Long Day's Journey Into Night Page #2

It will only make the shock worse when she has to face it.

Anyway, you can see shes deliberately fooling herself with that summer cold talk.

She knows better.

- Knows? Nobody knows yet.

- Well, I do.

I was with Edmund when he went to Doc Hardy on Monday.

I heard him pull that touch of malaria stuff. He was stalling.

That isnt what he thinks any more.

You know it as well as I do.

You talked to him when you went uptown yesterday, didnt you?

He can't say anything for sure yet.

Hes to phone me today before Edmund goes to him.

He thinks its consumption, doesnt he, Papa?

He said it might be.

That poor kid!

God damn it!

It might never have happened if youd sent him to a real doctor when he first got sick.

Whats the matter with Hardy? Hes always been our doctor up here.

Hardy only charges a dollar. Thats what makes you think hes a fine doctor!

-If you mean I cant afford one of the fine society doctors who prey on the rich summer people

- Cant afford? Youre one of the biggest property owners around here.

That doesnt mean Im rich.

- If Edmund was a lousy acre of land you wanted, the sky would be the limit.

- That's a lie

- And your snears against Dr. Hardy are lies too.

- I recon I'm a fool to argue. You can't change the leopard's spots.

No you CAN'T. You've taught me that lesson only too well, I've lost all hope you'll ever change yours.

You dare tell me what I can afford! You've never known

the value of a dollar in your life and you never will.

At the end of each season you're penniless.

You've thrown your sallary away every week on whores and whiskey.

My salary!? God!

More than you're worth. You couldn't get that if it wasn't for me.

If you weren't my son, there's not a manager in the business that would give you a part.

Your reputation stinks you. As it is I have to humble my pride and beg for you,

say you've turned over a new leaf although I know it's a lie.

I never wanted to be an actor.

- You forced me on the stage.

- That's a lie! You left it to me to get you a job and I've no influence except in the theater.

Forced you?! You never wanted to do anything except loaf in bar rooms.

After all the money I wasted on your education...

and all you did was get fired and disgraced from every college you went.

- Well for God's sake don't drag up that ancient history!

- It's not ancient history that you have to come back every summer to live on me.

Well I earn my board and lodging working on the grounds.

It saves you hiring a man.

You have to be driven even to do that much.

I wouldnt give a damn if you ever displayed the slightest sign of gratitude.

The only thanks is to have you sneer at me for a dirty miser, sneer at my profession,

sneer at every damned thing in the worldexcept yourself.

Thats not true, Papa. You cant hear me talking to myself, thats all.

Ingratitude, the vilest weed that grows!

God! I could see that line coming!

God, how many thousand times!

All right, Papa. Im a bum.

Youre young yet. You could still make your mark.

- You had the talent to become a fine actor! You have it still. Youre my son...!

- Lets forget me. Im not interested in the subject and neither are you.

What started us on this? Oh, Doc Hardy!

- When is he going to call you up about Edmund?

- Around lunch time.

The less you say about Edmunds sickness, the better for your conscience!

Youre more responsible than anyone!

- Thats a lie! I wont stand for that, Papa!

- Its the truth!

He grew up admiring you as a hero!

If you ever gave him advice except in the ways of rottenness, Ive never heard of it!

You made him old before his time, pumping him full of what you consider worldly wisdom,

when he was too young to see that your mind was so poisoned by your own failure in life,

you wanted to believe every man was a knave with his soul for sale,

and every woman who wasnt a whore was a fool!

All right. All right. I did put him wise to a few things,

but not until after I'd seen hed started to raise hell, and would only

laugh at me if I pulled that good advice, older brother stuff.

All I did was make a pal of him and be absolutely frank so hed learn from my mistakes that

Well, that if you cant be good you can at least be careful.

Thats a rotten accusation, Papa.

You know how much that kid means to me,

and how close weve always been

not like the usual brothers! Id do anything for him.

I know you may have thought it was for the best.

I didnt say you did it deliberately to harm him.

Besides its damned rot! Id like to see anyone influence Edmund any more than he wants to be.

What had I to do with all the crazy stunts hes pulled in the last few years

working his way all over the map as a sailor and all that stuff.

No, thanks! Ill stick to Broadway, and a room with a bath, and bars that served bonded Bourbon.

You and Broadway! Its made you what you are!

Whatever Edmunds done, hes had the guts to go off on his own,

where he couldnt come whining to me the minute he was broke.

Hes always come home broke finally, hasnt he?

And what's his going away get him? Look at him now!

God! Thats a lousy thing to say. I didnt mean that.

Hes been doing well on the paper. You used to talk about becoming

a newspaper man but you were never willing to start at the bottom, you expected...

Oh for God's sake Papa! Can't you lay off me?

Damnable luck Edmund should be sick right now,

it couldn't have come at a worse time for him.

Or for your mother.

It's damnable she should have this to upset her

just when she needs peace and freedom from worry.

She's been so well in the two months since she came home.

It's been heaven to me.

This home's been a real home again.

- But I needn't tell you Jamie.

- No. I felt the same way Papa.

Yes. She's been a different woman intirely from the other times.

She's control of her nerves, or she had until Edmund got sick.

Now you can feel her growing tense and frightened underneath.

I wish to God we could keep the truth from her

but we can't if he's to be sent to a sanatorium.

What makes it worse is her father died of consumption.

She worshipped him. She's never forgotten it.

Yes it'll be hard for her.

But she can do it! She's the willpower now.

We must help her Jamie. In every way we can.

Of course Papa.

- Outside of nerves she seems perfectly alright this morning.

- Yes, never better, she's full of fun and mischief.

Why do you say 'seems'?

Why shouldn't she be alright?

What the hell do you mean?

Don't start jumping down my throat.

God! Papa.

This ought to be one thing we can talk over, frankly, without a battle.

I'm sorry Jamie.

- But go on and tell me.

- There's nothing to tell. I was all wrong.

It's just that... last night...

Well you know how it is Papa.

I can't forget the past.

I can't help being suspicious anymore than you can.

That's the hell of it.

And it makes it hell for Mama.

- She watches us watching her.

- I know.

Well what was it?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes