Free e-text of "Hall-Marked and Others (Six Short Plays)" by John Galsworthy.
SIX SHORT PLAYS OF GALSWORTHY
By John Galsworthy
FROM THE SERIES OF SIX SHORT PLAYS
Four of the SIX SHORT PLAYS
CONTENTS:
HALL-MARKED
DEFEAT
THE SUN
PUNCH AND GO
HALL-MARKED
A SATIRIC TRIFLE
CHARACTERS
HERSELF. LADY ELLA. THE SQUIRE. THE MAID. MAUD. THE RECTOR. THE DOCTOR. THE CABMAN. HANNIBAL and EDWARD
HALL-MARKED
The scene is the sitting-room and verandah of HER bungalow.
The room is pleasant, and along the back, where the verandah
runs, it seems all window, both French and casement. There is a
door right and a door left. The day is bright; the time
morning.
[HERSELF, dripping wet, comes running along the verandah,
through the French window, with a wet Scotch terrier in her
arms. She vanishes through the door left. A little pause, and
LADY ELLA comes running, dry, thin, refined, and agitated. She
halts where the tracks of water cease at the door left. A
little pause, and MAUD comes running, fairly dry, stolid,
breathless, and dragging a bull-dog, wet, breathless, and stout,
by the crutch end of her 'en-tout-cas'].
LADY ELLA. Don't bring Hannibal in till I know where she's put Edward!
MAUD. [Brutally, to HANNIBAL] Bad dog! Bad dog!
[HANNIBAL snuffles.]
LADY ELLA. Maud, do take him out! Tie him up. Here! [She takes out a lace handkerchief ] No--something stronger! Poor darling Edward! [To HANNIBAL] You are a bad dog!
[HANNIBAL snuffles.]
MAUD. Edward began it, Ella. [To HANNIBAL] Bad dog! Bad dog!