what I tell you.

RAYMOND. (After a pause; dully) Yes. Yes, I suppose so. (He sits Left of the table.)

(SARAH enters Right.)

MRS. BOYNTON. You’ll avoid Sarah King.

RAYMOND. I’ll avoid Sarah King.

MRS. BOYNTON. So that’s settled. You understand? You’re giving up Sarah King.

RAYMOND. I’m giving up Sarah King. (He buries his face in his hands.)

SARAH. (Crossing and standing above the table) Extraordinarily interesting. I’m glad I heard it. Cheer up, Ray—I’m not giving you up.

MRS. BOYNTON. Tell her to go away.

RAYMOND. I . . . Please go away.

SARAH. I’m not going.

MRS. BOYNTON. Tell her to leave you alone.

RAYMOND. I . . . You’d better—leave me alone.

SARAH. Your mother and I are going to have a talk.

RAYMOND. I . . . (He looks at MRS. BOYNTON.)

MRS. BOYNTON. Go away, Raymond.

SARAH. Yes, please go away, Ray.

(RAYMOND rises and exits slowly to the marquee. SARAH and MRS. BOYNTON look at each other.)

What an extraordinary futile and silly old woman you are.

(MRS. BOYNTON quivers.)

Yes, you didn’t expect that. But it’s true. (She moves to Left of the table.) You like to make yourself out a kind of ogre. Really, you’re ludicrous—almost pathetic. Why don’t you give up this silly sadistic business?

MRS. BOYNTON. How dare you speak to me like that?

SARAH. It’s time someone did. It’s time someone showed you what you really are. You’ve wanted to feel powerful, haven’t you—you’ve enjoyed hurting and torturing people? It’s made you feel grand and important. But you’re only a petty little domestic tyrant. You’ve acquired a certain amount of hypnotic influence over your family. But the influence can be broken.

MRS. BOYNTON. Who’s going to break it?

SARAH. I am.

MRS. BOYNTON. You think you’ll get Raymond, do you? I know the sort of girl you are—man mad. Pretending to be professional and all the time running after some man or other.

SARAH. (Sitting Left of the table, calmly) Saying things like that won’t upset me. I’m going to fight you, Mrs. Boynton.

MRS. BOYNTON. You’ll lose.

SARAH. No, I shall win.

MRS. BOYNTON. You little fool. I’ve got Raymond—I’ve got all of them, like that. (She makes a gesture with her thumb.)

(LENNOX enters Right and sits in the deckchair down Right.)

SARAH. You really are quite incredible—like something in a medical textbook. I shall win all right. I’ve two strong weapons on my side.

MRS. BOYNTON. And what are they?

SARAH. Youth and sex.

MRS. BOYNTON. Aren’t you ashamed to say a thing like that?

SARAH. I love Raymond. I’ll fight for him with every weapon I’ve got.

MRS. BOYNTON. I’m stronger than you are. I’ve experience behind me—years of experience. (With force) I can do things to people’s minds.

SARAH. Yes, you’ve got knowledge—a lot of evil knowledge. But you haven’t got—very long to use it.

MRS. BOYNTON. What do you mean?

SARAH. There’s something else on my side—time. (She rises.)

MRS. BOYNTON. Time?

SARAH. I’m a doctor and I know what I’m talking about. (Slowly) You haven’t got long to live. I give you—at the most—six months.

MRS. BOYNTON. (Badly shaken) Six months? Rubbish!

SARAH. Ask Doctor Gerard if you don’t believe me.

MRS. BOYNTON. (Stricken) Six months . . .

SARAH. It’s the truth. You’ve got an appointment—an appointment you’ll have to keep—an appointment with death. When you’re dead, your family will be free. So you see, death’s on my side, as well as life.

MRS. BOYNTON. (Convulsed with rage) Get out of my sight. Go away.

SARAH. Can’t you stop hating? It’s not too late for that.

MRS. BOYNTON. Get out! Get out! Get out! (She strikes the table with her stick.)

(SARAH looks at MRS. BOYNTON, shakes her head, shrugs her shoulders and exits to the marquee. COPE and NADINE enter down the slope Left, COPE leading.)

NADINE. (As she enters) It’s too hot to walk far. (She moves down Left.)