ACT III
Scene:A prison. Agatha in her cell. The doors are flung open and the visiting justices troop in, accompanied by the Governor of the prison, the doctor, the chaplain, warders, and our old friend Diggers, the sexton.
Scene:A prison. Agatha in her cell. The doors are flung open and the visiting justices troop in, accompanied by the Governor of the prison, the doctor, the chaplain, warders, and our old friend Diggers, the sexton.
First Visiting Justice: Well, what’s this one?
The Governor(curtly): Perjury. Five years’ penal servitude. Last Assizes.
The Woman Superintendent: Sulky little fiend. Won’t speak; and throws her food at the warders.
Second Visiting Justice(addressing Agatha): Come, come, my girl, you’re doing yourself no good by this kind of thing. (Addressing the Governor): Can’t your doctor do anything—or the chaplain?
The Doctor(in a dry staccato voice): She’s perfectly healthy—not losing weight—organs in good condition. I can’t do more than keep her fit.
First Justice: Well, the chaplain, then?
The Chaplain: She’s very hard and unrepentant.
Second Justice: Can’t you make her repent?
The Chaplain(decidedly): No. Nor can anyone else.
Both Justices(uneasily): I see. Yes. (Addressing the Governor): Can nothing be done?
The Governor: Nothing more. She’s under constant supervision.... There’s a visitor for her with our party; where is he?
Diggers(coming forward): Here, Sir?
The Governor: See if you can persuade her to speak to you.
Diggers(approaching her timidly): Miss Agatha, Miss Agatha ... won’t you speak to me, old Diggers? (She pays no attention.) Miss Agatha, I’ve brought you some cowslips from the old glebe be’ind the church. (Anxiously, to the Governor): May she ’ave them, Sir?
The Governor(blowing his nose): Of course. Of course. (Diggers produces a sorry mess of yellow blossoms.)
Diggers: They’re faded, but they’re from the old ’ome.... Won’t you ’ave them, Miss? (She makes no sign. One of the justices breaks down.)
The Woman Superintendent: Now, dearie, take the nice flowers. (But Agatha pays no attention.)
The Second Justice: Dear, dear, how sad. (Making a final effort): My poor young woman, you mustn’t take it so to heart. Your sentence, with good conduct remission, which I presume you mean to earn—though you won’t do so by throwing good food about—your sentence is really quite trivial. (She suddenly turns her eyes on him, with a baleful glare in them. He stumbles over his words and dries up): Yes, er, exactly.
The First Justice(who is bored): Well, let’s be getting on. (They troop out.) It’s a sad case; but of course, Morality—(his voice dies away.)
Agatha(when they have gone): Stupid, sentimental humbugs! (Viciously): Slugs, worms, uncomprehendingBEASTS! (In impotent fury she whirls round the cell like a dervish, finally throwing herself panting on her mattress.) Morality, indeed! (She bites a large piece out of the floor.)
The Curtain Falls.