Overview
- Female: 1
- Male: 1
Context
Rose Trelawny was engaged to Arthur Gower, but being an actress, Arthur’s conservative and traditional grandfather, Sir William Gower, greatly disapproved of the couple. Rose gave up the stage and went to live with the Gowers at their home in Cavendish Square for a time, in order to prove herself a suitable future granddaughter-in-law and for the Gowers to teach Rose the social rules and expectations of the family. The visit was disastrous 一 both Rose and Sir William are stubborn, strong-willed
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Sir William: (After a pause, to Rose) Is this一the case?
Rose: (Standing, and speaking in a low voice) Yes. As you have noticed, fortune has turned against me, rather.
Sir William: (Penitently) I一I’m sorry, ma’am. I一I believe ye’ve kept your word to us concerning Arthur. I一I一
Rose: (Not heeding him, looking before her, dreamily) My mother knew how fickle fortune could be to us gypsies. One of the greatest actors that ever lived warned her of that一
Sir William: Miss Gower will also feel extremely一extremely一
Rose: Kean once warned mother of that.
Sir William: (In an altered tone) Kean? Which Kean?
Rose: Edmund Kean. My mother acted with Edmund Kean when she was a girl.
Sir William: (Approaching her slowly, speaking in a queer voice) With Kean? With Kean!
Rose: Yes.
Sir William: (At her side, in a whisper) My dear, I一I’ve seen Edmund Kean.
Rose: Yes?
Sir William: A young man then, I was; quite different from the man I am now一impulsive, excitable. Kean! (Drawing a deep breath) Ah, he was a splendid gypsy!
Rose: (Looking down at the dress-basket) I’ve a little fillet in there that my mother wore as Cordelia to Kean’s Lear一
Sir William: I may have seen your mother also. I was somewhat different in those days一
Rose: (Kneeling at the basket and opening it) And the Order and chain, and the sword, he wore in Richard. He gave them to my father; I’ve always prized them. (She drags to the surface a chain with an Order attached to it, and a sword-belt and sword一all very theatrical and tawdry一and a little gold fillet. She hands him the chain.) That’s the Order.
Sir William: (Handling it tenderly) Kean! God bless me!
Rose: (Holding up the fillet) My poor mother’s fillet.
Sir William: (Looking at it) I may have seen her. (Thoughtfully) I was a young man then. (Looking at Rose steadily) Put it on, my dear.
(She goes to the mirror and puts on the fillet.)
Sir William: (Examining the Order) Lord bless us! How he stirred me! How he一!
(He puts the chain over his shoulders. Rose turns to him.)
Rose: (Advancing to him) There!
Sir William: (Looking at her) Cordelia! Cordelia一with Kean!
Rose: (Adjusting the chain upon him) This should hang so. (Returning to the basket and taking up the sword-belt and sword) Look!
Sir William: (Handling them) Kean! (To her, in a whisper) I’ll tell ye! I’ll tell ye! When I saw him as Richard一I was young and a fool一I’ll tell ye一he almost fired me with an ambition to一too一 (Fumbling with the belt) How did he carry this?
Rose: (Fastening the belt, with the sword, round him) In this way一
Sir William: Ah! (He paces the stage, growling and muttering, and walking with a limp and one shoulder hunched. She watches him, seriously.) Ah! He was a little man too! I remember him! As if it were last night! I remember一 (Pausing and looking at her fixedly) My dear, your prospects in life have been injured by your unhappy acquaintanceship with my grandson.
Rose: (Gazing into the fire) Poor Arthur’s prospects in life一what of them?
Sir William: (Testily) Tsch, tsch, tsch!
Rose: If I knew where he is一!
Sir William: Miss Trelawny, if you cannot act, you cannot earn your living.
Rose: How is he earning his living?
Sir William: And if you cannot earn your living, you must be provided for.
Rose: (Turning to him) Provided for?
Sir William: Miss Gower was kind enough to bring me here in a cab. She and I will discuss plans for making provisions for ye while driving home.
Rose: (Advancing to him) Oh, I beg you will do no such thing, Sir William.
Sir William: Hey!
Rose: I could not accept any help from you or Miss Gower.
Sir William: You must! You shall!
Rose: I will not.
Sir William: (Touching the Order and the sword) Ah!一yes, I一I’ll buy these of ye, my dear一
Rose: Oh, no, no! Not for hundreds of pounds! Please take them off!
(There is a hurried knocking at the door)
Sir William: (Startled) Who’s that? (Struggling with the chains and belt) Remove these一!
(The handle is heard to rattle. Sir William disappears behind the curtains.)
Pinero, Arthur Wing, Trelawny of the Wells, R.H. Russell, 1899, pp. 156-162.
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