The one course open —
LORD RINTOUL. Yes?
HALLIWELL. No, it isn’t open now! (To babbie, sarcastically) Lady Barbara, I congratulate you.
(BABBIE SITS in chair and PUTS FINGERS in her ears, looking at fire, RINTOUL paces UP and down.)
His first choice was a somewhat different woman. The gipsy he wanders woods with! The vagrant he passes off as his wife — a pretty trollop, they tell me. (She remains listless and unhappy.)
LORD RINTOUL. That woman — I wish to God she was his wife.
HALLIWELL. Yes, because then — (He is suddenly made speechless by a magnificent idea.) Ye powers! Why did I not think of it before? (Gloriously) Rintoul, what if she were his wife — and is!
(BABBIE becomes suddenly alert.)
LORD RINTOUL. Eh?
HALLIWELL. Something better — a thousand times better — than the warrant! Don’t you see — he acknowledged this gipsy as his wife before witnesses — Sergeant Davidson and two of my men. Does not that constitute a marriage by the laws of Scotland?
(BABBIE jumps out of chair.)
BABBIE. What! (Sits.)
LORD RINTOUL. Halliwell! There have been many such cases. If the witnesses will swear to it, those two are man and wife as much as though they had been married in St. Paul’s Cathedral by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
BABBIE. Oh! (Scared.)
HALLIWELL. And they will swear to it! We have him now!
LORD RINTOUL. We have him now!
BABBIE. Father! (Really meaning that this must be stopped.)
LORD RINTOUL (sternly). Not a word.
(babbie sits again.)
HALLIWELL (gloating). They have been married, Lady Barbara, for — let me see — for eleven days!
BABBIE (in a gasp that may be ecstasy or trepidation). Eleven days!
LORD RINTOUL. After him, Halliwell — we mustn’t keep the poor devil in ignorance.
HALLIWELL. This is what I shall do. With your permission I propose to send one of your servants on horseback to the barracks with orders to Davidson and the two other witnesses to meet me at Dishart’s house.
LORD RINTOUL. Agreed, agreed!
BABBIE (scared). No — no — you can’t!
LORD RINTOUL. Silence!
(babbie skips back to chair and sits again.)
HALLIWELL. I shall drive in from here and meet them there.
LORD RINTOUL. Off you go.
HALLIWELL. Dishart should be there as soon as I, as he can cross the river by the stepping-stones. And then I will have news for both him and his weavers!
LORD RINTOUL. News, news! I’ll come with you, Halliwell. Oh, much better than this warrant! (He tears it up and flings it on table.)
HALLIWELL. Bravo! Good evening, Barbara.
(She turns to him, kneeling on chair; he holds out his hand.)
Won’t you?
BABBIE (without taking it, and with a meaning he does not understand,). Good luck, Dick! (Sweetly) He will be very broken, remember. You will be gentle with him, won’t you?
(She kneels on hearthrug and takes up poker.)
HALLIWELL. Oh, certainly. (Turns to go.)
BABBIE. He was rather nice to you, you know — (Turns to him with left hand on floor) — about your breeks.
(CAPTAIN HALLIWELL goes quickly off frowning, and observing a smile pass between father and daughter.
BABBIE takes advantage of the smile.)
His breeks! (Coaxingly) Dear father! (Arm round his neck.)
LORD RINTOUL (promptly assuming the stern parent). None of your trying to get round me. (Putting her arm down.)
BABBIE (nearly crying over the difficulty of the situation). I don’t know what to do!
LORD RINTOUL. There is nothing for you to do. You shall leave it all to us.
BABBIE. You are sure that is the best plan?
LORD RINTOUL. Quite sure.
BABBIE (as if to herself). Leave it all to father — he knows best.
LORD RINTOUL. Besides, the law must take its course.
BABBIE (clinging TO THE WORD). Yes, the law. We can’t go against the law, can we, father?
LORD RINTOUL. He IS MARRIED, AND he MUST face IT.
BABBIE. You’ve got to face it, Mr. Dishart. And she —
(Sits by him.) She has got to face it too, hasn’t she?
LORD RINTOUL. Must I pack you off to England, Babbie, or are you to come to your senses and confront this situation like a girl of spirit?
BABBIE. My senses! Where are they? It is as if you had taken them away between you.
LORD RINTOUL. Surely a daughter of mine can’t go on caring for a man who has been playing with her.
BABBIE (nicely). He hasn’t, daddy, he loves me dearly. He only called — that woman — his wife to save her. Mere kindness. Why shouldn’t I love him still?
LORD RINTOUL. Kindness! If you knew all I know!
BABBIE (sharply). Oh! (Pointedly) How much do you know, father?
lord RINTOUL (palpably lying). Babbie, he kissed her that night in the wood!
BABBIE. No, HE DIDN’T.
LORD RINTOUL. My dear, I was there, and you weren’t….
BABBIE. You mean?
LORD RINTOUL.! MEAN! SAW HIM DO IT.
BABBIE. Take care, father, this is very important. If you say you saw that —
LORD RINTOUL.! DO say IT.
BABBIE. Then I don’t see why I shouldn’t let things take their course.
LORD RINTOUL. You GIVE HIM up?
BABBIE. Father, if he is really married to this gipsy, I won’t interfere to save him.
LORD RINTOUL. That’s my true daughter.
BABBIE (growing nervous again). At least, I don’t think I will. I am not sure.
LORD RINTOUL. No WEAKENING.
BABBIE (facing him). Father, he must have been running after this girl at the very time he was making love to me.
LORD RINTOUL (who is still sitting). I know he was.
BABBIE (as if enraged). Oo! (Sits again, changing.) You won’t do anything else to him, will you? (Head on his shoulder.)
LORD RINTOUL (chuckling). To find himself married to that wench will be punishment enough for anyone. (Laughs.)
BABBIE (laughing). I dare say.
LORD RINTOUL. A man must take the consequences of his rash acts.
BABBIE. And so must the woman! (Big laugh.)
LORD RINTOUL. Exactly. If ever man brought his doom upon himself he has done it.
BABBIE. His doom! Make way, Mr. Dishart, for your doom. (Suddenly afraid.) It is so irrevocable! Irrevocable is an awful word, father. (Sits.) Shouldn’t we let him off?
LORD RINTOUL (sternly). Now, now. None of that. Be brave.
BABBIE. Perhaps it’s being rather hard on her?
LORD