Short Plays

feeling. If you had a German brother-in-law, madam, you would know that nothing else in the world produces so strong an anti-German feeling. Life affords no keener pleasure than finding a brother-in-law’s name in the German casualty list. The Lady Nobody knows that better than I. Wait until you hear what I have come to tell you: you will understand me as no one else could. Listen. This spy, this woman⁠— Augustus All attention. Yes? The Lady She is a German. A Hun. Augustus Yes, yes. She would be. Continue. The Lady She is my sister-in-law. Augustus Deferentially. I see you are well connected, madam. Proceed. The Lady Need I add that she is my bitterest enemy? Augustus May I⁠—He proffers his hand. They shake, fervently. From this moment onward Augustus becomes more and more confidential, gallant, and charming. The Lady Quite so. Well, she is an intimate friend of your brother at the War Office, Hungerford Highcastle, Blueloo as you call him, I don’t know why. Augustus Explaining. He was originally called The Singing Oyster, because he sang drawing-room ballads with such an extraordinary absence of expression. He was then called the Blue Point for a season or two. Finally he became Blueloo. The Lady Oh, indeed: I didn’t know. Well, Blueloo is simply infatuated with my sister-in-law; and he has rashly let out to her that this list is in your possession. He forgot himself because he was in a towering rage at its being entrusted to you: his language was terrible. He ordered all the guns to be shifted at once. Augustus What on earth did he do that for? The Lady I can’t imagine. But this I know. She made a bet with him that she would come down here and obtain possession of that list and get clean away into the street with it. He took the bet on condition that she brought it straight back to him at the War Office. Augustus Good heavens! And you mean to tell me that Blueloo was such a dolt as to believe that she could succeed? Does he take me for a fool? The Lady Oh, impossible! He is jealous of your intellect. The bet is an insult to you: don’t you feel that? After what you have done for our country⁠— Augustus Oh, never mind that. It is the idiocy of the thing I look at. He’ll lose his bet; and serve him right! The Lady You feel sure you will be able to resist the siren? I warn you, she is very fascinating. Augustus You need have no fear, madam. I hope she will come and try it on. Fascination is a game that two can play at. For centuries the younger sons of the Highcastles have had nothing to do but fascinate attractive females when they were not sitting on Royal Commissions or on duty at Knightsbridge barracks. By Gad, madam, if the siren comes here she will meet her match. The Lady I feel that. But if she fails to seduce you⁠— Augustus Blushing. Madam! The Lady Continuing.⁠—from your allegiance⁠— Augustus Oh, that! The Lady —she will resort to fraud, to force, to anything. She will burgle your office: she will have you attacked and garotted at night in the street. Augustus Pooh! I’m not afraid. The Lady Oh, your courage will only tempt you into danger. She may get the list after all. It is true that the guns are moved. But she would win her bet. Augustus Cautiously. You did not say that the guns were moved. You said that Blueloo had ordered them to be moved. The Lady Well, that is the same thing, isn’t it? Augustus Not quite⁠—at the War Office. No doubt those guns will be moved: possibly even before the end of the war. The Lady Then you think they are there still! But if the German War Office gets the list⁠—and she will copy it before she gives it back to Blueloo, you may depend on it⁠—all is lost. Augustus Lazily. Well, I should not go as far as that. Lowering his voice. Will you swear to me not to repeat what I am going to say to you; for if the British public knew that I had said it, I should be at once hounded down as a pro-German. The Lady I will be silent as the grave. I swear it. Augustus Again taking it easily. Well, our people have for some reason made up their minds that the German War Office is everything that our War Office is not⁠—that it carries promptitude, efficiency, and organization to a pitch of completeness and perfection that must be, in my opinion, destructive to the happiness of the staff. My own view⁠—which you are pledged, remember, not to betray⁠—is that the German War Office is no better than any other War Office. I found that opinion on my observation of the characters of my brothers-in-law: one of whom, by the way, is on the German general staff. I am not at all sure that this list of gun emplacements would receive the smallest attention. You see, there are always so many more important things to be attended to. Family matters, and so on, you understand. The Lady Still, if a question were asked in the House of Commons⁠— Augustus The great advantage of being at war, madam, is that nobody takes the slightest notice of the House of Commons. No doubt it is sometimes necessary for a Minister to soothe the more seditious members of that assembly by giving a pledge or two; but the War Office takes no notice of such things. The Lady Staring at him. Then you think this list of gun emplacements doesn’t matter!! Augustus By no means, madam. It matters very much indeed. If this spy were to obtain possession of the list, Blueloo would tell the story at every dinner-table in London; and⁠— The Lady And you might lose your post. Of course. Augustus Amazed and indignant. I lose my post! What are you dreaming about, madam? How could I possibly be spared? There are hardly Highcastles