Forgive you! What have I to forgive you — for bringing me the great glory of my life? Your song! Babbie, your song has come to me for evermore!
BABBIE (weakly). Has it? No, it hasn’t, it mustn’t!
(Tremulous) It is only a fancy of the moment, dear Gavin Dishart, it will quickly pass away.
GAVIN. Never while life endures. Babbie, if you could care for me —
BABBIE. I do — for the MOMENT.
(GAVIN steps back.)
(With self-abnegation) I have never done anything all my days except for the moment. How can I tell that I would be different in this?
GAVIN. Leave all to me.
BABBIE (reflecting). How lightly men ask women to leave all to them!
GAVIN. As MY wife —
BABBIE (sitting in armchair above fire, weakly). It is a nice word.
GAVIN. Babbie — (Moves close to chair.)
BABBIE. Let me look at you. (Takes his arm.) You dear foolish little minister! Would you really dare to marry a gipsy girl?
GAVIN (grandly). Dare!
BABBIE. Your congregation — those fierce men!
GAVIN. When I marry it will be to please myself. If they object I — I will knock them about as with a flail, even Thomas Whamond.
BABBIE. I love to listen to you.
GAVIN. And when they know you better they will see you with my eyes.
BABBIE. Or you would see me with theirs!
GAVIN. Cast aside fear, dear heart. Strange though it might be to you at first to be a minister’s wife —
BABBIE. SO much stranger than you think! (Looking at fire: she can’t prevent her shoulders heaving with laughter, then sobers, looking at him) Can you really think of me as mistress of a manse?
GAVIN. I can think of you as nothing else. (Gleefully bending over her) Why should you be afraid, with me to love you and sustain you?
BABBIE. It sounds so pretty till one begins to think!
(Quaintly longing, looking straight in front) Tell me how you would love me and sustain me.
GAVIN (eagerly). No doubt, after what you have been accustomed to, the Manse will seem a very large house to you at first, but you will soon get used to it.
BABBIE (faintly). Shall I?
GAVIN. Your life must often have been hard — oh, the joy to me in making it sumptuous!
BABBIE (murmuring). Sumptuous!
GAVIN. Babbie — (Turns to her) — there is a drawingroom!
BABBIE. No!
GAVIN.! HAVE BEEN USING IT AS A study, BUT OUT GOES THE TABLE, OUT go THE BOOKS. It’S A LARGE ROOM, SIXTEEN FEET BY TWELVE.
BABBIE (jumping up in glee). Sixteen feet by twelve! Let me see.
(Both laugh.)
(She measures on floor with her feet.) Oh!
GAVIN. As far as from here to that wall, and nearly as wide. Babbie, that shall be your room!
BABBIE. Let me shut my eyes and see it. I love it when I shut my eyes — but when I open them — oh, wow, wow, wow! Minister dear!
GAVIN.! OUGHT TO TELL YOU THAT! AM A MAN OF CONSIDERABLE MEANS.
BABBIE. Are you?
GAVIN. My congregation make the sum up to a hundred and forty pounds a year!
BABBIE. So much!
GAVIN. I told them they were going too fast, but they would do it. (With sudden transport, shyly taking her hands) Babbie, I shall buy you a silk dress — (Backs away a little) — yes, black, with beads on it!
BABBIE. Oh, let me shut my eyes again!
GAVIN (apologetic). Of course, you would have to wear shoes.
BABBIE. What, every day?
GAVIN (stepping back). As my wife —
BABBIE. And stockings, too?
GAVIN. My position, you know. (Goes to a little above her — a glorious secret.) But sometimes — in the evening — not often, but sometimes — when we are alone together, you and I —
BABBIE (fascinated). You and I! (She puts her head on his shoulder.)
GAVIN (over her shoulder). My wife and I! — I mean when we are really alone — that is, when the blinds are down and the shutters are on, and the servant has gone to bed — (A sudden thought) Babbie, you will have a servant!
BABBIE. Oh, it is too much!
GAVIN. Not at all. And when on such a night as I spoke of Mrs. Dishart —
BABBIE. Mrs. Dishart?
GAVIN. She will slip out of her drawingroom, and her husband —
BABBIE. Her husband!
GAVIN. That is me.
BABBIE (breathless). Is that you?
GAVIN. It must be me when you are the wife.
BABBIE (wistfully). Must it?
GAVIN (gloriously). Yes. He will pretend not to notice. And presently there will come popping into the drawingroom a barefooted girl in a gipsy frock, with rowan berries in her hair, and he will pretend to be shocked, and he will exclaim —
BABBIE (coming quickly forward with left hand raised and still carried away). ‘Woman, stand forward!’ gavin (glorious). Yes! And then when he sees her face — oh, her face — he will say, ‘My beloved,’ and take her in his arms — (Laughs) — you know how!
(She is expecting him to do it, and is disappointed when he doesn’t.)
BABBIE (plaintively). No, I don’t know how!
(He embraces her rapturously and she loves it. Then she breaks away.)
GAVIN. My own, my own. (Goes up stage dancing with joy.) Shouldn’t I have done it?
BABBIE (crushed). I wanted you to do it. I suppose I made you do it.
GAVIN. Darling, darling, darling — oh, what a word! I would have done it at any rate.
BABBIE (slightly appeased). Would you? (Going to him and taking hold of the lapels of his coat) You won’t want to do it in another moment. Little man, big man, I can’t go on with this. This horrible woman does not have the courage. You and I — we are of different worlds, my lovely loving dear. I couldn’t face yours. I must tell you why. It is not because I am a gipsy…. My father…
GAVIN (stoutly). I care not what he may have done — not though he were a criminal — I love you and that is enough.
BABBIE. A criminal! My poor father! (She can’t help laughing rather hysterically.)
GAVIN. You laugh.
BABBIE (putting hands on his shoulders). Don’t grudge me laughing, dear solemn, twisty mouth, darling little necktie.
(Fingers necktie.) I am going to tell you the truth now. (Faltering) Oh, dear! I am going to hurt my pretty darling Gavin.
GAVIN. You can’t hurt me. I love you! I love you!
(Starts back) Oh!
BABBIE. What is it? Speak.
GAVIN. I’ve just remembered! My prayer meeting!
(A door shuts upstairs. In despair she hurries back into her room and shuts the door, LORD RINTOUL comes down the stair followed by CAPTAIN HALLIWELL.)
LORD RINTOUL (on staircase: genially). Ah, Mr.