Chapter VII: Act TWO: Scene Three

SCENE—_The same, six months later. The sun has just gone down. The
Spring twilight sheds a vague, gray light about the room, picking
out the Congo mask on the stand by the window. The walls have
shrunken in still more, the ceiling now barely clears the people’s
heads, the furniture and the characters appear enormously
magnified. Law books are stacked in two great piles on each side
of the table._ ELLA _comes in from the right, the carving-knife in
her hand. She is pitifully thin, her face is wasted, but her eyes
glow with a mad energy, her movements are abrupt and spring-like.
She looks stealthily about the room, then advances and stands
before the mask, her arms akimbo, her attitude one of crazy
mockery, fear and bravado. She is dressed in the red
dressing-gown, grown dirty and ragged now, and is in her bare
feet._

ELLA—I’ll give you the laugh, wait and see! [_Then in a confidential tone._] He thought I was asleep! He called, Ella, Ella—but I kept my eyes shut, I pretended to snore. I fooled him good. [_She gives a little hoarse laugh._] This is the first time he’s dared to leave me alone for months and months. I’ve been wanting to talk to you every day but this is the only chance—— [_With sudden violence—flourishing her knife._] What’re you grinning about, you dirty nigger, you? How dare you grin at me? I guess you forget what you are! That’s always the way. Be kind to you, treat you decent, and in a second you’ve got a swelled head, you think you’re somebody, you’re all over the place putting on airs, why, it’s got so I can’t even walk down the street without seeing niggers, niggers everywhere. Hanging around, grinning, grinning—going to school—pretending they’re white—taking examinations——[_She stops, arrested by the word, then suddenly._] That’s where he’s gone—down to the mail-box—to see if there’s a letter from the Board—telling him—— But why is he so long? [_She calls pitifully._] Jim! [_Then in a terrified whimper._] Maybe he’s passed! Maybe he’s passed! [_In a frenzy._] No! No! He can’t! I’d kill him! I’d kill myself! [_Threatening the Congo mask._] It’s you who’re to blame for this! Yes, you! Oh, I’m on to you! [_Then appealingly._] But why d’you want to do this to us? What have I ever done wrong to you? What have you got against me? I married you, didn’t I? Why don’t you let Jim alone? Why don’t you let him be happy as he is—with me? Why don’t you let me be happy? He’s white, isn’t he—the whitest man that ever lived? Where do you come in to interfere? Black! Black! Black as dirt! You’ve poisoned me! I can’t wash myself clean! Oh, I hate you! I hate you! Why don’t you let Jim and I be happy? [_She sinks down in his chair, her arms outstretched on the table. The door from the hall is slowly opened and_ JIM _appears. His bloodshot, sleepless eyes stare from deep hollows. His expression is one of crushed numbness. He holds an open letter in his hand._]

JIM—[_Seeing_ ELLA—_in an absolutely dead voice_.] Honey—I thought you were asleep.

ELLA—[_Starts and wheels about in her chair._] What’s that? You got—you got a letter——?

JIM—[_Turning to close the door after him._] From the Board of Examiners for admission to the Bar, State of New York—God’s country! [_He finishes up with a chuckle of ironic self-pity so spent as to be barely audible._]

ELLA—[_Writhing out of her chair like some fierce animal, the knife held behind her—with fear and hatred._] You didn’t—you didn’t—you didn’t pass, did you?

JIM—[_Looking at her wildly._] Pass? Pass? [_He begins to chuckle and laugh between sentences and phrases, rich, Negro laughter, but heart-breaking in its mocking grief._] Good Lord, child, how come you can ever imagine such a crazy idea? Pass? Me? Jim Crow Harris? Nigger Jim Harris—become a full-fledged Member of the Bar! Why the mere notion of it is enough to kill you with laughing! It’d be against all natural laws, all human right and justice. It’d be miraculous, there’d be earthquakes and catastrophes, the seven Plagues’d come again and locusts’d devour all the money in the banks, the second Flood’d come roaring and Noah’d fall overboard, the sun’d drop out of the sky like a ripe fig, and the Devil’d perform miracles, and God’d be tipped head first right out of the Judgment seat! [_He laughs, maudlinly uproarious._]

ELLA—[_Her face beginning to relax, to light up._] Then you—you didn’t pass?

JIM—[_Spent—giggling and gasping idiotically._] Well, I should say not! I should certainly say not!

ELLA—[_With a cry of joy, pushes all the law books crashing to the floor—then with childish happiness she grabs_ JIM _by both hands and dances up and down_.] Oh, Jim, I knew it! I knew you couldn’t! Oh, I’m so glad, Jim! I’m so happy! You’re still my old Jim—and I’m so glad! [_He looks at her dazedly, a fierce rage slowly gathering on his face. She dances away from him. His eyes follow her. His hands clench. She stands in front of the mask—triumphantly._] There! What did I tell you? I told you I’d give you the laugh! [_She begins to laugh with wild unrestraint, grabs the mask from its place, sets it in the middle of the table and plunging the knife down through it pins it to the table._] There! Who’s got the laugh now?

JIM—[_His eyes bulging—hoarsely._] You devil! You white devil woman! [_In a terrible roar, raising his fists above her head._] You devil!

ELLA—[_Looking up at him with a bewildered cry of terror._] Jim! [_Her appeal recalls him to himself. He lets his arms slowly drop to his sides, bowing his head._ ELLA _points tremblingly to the mask_.] It’s all right, Jim! It’s dead. The devil’s dead. See! It couldn’t live—unless you passed. If you’d passed it would have lived in you. Then I’d have had to kill you, Jim, don’t you see—or it would have killed me. But now I’ve killed it. [_She pats his hand._] So you needn’t ever be afraid any more, Jim.

JIM—[_Dully._] I’ve got to sit down, Honey. I’m tired. I haven’t had much chance for sleep in so long—— [_He slumps down in the chair by the table._]

ELLA—[_Sits down on the floor beside him and holds his hand. Her face is gradually regaining an expression that is happy, childlike and pretty._] I know, Jim! That was my fault. I wouldn’t let you sleep. I couldn’t let you. I kept thinking if he sleeps good then he’ll be sure to study good and then he’ll pass—and the devil’ll win!

JIM—[_With a groan._] Don’t, Honey!

ELLA—[_With a childish grin._] That was why I carried that knife around—[_she frowns—puzzled_]—one reason—to keep you from studying and sleeping by scaring you.

JIM—I wasn’t scared of being killed. I was scared of what they’d do to you after.

ELLA—[_After a pause—like a child._] Will God forgive me, Jim?

JIM—Maybe He can forgive what you’ve done to me; and maybe He can forgive what I’ve done to you; but I don’t see how He’s going to forgive—Himself.

ELLA—I prayed and prayed. When you were away taking the examinations and I was alone with the nurse, I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep but I was praying with all my might: O God, don’t let Jim pass!

JIM—[_With a sob._] Don’t, Honey, don’t! For the good Lord’s sake! You’re hurting me!

ELLA—[_Frightenedly._] How, Jim? Where? [_Then after a pause—suddenly._] I’m sick, Jim. I don’t think I’ll live long.

JIM—[_Simply._] Then I won’t either. Somewhere yonder maybe—together—our luck’ll change. But I wanted—here and now—before you—we—I wanted to prove to you—to myself—to become a full-fledged Member—so you could be proud—— [_He stops. Words fail and he is beyond tears._]

ELLA—[_Brightly._] Well, it’s all over, Jim. Everything’ll be all right now. [_Chattering along._] I’ll be just your little girl, Jim—and you’ll be my little boy—just as we used to be, remember, when we were beaux; and I’ll put shoe blacking on my face and pretend I’m black and you can put chalk on your face and pretend you’re white just as we used to do—and we can play marbles—only you mustn’t all the time be a boy. Sometimes you must be my old kind Uncle Jim who’s been with us for years and years. Will you, Jim?

JIM—[_With utter resignation._] Yes, Honey.

ELLA—And you’ll never, never, never, never leave me, Jim?

JIM—Never, Honey.

ELLA—’Cause you’re all I’ve got in the world—and I love you, Jim. [_She kisses his hand as a child might, tenderly and gratefully._]

JIM—[_Suddenly throws himself on his knees and raises his shining eyes, his transfigured face._] Forgive me, God—and make me worthy! Now I see Your Light again! Now I hear Your Voice! [_He begins to weep in an ecstasy of religious humility._] Forgive me, God, for blaspheming You! Let this fire of burning suffering purify me of selfishness and make me worthy of the child You send me for the woman You take away!

ELLA—[_Jumping to her feet—excitedly._] Don’t cry, Jim! You mustn’t cry! I’ve got only a little time left and I want to play. Don’t be old Uncle Jim now. Be my little boy, Jim. Pretend you’re Painty Face and I’m Jim Crow. Come and play!

JIM—[_Still deeply exalted._] Honey, Honey, I’ll play right up to the gates of Heaven with you! [_She tugs at one of his hands, laughingly trying to pull him up from his knees as_

[_The Curtain Falls_]

WELDED

A Play in Three Acts

CHARACTERS

MICHAEL CAPE ELEANOR OWEN, _his wife_ JOHN DARNTON A WOMAN

ACT I

SCENE—The Capes’ apartment.

ACT II

SCENE I—Library, Darnton’s home

SCENE II—A room

ACT III

SCENE—Same as Act I