Overtones Flashcards
Opening Line:
Harriet…Harriet, my other self…my trained self.
Harriet: Yes?
I want to talk to you.
Harriet: Well?
Oh, Harriet, you are beautiful to-day.
H: Am I presentable, Hetty?
Suits me.
H: I’ve tried to make the best of the good points
My passions are deeper than yours. I can’t keep the mask on as you do. I’m crude and real, you are my appearance in the world.
H: I am what you wish the world to believe you are
You are the part of me that has been trained.
H: I am your educated self.
I am the rushing river, you are the ice over the current.
H: I am your subtle overtones.
But together we are one woman, the wife of Charles Goodrich.
H: There I disagree with you, Hetty. I alone am his wife.
Harriet, how can you say such a thing?
H: …If I gave you a chance you would tell him at once that you dislike him
I don’t love him that’s certain
H: Considering the amount of scheming it causes me it can be safely said that he is my husband
Oh, if you love him-
H: It isn’t my business to love anybody
Then why need you object to calling him my husband?
H: I resent your appropriation of a man you is managed only through the cleverness of my artifice
You may be clever enough to deceive him, Harriet, but I am still the one who suffers. I can’t forget he is my husband. I can’t forget that I might have married John Caldwell.
H: How foolish of you to remember John, just because we met his wife by chance
That’s what I want to talk to you about. She may be here at any moment. I want to advice you about what to say to her this afternoon
H: Sometimes it is all I can do to keep my poise and appear not to be listening to you.
Impress her.
H: Hetty, dear is it not my custom to impress people?
I hate her.
H: I can’t let her see that
I hate her because she married John
H: Only after you refused him.
Was it my fault that I refused him?
H: That’s right, blame me.
It was your fault. You told me he was too poor and never would be able to do anything in painting. Look at him now, known in Europe, just returned from eight years in Paris, famous.
H: It was too poor a gamble at the time. It was much safer to accept Charles’ money and position.
And then John married Margaret within the year.
H: Out of spite
Freckled, gawky looking thing she was, too.
H: Europe improved her. She was stunning the other morning
Make her jealous today.
H: Shall I be haughty or cordial or caustic or-
Above all else you must let her know that we are rich.
H: Oh yes, I do that quite easily now.
You must put it on a bit
H: Never fear
Tell her I love my husband
H: My husband-
Are you going to quarrel with me?
H: I couldn’t get away from you if I tried
You were a stupid fool to make me refuse John. I’ll never forgive you, never…
H: I’ll be in no condition to meet her properly this afternoon
I could choke you for robbing me of John!
H: Don’t muss me!
You don’t know how you have made me suffer
H: It is not my business to have heartaches
You’re bloodless. Nothing but sham, sham while I-
H: Be quiet! I can’t let her see that I’ve been fighting with my inner self
And now after all my suffering you say it has cost you more than it has cost me to be married to Charles. But it’s the pain here in my heart, I’ve paid the price, I’ve paid…Charles is not your husband
H: He is
HE isn’t
H: He is.
He isn’t! I’ll kill you!
H: Don’t you’re stronger than I…
Say he’s mine
H: He’s ours
There she is now
H: Show Mrs. Caldwell up
I’m so excited, my hearts in my mouth
H: A nice state you’ve put my nerves into
Don’t let her see you’re nervous
H: Quick, put the veil on, or she’ll see you shining through me
Tell her Charles is rich and fascinating-boast of our friends, make her feel she needs us
H: I’ll make her ask John to paint us
That’s just my thought-if John paints our portait…
H:…We can wear an exquisite gown
And make him fall in love again and-
H: Yes…Margaret, I’m so glad to see you
That’s a lie
MR: I know, Mr. Goodrich is so successful
Tell her we’re rich
H: How well you are looking, Margaret
Yes, you are not. There are circles under your eyes
MA: You have hard lines around your lips, are you happy?
Don’t let her see that I’m unhappy
MA: I wonder.
Tell her we have an automobile
MR: He cannot begin to fill his orders
Tell her we have an automobile
MR: I used to drink very sweet coffee in Turkey and ever since I’ve-
I don’t believe you were ever in Turkey
MR: John painted several portraits there
Why don’t you stop her bragging and tell her we have an automobile?
MR: Thank you
Automobile!
MR: What delicious cake!
There’s your chance for the auto!
MR: The one you have on, my dear, is very paintable
Don’t let her see you’re anxious to be painted
MR: Some people can wear anything with grace
Yes, I am very graceful
MR: In fact, I was quite jealous when John was paying you so much attention
She is gloating because I lost him
MR: There is a fair chance that John will be added to the list
I know it and I am bitterly jealous of you
MR: Yes, we did find life difficult at first, not the luxurious start a girl has who marries wealth
Deny you married Charles for his money
MR: But John and I are so congenial in our tastes, that we were impervious to hardship or unhappiness
Do you love each other? Is it really true?
MR: Prince River soon discovered John’s genius and introduced him royally to wealthy Parisians who gave him many orders
Are you lying or telling the truth?
MR: You must have found social life in New York very interesting, Harriet, after the simplicity of our home town
There’s no need to remind us that our beginning were the same
MR: Are you and Mr. Goodrich interested in the same things, too?
NO!
MR: How wonderfully life has arranged itself for you. Wealth, position, a happy marriage, every opportunity to enjoy all pleasures, beauty, art-how happy you must be.
Don’t call me happy! I’ve never been happy since I gave up John. All these years without him, a future without him, no-no-I shall win him back-away from you, away from you-
MR: He gets as much as four thousand dollars now
Don’t pay that much
MR: Otherwise you might arrive while he has a sitter, and John refuses to le me disturb him then
Make her ask for an order
MR: Oh, dear me, no. He is only praised by the masses. He is accepted not at all by artists themselves.
Must I really pay full price?
MR: Why don’t you let Le Grange paint you, if you trust him?
She doesn’t seem anxious to have John do it
MA: Help us! Help us! Save us!
Don’t seem too eager
MR: John might be induced to to you for a little below his usual price considering you used to be such good friends.
Hurrah!
MR: He sets his value on his work and thinks it beneath him to discuss price
You needn’t try to make us feel small
MA: Finish what I don’t want to say
Help her out
H: No doubt I-
Be patronizing
MA: We can go now
Don’t let her think she is doing us a favor
MA: Run home and tell John! Hurry, hurry!
You managed the order very neatly. She does’t suspect that you wanted it
MA: I must be going or you will have me completely under your spell
Yes, do go. I have to dress for dinner.
MR: I find you so stimulating.
I hate you!
MR: How delightful it is to know you again
I am going to make you and your husband suffer
MR: He will be so happy to receive them
I can hardly wait to talk to him again
MR: I’ll speak to John about it as soon as I can and tell you when to come.
I love him-I love him!
MA: He’s starving, I’m starving
I’m going to take him away from you
MA: I want your money and your influence
I’m going to rob you, ROB YOU!
