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<v Speaker 1>The Vengeance of Caste from Mister Punch's Dramatic Sequels by

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<v Speaker 1>Saint John Hankin. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox

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<v Speaker 1>recordings are in the public domain. For more information or

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<v Speaker 1>to volunteer, please visit libravox dot org. Cast Most people

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<v Speaker 1>in their day have wept tears of relief at the

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<v Speaker 1>ending of T. W. Robertson's comedy Caste, when the Honorable

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<v Speaker 1>George Dolroy not dead, poor Chap falls into the arms

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<v Speaker 1>of his wife Esther, while his father in law Eccles

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<v Speaker 1>bestows a drunken benediction upon him before starting for Jersey,

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<v Speaker 1>and his sister in law Polly and her adored plumber

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<v Speaker 1>Garage embrace sympathetically in the background. In these circumstances, it

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<v Speaker 1>seems hardly kind to add a further act in this

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<v Speaker 1>harrowing drama, But the writer of sequels like Nemesis is inexorable.

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<v Speaker 1>If the perusal of the following scene prevents any young

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<v Speaker 1>subaltern from emulating Daltroy and marrying a ballet dancer with

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<v Speaker 1>a drunken father, it will not have been written in

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<v Speaker 1>vain dramatis persone Ester.

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<v Speaker 2>Dalroy read by Amanda Friday.

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<v Speaker 3>George the Andlroy read by Lambda.

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<v Speaker 2>Made read by Charlotte Duckats.

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<v Speaker 3>Eccles read by Todd.

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<v Speaker 1>Narrated by Capricia Page. Scene the dining room of the

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<v Speaker 1>Dolroys house in the Suburbs. Dinner is just over and

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<v Speaker 1>George Dalroy, in a seedy coat and carpet slippers, is

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<v Speaker 1>sitting by the fire smoking a pipe. On the other

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<v Speaker 1>side of the fire sits Esther, his wife, darning a song.

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<v Speaker 2>Tired George, Yes, had a bad day in the city.

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<v Speaker 3>Beastly. I believe I am the unluckiest figure in the world.

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<v Speaker 3>Every stock I touch goes down.

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<v Speaker 2>Why don't you give up speculating if you're so unlucky,

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<v Speaker 2>George hurt.

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<v Speaker 3>I don't speculate, Dear, I invest.

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<v Speaker 2>Why don't you give up investing? Then it makes a

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<v Speaker 2>dreadful hole in our income.

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<v Speaker 3>One must do something for one's living.

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<v Speaker 2>Esther sighing, Ah, what a pity it is. You left

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<v Speaker 2>the army.

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<v Speaker 3>I had to the regiment wouldn't stand your father. He

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<v Speaker 3>was always coming to the mess room when he was

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<v Speaker 3>drunk and asking for me. So the colonel said, I

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<v Speaker 3>would better send in my papers.

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<v Speaker 1>Esther gently, not drunk, George.

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<v Speaker 3>The colonel said so, and he was rather a judge.

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<v Speaker 1>Esther, unable to improve upon her own phrase.

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<v Speaker 2>Father is a very eccentric man, but a very good

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<v Speaker 2>man when you know.

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<v Speaker 1>Him, George grimly.

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<v Speaker 3>If you mean by eccentric a man who is always

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<v Speaker 3>drunk and won't die, he is most eccentric.

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<v Speaker 2>Hush, dear, After all, he's my father.

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<v Speaker 3>That's my objection to him.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm afraid you must have lost a great deal of

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<v Speaker 2>money to day.

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<v Speaker 3>Pretty well, but I have noticed that retired military men

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<v Speaker 3>who go into the city invariably do lose money.

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<v Speaker 2>Why do they go into the city, then.

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<v Speaker 1>George gloomily?

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<v Speaker 3>Why?

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<v Speaker 1>Indeed, there is a short pause. George stares moodily at

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<v Speaker 1>the fire.

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<v Speaker 2>I had a visit from your mother to day. How

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<v Speaker 2>was she not very well? She has aged sadly in

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<v Speaker 2>the last few years. Her hair is quite white. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>George have to.

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<v Speaker 3>Himself, poor mother, Poor mother.

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<v Speaker 2>She was very kind, she asked, particularly after you.

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<v Speaker 1>And she saw little George gently.

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<v Speaker 2>I think she is getting more reconciled to our marriage, do.

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<v Speaker 1>You really, Dear, looks at her curiously.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, and I think it's such a good thing. How

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<v Speaker 2>strange it is that people should attach such importance to

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<v Speaker 2>class distinctions.

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<v Speaker 3>Forgive me, dear, but if you think it's strange that

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<v Speaker 3>Marcus the Samore does not consider mister Eckles and the

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<v Speaker 3>garage's wholly desirable connections, I am afraid I cannot agree

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<v Speaker 3>with you.

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<v Speaker 2>Of course, Papa is a very eccentric man.

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<v Speaker 3>My dear esther Mister Eccles made his hundred and fifty

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<v Speaker 3>sixth appearance in the police court last week. The fact

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<v Speaker 3>was made the subject of jocular comment in the cheaper

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<v Speaker 3>evening papers. The The sentence was five shillings or seven days.

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<v Speaker 2>Poor Papa felt his position acutely.

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<v Speaker 3>Not half so acutely as I did. I paid the

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<v Speaker 3>five shillings if he had only consented to remaind in Jersey.

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<v Speaker 2>But you know Jersey didn't suit him. He was never well.

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<v Speaker 3>There, He was never sobber there. That was the only

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<v Speaker 3>thing that was the matter with them. No, my love,

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<v Speaker 3>let us look at facts in the face. You are,

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<v Speaker 3>my dear little woman, but your father is detestable. And

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<v Speaker 3>there is not the smallest ground for hope that my

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<v Speaker 3>mother will ever be reconciled to our marriage, as long

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<v Speaker 3>as she retains her reason.

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<v Speaker 2>I suppose Father is rather a difficulty.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, he and the garages between them have made as

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<v Speaker 3>impossible socially.

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<v Speaker 2>What's the matter with the gurages?

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<v Speaker 3>Nothing except that you always ask them to all our

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<v Speaker 3>dinner parties, and as gentle people have a curious prejudice. Again,

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<v Speaker 3>sitting down to dinner with a plumber and a glacier,

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<v Speaker 3>it somewhat narrows of a circle of acquaintance.

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<v Speaker 2>But Sam isn't a working plumber. Now he has a

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<v Speaker 2>shop of his own, quite a large shop, and the

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<v Speaker 2>house is just as good as ours. The furniture is better.

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<v Speaker 2>Sam bought Polly a new carpet for the drawing room

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<v Speaker 2>only last week. It cost fourteen pounds, and our drawing

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<v Speaker 2>room carpet is dreadfully shabby.

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<v Speaker 3>I am glad they are getting on so well.

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<v Speaker 1>With a flicker of hope.

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<v Speaker 3>Do you think there is any chance as they grow

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<v Speaker 3>more prosperous of the air dropping.

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<v Speaker 1>Us esther indignantly?

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<v Speaker 2>How can you think of such a thing, George.

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<v Speaker 1>Sighing, I was afraid not esther enthusiastically.

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<v Speaker 2>Why Sam is as kind as can be, and so

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<v Speaker 2>is Polly, And you know how fun they are of

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<v Speaker 2>little George poor child.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, he has always played with their children ever since

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<v Speaker 3>he could toddle. And what is their result? A cockney

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<v Speaker 3>accent that is indescribable.

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<v Speaker 2>What does it matter about his accent so long as

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<v Speaker 2>he is a good boy and grows up to be

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<v Speaker 2>a good.

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<v Speaker 3>Man Ethically, my dear, not at all. But practically it

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<v Speaker 3>matters a great deal. It causes me intense physical discomfort,

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<v Speaker 3>and I think it is killing my mother.

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<v Speaker 2>George.

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<v Speaker 3>Moreover, when the time comes for him to go to

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<v Speaker 3>a public school, he will probably be very unhappy in consequence.

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<v Speaker 3>Why merely irrational prejudice. Public school boys dislike all deviations

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<v Speaker 3>from the normal, and to them happily, a pronounce cockney

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<v Speaker 3>accent represents the height of abnormality.

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<v Speaker 2>As Sadly, in spite of our marriage, I'm afraid you're

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<v Speaker 2>still a worshiper of caste. I thought you turned your

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<v Speaker 2>back on all that when you married me.

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<v Speaker 3>So I did, Dear, so I did. But I don't

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<v Speaker 3>want to commit my son to the same hazard as experiment.

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<v Speaker 2>Ah, George, you don't really love me, or you wouldn't

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<v Speaker 2>talk like that.

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<v Speaker 3>My dear, I love you to distraction. That's exactly the

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<v Speaker 3>difficulty I am torn between my devotion to you and

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<v Speaker 3>my abhorrence of your relations. When your father returned from

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<v Speaker 3>Jersey and took a lodging close by us, nothing but

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<v Speaker 3>the warmth of my affection prevented me from leaving you forever.

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<v Speaker 3>He is still here, and so am I. What great

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<v Speaker 3>a proof could you have of the strength of my attachment?

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<v Speaker 2>Poor father, he could not bear to be away from us,

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<v Speaker 2>and he has grown so fond of little George.

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<v Speaker 1>George shudders.

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<v Speaker 2>Father has a good heart.

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<v Speaker 3>I wish he had a stronger head.

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<v Speaker 1>This remark is prompted by the sound of mister Eccles

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<v Speaker 1>entering the front door and having a tipsy altercation with

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<v Speaker 1>the maid maid announcing mister Eccles Eccles joyously.

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<v Speaker 2>Ay evening, eh me children, bless you, bless you, good evening. Father.

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<v Speaker 2>Won't you agin speak to your old father in law.

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<v Speaker 1>Georgy, George says nothing.

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<v Speaker 2>Ah, pride, pride, cruel pride. You come before a fall.

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<v Speaker 3>You do.

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<v Speaker 1>We're just heavily against the table and subsides into a chair.

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<v Speaker 2>Funny that, oh, Mortget, seemed as if that proverb was

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<v Speaker 2>a coming true that time.

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<v Speaker 3>George sternly, how often have I told you, mister Eccles,

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<v Speaker 3>not to come to this house except when you're sober.

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<v Speaker 1>Eccles, raising his voice in indignant protest.

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<v Speaker 3>Shober, perfectly, shober, shobre is a judge. I am afraid

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<v Speaker 3>I can't argue with you as to the precise stage

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<v Speaker 3>of intoxication in which you find yourself. You had better

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<v Speaker 3>go home at once.

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<v Speaker 2>Do you hear that, Esther, Do you hear that? Meet

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<v Speaker 2>you old? Yes, father, I think you had better go home.

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<v Speaker 2>You're not very well tonight.

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<v Speaker 1>Eccles, rising unsteadily from his chair. All right, Esther, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>going good night, Georgie, George, with the greatest politeness.

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<v Speaker 3>Good night, mister Eccles. If you could possibly manage to

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<v Speaker 3>fall down and damage yourself seriously on the way home,

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<v Speaker 3>I should be infinitely obliged.

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<v Speaker 1>Eccles begins to weep.

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<v Speaker 3>There's words to address to a loving him, for in law,

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<v Speaker 3>there's words lurches out.

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<v Speaker 2>I think, George, you had better see him home. It's

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<v Speaker 2>not safe for him to be alone in that state.

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<v Speaker 1>George savagely safe.

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<v Speaker 3>I don't want him to be safe. Nothing would give

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<v Speaker 3>me greater satisfaction than to hear he had broken his

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<v Speaker 3>neck esther gently, but.

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<v Speaker 2>He might meet a policeman.

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<v Speaker 3>George, ha, that's another matter. Perhaps I had better see

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<v Speaker 3>the beast into a cab.

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<v Speaker 2>Esther, sighing, Ah, you never understood, poor father.

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<v Speaker 1>A crash is heard from the hall as Ecoles lurches

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<v Speaker 1>heavily and upsets the hat stand. George throws up his

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<v Speaker 1>hands in despair at the wreck of the hall furniture,

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<v Speaker 1>or perhaps at the obtuseness of his wife's last remark,

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<v Speaker 1>and goes out to call a cab curtain. End of

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<v Speaker 1>the Vengeance of Caste