Cæsar's Wife: A Comedy in Three Acts

Name: Cæsar&apos;s Wife: A Comedy in Three Acts
Rating: 5 (2 reviews)
Author: Сомерсет Моэм

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Сомерсет Моэм

Год написания книги

2017

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Ah, here is Ronny.

Ronny

Am I too late for my cup of coffee?

Violet

No, it will be brought to you at once.

Ronny

[Shaking hands with Violet.] Good morning.

Violet

This is Mr. Parry. Mr. and Mrs. Appleby.

Ronny

How d'you do?

Arthur

Now, Ronny, don't put on your Foreign Office manner. Mr. and Mrs. Appleby are very nice people.

Mrs. Appleby

I'm glad you think that, Sir Arthur.

Arthur

Well, when you left your cards with a soup ticket from the F.O. my heart sank.

Appleby

There, my dear, I told you he wouldn't want to be bothered with us.

Arthur

You see, I expected a pompous couple who knew all about everything and were going to tell me exactly how Egypt ought to be governed. A Member of Parliament doesn't inspire confidence in the worried bosom of a Government official.

Violet

I don't know if you think you're putting Mr. and Mrs. Appleby at their ease, Arthur.

Arthur

Oh, but I shouldn't say this if I hadn't been most agreeably disappointed.

Mrs. Appleby

I never forget the days when Mr. Appleby used to light the kitchen fire himself and I used to do the week's washing every Monday morning. I don't think we've changed much since then, either of us.

Arthur

I know, and I'm really grateful to the Foreign Office for having given you your letter.

Mrs. Appleby

It's been a great treat to us to come and see you. And it's done my heart good to see Lady Little. If you don't mind my saying so she's like a spring morning and it makes one glad to be alive just to look at her.

Violet

Oh, don't!

Arthur

I'm inclined to feel very kindly to everyone who feels kindly towards her. You must enjoy yourselves in Upper Egypt and when you come back to Cairo you must let us know.

Appleby

I'm expecting to learn a good deal from my journey.

Arthur

You may learn a good deal that will surprise you. You may learn that there are races in the world that seem born to rule and races that seem born to serve; that democracy is not a panacea for all the ills of mankind, but merely one system of government like another, which hasn't had a long enough trial to make it certain whether it is desirable or not; that freedom generally means the power of the strong to oppress the weak, and that the wise statesman gives men the illusion of it but not the substance – in short, a number of things which must be very disturbing to the equilibrium of a Radical Member of Parliament.

Anne

On the other hand, you'll see our beautiful Nile and the temples.

Arthur

And perhaps they'll suggest to you that however old the world is it's ever young, and that when all's said and done the most permanent on the face of the earth is what seems the most transitory – the ideal.

Appleby

Fanny, it looks to me as though we'd bitten off as big a piece of cake as we can chew with any comfort.

Mrs. Appleby

Oh, well, we'll do our best. And though I never could do arithmetic I've always thought perhaps one might be saved without. Good-bye, Lady Little, and thank you for having us.

Violet

Good-bye.

[There are general farewells and they go to the door. Ronny opens it for them. They go out.]