Harold Brighouse

“ The furniture is solid, old-fashioned, and the atmosphere of the room is one of heavy comfort without ostentation. The room is a small one. No books anywhere. In an armchair before the fire is Stephen Verity. Walter Montgomery faces him in a highbacked chair. Stephen is smoking a large, well coloured briar. ”

“ That's a regular Polygon notion. You're used to their way of living up to your income and as much beyond as you've pluck for. When a man's worked as hard as I have he don't spend as fast as he earns. He sticks to what he's got.
Walter. I knew you were a successful man, sir.
Ste. I've made my way. I began low and I'm no class now, bar what they think of me at the bank—and that's a fat lot more than they think of any fine Polygon gentlemen. Would you like to know where Lucy's bit comes from? ”

“ Jim Pilling, I thought you'd more sense.
Jim. I've a sense of right and wrong.
Ste. Yes, the sense that your employer's always right.
Jim. It makes no matter if he's right or wrong. He's still my employer. A man can't vote against the gentleman that gives him bread and butter, and Mr. Vining's a real gentleman, mind you. ”

“ M. Walter, you don't understand what you're asking us to do. You're young. You can change easily, because you're young and restless. But when you've lived in a house that's dear to you till it's become part of your life, you can't leave it in your old age. ”

“ We're all old people, and our families have married off. There's no young blood in the Polygon, except Walter here and my daughter, to use those tennis courts and croquet lawns of ours. They're pleasant to walk about in and it's a real sacrifice to part with them. ”

“ Ste. I'm wanting to provide a recreation ground for Dick to play in. Anything wrong in that?
Jim. A lot. There's more important things than playing fields.
Ste. Oh, you're thinking of Montgomery's idea for houses.
Jim. No, I'm not thinking of anybody's ideas. Thinking of ideas leads to mischief. I'm thinking of my bread and butter that you're taking from me.
Ste. I?
Jim. You know very well where I work.
Ste. You're Mr. Vining's gardener, aren't you?
Jim. Yes, and Mr. Vining lives in the Polygon. It's likely I'd vote for breaking up the Polygon, isn't it? ”

“ You're a fool, Pilling.
Jim. I'm an honest fool, then.
Ste. Look here, if you won't take it from me, will you take it from Mr. Montgomery?
Jim. I don't know. He's a young 'un. More like a man than a parson. Coming in here and smoking his pipe like you might do yourself.
Ste. But he is a parson—young Montgomery.
Jim (grudgingly) . Aye. He's a man I trust.
Ste. Then if he tells you, will you vote for turning the Polygon into a playing ground?
Jim (confidently) . He won't.
Ste. But if he does?
Jim. I'll see.
(Re-enter Sally and Dick.)
Ste. Hullo! Patched the little man up? ”

“ These land owning fellows know they're no good at business. They leave it to their agents, and if the agent writes like that, you can take it he knows.
Ste. He knows all right. Sir Charles isn't a business man, but his agent is. If there's a chance of selling, that agent wants a top price; naturally he writes that way to bluff us into raising our offer.
Bamford. You've a head on your shoulders, Verity.
Ste. (to Bamford) . It all depends on what you told us. If your information's correct, they'll be only too glad to sell.
Alcorn. Yes. It's you that told us Sir Charles is in low water. ”

“ Now, don't you think a petition from the Town Council to Sir Charles might do the trick? You see, the Polygon's the backbone of the place. I can't for the life of me imagine what Sir Charles is thinking of.
Ste. The price.
Mrs. V. Now, that's ungenerous of you, Mr. Verity. Sir Charles would never be so selfish.
Ste. (stolidly) . Think not?
Mrs. V. He wouldn't turn us out for money. (Vining and Montgomery are not so sure.)
Ste. It's hard times for the rich.
Mont. (timidly) . Yes, I suppose it is.
Ste. (with aggression) . It is. I know. I'm rich. ”

“ Live in a big house for swank and get it dirt cheap because the neighbourhood's gone down. They're not solid.. Lucy, you and I together could buy up the whole, crowd of swells to-morrow..
Lucy. I fell in love with Walter before I knew I'd a penny piece in the world. I don't think my money must make any difference.
Ste. Don't be silly. Money makes all differences. We're all born without pockets. It's pockets or no pockets that makes us rich or poor. Yesterday you didn't knew you'd a pocket and the Polygon looked big and young Montgomery, he looked big. ”

“ Jim (hotly) . A room! One room! (Cooling.) Aye, but you're right. Let's be thankful for small mercies. (Sits.) I mind it looked like we shouldn't even find a room when we came seeking. But it's hard to live decent in here, and it's harder on Dick than us. Eat and sleep an all in one room's not a Christian way of life.
(A knock at the door. Sally opens it. Walter Montgomery stands without. He is a curate, twenty-eight years old, athletic in build, clean-shaven, with a bright manner and a strong jaw.)
Walter. May I come in? Good evening, Mrs. Pilling. ”

“ A selfmade man, he is cynical, domineering, dryly humorous at times, an ugly customer if crossed, with a strong jaw and tightly closed lips. Dressed in morning coat and grey trousers with very square toed boots, turned down collar, black tie. His coat is good solid broadcloth, but the cut is palpably local.)
Stephen (off) . Are ye in, Pilling? (He enters and sees Walter. Sally and Walter rise—grimacing at Walter.) Oh! (He stops short in doorway.)
Jim (with deference nicely regulated some degrees lower than that he showed Walter) . Come in, Mr. Verity. ”

“ You've been the bane of the town. It's a working town and it does the working man no good to have the sight of a lot of idle people living well and doing nothing for it. Breeds discontent. Makes him ask questions. That's what you've been to us. A public nuisance. Easy game for every agitator to have his shy at. Do you think we employers loved you? They didn't mind us. They could see we worked for our living. But you set of do-nothing wastrels——
Walter (c.) . Mr. Verity! (Vining rises and goes up to back, returns, then round to R. c.) ”

“ All in Carrington, our neighbours in Christian Carrington.
Vin. Thanks. I'm not the sort of man to put my head into a noose. I prefer to keep out of infection.
Walter (appealingly) . Don't send that letter to Sir Charles. Don't try to influence his decision. The workpeople can't move out of the town. They must live near their work. You can move. Dividends can reach you anywhere just as easily. ”

“ Walter. You haven't, Mr. Vining, but I have. I see the other side of the picture, if you don't.
Vin. Well, my dear boy, every town has its back stairs.
Walter (sits c.) . Carrington's all back stairs, and cramped stairs they are. There's no breathing space. What right have we to monopolize the air? We've room to move about—so much room that you need never go out of the Polygon.
Mont. We pay for the privilege, don't we?
Walter. Yes, you pay for it in money and they pay for the lack of it in health.
Mont. If there's overcrowding it's a matter for the town authorities to deal with. ”

“ Ste. I always doubt an untried man. I doubt if he'll have the pluck to face old Vining in the Polygon—I doubt lots of things. Put it that I'm giving him some Dutch courage to stiffen his back.
Walter (desperately) . I don't want Dutch courage. Is there any way of convincing you that I mean what I say?
Ste. There's going and doing it.
Walter. Very well, I will. (Moving as if to go.) Ste. (stopping him) . Remember, you're not engaged to Lucy yet.
Walter. I understand. (Crosses r.)
Ste. That'll do, then. You know what you've to do. Good-night.
Walter. Yes. Good-night, Mr. Verity. ”

“ Walter. Mr. Verity's of my opinion, father. Vin. We don't want your opinion, sir. You're full up with all sorts of idiotic modern sentimentalism about the poor. It all comes of the Church meddling with secular matters instead of minding its own business. Mr. Verity's a man of sense.
Ste. Thank you; but I don't know that I can do anything.
Mrs. M. (sweetly) . Oh, but I'm sure you can, Mr. Verity. You've such influence in the town. You're a man of weight.
Ste. If I am, madam, what had the town to do with Sir Charles selling the Polygon?
Mont. How can the town get on without the Polygon? ”

“ More fresh air, less ill health. Less ill health, less poverty. Less poverty, fewer paupers. That recreation ground 'ull pay for itself in less than no time. If there's going to be any barging about the rates we'll raise the money by subscription, and for two pins I'll head the list myself.
Al. It's a queer finish to our plans.
Ste. It is a finish, Alcorn. We're knocked out, and we've got to take it with a big, broad smile and nobody will even so much as guess we've meant anything but the square thing all the time.
Bam. That curate 'ull talk. Curates are always talking. ”

“ Pilling.
Sally. I can get my turn at the sink for washing up now.
Ste. That can wait. I want to ask you something.
Sally (replacing the tray) . Yes, sir? (Sits r. of table.)
Ste. (after brief pause) . Well, now, Mrs. Pilling, what would you say we need most in Carrington?
Sally (promptly) . Fresh air.
Ste. You've hit the nail on the head. Trust a woman to be sensible when health's at stake. I've a piece of news for you. There's talk of getting a recreation ground for Carrington.
Walter (interested—sincerely) . Indeed! I hadn't heard. It's a most interesting thing.
Jim. ”

“ Tell him what you like now.
(Exit Stephen with Vining.)
CURTAIN.
ACT IV.
Verity's dining-room as Act II a week later. Bamford and Stephen enter from r. Stephen just pocketing his watch.
Stephen. You're a bit early for the meeting, Sam. (Crosses to c. above table.)
Bamford. Yes; fact is, I wanted a word with you alone about that other matter.
Ste. Lucy?
Bam. (r. c.) . Aye. I'm a bit uneasy about it, Verity.
Ste. No need to be.
Bam. Well, I am.
Ste. Natural enough, I dare say. When a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love it churns up his inside a bit. ”

“ Ste. (moving Smithson to give Alcorn the letter. Alcorn pockets it. Dryly.) We spoke of Sir Charles.
Bamford. Oh!
Smiths, (tentatively) . I fancy, myself, houses would be a safer battle-cry with the people, Mr. Verity.
Ste. Damn the people. Who cares for the people?
Alcorn (rising) . I really must protest. Such language! (He seems genuinely shocked.)
Ste. (impatiently) . It's so silly to talk as if the people mattered. Government by the people! Any fool can lead 'em where he wants.
Alcorn (sitting) . We must consider their feelings a bit. Think of the rates. ”

“ I am having the tennis lawns, etc., valued independently and the town may then purchase at the valuation. I shall, however, not disturb my old tenants in the Polygon, this letter referring only to the open space now used as tennis lawns." Now what in thunder do you make of that?
Ste. (looking at Walter) . You?
Walter. A letter to Monte Carlo only costs tuppence-halfpenny.
Bam. But hang it, Verity, the town isn't buying.
Ste. On the contrary, Sam, the town is. The overcrowding is a scandal. We must have some fresh air. ”

“ That's what you've to rub into your Polygon set, and you'll not find 'em seeing it so easy.
Walter. You can't blame them if they don't exactly welcome the idea of turning out and making fresh homes in their old age. It's only natural.
Ste. Oh, I'm not afraid of them. They'll not stop us. All you've to do is to make them see they're an obstacle to progress in this town. They're bound to see justice if they are narrow and selfish and too puffed up with pride to know the townspeople and——
Walter. And they're my father and my friends, Mr. Verity. ”

“ Lucy. Yes. (Sits r. of table.)
Ste. Well, listen to me. He's a curate. Curates always marry young and have enormous families on no income. (Walter makes an attempt to protest; Stephen proceeds unmoved.) I advise you not to marry him. If he wants a wife, he'll not go begging one for long. There's always crowds of silly girls ready to help a chap to button his collar behind.
Walter. Mr. Verity, this isn't a joke to us. ”