Loyalties   By: John Galsworthy (1867-1933)

LOYALTIES

By John Galsworthy

PERSONS OF THE PLAY

In the Order of Appearance

CHARLES WINSOR.................. Owner of Meldon Court, near Newmarket LADY ADELA...................... His Wife FERDINAND DE LEVIS.............. Young, rich, and new TREISURE........................ Winsor's Butler GENERAL CANYNGE................. A Racing Oracle MARGARET ORME................... A Society Girl CAPTAIN RONALD DANDY, D.S.O..... Retired MABEL........................... His Wife INSPECTOR DEDE.................. Of the County Constabulary ROBERT.......................... Winsor's Footman A CONSTABLE..................... Attendant on Dede AUGUSTUS BOBBING................ A Clubman LORD ST ERTH.................... A Peer of the Realm A FOOTMAN....................... Of the Club MAJOR COLFORD................... A Brother Officer of Dancy's EDWARD GRAVITER................. A Solicitor A YOUNG CLERK................... Of Twisden & Graviter's GILMAN.......................... A Large Grocer JACOB TWISDEN................... Senior Partner of Twisden & Graviter RICARDOS........................ An Italian, in Wine

ACT I. SCENE I. CHARLES WINSOR's dressing room at Meldon Court, near Newmarket, of a night in early October. SCENE II. DE LEVIS'S Bedroom at Meldon Court, a few minutes later.

ACT II. SCENE I. The Card Room of a London Club between four and five in the afternoon, three weeks later. SCENE II. The Sitting room of the DANCYS' Flat, the following morning.

ACT III. SCENE I. OLD MR JACOB TWISDEN'S Room at TWISDEN & GRAVITER'S in Lincoln's Inn Fields, at four in the afternoon, three months later. SCENE II. The same, next morning at half past ten. SCENE III. The Sitting room of the DANCYS' Flat, an hour later.

ACT I

SCENE I

The dressing room of CHARLES WINSOR, owner of Meldon Court, near Newmarket; about eleven thirty at night. The room has pale grey walls, unadorned; the curtains are drawn over a window Back Left Centre. A bed lies along the wall, Left. An open door, Right Back, leads into LADY ADELA's bedroom; a door, Right Forward, into a long corridor, on to which abut rooms in a row, the whole length of the house's left wing. WINSOR's dressing table, with a light over it, is Stage Right of the curtained window. Pyjamas are laid out on the bed, which is turned back. Slippers are handy, and all the usual gear of a well appointed bed dressing room. CHARLES WINSOR, a tall, fair, good looking man about thirty eight, is taking off a smoking jacket.

WINSOR. Hallo! Adela!

V. OF LADY A. [From her bedroom] Hallo!

WINSOR. In bed?

V. OF LADY A. No.

She appears in the doorway in under garment and a wrapper. She, too, is fair, about thirty five, rather delicious, and suggestive of porcelain.

WINSOR. Win at Bridge?

LADY A. No fear.

WINSOR. Who did?

LADY A. Lord St Erth and Ferdy De Levis.

WINSOR. That young man has too much luck the young bounder won two races to day; and he's as rich as Croesus.

LADY A. Oh! Charlie, he did look so exactly as if he'd sold me a carpet when I was paying him.

WINSOR. [Changing into slippers] His father did sell carpets, wholesale, in the City.

LADY A. Really? And you say I haven't intuition! [With a finger on her lips] Morison's in there.

WINSOR. [Motioning towards the door, which she shuts] Ronny Dancy took a tenner off him, anyway, before dinner.

LADY A. No! How?

WINSOR. Standing jump on to a bookcase four feet high. De Levis had to pay up, and sneered at him for making money by parlour tricks. That young Jew gets himself disliked.

LADY A. Aren't you rather prejudiced?