The Mousetrap

TREVES. (Crossing toL. of Nevile.) It’s exactly what you did do—and took the precaution of ringing Lady Tressilian’s bell by pulling the old-fashioned bell wire outside her room, to make sure that Mary would see you leaving the house. Lady Tressilian didn’t remember ringing that bell. You rang it.

NEVILE. (Moving to the French windows.) What an absurd pack of lies. (Leach appears at the French windows.)

TREVES. You murdered Lady Tressilian—but the real murder, the murder that you gloated over secretly, was the murder of Audrey Strange. You wanted her not only to die—but to suffer. You wanted her to be afraid—she was afraid—of you. You enjoyed the idea of her suffering, didn’t you?

NEVILE. (Sitting on the chaise, thickly.) All—a tissue of lies.

BATTLE. (Crossing toL. of Nevile.) Is it? I’ve met people like you before—people with a mental kink. Your vanity was hurt when Audrey Strange left you, wasn’t it? You loved her and she had the colossal impertinence to prefer another man. (Nevile’s face shows momentary agreement. He watches Nevile narrowly.) You wanted to think of something special—something clever, something quite out of the way. The fact that it entailed the killing of a woman who had been almost a mother to you didn’t worry you.

NEVILE. (With resentment.) She shouldn’t have ticked me off like a child. But it’s lies—all lies. And I haven’t got a mental kink.

BATTLE. (Watching Nevile.) Oh, yes, you have. Your wife flicked you on the raw, didn’t she, when she left you? You—the wonderful Nevile Strange. You saved your pride by pretending that you’d left her—and you married another girl just to bolster up that story.

KAY. Oh. (She turns to Mary. Mary puts her arm around Kay.)

BATTLE. But all the time you were planning what you’d do to Audrey. Pity you didn’t have the brains to carry it out better.

NEVILE. (Almost whimpering.) It’s not true.

BATTLE. (Inexorably breaking him down.) Audrey’s been laughing at you—while you’ve been preening yourself and thinking how clever you were. (He raises his voice and calls.) Come in, Mrs. Strange. (Audrey enters L. Nevile gives a strangled cry and rises. Royde moves to Audrey and puts an arm around her.) She’s never been really under arrest, you know. We just wanted to keep her out of your crazy reach. There was no knowing what you might do if you thought your silly childish plan was going wrong. (Benson appears at the French windows. Leach moves above the chaise.)

NEVILE. (Breaking down and screaming with rage.) It wasn’t silly. It was clever—it was clever. I thought out every detail. How was I to know that Royde knew the truth about Audrey and Adrian? Audrey and Adrian . . .(He suddenly loses control and screams at Audrey.) How dare you prefer Adrian to me? God damn and blast your soul, you shall hang. They’ve got to hang you. They’ve got to. (He makes a dash towards Audrey. Battle makes a sign to Leach and Benson, who move one each side of Nevile. Audrey clings to Royde. Half sobbing.) Leave me alone. I want her to die afraid—to die afraid. I hate her. (Audrey and Royde turn away from Nevile and move up L.)

MARY. (Moving to the chaise and sitting, almost inaudibly.) Oh, God!

BATTLE. Take him away, Jim. (Leach and Benson close in on Nevile.)

NEVILE. (Suddenly quite calm.) You’re making a great mistake, you know. I can . . .(Leach and Benson lead Nevile to the door L. Nevile suddenly kicks Benson on the shin, pushes him into Leach, and dashes off L. Leach and Benson dash off after Nevile.)

BATTLE. (In alarm.) Look out! Stop him. (Battle dashes offL. Off. Shouting.) After him—don’t let him get away. (Treves and Royde run out L. Audrey moves slowly to C. of rostrum.)