Читать книгу L'Assommoir: A Play in Five Acts - Emile Zola - Страница 7
ОглавлениеACT I, SCENE 2
A large washhouse at La Chapelle. A vast hangar with large empty bays. Rows of wash pails to the right and left.
At Rise, a great uproar. Songs and the noise of beating.
CATHERINE
Where’d I put my soap? They’ve taken my soap again.
LOUISE
Give me the soda.
MADAME BOCHE (at the right, near the audience)
But, where’s Charles the washboy? (calling) Charles! Charles! (seeing him arrive) Finally, that’s lucky.
CHARLES
What do you want, Madame Boche?
MADAME BOCHE
A pail of hot water and fast.
JULIETTE (laughing)
Especially, don’t think about drinking it on the way.
CATHERINE
Oh, it’s not with water that he freshens up.
MADAME BOCHE
What a barracks this wash place is! When you don’t need a thing, you get immediate service.
JULIETTE and CATHERINE (singing at the left)
Boom, boom, boom,
Margay’s doing the wash!
Boom, boom, boom, the wash is beaten.
Boom, boom, boom, go wash his heart
Boom, boom, boom, all filthy with sorrow!
CHARLES (bringing a pail of hot water to Madame Boche)
That’s your water. It’s a sou.
MADAME BOCHE (giving him a sou)
Here, my lad. By the way, you know I’m keeping a place for a neighbor girl who’s going to come. Oh! There she is now! (seeing Gervaise enter, calling) Over here, my little friend.
GERVAISE
Thanks, Madame Boche.
MADAME BOCHE
Put yourself there. (Gervaise opens her box) Your pack is quite small! Before noon we will have finished that and we can go to lunch. You’re not taking a bucket of lye water?
GERVAISE (meanwhile has pulled out her linen)
Oh. Hot water is fine. It knows me.
MADAME BOCHE
It knows you, huh? You were a washerwoman in your country?
GERVAISE (rolling up her sleeves and beating her linen)
Yes, yes, a washerwoman at ten years old. Eight years since then We went to the river. Ah, it was much nicer than here. There was a spot under the trees with clear running water. (she stops beating) The water is hard in Paris.
MADAME BOCHE
That’s not surprising, from agreement with the population. As I left you just now, I met Mr. Lantier on the street.
GERVAISE
Yes, he came back. Heavens! I forgot my blue.
MADAME BOCHE
Don’t disturb yourself. I have some at your service.
GERVAISE
Thanks.
MADAME BOCHE
Between you and me, I think he’s a bit of a chaser.
GERVAISE (emotionally)
Lantier! What do you mean?
MADAME BOCHE
Why, I don’t know anything, or at least nothing much. Virginia—indeed, you know that big Virginia, my tenant.
GERVAISE (more and more uneasy)
Yes! Well?
MADAME BOCHE
Well, every time he meets her, he jokes with her.
GERVAISE (exploding)
I’m not mistaken. It was with Virginia he went last night to the Grand Balcony.
MADAME BOCHE (very lit up)
To the Grand Balcony, you saw them. (aside) So that’s it. (aloud) Ah, my little friend, you are deceiving yourself. He jokes with her but it never goes farther than that—my word of honor!
GERVAISE
Ah! That girl! If I was sure! If I was sure!
(Virginia enters)
MADAME BOCHE
Heavens! Speak of the Devil! There she is, Virginia! What’s she come to wash here with her four knots in her handkerchief?
GERVAISE (looking at her)
She! It’s she!
VIRGINIA (to Charles)
Do you have a spot?
CHARLES
Down there to the right.
JULIETTE
Over this way, Virginia!
VIRGINIA (going to the left)
Yes there. I’ll be very fine there.
MADAME BOCHE (to Gervaise)
Now there’s a caprice. She’s never soaped a pair of gloves! A famous pretender. I’ll wager for that. A dress maker who doesn’t mend anything except her boots.
VIRGINIA (noticing Madame Boche)
It’s you, Madame Boche. Are you well this morning?
MADAME BOCHE
See for yourself. (low to Gervaise who’s looking at Virginia fixedly) Look, don’t stare at her like that, you’re going to cause a scandal. Here the two of you devour each other with your eyes. Since I tell you there’s nothing to it!
GERVAISE
I don’t want her to look at me.
MADAME BOCHE
Be reasonable! I’m going to help you twist your linen—and we will leave.
(they both twist linen)
GERVAISE
Yes, yes, quick or I won’t answer for myself.
CHARLES (entering)
Madame Lantier!
GERVAISE
What’s the matter?
CHARLES
A kid’s asking for you.
GERVAISE
What’s he want with me?
MADAME BOCHE (seeing Ugene enter)
Heaves! It’s Ugene—the little boy of your landlord Mr. Madinier.
UGENE
Hello, Madame Lantier. Here’s what Mr. Coupeau ordered me to deliver to you. (delivers the key)
GERVAISE
My key? Why’s he bringing me my key?
UGENE
Hell! I don’t know. It’s for you to know.
GERVAISE
My God! What’s it mean?
VIRGINIA
Really (laughing) it’s not difficult to comprehend!
UGENE (with a wink)
Mr. Lantier left.
GERVAISE
Left! But he’s going to return?
UGENE
Oh! I don’t think so. I saw him get in a cab with his trunk.
GERVAISE
Left! So that was it! Ah! My God! Ah! My God! (she bursts into tears)
UGENE
My errand’s performed. I’m off. (he runs out)
MADAME BOCHE (to Gervaise)
Come on, come on, my little friend, courage!
VIRGINIA (laughing)
Ah! Ha! (she chokes her laughter)
MADAME BOCHE
Be reasonable! Everyone’s looking at you. Is it possible to make oneself so much trouble over a man? How stupid we women are!
GERVAISE
No! Such an abomination has never been seen!
MADAME BOCHE
The fact is he’s a rough customer! A pretty little woman like you! Now, can I tell you everything?
GERVAISE
Yes, speak, speak.
MADAME BOCHE
Well! With this Virginia—I’ve known about it for a long while. Last night, they came back together.
GERVAISE (no longer weeping, looking at Virginia)
Last night! And there I was waiting at the window.
VIRGINIA (to the washerwoman)
Damn! After all, when you’ve had enough of a woman, right? (she laughs)
MADAME BOCHE
She’s laughing. The heartless—I will bet her washing is only a pretext. She’s come here to talk her head off about what you would do.
GERVAISE
That’s fine, thanks. You’re going to see. (she takes a pail of soapy water, goes toward Virginia and throws it at her) Here! This is for you!
VIRGINIA (who jumped back and didn’t receive the water)
Well! What’s gotten into you—to rage here. Come forward a bit so we can see you. You, you don’t have to come put on the swank with us here. As for me, did I know! If she’d—she had caught me, you ought to have seen this. What’s she say that I did to her? Speak—what was done to you?
GERVAISE (through her teeth)
Don’t talk so much! You know very well you were seen last night with my husband. And shut up, because you’re going to have a bad time, I swear to you.
VIRGINIA
Her husband! Ah! She’s bold, she is! Madame’s husband! As if one had husbands with this gimp. It’s not my fault, if he left you. You can search me, I didn’t steal him.
(laughter from the washerwomen)
GERVAISE
Wretch!
VIRGINIA
So—you lost your man! Did he have his collar on at least? Who’s found Madame’s husband? There’s an honest reward!
(laughter increases)
GERVAISE
You know very well! You know very well! I will strangle you.
VIRGINIA (bluntly)
Well, yes! I took him from you! Are you satisfied? The two of us will adore him together. And he let you go. He had enough of you!
GERVAISE (pulling stuff from a small pail and throwing the contents on her)
Slut!
VIRGINIA
She ruined my dress! Wait, wait— (she throws the water from her pail) You caught that one. Brush your teeth in it!
(the washerwomen separate them and restrain them)
JULIETTE
They’re not funny!
LOUISE
She’s right—the blonde—if she took her husband from her.
MADAME BOCHE (who has prudently withdrawn)
I have palpitations. Charles! Charles!
CHARLES (peeping)
Oh! What a farce! What a farce!
MADAME BOCHE
What? There you are. Go find the cops!
CHARLES
No, no! That would compromise the house.
GERVAISE (to the washerwomen holding her back)
Let me go, let me do her business!
VIRGINIA (taking her stick)
Ah. Madame wants the great—
GERVAISE
Don’t laugh—it’s necessary that one of the two of us remain. (taking her stick) Ah—I’ll mark you for the rest of your life. Here!
(the washerwomen watch the two combatants. Charles standing on a chair, roars in laughter)
THE WASHERWOMEN
They’re going to kill each other, separate them.
VIRGINIA (letting out a scream)
Ah!
GERVAISE (coming out of the circle)
She got what was coming to her.
(the group opens. Virginia withdraws to the right, all ashamed)
MADAME BOCHE (to Gervaise)
My God! What butchery! Let’s get out of here right away. Do you want me to help you? (she throws her wet linen over her shoulder)
GERVAISE
Thanks!
LOUISE
A plucky woman, all the same—the blonde!
THEWASHERWOMEN
Bravo! Bravo!
GERVAISE (returning to Virginia)
And don’t swagger or I’ll start over. (she withdraws)
THE WASHERWOMEN
Bravo! Bravo!
VIRGINIA (alone—forestage)
Let her remember today. As for me, I’ll never forget it. And I’ll avenge myself, even if I have to die to do it. (shaking her fist) You’ve just made your misfortune.
ALL THE WOMEN
Bravo! Bravo!
(Gervaise is on the steps at the back. She turns one last time to look at Virginia)
CURTAIN
