Clive Lewis - Boxen - Childhood Chronicles Before Narnia

(Curtain.)

ACT III

Scene I: A public garden in Cannon-Town.

(DORIMIE and MR ICTHUS-ORESS discovered.)

DORIMIE: Hail.

MR ICTHUS-ORESS: Good-day sir.

DORIMIE: The same to you gossip.

MR ICTHUS-ORESS: The day is fine.

DORIMIE: Indeed it is good man.

MR ICTHUS-ORESS: Nice gardens.

DORIMIE: Look hear minstrel.

MR ICTHUS-ORESS: Yes.

DORIMIE: I want you to teach me to sing.

MR ICTHUS-ORESS: All right, this the way I sing (sings)

the owl and the

pussy cat went to sea.

DORIMIE: To see what?

MR ICTHUS-ORESS: To the sea.

DORIMIE: O, was it the see of, what Bishop?

(Enter SIR BIG.)

SIR BIG: In sooth thou hast a nice ring.

MR ICTHUS-ORESS: Yes.

SIR BIG: (suddenly finding it is BUNNY’S ring) How is this? This is King Bunny’s ring made up to look like a comon one, at last I have found the theif ho!! Mr Blue, Sir Peter Mouse, Gollywog, I’ve got the King’s ring.

(Enter SIR PETER MOUSE, GOLLYWOG and MR BLUE.)

MR BLUE: Hail Big, what means this noise?

GOLLYWOG: T’is strange.

SIR PETER: O what means this? Explain thy-selfe my lord Sir Big.

DORIMIE: Give him time.

MR BLUE: Be silent page.

SIR BIG: (points to MR ICTHUS-ORESS) On him. On the thief.

SIR PETER: Who!! Which!! Where!! When!! Why!! What!! How!!

SIR BIG: Take hold good freinds and listin, seeing all the while that he does not run away.

SIR BIG: What no ansewr Dorimie, in the name of the king cach hold!!

(Enter SIR GOOSE.)

DORIMIE: But my lord Big, Mr Icthus-oress was my freind –

SIR GOOSE: (inturupting) Hush o hush, good Sir Big. I can give thee the true history of the king’s ring.

MR ICTHUS-ORESS: And so can I.

SIR BIG: Hold thy tounge theif. Go on Goose, what is the history of the ring.

SIR GOOSE: That Hit tooke it that time when good King Bunny had it off and then Hit made it up to look like a comon ring and soled it to Mr Icthus-oress, but Icthus-oress did not know it was Bunny’s ring so you can not blame him, but why has all this fuss been made King Bunny could have got a new one which would have been as good.

SIR GOOSE: O I see.

MR ICTHUS-ORESS: But we will have to punich Hit for 2 things. I. – stealing Bunny’s ring. 2. – geting me in to trouble.

(Exit all but SIR GOOSE.)

SIR GOOSE: And now I’m all alone. I am not a natif of this country realy. I’m a spy and I have been spying all the time. Thats how I knew about the ring.

(Enter DORIMIE.)

DORIMIE: A man wants to speak to you so please you sir.

SIR GOOSE: But it dos not please me. What is his name?

DORIMIE: Hit.

SIR GOOSE: O let him come.

(Exit DORIMIE.)

SIR GOOSE: Ah now I’ve got him in my power. Him no less ho ho ho ha ha ha he he he hi hi hi. (goes and looks down a walk behind a bank) O now he [is] coming. Thats him is it not? (in a lowe voice) O come on Hit never to go back in freedom. (enter HIT) Hail good Hit.

HIT: Hail.

SIR GOOSE: Ah now you’ll walke off my prisoner. (Exit SIR GOOSE draging HIT. Curtain.)

Scene II: Cannon-Town. The Town Hall.

(Enter KING BUNNY, SIR PETER MOUSE, MR GOLD

FISH, SIR BIG, MR BLUE, SIR GOOSE and DORIMIE.)

KING BUNNY: Ah now I want to know if any one in this town hall can tell me the true history of my ring and whats still more importent give it back to me. But come I have been told that some one named Sir Goose knows it. Is he there?

SIR GOOSE: Yes here my lord.

KING BUNNY: Then tell us.

SIR GOOSE: Twas May 2nd in the year 1327 that (your Magasty came to the crown in the year 1310, 1st of March) Mr Hit stole your ring and in the same day soled it to Mr Icthus-oress but Icthus-oress did not know it was your ring, for Hit (old beast) had made it up to look like a comon ring.

KING BUNNY: I see, O but I don’t see my ring and I’d like to.

SIR GOOSE: All right then. I know who can give it back.

(Enter MR ICTHUS-ORESS and HIT.)

MR ICTHUS-ORESS: (gives ring) Theres the ring.

KING BUNNY: Gold Fish remove Hit.

(Exit GOLD FISH. Curtain.)

Scene III: Cannon-Town. The docks. A wharf at

the frith of the St Bumble. A boat. (On its back

SAILORS round it and a HARBOUR-MASTER.)

1ST SAILOR: A hoy.

2ND SAILOR: Who speaks?

1ST SAILOR: Me, Captain Tom’s first boatswain.

2ND SAILOR: In sooth.

HARBOUR-MASTER: Get to work now. Paint this boat.

(exit)

3RD SAILOR: (aside) O go and paint your nose. (Exit all. Flourish. Enter KING BUNNY, SIR PETER, MR MOUSE, GOLD FISH, SIR GOOSE, DORIMIE, MR ICTHUS-ORESS and 2 SAILORS guarding hit.)

KING BUNNY: Ah now we have got the old bar-man and whats beter still I have got my ring.

CHORUS OF VOICES: Hear hear.

KING BUNNY: O silence. And now I must say good by to Cannon-town, the town [of] my birth. Look hear Peter.

SIR PETER: Yes your Magasty.

KING BUNNY: Tell Sir Goose to tell Sir Big to tell Mr Gold Fish to tell Gollywog to tell Mr Icthus-oress to tell Dorimie to tell the sailors to take Hit away.

SIR PETER: Right sir.

(exit)

KING BUNNY: Now I think we must go back to Mouseland. Look the sun hath clove the earth in 2. 1(Curtain.)

THE END

Sir Peter Mouse one night felt a nasty pain in the upper part of his tail, and on waking up began to wonder what it was. ‘At last,’ he said to himself, ‘It was only a bad night-mare.’

However he found his tail mystereousely missing. ‘This is odd,’ said he. ‘I must have had it cut off with-out noticing.’ Next night he (in his sleep) witnessed a soreness at his nose. And in the morning what do you think? His whiskers were gone. ‘Dear me!!’ said Peter, ‘This is bad.’ The next night it snowed.

At 12 o’clock, in his sleep, Peter felt something hurting his ear. When he got up in the morning he found to his surprise that his left ear was cut off. ‘Funny,’ said Peter Mouse, and went out of the room.

Now Peter never spent money if he could help it, and as he was a detective he did not get another to do it for him. He went out into the snow and as he was walking down to his gate he saw paw prints. Mice often see that, but just behind the feet there was a little mark in the snow like this.

‘A funny tail mark that is,’ said Peter to himself. ‘That mouse must have had his tail cut off like me. That is what I call a clue!’ (I think you would too.)

Peter next went to Pip Castle for some clients were generly waiting for him. On his way home Sir Peter saw a large mouse with out a tail!! Peter did not go back to his house but followed the stranger for some distance, and then measured his foot-mark and made a picture of it.