Editing The Missing Arm (section)

=== Scene 2 ===


Place: A house in the village. MRS. REET and MR. REET, with their daughter MILDRED are seated at the table. There is a knocking offstage.					

MRS. REET. What’s that noise?

MR. REET. I’ve no idea, my dear.

MRS. REET. Mildred, go look, please.

MILDRED (Rises and goes to the door. She peeks out and gasps.) Mother, look! MRS. REET, MR. REET. What?

MILDRED. He’s hurt! Oh mother!					

MRS. REET (Hurries to her daughter’s side, glances at who it is and pulls him inside. She looks him over.) Young Ervyne—the woodcutter!


(ERVYNE has only one arm-his right, and seems to have lost the other. He is bleeding, but has bound up much of the wound with his coat.)					

MR. REET (Rises and approaches). Why, what happened, Ervyne?

ERVYNE (lays his good hand on MR. REET’S shoulder.) I was beset by thieves. THE REETS. Thieves?					

ERVYNE. Seven of them seized me, and tried to take me. They told me they might leave me alone, if I told them when the king was passing through the area, for they intended to rob him. I knew, of course, that the king comes within a month, but I refused to tell them. I took one of their swords, and cut him severely, and began to run, yet there was a scuffle.					

MRS. REET. Quite a scuffle, from the look of your arm!

ERVYNE. The result is that the thieves have fled (badly wounded) and I have returned. (THE REETS stare at each other.)


MRS. REET. Who would have believed it? Who would have believed that poor Ervyne could ever be great in this world? You must lie down, and I must tell my friends what has happened. Oh! Mildred, you care for him.					

(Exit MRS. REET.)

MILDRED. I’m so sorry, Ervyne. You should sit down. (She lets him sit in her chair.) Were the					

thieves very rough?

ERVYNE. Ah, those thieves...very rough. MILDRED. I’m proud of you.


ERVYNE. I did nothing deserving praise.					

MILDRED. But you’ll be famous now. You’ll be the talk of the village!					

ERVYNE. Yet all I did was defend my king. Who could do less?					

MILDRED. Oh, Ervyne, you sound so brave.					

ERVYNE. Indeed, I was a coward. Yet a sense of duty overwhelmed me, and I fought the thieves as well as I could.					

MR. REET. Well, rest, sir. Mildred shall make you tea, and find you some relief for your pain.					

(MILDRED exits.)

ERVYNE (aside). Sir, sir! No longer am I poor Ervyne, young Ervyne, but sir! How strange to think!					

(Enter MILDRED again. She hands him a cup of tea and bandages his wound better, then sits down by her father.)				

MR. REET. (Aside to MILDRED.) What are you thinking of, my dear?

MILDRED. (Aside to her father.) I was thinking that he is so brave and good, and he wasn’t afraid of opposition. I’m proud of him.

MR. REET. Well, he did his best. To be sure, I think better of him than before. He’ll be famous before the week is over—might even surpass Old William.


MILDRED. That’s not what I mean. I mean, even if he didn’t get famous, I’d be proud of him, for being brave and doing what was right. He’s always been a bit sullen if you ask me, but now he’s so noble and upright.


MR. REET. I suppose.					

(Enter MRS. REET and a group of villagers, bustling and talking eagerly.)					

FIRST VILLAGER. So Ervyne’s a hero! How are you, sir? ERVYNE. In great pain. But Mildred’s bandaged my arm.					

FIRST VILLAGER. Tell us about the thieves. I hear you fought them off alone! And that some thieves said he wished he had half your bravery! What a story.					

MILDRED. Did they say so? You didn’t tell me about that.					

ERVYNE. Yes, they did, but I smiled and thrust my sword at him, making that my answer, and said as well, “Get away, and don’t think to compliment me till you have got back to your hideaway.”					

SECOND VILLAGER. What courage from one so young!					

THIRD VILLAGER. Tell us about—					

MRS. REET. Remember, he’s my guest! Let me ask the questions.				

FOURTH VILLAGER. You’ll be famous yet!				

(Curtain falls on villagers clamoring and shouting eagerly, while ERVYNE watches them with a smug smile, and MILDRED watches ERVYNE with admiration.)