Chapter 41

BRODIE, LESLIE

_BRODIE enters by the window with assurance and ease, closes it silently and proceeds to traverse the room. As he moves, LESLIE leaps upon and grapples him._

LESLIE. Take off that mask!

BRODIE. Hands off!

LESLIE. Take off that mask!

BRODIE. Leave go, by God, leave go!

LESLIE. Take it off!

BRODIE (_overpowered_). Leslie....

LESLIE. Ah! you know me! (_Succeeds in tearing off the mask._) Brodie!

BRODIE (_in the moonlight_). Brodie.

LESLIE. You ... you, Brodie, you!

BRODIE. Brodie, sir, Brodie, as you see.

LESLIE. What does it mean? What does it mean? My God! Were you here before? Is this the second time? Are you a thief, man? are you a thief? Speak, speak, or I'll kill you.

BRODIE. I am a thief.

LESLIE. And my friend, my own friend, and ... Mary, Mary!... Deacon, Deacon, for God's sake, no!

BRODIE. God help me!

LESLIE. "We Brodies! We Brodies!"

BRODIE. Leslie----

LESLIE. Stand off! Don't touch me! You're a thief!

BRODIE. Leslie, Leslie----

LESLIE. A thief's sister! Why are you here? why are you here? Tell me! Why do you not speak? Man, I know you of old. Are you Brodie, and have nothing to say?

BRODIE. To say? Not much--God help me!--and commonplace, commonplace like sin. I was honest once; I made a false step; I couldn't retrace it; and ... that is all.

LESLIE. You have forgot the bad companions!

BRODIE. I did forget them. They were there.

LESLIE. Commonplace! Commonplace! Do you speak to me, do you reason with me, do you make excuses? You--a man found out, shamed, a liar, a thief--a man that's killed me, killed this heart in my body; and you speak! What am I to do? I hold your life in my hand; have you thought of that? What am I to do?

BRODIE. Do what you please; you have me trapped. (_JEAN WATT is heard singing without two bars of "Wanderin' Willie," by way of signal._)

LESLIE. What is that?

BRODIE. A signal.

LESLIE. What does it mean?

BRODIE. Danger to me: there is some one coming.

LESLIE. Danger to you?

BRODIE. Some one is coming. What are you going to do with me? (_A knock at the door._)

LESLIE (_after a pause_). Sit down. (_Knocking._)

BRODIE. What are you going to do with me?

LESLIE. Sit down. (_BRODIE sits in darkest part of stage. LESLIE opens door and admits LAWSON. Door open till end of Act._)