# The Faithful Lover.

## A Comedy.

### Characters:

- Rex

- Moira

### Scene.

A room, luxurious and gay -- in delicate bright colors -- at the back wide doors open on a veranda - green-blue sky and sea beyond. Front, a long sofa, piled with orange cushions.

Moira standing in the doorway looking out. Her dress is of yellow and blood-orange, light and floating, with long lines, against the green-blue of the sky -- She is smoking a cigarette, lazily attentive. Sound of waves breaking gently on the beach - Then sound of boat approaching, quick car-strokes - Moira smiles and goes a step forward on the veranda -

**Voice (Off) Moira!**

(Moira takes another step forward and raises her hand in a gesture of greeting.)

**Voice (off, nearer) Moira!**

Moira: Rex! Anchor your boat -- the tide's coming in!

(She goes to the railing - Rex swings himself up over the rail and makes an impetuous movement toward her -)

Rex: Moira! At last!

- 3 -

away )

And now I'll find you^cigarettes.

**Rex:** Oh, hang the cigarettes!

**Moira:** What! After I've kept them all this time! Of course they may be a bit dry - but still - it's ungrateful!

(She moves across stage to tall desk R., where she searches in various drawers)

**Rex:** (following her with his eyes) Ungrateful! Oh, very!...

Moira, you know I've gone through hell the last three months -- and you tell me I'm "looking well"!

**Moira:** So you are. It agrees with you, that's all. You always did like storm and stress - foam and fury. A quiet life would kill you -- Ah, here they are!

**Rex** (watching her with increasing disquiet)

A quiet life! When did I ever have a quiet life? Not with you!

**Moire** (coming back with large box of cigarettes)

Exactly. Just what I say. You couldn't have a quiet life - Here you are.

(She sinks on sofa, offering him the box. He takes cigarette absently and lights it watching her. Moira takes one and lights it from his )

**Rex:** (abruptly) They are dry.

**Moira:** Well, what can you expect, after three months?.. Very few things keep that long.

**Rex:** Very few indeed!... What can one expect?... Love, for instance.

**Moira:** (softly) Yes - love.

- 11 -

Rex: I never stopped loving you!

Moira: Oh, heavens! You wrote me that you never had loved me!

Rex: Never mind what I wrote you! I was in a very excited frame of mind and wrote a lot of things I didn't mean!... (Gets up and strides about) And you must remember Ellen was there at my elbow, and her point of view influenced me a lot --

Moira: Naturally. And what was her point of view?

Rex: Why, that we were fatally in love, had fallen in love at first sight, and that we were to marry and settle down together.

Moira: Well, that certainly seemed to be your point of view.

Rex: (leaning over sofa) I tell you, Ellen was right there, influencing me!... And there's no doubt I was mad about her, for a moment...She's lovely, you know --- But ---

Moira: Why do you say "was -- was -- was"? You're still in love with her, aren't you?

Rex: Moira, no! And you know I'm not. It was just a flash -- it wasn't real -- Of course I have some feeling for her -- But even if I were in love with her, Moira, this about marrying ---

Moira: Well, what about it?

Rex: Moira, I don't want to marry -- at least not as she understands marriage -- As to settling down, I simply can't!

Moira: But you promised her, didn't you?

Rex: In a moment of weakness, I did.

Moira: (severely) An honorable man keeps his promises -- even to women.

Rex: But no honorable woman would hold a man to a promise of

- 13 -

lonely --she needed to be made love to -- I made love to her --
I wanted to love her) -- I did love her in a way -- for the
moment -- but, oh, Moira! not as I love you!

Moira : What?...My dear boy!

Rex : Moira --you know perfectly well that I have loved you ever
since we met -- that I never ceased loving you -- that I never
could love anyone else as I love you ---

Moira : Oh, Rex, you could love anyone that touched your fancy --
for the moment!

Rex : Yes, for the moment -- but you for all time!

Moira : No! It's just the conquering male in you -- You feel I've
got away from you and you want to get me back -- It's pride --

Rex : No, Moira! It's need. I must have you back!

Moira : You need me then as a point of departure -- something to
leave!

Rex : Something to return to, always!

Moira : (laughing) Yes, yes, I understand! Something to be un-
faithful to!

Rex : You understand nothing, if you call me unfaithful!

Moira : Ah, Rex!... This is very upsetting... Just when I thought
you were really caught at last, really settled!

Rex : "Really settled" ! Away from you? You thought that?

Moira : Of course I thought it! And I was very glad for you...
For I felt you needed some good gentle woman to take care of
you --

Rex : Oh, good Lord!...

Moira : Some beautiful fresh young creature, full of womanly in-
stinct, to make a home for you --

- 16 -

ferent ways! Love doesn't hurt any one --even if it's only for
a moment, it warms and broadens a person ---

**Moira** : And the suffering -- that also broadens, I suppose?

**Rex** : It ought to ! All experience ought to be good, in the end !

**Moira** : A very comfortable philosophy -- for a person of your inclinations, Rex!

**Rex** : I wish to God there was a single woman who could understand! I did think you were one, Moira! I still believe you could understand, if you would! I can't help believing in you, even in your love for me. I can't believe it's gone! Moira, You can't altogether have stopped loving me!

**Moira** : No, Rex. I always shall love you, in a way... Affection, friendship ---

**Rex** : No, not "in a way" ! I won't have that! As you did before, Moira!

**Moira** : No -- not as I did before ... That was a disease -- a madness! I was mad with jealousy of you -- I wasn't myself-- I was miserable! I tried to keep you faithful to me and I couldn't. I don't want to go back to that!

**Rex** : You don't want me back ? To that

**Moira** : No! To have you leave me, in a month, or a week, for some other woman? No!

**Rex** : Moira, I was always faithful to you really. I always shall be. I should always come back.

**Moira** : That is your idea of fidelity! You would always --- come back!

**Rex** : Yes, always! I couldn't help myself. I couldn't stay

- 17 -

away for long. I couldn't forget you.

**Moira:** You forgot me easily.

**Rex:** I never forgot you! You were always in my mind! Didn't I write you nearly every day? I saw you suffering, wounded, desperate -- perhaps even doing what you once threatened -- you know --

**Moira:** (smiling) Killing myself?

**Rex:** I didn't know. I was in despair about you. Even your letters, so calm, so generous, didn't reassure me. I knew your pride --

**Moira:** (ironically) So you thought I was wearing a mask of cheerfulness and resignation? ---

**Rex:** Yes ---

**Moira** (sharply) And at the same time you thought I must be in love with some one else! .. You said so!

**Rex:** I thought everything! I didn't know what to think, that's the truth!

**Moira:** The one thing you couldn't believe was that I felt as I wrote -- that I had overcome my wounded feelings and sincerely hoped you would be happy!

**Rex:** Of course I couldn't believe that! I should think not!

**Moira:** You must think very badly of me then! You'll admit it was the right and reasonable thing to do -- to give you your freedom when you asked it, without a row.

**Rex:** (bitterly) Oh, right and reasonable!

**Moira:** If I had behaved like a jealous fury, pursued you, threatened you, tried to get you away from Ellen -- that from your point of view would have been the natural thing for me to do?

**Rex:** (sullenly) I suppose it would -- if you loved me. You

17 - 18 -

wouldn't just have let me go!

**Moira:** Well, Rex --- you see, I always knew you'd leave me some day. You're young, and as you have always said so eloquently, you must have "freedom". So I took the blow, when it came-- for it was a blow-- it hurt -- I took it as well as I could-- I made up my mind to it--

**Rex:** Very easily!

**Moira:** Well -- no matter about that. It is done now.

**Rex:** And you don't want to undo it? You don't want me back?

**Moira:** As a friend, yes -- always. Love passes, friendship endures --

**Rex:** Love never ends -- real love !... But you know nothing about it. You never loved me.

**Moira:** I did, Rex. I lived only for you, for a year -- and I wasn't happy... Don't you remember how I absorbed myself in you, gave up all my other interests, gave up my friends -- could see nothing and nobody but you -- was careless and indifferent to everyone but you?.. And I wasn't happy! I was miserable!

**Rex:** That's exactly it! Did I want you to give up your interests and your friends? Did I want you to see nothing and nobody but me? Didn't I want you to be free of me, and let me be free of you, sometimes?

**Moira:** In love one cannot be free. I was faithful to you every moment -- while I loved you.

**Rex:** While you loved me! That's not my idea of fidelity!

- 21 -

terness toward me ... Come back to me as a friend -- and let
us forget the rest... Be reasonable! ... After all, one can't
always be making love! ... There are other things to do, just
as interesting -- or nearly -- You see, I'm older than you --
and I've finished with that... You are just a boy now, cry-
ing for the moon. As long as haven't got it, you're dying
for it -- you must have it -- and when you get it you go on
to something else...

(She moves slowly behind couch, leans over him and touches
his hair softly) I understand you very well -- and I think
you are the most charming person I know -- and I shall always
be really fonder of you than any one else --

Rex : (Shaking her hand off and jumping up)

The moon! You are the moon, I suppose, and you certainly are
as inconstant! How can you change like this? I come back
to you, loving you as I always did, the same as ever -- and
I find you completely changed -- your love for me gone as
though it had never been! And you tell me it's no new love
that has driven it out -- I could understand that -- but this!
It's true, as Weiniger said, women have no soul, no memory!
They are incapable of fidelity!

Moira (ironically) Fidelity!

Rex : (furiously) Yes, fidelity! Haven't I been essentially
faithful to you? I may have fancies for other women -- but
haven't I come back to you?

Moira : Oh, Rex, you are perfect! You are a perfect man!