FullReads

DENNIS
. You think Mrs. Camberley should choose between us?

NORWOOD
. Certainly.

DENNIS
. What do you say, Kate?

KATE
. You are very generous, Dennis.

DENNIS
(after a pause). Very well, you shall choose.

NORWOOD
(complacently). Ah!

DENNIS
. Wait a moment, Mr. Norwood. (to KATE) When did you first meet him?

KATE
. A year ago.

DENNIS
. And he’s been making love to you for a year? (KATE bends her head) He’s been making love to you for a year?

NORWOOD
. I think, sir, that the sooner the lady makes her choice, and brings this distressing scene to a close–After all, is it fair to her to–?

DENNIS
. Are you fair to me? You’ve been making love to her for a year. I made love to her for a fort-night–four years ago. And now you want her to choose between us. Is that fair?

NORWOOD
. You hardly expect us to wait a year before she is allowed to make up her mind?

DENNIS
. I waited four years for her out there. . . . However, I won’t ask you to wait a year. I’ll ask you to wait for five minutes.

KATE
. What is it you want us to do, Dennis?

DENNIS
. I want you to listen to both of us, for five minutes each; that’s all. After all, we’re your suitors, aren’t we? You’re going to choose between us. Very well, then, you must hear what we have to say. Mr. Norwood shall have five minutes alone with you in which to present his case; five minutes in which to tell you how beautiful you are. . . . and how rich he is . . . and how happy you’ll be together. And I shall have my five minutes.

NORWOOD
(sneering). Five minutes in which to tell her lies about me, eh?

DENNIS
. Damn it, you’ve had a whole year in which to tell her lies about yourself; you oughtn’t to grudge me five minutes. (to KATE) Well?

KATE
. I agree, Dennis.

DENNIS
. Good. (He spins a coin, puts it on the back of his hand, and says to NORWOOD) Call!

NORWOOD
. What on earth—

DENNIS
. Choice of innings.

NORWOOD
. I never heard of anything so–Tails.

DENNIS
(uncovering it). Heads. You shall have first knock.

NORWOOD
(bewildered). What do you–I don’t–

DENNIS
. You have five minutes in which to lay your case before Mrs. Camberley. (He looks at his watch) Five minutes–and then I shall come back. . . . Is there a fire in the dining-room, Kate?

KATE
(smiling in spite of herself). A gas-fire; it isn’t lit.

DENNIS
. Then I shall light it. (to NORWOOD) That will make the room nice and warm for you by the time you’ve finished. (He goes to the door and says again) Five minutes.

(There is an awkward silence after he is gone. KATE waits for NORWOOD to say something, but NORWOOD doesn’t know in the least what is expected of him.)

NORWOOD
(looking anxiously at the door). What’s the fellow’s game, eh?

KATE
. Game?

NORWOOD
. Yes. What’s he up to?

KATE
. Is he up to anything?

NORWOOD
. I don’t like it. Why the devil did he choose to-day to come back? If he’d waited another week, we’d have been safely away together. What’s his game, I wonder?

(He walks up and down, worrying it out.)

KATE
. I don’t think he’s playing a game. He’s just giving me my chance.