AN INSPECTOR CALLS by J. B. Priestley

AN INSPECTOR CALLS by J. B. Priestley

abridged for the Amateur dramatic club in Yaroslavl by BSG

All three acts, which are continuous, take place in the dining-room of the Birlings’ house in Brumley, an industrial city in the North Midlands. It is an evening in spring, 1912.

ACT ONE

[Scene 1]

At rise of curtain, the four BIRLINGS and GERALD are seated at the table, with ARTHUR BIRLING at one end, his wife at the other, ERIC downstage, and SHEILA and GERALD seated upstage. EDNA, the parlour maid, is just clearing the table, which has no cloth, of dessert plates and champagne glasses, etc., and then replacing them with decanter of port, cigar box and cigarettes. Port glasses are already on the table. All five are in evening dress of the period, the men in tails and white ties, not dinner-jacket.

E V A Дорогой зритель, я помогу разобраться в этой истории. Я лишь призрак [недавно умершей девушки]. Я буду говорить на русском, чтобы ни одна часть истории не ускользнула от вас. Итак, 1912 год. Вечер, весна. Брамли — промышленный городок в Центральной Англии. Столовая семьи Берлингов.

BIRLINGGiving us the port, Edna? That's right. (He pushes it towards ERIC.) You ought to like this port, Gerald. Finchley told me it's exactly the same port your father gets from him.

GERALDThen it'll be all right. I don't pretend to know much about it,

SHEILA, (gaily, possessively) I should hope not, Gerald. I'd hate you to know all about port — like one of these purple-faced old men.

BIRLINGHere, I'm not a purple-faced old man.

SHEILANo, not yet. But then you don't know all about port — do you?

BIRLING(noticing that his wife has not taken any) Now then, Sybil, you must take a little tonight.

SHEILAYes, go on, Mummy. You must drink our health.

MRS B.(smiling) Just a little, thank you. (To EDNA, who is about to go, with tray.) All right, Edna, I'll ring from the drawing-room when we want coffee.

EDNA(going) Yes, Ma'am.

[Scene 2]

EDNA goes out. They now have all the glasses filled. BIRLING beams at them and clearly relaxes.

BIRLINGWell, well — this is very nice. Good dinner too, Sybil.

GERALD(politely) Absolutely first-class.

MRS В. (reproachfully) Arthur, you're not supposed to say such things —

BIRLINGOh — come, come — I'm treating Gerald like one of the family. And I'm sure he won't object.

SHEILA(with mock aggressiveness) Go on, Gerald — just you object!

GERALD(smiling) In fact, I insist upon being one of the family now. I've been trying long enough, haven't I? (As she does not reply, with more insistence.) Haven't I? You know I have.

MRS B. (smiling) Of course she does.

SHEILA(half serious, half playful) Yes — except for all last summer, when you never came near me.

GERALDAnd I've told you — I was awfully busy at the works all that time.

BIRLING(Clears his throat.) Well, Gerald, It's one of the happiest nights of my life. Gerald, I'm going to tell you frankly, that your engagement to Sheila means a lot to me. Sheila's a lucky girl — and I think you're a pretty fortunate young man too, Gerald.

GERALDI know I am — this once anyhow.

BIRLING(raising his glass) So here's wishing the pair of you — the very best that life can bring. Gerald and Sheila.

MRS B. (raising her glass, smiling) Yes, Gerald. Yes, Sheila darling. Our congratulations and very best wishes!

GERALDThank you.

MRS B. Eric!

ERIC(rather noisily) All the best! She's got a nasty temper sometimes — but she's not bad really. Good old Sheila!

SHEILAChump! I can't drink to this, can I?

GERALDYou can drink to me.

SHEILA(quiet and serious now) All right then. I drink to you, Gerald.

For a moment they look at each other.

GERALD(quietly) Thank you. And I drink to you — and hope I can make you as happy as you deserve to be.

SHEILA(trying to be light and easy) You be careful —or I'll start weeping.

GERALD(smiling) Well, perhaps this will help to stop it. (He produces a ring case.)

SHEILA(excited) Oh — Gerald — you've got it — is it the one you wanted me to have?

GERALD(giving the case to her) Yes — the very.

SHEILA(taking out the ring) Oh — it's wonderful! Look — Mummy — isn't it a beauty? Oh — darling —

(She kisses GERALD hastily.)

ERICSteady the Buffs!

SHEILA(who has put ring on, admiringly) I think it's perfect. Now I really feel engaged.

MRS B. So you ought, darling. It's a lovely ring. Be careful with it, (rising. The others rise) Well — don't keep Gerald in here too long. Eric — I want you a minute.

[Scene 3]

She and SHEILA go out. BIRLING and GERALD sit down again.

BIRLINGWant another glass of port?

ERIC(sitting down) Yes, please. (Takes decanter and helps himself.) I left 'em talking about clothes again. You'd think a girl had never had any clothes before she gets married. Women are potty about 'em.

BIRLINGYes, but you've got to remember, my boy, that clothes mean something quite different to a woman. Not just something to wear — but a sort of sign or token of their self-respect.

GERALDThat's true.

ERIC(eagerly) Yes, I remember — (but he checks himself.)

BIRLINGWell, what do you remember?

ERIC(confused) Nothing.

BIRLINGNothing?

GERALD(amused) Sounds a bit fishy to me.

BIRLING(taking it in same manner) Yes, you don't know what some of these boys get up to nowadays. Though even then — we had a bit of fun sometimes.

GERALDI’ll bet you did.

BIRLING(solemnly) But this is the point. A man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own — and —

We hear the sharp ring of a front door bell BIRLING stops to listen.

ERICSomebody at the front door.

BIRLINGEdna'll answer it. Well, have another glass of port, Gerald —

[Scene 4]

EDNA enters

EDNAPlease, sir, an inspector's called.

BIRLINGAn inspector? What kind of inspector?

EDNAA police inspector. He says his name's Inspector Goole.

BIRLINGDon't know him. Does he want to see me?

EDNAYes, sir. He says it's important.

BIRLINGAll right, Edna. Show him in here.

[Scene 5]

EDNA does, then goes out.

It may be something about a warrant.

EDNA(opening door, and announcing) Inspector Goole.

The INSPECTOR enters, and EDNA goes, closing door after her. The INSPECTOR need not be a big man but he creates at once an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness. He is a man in his fifties, dressed in a plain darkish suit of the period. He speaks carefully, weightily, and has a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he addresses before actually speaking.

INSPECTORMr Birling?

BIRLINGYes. Sit down, Inspector.

INSPECTOR(sitting) Thank you, sir.

BIRLINGHave a glass of port?

INSPECTORNo, thank you, Mr Birling. I’m on duty.

BIRLINGYou're new, aren't you?

INSPECTORYes, sir. Only recently transferred.

BIRLINGI thought you must he. I was an alderman for years — so I know the Brumley police officers pretty well — and I had never seen you before.

INSPECTORQuite so.

BIRLINGWell, what can I do for you?

INSPECTORI'd like some information, if you don't mind, Mr Birling. Two hours ago a young woman died in the Infirmary. She'd swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out, of course.

ERIC(involuntarily) My God!

INSPECTORYes, she was in great agony. Suicide, of course.

BIRLING(rather impatiently) Yes, yes. Horrid business. But I don't understand why you should come here, Inspector —

INSPECTOR (cutting through, massively) She'd left a letter there and a sort of diary. Her real name — was Eva Smith.

BIRLING(thoughtfully) Eva Smith?

INSPECTORDo you remember her, Mr Birling?

BIRLING(slowly) No — I seem to remember hearing that name… But I don't see where I come into this.

EVA Вы помните меня, Мистер Бёрлинг? Я одна из тех девушек, которые осмелились попросить на несколько шиллингов больше к тем грошам, что вы нам платили.

INSPECTORShe was employed in your works at one time.

BIRLINGOh — that's it! Well, we've several hundred young women there, y'know, and they keep changing.

INSPECTORI found a photograph of her in her lodgings. Perhaps you'd remember her from that.

INSPECTOR takes a photograph, about, postcard size, out of his pocket and goes to BIRLING. Both GERALD and ERIC rise to have a look at the photograph, but the INSPECTOR interposes himself between them and the photograph. They are surprised and rather annoyed. BIRLING stares hard, and with recognition, at the photograph, which the INSPECTOR then replaces in his pocket.

GERALD(showing annoyance) Аnу particular reason why I shouldn't see this girl's photograph, Inspector?

INSPECTOR(coolly, looking hard at him) There might be.

ERICAnd the same applies to me, I suppose?

INSPECTORYes. It's the way I like to go to work. I think you remember Eva Smith now, don't you, Mr Birling?

BIRLINGYes, I do. She was one of my employees and then I discharged her.

ERICIs that why she committed suicide? When was this, Father?

BIRLINGJust keep quiet, Eric! This girl left us nearly two years ago.

INSPECTORYes. End of September, nineteen-ten.

BIRLINGThat's right.

GERALDLook here, sir. Wouldn't you rather I was out of this?

BIRLINGI don't mind your being here, Gerald.

INSPECTORMr Gerald Croft, eh?

BIRLINGYes. We've been celebrating his engagement to my daughter, Sheila.

INSPECTORI see. Mr Croft is going to marry Miss Sheila Birling?

GERALD(smiling) I hope so.

INSPECTOR(gravely) Then I'd prefer you to stay.

GERALD(surprised) Oh — all right.

BIRLING(somewhat impatiently) Look — there's nothing scandalous — about this business. Eh, Inspector?

INSPECTORNo, sir. I can't agree with you there.

BIRLINGWhy not?

INSPECTORBecause what happened to her then may have determined what happened to her afterwards, and what happened to her afterwards may have driven her to suicide. A chain of events.

BIRLINGOh well — Still, I can't accept any responsibility. If we were all responsible for everything, it would be very awkward, wouldn't it?

INSPECTORVery awkward.

ERICBy Jove, yes. And as you were saying, Dad, a man has to look after himself —

BIRLINGYes, well, we needn't go into all that. Now — about this girl. I remember her quite well now. She'd been working in one of our machine shops for over a year. But after they came back from their holidays that August, they suddenly decided to ask for more money, so that they could have about twenty-five shillings a week. I refused, of course.

INSPECTORWhy?

BIRLING(surprised) Did you say 'Why?'?

E V A Конечно он отказал, обвинил нас в забастовке и уволил, чужие проблемы не его забота. Семья Берлингов равнодушна к чувствам простых людей.

INSPECTORYes. Why did you refuse?

BIRLINGWell, Inspector, it is not your concern how I choose to run my business. Is it?

INSPECTORIt might be, you know.

BIRLINGI don't like that tone. It's my duty to keep labour costs down, and if I'd agreed to this demand we'd have added about twelve per cent to our labour costs. So I refused. Said I couldn't consider it. If they didn't like those rates, they could go and work somewhere else. It's a free country, I told them.

ERICIt isn't if you can't go and work somewhere else.

INSPECTORQuite so.

BIRLING(to ERIC) Look — just you keep out of this. So they went on strike. That didn't last long, of course. Well, we let them all come back — except the five ringleaders, who'd started the trouble. And this girl, Eva Smith, was one of them. So she had to go.

GERALDYou couldn't have done anything else.

ERIC(bursting out) Well, I think it's a damn shame. Why shouldn't they try for higher wages? We try for the

highest possible prices. And I don't see why she should have been sacked just because she'd a bit more

spirit than the others. You said yourself she was a good worker. I'd have let her stay.

BIRLINGI told the girl to clear out, and she went. Have you any idea what happened to her after that? Get into trouble? Go on the streets?

INSPECTOR(rather slowly) No, she didn't exactly go on the streets.

[Scene 6]

EVA После фабрики, мне повезло найти работу в ателье Милворда. Работа была прекрасной. Но порой молодые девушки бывают слишком обидчивы, не исключением была и Мисс Берлинг. Во время примерки платья, она сочла мою улыбку неуместной и после настояла на моём увольнении.

SHEILA has now entered.

SHEILA(gaily) What's this about streets? (Noticing the, INSPECTOR.) Oh — sorry. I didn't know. Mummy sent me in to ask you why you didn't come along to the drawing-room.

BIRLINGWe shall be along in a minute now. Just finishing.

INSPECTORI'm afraid not.

SHEILAWhat's all this about?

BIRLINGNothing to do with you, Sheila.

INSPECTORNo, wait a minute, Miss Birling.

BIRLING(angrily) Look here, Inspector, there isn't the slightest reason why my daughter should be dragged into this business.

SHEILA(coming farther in) What business? What's happening?

INSPECTOR(impressively) I'm a police inspector, Miss Birling. This afternoon a young woman drank some disinfectant, and died, after several hours of agony, tonight in the Infirmary.

SHEILAOh — how horrible! Was it an accident?

INSPECTORNo. She felt she couldn't go on any longer.

BIRLINGDon't tell me that's because I discharged her from my employment

SHEILADid you, Dad?

BIRLINGYes. The girl had been causing trouble in the works. I was justified.

GERALDYes, I think you were. Don't look like that Sheila.

SHEILA(rather distressed) Sorry! It's just that I can't help thinking about this girl. What was she like? Quite young?

INSPECTORYes. Twenty-four.

SHEILAPretty?

INSPECTORShe wasn't pretty when I saw her today, but she had been pretty — very pretty.

GERALDWe can't help you there because we cannot possibly know anything more.

INSPECTOR(slowly) Are you sure you don't know?

He looks at GERALD, then ERIC, then at SHEILA.

BIRLINGAre you suggesting now that one of them knows something about this girl?

INSPECTORYes.

BIRLINGYou didn't come here just to see me, then?

INSPECTORNo.

The other four exchange bewildered and perturbed glances.

SHEILAWhat do you mean by saying that? You talk as if we were responsible —

BIRLING(cutting in) Just a minute, Sheila. Now, Inspector, you and I had better go and talk this over quietly in a corner —

SHEILA(cutting in) Why should you? He’s finished with you. He says it's one of us now.

GERALDI've never known an Eva Smith.

ERICNeither have I.

INSPECTOI told you — that she'd used more than one name. She was still Eva Smith when Mr Birling sacked her —

SHEILA(to BIRLING) I think it was a mean thing to do.

BIRLINGRubbish! (To inspector.) Do you know what happened to this girl after she left my works?

INSPECTORYes. After two months, with no money coming in, and living in lodgings, lonely, half-starved, she was feeling desperate.

SHEILA(warmly) I should think so. It's a rotten shame.

INSPECTORThere are a lot of young women living that sort of existence in this country, Miss Birling. If there weren't, the factories wouldn't know where to look for cheap labour. Ask your father.

SHEILAWhat happened to her then?

INSPECTORShe was taken on in a shop — Milwards.

SHEILAMilwards! We go there.Yes, she was lucky to get taken on at Milwards.

INSPECTORThat's what she thought. It was a nice change from a factory. She enjoyed being among pretty clothes, I think.

BIRLINGAnd then she got herself into trouble there, I suppose?

INSPECTORAfter about a couple of months, a customer complained about her — and so she had to go.

SHEILA(staring at him, agitated) When was this?

INSPECTOR(impressively) At the end of January — last year.

SHEILAWhat — what did this girl look like?

INSPECTOR. If you'll come over — here, I'll show you:

He moves nearer a light, — and she crosses to him. He produces the photograph. She looks at it closely, recognizes it with a little cry, gives a half-stifled sob, and then runs out.

[Scene 7]

The INSPECTOR puts the photograph back into his pocket and stares speculatively after her. The other three stare in amazement for a moment.

BIRLINGWhat's the matter with her?

ERICShe recognized her from the photograph, didn't she?

INSPECTORYes.

BIRLING (Turns at door, staring at INSPECTOR angrily) We were having a family celebration tonight. And a nasty mess you've made of it now, haven't you?

INSPECTOR(steadily) That's what I was thinking earlier tonight, when I was looking at what was left of Eva Smith. A nice little promising life there, I thought, and a nasty mess somebody's made of it.

BIRLING looks as if about to make some retort, then thinks better of it, and goes out, closing doo sharply behind him. GERALD and ERIC exchange uneasy glances. The INSPECTOR ignores them.

GERALDI'd like to have a look at that photograph now, Inspector.

INSPECTORAll in good time.

ERIC(uneasily) I'm sorry — but you see — we were having a little party — and I've had a few drinks, including rather a lot of champagne — and I've got a headache — and as I'm only in the way here — I think I'd better turn in.

INSPECTORAnd I think you'd better stay here.

ERICWhy should I?

INSPECTORIt might be less trouble.

GERALDAfter all, we're respectable citizens and not criminals.

INSPECTORSometimes there isn't as much difference as you think. Often, if it was left to me, Iwouldn't know where to draw the line.

[Scene 8]

Enters SHEILA, who looks as if she’s been crying.

INSPECTORWell, Miss Birling?

SHEILA(coming in, closing door) You knew it was me all the time, didn't you? Did it make much difference to her?

INSPECTORYes, I'm afraid it did. It was the last real steady job she had. When she lost it she decided she might try another kind of life.

SHEILA(miserably) So I'm really responsible?

E V A (подходит к Шейле) Не плачьте, Шейла. Не вы одна во всём виноваты.

INSPECTORNo, not entirely. But you're partly to blame.

ERICBut what did Sheila do?

SHEILA(distressed) I went to the manager at Milwards and I told him that if they didn't get rid of that girl, I'd never go near the place again.

INSPECTORAnd why did you do that?

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