GEORGE SHAW - The Complete Works

“Madge,” she said, “ — that is, if one may venture to call you Madge.”

“Indeed you may,” said Madge, nodding and smiling gracefully.

“You are a great deal more like yourself on the stage than off it.”

“Yes,” said Madge. “For the last two and a half years, I have not taken a single holiday.”

Mr Brailsford now sat upright; coughed; and looked severely round. His lip relaxed as his gaze fell on Magdalen; and after an apprehensive glance at her, he lost his assurance even more obviously than the others.

“You have grown a good deal, I think, my child,” he said nervously.

“Yes. I hardly expected you to know me. You are looking better than ever. How are the girls?”

“Quite well, thank you, my dear. Quite well.”

“And mother?”

“Oh, she is well. A little rheumatism, of course; and — a—”

I shall come and see you all tomorrow, at one o’clock. Be sure to stay at home for me, won’t you?”

“Certainly. Certainly. We shall be very glad to see you.”

“Now I must run away; and I shall not see you again tonight except across the footlights, Mr Jack: my domino.” Jack put the cloak upon her shoulders. “Is the corridor empty?” Jack looked out and reported it empty. “I must give you one more kiss, father.” She did so; and on this occasion Mr Brailsford did not exhibit emotion, but merely looked dazed. Then she bowed as sweetly as before to Lady Geraldine and Mrs. Herbert.

“Good night, Madge,” said Mary, putting up her spectacles, and peering boldly at her.

Good night, dear,” said Madge, passing her arm round Mary’s neck, and stooping to kiss her. “Come tomorrow; and I will tell you all the news about myself. May I fly now, Mr Jack?

“Come along,” said Jack; and she tripped out, whisking her domino dexterously through the narrow door, and revealing for an instant her small foot.

There was an awkward silence in the box for some moments after she left. It was broken by the chuckling of Jack, who presently said aside to Mary, “When I first saw that young lady, she was a helpless good-for-nothing piece of finery.”

“And now,” said Mary, she is an independent woman, and an accomplished artist. How I envy her!”

“Why?” said Jack.

“Because she is of some use in the world.”

“If you will allow me,” said Mr Brailsford, rising suddenly, “I will return to my own place, I am incommoding your friend, doubtless. Good night. “He offered a trembling hand to Lady Geraldine; made a courtly demonstration toward Mary and Mrs Herbert, and turned to go, On his way to the door, he stopped; confronted Jack, and made him a grave bow, which was returned with equal dignity. Then he went out slowly, like an infirm old man, without any sign of his habitual jauntiness.

“Poor devil.” said Jack.

“I beg your pardon?”said Lady Geraldine sharply.

“He finds his pet baby changed into a woman; and he doesn’t like it,” said Jack, not heeding her remonstrance. “Now, if she were still the cream-colored, helpless little beauty she used to be, quite dependent on him, he would be delighted to have such a pretty domestic toy to play with.”

“Perhaps so,” said Lady Geraldine. “But there is such a thing as parental feeling; and it is possible that Mr Brailsford may not be philosopher enough to rejoice at a change which has widened the distance between her youth and his age.”

“He need not be alarmed,” said Jack. “If he cannot make a toy of her any longer, she can make a toy of him. She is thinking already of setting up a white haired father as part of her equipment: I saw the idea come into the jade’s head whilst she was looking down at him in that chair. He looked effective. This family affection is half sense of property, and half sense of superiority. Miss Sutherland — who is no use in the world, poor young lady — had not such property in Miss Brailsford as her father expected to have, and no such comfortable power of inviting her to parties and getting her married as you look forward to. And consequently, she was the only one who bore the change in her with a good grace, and really welcomed her.”

“I am not conscious of having been otherwise than perfectly friendly to her.”

“Ain’t you?” said Jack, sceptically. Lady Geraldine reddened slightly; then smiled in spite of her vexation, and said, “Really, Mr. Jack, you are a sort of grown up enfant terrible, I confess that I was a little overpowered by her staginess. I can understand actors being insufferably stagey on the boards, and quite natural in a room; but I cannot make out how an actress can be perfectly natural on the boards, and stagey in private.”

“Acting has become natural to her; and she has lost the habit of your society; that is all. As you say, acting never becomes natural to bad actors. There she comes again.”

“The charm is considerably weakened.” said Lady Geraldine, turning toward the stage, She does not seem half so real as she did before.”

The play ended as successfully as it had begun. The translators responded to calls for the author; and Miss Madge Lancaster took the lion’s share of the rest of the applause. Then the pit and galleries emptied themselves into the street with much trampling of stairs. The occupants of the more expensive places made their way slowly through the crush-room, one step at a time: the men sliding their feet forward at every advance: the women holding warm head wrappings with one hand, and hanging awkwardly on to the arms of gentlemen with the other. Lady Geraldine got a glimpse of Mr Brailsford as she descended; but he hurried away, as if desirous to avoid further conversation. Jack who had amused her by showing some emotion at the pathetic passages in the play, and who had since been silent, walked gloomily beside Mary. They were detained for some minutes in the vestibule, Lady Geraldine’s footman not being at hand.

“Come,”said Jack sulkily, “Here is somebody happy at last.”

Mary looked and saw Herbert coming down the stairs with Aurélie. who was, like Jack, the subject of some whispering and pointing.

“Yes,” said Mary. “He is happy. I do not wonder at it: she is very gentle and lovely. She is a greater artist than Madge: yet she has none of Madge’s assurance, which would repel Adrian.”

“She has plenty of assurance in music, which is her trade. Miss Madge has plenty of assurance in manners, which are her trade.”

I am just thinking, Geraldine,” said Mrs Herbert, of the difference between Adrian and that girl — Madge Brailsford. She, capable, sensible, able to hold her own against the world. She is everything, in short, that Adrian is not, and that I have often wished him to be. Yet her father seems as far from being united to her as Adrian is from me. Query then: is there any use in caring for one’s children? I really don’t believe there is.”

“Not the least, after they have become independent of you,” said Lady Geraldine, looking impatiently towards the door. “Where is Williams? I think he must have gone mad.”

At this moment Aurélie, recognizing Mrs Herbert, made as though she would stop, and said something to Adrian which threw him into trouble and indecision at once. Apparently she was urging him, and he making excuses, taking care not to look towards his mother. This dumb show was perfectly intelligible to Mrs Herbert, who directed Lady Geraldine’s attention to it.

“It is all Williams’s fault,” said Lady Geraldine. We should have been out of this five minutes ago. You had better take the bull by the horns at once, Eliza. Go and speak to him — the vacillating idiot!”

“I will not, indeed,” said Mrs Herbert. “I hope he will have the firmness to make her go away.”