Thirty Pieces of Silver: A Play in Three Acts (8 page)

DAVID
Uh-huh—sure. I'll tell Jane when she comes down.

(
HILDA
goes out.
DAVID
stands there, looking at his drink. Then he walks to a, chair and drops into it.
JANE
comes down the stairs, dressed now.
DAVID
doesn't glance up until she is quite close to him
.)

You don't seem very glad to see me?

JANE
No—I don't, do I, Dave?

DAVID
What was Mildred Andrews doing here to-day?

JANE
She dropped in to give us some pastry she picked up. She bought it with her bridge winnings last night.

DAVID
Why? Can't we afford to lose five bucks without payment in kind?

JANE
Yes, but I suppose she can't afford to win it.

DAVID
That doesn't make sense.

JANE
Hardly anything makes sense to-day.

(
She turns and starts toward the dining-room.
DAVID
rises and follows her, taking one of her arms and turning her to face him. They stand like that for a moment, then
DAVID
lets go of her arm.
)

DAVID
I've been trying all day to think of how beautiful you are—and I couldn't. Why'd you marry me, Jane?

JANE
Because I loved you.

DAVID
And now?

(
JANE
stands motionless, without response.
DAVID
takes her by the shoulders, as if to kiss her, and she pulls away.
)

All right——

(
He starts back to the chair.
)

Don't tell me about it—oh, the hell with it!

(
He sits down and picks up his drink.
)

Here's to everything.

JANE
I might as well tell you, Dave. I've been fighting with myself all day—you don't understand that, do you? But the funny thing is I didn't make any decision. You made it for me last night.

DAVID
What in hell are you talking about?

JANE
(
coming closer to him
) You and me, Dave—can't you understand? Or did you figure that after that business last night, everything went on just as it had before?

DAVID
I still don't know what you're talking about.

JANE
Because it's not easy to say, Dave.

(
She moves closer to him, shaking her head. Her voice is almost flat, yet awfully urgent.'
)

It's the worst thing I've had to say—ever. That we're through. We're through.

DAVID
(
standing up
) Are you crazy, Jane?

JANE
Maybe I am. If I am, it's the only way I can be.

DAVID
Just let it make sense—that's all I ask! You don't come to something like this in two hours! Last night wasn't the first fight we've had! What in hell are you doing to me, Jane?

JANE
David——

DAVID
(
taking her again by the shoulders
) Jane, we've been together a long time. You don't wipe it out like this. You know what I am. You've always known what I am.

JANE
That's it; I haven't. I didn't know until last night—until you sold out Agronsky.

DAVID
(
His arms drop.
) Until I sold Agronsky——

(
He begins to laugh, a trace of hysteria in it. He turns and walks away from her, turns to face her again.
)

Until I sold Agronsky. My God, that's beautiful—that's just beautiful. Now I'm Judas—only there's no thirty pieces of silver!

(
He drops into a chair, his face in his hands.
)

JANE
(
with pity
) Dave——

DAVID
(not
looking up
) We're through, huh? This is my day. You're through with me, and so is the government. All to-day, everything to-day.

JANE
Dave—what happened?

DAVID
(
looking up at her
) Why? Are you going to feel sorry for me? I sold out Agronsky, didn't I? That's, your decision. Nothing's going to change that, is it? And to-day that fat swine Carmichael called me in and told me I could either resign or face a loyalty board. Because I knew Agronsky.

JANE
David—no.

(
LORRY
comes running in now.
)

LORRY
You said we're going to have a party.

(
pulling at
DAVID
's
hand
)

We're going to have a party, don't you understand?

DAVID
(
rising and picking her up in his arms
) Sure—sure, honey. We're going to have a party and we're going to celebrate everything.

(
He walks out with her.
JANE
stares after him a moment, then starts to follow.)

Curtain—End of Act II

ACT III

The scene for Act III is the same as the previous scene, the living-room of the Graham home. It is about ten o'clock of the same day as the previous act. As the curtain rises
,
HILDA
enters through the dining-room archway.
JANE GRAHAM,
who is at the foot of the stairs, turns and looks at
HILDA
,
who stops uncertainly
,
HILDA
stands there, a few feet into the room, and then
JANE
goes over to her and takes her hand.

JANE
I'm sorry, Hilda. I'm so sorry.

HILDA
(
more evenly and coldly than she ever said anything before
) Why, Mrs. Graham? Why are you sorry? You said that before. Why do you keep telling me that you're sorry?

JANE
(
puzzled
) For you, Hilda——

HILDA
(
angry suddenly
) Well, keep it!

JANE
I don't understand you, Hilda.

HILDA
Don't you? Why don't you understand me, Mrs. Graham? I said something plain enough. Keep your sorrow, I said. I don't need it. I don't want anything, Mrs. Graham! Know why—I'll tell you why, my dear. I'll tell you why plain. Look at my hands——

(
She holds them out.
JANE
stares, surprised, even frightened.
)

—it's going to dirty them, anything you give me. Sympathy's going to dirty them. Everything in this house will rub off dirt.

JANE
Hilda!

HILDA
Yes, Hilda! Hilda! Hilda! Every time I open my mouth, it's like that, Hilda! Hilda, come here! Hilda, do this! Hilda, stop! Hilda, behave—be a servant, Hilda!

JANE
My God, Hilda—what are you saying? That's not true. My own world is falling down around my head——

HILDA
Is it? Oh, you're full of tragedy, aren't you, Mrs. Graham? Just like you were full of equality every time you tried to forget I was black and treat me like a human being. Only, you never did—never like any human being, Mrs. Graham. Shall I tell you something truthful—something damned truthful?

JANE
Tell me it—you might as well, Hilda.

H
ILDA
Just this, (
full of fury now
) I like better the way Mr. Graham talks. I know him. I know him plain and simple. But you—I don't know you, and there's nothing in you that's plain and simple to know. You get inside of me, I find myself being sorry, sorry—crying for that little girl of yours. Well, where are my little girls, Mrs. Graham? Just one of you—just one white woman, younger than I am, strong and healthy, never been sick, never had less than enough to eat, always a belly full—but what have you done, Mrs. Graham? Justify yourself! Justify yourself, Mrs. Graham, instead of being so damned righteous!

JANE
Don't talk to me like that, Hilda!

HILDA
Why not? I'm fired. Why not? If I was a black man, you could holler rape and have me strung up by the neck. But I'm a woman, Mrs. Graham. Why not? I clean this house, cook your meals, bathe your child, dress your child, wash your clothes—all that I did, but you don't do nothing, do you? But you're so full of equality. And now you're full of tragedy. Why, Mrs. Graham, you wouldn't know tragedy, even if it comes and slaps you straight in the face. You wouldn't know it at all. Not a blessed bit. You want me to cry for you? Well, I got no tears in me to cry for you. I watched white folks too long to want to cry for them—too long.

(
JANE
has moved back from
HILDA
during this. She moves back until she stumbles against the stair railing, and suddenly she grips it, bends convulsively and begins to weep.
HILDA
watches her, at first without moving
—
and then
HILDA
'
s anger breaks and she goes toward
JANE
.
JANE
draws away from her.
)

JANE
Leave me alone, Hilda.

HILDA
That way. You never talked to me that way before.

JANE
Leave me alone.

HILDA
Why don't you ask me to be a friend? My God, white woman, why don't you ask me? Where you going to turn for friends? You know what you're doing?

(
JANE
shakes her head.
)

No, no—how could you? You seen just a little dirt in people around you. Jane—now I call you Jane—Jane, I been rubbing that dirt off them all my life. But where are you going? What are you doing? It takes strength to do what you're thinking to do. It takes understanding. Where you going to get it, child? Where?

(
JANE
shakes her head dumbly, looks at
HILDA
again for a moment, and then turns and walks up the stairs slowly. From behind, she looks like an old woman.
HILDA
makes a suggestion of a movement toward her, then stops and stands watching her. Then the doorbell rings.
JANE
doesn't hear it; all sounds are blocked out for her at this moment. Nor does
HILDA
respond at first. When the bell rings again
,
HILDA
turns and slowly walks to open the door. She comes out of the entranceway after
FULLER
,
who enters, hat in hand.
)

FULLER
Good evening. I took the chance of finding Mr. Graham in.

(
HILDA
just stands there, watching him.
)

I said good evening.

HILDA
I heard.

FULLER
Where's Mr. Graham?

HILDA
He's out.

FULLER
When do you expect him?

HILDA
I don't expect him. Maybe you expect him. I don't. Makes no difference to me if he stays out or comes back.

FULLER
(
staring at her, turning his hat over in his hands
) Then you don't mind if I sit down and wait—Hilda? That is your name, isn't it?

HILDA
(
who turns on another lamp as
FULLER
seats himself
) No.

FULLER
What?

HILDA
You asked, is that my name. I said no. That ain't my name. My name is Miss Smith—Smith. That's my name.

FULLER
What are you talking about, girl?

(
He hardens. This is a breath of the real
FULLER.
He is shedding his softness, his cheap veneer
.)

HILDA
You know what I'm talking about, Mr. Fuller. That's your name, isn't it?

FULLER
Where I come from——

HILDA
(
interrupting savagely
) I know—just let it drop! I know. Where you come from, black people don't talk like that to white people. What makes you think it's any different here than where you come from? But I'm talking like that to you, Mr. Fuller. Plain, ordinary English. Only when I use it, you don't understand it, do you? Just such a pity! When I say something, it makes no sense, does it? You got to ask what I'm talking about.

FULLER
Real trouble, girl. You're going
to
find a lot of real trouble, behaving this way.

HILDA
I'm used to trouble. Trouble's an old friend of mine. Pity is, I never stopped to think about it until these past few days.

FULLER
You don't know who I am, do you, girl?

HILDA
Oh, I know, all right. That's easier than knowing ABC, and I even know that. It's an old gift of my folks to smell a policeman.

FULLER
(
controlling himself very carefully
) I don't know what's eating you, girl, but it never pays to make enemies of those who could be your friends.

HILDA
You a friend of mine, Mr. Fuller?

FULLER
I could be, Hilda.

HILDA
And then I could go everywhere and say, Ain't no harm coming to me. Mr. Fuller, he's my friend.

FULLER
If you wished, Hilda.

HILDA
And what do I have to do to get that kind of fine friendship?

FULLER
Just be civil, Hilda. Politeness is cheap enough. Just answer my questions when I ask them.

HILDA
Like what?

FULLER
Like where's Mrs. Graham now?

HILDA
(
All of her responses now, when not hostile and bitter, are merely flat, almost toneless.
) Upstairs—lying down.

FULLER
Is she ill?