Theft Part 43

You have lied to me about Knox, and I have no reason to believe you will not lie to me about this matter.

{Margaret}

(_Steadily._) If you do this thing you shall cease to be my father forever. You shall cease to exist so far as I am concerned.

{Starkweather}

You have too much of my own will in you for you ever to forget whence it came. Mrs. Middleton, go ahead.

(_Housekeeper, summoning Maids with her eyes, begins to advance on Margaret._)

{Connie}

(_In a pa.s.sion._) Father, if you do this I shall never speak to you again.

(_Breaks down weeping._) (_Mrs. Starkweather, during following scene, has mild but continuous shuddering and weeping hysteria._)

{Starkweather}

(_Briskly, looking at watch._) I've wasted enough time on this.

Mrs. Middleton, proceed.

{Margaret}

(_Wildly, backing away from Housekeeper._) I will not tamely submit. I will resist, I promise you.

{Starkweather}

Use force, if necessary.

(_The Maids are reluctant, but Housekeeper commands them with her eyes to close in on Margaret, and they obey._)

(_Margaret backs away until she brings up against desk._)

{Housekeeper}

Come, Mrs. Chalmers.

(_Margaret stands trembling, but refuses to notice Housekeeper._) (_Housekeeper places hand on Margaret's arm._)

{Margaret}

(_Violently flinging the hand off, crying imperiously._) Stand back!

(_Housekeeper instinctively shrinks back, as do Maids. But it is only for the moment. They close in upon Margaret to seise her._)

(_Crying frantically for help._) Linda! Linda!

(_Linda springs forward to help her mistress, but is caught and held struggling by Chalmers, who twists her arm and finally compels her to become quiet._)

(_Margaret, struggling and resisting, is hustled across stage and behind screen, the Maids warming up to their work. One of them emerges from behind screen for the purpose of getting a chair, upon which Margaret is evidently forced to sit. The screen is of such height, that occasionally, when standing up and struggling, Margaret's bare arms are visible above the top of it. Muttered exclamations are heard, and the voice of Housekeeper trying to persuade Margaret to sub-mit._)

{Margaret}

(_Abruptly, piteously._) No! No!

(_The struggle becomes more violent, and the screen is overturned, disclosing Margaret seated on chair, partly undressed, and clutching an envelope in her hand which they are trying to force her to relinquish._)

{Mrs. Starkweather}

(_Crying wildly._) Anthony! They are taking her clothes off!

(_Renewed struggle of Linda with Chalmers at the sight._)

(_Starkweather, calling Rutland to his a.s.sistance, stands screen up again, then, as an afterthought, pulls screen a little further away from Margaret._)

{Margaret}

No! No!

(_Housekeeper appears triumphantly with envelope in her hand and hands it to Hubbard._)

{Hubbard}

(_Immediately._) That's not it.

(_Glances at address and starts._) It's addressed to Knox.

{Starkweather}

Tear it open. Read it.

(_Hubbard tears envelope open._) (_While this is going on, struggle behind screen is suspended._)

{Hubbard}

(_Withdrawing contents of envelope._) It is only a photograph--of Mrs. Chalmers.

(_Reading._) "For the future--Margaret."

{Chalmers}

(_Thrusting Linda back to right front and striding up to Hubbard._) Give it to me. (_Hubbard pa.s.ses it to him, and he looks at it, crumples it in his hand, and grinds it under foot._)

{Starkweather}

That is not what we wanted, Mrs. Middleton. Go on with the search.

(_The search goes on behind the screen without any further struggling._) (_A pause, during which screen is occasionally agitated by the searchers removing Margaret's garments._)