Complete Works of Rudyard Kipling (Illustrated) (177 page)

       ’Vanity, all is Vanity,’ said Wisdom, scorning me —
       I clasped my true Love’s tender hand and answered
            frank and free — ee: —

       ’If this be Vanity who’d be wise?
       If this be Vanity who’d be wise?
       If this be Vanity who’d be wi — ise?
       (
Crescendo.
) Vanity let it be!’

MRS. G. (
Defiantly to the gray of the evening sky.
) ‘Vanity let it be!’

ECHO. (
From the Fagoo spur.
) Let it be!

FATIMA

And you may go into every room of the house and see everything that is there, but into the Blue Room you must
not
go. —
The Story of Blue Beard.

SCENE. —
The
GADSBYS’
bungalow in the Plains. Time,
11 A. M.
on a Sunday morning.
CAPTAIN GADSBY,
in his shirt-sleeves, is bending over a complete set of Hussar’s equipment, from saddle to picketing-rope, which is neatly spread over the floor of his study. He is smoking an unclean briar, and his forehead is puckered with thought.

CAPT. G. (
To himself, fingering a headstall.
) Jack’s an ass. There’s enough brass on this to load a mule — and, if the Americans know anything about anything, it can be cut down to a bit only. ‘Don’t want the watering-bridle, either. Humbug! — Half a dozen sets of chains and pulleys for one horse! Rot! (
Scratching his head.
) Now, let’s consider it all over from the beginning. By Jove, I’ve forgotten the scale of weights! Ne’er mind. ‘Keep the bit only, and eliminate every boss from the crupper to breastplate. No breastplate at all. Simple leather strap across the breast — like the Russians. Hi! Jack never thought of
that!

MRS. G. (
Entering hastily, her hand bound in a cloth.
) Oh, Pip,
I’ve scalded my hand over that horrid, horrid Tiparee jam!

CAPT. G. (
Absently.
) Eh! Wha-at?

MRS. G. (
With round-eyed reproach.
) I’ve scalded it
aw
-fully!
Aren’t you sorry? And I
did
so want that jam to jam properly.

CAPT. G. Poor little woman! Let me kiss the place and make it well. (
Unrolling bandage.
) You small sinner! Where’s that scald? I can’t see it.

MRS. G. On the top of the little finger. There! — It’s a most ‘normous big burn!

CAPT. G. (
Kissing little finger.
) Baby! Let Hyder look after the jam. You know I don’t care for sweets.

MRS. G. In-deed? — Pip!

CAPT. G. Not of that kind, anyhow. And now run along, Minnie, and leave me to my own base devices. I’m busy.

MRS. G. (
Calmly settling herself in long chair.
) So I see. What a mess you’re making! Why have you brought all that smelly leather stuff into the house?

CAPT. G. To play with. Do you mind, dear?

MRS. G. Let
me
play too. I’d like it.

CAPT. G. I’m afraid you wouldn’t, Pussy — Don’t you think that jam will burn, or whatever it is that jam does when it’s not looked after by a clever little housekeeper?

MRS. G. I thought you said Hyder could attend to it. I left him in the veranda, stirring — when I hurt myself so.

CAPT. G. (
His eye returning to the equipment.
) Po-oor little woman! — Three pounds four and seven is three eleven, and that can be cut down to two eight, with just a
lee
-tle care, without weakening anything. Farriery is all rot in incompetent hands. What’s the use of a shoe-case when a man’s scouting? He can’t stick it on with a lick — like a stamp — the shoe! Skittles!

MRS. G. What’s skittles? Pah! What
is
this leather cleaned with?

CAPT. G. Cream and champagne and — Look here, dear, do you really want to talk to me about anything important?

MRS. G. No. I’ve done my accounts, and I thought I’d like to see what you’re doing.

CAPT. G. Well, love, now you’ve seen and — Would you mind? — That is to say — Minnie, I really
am
busy.

MRS. G. You want me to go?

CAPT. G. Yes, dear, for a little while. This tobacco will hang in your dress, and saddlery doesn’t interest you.

MRS. G. Everything you do interests me, Pip.

CAPT. G. Yes, I know, I know, dear. I’ll tell you all about it some day when I’ve put a head on this thing. In the meantime —

MRS. G. I’m to be turned out of the room like a troublesome child?

CAPT. G. No-o. I don’t mean that exactly. But, you see, I shall be tramping up and down, shifting these things to and fro, and I shall be in your way. Don’t you think so?

MRS. G. Can’t I lift them about? Let me try. (
Reaches forward to trooper’s saddle.
)

CAPT. G. Good gracious, child, don’t touch it. You’ll hurt yourself. (
Picking up saddle.
) Little girls aren’t expected to handle
numdahs.
Now, where would you like it put? (
Holds saddle above his head.
)

MRS. G. (
A break in her voice.
) Nowhere. Pip, how good you are — and how strong! Oh, what’s that ugly red streak inside your arm?

CAPT. G. (
Lowering saddle quickly.
) Nothing. It’s a mark of sorts. (
Aside.
) And Jack’s coming to tiffin with
his
notions all cut and dried!

MRS. G. I know it’s a mark, but I’ve never seen it before. It runs all up the arm. What is it?

CAPT. G. A cut — if you want to know.

MRS. G. Want to know! Of course I do! I can’t have my husband cut to pieces in this way. How did it come? Was it an accident? Tell me, Pip.

CAPT. G. (
Grimly.
) No. ‘Twasn’t an accident. I got it — from a man — in
Afghanistan.

MRS. G. In action? Oh, Pip, and you
never
told me!

CAPT. G. I’d forgotten all about it.

MRS. G. Hold up your arm! What a horrid, ugly scar! Are you sure it doesn’t hurt now? How did the man give it you?

CAPT. G. (
Desperately looking at his watch.
) With a knife. I came down — old Van Loo did, that’s to say — and fell on my leg, so I couldn’t run. And then this man came up and began chopping at me as I sprawled.

MRS. G. Oh, don’t, don’t! That’s enough! — Well, what happened?

CAPT. G. I couldn’t get to my holster, and Mafflin came round the corner and stopped the performance.

MRS. G. How? He’s such a lazy man, I don’t believe he did.

CAPT. G. Don’t you? I don’t think the man had much doubt about it.
Jack cut his head off.

MRS. G. Cut — his — head — off! ‘With one blow,’ as they say in the books?

CAPT. G. I’m not sure. I was too interested in myself to know much about it. Anyhow, the head was off, and Jack was punching old Van Loo in the ribs to make him get up. Now you know all about it, dear, and now —

MRS. G. You want me to go, of course. You never told me about this, though I’ve been married to you for
ever
so long; and you never
would
have told me if I hadn’t found out; and you never
do
tell me anything about yourself, or what you do, or what you take an interest in.

CAPT. G. Darling, I’m always with you, aren’t I?

MRS. G. Always in my pocket, you were going to say. I know you are; but you are always
thinking
away from me.

CAPT. G. (
Trying to hide a smile.
) Am I? I wasn’t aware of it. I’m awf’ly sorry.

MRS. G. (
Piteously.
) Oh, don’t make fun of me! Pip, you know what I mean. When you are reading one of those things about Cavalry, by that idiotic Prince — why doesn’t he
be
a Prince instead of a stable-boy?

CAPT. G. Prince Kraft a stable-boy — Oh, my Aunt! Never mind, dear.
You were going to say?

MRS. G. It doesn’t matter; you don’t care for what I say. Only — only you get up and walk about the room, staring in front of you, and then Mafflin comes in to dinner, and after I’m in the drawing-room I can hear you and him talking, and talking, and talking, about things I can’t understand, and — oh, I get
so
tired and feel
so
lonely! — I don’t want to complain and be a trouble, Pip; but I do — indeed I do!

CAPT. G. My poor darling! I never thought of that. Why don’t you ask some nice people in to dinner?

MRS. G. Nice people! Where am I to find them? Horrid frumps! And if I
did
, I shouldn’t be amused. You know I only want
you.

CAPT. G. And you have me surely, Sweetheart?

MRS. G. I have not! Pip, why don’t you take me into your life?

CAPT. G. More than I do? That would be difficult, dear.

MRS. G. Yes, I suppose it would — to you. I’m no help to you — no companion to you; and you like to have it so.

CAPT. G. Aren’t you a little unreasonable, Pussy?

MRS. G. (
Stamping her foot.
) I’m the most reasonable woman in the world — when I’m treated properly.

CAPT. G. And since when have I been treating you improperly?

MRS. G. Always — and since the beginning. You
know
you have.

CAPT. G. I don’t; but I’m willing to be convinced.

MRS. G. (
Pointing to saddlery.
) There!

CAPT. G. How do you mean?

MRS. G. What does all
that
mean? Why am I not to be told? Is it so precious?

CAPT. G. I forget its exact Government value just at present. It means that it is a great deal too heavy.

MRS. G. Then why do you touch it?

CAPT. G. To make it lighter. See here, little love, I’ve one notion and Jack has another, but we are both agreed that all this equipment is about thirty pounds too heavy. The thing is how to cut it down without weakening any part of it, and, at the same time, allowing the trooper to carry everything he wants for his own comfort — socks and shirts and things of that kind.

MRS. G. Why doesn’t he pack them in a little trunk?

CAPT. G. (
Kissing her.
) Oh, you darling! Pack them in a little trunk, indeed! Hussars don’t carry trunks, and it’s a most important thing to make the horse do all the carrying.

MRS. G. But why need
you
bother about it? You’re not a trooper.

CAPT. G. No; but I command a few score of him; and equipment is nearly everything in these days.

MRS. G. More than
me?

CAPT. G. Stupid! Of course not; but it’s a matter that I’m tremendously interested in, because if I or Jack, or I and Jack, work out some sort of lighter saddlery and all that, it’s possible that we may get it adopted.

MRS. G. How?

CAPT. G. Sanctioned at Home, where they will make a sealed pattern — a pattern that all the saddlers must copy — and so it will be used by all the regiments.

MRS. G. And that interests you?

CAPT. G. It’s part of my profession, y’know, and my profession is a good deal to me. Everything in a soldier’s equipment is important, and if we can improve that equipment, so much the better for the soldiers and for us.

MRS.G. Who’s ‘us’?

CAPT. G. Jack and I; only Jack’s notions are too radical. What’s that big sigh for, Minnie?

MRS. G. Oh, nothing — and you’ve kept all this a secret from me! Why?

CAPT. G. Not a secret, exactly, dear. I didn’t say anything about it to you because I didn’t think it would amuse you.

MRS. G. And am I only made to be amused?

CAPT. G. No, of course. I merely mean that it couldn’t interest you.

MRS. G. It’s
your
work and — and if you’d let me, I’d count all these things up. If they are too heavy, you know by how much they are too heavy, and you must have a list of things made out to your scale of lightness, and —

CAPT. G. I have got both scales somewhere in my head; but it’s hard to tell how light you can make a headstall, for instance, until you’ve actually had a model made.

MRS. G. But if you read out the list, I could copy it down, and pin it up there just above your table. Wouldn’t that do?

CAPT. G. It would be awf’ly nice, dear, but it would be giving you trouble for nothing. I can’t work that way. I go by rule of thumb. I know the present scale of weights, and the other one — the one that I’m trying to work to — will shift and vary so much that I couldn’t be certain, even if I wrote it down.

MRS. G. I’m
so
sorry. I thought I might help. Is there anything else that I could be of use in?

CAPT. G. (
Looking round the room.
) I can’t think of anything. You’re
always
helping me, you know.

MRS. G. Am I? How?

CAPT. G. You are you of course, and as long as you’re near me — I can’t explain exactly, but it’s in the air.

MRS. G. And that’s why you wanted to send me away?

CAPT. G. That’s only when I’m trying to do work — grubby work like this.

MRS. G. Mafflin’s better, then, isn’t he?

CAPT. G. (
Rashly.
) Of course he is. Jack and I have been thinking along the same groove for two or three years about this equipment. It’s our hobby, and it may really be useful some day.

MRS. G. (
After a pause.
) And that’s all that you have away from me?

CAPT. G. It isn’t very far away from you now. Take care the oil on that bit doesn’t come off on your dress.

MRS. G. I wish — I wish so much that I could really help you. I believe
I could — if I left the room. But that’s not what I mean.

CAPT. G. (
Aside.
) Give me patience! I wish she would go. (
Aloud.
) I assure you you can’t do anything for me, Minnie, and I must really settle down to this. Where’s my pouch?

MRS. G. (
Crossing to writing-table.
) Here you are, Bear. What a mess you keep your table in!