The dear departed - part 1 of 2

The dear departed , English Drama Xth class
(part 1 of 2)

3. CHARACTERS

(Sisters) ictoria Slater
Mrs. Amelia Mrs. Elizabeth - -a girl of ten
Slater Jordan (Amelia's

daughter)

Husbands of Amelia and Elizabeth)

Henry Slater Ben Jordan

N

— Abel Merryweather
- (father of Amelia
and Elizabeth)

4. (When the curtain rises Mrs. Slater is seen laying the table. She is a
vigorous, plump, red-faced, vulgar woman prepared to do any amount
of straight talking to get her ownway. She is in black. She goes to the
window, opens it and calls into the street)

5. Victoria, Victoria!
D'ye hear? Come
in, will you?

6. I'm amazed at you, Victoria. | really am. Be
off now, and change your dress
before your Aunt Elizabeth and your Uncle
Ben come. It would never do for
them to find you in colours with grandfather
lying dead, upstairs.

la

What are they coming
for? They haven't
been here for ages.

8. I'm wondering if they'll come
at all. When you and
Elizabeth quarrelled she said
she'd never set foot in your
house again.

She'll come fast enough after her
share of what our father's left. You
know how
hard she can be when she likes.
Where she gets it from I can't tell.

9. ———— —-

In the kitchen; but you want a new pair, those old ones
are nearly worn out. You don't seem to realize what it's
costing me to bear up like | am doing. My heart's fit to
break when I see the little trifles that belonged to
father lying around, and think he'll never use them
again. here! You'd better wear these slippers of my
father's now. It's lucky he'd just got a new pair.

yal
| suppose |

it's in the

family.

Where are
my slippers?

10. They'll be very
small for me, my
dear.

Il =

{2/ They'll stretch,

ian won't they? I'm

not going to have
them wasted.

LE

12. Henry, I've been thinking about
that bureau of my father's
that's in his bedroom. You know |

always waned to have it after he [*%;
did. |

You must arrange with
Elizabeth when you're
dividing things up.

13. ‘ Elizabeth's that sharp she'll
see I'm after it, and we'll drive
a hard bargain over
it.

15. ee AA mel

She's never been here since father
bought it. If it was only down here
instead of in his room, she'd never
guess it wasn't our own.

(startled): Amelia!
(He
rises)

17. Don't look so daft. It doesn't seem
Why not? delicate,

somehow.

18. drawers upstairs where the bureau is
now. Elizabeth could have that and
welcome. I've always wanted to get

19. (She points to the drawers.)

22. Mrs. Slater reappears.

24. (Shocked) No, my
child. Grandpa
gave it to your

Are you if mother before
planning to —— he died.

pinch it?

26. Ah! He was drunk ||
this morning.

29. (She puts it on the mantelpiece.)

Our clock's worth
nothing and this always
appealed to me.

30. (She puts it on the mantelpiece.)

33. Well, Amelia, and
so he's gone at

Yes, he's gone. He
was seventy-two a
fortnight last
Sunday. (She sniffs
back a tear.)

Now, Amelia, you
mustn't give way.
We've all got to die
some time or
other.

34. And now

perhaps
you'll tell us
all about it. _

Father had been

merry this morning.

He went out soon
after breakfast to
pay his insurance.

My word,
it's a good
thing he did.

35. And when |
came in | found
him undressed
sure enough and

snug in bed.

He always was
thoughtful in that
way. He was too
honourable to have
‘gone’ without
paying his premium

And when we'd finished dinner | thought
I'd take up a bit of something on a tray. He
was lying there for all the world as if he
was asleep, so | put the tray down on the
bureau-(correcting herself) on the chest of
drawers — and went to waken him.

36. (A pause. They wipe their eyes and sniff back tears.) Mrs. Slate
(Rising briskly at length; in a business-like tone)

37. Well, then, if the

kettle's ready, we

may as well have
tea first.

38. (Mrs. Slater puts the kettle on the fire and gets tea ready.) :
One thing we Iwas thinkin Well, we'll think about it
may as well 8 after tea, and then we'll
decide now is the ef that What look through his bits of
announcement in would you put? things and make a list of
e e them. There's all the
furniture in his room.

40. Oh, but he did, Amelia,
Promised your when he was living
Jimmy! I never with us. He was very

| heard of that. fond of Jimmy.
| >i ey
|

ve

41. Well,
(Amazed) |
don't know!

Anyhow, there's his
insurance money. Have
you got the receipt for

the premium he paid
this morning?

42. I've not
seen it.

43. (Victoria jumps up from the sofa and comes behind the table.)

Mother, | don't think
Grandpa went to pay
his insurance this
morning.

47. Victoria, run upstairs and
fetch that bunch of keys
that's on your Grandpa's
dressing-table.

48. (timidly) In
Grandpa's

50. (Victoria goes out reluctantly)

51. (They examine it closely.)

53. What do
you say?

Grandpa’
sgetting U
up.

56. (They are transfixed with amazement; Victoria clings to Mrs. Slater.)
(Suddenly)

58. THANK YOU
FOR
SEEING

59. THE DEAR DEPARTED II
IS
CONTINEUD

IN
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