LITMIR.BIZ

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keeping you waiting so long. (Shakes hands.) You and Captain Halliwell already know each other.

      (HALLIWELL acknowledges GAVIN.)

      Let me thank you again for the good services you rendered us on that — not very fortunate occasion.

      HALLIWELL. I thank you also, Mr. Dishart — though nothing came of it.

      LORD RINTOUL (signing to gavin to be seated). One thing at all events has come of it — that I welcome you heartily, Mr. Dishart, to Rintoul.

      (HALLIWELL sits on couch.)

      GAVIN (awkwardly). You are very good. (The door is much on his mind.)

      HALLIWELL (indifferently). I hope Mrs. Dishart is well. She was very agitated that night, Sergeant Davidson told me. You may remember you introduced him to her in the wood.

      GAVIN. I remember! (He looks at fire.)

      LORD RINTOUL. Which reminds me — that we have not yet called on her I must ask my daughter to do so.

      GAVIN (hurriedly). There is no necessity to —

      LORD RINTOUL (genially’). It will be a pleasure to her. You have been seeing a good deal of her lately — so she tells me.

      (GAVIN wonders.) I hope she has been of real service to you while you were visiting my tenants. I instructed her to give you every help in her power, and I may say that if she has made as favourable an impression upon you as she assures me you have made upon her, I shall be vastly pleased.

      GAVIN (puzzled, but not wishing to expose his lordship’s daughter). Thank you — I quite — thank you. (He feels that he is weak, and rises manfully to be bold) Lord Rintoul —

      (Here the music of song on pipes begins again off but is nearer now. CAPTAIN HALLIWELL winces and is obviously very angry. He paces to and fro. LORD RINTOUL thoroughly enjoys the situation and looks at GAVIN with a twinkle. He rings bell. After a pause THWAITES comes to him. LORD RINTOUL says something to THWAITES in low voice, THWAITES goes. The music continues, CAPTAIN HALLIWELL is more and more angry. GAVIN can’t help exchanging a smile with LORD RINTOUL, which CAPTAIN HALLIWELL sees. Suddenly the music stops.)

      LORD RINTOUL (explanatory to HALLIWELL). They are not my men, you know.

      (halliwell frowns, lord rintoul addresses gavin.)

      Captain Halliwell is not musical.

      GAVIN (rising again to his task). Lord Rintoul, the kindness of your reception makes it the more desirable that I should acquaint you at once with my object in coming here. It was not, I need hardly say to talk of your daughter — however accomplished — but to plead with you — and with you, too, sir, for another and less happy woman.

      LORD RINTOUL. I confess I don’t follow you.

      GAVIN. I mean the gipsy girl.

      (HALLIWELL swings round at this.)

      It is admitted that no further action is to be taken against the misguided weavers — why, then, not show a similar clemency to her?

      LORD RINTOUL (surprised). Well-a-day, Mr. Dishart! I have not been so taken aback since one of your weavers plugged my mouth with a divot.

      GAVIN. Her intentions were the most generous —

      LORD RINTOUL. So was the divot!

      GAVIN. You, Captain Halliwell —

      HALLIWELL. I tell you, Mr. Dishart, decisively, that this matter does not end until I have that accursed jade in jail.

      GAVIN. You are pitiless!

      HALLIWELL. Quite! So no more of this.

      LORD RINTOUL (slyly). You forget the song, Mr. Dishart!

      GAVIN (hesitating, and then breaking out passionately). There shall be more of it, sir. When I heard that a madman had seized her and was dragging her here for a reason you little understand, I ran after him to tear her from him. I was too late, but I am not too late to beg of you — and if that is useless, to insist — that you set her free.

      LORD RINTOUL (astounded.) The gipsy — here?

      GAVIN. Is it not poor fooling to pretend to me that she is not here?

      LORD RINTOUL. But, my dear man —

      HALLIWELL. Excuse me, Rintoul, this seems to have become my affair. (Signing caution to lord rintoul) Well, Mr. Dishart, suppose she is here — what then?

      GAVIN (scornfully). Suppose!

      HALLIWELL (exchanging a look with lord rintoul). I admit that she is here.

      (LORD RINTOUL perceives the scheme.)

      What has that to do with you? And what gives you the right to insist on her being released?

      GAVIN. This. She is innocent of the charges brought against her. It was not she who prevented your arresting the rioters.

      HALLIWELL (scoffing). Indeed!

      GAVIN. It WAS I!

      LORD RINTOUL. What’s that? Come, come, Mr. Dishart, we know better. You forget that you were overheard denouncing the watchers as law-breakers and ordering them to their homes.

      HALLIWELL. We know also that you were seen trying to chase the gipsy from the wood immediately before she blew that infernal horn.

      GAVIN. She did not blow the horn — I blew it! It was I who alarmed the town!

      LORD RINTOUL (KINDLY). Be careful. Come, come, you must not say a thing like that.

      GAVIN. It is the truth.

      HALLIWELL. On your oath, sir.

      GAVIN. On my oath.

      HALLIWELL. Rintoul, you heard him!

      LORD RINTOUL (TO GIVE gavin ANOTHER CHANCE). I am not sure that I did.

      GAVIN (STOUTLY). I am prepared to repeat every word of it if necessary — I alone did it.

      LORD RINTOUL. Well, we must accept that and it is certainly bad enough — but why tell us?

      HALLIWELL. You WERE PLAYING WITH US!

      GAVIN. As YOU WILL.

      HALLIWELL. There is a heavy punishment, sir.

      GAVIN. I am prepared to meet it.

      LORD RINTOUL. May I ask you why you admit this to us?

      GAVIN. That the innocent may be set at liberty. Do as you choose with me.

      LORD RINTOUL (QUIZZICALLY). This is rather awkward, Halliwell.

      HALLIWELL. I don’t see it in that light. It means simply the issue of another warrant — for him.

      LORD RINTOUL. Perhaps that means simply the issue of more divots — for me.

      HALLIWELL. I must say, Rintoul, I think I have done this pretty neatly.

      LORD RINTOUL. A Machiavelli! Mr. Dishart, I am sorry for you.

      HALLIWELL. More than I am. Gad, sir, before you came here to make such a confession, you might have thought of Mrs. Dishart.

      (gavin GULPS.)

      GAVIN. There is no Mrs. Dishart.

      HALLIWELL (WHEELING ROUND). What do you mean now? There is your wife.

      GAVIN (with a salt taste in his mouth). I have NO wife.

      LORD RINTOUL (bewildered). Nowife? Thenwhowas — ?

      (He suddenly smells a rat.)

      HALLIWELL (stepping forward, suddenly suspicious). It was not —

      GAVIN. Yes, it was the gipsy.

      (They are bereft of speech, rintoul and halliwell exchange glances.)

      HALLIWELL. So that explains how she slipped through our fingers!

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