Laburnum Grove by Priestley J.B.;

Author:Priestley, J.B.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oberon Books

SCENE 2

Scene is the same as Act One. Late afternoon.

When the curtain rises, the room is empty. On the centre table there is a book, ‘The Great Bank Mystery’, and a work basket. MRS RADFERN enters and begins looking in the work basket for things, finally produces some work and sits down with it. The front door bell rings, and she goes out to open the door, and the sound of her voice and her visitor’s can be heard a moment later. She returns, followed by INSPECTOR STACK, a plain-clothes officer, a smart-looking fellow about forty with an assured authoritative manner. MRS RADFERN likes the look of him.

STACK: Only for the day, eh?

MRS RADFERN: Yes. Won’t you sit down?

STACK: Thank you.

(They both sit.)

MRS RADFERN: (Chattily.) Yes, he’s gone to Birmingham on business, just for the day. He often goes there.

STACK: I see. Do you happen to know what time he’ll be back tonight?

MRS RADFERN: He said about eight o’clock.

STACK: Then if I called some time after eight, I’d catch him in.

MRS RADFERN: Sure to. I don’t think he’ll be going out again. It’ll be either the greenhouse or the wireless for him tonight.

STACK: (Respectfully.) Very wise of him too, Mrs Radfern. I wish they’d let me have more nice quiet evenings at home like that.

MRS RADFERN: (Enjoying the little chat.) Oh – my husband’s always been quite a home bird, you know. His business takes him out, of course, and sometimes away too, but the minute he’s back, all he wants are his slippers and his pipe, and a book or his greenhouse or the wireless.

STACK: Let me see, he’s in the paper trade, isn’t he?

MRS RADFERN: Yes, the wholesale paper trade, not newspapers, you know, but paper for printing and writing on, and chiefly very fine-quality papers.

STACK: (Blandly.) Good enough for — what shall we say? — bank notes, eh?

MRS RADFERN: I dare say, but I don’t know exactly. But I do know it’s wholesale paper he’s in, and always has been.

STACK: Got an office and a warehouse somewhere in the city, I suppose?

MRS RADFERN: Oh yes. It’s just off Cloth Fair, you know, by Smithfield, I remember the only time I went there, it was a very warm day and you could smell the meat in Smithfield Market — horrid it was.

STACK: I know. Never cared for that smell myself. Puts you off your beefsteaks. And he’s been able to keep going all right, through all these bad times?

MRS RADFERN: Yes, I’m sure we can’t grumble. He got a bit down four or five years ago — like a lot of other people, you know — no fault of theirs at all —

STACK: (Sympathetically.) Quite. Just the hard times.

MRS RADFERN: That’s it. But, however, he’s picked up again wonderfully since then. I’m sure we can’t grumble at all.

STACK: And I’m sure you don’t grumble, Mrs Radfern.

MRS RADFERN: Why do you say that?

STACK: (Smiling politely.) Well, you don’t look the grumbling sort.

MRS RADFERN: (Pleased.) Oh, I’ve always believed in making the best of everything.

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