On Curiosity

Inspired by a Bengali short story by Rabindranath Tagore.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Arthur Wilbur

Mary Ann Wilbur

Joshua

Emmanuelle

Thomson

Thompson

Crowd

 

SCENE 1

A weekday morning in the 1920s. It is business as usual on the streets of London. The hustle and bustle that typifies the heart of Great Britain is all too evident. Occasionally, acquaintances who stumble upon each other are having short conversations and their continuing on their work. Two policemen on horseback enter.

Thomson: Nothing suspicious on the streets this morning, eh?

Thompson: Well, it has been very quiet for quite some time now. It’s almost as if we’re passing through an age devoid of crime. While the folks seem quite happy, work has been most boring for us. We’re witnessing the most uneventful phase that the city has ever experienced in her history. But hark, who goes there?

A man in a grey overcoat and a oversized hat scurries by, almost knocking an old lady off her feet.

Thomson: Leave him. The poor chap’s probably late for work. [In a philosophical tone] Make haste, only if you want to make waste. Tch-tch! [Receives a sour look from his colleague] Never mind. But who is that scoundrel who goes there?

A man in an oversized overcoat and a golfer’s cap seems to be following the tracks of the previous passer-by. He seems to be examining the footsteps of his predecessor with a magnifying glass. His face is not visible: to the policemen or the audience. As he passes Thomson, he hands him a business card, and exits. Thomson, reads it, chuckles and hands it over to Thompson.

Thomson: Well, that explains it then!

Thompson: Leave the poor man to his misery, will you? Let’s go, we have no more business here than we have at Scotland Yard.

Thomson: Right you are, Thompson! Oi! [Exeunt the policemen]

Enter the man with the magnifying glass, continuing his investigation. He seems to be confused, for he is frantically looking from one direction to the other. It seems as if he has lost sight of his subject. Then he suddenly realizes the presence of the audience, turns to them and starts addressing them.

AW: Pardon me, Sires [bows] and Madams [Bows to any females sitting in the audience]. You must be wondering what I’m up to. Well then, Sires, my name is Arthur Wilbur, and I am a private investigator. [Distributes a few business cards among the audience] Please do not mistake me for one of those policemen who seemed amused by my methods just a while ago, for they lack the power of observation. I, on the other hand, have developed my skill of perception through years of study and application. You may have heard of Sherlock Holmes. Well, you may consider me possessing as acute a power of observation as him. For I have read about all his methods and have improved upon them as well.

Expression of discontent from someone seated in the audience.

AW: Well, it seems that you are not content. Allow me to demonstrate [Looks around for a volunteer] You, Ma’am, [approaches a lady seated in the audience], if I may have the pleasure of stating some general observations about you, just to satisfy all present? [Lady thinks, and then gives a nod. AW makes some observations about her. The lady seems amazed and claps.] Thank you, Ma’am! [Bows to her] Well, there you go then! I believe you all are satisfied as to my expertise now.

Crowd comes in and passes by once again, going about their business. Content with the display of his talent, AW chuckles to himself and turns to his fellow Londoners, basking in his new-found recognition. To his bewilderment, none notice him. He looks from face to face, in anticipating of extricating one expression of admiration at his feat, but no one even feels his presence. Disappointed, he turns to the audience.

AW: Very difficult times for my fraternity, you see. Not much crime around: one or two cases of petty theft in a week is hardly rewarding, intellectually or monetarily. The Londoners have lost the intelligence to engineer master crimes, I presume. And they’ve ceased to respect brains as well, it seems. Truly speaking, I often wish to leave the Isles and head for the mainland. I’ve heard of quite a few criminal masterminds whose affairs are well-known and well-feared in Paris. Only that the state has been unable to catch any them. Or gather evidence to incriminate them. Oh! It would be my dream to engage in a battle of wits those geniuses of deceit, those masters of manipulation!

                        But alas! I cannot. Because my beautiful wife, Mary Ann, will not hear me speak of it. I know not what sign of life she sees in the city. Many a time I have tried to persuade, only to incur her vehement wrath for an answer. So stay I must, trying to make the best of what the Queen has blessed me with.

                        Not that I do not meet a few curious people now and then. Just a while ago, I observed this strange fellow on the street; he seemed to be in a hurry. I sensed something odd about him, and followed him. But I fear I have lost sight of him now. Tch-tch! What a fine study he would have been!

The person in question enters, and scurries out from the other side.

AW: Ah! There he is! I’ll take your leave then. {Bows] Business beckons! [Exits, following the other man]

 

SCENE 2

[Arthur Wilbur’s house. Mary Ann is busy preparing dinner. Enter AW.]

AW: [Hanging his overcoat] I’m home.

MA: [Sarcastically] And in good time too! So much for the promises of an evening at the West End!

AW: [Curses himself, aside] I’m sorry, Mary Ann. There was just too much to do today, you know. But I’m at your service now, Mademoiselle.

MA: Leave it, I don’t even wish to talk about it. You have been postponing plans for a week now, aand today, when all was fixed, you conveniently forgot about it. It seems that you have found people who indeed interest you more than me. [Starts inspecting AW’s overcoat]

AW: [To himself, in a lost sort of tone] Interesting, yes! [Noticing Mary Ann’s look] No. no! I did not mean to say as interesting as you …[Cut off]

MA: [Trying to smell probably a woman’s perfume on AW] Yes, why not? Any woman outside seems to arouse more interest to Arthur Wilbur nowadays than ‘his Mary Ann’!

AW: No, woman!  Trust me, you are my only love in the whole wide world. Don’t you remember the lengths I had to go to win you over?

MA: [Starts sobbing] Yes. I guess that makes me your prized possession now. But it doesn’t prove that you do not seek the company of other women outside.

AW: [Comforts her] Honestly, my darling, no. It was not a woman I was with today, but a man. [Bewildered look from MA]. I mean I was chasing a suspicious man today. My God, why do you suspect me so much?

MA: Because it is in a woman’s nature to suspect. Therefore, it must be a man’s prerogative to not commit any error which will make his lady think ill of him.

AW: I’ll never stand a chance to win in a battle of wits against you, love. Anyways, coming back to the suspicious man …

MA: [Aside] There he goes off again! [Aloud] Honey, the last man you suspected turned out to be but a timid schoolteacher.

AW: Ah, Mary Ann, but he was but an exception to the rule.

MA: The rule?

AW: That behind every seemingly innocent face, lurks a mind capable of deceit and treachery. An innocent face gives a man the licence to exercise his wits in crime to the fullest, for such a face arouses least suspicion.

MA: Okay, if the schoolteacher was an exception, what about the grocer?

AW: Well, there need not be one exception alone to a rule.

MA: And the doctor?

AW: Well…

MA: What about the stable boy?

AW: Ah, well, you win. But I can wager a hundred pounds that the man I met today is a man of sinister motives.

MA: [Visibly disgruntled at having her evening ruined and now having to put up with AW’s nonsense] What of him?

AW: He, my darling, is the most singular person I have observed these many months. I mean, he’s always scurrying about, trying to hide his face. I chased him to the neighborhood, where he paused, looked at a couple of houses on the other side of the street, and then sat on the pavement for some time, his gaze fixed on some invisible object. Then he got up, and left.

MA: He must have been some lovestruck man separated from his lover.

AW: No, Mary Ann. It seems quite impractical. I intentionally bumped into him on the way, so as to get a chance to see his face. Not a familiar face, I would say. British, neither. But the oddest part was his reaction: there was bewilderment in his eyes when they met mine: almost as if I had caught him red-handed. Trust me, he’s up to something.

MA: Well, when one is consumed in thought, one often reacts in the same fashion. But your observation fails to explain why he could not be an unsuccessful lover.

AW: Because, my darling, none of the girls in the neighborhood has ever ventured out of London, even. And you don’t see too many foreigners in this locality. Besides, I followed him to his place. Looks like he’s moved in a couple of days to an apartment in Wandsworth. The owner told me the chap was sea-sick when he came in.

MA: [Thinking something, then abandoning the thought] Okay! Enough about this fellow of yours. Let’s have a quiet dinner and then to bed, shall we?

AW: [Hesitating] Listen, honey. I need to be away on work for a couple of weeks. I need to know what this man is up to. I need to get close to him.

MA: [Sarcastically] And how am I to believe that you are really after a man and not a lady? And why must you be away for a fortnight?

AW: Trust me, my love. I cannot bear living away from you, but I must, for the sake of the investigation.

MA: [Disgruntled] You may act as you please. But hear this, if I ever get to know about some girl involved in this, you’ll have to see the last of me then.

AW: You need not worry, Mary Ann. That will never happen. [Exit Mary Ann] Phew! What a woman! [Exit]

 

SCENE 3

Scotland Yard. AW pacing up and down, looking at his pocketwatch every now and then. Enter Thomson, with a lady.

Thomson: Here you go, Mr. Wilbur. Name’s Emmanuelle. French. Has quite a reputation amongst the gentlemen. And has helped trap the notorious Smith brothers of the serial bank robbery fame.

AW: Comment allez-vous, Mademoiselle? [Kisses her hand]

E: You can speak in English. I speak French only when I’m on the job.

AW: Brilliant! I’m Arthur Wilbur, a private investigator [Hands a card]

E: [Lights a cigarette] Okay. And what is the purpose for which you seek my company?

AW: You see, I’m trying to keep an eye on a certain person I believe to be a threat to the society. In order to collect evidence, I have moved in as a fellow tenant, and have tried to befriend him. I have [cut off]

E: What’s his name?

AW: Joshua. And he’s from Nice. He’s actually been travelling across Europe for some time, and has come to England to settle down as a teacher of French.

E: Okay. And where do I come into the picture?

AW: Well, even though we have been talking to each other for a week now, it’s been me doing most of the talking. He’s not much of a talker, and it seems that he treats me with some degree of suspicion, actually. So, as a desperate measure, I decided to bring you into the picture yesterday.

Flashback. Emmanuelle is frozen. Joshua is seen entering.

AW: Hey, Joshua! Could you spare me a minute?

J: Yes?

AW: I need to tell you something.

J: Go ahead.

AW: When I told you the other day that I was looking for a job as an accountant, I was not being entirely honest.

J: I don’t understand.

AW: In truth, I have not come to London looking for a job. I am actually an established accountant in Vienna. Two months ago, I met this wonderful French lady there, and I fell in love with her. I so wanted to profess my love there and then, but she had to move to London for family reasons. I tried to convince myself that it is Destiny that we should never meet again, but my feelings got the better of me. In the end, I decided to leave my life in Vienna and come over to London, to woo her.

J: [In deep thought, and replies, without emotion] Oh! [Silence] What if she doesn’t reciprocate?

AW: Let me not think about such events right now. I firmly believe that she’ll accept. But I need somebody to vouch for my good nature and background. That’s where, my friend, I seek your help.

J: [Coughs] Me? But we have only known each other for a year, erm, a week now.

AW: I know no one in the city Joshua. You’re my only lifeline.

J: Hmm [In deep thought, absentmindedly]

AW: Well, So do we three meet for dinner tonight?

J: [Proceeds to leave] I’m so sorry. Something that requires my immediate attention has cropped up. I must take your leave.

AW: [Stunned] And dinner?

J: Oh! Okay, let’s meet at the French restaurant round the corner at seven. [Exits]

Flashback ends.

E: [Taking a drag] Hmm. Not quite amiable. What else do you know about him?

AW: To be frank, nothing. He’s a very secretive person. I’ve gone through his belongings. Not a single clue about his history or motive. And that is where I require your assistance, Mademoiselle. You must try to get close to him and make him divulge his deepest secrets.

E: Hmm. And my fees?

AW: Let’s talk about it on the way. We are getting late for dinner. [Exeunt]

 

SCENE 4

At the restaurant. Joshua seated at a table. AW and E enter.

AW: Good evening Joshua! This is Emmanuelle. Emmanuelle, meet Joshua, one of my dearest friends.

E: [Takes a seat next to Joshua. In a derisive tone] You should consider yourself fortunate to even have a friend, being an accountant. [Turns to J. J kisses her hand] You teach French, I hear?

J: Yes, Mademoiselle. It is a lovely language.

E: Much more romantic than English, I dare say. Just like the people themselves. [Gives AW a sour look]

AW: Well, I’m trying my best. I have enrolled for French classes, you see.

E: Won’t make much of a difference to you, I’m afraid. Shall we order something?

AW: Sure, I’ll get the waiter. [Exits]

E: So, Joshua, what makes you leave such a beautiful place as Nice and come to this rotten city?

J: I guess it will make me happy to teach the language of love. Et vous?

E: To rid myself of him. Hard luck, I suppose.

J: Well, he’s a good person. That I can vouch for.

E: A man must be charming and mysterious in order to make a woman mad about him. He is neither. All he ever understands is numbers. [Shifts closer to Joshua, looking him in the eye] Your eyes have an air of mystery about them, you must have had your fair share of ladies.

J: [Uncomfortable, shifting away] Well, I’ve had my share of luck.

E: You too are new to this city, Arthur tells me. If you wish to take a tour, you can call on me. There are still a few places worth visiting in this dead city, I hear.. [Touches his hand] Trust me, it will be a welcome relief for me as well.

Enter AW.

AW: Emmanuelle, I want you to have this. [Gives her a box. She opens it, finds a diamond necklace. Joshua has a look at it as well, and his face turns red, as if in anger/anguish]

E: [Nonchalantly] It’s beautiful.

AW: Not half as you, my love.

J: [Visibly shaken] If you’ll excuse me, I have to rush on some urgent business.

Exits, leaving exasperated looks on the faces of the other two.

 

SCENE 5

The apartment. AW pacing up and down on the stairs. Notices the audience all of a sudden.

AW: Well, it seems I’ll get my answers today. Boy, am I excited! The plan on intorduing Emmanuelle seems to have paid off. I was going through oshua’s notes this morning when I chanced upon a letter, which read:

“I urge you to meet me at my place tonight, after dinner. He will be away.”

                        Must have been for Emmanuelle. Little does he know that I’ll be waiting to confront him in his lair. I’ll never regret the decision to bring in a woman angle to this.

Sound of a carriage stopping.

                        Let me hide here, and listen to what dark secrets Joshua has to reveal.

Sounds of footsteps, and a woman sobbing.

                        But why is Emmanuelle crying? Brilliant actress, she is. Should I pounce on them now? It would spoil the fun. But then what if she’s really got involved with his scoundrel, and divulges the truth? God, you can never trust French girls!

Proceeds to the room. Joshua enters, a veiled woman behind him.

AW: Good evening, Joshua. Left my watch down here. But who is that? [In fake surprise] Emmanuelle?

The lady emerges from behind Joshua, holding a letter in her hand. Removes her veil.

MA: Arthur? [The letter drops from her hand]

AW: Mary Ann?

Mary Ann faints. Joshua tends to her. Confused, AW goes and picks up the letter, and starts reading.

AW: Dear Mary Ann,

                    My life has never been the same after the time we spent together in Nice. But your parents would not have a pauper of a Jew woo you, and I thought it best to let you go, since you were already engaged. I thought that you would be better off marrying Arthur, who seemed a good natured fellow from the picture your parents had of him. I roamed from country to country, trying to forget all about you. And I would have, probably, had I not chanced upon your husband on the street the other day.

                    Mary Ann, I must warn you that your husband is not who you think. While you may be under the impression that he is away on work, he has actually been courting a lady whose profession I dare not call honorable. He has also been spending lavishly on her.

                    I cannot bear to see such injustice done to you. If I can’t have you, I would like to see you happy. That is the least I can do.

                    I would beg of you to meet me tomorrow. I’ll be sending a note in the morning, stating the time and venue.

Yours at heart

Joshua.

Curtain falls.

 

Reviews

[Aaron M. Anderson]

These characters are brilliant. And the dialog is pitch-perfect! I can't stress enough how streamlined your story is--beginning with the policemen set the perfect tone for me. I saw from the start that Arthur, like the bumbling policemen, thrived on the immorality of the culture he tells his wife he is so far removed from. Your decision to play on cultural stereotypes works brilliantly with the mystery genre. The English-French stereotypes as well as that of the prostitute and the man from Nice (love it!) are well-executed. The audience knows Arthur will fail miserably, but that does not keep the reader/viewer from trying to put the pieces together for him- or herself before Arthur does.

In that respect I can see a bit of Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau in A.W., and I absolutely love it!

You've woven these characters' stories so tightly that the ending is almost completely satisfying. I do feel that it should be up to the actor to interpret what Arthur Wilbur does as he reads the letter. I'm resigned to the fact that you give no direction to the actor. I'm not sure there is anything left to be said, either, after the letter is read. There's so much dark humor in his situation. It's so uncomfortable! But that, of course, is the point. It's a satisfying ending, which can be difficult to pull off with a stage play, and you've done it with flying colors. It's very enjoyable.

Thanks for sharing this!