The Drone | Page 8

of tea which she has made, and is drinking with relish.
KATE. I suppose they'll be wanting jam and sugar for the tea--aye--and some of them scones Miss Mary cooked yesterday, not but you couldn't eat them, and a pat or two of butter. (She finishes off the remains of the tea.) Now, that's a nice girl for you! Here's company coming till the house and tea and things a wanting, and she goes and leaves all to go strolling down the loaning with that fool of a McCready.
(BROWN opens the yard door and comes in. He replaces the spanner on the top shelf and then turns and looks at KATE.)
KATE. Well?
BROWN. Well, yourself?
KATE. Do you see any sign of them McMinns yet?
BROWN. Aye. I see the trap coming over the Cattle Hill. There was three in it, as far as I could make out.
KATE. Who be to be the third party I wonder? Is it their servant man?
BROWN. Do you think old Andy McMinn's servant man gets leave to drive them about of an afternoon like the clergy's? Talk sense, woman.
KATE. Maybe it's yon Scotch body I heard was stopping with them.
BROWN. Aye. Yon Mackenzie. Ach, man, but yon creature would scunder you.
KATE. Aye.
BROWN. Ach! Cracking jokes and laughing that hearty at them, and I'm danged if a bat with one eye shut could make out what he was laughing at. (Listening.) Here they are. I hear the wheels coming up the loaning. I'll have to go and put up the horse for them I suppose. (He goes out by yard door.)
KATE. I wonder if the master seen them coming. (She rapidly clears the table and then goes over to door into room.) I better tell him. (She knocks at the door.)
JOHN (without). Aye. (He comes and opens the door, dressed in his best suit of clothes.) What's the matter?
KATE. They're just come, sir.
JOHN (excitedly). Are they? (Comes into kitchen.) Is my tie right, Kate? And my clothes--is there any dirt on the back of them?
KATE (inspecting him critically). You'll do grand. I never seen you looking better.
JOHN. Where's Mary? Why isn't she here?
KATE. She went out about something. She'll be back in a minute.
JOHN. Right enough, it would do her all the good in the world to have a sensible woman looking after her. She just gets her own way a deal too much in this house. (He goes to window and looks out.) Aye. Here they are! Tell Daniel to hurry. (KATE goes off by door to rooms.) Sarah's looking bravely. Man, that woman could save me thirty, aye forty, pounds a year if she was here. (Suddenly.) Ach! Is Daniel never ready yet? (Calls.) Daniel! (Louder.) Daniel!
DANIEL (without). Aye.
JOHN. Hurry, man. They've come. (JOHN goes to yard door and goes out.)
DANIEL (in an exasperated voice). Ach!
(JOHN comes in followed by ANDREW MCMINN, an elderly non-descript sort of man, followed by SARAH, a sour faced spinster of uncertain age. In the rear is DONAL MACKENZIE. He is wearing a tourist costume of Norfolk jacket and knickers, and is a keen faced, hard, angular looking personage.)
JOHN. Yous are all welcome. Every one of you. You Andy and Sarah, and Mr. Mackenzie. The Scotch is aye welcome, Mr. Mackenzie.
MACKENZIE. Aye. That's what I said the last time I was in Ballyannis, and was verra thirsty, and went into a beer-shop to get a dram--Black and White it was. Verra guid. (He laughs loudly at his own joke.)
SARAH. We brought Mr. Mackenzie along with us to see your brother, John. You see he's an engineer and knows a good deal about machinery and plans and things.
MACKENZIE. Aye. There's not much about machinery that I dinna ken, Mr. Murray, from a forty thousand horse power quadruple expansion doon to a freewheel bicycle. (Proudly.) I hae done spells work at all of them, you ken.
ANDY. I suppose Daniel's at home. Is he?
JOHN. Daniel? Oh aye, Daniel's at home. He's just tidying himself up a wee bit.
MACKENZIE. A wee bit paint and powder gangs a lang gait to make up defects, as you ken yourself, Miss McMinn. (He laughs loudly.) That's a guid one.
ANDY (looking slyly at Sarah). He's up out of bed then?
JOHN (innocently). Oh aye. He sits up late of nights working out things. (He points to the door of workshop.) That's his workshop.
MACKENZIE. He works then?
JOHN. Aye. He works in there. (Andy goes over and goes into workshop.)
MACKENZIE. Because it doesna follow always, as I have discovered in my experience, that because a man has a workshop, he works. (He laughs, evidently much pleased at his own humour.)
ANDY (looking out again through door). There's nothing much to see in this place except a lot of dirty papers.
JOHN. That's the plans of the bellows he's working at.
MACKENZIE (going over to workshop). Come