[There is general talk as OWEN goes towards the door. He stops beside SARAH.]
OWEN That's a new face. Who are you?
[A very brief hesitation. Then. ] SARAH My name is Sarah. OWEN Sarah who? SARAH Sarah Johnny Sally. OWEN Of course! From Bun na hAbhann! I'm Owen?Owen Hugh Mor.
From Baile Beag. Good to see you.
[During this OWEN?SARAH exchange.] HUGH Come on now. Let's tidy this place up. [He rubs the top of his table with his sleeve.] Move, Doalty?lift those books off the floor. DOALTY Right, Master; certainly, Master; I'm doing my best, Master.
[OWEN stops at the door.]
OWEN One small thing, Father.
HUGH Silentium!
OWEN I'm on their pay-roll.
[SARAH, very elated at her success, is beside MANUS.]
SARAH I said it, Manus!
[MANUS ignores SARAH. He is much more interested in OWEN noiv.]
MANUS You haven't enlisted, have you?!
[SARAH moves away.]
OWEN Me a soldier? I'm employed as a part-time, underpaid, civilian inter
.
FRIEL: TRANSLATIONS, ACT 3 / 25 11
preter. My job is to translate the quaint, archaic tongue you people persist in speaking into the King's good English. [He goes out.] HUGH Move?move?move! Put some order on things! Come on, Sarah? hide that bucket. Whose are these slates? Somebody take these dishes away.
Festinate! Festinate!' [HUGH pours another drink. MANUS goes to MAIRE who is busy tidying.]
MANUS YOU didn't tell me you were definitely leaving.
MAIRE Not now.
HUGH Good girl, Bridget. That's the style. MANUS You might at least have told me. HUGH Are these your books, James? JIMMY Thank you. MANUS Fine! Fine! Go ahead! Go ahead! MAIRE YOU talk to me about getting married?with neither a roof over your
head nor a sod of ground under your foot. I suggest you go for the new school; but no?'My father's in for that.' Well now he's got it and now this is finished and now you've nothing.
MANUS I can always . . . MAIRE What? Teach classics to the cows? Agh?
[MAIRE moves away from MANUS.
OWEN enters with LANCEY and YOLLAND. CAPTAIN LANCEY is middle- aged; a small, crisp officer, expert in his field as cartographer hut uneasy with people?especially civilians, especially these foreign civilians. His skill is with deeds, not words.
LIEUTENANT YOLLAND is in his late twenties/early thirties. He is tall and thin and gangling, blond hair, a shy, awkward manner. A soldier by accident.]
OWEN Here we are. Captain Lancey?my father. LANCEY Good evening. [HUGH becomes expansive, almost courtly with his visitors.]
HUGH You and I have already met, sir.
LANCEY Yes.
OWEN And Lieutenant Yolland?both Royal Engineers?my father. HUGH You're very welcome, gentlemen.
YOLLAND HOW do you do. HUGH Gaudeo vos hie adesse.2
OWEN And I'll make no other introductions except that these are some of the people of Baile Beag and?what??well you're among the best people in Ireland now. [He pauses to allow LANCEY to speak, LANCEY does not.] Would you like to say a few words, Captain?
HUGH What about a drop, sir? LANCEY A what? HUGH Perhaps a modest refreshment? A little sampling of our aqua vitae?3
LANCEY NO, no. HUGH Later perhaps when . . . LANCEY I'll say what I have to say, if I may, and as briefly as possible. Do they
speak any English, Roland?
1. Hurry! [Latin; Friel's note], 3. 'Aqua vitae': spirits; literally, in Latin, water of 2. Welcome! [Latin; Friel's note]. life.
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249 4 / NATION AND LANGUAGE
OWEN Don't worry. I'll translate. LANCEY I see. [He clears his throat. He speaks as if he were addressing children? a shade too loudly and enunciating excessively.] You may have seen me?seen me?working in this section?section??working. We are here? here?in this place?you understand??to make a map?a map?a map
