登陆注册
16244200000003

第3章 FIRST ACT(2)

LORD DARLINGTON.[Still seated.]Do you think then -of course Iam only putting an imaginary instance -do you think that in the case of a young married couple,say about two years married,if the husband suddenly becomes the intimate friend of a woman of -well,more than doubtful character -is always calling upon her,lunching with her,and probably paying her bills -do you think that the wife should not console herself?

LADY WINDERMERE.[Frowning]Console herself?

LORD DARLINGTON.Yes,I think she should -I think she has the right.

LADY WINDERMERE.Because the husband is vile -should the wife be vile also?

LORD DARLINGTON.Vileness is a terrible word,Lady Windermere.

LADY WINDERMERE.It is a terrible thing,Lord Darlington.

LORD DARLINGTON.Do you know I am afraid that good people do a great deal of harm in this world.Certainly the greatest harm they do is that they make badness of such extraordinary importance.It is absurd to divide people into good and bad.People are either charming or tedious.I take the side of the charming,and you,Lady Windermere,can't help belonging to them.

LADY WINDERMERE.Now,Lord Darlington.[Rising and crossing R.,front of him.]Don't stir,I am merely going to finish my flowers.

[Goes to table R.C.]

LORD DARLINGTON.[Rising and moving chair.]And I must say Ithink you are very hard on modern life,Lady Windermere.Of course there is much against it,I admit.Most women,for instance,nowadays,are rather mercenary.

LADY WINDERMERE.Don't talk about such people.

LORD DARLINGTON.Well then,setting aside mercenary people,who,of course,are dreadful,do you think seriously that women who have committed what the world calls a fault should never be forgiven?

LADY WINDERMERE.[Standing at table.]I think they should never be forgiven.

LORD DARLINGTON.And men?Do you think that there should be the same laws for men as there are for women?

LADY WINDERMERE.Certainly!

LORD DARLINGTON.I think life too complex a thing to be settled by these hard and fast rules.

LADY WINDERMERE.If we had 'these hard and fast rules,'we should find life much more simple.

LORD DARLINGTON.You allow of no exceptions?

LADY WINDERMERE.None!

LORD DARLINGTON.Ah,what a fascinating Puritan you are,Lady Windermere!

LADY WINDERMERE.The adjective was unnecessary,Lord Darlington.

LORD DARLINGTON.I couldn't help it.I can resist everything except temptation.

LADY WINDERMERE.You have the modern affectation of weakness.

LORD DARLINGTON.[Looking at her.]It's only an affectation,Lady Windermere.

[Enter PARKER C.]

PARKER.The Duchess of Berwick and Lady Agatha Carlisle.

[Enter the DUCHESS OF BERWICK and LADY AGATHA CARLISLE C.]

[Exit PARKER C.]

DUCHESS OF BERWICK.[Coming down C.,and shaking hands.]Dear Margaret,I am so pleased to see you.You remember Agatha,don't you?[Crossing L.C.]How do you do,Lord Darlington?I won't let you know my daughter,you are far too wicked.

LORD DARLINGTON.Don't say that,Duchess.As a wicked man I am a complete failure.Why,there are lots of people who say I have never really done anything wrong in the whole course of my life.

Of course they only say it behind my back.

DUCHESS OF BERWICK.Isn't he dreadful?Agatha,this is Lord Darlington.Mind you don't believe a word he says.[LORDDARLINGTON crosses R.C.]No,no tea,thank you,dear.[Crosses and sits on sofa.]We have just had tea at Lady Markby's.Such bad tea,too.It was quite undrinkable.I wasn't at all surprised.Her own son-in-law supplies it.Agatha is looking forward so much to your ball to-night,dear Margaret.

LADY WINDERMERE.[Seated L.C.]Oh,you mustn't think it is going to be a ball,Duchess.It is only a dance in honour of my birthday.A small and early.

LORD DARLINGTON.[Standing L.C.]Very small,very early,and very select,Duchess.

DUCHESS OF BERWICK.[On sofa L.]Of course it's going to be select.But we know THAT,dear Margaret,about YOUR house.It is really one of the few houses in London where I can take Agatha,and where I feel perfectly secure about dear Berwick.I don't know what society is coming to.The most dreadful people seem to go everywhere.They certainly come to my parties -the men get quite furious if one doesn't ask them.Really,some one should make a stand against it.

LADY WINDERMERE.I will,Duchess.I will have no one in my house about whom there is any scandal.

LORD DARLINGTON.[R.C.]Oh,don't say that,Lady Windermere.Ishould never be admitted![Sitting.]

DUCHESS OF BERWICK.Oh,men don't matter.With women it is different.We're good.Some of us are,at least.But we are positively getting elbowed into the corner.Our husbands would really forget our existence if we didn't nag at them from time to time,just to remind them that we have a perfect legal right to do so.

LORD DARLINGTON.It's a curious thing,Duchess,about the game of marriage -a game,by the way,that is going out of fashion -the wives hold all the honours,and invariably lose the odd trick.

DUCHESS OF BERWICK.The odd trick?Is that the husband,Lord Darlington?

LORD DARLINGTON.It would be rather a good name for the modern husband.

DUCHESS OF BERWICK.Dear Lord Darlington,how thoroughly depraved you are!

LADY WINDERMERE.Lord Darlington is trivial.

LORD DARLINGTON.Ah,don't say that,Lady Windermere.

LADY WINDERMERE.Why do you TALK so trivially about life,then?

LORD DARLINGTON.Because I think that life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about it.[Moves up C.]

DUCHESS OF BERWICK.What does he mean?Do,as a concession to my poor wits,Lord Darlington,just explain to me what you really mean.

LORD DARLINGTON.[Coming down back of table.]I think I had better not,Duchess.Nowadays to be intelligible is to be found out.Good-bye![Shakes hands with DUCHESS.]And now -[goes up stage]Lady Windermere,good-bye.I may come to-night,mayn't I?

Do let me come.

LADY WINDERMERE.[Standing up stage with LORD DARLINGTON.]Yes,certainly.But you are not to say foolish,insincere things to people.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 小女子升官记

    小女子升官记

    紫曳,一介小女子。职场残酷、仕途崎岖,却只八年就坐上了处长的位置,她赢了!可是爱情婚姻、亲情友情,谁又辜负了谁...她输了? 官场悲与欢,规则,在潜移默化中,在如水流淌的平凡事件里,慢慢看下去,看那幽深的潭底.......
  • 况味

    况味

    黑夜是睡眠的时候,做梦很正常;白天睡眠就不正常,做梦当然更不正常。然而只有在不正常中,才发生这些故事。梦已经逝去,只留下一些淡淡的记忆。
  • 邪王专宠:庶女攻略手册

    邪王专宠:庶女攻略手册

    前世,她是莫府六小姐;今生,她仍是莫府六小姐。一杯毒酒,再来一世。今生今世,看她如何拍飞嫡姐,痛整嫡母。当一切报仇结束,那些“恶人”都死于非命时,她又该何去何从?当所以她所珍视的人皆为她离去时,后悔是否还来得及?曾经,他对她柔情似水,含情脉脉,“嫁给我,可好?”她却一脸冷漠,“你的爱,我给不起。”可这些也只能成为往事记忆中淡淡的一片回忆。“天堂地狱,我都陪你一起走,可好?”
  • 火澜

    火澜

    当一个现代杀手之王穿越到这个世界。是隐匿,还是崛起。一场血雨腥风的传奇被她改写。一条无上的强者之路被她踏破。修斗气,炼元丹,收兽宠,化神器,大闹皇宫,炸毁学院,打死院长,秒杀狗男女,震惊大陆。无止尽的契约能力,上古神兽,千年魔兽,纷纷前来抱大腿,惊傻世人。她说:在我眼里没有好坏之分,只有强弱之分,只要你能打败我,这世间所有都是你的,打不败我,就从这世间永远消失。她狂,她傲,她的目标只有一个,就是凌驾这世间一切之上。三国皇帝,魔界妖王,冥界之主,仙界至尊。到底谁才是陪着她走到最后的那个?他说:上天入地,我会陪着你,你活着,有我,你死,也一定有我。本文一对一,男强女强,强强联手,不喜勿入。
  • 狂傲君王妃:逆天废材三小姐

    狂傲君王妃:逆天废材三小姐

    她,二十一世纪杀手榜榜首,一次动情,换来双重背叛,一朝穿越,无人知晓,她竟成了她。温情,被她冰封。冷酷,这可是她的代名词!当一双血眸张开,命运颠倒,天才和废物竟是同一个人!这一世,万兽之王她当宠物养;灵丹妙药她当糖豆吃……他,神秘势力一代君王,杀人如麻,却为了她,携手江湖!容不得旁人对她只言片语,若是,一指弹飞!只在于他曾答应过她,一生一世一双人……暗黑势力,他俩同创;大千世界,他俩共打;龙凤呈祥,就是他俩。这一生,颠覆天下。废材逆天,注定是一个望尘莫及的耀眼神话!
  • 天降甜心:腹黑老公请接招

    天降甜心:腹黑老公请接招

    【原创作者社团未央宫出品】工作不顺利,出门喝个酒也能惹上一身麻烦。无缘无故因为个陌生的小男人惹上黑社会的顶梁柱。最后,赔了大把钱,还被小男人黏上身。她今年肯定犯太岁。小男人一步一步地融入,彻彻底底地颠覆了她的生活,直至整颗心的沦陷。龟毛女和腹黑小男人的爱情PK,鹿死谁手呢?
  • 我叫阳光

    我叫阳光

    一个失去记忆的少女,忘记自己是一个吸血鬼,内心依赖着一个美丽的男吸血鬼,却喜欢着另一个自称是自己曾经的爱人的吸血鬼,引起两个吸血鬼的争夺.引起人类和吸血鬼之间的战争.在经历过很多事后终于成熟,并阻止了吸血鬼和人类的最后一战.
  • 吴荫循文艺作品序言

    吴荫循文艺作品序言

    我是一名电影导演,共拍了十部电影,其中五部获省部级以上奖,包括《春晖》、《流浪汉与天鹅》获中央文化部和中央广播影视部优秀影片奖(现已改名华表奖)。但在我的微博里我可能很少谈到电影,因为在我离休后主要从事文学创作,写有三部长篇小说,总字数约近二百万,还有散文、新旧体诗、剧本、歌曲、理论、相声、书法等各类作品数百篇(首)。虽然也发表和出版了一些,但束之高阁者亦复不少,不免有寂寞之感。
  • 足球黄金年代

    足球黄金年代

    与西贝斯、弗爵爷、卡佩罗、穆尼奥斯战术对决,与贝利、马拉多纳、贝肯鲍尔、齐达内、梅西同场竞技,最强教练非我莫属,最强球员舍我其谁!
  • 星光劫:初恋易扑倒

    星光劫:初恋易扑倒

    宋念喜欢林时,并且只喜欢林时。七年后再遇到,不管是刻意还是缘分,宋念都不会离开林时。如今时光正好,我们重新在一起吧。文案无能,我简单说,这是一个影后倒追初恋的故事。(完结。群号:214087626,敲门砖:任意角色名)