THE RING OF GENERAL MACIAS
A
drama of the Mexican Revolution
by Josephina
Niggli
[The
living room of Gen. Macias’s home is luxuriously furnished in the gold and
ornate style of Louis XVI. In the right wall are French windows leading into
the patio. Flanking these windows are low bookcases. In the back wall is,
right, a closet door, and, center, a table holding a wine decanter and glasses.
The left wall has a door upstage, and downstage a writing desk with a straight
chair in front of it. Near the desk is an armchair. Down right is a small sofa
with a table holding a lamp at the upstage end of it. There are pictures on the
walls. The room looks rather stuffy and unlived in.
When
the curtains part, the stage is in darkness save for the moonlight that comes
through the French windows. Then the house door opens and a young girl in
negligee enters stealthily. She is carrying a lighted candle. Stands at the
door a moment listening for possible pursuit, then moves quickly across to the
bookcase down right. She puts the candle on top of the bookcase and begins
searching behind the books. She finally finds what she wants: a small bottle.
While she is searching, the house door opens silently and a woman, also in
negligee enters. (These negligees are in the latest Parisian style) She moves
silently across the room to the table by the sofa, and as the girl turns with
the bottle, the woman switches on the light. The girl gives a half scream and draws back frightened. The
light reveals her to be quite young – no more than twenty – a timid, dovelike
creature. The woman has a queenly air, and whether she is actually beautiful or
not, people think she is. She is about thirty-two.]
MARICA : [trying to hide the bottle behind her] Raquel!
What are you doing here?
RAQUEL :
What did you have hidden behind the books
Marica?
MARICA :
[attempting a forced laugh] I? Nothing.
Why do you think I have anything?
RAQUEL :
[taking a step toward her] Give it to me.
MARICA :
[backing away from her] No. No I won’t.
RAQUEL :
[stretching out her hand] I demand that
you give it to me.
MARICA : You have no right to order me around. I’m a
married woman. I…I… [she begins to sob and flings herself down the sofa]
RAQUEL : [much gentler] You shouldn’t be up. The doctor
told you to stay in bed. [she bends over Marica and gently takes the bottle out
of the girl’s hand.] It was poison. I thought so.
MARICA : [frightened]
You won’t tell the priest, will you?
RAQUEL : Suicide
is a sin, Marica. A sin against God.
MARICA : I
know. I … [she catches Raquel’s hand] Oh, Raquel, why do we have to have wars?
Why do men have to go to war and be killed?
RAQUEL :
Men must fight for what they believe is
right. It is an honorable thing to die for your country as a soldier.
MARICA : How can you say that with Domingo out there
fighting too? And fighting what? Men who aren’t even men.Peasants.Ranch
slaves.Men who shouldn’t be allowed to fight.
RAQUEL : Peasants are men, Marica. Not animals.
MARICA :
Men. It’s always men. But how about the
women? What becomes of us?
RAQUEL :
We can pray.
MARICA : [bitterly] Yes, we can pray. And then comes
the terrible news, and it’s no use praying anymore. All the reason for our
praying is dead. Why should I go on living with Tomas dead?
RAQUEL :
Living is a duty.
MARICA : How
can you be so cold, so hard? You are a cold and hard woman, Raquel. My brother
worships you. He has never even looked at another woman since the first day he
saw you. Does he know how cold and hard you are?
RAQUEL : Domingo
is my - honored husband.
MARICA : You’ve been married for ten years. And I’ve
been married for three months. If Domingo is killed, it won’t be the same for
you. You’ve had ten years [she is crying wildly]. I haven’t anything… anything
at all.
RAQUEL : You’ve had three months – three months of
laughter. And now you have tears. How
lucky you are. You have tears. Perhaps five months of tears. Not more. You’re
only twenty. And in five months Tomas will become just a lovely memory.
MARICA : I’ll
remember Tomas all my life.
RAQUEL : Of
course. But he’ll be a distant and far away. But you’re young… and the young
need laughter. The young can’t live on tears. And one day in Paris, or Rome, or
even Mexico City, you’ll meet another man. You’ll marry again. There will be
children in your house. How lucky you are.
MARICA : I’ll
never marry again.
RAQUEL : You’re
only twenty. You’ll think differently when you’re twenty-eight, or nine, or
thirty.
MARICA : What
will you do if Domingo is killed?
RAQUEL : I
shall be very proud that he died in all his courage… in all the greatness of a
hero.
MARICA : But
you’d not weep, would you? Not you! I don’t think there are any tears in you.
RAQUEL : No.
I’d not weep. I’d sit here in this empty house and wait.
MARICA : Wait
for what?
RAQUEL : For
the jingle of his spurs as he walks across the tiled hall. For the sound of his
laughter in the patio. For the echo of his voice as he shouts to the groom to
put away his horse. For the feel of his
hand…
MARICA : [screams]
Stop it!
RAQUEL : I’m
sorry.
MARICA : You
do love him, don’t you?
RAQUEL :
I don’t think even he knows how much.
MARICA : I
thought that after ten years people slide away from love. But you and Domingo –
why, you’re all he thinks about. When he’s away from you he talks about you all
the time. I heard him say once that when you were out of his sight he was like
a man without eyes or ears or hands.
RAQUEL : I
know. I, too, know that feeling.
MARICA : Then
how could you let him go to war? Perhaps to be killed? How could you?
RAQUEL : [sharply]
Marica, you are of the family Macias. Your family is a family of great
warriors. A Macias man was with Ferdinand when the Moors were driven out of
Spain. A Macias man was with Cortes when the Aztecans surrendered. Your
grandfather fought in the War of Independence. Your own father was executed not
twenty miles from his house by the French. Shall his son be any less brave
because he loves a woman?
MARICA :
But Domingo loved you enough to forget
that. If you had asked him, he wouldn’t have gone to war. He would have stayed
here with you.
RAQUEL : No,
he would have not stayed. Your brother is a man of honor, not a whining, creeping
coward.
MARICA :
[beginning to cry again] I begged Tomas
not to go. I begged him.
RAQUEL : Would
you have loved him if he had stayed?
MARICA : I
don’t know. I don’t know.
RAQUEL : There is your answer. You’d have despised him.
Loved and despised him. Now come, Marica, it’s time for you to go to bed.
MARICA : You won’t tell the priest – about the poison,
I mean?
RAQUEL : No, I won’t tell him.
MARICA :
Thank you Raquel. How good you are. How
kind and good.
RAQUEL : A moment ago I was hard and cruel. What a baby
you are. Now, off to bed with you.
MARICA : Aren’t
you coming upstairs too?
RAQUEL : No… I
haven’t been sleeping very well lately. I think I’ll read for a little while.
MARICA : Good night, Raquel. And thank you.
RAQUEL : Good night, little one.
[Marica
goes out through the house door left, taking her candle with her. Raquel stares
down at the bottle of poison in her hand, then puts it away in one of the small
drawers of the desk. She next selects a book
from the downstage case and sits on the sofa to read it, but feeling
chilly, she rises and goes to the closet back right, and takes out an afghan.
Coming back to the sofa, she makes herself comfortable, with the afghan across
her knees. Suddenly, she hears a noise in the patio. She listens, then
convinced it is nothing, returns to her reading. But she hears the noise again.
She goes to the patio door and peers out.]
RAQUEL : [callingsoftly] Who’s there? Who’s out there?
Oh! [She gasps and backs into the room. Two men – or rather a man and a young
boy – dressed in white pajama suits of the Mexican peasants, with their
sombreros tipped low over their faces, come into the room. Raquel draws herself
up regally. Her voice is cold and commanding] Who are you, and what do you want
here?
ANDRES
: We
are hunting for the wife of General Macias.
RAQUEL
: I
am Raquel Rivera de Macias.
ANDRES
: Cleto,
stand guard on the patio. If you hear any suspicious noise, warn me at once.
CLETO : Yes,
my captain. [The boy returns to the patio.]
[The man,
hooking his thumbs in his belt, strolls around the room, looking it over. When
he reaches the table at the back, he sees the wine. With a small bow to Raquel
he pours himself a glass of wine and drains it. He wipes his mouth with the
back of his hand.]
RAQUEL : How
very interesting.
ANDRES
: [startled]
What?
RAQUEL
: To
be able to drink wine with that hat on.
ANDRES
: The
hat? Oh, forgive me, señora. [He flicks the brim with his finger so that it
drops off his head and dangles down his back from the neck cord]. In a military
camp one forget one’s polite manners. Would you care to join me in another glass?
RAQUEL
: [sitting
on the sofa] Why not? It’s my wine.
ANDRES : And very excellent wine. [He pours two glasses
and gives one while he is talking.] I would say Amontillado of the vintage of ’87.
RAQUEL : Did you learn that in a military camp?
ANDRES : I used to sell wines… among other things.
RAQUEL : [ostentatiously hiding a yawn] I am
devastated.
ANDRES : [pulls over the armchair and makes himself
comfortable in it] You don’t mind do you?
RAQUEL : Would it make any difference if I did?
ANDRES
: No.
The federals are searching the streets for us, and we have to stay somewhere.
But women in your class seem to expect that senseless sort of question.
RAQUEL
: Of
course I suppose I could scream.
ANDRES
: Naturally.
RAQUEL
: My
sister-in-law is upstairs asleep. And there are several servants in the back of
the house. Mostly men servants.Very big men.
ANDRES : Very
interesting. [He is drinking the wine in small sips with much enjoyment.]
RAQUEL : What
would you do if I screamed?
ANDRES
: [considering
the request as though it were another glass of wine] Nothing.
RAQUEL
: I
am afraid you are lying to me.
ANDRES
: Women
of your class seem to expect polite little lies.
RAQUEL
: Stop
calling me "woman of your class".
ANDRES
: Forgive
me.
RAQUEL
: You
are one of the fighting peasants, aren't you?
ANDRES
: I
am a captain in the Revolutionary Army.
RAQUEL
: This
house is completely loyal to the Federal Government.
ANDRES
: I
know. That's why I'm here.
RAQUEL
: And
now that you're here, what do you expect me to do?
ANDRES
: I
expect you to offer sanctuary to myself and Cleto.
RAQUEL
: Cleto?
[She looks toward the patio and adds sarcastically.] Oh, your army.
CLETO
: [appearing
in the doorway] I'm sorry my captain. I just heard a noise. [Raquel stands.
Andres moves quickly to her and puts his hands on her arms from the back. Cleto
has turned and is peering into the patio. Then the boy relaxes.] We are still safe,
my captain. It was only a rabbit. [He goes back into the patio. Raquel pulls
away from Andres and goes to the desk.]
RAQUEL
: What
a magnificent army you have. So clever. I'm sure you must win many victories.
ANDRES
: We
do. And we will win the greatest victory, remember that.
RAQUEL
: This
farce has gone on long enough. Will you please take your army and climb over
the patio wall with it?
ANDRES
: I
told you that we came here so that you could give us sanctuary.
RAQUEL
: My
dear captain - captain without a name...
ANDRES
: Andres
de la O, your servant. [He makes a bow.]
RAQUEL
: [startled]
Andres de la O!
ANDRES
: I
am flattered. You have heard of me.
RAQUEL
: Naturally.
Everyone in the city has heard of you. You have a reputation for politeness -
especially to women.
ANDRES
: I
see that the tales about me have lost nothing in the telling.
RAQUEL : I
can't say. I'm not interested in gossip about your type of soldier.
ANDRES
: Then
let me give you something to heighten your interest. [He suddenly takes her
arms and kisses her. She stiffens for a moment, then remains perfectly still.
He steps away from her.]
RAQUEL : [rage
forcing her to whisper] Get out of here - at once!
ANDRES
: [staring
at her in admiration] I can understand why Macias loves you. I couldn't before,
but now I can understand it.
ANDRES
: [sits
on the sofa and pulls a small leather pouch out of his shirt; He pours its contents
into his hands.] So cruel, señora, and I with a present for you? Here is a holy
medal. My mother gave me this medal. She died when I was ten. She was a street
beggar. She died of starvation. But I wasn't there. I was in jail. I had been sentenced
to five years in prison for stealing five oranges. The judge thought it a great
joke. One year for each orange. He laughed. He had a very loud laugh.[pause] I
killed him two months ago. I hanged him to the telephone pole in front of his
house. And I laughed. [pause] I also have a very loud laugh.[Raquel abruptly
turns her back on him.] I told that story to a girl the other night and she
thought it very funny. But of course she was a peasant girl - a girl who could
neither read nor write. She hadn't been born in a great house in Tabasco. She
didn't have an English governess. She didn't go to school to nuns in Paris. She
didn't marry one of the richest young men in the Republic. But she thought my
story very funny. Of course she could understand it. Her brother had been
whipped to death because he had run away from the plantation that owned him.
[He pauses and looks at her. She does not move.] Are you still angry with me?
Even though I have brought you a present? [He holds out his hand.] A very nice
present from your husband.
RAQUEL
: [turns
and stares at him in amazement] A present! From Domingo?
ANDRES
: I
don't know him that well. I call him the General Macias.
RAQUEL : [excitedly]
Is he well? How does he look? [with horrified comprehension] He's a prisoner...
you prisoner!
ANDRES : Naturally.
That's why I know so much about you. He talks about you constantly.
RAQUEL : You
know nothing about him. You're lying to me.
[Cleto
comes to the window.]
ANDRES
: I
assure you señora...
CLETO
: [interrupting]
My captain...
ANDRES
: What
is it Cleto? Another rabbit?
CLETO
: No
my captain. There are soldiers at the end of the street. They are searching all
the houses. They will be here soon.
ANDRES : Don't
worry. We are quite safe here. Stay in the patio until I call you.
CLETO
: Yes,
my captain. [He returns to the patio.]
RAQUEL : You
are not safe here. When those soldiers come I shall turn you over to them.
ANDRES
: I
think not.
RAQUEL
: You
can't escape from them. And they are not kind to you peasant prisoners. They
have good reason not to be.
ANDRES
: Look
at this ring. [He holds his hand out, with the ring on his palm.]
RAQUEL : Why
it's - a wedding ring.
ANDRES : Read
the inscription inside of it. [As she hesitates, he adds sharply.] Read it!
RAQUEL : [slowly
takes the ring; while she is reading her voice slowly fades to a whisper]
"D.M.R.R. - June 2, 1902" Where did you get this?
ANDRES : General
Macias gave it to me.
RAQUEL : [firmly
and clearly] Not this ring. He'd never give you this ring. [with dawning
horror] He's dead. You stole it from his dead finger. He's dead.
ANDRES : Not
yet. But he will be dead if I don't return to camp safely by sunset tomorrow.
RAQUEL : I
don't believe you. I don't believe you. You're lying to me.
ANDRES : This
house is famous for its loyalty to the Federal government. You will hide me
until those soldiers get out of this district. When it is safe enough, Cleto
and I will leave. But if you betray me to them, your husband will be shot
tomorrow evening at sunset. Do you understand? [He shakes her arm. Raquel looks
dazedly at him. Cletocomes to the window.]
CLETO : The
soldiers are coming closer, my captain. They are at the next house.
ANDRES : [to
Raquel] Where shall we hide? [Raquel is still dazed. He gives her another
little shake.] Think, woman! If you love your husband at all - think!
RAQUEL : I
don't know. Marica upstairs - the servants in the rest of the house - I don't know.
ANDRES : The
General has bragged to us about you. He says you are braver than the most men.
He says you are very clever. This is a timeto be both brave and clever.
CLETO : [pointing
to the closet] What door is that?
RAQUEL : It's
a closet...a storage closet.
ANDRES
: We'll
hide in there.
RAQUEL : It's
very small. It's not big enough for both of you.
ANDRES : Cleto,
hide yourself in there.
CLETO : But
my captain...
ANDRES : That's
an order! Hide yourself.
CLETO : Yes
sir. [He steps inside the closet.]
ANDRES : And
now, señora, where are you going to hide me?
RAQUEL : How
did you persuade my husband to give you this ring?
ANDRES : That's
a very long story, señora, for which we have no time just now. [He puts the
ring and medal back in the pouch and thrusts it inside his shirt.] Later I will
be glad to give you all the details. But at present it is only necessary for
you to remember that his life depends upon mine.
RAQUEL : Yes -
yes, of course. [She loses her dazed expression and seems to grow more queenly
as she takes command of the situation] Give me your hat. [Andres shrugs and
passes it over to her. She takes to the closet and hands it to Cleto.] There is
a smoking jacket hanging up in there.
Hand it to me. [Cleto hands her a man's velvet smoking jacket. She brings it to
Andres.] Put this on.
ANDRES
: [Puts
it on and looks down at himself.] Such a pity my shoes are not comfortable
slippers.
RAQUEL
: Sit
in the chair. [She points to the armchair.]
ANDRES : My
dear lady...
RAQUEL : If I
must save your life, allow me to do it in my own way. Sit down. [Andres sits.
She picks up the afghan from the couch and throws it over his feet and legs,
carefully tucking it in so that his body is covered to the waist.] If anyone
speaks to you, don't answer. Don't turn your head. As far as you are concerned,
there is no one in this room - not even me. Just look straight ahead of you
and...
ANDRES : [as
she pauses] And what?
RAQUEL : I
started to say "and pray", but since you're a member of the
Revolutionary army, I don't suppose you believe in God and
prayer.
ANDRES : My
mother left me a holy medal.
RAQUEL
: Oh,
yes, I remember. A very amusing story. [There is the sound of men's voices in
the patio.] The federal soldiers are here. If you can pray, ask God to keep Marica
upstairs. She'll betray you before I can shut her mouth.
ANDRES
: I'll...
RAQUEL : Silence!
Stare straight ahead of you and pray. [She goes to the French window and speaks
loudly to the soldiers.] Really! Whatis the meaning of this uproar?
FLORES : [off]
Do not alarm yourself, señora. [He comes into the room. He wears the uniform of
a Federal officer] I am Captain Basilio Flores, at your service, señora.
RAQUEL : What
do you mean invading my house and making such noise at this hour of the night?
FLORES : We
are hunting for two spies. One of them is the notorious Andres de la O. You may
have heard of him, señora.
RAQUEL : [looking
at Andres] Considering what he did to my cousin - yes, I've heard of him.
FLORES : You're
cousin señora?
RAQUEL : [comes
to Andres and puts her hand on his shoulder; He stares woodenly in front of
him.] Felipe was his prisoner before the poor boy managed to escape.
FLORES : Is
it possible? [He crosses to Andres.] Captain Basilio Flores, at your service.[He
salutes.]
RAQUEL : Felipe
doesn't hear you. He doesn't even know you are in this room.
FLORES : Eh,
it is a sad thing.
RAQUEL : Must
your men make so much noise?
FLORES : The
hunt must be thorough, señora. And now if some of my men can go through here to
the rest of the house...
RAQUEL : Why?
FLORES : But
I told youseñora. We are hunting for two spies...
RAQUEL : [speaking
quickly from controlled nervousness] And do you think I have them hidden
someplace, and I the wife of General Macias?
FLORES : General
Macias! But I didn't know...
RAQUEL : Now
that you know, I suggest you remove your menand their noise at once.
FLORES : But,
señora, I regret - I still have to search this house
RAQUEL : I can
assure you, captain, that I have been sitting here all evening, and no peasant
spy has passed me and gone into the rest of the house.
FLORES : Several
rooms open off the patio, señora. They needn't come through here.
RAQUEL : So...
you do think I conceal spies in this house. Then search it by all means. Look
under the sofa... under the table. In the drawers of the desk. And don't miss
that closet, captain. Inside that closet is hidden a very fierce and wicked
spy.
FLORES : Please, señora...
RAQUEL
: [goes
to the closet door] Or do you prefer me to open it for you?
FLORES : I am only doing my duty, señora. You are
making it very difficult.
RAQUEL : [relaxing
against the door] I'm sorry. My sister-in-law is upstairs. She has just
received the word that her husband has been killed. They were married three
months ago. She's only twenty. I didn't want...
MARICA : [calling
off] Raquel, what is that noise downstairs?
RAQUEL : [goes
to the house door and calls] It is nothing. Go back to bed.
MARICA : But
I can hear men's voices in the patio.
RAQUEL : It is
only some Federal soldiers hunting for two peasant spies. [She turns and speaks
rapidly to Flores] If she comes down here, she must not see my cousin. Felipe escaped,
but her husband was killed. The doctor thinks the sight of my poor cousin might
affect her mind. You understand?
FLORES : Certainly,
señora. What a sad thing.
MARICA : [still
off] Raquel, I'm afraid! [she tries to push past Raquel into the room. Raquel
and Flores stand between her and Andres.] Spies! In this house. Oh, Raquel!
RAQUEL : The
doctor will be very angry if you don't return to bed at once.
MARICA : But
those terrible men will kill us. What is the matter with you two? Why are you
standing there like that? [She tries to see past them, but they both move so
that she can't see Andres.]
FLORES : It
is better that you go back to your room, señora.
MARICA : But
why? Upstairs I'm alone. Those terrible men will kill me. I know they will.
FLORES : Don't
be afraid, señora. There are no spies in the house.
MARICA : Are
you sure?
RAQUEL : Captain
Flores means that no spy would dare to take refuge in the house of General
Macias. Isn't that right, captain?
FLORES : [laughing]
Of course. All the world knows the brave General Macias.
RAQUEL : Now
go back to bed, Marica. Please, for my sake.
MARICA : You
are both acting very strangely. I think you have something hidden in this room
you don't want me to see.
RAQUEL : [sharply]
You are quite right. Captain Flores has captured one of the spies. He is
sitting in the chair behind me. He is dead. Now will you please go upstairs!
MARICA : [gives
a stifled sob] Oh! That such a terrible thing could happen in this house. [She
runs out of the room, still sobbing.]
FLORES : [worried]
Was it wise to tell her such a story, señora?
RAQUEL : [tense
with repressed relief] Better that than the truth. Good night, captain, and
thank you.
FLORES : Good
night, señora. And don't worry. Those spies won't bother you. If they were
anywhere in this district my men would have found them.
RAQUEL
: I'm
sure of it.
[The
captain salutes her, looks towards Andres and salutes him, then goes into the
patio. He can be heard calling his men. Neither Andres nor Raquel moves until
the voices outside die away. Then Raquel stagers and nearly falls, but Andres
catches her in time.]
ANDRES : [calling
softly] They've gone, Cleto. [Andres carries Raquel to the sofa as Cleto comes
out of the closet.] Bring a glass of wine. Quickly.
CLETO : [as
he gets the wine] What happened?
ANDRES : It's
nothing. Just a faint. [He holds the wine to her lips.]
CLETO : She's
a great lady, that one. When she wanted to open the closet door my knees were
trembling, I can tell you.
ANDRES : My
own bones were playing a pretty tune.
ANDRES : Love
is a peculiar thing, Cleto.
CLETO : I
don't understand it.
RAQUEL : [moans
and sits up] Are they - are they gone?
ANDRES : Yes,
they're gone. [He kisses her hand.] I've never known a braver lady.
RAQUEL : [pulling
her hand away] Will you go now please?
ANDRES : We'll
have to wait until the district is free from them - but if you'd like to write
a letter to your husband while we're waiting...
RAQUEL : [surprised
at his kindness] You'd take it to him? You'd really give it to him?
ANDRES : Of
course.
RAQUEL : Thank
you. [She goes to the writing desk and sitsdown.]
ANDRES : [to
Cleto, who has been staring steadily at Raquel all the while] You stay here with
señora. I'm going to find out how much of the district has been cleared.
CLETO : [still
staring at Raquel] Yes, my captain.
[Andres
leaves by the French windows. Cleto keeps on staring at Raquel as she starts to
write. After a moment, she turns to him.]
RAQUEL : [irritated]
Why do you keep staring at me?
CLETO : Why
did you marry a man like that one, señora?
RAQUEL : You're
very impertinent.
CLETO : [shyly]
I'm sorry, señora.
RAQUEL : [after
a brief pause] What do you mean: "a man like one"?
CLETO : Well,
you're very brave, señora.
RAQUEL : [lightly]
And don't you think the general is very brave?
CLETO : No,
señora. Not very.
RAQUEL : [staring
at him with bewilderment] What are you trying to tell me?
CLETO : Nothing,
señora. It is none of my affair.
RAQUEL : Come
here. [He comes slowly up to her.] Tell me what is in your mind.
CLETO : I
don't know señora. I don't understand it. The captain says love is a peculiar thing,
but I don't understand it.
RAQUEL : Cleto,
did the general willingly give that ring to your captain?
CLETO : Yes,
señora.
RAQUEL : Why?
CLETO : The
general wanted to save his own life. He said he loved you and he wanted to save
his life.
RAQUEL : How
would giving that ring to your captain save the general's life?
CLETO : The
general's supposed to be shot tomorrow afternoon. But he's talked about you a
lot, and when my captain knew we had to come to the city, he thought perhaps we
might take refuge here if the Federals got on our trail. So he went to the general
and said that if he fixed it so we'd be safe here, my captain would save him
from the firing squad.
RAQUEL : Was
the trip to the city very important - to your cause, I mean?
CLETO : Indeed yes, señora. The captain got a
lot of fine information. It means we'll win the next big battle. My captain is
a very clever man, señora.
CLETO : I
don't see how he could help knowing it, señora. He heard us talking about it
enough.
RAQUEL : Who
knows about that bargain to save the general's life beside you and your captain?
CLETO : No
one, señora. The captain isn't one to talk, and I didn't have time to.
RAQUEL : [While
the boy has been talking, the life seems to have drained completely out of
her.] How old are you, Cleto?
CLETO : I
don't know,señora. I think I'm twenty, but I don't know.
RAQUEL : [speaking
more to herself than to him] Tomas was twenty.
CLETO : Who
is Tomas?
RAQUEL : He
was married to my sister-in-law. Cleto, do you think my husband is a coward,
don't you?
CLETO : [with
embarrassment] Yes, señora.
RAQUEL : You
don't think any woman is worth it, do you? Worth the price of a great battle, I
mean?
CLETO : No,
señora. But as the captain says, love is a very peculiar thing.
RAQUEL : If
your captain loved a woman as much as the general loves me, would he have given
an enemy his ring?
CLETO : Ah,
but my captain is a great man, señora.
RAQUEL : And
is so my husband a great man. He is of the family Macias. All of that family
have been great men. All of them - brave and honorable men. They have always held
their honor to be greater than their lives. That is a tradition of their
family.
CLETO : Perhaps
none of them loved a woman like you, señora.
RAQUEL : How
strange you are. I saved you from the Federals because I want to save my
husband's life. You call me brave, and yet you call him coward. There is no difference
in what we have done.
CLETO : But
you are a woman, señora.
RAQUEL : Has a
woman less honor than a man, then?
CLETO : No,
señora. Please, I don't know how to say it. The general is a soldier. He has a
duty to his own cause. You are a woman. You have a duty to your husband. It is right
that you should try to save him. It is not right that he should try to save
himself.
RAQUEL : [dully]
Yes, of course. It is right that I should save him. [becoming practical again]
Your captain has been gone some time, Cleto. You'd better find out if he is
still safe.
CLETO : Yes,
señora. [As he reaches the French windows she stops him.]
RAQUEL : Wait,
Cleto. Have you a mother - or a wife, perhaps?
CLETO : Oh,
no, señora. I haven't anyone but the captain.
RAQUEL : But
the captain is a soldier. What would you do if he should be killed?
CLETO : It
is very simple, señora. I should be killed, too.
RAQUEL : You
speak about death so calmly. Aren't you afraid of it?
CLETO : No,
señora. It's like the captain says... dying for what you believe in - that's the
finest death of all.
RAQUEL : And
you believe in the Revolutionary cause?
CLETO : Yes,
señora. I am a poor peasant, that's true. But still I have the right to live like
a man, with my own ground, and my own family, and myown future. [He stops speaking abruptly.] I'm sorry, señora. You are a fine lady. You
don't understand these things. I must go and find my captain.
RAQUEL : [rests
her face against her hand] He's so young. But Tomas was no older. And he's not
afraid. He said so. Oh, Domingo - Domingo! [She straightens abruptly, takes the
bottle of poison from the desk drawer and stares at it. Then she crosses to the
decanter and lace the wine with the poison. She hurries back to the desk and is
busy writing when Andres and Cleto return.]
ANDRES : You'll
have to hurry that letter. The district is now clear.
RAQUEL : I'll
be through in just a moment. You mightas well finish the wine while you're
waiting.
ANDRES : Thank
you. A most excellent idea. [He pours himself a glass of wine. As he lifts it
to his lips she speaks.]
RAQUEL : Why
don't you give some to - Cleto?
ANDRES : This
is too fine a wine to waste on that boy.
RAQUEL : He'll
probably never have another chance to taste such wine.
ANDRES : Very
well. Pour yourself a glass, Cleto.
CLETO : Thank
you. [He pours it.] Your health, my captain.
RAQUEL : [quickly]
Drink it outside, Cleto. I want to speak to your captain. [The boy looks at
Andres, who jerks his head toward the patio. Cleto nods and goes out.] I want you
to give my husband a message for me. I can't write it. You'll have to remember
it. But first, give me a glass of wine too.
ANDRES : [pouring
the wine] It might be easier for him if you wrote it.
RAQUEL : I
think not. [She takes the glass.] I want you to tell him that I never knew how
much I loved him until tonight.
ANDRES : Is
that all?
RAQUEL : Yes.
Tell me, captain, do you think it possible to love a person too much?
ANDRES : [raises
his glass] To honor. [He drains his glass. She lifts hers almost to her lips
then puts it down. From the patio comes a faint cry.]
CLETO : [calling
faintly in a cry that fades into silence] Captain. Captain.
[Andres
sways, his hand trying to brush across his face asthough trying to brush sense into
his head. When he hears Cleto he tries to stagger toward the window but
stumbles and can't quite make it. Hanging on to the table by the sofa he looks
accusingly at her. She shrinks back against her chair.]
ANDRES
: [his
voice weak from the poison] Why?
RAQUEL : Because
I love him. Can you understand that?
ANDRES : We'll
win. The Revolution will win. You can't stop that.
RAQUEL : Yes,
you'll win. I know that now.
ANDRES : That
girl - she thought my story was funny - about the hanging. But you didn't...
RAQUEL : I'm glad
you hanged him. I'm glad.
[Andres
looks at her and tries to smile. He manages to pull the pouch from his shirt
and extend it to her. But it drops from his hand.]
RAQUEL : [runs
to the French window and calls] Cleto. Cleto! [She buries her face in her hands
for a moment, then comes back to Andres, she kneels beside him and picks up the
leather pouch. She opens it and, taking the ring, puts in on her finger. Then
she sees the medal. She rises and, pulling out the chain from her own throat,
she slides the medal on to the chain. Then she walks to the sofa and sinks down
on it.]
MARICA : [calling
off] Raquel! Raquel! [Raquel snaps off the lamp, leaving the room in darkness.
Marica opens the house door. She is carrying a candle which she shades with her
hand. The light is too dim to reveal the dead Andres.] What are you doing down
here in the dark? Why don't you come to bed?
RAQUEL : [making
an effort to speak] I'll come in just a moment.
MARICA : But
what are you doing Raquel?
RAQUEL : Nothing.
Just listening... listening to an empty house.
---
QUICK CURTAIN ---
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