The Mousetrap

JUDGE. The prisoner in his own interest will remain silent.

(LEONARD and the WARDER resume their seats.)

SIRWILFRID. I am not concerned with the general trend of this correspondence. I am only interested in one particular letter. (He reads.) “My beloved Max. An extraordinary thing has happened. I believe all our difficulties may be ended . . .”

ROMAINE. (Interrupting in a frenzy) It’s a lie—I never wrote it. How did you get hold of that letter? Who gave it to you?

SIRWILFRID. How the letter came into my possession is irrelevant.

ROMAINE. You stole it. You are a thief as well as a liar. Or did some woman give it to you? Yes, I am right, am I not?

JUDGE. Kindly confine yourself to answering Counsel’s questions.

ROMAINE. But I will not listen.

JUDGE. Proceed, Sir Wilfrid.

SIRWILFRID. So far you have only heard the opening phrases of the letter. Am I to understand that you definitely deny writing it?

ROMAINE. Of course I never wrote it. It is a forgery. It is an outrage that I should be forced to listen to a pack of lies—lies made up by a jealous woman.

SIRWILFRID. I suggest it is you who have lied. You have lied flagrantly and persistently in this Court and upon oath. And the reason why you have lied is made clear by— (He taps the letter.) this letter—written down by you in black and white.

ROMAINE. You are crazy. Why should I write down a lot of nonsense?

SIRWILFRID. Because a way had opened before you to freedom—and in planning to take that way, the fact that an innocent man would be sent to his death meant nothing to you. You have even included that final deadly touch of how you yourself managed accidentally to wound Leonard Vole with a ham knife.

ROMAINE. (Carried away with fury.) I never wrote that. I wrote that he did it himself cutting the ham . . . (Her voice dies away.)

(All eyes in court turn on her.)

SIRWILFRID. (Triumphantly.) So you know what is in the letter—before I have read it.

ROMAINE. (Casting aside all restraint) Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!

LEONARD. (Shouting) Leave her alone. Don’t bully her.

ROMAINE. (Looking wildly around) Let me get out of here—let me go. (She comes out of the witness box.)

(The USHER rises and restrains ROMAINE.)

JUDGE. Usher, give the witness a chair.

(ROMAINE sinks on to the stool R. of the table, sobs hysterically and buries her face in her hands. The USHER crosses and sits on the stool down R.)

Sir Wilfrid, will you now read the letter aloud so that the Jury can hear it.

SIRWILFRID. (Reading) “My beloved Max. An extraordinary thing has happened. I believe all our difficulties may be ended. I can come to you without any fear of endangering the valuable work you are doing in this country. The old lady I told you about has been murdered and I think Leonard is suspected. He was there earlier that night and his fingerprints will be all over the place. Nine-thirty seems to be the time. Leonard was home by then, but his alibi depends on me—on me. Supposing I say he came home much later and that he had blood on his clothes—he did have blood on his sleeve, because he cut his wrist at supper, so you see it would all fit in. I can even say he told me he killed her. Oh, Max, beloved! Tell me I can go ahead—it would be so wonderful to be free from playing the part of a loving, grateful wife. I know the Cause and the Party comes first, but if Leonard was convicted of murder, I could come to you safely and we could be together for always. Your adoring Romaine.”

JUDGE. Romaine Heilger, will you go back into the witness box?

(ROMAINE rises and enters the witness box.)

You have heard that letter read. What have you to say?

ROMAINE. (Frozen in defeat.) Nothing.

LEONARD. Romaine, tell him you didn’t write it. I know you didn’t write it.

ROMAINE. (Turning and fairly spitting out the words) Of course I wrote it.

SIRWILFRID. That, my lord, concludes the case for the defence.

JUDGE. Sir Wilfrid, have you any evidence as to whom these letters were addressed?

SIRWILFRID. My lord, they came into my possession anonymously, and there has been as yet no time to ascertain any further facts. It would seem likely that he came to this country illegally and is engaged on some subversive operations here . . .