more than Chris has –
Kate I’ve often seen you and Rose whispering together. What plot has been hatched between Rose and Mr Bradley?
Agnes No plot … please, Kate –
Kate You’re lying to me, Agnes! You’re withholding! I want the truth!
Agnes Honest to God, all I know is what Chris has just –
Kate I want to know everything you know! Now! I want to –
Maggie That’ll do, Kate! Stop that at once! ( calmly ) She may be in the town. She may be on her way home now. She may have taken a weak turn on her way back from the quarry. We’re going to find her. ( to Chris ) You search the fields on the upper side of the lane. ( to Agnes ) You take the lower side, down as far as the main road. ( to Kate ) You go to the old well and search all around there. I’m going into the town to tell the police.
Kate You’re going to no police, Maggie. If she’s mixed up with that Bradley creature, I’m not going to have it broadcast all over –
Maggie I’m going to the police and you’ll do what I told you to do.
Chris There she is! Look – look! There she is!
She has seen Rose through the window and is about to rush out to greet her. Maggie catches her arm and restrains her. The four sisters watch Rose as she crosses the garden – Chris and Kate from the window, Maggie and Agnes from the door. Rose is unaware of their anxious scrutiny. She is dressed in the ‘ good ’ clothes described by Agnes and they have changed her appearance. Indeed, had we not seen the Rose of Act One, we might not now be immediately aware of her disability. At first look this might be any youngish country woman, carefully dressed, not unattractive, returning from a long walk on a summer day. She walks slowly, lethargically, towards the house. From her right hand hangs a red poppy that she plucked casually along the road. The face reveals nothing – but nothing is being deliberately concealed. She sees Agnes’s cans of fruit. She stops beside them and looks at them. Then she puts her hand into one of the cans, takes a fistful of berries and thrusts the fistful into her mouth. Then she wipes her mouth with her sleeve and the back of her hand. As she chews she looks at her stained fingers. She wipes them on her skirt. All of these movements – stopping, eating, wiping – are done not dreamily, abstractedly, but calmly, naturally. Now she moves towards the house. As she approaches the door Agnes rushes to meet her. Instead of hugging her, as she wants to, she catches her arm.
Agnes Rosie, love, we were beginning to get worried about you.
Rose They’re nice, Aggie. They’re sweet. And you got two canfuls. Good for you.
Agnes leads her into the house.
Agnes Is your stomach settled?
Rose My stomach?
Agnes You weren’t feeling well – remember? – when we were at the quarry?
Rose Oh, yes. Oh, I’m fine now, thanks.
Agnes You left me there and you said you were coming home to lie down. D’you remember that?
Rose Yes.
Chris But you didn’t come home, Rosie.
Rose That’s right.
Agnes And we were very worried about you.
Rose Well … here I am.
Chris Were you in the town?
Agnes That’s why you’re all dressed up, isn’t it?
Chris You went into Ballybeg, didn’t you?
Pause. Rose looks from one to the other.
Maggie ( briskly ) She’s home safe and sound and that’s all that matters. Now I don’t know about you girls but I can tell you this chicken is weak with hunger. Let me tell you what’s on the menu this evening. Our beverage is the usual hot, sweet tea. There is a choice between caraway-seed bread and soda bread, both fresh from the chef’s oven. But now we come to the difficulty: there’s only three eggs between the seven of us – I wish to God you’d persuade that white rooster of yours to lay eggs, Rosie.
Chris There are eight of us, Maggie.
Maggie How are there –? Of course – the soldier up the sycamore! Not a great larder but a nice challenge to someone like myself. Right. My suggestion is …
Kate I’ve often seen you and Rose whispering together. What plot has been hatched between Rose and Mr Bradley?
Agnes No plot … please, Kate –
Kate You’re lying to me, Agnes! You’re withholding! I want the truth!
Agnes Honest to God, all I know is what Chris has just –
Kate I want to know everything you know! Now! I want to –
Maggie That’ll do, Kate! Stop that at once! ( calmly ) She may be in the town. She may be on her way home now. She may have taken a weak turn on her way back from the quarry. We’re going to find her. ( to Chris ) You search the fields on the upper side of the lane. ( to Agnes ) You take the lower side, down as far as the main road. ( to Kate ) You go to the old well and search all around there. I’m going into the town to tell the police.
Kate You’re going to no police, Maggie. If she’s mixed up with that Bradley creature, I’m not going to have it broadcast all over –
Maggie I’m going to the police and you’ll do what I told you to do.
Chris There she is! Look – look! There she is!
She has seen Rose through the window and is about to rush out to greet her. Maggie catches her arm and restrains her. The four sisters watch Rose as she crosses the garden – Chris and Kate from the window, Maggie and Agnes from the door. Rose is unaware of their anxious scrutiny. She is dressed in the ‘ good ’ clothes described by Agnes and they have changed her appearance. Indeed, had we not seen the Rose of Act One, we might not now be immediately aware of her disability. At first look this might be any youngish country woman, carefully dressed, not unattractive, returning from a long walk on a summer day. She walks slowly, lethargically, towards the house. From her right hand hangs a red poppy that she plucked casually along the road. The face reveals nothing – but nothing is being deliberately concealed. She sees Agnes’s cans of fruit. She stops beside them and looks at them. Then she puts her hand into one of the cans, takes a fistful of berries and thrusts the fistful into her mouth. Then she wipes her mouth with her sleeve and the back of her hand. As she chews she looks at her stained fingers. She wipes them on her skirt. All of these movements – stopping, eating, wiping – are done not dreamily, abstractedly, but calmly, naturally. Now she moves towards the house. As she approaches the door Agnes rushes to meet her. Instead of hugging her, as she wants to, she catches her arm.
Agnes Rosie, love, we were beginning to get worried about you.
Rose They’re nice, Aggie. They’re sweet. And you got two canfuls. Good for you.
Agnes leads her into the house.
Agnes Is your stomach settled?
Rose My stomach?
Agnes You weren’t feeling well – remember? – when we were at the quarry?
Rose Oh, yes. Oh, I’m fine now, thanks.
Agnes You left me there and you said you were coming home to lie down. D’you remember that?
Rose Yes.
Chris But you didn’t come home, Rosie.
Rose That’s right.
Agnes And we were very worried about you.
Rose Well … here I am.
Chris Were you in the town?
Agnes That’s why you’re all dressed up, isn’t it?
Chris You went into Ballybeg, didn’t you?
Pause. Rose looks from one to the other.
Maggie ( briskly ) She’s home safe and sound and that’s all that matters. Now I don’t know about you girls but I can tell you this chicken is weak with hunger. Let me tell you what’s on the menu this evening. Our beverage is the usual hot, sweet tea. There is a choice between caraway-seed bread and soda bread, both fresh from the chef’s oven. But now we come to the difficulty: there’s only three eggs between the seven of us – I wish to God you’d persuade that white rooster of yours to lay eggs, Rosie.
Chris There are eight of us, Maggie.
Maggie How are there –? Of course – the soldier up the sycamore! Not a great larder but a nice challenge to someone like myself. Right. My suggestion is …
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