Knowledge house - Oscar Wilde - The Complete Works

[ Rising .] I am afraid I must go, Lady Hunstanton. Tuesday is always one of Mrs. Daubeny’s bad nights.

lady hunstanton

[ Rising .] Well, I won’t keep you from her. [ Goes with him towards door .] I have told Farquhar to put a brace of partridge into the carriage. Mrs. Daubeny may fancy them.

the archdeacon

It is very kind of you, but Mrs. Daubeny never touches solids now. Lives entirely on jellies. But she is wonderfully cheerful, wonderfully cheerful. She has nothing to complain of.

[ Exit with Lady Hunstanton .]

mrs. allonby

[ Goes over to Lord Illingworth .] There is a beautiful moon to-night.

lord illingworth

Let us go and look at it. To look at anything that is inconstant is charming now-a-days.

mrs. allonby

You have your looking-glass.

lord illingworth

It is unkind. It merely shows me my wrinkles.

·106· mrs. allonby

Mine is better behaved. It never tells me the truth.

lord illingworth

Then it is in love with you.

[ Exeunt Sir John, Lady Stutfield, Mr. Kelvil, and Lord Alfred .]

gerald

[ to Lord Illingworth ] May I come too?

lord illingworth

Do, my dear boy. [ Moves towards door with Mrs. Allonby and Gerald .]

[ Lady Caroline enters, looks rapidly round and goes out in opposite direction to that taken by Sir John and Lady Stutfield .]

mrs. arbuthnot

Gerald!

gerald

What, mother!

[ Exit Lord Illingworth with Mrs. Allonby .]

mrs. arbuthnot

It is getting late. Let us go home.

gerald

My dear mother. Do let us wait a little longer. ·107· Lord Illingworth is so delightful, and, by the way, mother, I have a great surprise for you. We are starting for India at the end of this month.

mrs. arbuthnot

Let us go home.

gerald

If you really want to, of course, mother, but I must bid good-bye to Lord Illingworth first. I’ll be back in five minutes. [ Exit .]

mrs. arbuthnot

Let him leave me if he chooses, but not with him—not with him! I couldn’t bear it. [ Walks up and down .]

[ Enter Hester .]

hester

What a lovely night it is, Mrs. Arbuthnot.

mrs. arbuthnot

Is it?

hester

Mrs. Arbuthnot, I wish you would let us be friends. You are so different from the other women here. When you came into the Drawing-room this evening, somehow you brought with you a sense of what is good and pure in life. I had ·108· been foolish. There are things that are right to say, but that may be said at the wrong time and to the wrong people.

mrs. arbuthnot

I heard what you said. I agree with it, Miss Worsley.

hester

I didn’t know you had heard it. But I knew you would agree with me. A woman who has sinned should be punished, shouldn’t she?

mrs. arbuthnot

Yes.

hester

She shouldn’t be allowed to come into the society of good men and women?

mrs. arbuthnot

She should not.

hester

And the man should be punished in the same way?

mrs. arbuthnot

In the same way. And the children, if there are children, in the same way also?

·109· hester

Yes, it is right that the sins of the parents should be visited on the children. It is a just law. It is God’s law.

mrs. arbuthnot

It is one of God’s terrible laws.

[ Moves away to fireplace .]

hester

You are distressed about your son leaving you, Mrs. Arbuthnot?

mrs. arbuthnot

Yes.

hester

Do you like him going away with Lord Illingworth? Of course there is position, no doubt, and money, but position and money are not everything, are they?

mrs. arbuthnot

They are nothing; they bring misery.

hester

Then why do you let your son go with him?

mrs. arbuthnot

He wishes it himself.

·110· hester

But if you asked him he would stay, would he not?

mrs. arbuthnot

He has set his heart on going.

hester

He couldn’t refuse you anything. He loves you too much. Ask him to stay. Let me send him in to you. He is on the terrace at this moment with Lord Illingworth. I heard them laughing together as I passed through the Music-room.

mrs. arbuthnot

Don’t trouble, Miss Worsley, I can wait. It is of no consequence.

hester

No, I’ll tell him you want him. Do—do ask him to stay. [ Exit Hester .]

mrs. arbuthnot

He won’t come—I know he won’t come.

[ Enter Lady Caroline. She looks round anxiously. Enter Gerald .]

lady caroline

Mr. Arbuthnot, may I ask you is Sir John anywhere on the terrace?

·111· gerald

No, Lady Caroline, he is not on the terrace.

lady caroline

It is very curious. It is time for him to retire.

[ Exit Lady Caroline .]

gerald

Dear mother, I am afraid I kept you waiting. I forgot all about it. I am so happy to-night, mother; I have never been so happy.

mrs. arbuthnot

At the prospect of going away?

gerald

Don’t put it like that, mother. Of course I am sorry to leave you. Why, you are the best mother in the whole world. But after all, as Lord Illingworth says, it is impossible to live in such a place as Wrockley. You don’t mind it. But I’m ambitious; I want something more than that. I want to have a career. I want to do something that will make you proud of me, and Lord Illingworth is going to help me. He is going to do everything for me.

mrs. arbuthnot

Gerald, don’t go away with Lord Illingworth. I implore you not to. Gerald, I beg you!

·112· gerald

Mother, how changeable you are! You don’t seem to know your own mind for a single moment. An hour and a half ago in the Drawing-room you agreed to the whole thing; now you turn round and make objections, and try to force me to give up my one chance in life. Yes, my one chance. You don’t suppose that men like Lord Illingworth are to be found every day, do you, mother? It is very strange that when I have had such a wonderful piece of good luck, the one person to put difficulties in my way should be my own mother. Besides, you know, mother, I love Hester Worsley. Who could help loving her? I love her more than I have ever told you, far more. And if I had a position, if I had prospects, I could—I could ask her to—Don’t you understand now, mother, what it means to me to be Lord Illingworth’s secretary? To start like that is to find a career ready for one—before one—waiting for one. If I were Lord Illingworth’s secretary I could ask Hester to be my wife. As a wretched bank clerk with a hundred a year it would be an impertinence.

mrs. arbuthnot

I fear you need have no hopes of Miss Worsley. I know her views on life. She has just told them to me. [ A pause .]

gerald

Then I have my ambition left, at any rate. ·113· That is something—I am glad I have that! You have always tried to crush my ambition, mother—haven’t you? You have told me that the world is a wicked place, that success is not worth having, that society is shallow, and all that sort of thing—well, I don’t believe it, mother. I think the world must be delightful. I think society must be exquisite. I think success is a thing worth having. You have been wrong in all that you taught me, mother, quite wrong. Lord Illingworth is a successful man. He is a fashionable man. He is a man who lives in the world and for it. Well, I would give anything to be just like Lord Illingworth.

mrs. arbuthnot

I would sooner see you dead.

gerald

Mother, what is your objection to Lord Illingworth? Tell me—tell me right out. What is it?

mrs. arbuthnot

He is a bad man.

gerald