Priestley Plays Four Read Online Free PDF Page A

–
I command you
–
    Stage rapidly darkens. The girls give little cries of alarm and shrink from the two magicians, who are glaring at each other
.
    MARLAGRAM: Go on, boy. Command away! He-he-he!
    MALGRIM:
(Terribly, in some magic language.) Vartha gracka – Marlagram – oh terrarma vava marvagrista Demogorgon! –
    There is a growl of thunder and a flash of lightning
.
    MARLAGRAM:
(magnificently now, in the same style.)
Vartha gracka – Malgrim – oh terramarveena groodumagisterra Beelzebub.
    There is a terrific crack of thunder and then a flash of lightning that is a thunderflash actually on the stage. The girls scream. As the smoke clears and the lights come up, it is seen that MALGRIM has vanished. [He goes behind the pillar.] The girls come out of their terrified huddle, staring at MARLAGRAM, who is grinning and chuckling. Lightning as before
.
    MARLAGRAM: All over. No need to be frightened, my dears. He’s gone – and serve him right. Too conceited – and no proper respect for his elders.
    MELICENT:
(Recovering, but still rather dazed.)
But – what’s happened – I don’t understand, Master Marlagram –
    MARLAGRAM: Very simple, my dear. I’m looking after you now. And I make no conditions – don’t ask for any solemn promises – notice that. You trust me, I’ll trust you. The good old-fashioned style. If it’s this Sam you want, then I’ll take you to him wherever he is. But first you want to see the dwarf, don’t you. Of course you do.
(He calls.)
Grumet – Grumet – Grumet – come, boy – come, boy – come, boy!
    There is a sound like a whistling wind, and then GRUMET is there, carrying the portrait and the stockings, grinning away
.
    MELICENT:
(Excited and delighted.)
Oh – Grumet – did you see him? What have you brought?
(As he hands over the portrait first.)
Is this the picture of me that Sam painted? Oh – look – look! Isn’t it wonderful?
    NINETTE:
(As they look, coldly.)
The nose isn’t right.
    MELICENT:
(Indignantly.)
Of course it is – you’re only jealous. The nose is
perfect
. It’s a marvellous portrait of me.
(GRUMET now offers her the stockings, grinning.)
What are these? Stockings?
(Displaying them with tremendous excitement.)
Look at them – look – look –
    NINETTE:
(Excitedly.)
They’re so – so –
sheer
. It must be an enchantment.
    MELICENT:
(Excitedly.)
I must try them on.
    NINETTE: What about me?
    MELICENT: No, Ninette – not while you’re feeling so jealous.
    MARLAGRAM: Stop! You wish to see this Sam –
    MELICENT: Of course – you said you’d take me to him –
    MARLAGRAM: Then get ready. We start in an hour. No sooner, no later. I’ve an hour’s work to do before we can find this Sam. He isn’t round the corner, y’know – at least not what
you’d
call round the corner – neither in space nor in time. So I need an hour to work it out. Then we’ll go – he-he-he! Grumet, stay here, boy. Now, I’m off –
    The whistling wind sound as before. He runs out as fast as he can go. The wind sound fades out
.
    MELICENT: I’m sorry, Ninette, but you’ll have to stay here – you’ve never been really sympathetic about Sam – so I feel I ought to leave you out of this.
    She goes out L. hurrying. NINETTE looks disgustingly at GRUMET, who is squatting
.
    NINETTE: If only you could talk, you stupid little thing. Is it really hard to find this Sam person?
(The dwarf emphatically nods a ‘Yes’.)
Can’t be done without magic, I suppose?
(The dwarf shakes a vigorous ‘No’.)
Not that I want him of course – I think the whole thing’s ridiculous – but I refuse to be treated like this without doing
something
. I’m not going to be left out of everything as if I didn’t count at all. If only Master Malgrim hadn’t been so easily defeated –
    MALGRIM:
(Stepping out of the pillar, coolly.)
No, Lady Ninette, I must correct you there. Actually it was a near thing. The truth is, my uncle – who, after all, is a cunning old hand – had prepared