THE PRETENDER
JESSE:
Do you think Marianne knew-about Young Williams?
HENRY:
Of course, anyone would have known except you.
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JESSE:
Well, if she had known she would have told me about it and
I wouldn't have sent her. Do you suppose anything happened to her,
Henry?
HENRY:
That's the sort of supposing you're supposed to be doing. You
are Marianne's husband, J esse. Have you forgotten it? Well, all right,
I'll take over. I see I'd better. Now, what sort of state was she in
when she came in? Did you notice anything peculiar?
JESSE:
I told you, her dress was torn, and her cheek cut. And when
I asked her what had happened, she didn't answer, swept into her
room, closed the door and hasn't opened it or said a word to me since.
HENRY:
Her cheek was cut, her dress was tom, and she went right
into her room and didn't answer you and she'd been to Suttonville.
Jesse, you shouldn't have sent her down there, not after dark.
JESSE:
(showing alarm)
Well, I'll find out what happened.
He goes to the door of her room.
Marianne, I must insist that you tell me whatever happened to you
tonight. Don't you want to? Won't you come out now? I beg you.
I'll beg you three times, that's all. Won't you come out? Won't you?
Won't you?
HENRY: (
contemptuous)
Man, that's no way to get anything out of a
woman. I see I'll have to show you how to do this right. (
He knocks
at the door.)
Marianne, this is Henry, your brother Henry. (
He bangs
at the door peremptorily.)
I insist that you come out immediately and
give me a full account of everything that took place tonight. No
matter how damaging the truth is to Jesse here. No need to protect
him and you know I'll always protect you.
(No answer.)
JESSE:
Well, you've been no more successful than I was, Henry.
HENRY:
I'll break in that door.
JESSE:
That you won't, H enry. I won't let you do that. You're in my
house. As a matter of fact, I'm going to show you something. I'll
get Marianne to come out, just don't interfere with me. Now be quiet
for just a few moments, you'll see what I'm going to do.
He gets two chairs and sets both of them in front of the door
of
MARIANNE'S
room, sits down in one,
HENRY
watching skep–
tically.
JESSE
now addresses the empty chair as if
MARIANNE
were sitting in it.
Well, Marianne, how did you get that cut cheek, and that tear in
your dress, don't you think you ought to tell me?
(A pause.)
Oh, so
that's the way it was? Is that all? That's how it happened. Mmm, I
