George Bernard Shaw a penn State Electronic Classics Series Publication

checking the torrent of his haste, and speaking with something
of his old quiet and impressive conviction). You don’t know the
man you’re married to. (Essie returns. He swoops at her at once.)
Well: is the horse ready?
ESSIE 
(breathless). It will be ready when you come.
ANDERSON
. Good. (He makes for the door.)
JUDITH 
(rising and stretching out her arms after him invol-
untarily). Won’t you say goodbye?
ANDERSON
. And waste another half minute! Psha! (He
rushes out like an avalanche.)
ESSIE 
(hurrying to Judith). He has gone to save Richard,
hasn’t he?
JUDITH
. To save Richard! No: Richard has saved him. He
has gone to save himself. Richard must die.
Essie screams with terror and falls on her knees, hiding her face.
Judith, without heeding her, looks rigidly straight in front of
her, at the vision of Richard, dying.

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44
The Devil’s Disciple
ACT III
Early next morning the sergeant, at the British headquarters
in the Town Hall, unlocks the door of a little empty panelled
waiting room, and invites Judith to enter. She has had a bad
night, probably a rather delirious one; for even in the reality
of the raw morning, her fixed gaze comes back at moments
when her attention is not strongly held.
The sergeant considers that her feelings do her credit, and
is sympathetic in an encouraging military way. Being a fine
figure of a man, vain of his uniform and of his rank, he feels
specially qualified, in a respectful way, to console her.
SERGEANT
. You can have a quiet word with him here, mum.
JUDITH
. Shall I have long to wait?
SERGEANT
. No, mum, not a minute. We kep him in the
Bridewell for the night; and he’s just been brought over here
for the court martial. Don’t fret, mum: he slep like a child,
and has made a rare good breakfast.
JUDITH 
(incredulously). He is in good spirits!
SERGEANT
. Tip top, mum. The chaplain looked in to see
him last night; and he won seventeen shillings off him at
spoil five. He spent it among us like the gentleman he is.
Duty’s duty, mum, of course; but you’re among friends here.
(The tramp of a couple of soldiers is heard approaching.) There:
I think he’s coming. (Richard comes in, without a sign of care
or captivity in his bearing. The sergeant nods to the two soldiers,
and shows them the key of the room in his hand. They with-
draw.) Your good lady, sir.
RICHARD 
(going to her). What! My wife. My adored one.
(He takes her hand and kisses it with a perverse, raffish  gal-
lantry.) How long do you allow a brokenhearted husband
for leave-taking, Sergeant?
SERGEANT
. As long as we can, sir. We shall not disturb
you till the court sits.
RICHARD
. But it has struck the hour.
SERGEANT
. So it has, sir; but there’s a delay. General
Burgoyne’s just arrived—Gentlemanly Johnny we call him,
sir—and he won’t have done finding fault with everything
this side of half past. I know him, sir: I served with him in
Portugal. You may count on twenty minutes, sir; and by your
leave I won’t waste any more of them. (He goes out, locking
the door. Richard immediately drops his raffish manner and

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45
GB Shaw
turns to Judith with considerate sincerity.)
RICHARD
. Mrs. Anderson: this visit is very kind of you.
And how are you after last night? I had to leave you before
you recovered; but I sent word to Essie to go and look after
you. Did she understand the message?
JUDITH 
(breathless and urgent). Oh, don’t think of me: I
haven’t come here to talk about myself. Are they going to—
to—(meaning “to hang you”)?
RICHARD 
(whimsically). At noon, punctually. At least, that
was when they disposed of Uncle Peter. (She shudders.) Is
your husband safe? Is he on the wing?
JUDITH
. He is no longer my husband.
RICHARD 
(opening his eyes wide). Eh!
JUDITH
. I disobeyed you. I told him everything. I expected
him to come here and save you. I wanted him to come here
and save you. He ran away instead.
RICHARD
. Well, that’s what I meant him to do. What good
would his staying have done? They’d only have hanged us
both.
JUDITH 
(with reproachful earnestness). Richard Dudgeon:
on your honour, what would you have done in his place?
RICHARD
. Exactly what he has done, of course.
JUDITH
. Oh, why will you not be simple with me—hon-
est and straightforward? If you are so selfish as that, why did
you let them take you last night?
RICHARD 
(gaily). Upon my life, Mrs. Anderson, I don’t
know. I’ve been asking myself that question ever since; and I
can find no manner of reason for acting as I did.
JUDITH
. You know you did it for his sake, believing he was
a more worthy man than yourself.
RICHARD 
(laughing). Oho! No: that’s a very pretty reason,
I must say; but I’m not so modest as that. No: it wasn’t for
his sake.
JUDITH 
(after a pause, during which she looks shamefacedly