John Wray - Canaan's Tongue

COLONEL —A man?

DODDS (NODS)

COLONEL —I have always taken comfort, Dodds, in the thought that you knew of each and every sordid event that took place in this house. I’ve studied you closely in my idle hours, you see. And I know that your simple-headednessis only so much mummery and guile.

DODDS (PAUSE) — I don’t foller you, Colonel. Beg pardon, but I don’t—

COLONEL —Tell me who it was, Dodds. With Harvey on the stairs.

DODDS (INAUDIBLE)

COLONEL —I’m afraid I didn’t catch that. Did you happen to catch that, Virgil?

DODDS —You no kind of man at all, Colonel D’Ancourt. You heart full of weeds.

COLONEL —You’ll tell me who it was, Dodds body, or my heart notwithstanding I’ll put a bullet in your eye.

DODDS (SOFTLY) — How well you know me, Colonel?

COLONEL —Well enough. I’ll have an answer out of you or I’ll call in Mr. Kennedy. (PAUSE) — There! I thought that might enliven you a bit.

DODDS (INAUDIBLE)

COLONEL —Speak up a little, old scrapple-and-greens.

DODDS (PAUSE) — Can I hisper it?

COLONEL —Just as you like. Come here to me.

DODDS —In you ear?

COLONEL —Yes. The left one, mind.

DODDS (INAUDIBLE)

COLONEL (SMILING) — Ah! Is that so.

DODDS (NODS)

COLONEL —I see. (PAUSE) — You can go. Find Mr. Kennedy and send him in to me.

DODDS —Don’t say I told it, Colonel. Don’t say as it were Dodds.

COLONEL —Go fetch Mr. Kennedy, and kick up your heels about it! Get!

(EXIT DODDS.)

COLONEL (PAUSE) — Who do you think it was, Virgil? Can you guess? (PAUSE) — That’s right, dear boy. Go on, then! Write it down.

COLONEL —Mr. Kennedy! Prompt as always. No, sir! Pray don’t interrupt just yet. I have something to say to you. Sit down here and give Virgil a moment to dip his pen into the pot. There! (PAUSE) — Mr. Kennedy, you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve uncovered the identity of Harvey’s murderer. (PAUSE) — That brings life to those dull little eye-holes of yours, doesn’t it.

KENNEDY —Who is it?

COLONEL —I wonder if you might be able to guess.

KENNEDY —Parson?

COLONEL (LOUDLY) — No, not Parson, you dullard. If you can’t think—

KENNEDY (STANDING) — I’ve done with this bloody parlor game. You can both of you get—

COLONEL —Yes, yes, Kennedy. Forgive me. It was the mulatto.

KENNEDY (PAUSE) — You don’t mean it.

COLONEL (NODS)

KENNEDY —The muh! — muh! — mulatto — Oliver—

COLONEL —Dodds was so gracious as to tell.

KENNEDY (PAUSE) — That’s it, then. (SMILES) — I’m beholden to you, Colonel. I’ll be taking a walk, if you’ve got no objection.

COLONEL —May I ask your intentions?

KENNEDY —My intentions? (LAUGHS)

COLONEL —I should like to remind you of the presence of Miss Gilchrist in this house. And of my god-son, Asa Trist.

KENNEDY —Don’t you worry about that. Our niggra’s well out of doors. I seen him go off muh! — muh! — moseying not half an hour gone.

COLONEL (SITTING FORWARD) — Where to? To the river?

KENNEDY (SMILES) — No, Colonel. Off into the woods.

COLONEL (INAUDIBLE)

KENNEDY —What’s that?

COLONEL —All right, Mr. Kennedy. Go on. Go about your business.

KENNEDY —Young cracked Asa’s carrying on outside. Do you want him?

COLONEL —Mr. Trist and his trouble are no concern of yours.

KENNEDY —What’s wrong then, Colonel? (SMILES) — Can’t abide me suddenly?

COLONEL —Come in, Asa! Please be seated. We won’t keep you long.

TRIST —What?

COLONEL —Sit down, Asa.

TRIST —Yes. I’ll be seated Colonel, God-father, sir but first may I know will I be answering any questions you may have.

COLONEL —Shall I ask you a question now, to see?

TRIST —You can ask me, yes. But then? (SMILES)

COLONEL —All right, Asa—

TRIST —Are there any niggers hereabouts?

COLONEL —No, Asa. Only Dodds. You know Dodds pretty well.

TRIST —Yes. I know old Dodds. Shall I tell you where he got his color from?

COLONEL —I have a di ferent question. Last night—

TRIST —Why is Mr. Ball present?

COLONEL —Virgil is here to put your answers down on paper.

TRIST —Oh! I don’t know. I don’t know about that, Grand-father. No.

COLONEL —How did you sleep last night, Asa?

TRIST —Flatly. Straight and flatly as a plank.

COLONEL —Did you sleep well?

TRIST —I was up early. (SMILES) — I might well have been the first.

COLONEL —At what hour did you wake?

TRIST (PAUSE) — Very nearly five.

COLONEL —Did you get up?

TRIST —Ah! Uncle. No. I laid down flat.

COLONEL —And did you at any time hear—

TRIST —I was sitting on the bed, in fact, Colonel D’Ancourt. Then all at once out of the water came a sort of — (PAUSE) — A sort of beasties, and my black dolly was among them. They were human in part, and a part of them was animal — that much I saw clear. There was witchery in it. Do you follow me, Virgil? I lay down flat. I think my own body was trying to slide into the water—: into the river. Under it. And take me bodily out of this world. (PAUSE) — It still happens to me now, when I lie still.

COLONEL (PAUSE) — Oh Asa. (PAUSE) — Leave off your scribbling, Virgil.

TRIST —Virgil is looking at me with his fine white eye. He sees the nigger in me plain.

COLONEL —Virgil, would you—?

TRIST —I did hear a noise, Father. Sometime after dawn.

COLONEL (PAUSE) — What’s that, Asa? What was it you heard?

TRIST —Two voices raised up in anger most foul.

COLONEL —Whose voices?

TRIST —One of them was black and the other was fair gone Harvey. I got out of bed to see.

COLONEL —A black, was it? The mulatto?

TRIST —Yes.

COLONEL —Are you taking this down, Virgil?

TRIST —Virgil is putting it down on paper. Virgil is writing us a novel.

COLONEL —And what next? Did you see them, Asa boy? Did you open your door and see them?

TRIST (PAUSE) — Yes.

COLONEL —Where were they? On the landing?

TRIST —They were—

COLONEL —Asa! Look at me when I speak to you. Where did you see Harvey and the mulatto?

TRIST (INAUDIBLE)

COLONEL —Virgil, take him by the shoulder. Quickly.

TRIST (INAUDIBLE)

COLONEL —Asa! —

TRIST (QUIETLY) — I’m — it’s all right. I’m awake. I’m the first to be awake this morning. (PAUSE) — It’s nearly five.

COLONEL —What happens next, Asa? Do you get out of bed?

TRIST —I should like to. I should like to get out of bed very badly.

COLONEL —Why don’t you get out of bed, Asa?

TRIST —Why? Why? (SHOUTS) — Because Harvey hasn’t finished his letter!

COLONEL —What letter? What letter do you mean?

TRIST (SMILES) — This letter, Uncle. Why—