Rada - A Drama of War in One Act

Rada - A Drama of War in One Act

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Rada, by Alfred Noyes This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: Rada A Drama of War in One Act
Author: Alfred Noyes
Release Date: April 30, 2004 [EBook #12220]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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RADA
A DRAMA OF WAR IN ONE ACT
BY ALFRED NOYES
Author of "The Wine Press," "Tales of the Mermaid Tavern," Etc.

1913

PERSONS OF THE PLAY
RADA, wife of the village doctor. SUBKA, her daughter, aged twelve. ARRAM } two hostile soldiers quartered MICHAEL } in her house, in time of war. NANKO, a half-witted schoolmaster.
Several soldiers.
THE SCENE is in the Balkans, in a village which has just been taken by the enemy, on Christmas Eve.

RADA
SCENE--_A guest-chamber, the typical living-room of a prosperous village doctor in the Balkans. On the left, a small window and an entrance door. On the right, a door leading into a bedroom. At the back, an open fire of logs is burning brightly. Over the fireplace is the eikonostasis, with three richly coloured and gilded eikons, the central one of the Madonna. The light, which is never allowed to go out, is burning before it. The room is lit at present only by this, the fire-light, and two candles in brass candlesticks on a black wooden table under the window. Rows of porcelain plates round the walls gleam fitfully. On either side of the eikonostasis is a large chibouk, with inlaid bowl and amber mouth-piece. There is a divan with scarlet rugs flung across it to the right of the fire; and there are several skins and rugs on the floor.
Two Roumanian soldiers, ARRAM and _MICHAEL, are seated at the table, drinking_.
RADA, _a dark handsome woman, sits weeping with her head bowed in her hands, on the divan_.
NANKO, _the idiot, sits on the floor, rubbing his hands, snapping his fingers, chuckling to himself, and staring into the fire_.

ARRAM Look here, my girl, where's the use of snivelling? You ought to think yourself damned lucky to be alive.
RADA O my God! My God!
MICHAEL This is war, this is! And you can't expect war to be all cakes and cream.
[They laugh and drink.]
ARRAM You ought to think yourself damned lucky to be alive, and have two men quartered on you instead of one. If your husband and the rest of the villagers hadn't made such a disturbance, they might have been alive, too.
NANKO Exactly! Exactly! I used to be a schoolmaster, you know, in the old days; and, if you knew what I know, you'd understand, my dear, it's entirely a question of the survival of the fittest! The survival of the fittest! That's what it is.
ARRAM Wouldn't they have done the same to us, if they'd had the chance? We've got women and children at home snivelling and saying, "O my God, O my God," just like you. Don't you trouble about God. What can He do when both sides go down on their marrow-bones? He can't make both sides win, can He?
RADA O God! God! God!
MICHAEL [Getting up and standing in front of her.] Look here. We've had enough of this music. We've been cutting throats all day, and now we want to unbuckle a bit. There'll be hell to pay when the other boys come back. A pretty wild-goose chase you've sent them on, too, with your tale about the old Jew's money-bags. What was the game? You seemed mighty anxious to wheedle us all out of the house; and you'd never get out of the village alive to-night. Listen to that!
[_There is an uproar outside, a shot, and a woman's scream, followed by the terrified cry of a child_: "Ah! Ah! Father!"]
ARRAM The men are mad with zaki and blood and--other things. There's no holding them in, even from the children. What chance would there be for a fine-looking wench like yourself?
MICHAEL Don't tell me you were going out into that? [He points in the direction of the uproar.] Something to hide on the spot, eh? Well, now you've got the others out of the way, we're going to have a look. What's in there? [He points to the little door on the left.]
RADA [_Rising to her feet slowly, steadying herself with one hand against the wall, and fixing her eyes on his face_.] This is war, isn't it? If I choose to revenge myself on those I hate-- listen to me. I suppose you--want money. And I can tell you where to find it.
ARRAM Another