Eighteen

Rosemary awakes. It is broad daylight. ROSEMARY

Nobody here? What's happened? What an awful night—I feel quite worn out. (rings for Alice; nobody comes; at last she gets up) Has she run away? Have they all run away? Perhaps Man and his thugs have been here and arrested the whole lot. In that case how did they miss me? Man may have told them to leave me—for him. He doesn't love me, not after what I said to him yesterday . . . was it yesterday? I don't even know what day it was. That young boy . . . ah, it's coming back to me—said he's been killed in the war . . . must be crazy . . . or did I dream it? That was no dream. What was it then? Alice! Alice!! Alice!!!. . . I'm screaming! Mad—and no one to talk to. Mad! And alone. This place gives me the creeps. It's haunted. I am haunted—hag-ridden they call it. Are those guns? No, trucks on the road. They are driving at me—through me—into my head—drumming in my ears! Cassandra, help me, help! Alice! Oh, there you are. Where have you been? I've fallen out of bed; must have had a stroke. Where's the doctor? No, I don't want a psycho380analyst—I'm ill. I need a doctor I say. No, not a mind doctor. I must get up or I'll go out of my mind.

ALICE

Did you call, Ma'am?

ROSEMARY

Oh shut up! Don't talk that 'Ma'am' nonsense to me.

ALICE

I'm sorry. I thought you liked it.

ROSEMARY

You liked it. You led me on. How could you put up with that nonsense? I hated being your skivvy and I hated you. Now you seem ... I suppose it serves me right!

ALICE

What serves you right? I was sure you liked it.

ROSEMARY

I must be mad. How do I come to be mistress of the house? What has happened? What. . . (begins to be hysterical and Alice becomes angry and frightened)

ALICE

Calm yourself! What's the matter?

ROSEMARY

Nothing. I want to get up. I must have had. . . had ... a nightmare. It was very vivid.

ALICE

What did you dream?

ROSEMARY

(Uncertain of the facts and afraid of saying something which might betray her, she plays for time and hopes Alice will say or do something which will give her a lead) I had better sit in a chair. I feel so queer.

ALICE

Here, sit down. Do you want a cushion? There's someone at the door—

ROSEMARY

(suppressing a scream with difficulty) Don't let him in. That awful man!

ALICE

It's only Tom. He won't come in.

ROSEMARY

Are you sure it's not. . .

ALICE

It's only Tom.

ROSEMARY

(relieved that she has not given herself away, but wanting someone from whom she could get help without making it clear what she is thinking) Oh, he's quite harmless—quite a nice man really.

ALICE

What do you want, Tom? Just wait a minute.

TOM

Only came to say the job is finished.

ALICE

Thank you—nothing else? I'm busy just now.

TOM

Will that be all, Miss? (goes off talking to himself) She's a cool hand. Doesn't care what she tells me to do. They are all crazy 381It beats me what has happened to the missus. And Rosemary! She was so dressed up she looked quite the lady. Must see what has happened to Curly. I could have asked the master about her, but now he's gone there's no one to ask except that German bastard and he's no good. Come on Curly lass—what's ailing you? Quite off your feed? (He approaches her udders but the cow lashes out at him) Whoa there! I'm not going to hurt you. I wish the master was here to talk to you instead of me. Cows or women—they are all the same—lash out because they think they'll get hurt. The master would have said, 'Cowherds and robbers are all the same—to cows'. Poor Curly!

(Fade out. Priest and P.A. are seen together)

PRIEST

I had a queer dream last night—I suppose you would call it that.

P.A

How could I call it that? It wasn't my dream.

PRIEST

To me all dreams are 'queer' so I thought you would call it that.

P.A

One of your prophets, Isaiah, who was the kind of person to whom you religious people pay attention—forgive me if I don't know what your brand of religion is—

PRIEST

(bows slightly) I am flattered. May I congratulate you on your discriminatory integrity in not having 'labelled' me with a particular 'brand' of religion.

P.A

Let us leave out the introductory courtesies. I was referring to Isaiah who describes his contact with the Lord in matter of-fact terms, precisely dated. Of course, we cannot know what happened, but we may have opinions. My object is not to discuss that past experience but to illustrate the unlimited possibilities when you say, 'a queer dream'; possibilities which are limited in this discussion only by my ignorance. The experience is not 'limited' by 'finite' considerations of our capacity, though our 'discussion' of it is.

PRIEST

I dreamed of an explosion of vast, tremendous and majestic proportions. It was terrifying. It was black as night; not night that I might understand in the solar system, but dark night of the soul—

P.A

As described by Saint John of the Cross perhaps?