Part 13
[_The alarm clock enters a protest. Smothered sound of the alarm going off underground. ELOISE screams._
ELOISE
The alarm clock! It’s going off!
ALICE
Buried alive!
ELOISE
Oh, no--oh, no! How terrible! Ian, how terrible!
[_She runs to him. Alarm clock, being intermittent, goes off again._
IAN
Eloise, if you listen to the voice of that clock--!
EDDY
How bravely it tries to function in its grave!
ALICE
The death struggle--the last gasp!
[_With another scream ELOISE snatches spade, begins to dig; alarm clock gives another little gasp; spade is too slow for her: in her desperation goes to it with her hands. Gets it and, as she holds it aloft, the alarm clock rings its triumph._
ELOISE
[_Holding it to her ear._] It’s ticking! It ticks! It ticks! Oh, it’s good to hear the ticking of a clock!
[_As he hears this, IAN, after a moment of terrible silence, goes and unscrews the plate of the sun-dial. All watch him, afraid to speak. He takes it off, holds it above the grave from which the alarm clock has been rescued._
ELOISE
Ian! What are you doing? [_He does not answer, but puts the sun-dial in the alarm clock’s grave._] Ian! No! No! Not that! Not your beautiful sun-dial! Oh, no! Not that!
[_IAN, having finished the burial of the sun-dial, sees the alarm clock and puts it on the pedestal from which the sun-dial has been taken._
IAN
We bow down, as of old, to the mechanical. We will have no other god but it.
[_He then sits on the step, sunk in gloom. ANNIE appears, in her hand a panful of water._
ANNIE
This liver has to soak five minutes. I’ll soak it here. [_Sees the alarm clock; with a cry of joy._] My clock! My clock! [_Overcome with emotion._] Oh! My clock! My clock! Can I take it in the house to finish dinner?
ELOISE
[_In a hopeless voice._] Yes, take it away.
[_Beaming, ANNIE bears it to her kitchen. ELOISE now kneels behind the grave of the sun-dial._
EDDY
Let us leave them alone with their dead.
[_Leads ALICE to the corner of the house; they look off down the road. ELOISE and IAN sit there on either side of the grave, swaying a little back and forth, as those who mourn._
ELOISE
[_Looking at grave._] I had thought life was going to be so beautiful.
IAN
It might have been.
ELOISE
[_Looking at empty pedestal._] I suppose it will never be beautiful again.
IAN
It cannot be beautiful again.
[_Suddenly, with a cry, ELOISE gets up and darts to the house: comes racing back with the alarm clock, snatches spade, desperately begins to dig a grave._
ELOISE
Ian! Ian! Don’t you see what I’m doing? I’m willing to have a first-hand relation with the sun even though it’s _not_ regular.
[_But IAN is as one who has lost hope. EDDY and ALICE turn to watch the re-burial of the alarm clock. ANNIE strides in._
ANNIE
[_In no mood for feeling._] Where’s my alarm clock?
ELOISE
I am burying it.
ANNIE
Again? [_Looks at sun-dial._] And even the sun-clock’s gone?
EDDY
All is buried. Truth. Error. We have returned to the nothing from which we came.
ANNIE
This settles it. Now I go. I leave.
[_Firm with purpose re-enters the house._
ALICE
[_Excitedly._] Eloise! She means it!
ELOISE
[_Dully._] I suppose she does.
[_Continues her grave digging._
ALICE
But you can’t get anybody else! You can’t _get_ anybody now. Oh, this is madness. What does any of the rest of it matter if you have lost your cook? [_To IAN._] Eloise can’t do the work! Peel potatoes--scrub. What’s the difference what’s _true_ if you have to clean out your own sink? [_Despairing of him she turns to ELOISE._] Eloise, stop fussing about the moon and stars! You’re losing your _cook_!
[_ANNIE comes from the house with suit-case, shawl-strap and hand-bag on long strings. Marches straight to left of stage, makes a face at the sun, marches to gate left rear and off._
ALICE
Eddy, go _after_ her! Heavens! Has _no_ one a mind? Go _after_ her!
EDDY
What’s the good of going after her without a clock?
ALICE
Well, get a clock! For heaven’s sake, get a clock! Eloise, get off the grave of the alarm clock! [_ELOISE stands like a monument. To EDDY._] Well, there are graves all around you. Dig something else up. No! You call her back. I’ll--
[_Snatches spade, which is resting against sun-dial pedestal, begins to dig. EDDY stands at back, calling._
EDDY
Annie! Oh, Annie! _Wait_, Annie!
ALICE
[_While frantically digging._] Say something to _interest_ her, imbecile!
EDDY
[_Stick in one hand, straw hat in the other, making wild signals with both._] Come home, Annie! Clock! Clock! [_Giving up that job and throwing off his coat._] You interest her and I’ll dig.
[_They change places._
ALICE
She’s most to the bend! Eddy, don’t you know how to _dig_?
[_EDDY, who has been digging with speed and skill, produces the clock with which ELOISE’S grandmother started housekeeping. Starts to dash off with it._
ELOISE
[_Dully._] That clock doesn’t keep time. Annie hates it.
IAN
[_As if irritated by all this inefficiency._] What she wants is the alarm clock. Get off the grave, Eloise.
[_He disinters alarm clock and with it runs after ANNIE. ALICE draws a long breath and rubs her back. EDDY brings the clock he dug up and sets it on the pedestal. Then he looks down at the disturbed graves._
EDDY
Here’s a watch! [_Lifts it from the grave; holds it out to ELOISE; she does not take it. He puts it on the pedestal beside the clock._] Here’s another watch. [_Holds up IAN’S watch._] Quite a valuable piece of ground.
[_Now is heard the smothered voice of a cuckoo._
ALICE
[_Jumping._] What’s that?
ELOISE
The cuckoo. I suppose it’s lonesome.
ALICE
[_Outraged._] Cuckoo! [_Pointing._] In that grave? The cuckoo we gave you? [_ELOISE nods._] You buried our wedding present? [_ELOISE again nods. EDDY and ALICE draw together in indignation._] Well, I must say, the people who try to lead the right kind of lives _always_ do the wrong thing. [_Stiffly._] I am not accustomed to having my wedding presents put in graves. Will you please dig it up, Eddy? It will do very well on the mantel in our library. And my back nearly broken digging for your cook!
[_She holds her back. While EDDY is digging up the cuckoo, ANNIE and IAN appear and march across from gate to house, ANNIE triumphantly bearing her alarm clock, IAN--a captive at her chariot wheels--following with suit-case, shawl strap and long strings of bag around his wrist. A moment later IAN comes out of the house, looks at each dug-up thing, stands by the grave of the sun-dial. Enter MRS. STUBBS._
MRS. STUBBS
Oh, Mr. Joyce, I’ve come to see your sun-clock again. Mr. Stubbs says _he’ll_ not be run from Philadelphia. He says if you have got the time straight from the sun--[_Sees that the sun-dial is gone._] Oh, do you take it in at night?
IAN
The sun-dial lies buried there.
MRS. STUBBS
You’ve _buried_ the sun-clock? And dug up all the _wrong_ clocks? [_With a withering glance at ELOISE._] That’s how a smart man’s appreciated! What did you bury it for, Mr. Joyce?
[_EDDY gives the cuckoo clock to ALICE._
IAN
It cannot live in this world where no one wants truth or feeling about truth. This is a world for clocks.
MRS. STUBBS
Well, _I_ want truth! And so does Johnnie Stubbs! If you’ll excuse my saying so, Mr. Joyce, after you’ve made a thing that’s right you oughtn’t to bury it, even if there is nobody to want it. And now that _I_ want it--[_MRS. STUBBS takes the spade and begins to dig up the sun-dial. IAN cannot resist this and helps her. He lifts the sun-dial, she brushes it off and he fits it to its place on the pedestal._] Now there it is, Mr. Joyce, and as good as if it had never seen the grave. [_She looks at the setting sun._] And there’s time for it to make its shadow before this sun has gone.
IAN
The simple mind has beauty.
ELOISE
[_Coming to him._] I want to be simpler.
MRS. STUBBS
Now what time would you say it was, Mr. Joyce?
IAN
I would say it was twenty minutes of seven, Mrs. Stubbs.
MRS. STUBBS
[_Looking at EDDY and ALICE and the cuckoo clock._] And _they_ would say it was twenty minutes past six! Well, _I_ say: let them that want sun time have sun time and them that want tick time have tick time.
[_ANNIE appears at the door._
ANNIE
[_In a flat voice._] It’s dinner time!
(CURTAIN)
* * * * *
Transcriber’s Notes:
The one illustration has been moved to a paragraph break near where it is mentioned.
Punctuation has been made consistent.
Variations in spelling and hyphenation were retained as they appear in the original publication, except that obvious typographical errors have been corrected.
The following change was made:
p. 255: STEVE changed to HENRIETTA (Henrietta? HENRIETTA Why,)