Chris enters on porch, wearing shirt and tie now. She turns quickly, hearing. With a smile: Hello, darling. How’s Mother?
CHRIS: I thought George came.
SUE: No, it was just us.
CHRIS, coming down to them: Susie, do me a favor, heh? Go up to Mother and see if you can calm her. She’s all worked up.
SUE: She still doesn’t know about you two?
CHRIS, laughs a little: Well, she senses it, I guess. You know my mother.
SUE, going up to porch: Oh, yeah, she’s psychic.
CHRIS: Maybe there’s something in the medicine chest.
SUE: I’ll give her one of everything. On porch: Don’t worry about Kate; couple of drinks, dance her around a little . . . she’ll love Ann. To Ann: Because you’re the female version of him. Chris laughs. Don’t be alarmed, I said version. She goes into house.
CHRIS: Interesting woman, isn’t she?
ANN: Yeah, she’s very interesting.
CHRIS: She’s a great nurse, you know, she . . .
ANN, in tension, but trying to control it: Are you still doing that?
CHRIS, sensing something wrong, but still smiling: Doing what?
ANN: As soon as you get to know somebody you find a distinction for them. How do you know she’s a great nurse?
CHRIS: What’s the matter, Ann?
ANN: The woman hates you. She despises you!
CHRIS: Hey . . . what’s hit you?
ANN: Gee, Chris . . .
CHRIS: What happened here?
ANN: You never . . . Why didn’t you tell me?
CHRIS: Tell you what?
ANN: She says they think Joe is guilty.
CHRIS: What difference does it make what they think?
ANN: I don’t care what they think, I just don’t understand why you took the trouble to deny it. You said it was all forgotten.
CHRIS: I didn’t want you to feel there was anything wrong in you coming here, that’s all. I know a lot of people think my father was guilty, and I assumed there might be some question in your mind.
ANN: But I never once said I suspected him.
CHRIS: Nobody says it.
ANN: Chris, I know how much you love him, but it could never . . .
CHRIS: Do you think I could forgive him if he’d done that thing?
ANN: I’m not here out of a blue sky, Chris. I turned my back on my father, if there’s anything wrong here now . . .
CHRIS: I know that, Ann.
ANN: George is coming from Dad, and I don’t think it’s with a blessing.
CHRIS: He’s welcome here. You’ve got nothing to fear from George.
ANN: Tell me that . . . just tell me that.
CHRIS: The man is innocent, Ann. Remember he was falsely accused once and it put him through hell. How would you behave if you were faced with the same thing again? Annie, believe me, there’s nothing wrong for you here, believe me, kid.
ANN: All right, Chris, all right.
They embrace as Keller appears quietly on porch. Ann simply studies him.
KELLER: Every time I come out here it looks like Playland! They break and laugh in embarrassment.
CHRIS: I thought you were going to shave?
KELLER, sitting on bench: In a minute. I just woke up, I can’t see nothin’.
ANN: You look shaved.
KELLER: Oh, no. Massages his jaw. Gotta be extra special tonight. Big night, Annie. So how’s it feel to be a married woman?
ANN, laughs: I don’t know, yet.
KELLER, to Chris: What’s the matter, you slippin’? He takes a little box of apples from under the bench as they talk.
CHRIS: The great roué!
KELLER: What is that, roué?
CHRIS: It’s French.
KELLER: Don’t talk dirty. They laugh.
CHRIS, to Ann: You ever meet a bigger ignoramus?
KELLER: Well, somebody’s got to make a living.
ANN, as they laugh: That’s telling him.
KELLER: I don’t know, everybody’s gettin’ so Goddam educated in this country there’ll be nobody to take away the garbage. They laugh. It’s gettin’ so the only dumb ones left are the bosses.
ANN: You’re not so dumb, Joe.
KELLER: I know, but you go into our plant, for instance. I got so many lieutenants, majors, and colonels that I’m ashamed to ask somebody to sweep the floor. I gotta be careful I’ll insult somebody. No kiddin’. It’s a tragedy: you stand on the street today and spit, you’re gonna hit a college man.
CHRIS: Well, don’t spit.
KELLER, breaks apple in half, passing it to Ann and Chris: I mean to say, it’s comin’ to a pass. He takes a breath. I been thinkin’, Annie . . . your brother, George. I been thinkin’ about your brother George. When he comes I like you to brooch something to him.
CHRIS: Broach.
KELLER: What’s the matter with brooch?
CHRIS, smiling: It’s not English.
KELLER: When I went to night school it was brooch.
ANN, laughing: Well, in day school it’s broach.
KELLER: Don’t surround me, will you? Seriously, Ann . . . You say he’s not well. George, I been thinkin’, why should he knock himself out in New York with that cut-throat competition, when I got so many friends here; I’m very friendly with some big lawyers in town. I could set George up here.
ANN: That’s awfully nice of you, Joe.
KELLER: No, kid, it ain’t nice of me. I want you to understand me. I’m thinking of Chris. Slight pause. See . . . this is what I mean. You get older, you want to feel that you . . . accomplished something. My only accomplishment is my son. I ain’t brainy. That’s all I accomplished. Now, a year, eighteen months, your father’ll be a free man. Who is he going to come to, Annie? His baby. You. He’ll come, old, mad, into your house.
ANN: That can’t matter any more, Joe.
KELLER: I don’t want that hate to come between us. Gestures between Chris and himself.
ANN: I can only tell you that that could never happen.
KELLER: You’re in love now, Annie, but believe me, I’m older than you and I know—a daughter is a daughter, and a father is a father. And it could happen. He pauses. I like you and George to go to him in prison and tell him. . . . “Dad, Joe wants to bring you into the business when you get out.”
ANN, surprised, even shocked: You’d have him as a partner?
KELLER: No, no partner. A good job. Pause. He sees she is shocked, a little mystified. He gets up, speaks more nervously. I want him to know, Annie . . . while he’s sitting there I want him to know that when he gets out he’s got a place waitin’ for him. It’ll take his bitterness away. To know you got a place . . . it sweetens you.
ANN: Joe, you owe him nothing.
KELLER: I owe him a good kick in the teeth, but he’s your father. . . .
CHRIS: Then kick him in the teeth! I don’t want him in the plant, so that’s that! You understand? And besides, don’t talk about him like that. People misunderstand you!
KELLER: And I don’t understand why she has to crucify the man.
CHRIS: Well, it’s her father, if she feels . . .
KELLER: No, no. . . .
CHRIS, almost angrily: What’s it to you? Why . . . ?
KELLER, a commanding outburst in his high nervousness: A father is a father! As though the outburst had revealed him, he looks about, wanting to retract it. His hand goes to his cheek. I better . . . I better shave. He turns and a smile is on his face. To Ann: I didn’t mean to yell at you, Annie.
ANN: Let’s forget the whole thing, Joe.
KELLER: Right. To Chris: She’s likable.
CHRIS, a little peeved at the man’s stupidity: Shave, will you?
KELLER: Right again.
As he turns
to porch Lydia comes hurrying from her house, right.
LYDIA: I forgot all about it . . . Seeing Chris and Ann: Hya. To Joe: I promised to fix Kate’s hair for tonight. Did she comb it yet?
KELLER: Always a smile, hey, Lydia?
LYDIA: Sure, why not?
KELLER, going up on porch: Come on up and comb my Katie’s hair. Lydia goes up on porch. She’s got a big night, make her beautiful.
LYDIA: I will.
KELLER—he holds door open for her and she goes into kitchen. To Chris and Ann: Hey, that could be a song. He sings softly.
Come on up and comb my Katie’s hair . . .
Oh, come on up, ’cause she’s my lady fair—
To Ann: How’s that for one year of night school? He continues singing as he goes into kitchen.
Oh, come on up, come on up, and comb my lady’s hair—
Jim Bayliss rounds corner of driveway, walking rapidly. Jim crosses to Chris, motions him up and pulls him down to stage left, excitedly. Keller stands just inside kitchen door, watching them.
CHRIS: What’s the matter? Where is he?
JIM: Where’s your mother?
CHRIS: Upstairs, dressing.
ANN, crossing to them rapidly: What happened to George?
JIM: I asked him to wait in the car. Listen to me now. Can you take some advice? They wait. Don’t bring him in here.
ANN: Why?
JIM: Kate is in bad shape, you can’t explode this in front of her.
ANN: Explode what?
JIM: You know why he’s here, don’t try to kid it away. There’s blood in his eye; drive him somewhere and talk to him alone.
Ann turns to go up drive, takes a couple of steps, sees Keller and stops. He goes quietly on into house.
CHRIS, shaken, and therefore angered: Don’t be an old lady.
JIM: He’s come to take her home. What does that mean? To Ann: You know what that means. Fight it out with him someplace else.
ANN—she comes back down toward Chris: I’ll drive . . . him somewhere.
CHRIS, goes to her: No.
JIM: Will you stop being an idiot?
CHRIS: Nobody’s afraid of him here. Cut that out!
He starts for driveway, but is brought up short by George, who enters there. George is Chris’s age, but a paler man, now on the edge of his self-restraint. He speaks quietly, as though afraid to find himself screaming. An instant’s hesitation and Chris steps up to him, hand extended, smiling.
Helluva way to do; what’re you sitting out there for?
GEORGE: Doctor said your mother isn’t well, I . . .
CHRIS: So what? She’d want to see you, wouldn’t she? We’ve been waiting for you all afternoon. He puts his hand on George’s arm, but George pulls away, coming across toward Ann.
ANN, touching his collar: This is filthy, didn’t you bring another shirt?
George breaks away from her, and moves down and left, examining the yard. Door opens, and he turns rapidly, thinking it is Kate, but it’s Sue. She looks at him, he turns away and moves on left, to fence. He looks over it at his former home. Sue comes downstage.
SUE, annoyed: How about the beach, Jim?
JIM: Oh, it’s too hot to drive.
SUE: How’d you get to the station—Zeppelin?
CHRIS: This is Mrs. Bayliss, George. Calling, as George pays no attention, staring at house off left: George! George turns. Mrs. Bayliss.
SUE: How do you do.
GEORGE, removing his hat: You’re the people who bought our house, aren’t you?
SUE: That’s right. Come and see what we did with it before you leave.
GEORGE—he walks down and away from her: I liked it the way it was.
SUE, after a brief pause: He’s frank, isn’t he?
JIM, pulling her off left: See you later. . . . Take it easy, fella. They exit, left.
CHRIS, calling after them: Thanks for driving him! Turning to George: How about some grape juice? Mother made it especially for you.
GEORGE, with forced appreciation: Good old Kate, remembered my grape juice.
CHRIS: You drank enough of it in this house. How’ve you been, George?—Sit down.
GEORGE—he keeps moving: It takes me a minute. Looking around: It seems impossible.
CHRIS: What?
GEORGE: I’m back here.
CHRIS: Say, you’ve gotten a little nervous, haven’t you?
GEORGE: Yeah, toward the end of the day. What’re you, big executive now?
CHRIS: Just kind of medium. How’s the law?
GEORGE: I don’t know. When I was studying in the hospital it seemed sensible, but outside there doesn’t seem to be much of a law. The trees got thick, didn’t they? Points to stump: What’s that?
CHRIS: Blew down last night. We had it there for Larry. You know.
GEORGE: Why, afraid you’ll forget him?
CHRIS, starts for George: Kind of a remark is that?
ANN, breaking in, putting a restraining hand on Chris: When did you start wearing a hat?
GEORGE, discovers hat in his hand: Today. From now on I decided to look like a lawyer, anyway. He holds it up to her. Don’t you recognize it?
ANN: Why? Where . . . ?
GEORGE: Your father’s . . . he asked me to wear it.
ANN: . . . How is he?
GEORGE: He got smaller.
ANN: Smaller?
GEORGE: Yeah, little. Holds out his hand to measure. He’s a little man. That’s what happens to suckers, you know. It’s good I went to him in time—another year there’d be nothing left but his smell.
CHRIS: What’s the matter, George, what’s the trouble?
GEORGE: The trouble? The trouble is when you make suckers out of people once, you shouldn’t try to do it twice.
CHRIS: What does that mean?
GEORGE, to Ann: You’re not married yet, are you?
ANN: George, will you sit down and stop—?
GEORGE: Are you married yet?
ANN: No, I’m not married yet.
GEORGE: You’re not going to marry him.
ANN: Why am I not going to marry him?
GEORGE: Because his father destroyed your family.
CHRIS: Now look, George . . .
GEORGE: Cut it short, Chris. Tell her to come home with me. Let’s not argue, you know what I’ve got to say.
CHRIS: George, you don’t want to be the voice of God, do you?
GEORGE: I’m . . .
CHRIS: That’s been your trouble all your life, George, you dive into things. What kind of a statement is that to make? You’re a big boy now.
GEORGE: I’m a big boy now.
CHRIS: Don’t come bulling in here. If you’ve got something to say, be civilized about it.
GEORGE: Don’t civilize me!
ANN: Shhh!
CHRIS, ready to hit him: Are you going to talk like a grown man or aren’t you?
ANN, quickly, to forestall an outburst: Sit down, dear. Don’t be angry, what’s the matter? He allows her to seat him, looking at her. Now what happened? You kissed me when I left, now you . . .
GEORGE, breathlessly: My life turned upside down since then. I couldn’t go back to work when you left. I wanted to go to Dad and tell him you were going to be married. It seemed impossible not to tell him. He loved you so much . . . He pauses. Annie . . . we did a terrible thing. We can never be forgiven. Not even to send him a card at Christmas. I didn’t see him once since I got home from the war! Annie, you don’t know what was done to that man. You don’t know what happened.
ANN, afraid: Of course I know.
GEORGE: You can’t know, you wouldn’t be here. Dad came to work that day. The night foreman came to him and showed him the cylinder heads . . . they were coming out of the process with defec
ts. There was something wrong with the process. So Dad went directly to the phone and called here and told Joe to come down right away. But the morning passed. No sign of Joe. So Dad called again. By this time he had over a hundred defectives. The Army was screaming for stuff and Dad didn’t have anything to ship. So Joe told him . . . on the phone he told him to weld, cover up the cracks in any way he could, and ship them out.
CHRIS: Are you through now?
GEORGE, surging up at him: I’m not through now! Back to Ann: Dad was afraid. He wanted Joe there if he was going to do it. But Joe can’t come down . . . he’s sick. Sick! He suddenly gets the flu! Suddenly! But he promised to take responsibility. Do you understand what I’m saying? On the telephone you can’t have responsibility! In a court you can always deny a phone call and that’s exactly what he did. They knew he was a liar the first time, but in the appeal they believed that rotten lie and now Joe is a big shot and your father is the patsy. He gets up. Now what’re you going to do? Eat his food, sleep in his bed? Answer me; what’re you going to do?
CHRIS: What’re you going to do, George?
GEORGE: He’s too smart for me, I can’t prove a phone call.
CHRIS: Then how dare you come in here with that rot?
ANN: George, the court . . .
GEORGE: The court didn’t know your father! But you know him. You know in your heart Joe did it.
CHRIS, whirling him around: Lower your voice or I’ll throw you out of here!
GEORGE: She knows. She knows.
CHRIS, to Ann: Get him out of here, Ann. Get him out of here.
ANN: George, I know everything you’ve said. Dad told that whole thing in court, and they . . .
GEORGE, almost a scream: The court did not know him, Annie!
ANN: Shhh!—But he’ll say anything, George. You know how quick he can lie.
GEORGE, turning to Chris, with deliberation: I’ll ask you something, and look me in the eye when you answer me.
CHRIS: I’ll look you in the eye.
GEORGE: You know your father . . .
CHRIS: I know him well.
GEORGE: And he’s the kind of boss to let a hundred and twenty-one cylinder heads be repaired and shipped out of his shop without even knowing about it?
CHRIS: He’s that kind of boss.
GEORGE: And that’s the same Joe Keller who never left his shop without first going around to see that all the lights were out.
The Penguin Arthur Miller Page 15