Act 1- Scene 2 Flashcards
METCALF: I shouldn’t be at all surprised
(calling) Giles?
GILES: Yes?
Can you shovel the snow away again from the back door?
CASEWELL: Sorry to disappoint you, actually I’m not
Yes? Yes- this is Monkswell Manor Guest House…. What? No I’m afraid Mr. Ralston can’t come to the phone just now. This is Mrs. Ralston speaking. Who…? The Berkshire Police? Oh, yes yes Superintendent Hogben. I’m afraid that’s impossible. He’d never get here. We’re snowed up. Completely snowed up. The roads are impassable. Nothing can get through. But… what… hello? Hello?
GILES: Mollie, do you know where there’s another spade?
Giles, the police have just rung up.
CASEWELL: Trouble with the police eh? Serving liquor without a licence?
They’re sending out an inspector or sergeant or something
GILES: But they’ll never get here.
That’s what I told them. But they seemed quite confident that he would
GILES: Nonsense. Even a jeep couldn’t get through today. Anyway, what’s it all about?
That’s what I asked. But he wouldn’t say. Just that I was to impress on my husband to listen very carefully to what Sergeant Trotter, I think it was, had to say, and to follow his instructions implicitly. Isn’t it extraordinary?
GILES: What on earth do you think we’ve done?
Do you think it’s those nylons from Gibraltar?
GILES: I did remember to get the wireless licence, didn’t I?
Yes, it’s in the kitchen dresser
GILES: I had rather a near shave with the car the other day but it was entirely the other fellow’s fault.
We must have done something…
GILES: Probably something to do with running this place. I expect we’ve ignored some tinpot regulation of some Ministry or other. You practically can’t avoid it nowadays.
Oh dear, I wish we’d never started this place. We’re going to be snowed up for days and everyone is cross, and we shall go through all our reserve of tins.
BOYLE:.. and does he ever brush his hair?
He’s an extremely brilliant young architect.
BOYLE: I beg your pardon?
Christopher Wren is an architect…
BOYLE:…. You young people seem to think that no-one is educated but yourselves.
I meant this Wren. His name is Christopher. His parents called him that because they hoped he’d be an architect. And he is- or nearly one- so it turned out all right.
BOYLE:… What do you know about him?
Just as much as I know about you, Mrs. Boyle- which is that you are both paying us seven guineas a week. That is really all I need to know. Isn’t it? and all that concerns me. It doesn’t matter to me whether I like my guests or whether (meaningly) I don’t.
BOYLE:… and what about this foreigner?
What about him?
BOYLE: You weren’t expecting him, were you?
To turn away a bona fide traveler is against the law, Mrs. Boyle, YOU should know that.
BOYLE: Why do you say that?
Weren’t you a magistrate sitting on the bench, Mrs. Boyle?
PARA: My charming young hostess looks upset. What is it my dear lady?
Everything’s rather difficult this morning. Because of the snow.
PARA: Yes, snow makes things difficult, does it not? Or else it makes them easy. Yes- very easy.
I don’t know what you mean.
PARA: No, there is quite a lot you do not know. I think, for one thing, that you do not know very much about running a guest house.
I daresay we don’t. But we mean to make a go of it.
PARA: Bravo- bravo!
I’m not such a very bad cook…
PARA:… You and your husband must not be too trusting you know. Have you references with these guests of yours?
Is that usual? I always though people just- just CAME
PARA:… Nothing at all! I may be a theif, a robber, a fugitive from justice- a madman- even- a murderer.
(backing away) Oh!
PARA: You see! And perhaps you know just as little of your other guests.
Well as far as Mrs. Boyle goes…
METCALF: Mrs. Ralston is your husband about? I’m afraid the pipes of the- er- the downstairs cloakroom are frozen.
Oh dear. What an awful day. First the police, and then the pipes.
METCALF: Police, did you say?
They rang up. Just now. To say they’re sending a sergeant out here. But I don’t think he’ll ever get here.