interesting at times.
VASHYA : I won’t say much about him. He was rather well known. His work appeared in magazines, you see, and these ridiculous ART lovers were making quite a fuss over it. Personally I could see nothing in it. A lot of rubbish. It made absolutely no sense. But my wife . . .
DR. FRELICH : She found him—different ?
VASHYA : He became infatuated with her. Sometime last winter, at a party or something. And he started paying her visits. She felt, no doubt, a sort of—of casual affection for him, you see? Nothing more than that!
DR. FRELICH : Yes.
VASHYA : And he misunderstood. He paid her too much attention. Said things— And I was informed. Shortly afterwards the young man was drafted into the army and called to the front and killed in action! They made quite a fuss about it in all the papers. Young genius sacrificed to the bloody monster of war—and all of that—the usual tripe! It was a very unfortunate business, the boy being killed. And after that—poor Lillian, my wife—she thought I was somehow responsible. He’s one of the—the dead soldiers that she thinks have returned from theirgraves to haunt me. Imagine that, Doctor! Me, Vashya Shontine, the man who gave them the guns to fight with, to defend their own lives!
DR. FRELICH : It’s hardly imaginable.
VASHYA : I’ll send for her now. I’ll have the servant let her out of her room. [
He causes the sound of a bell to be heard
.]
DR. FRELICH : You mean you have her—?
VASHYA : Locked up? Yes, it’s necessary.
PHILLIP [
entering
]: Did you ring?
VASHYA : Phillip, let Lady Shontine out of her room and tell her I want to see her.
PHILLIP : Yes, Sir.
VASHYA : This is terribly trying. Will you have a drink?
DR. FRELICH : No, thank you.
VASHYA : You Jews are a frugal, temperate people. I wonder sometimes if it pays. I personally have always felt that life was to be lived passionately—with abandon! Do you see? I’ve always lived it that way!
DR. FRELICH : You’ve had a remarkable career, Sir Vashya.
VASHYA : But, Doctor, people don’t understand my career. Some of them—well , you know!—they call me horrible names. They accuse me of being a war-profiteer. They say I’ve grown fat off of carrion flesh. They call me a—a vulture! Is that true, Doctor? Haven’t I been completely justified in everything that I have done for my country?
DR. FRELICH : Your justification, Sir Vashya, is your country’s
need
!
VASHYA : My—? Yes, my country’s
need
! They needed ammunition, I gave it to them, didn’t I? They needed tanks, airplanes, gases, subterranean explosives, volcano rockets! I gave it to them! They needed the new death ray, didn’t they? And I supplied them with that.That’s my justification, Doctor. I gave them what they needed! [
He breathes heavily with excitement
.] Yes, that’s my justification, my country’s need!
LADY SHONTINE [
entering, with controlled bitterness
]: It’s not true. He has no country. Is he talking to you about patriotism, Doctor?
DR. FRELICH : Lady Shontine.
VASHYA : You know each other? Good. Perhaps she’ll talk to you, Doctor.
LADY SHONTINE [
with a slight foreign accent
]: Let me tell you the truth of it, Doctor. He’s a man who has no country. No allegiance. Ask him where he was born. That may embarrass him, Doctor. He was born a long way from here. And yet he talks of patriotism to THIS country!
VASHYA : You see, Doctor?
DR. FRELICH : But Lady Shontine, I don’t have to remind you that many of our finest citizens are adopted citizens.
LADY SHONTINE : Not him. He’s not a citizen. He’s a madman.
DR. FRELICH : Please, Lady Shontine, sit down and let me ask you a few questions.
VASHYA : Lillian, the Doctor wants to help you.
LADY SHONTINE : Me? Not me, but you, Vashya. You are the one that needs help. You have lost your mind. It’s true, Doctor. The men come for him at night and he doesn’t even see them or hear them.
VASHYA [
despairingly
]: See!
DR. FRELICH
VASHYA : I won’t say much about him. He was rather well known. His work appeared in magazines, you see, and these ridiculous ART lovers were making quite a fuss over it. Personally I could see nothing in it. A lot of rubbish. It made absolutely no sense. But my wife . . .
DR. FRELICH : She found him—different ?
VASHYA : He became infatuated with her. Sometime last winter, at a party or something. And he started paying her visits. She felt, no doubt, a sort of—of casual affection for him, you see? Nothing more than that!
DR. FRELICH : Yes.
VASHYA : And he misunderstood. He paid her too much attention. Said things— And I was informed. Shortly afterwards the young man was drafted into the army and called to the front and killed in action! They made quite a fuss about it in all the papers. Young genius sacrificed to the bloody monster of war—and all of that—the usual tripe! It was a very unfortunate business, the boy being killed. And after that—poor Lillian, my wife—she thought I was somehow responsible. He’s one of the—the dead soldiers that she thinks have returned from theirgraves to haunt me. Imagine that, Doctor! Me, Vashya Shontine, the man who gave them the guns to fight with, to defend their own lives!
DR. FRELICH : It’s hardly imaginable.
VASHYA : I’ll send for her now. I’ll have the servant let her out of her room. [
He causes the sound of a bell to be heard
.]
DR. FRELICH : You mean you have her—?
VASHYA : Locked up? Yes, it’s necessary.
PHILLIP [
entering
]: Did you ring?
VASHYA : Phillip, let Lady Shontine out of her room and tell her I want to see her.
PHILLIP : Yes, Sir.
VASHYA : This is terribly trying. Will you have a drink?
DR. FRELICH : No, thank you.
VASHYA : You Jews are a frugal, temperate people. I wonder sometimes if it pays. I personally have always felt that life was to be lived passionately—with abandon! Do you see? I’ve always lived it that way!
DR. FRELICH : You’ve had a remarkable career, Sir Vashya.
VASHYA : But, Doctor, people don’t understand my career. Some of them—well , you know!—they call me horrible names. They accuse me of being a war-profiteer. They say I’ve grown fat off of carrion flesh. They call me a—a vulture! Is that true, Doctor? Haven’t I been completely justified in everything that I have done for my country?
DR. FRELICH : Your justification, Sir Vashya, is your country’s
need
!
VASHYA : My—? Yes, my country’s
need
! They needed ammunition, I gave it to them, didn’t I? They needed tanks, airplanes, gases, subterranean explosives, volcano rockets! I gave it to them! They needed the new death ray, didn’t they? And I supplied them with that.That’s my justification, Doctor. I gave them what they needed! [
He breathes heavily with excitement
.] Yes, that’s my justification, my country’s need!
LADY SHONTINE [
entering, with controlled bitterness
]: It’s not true. He has no country. Is he talking to you about patriotism, Doctor?
DR. FRELICH : Lady Shontine.
VASHYA : You know each other? Good. Perhaps she’ll talk to you, Doctor.
LADY SHONTINE [
with a slight foreign accent
]: Let me tell you the truth of it, Doctor. He’s a man who has no country. No allegiance. Ask him where he was born. That may embarrass him, Doctor. He was born a long way from here. And yet he talks of patriotism to THIS country!
VASHYA : You see, Doctor?
DR. FRELICH : But Lady Shontine, I don’t have to remind you that many of our finest citizens are adopted citizens.
LADY SHONTINE : Not him. He’s not a citizen. He’s a madman.
DR. FRELICH : Please, Lady Shontine, sit down and let me ask you a few questions.
VASHYA : Lillian, the Doctor wants to help you.
LADY SHONTINE : Me? Not me, but you, Vashya. You are the one that needs help. You have lost your mind. It’s true, Doctor. The men come for him at night and he doesn’t even see them or hear them.
VASHYA [
despairingly
]: See!
DR. FRELICH
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