Mourning Becomes Electra Page #11

for her death

was only your morbid imagination.

You don't feel it now.

You'll never feel it again.

No.

There.

There, you see you can do it

when you make up your mind to.

Now, don't cry.

You ought to feel proud.

You've proven that you can laugh

at all your ghosts from now on.

Shhh. Someone's coming, Orin.

Well. We might as well

begin making ourselves useful.

Vinnie.

Peter.

You've grown so like your...

Gosh, you look wonderful, Vinnie.

Gee, but you've changed.

You haven't gone and changed,

have you?

You ought to know I'd never change...

with you.

You haven't said you're glad to see me.

Well I...

You know how much I...

Vinnie, you look so darned pretty and...

and healthy.

Your trip certainly did you good.

I used to be an awful old stick,

didn't I?

Who said so? You were not, but...

you just didn't use to...

dress like that and...

I was dead then.

Oh, Orin, I didn't see you.

How are you?

Orin, didn't you hear Peter?

Don't be rude.

Oh, give him a chance.

I'm darned glad to have you back,

Orin.

Thanks, Peter.

Vinnie's still the same

bossy old fuss-buzzer, isn't she?

Always trying to teach me manners.

Say, hasn't she changed, though?

I hardly know her.

Maybe it's that dress.

Ask her why she gets herself up

like Mother.

I can't see why...

yet

And I don't think she knows herself,

but...

it'll prove to be a strange reason,

I'm certain of that when I do discover it.

Don't mind him, Peter.

She's grown romantic, too, imagine that.

Influence of the islands, eh, Vinnie?

They turned out to be her islands,

not mine.

I guess I'm too much of a Mannon

to turn into a pagan, after all.

But you should have seen Vinnie

with the men.

Orin, how can you?

Handsome and romantic-looking,

weren't they, Vinnie?

Especially the fellow they called

Avahanni.

Oh... she fell in love with the islanders.

I was afraid that if we stayed there

much longer

I'd find her dancing in the moonlight

under the palm trees as naked as the rest.

Orin, don't be disgusting.

I wasn't as blind as I pretended to be.

You don't deny that Avahanni fell in love

with you, do you?

Stop talking like a fool.

What will Peter think?

He knows you're only teasing, but...

you shouldn't go on that way.

Why don't you go and find Hazel?

Here now, let me have a look at you.

Oh, don't stand like a ramrod.

You'd really be very handsome if you

shaved off that silly beard

and didn't carry yourself like a tin soldier.

Not so much like Father, eh?

More like a romantic clipper captain,

is that it?

That's enough of that.

Now run along and find Hazel.

She's probably waiting for you,

too shy to come and look for you.

You seem mighty anxious

to get rid of me.

What's come over him?

He's sick, Peter.

It's what the war did to him.

and Father's death and on top of that...

Mother's suicide.

It'll be all right, Vinnie.

Don't you worry.

Do you still love me?

I was afraid you didn't love me.

Oh, I do.

I've thought of you so much.

Things were always reminding me

of you.

The ship and the sea,

everything that was honest and clean.

Even the natives on the island.

Gosh, you certainly have changed.

But, say, what about that native

Orin talked about, that er...

what's his name?

Avahanni?

Yes.

He made me think of you, that's it.

He made me dream of marrying you

and everything.

Oh, I loved those islands.

They set me free.

There was something mysterious and

and beautiful there.

Good spirits coming out of the land

and the sea.

They made me forget death.

There was only this world,

the wind and the surf,

the natives dancing innocent and free.

Without knowledge of sin.

Oh, but I'm gabbing like a chatterbox.

I like you this way.

You never used to say a word

unless you had to.

Hold me close to you.

I want to feel love.

Love is all beautiful.

We'll be married soon, won't we?

And live out in the country

away from people and their evil talk.

We'll make an island for ourselves on land

and have children and love them

and teach them to love life so they'll

never be possessed by hate and death.

Oh, bless you, Peter.

I'm afraid we're not wanted, Orin.

So, that's your game, by God!

Well.

Don't look so solemn, fuss-buzzer.

I was only trying to scare you...

for a joke.

I suppose congratulations are in order.

The truth, the whole truth,

and nothing but the truth.

Is that what you're demanding, Father?

You sure you want the whole truth?

What will the neighbors say?

A ticklish decision for you,

Your Honor.

Orin.

Orin.

Orin, please open the door.

Why did you lock yourself in?

I was reading Father's law books.

He wanted me to take up law,

if you remember.

You've acted very strangely

these last few weeks.

Locking yourself in here with the

shutters closed.

And the lamp on, even in daytime.

I hate the daylight.

It's like an accusing eye.

We've renounced the day,

in which normal people live.

Or rather, it's renounced us.

Now you're being stupid again.

I find artificial light more appropriate

for my work.

Man's light. Not God's.

Man's feeble striving to understand

himself.

To exist for himself in the darkness.

It's a symbol of his life

A lamp burning out

in a room of waiting shadows.

Your work? What work?

Studying law of crime and punishment.

All right, if you won't tell me.

Oh, it's so close in here!

it's suffocating!

It's black as pitch tonight.

There isn't a star.

Darkness without a star

to guide us.

Where are we going, Vinnie?

Oh, I know you think

you know where you're going, but...

there's many a slip, remember?

Be quiet!

Can't you think of anything but...

I'm sorry.

I'm terribly nervous tonight.

I'm worried about you, Orin.

I'm thinking about your health.

I'm afraid there's not much hope

for you on that score.

I happen to feel quite well.

How can you insinuate such horrible...

But you're only trying to rile me.

And I'm not going to let you.

I'm glad you're feeling better.

The long walk we took with Hazel

must have done you good.

Why is it you never leave me

alone with her?

You wanted me to marry her.

Now we're engaged

you never leave us alone for a minute.

I know the reason.

You're afraid I'll let something slip.

Can you blame me,

the way you've been acting?

No.

I'm afraid myself.

I've no right in the same world

with her.

Yet, I feel myself drawn to her purity.

Her love makes me feel less vile

towards myself.

And yet at the same time

a million times more vile,

that's the torment.

She's another lost island now.

When I see love for a murderer

in her eyes

my guilt crowds up in my throat

like poisonous vomit

and I long to spit it out.

And confess.

That's what I live in terror of.

Were you hoping you could escape

retribution?

Confess and atone to the full extent

of the law.

That's the only way we can wash

the guilt of our mother's blood

from our souls.

Will you stop!

Ask our father, the judge.

He knows.

Over and over and over.

Will you never lose your stupid

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