Hello, Rollo. And how are you, Stuart?
VOICE OF CHILD
[From next room]
Uncle Larry!
LARRY
[Closing door behind him]
No, you little satrap. You mind your mother and go to sleep.
[To Rollo, laughing]
If I had known that you were listening, Rollo, I should have fiddled something classic.
[To ALMA]
Rollo thinks my devilish taste in music is going to be the damnation of us all.
ROLLO
[With hard lips]
We do not always say what we think.
LARRY
That was another good one, Rollo, and we must see that it doesn’t die.
[Points at him with his stick]
“One accent of the Holy-Ghost”...
ROLLO
May I ask if you are here to insult me? What are you, but a —
LARRY
Hush, my unnatural brother. Hush, and reflect. The truth is, Rollo, I’m a weaver. In fact, I’m the weaver of a silver cord, whereby the golden bowl may not suffer destruction.
ROLLO
Are you a lunatic, as well as a vagabond?
LARRY
[Pointing again at ROLLO with his stick, and intoning Be careful, Rollo, and remember the text: “Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken....”
[He shakes his head ominously]
STUART
[Laughing]
Well, Larry, if you are going to begin one of your incantations, I’ll get out.
LARRY
[Turning]
Are you going home, Stuart?
STUART
[At the door, wearily]
Sooner or later.
LARRY
You are a lucky fellow. We don’t all have homes to go to.
STUART
[Slowly]
No, we don’t.... Good afternoon.
[He goes out]
ROLLO
Larry, why do you dress yourself like a clown, and make yourself ridiculous in the sight of your neighbors?
LARRY
[Undisturbed]
Rollo, why do you carry yourself like an agent of the j Almighty, and prove your unfitness for the office every time you open your mouth? Furthermore, will you kindly tell me why my neighbors — I like “neighbors” — persist in making themselves ridiculous before me?
ROLLO
Is that to be taken as a personal remark?
LARRY
Brothers may be neighbors, I suppose.
ROLLO
I beg your pardon, but you are not my brother. I would gladly have received you as a brother; but I could not, and I cannot, overlook your wilful disregard of all the dignities and decencies of Christian conduct.
LARRY
[Whistles]
You had better be careful, Rollo, for you must remember that I came to you in all becoming humility, and with no wilful disregard, as you call it, of anything whatsoever. On the contrary, I gave you every opportunity to be as decent and as dignified as Marcus Aurelius. — and somehow you didn’t quite rise to the occasion.
ROLLO
[Wetting his lips]
I wonder if I can endure much more of this.
ALMA
[With a nervous laugh]
I am sure that I can’t. You are not in your right mind today, Rollo, and you haven’t been for some time....
[Quickly]
Who’s that?
[There is a light tap on the door, which opens enough to admit the head and shoulders of MRS. HOOVER, who laughs as she enters. She is a pretty woman, about thirty-five years old, with a slight but beautiful figure. She wears a close-fitting dress of dark blue with a waterproof cloak and hood of the same color. She has dark features and black hair]
MRS. HOOVER
[To the company, speaking with habitual rapidity and very much at her ease]
How do you do?...
[To ROLLO]
Why, Rollo, you look as if you were scared — and angry.
[To LARRY]
Have you been scaring your big brother, you bad Mr.
Larry? Alma, my dear, how are you?
[Impersonally]
I’ve lost my husband.
ALMA
[Not much interested]
Stuart left us only a moment ago.
MRS. HOOVER
[Laughing]
I understand. He went around the comer, down to Doctor Ben’s office. To smoke pipes, I suppose, and heaven knows what. Those horrible doctors do nothing all day long but smoke and drink and tell the most awful stories. They never cure anybody of anything. You don’t go to Dr. Ben’s, do you, Mr. Larry?
LARRY
[Amused]
I always consult a physician when I have alarming symptoms.
MRS. HOOVER
Then if you and Stuart are at all alike, he must have an alarming symptom every afternoon — at just about this time.
LARRY
You should put him in charge of Rollo.
ROLLO
[Embarrassed]
Will you excuse me, Mrs. Hoover, if I go back to my work?
MRS. HOOVER
Professional men are always excused.
[She removes her cloak and gives it to LARRY. Just as ROLLO goes out, the door of the child’s room opens and RACHEL enters very quietly. She is dressed in dark brown, with white collar and cuffs, and has at times a friendless and almost frightened manner. She is not obviously beautiful, but she has a striking face, usually very pale and pathetic. But her face is capable of easy illumination, and a certain suggestion of weariness that often marks her whole manner does not prevent her from revealing at times a great deal of intensity. She closes the door, watches ROLLO as he disappears, and comes to the centre of the room]
MRS. HOOVER
And here is Rachel.... You poor dear Rachel, how tired you look!... Oh, but I shouldn’t have said that!
[With mock contrition]
Mr. Larry, please take that yellow stick of yours and beat, me as hard as possible with it over my two blue shoulders.
[To ALMA]
I promised myself that I would never say that to her again.
[To RACHEL]
Forgive me, Rachel, and make Mr. Larry beat me as hard as ever he can. I mean it. I deserve it. How is the dear little boy?
RACHEL
[Giving Mrs. HOOVER a sharp look]
He is asleep.
MRS. HOOVER
I’m glad. It will do him good to sleep.
RACHEL
[Sitting down in the rocking chair]
I dare say it would do the whole world good — if the world could have sleep — and peace.
MRS. HOOVER
[Laughing]
I don’t agree with you for one half minute.
RACHEL
I suppose not.
MRS. HOOVER
[With energy]
I should say so. Give me a little life and freedom, and the world for my own as I like it, and I’ll warrant you that peace and sleep will take care of themselves.
LARRY
[Amused]
I beg your pardon, Mrs. Hoover, but don’t you think the Powers might consider that rather a large order to be sent to one address?
MRS. HOOVER
[Promptly]
I don’t know. They give as much to some women.
Why shouldn’t they give it to me?
LARRY
[Studying her]
Perhaps you haven’t asked them in the right way. The Powers are pretty particular sometimes, and they are just a little hard of hearing. Perhaps you haven’t made them understand clearly what you want, and how much you are willing to pay. You mustn’t be surprised, you know, if the Powers exact a little usury now and then, or if they send you from time to time a copy of their double liability law, which is printed in large violet letters. I know, for I have seen it frequently. The whole thing may be unfair, from
our point of view, but that doesn’t seem to worry the Powers.
MRS. HOOVER
[Who has listened half-offended and half-bewildered]
How can you say such things to me?
[Laughing nervously]
How can you let him say such things, Rachel?
[RACHEL pays no attention to her]
LARRY
[Cheerfully]
You asked me a question, and I answered it as well as I
could. I make it one of my rules to answer all questions as well as I can.
MRS. HOOVER
[Laughing]
In that case, you might tell me how to make the Powers hear me from a little wilderness like Tadmor.
RACHEL
Are you coming to dislike this town, Louise?
MRS. HOOVER
Does Mr. Larry like it?
[To LARRY]
Do you?
LARRY
Yes, I find it rather restful, And I have been in need of rest for some time — for several days.
MRS. HOOVER
And what, for heaven’s sake, is the matter with you? You look as if you might lift an elephant.
LARRY
Brain-fag — superinduced by over-appreciation. Alma, what the devil are you laughing at?
ALMA
I am laughing at you.
LARRY
[To MRS. HOOVER]
And you?
MRS. HOOVER
I was laughing at your boots.
LARRY
Do you like them?
MRS. HOOVER
I adore them.
LARRY
And the ground they walk on, peradventure?
RACHEL
[From her chair]
What do you silly people think you are talking about?
MRS. HOOVER
[Patting RACHEL’S head]
You poor thing, we are trying to make you laugh.
RACHEL
[With a slight shrug]
If you keep on, you may succeed.
MRS. HOOVER
[Rapidly]
Rachel, you ought to be shaken to pieces. Did you ever roll a hoop when you were a child, or jump a rope, without having a nice dismal feeling that the twelve Apostles had their eyes on you and didn’t more than half like what you were doing? Now, did you?
RACHEL
[Patiently]
You mean something by what you say, I suppose.
MRS. HOOVER
[With a sharp laugh]
Good Lord — yes!
ALMA
She is wearing herself out watching the child.
[Going to RACHEL]
You mustn’t do it any more, dear, for there’s no need of it.
Doctor Ben says so, and he says that all sorts of things may happen to you, if you don’t stop.
RACHEL
[Taking her hand and, looking up]
Thank you, Alma., but you can’t quite put yourself in my place.
[Strokes her hand]
That’s all. I’ll try to be more cheerful.
MRS. HOOVER
[To LARRY]
Why, she almost laughed!
LARRY
Of course. And she’ll do it — presently.
RACHEL
Ah, you foolish Larry. I dare say that I shall be all right again — presently.
[She looks at LARRY and smiles, as if she pitied him]
LARRY
[Tapping his boot-legs]
Of course you will. And I wish you wouldn’t call me foolish, for I give you my word that I’m the most serious person in all Tadmor. And that’s a devil of a deal for any man to say of himself.
MRS. HOOVER
[Laughing]
Rachel, aren’t you and Alma glad that he has come home again?
LARRY
They are glad, but they aren’t half so glad as Brother Rollo ought to be.
RACHEL
Please don’t speak of Rollo in that light way, Larry,
I don’t like it.
LARRY
Light? My dear child, you discourage me. Now tell me something, if you can. Could it be possible for an erring scion of the house of Scammon to be better equipped, than I am now for the instigation of brotherly love? I don’t think so. But what does Brother Rollo do? He tells me to get out. And yet, I’m a human being; I live, and move, and have my several uses, and add my share to the fabric. Does Rollo do more than that?
[To MRS. HOOVER]
I ask you, Madam, does Rollo do more than I?
MRS. HOOVER
[Bewildered]
But I don’t yet know what you do.
LARRY
Rollo is a teacher, and I’m a — I’m a weaver.
MRS. HOOVER
[Laughing]
I don’t understand you this afternoon.
LARRY
[Intoning]
“Or ever the silver cord be loosed.”... Aha! He comes again.
[ROLLO comes out of the study. His face is very serious and his hair is strangely dishevelled. LARRY looks at him]
LARRY
How are you, Rollo? Your hair looks as if it had been drinking.
[MRS. HOOVER turns away and laughs to herself]
Have you finished that lecture you are writing?
ROLLO
No, I have not finished it.
LARRY
[Cheerfully]
No inspiration?
ROLLO
I think that I will take a short walk — in the open air.
[He puts his hand to his head]
LARRY
Why don’t you walk down to Doctor Ben’s and let him give you about three fingers of his elixir of life?
ALMA
[Covering a forced yawn]
It’s nearly time for Doctor Ben to be here.
RACHEL
Hark!
[The child calls from the sick room and she goes out hastily.
They watch her until she disappears, and look at one another, frowning doubtfully. ALMA goes out quietly, on the right, while the others are talking.
MRS. HOOVER
[To LARRY]
Will she never understand that the child is out of danger?
LARRY
She will, unless I am mistaken.
[To ROLLO, with much good humor]
Well, Rollo, will you come for a short walk with me?
ROLLO
[Solemnly]
No, thank you. I have changed my mind.
LARRY
[Taking his hat from the table]
You know best.
MRS. HOOVER
[Laughing]
Are you going too?
LARRY
[Amused]
For a walk.
MRS. HOOVER
I know about that. You are going down to Doctor Ben’s. If I were a man, I should like to go along with you.
[To ROLLO, quickly]
Shouldn’t you?
[He gives her a strange look that makes her laugh and cover her mouth with her fingers. She sits down and LARRY goes out grinning.]
MRS. HOOVER
[Wiping her eyes]
Won’t you forgive me?
ROLLO
Louise!
[He takes her wrist and holds it]
MRS. HOOVER
Good gracious! But you did look so funny.... Ow!
You hurt.
ROLLO
Louise!
MRS. HOOVER
[Standing up]
Lean forward a little and let me do something to your hair, or I shall have another fit.... There! Before I
did that, you looked as if you were crazy.
ROLLO
[Very earnestly]
Did you hear that call— ‘from that room?
MRS. HOOVER
[Indifferently]
Yes, I heard the child calling for his mother.
ROLLO
[As before]
It was my child, and I thought only of you
. And if all the children in the United States were to call out now together....
MRS. HOOVER
[With a shrug]
There would be a most horrible noise. I don’t like to think of it.
[Laughing]
Suppose we change the subject and talk about your brother Larry.
ROLLO
Please don’t call him my brother. And for the love of heaven, have the humanity to cease from torturing me in my own house.
MRS. HOOVER
Oh! Is that the way you are going to talk to me? And are you so sure that the love of heaven is responsible for what you say?
ROLLO
Isn’t the love of you the love of heaven? Haven’t I
been showing you and telling you for the past year what you are to me?
MRS. HOOVER
You haven’t always been very tactful, if you mean that.
[Affecting injury and looking around the room]
You have no right to look at me in that way, and you seem to forget that you have three doors to watch. Besides you mustn’t forget the lecture that you are writing.
[Narrowing her eyes]
Isn’t that lecture more important than the love of heaven?
ROLLO
[With effort]
If you speak to me like this, I shall not be responsible for what I say or do. God knows if I am as it is.
MRS. HOOVER
[Leaning against the table and looking at him]
Works of Edwin Arlington Robinson Page 65
