Anna Christie
Eugene O'Neill
ACT II Page 2
BURKE--(Fiercely.) The hell I am!
ANNA--(Coldly.) Well, be stubborn then for all I care. And I must say I don't care for your language. The men I know don't pull that rough stuff when ladies are around.
BURKE--(Getting unsteadily to his feet again--in a rage.) Ladies! Ho-ho! Divil mend you! Let you not be making game of me. What would ladies be doing on this bloody hulk? (As ANNA attempts to go to the cabin, he lurches into her path.) Aisy, now! You're not the old Square-head's woman, I suppose you'll be telling me next-- living in his cabin with him, no less! (Seeing the cold, hostile expression on ANNA's face, he suddenly changes his tone to one of boisterous joviality.) But I do be thinking, iver since the first look my eyes took at you, that it's a fool you are to be wasting yourself--a fine, handsome girl--on a stumpy runt of a man like that old Swede. There's too many strapping great lads on the sea would give their heart's blood for one kiss of you!
ANNA--(Scornfully.) Lads like you, eh?
BURKE--(Grinning.) Ye take the words out o' my mouth. I'm the proper lad for you, if it's meself do be saying it. (With a quick movement he puts his arms about her waist.) Whisht, now, me daisy! Himself's in the cabin. It's wan of your kisses I'm needing to take the tiredness from me bones. Wan kiss, now! (He presses her to him and attempts to kiss her.)
ANNA--(Struggling fiercely.) Leggo of me, you big mut! (She pushes him away with all her might. BURKE, weak and tottering, is caught off his guard. He is thrown down backward and, in falling, hits his head a hard thump against the bulwark. He lies there still, knocked out for the moment. ANNA stands for a second, looking down at him frightenedly. Then she kneels down beside him and raises his head to her knee, staring into his face anxiously for some sign of life.)
BURKE--(Stirring a bit--mutteringly.) God stiffen it! (He opens his eyes and blinks up at her with vague wonder.)
ANNA--(Letting his head sink back on the deck, rising to her feet with a sigh of relief.) You're coming to all right, eh? Gee, I was scared for a moment I'd killed you.
BURKE--(With difficulty rising to a sitting position-- scornfully.) Killed, is it? It'd take more than a bit of a blow to crack my thick skull. (Then looking at her with the most intense admiration.) But, glory be, it's a power of strength is in them two fine arms of yours. There's not a man in the world can say the same as you, he seen Mat Burke lying at his feet and him dead to the world.
ANNA--(Rather remorsefully.) Forget it. I'm sorry it happened, see? (BURKE rises and sits on bench. Then severely.) Only you had no right to be getting fresh with me. Listen, now, and don't go getting any more wrong notions. I'm on this barge because I'm making a trip with my father. The captain's my father. Now you know.
BURKE--The old square--the old Swede, I mean?
ANNA--Yes.
BURKE--(Rising--peering at her face.) Sure I might have known it, if I wasn't a bloody fool from birth. Where else'd you get that fine yellow hair is like a golden crown on your head.
ANNA--(With an amused laugh.) Say, nothing stops you, does it? (Then attempting a severe tone again.) But don't you think you ought to be apologizing for what you said and done yust a minute ago, instead of trying to kid me with that mush?
BURKE--(Indignantly.) Mush! (Then bending forward toward her with very intense earnestness.) Indade and I will ask your pardon a thousand times--and on my knees, if ye like. I didn't mean a word of what I said or did. (Resentful again for a second.) But divil a woman in all the ports of the world has iver made a great fool of me that way before!
ANNA--(With amused sarcasm.) I see. You mean you're a lady-killer and they all fall for you.
BURKE--(Offended. Passionately.) Leave off your fooling! 'Tis that is after getting my back up at you. (Earnestly.) 'Tis no lie I'm telling you about the women. (Ruefully.) Though it's a great jackass I am to be mistaking you, even in anger, for the like of them cows on the waterfront is the only women I've met up with since I was growed to a man. (As ANNA shrinks away from him at this, he hurries on pleadingly.) I'm a hard, rough man and I'm not fit, I'm thinking, to be kissing the shoe-soles of a fine, dacent girl the like of yourself. 'Tis only the ignorance of your kind made me see you wrong. So you'll forgive me, for the love of God, and let us be friends from this out. (Passionately.) I'm thinking I'd rather be friends with you than have my wish for anything else in the world. (He holds out his hand to her shyly.)
BURKE--(With boyish delight.) God bless you! (In his excitement he squeezes her hand tight.)
ANNA--Ouch!
BURKE--(Hastily dropping her hand--ruefully.) Your pardon, Miss. 'Tis a clumsy ape I am. (Then simply--glancing down his arm proudly.) It's great power I have in my hand and arm, and I do be forgetting it at times.
ANNA--(Nursing her crushed hand and glancing at his arm, not without a trace of his own admiration.) Gee, you're some strong, all right.
BURKE--(Delighted.) It's no lie, and why shouldn't I be, with me shoveling a million tons of coal in the stokeholes of ships since I was a lad only. (He pats the coil of hawser invitingly.) Let you sit down, now, Miss, and I'll be telling you a bit of myself, and you'll be telling me a bit of yourself, and in an hour we'll be as old friends as if we was born in the same house. (He pulls at her sleeve shyly.) Sit down now, if you plaze.
ANNA--(With a half laugh.) Well--(She sits down.) But we won't talk about me, see? You tell me about yourself and about the wreck.
BURKE--(Flattered.) I'll tell you, surely. But can I be asking you one question. Miss, has my head in a puzzle?
ANNA--(Guardedly.) Well--I dunno--what is it?
BURKE--What is it you do when you're not taking a trip with the Old Man? For I'm thinking a fine girl the like of you ain't living always on this tub.
ANNA--(Uneasily.) No--of course I ain't. (She searches his face suspiciously, afraid there may be some hidden insinuation in his words. Seeing his simple frankness, she goes on confidently.) Well, I'll tell you. I'm a governess, see? I take care of kids for people and learn them things.
BURKE--(Impressed.) A governess, is it? You must be smart, surely.
ANNA--But let's not talk about me. Tell me about the wreck, like you promised me you would.
BURKE--(Importantly.) 'Twas this way, Miss. Two weeks out we ran into the divil's own storm, and she sprang wan hell of a leak up for'ard. The skipper was hoping to make Boston before another blow would finish her, but ten days back we met up with another storm the like of the first, only worse. Four days we was in it with green seas raking over her from bow to stern. That was a terrible time, God help us. (Proudly.) And if 'twasn't for me and my great strength, I'm telling you--and it's God's truth--there'd been mutiny itself in the stokehole. 'Twas me held them to it, with a kick to wan and a clout to another, and they not caring a damn for the engineers any more, but fearing a clout of my right arm more than they'd fear the sea itself. (He glances at her anxiously, eager for her approval.)
ANNA--(Concealing a smile--amused by this boyish boasting of his.) You did some hard work, didn't you?
BURKE--(Promptly.) I did that! I'm a divil for sticking it out when them that's weak give up. But much good it did anyone! 'Twas a mad, fightin' scramble in the last seconds with each man for himself. I disremember how it come about, but there was the four of us in wan boat and when we was raised high on a great wave I took a look about and divil a sight there was of ship or men on top of the sea.
ANNA--(In a subdued voice.) Then all the others was drowned?
BURKE--They was, surely.
ANNA--(With a shudder.) What a terrible end!
BURKE--(Turns to her.) A terrible end for the like of them swabs does live on land, maybe. But for the like of us does be roaming the seas, a good end, I'm telling you--quick and clane.
ANNA--(Struck by the word.) Yes, clean. That's yust the word for-- all of it--the way it makes me feel.
BURKE--The sea, you mean? (Interestedly.) I'm thinking you have a bit of it in your blood, too. Your Old Man wasn't only a barge rat--begging your pardon--all his life, by the cut of him.
ANNA--No, he was bo'sun on sailing ships for years. And all the men on both sides of the family have gone to sea as far back as he remembers, he says. All the women have married sailors, too.
BURKE--(With intense satisfaction.) Did they, now? They had spirit in them. It's only on the sea you'd find rale men with guts is fit to wed with fine, high-tempered girls (Then he adds half-boldly) the like of yourself.
ANNA--(With a laugh.) There you go kiddin' again. (Then seeing his hurt expression--quickly.) But you was going to tell me about yourself. You're Irish, of course I can tell that.
BURKE--(Stoutly.) Yes, thank God, though I've not seen a sight of it in fifteen years or more.
ANNA--(Thoughtfully.) Sailors never do go home hardly, do they? That's what my father was saying.
BURKE--He wasn't telling no lie. (With sudden melancholy.) It's a hard and lonesome life, the sea is. The only women you'd meet in the ports of the world who'd be willing to speak you a kind word isn't woman at all. You know the kind I mane, and they're a poor, wicked lot, God forgive them. They're looking to steal the money from you only.
ANNA--(Her face averted--rising to her feet--agitatedly.) I think--I guess I'd better see what's doing inside.
BURKE--(Afraid he has offended her--beseechingly.) Don't go, I'm saying! Is it I've given you offence with my talk of the like of them? Don't heed it at all! I'm clumsy in my wits when it comes to talking proper with a girl the like of you. And why wouldn't I be? Since the day I left home for to go to sea punching coal, this is the first time I've had a word with a rale, dacent woman. So don't turn your back on me now, and we beginning to be friends.
ANNA--(Turning to him again--forcing a smile.) I'm not sore at you, honest.
BURKE--(Gratefully.) God bless you!
ANNA--(Changing the subject abruptly.) But if you honestly think the sea's such a rotten life, why don't you get out of it?
BURKE--(Surprised.) Work on land, is it? (She nods. He spits scornfully.) Digging spuds in the muck from dawn to dark, I suppose? (Vehemently.) I wasn't made for it, Miss.
ANNA--(With a laugh.) I thought you'd say that.
BURKE--(Argumentatively.) But there's good jobs and bad jobs at sea, like there'd be on land. I'm thinking if it's in the stokehole of a proper liner I was, I'd be able to have a little house and be home to it wan week out of four. And I'm thinking that maybe then I'd have the luck to find a fine dacent girl--the like of yourself, now--would be willing to wed with me.
ANNA--(Turning away from him with a short laugh--uneasily.) Why, sure. Why not?
BURKE--(Edging up close to her--exultantly.) Then you think a girl the like of yourself might maybe not mind the past at all but only be seeing the good herself put in me?
ANNA--(In the same tone.) Why, sure.
BURKE--(Passionately.) She'd not be sorry for it, I'd take my oath! 'Tis no more drinking and roving about I'd be doing then, but giving my pay day into her hand and staying at home with her as meek as a lamb each night of the week I'd be in port.
ANNA--(Moved in spite of herself and troubled by this half- concealed proposal--with a forced laugh.) All you got to do is find the girl.
BURKE--I have found her!
ANNA--(Half-frightenedly--trying to laugh it off.) You have? When? I thought you was saying--
ANNA--(Is held by his eyes for a moment--then shrinks back from him with a strange, broken laugh.) Say--are you--going crazy? Are you trying to kid me? Proposing--to me!--for Gawd's sake!--on such short acquaintance? (CHRIS comes out of the cabin and stands staring blinkingly astern. When he makes out ANNA in such intimate proximity to this strange sailor, an angry expression comes over his face.)
CHRIS--Anna! (He comes toward them, raging, his fists clenched.) Anna, you gat in cabin, you hear!
ANNA--(All her emotions immediately transformed into resentment at his bullying tone.) d'you think you're talking to--a slave?
CHRIS--(Hurt--his voice breaking--pleadingly.) You need gat rest, Anna. You gat sleep. (She does not move. He turns on BURKE furiously.) What you doing here, you sailor fallar? You ain't sick like oders. You gat in fo'c's'tle. Dey give you bunk. (Threateningly.) You hurry, Ay tal you!
ANNA--(Impulsively.) But he is sick. Look at him. He can hardly stand up.
BURKE--(Straightening and throwing out his chest--with a bold laugh.) Is it giving me orders ye are, me bucko? Let you look out, then! With wan hand, weak as I am, I can break ye in two and fling the pieces over the side--and your crew after you. (Stopping abruptly.) I was forgetting. You're Old Man and I'd not raise a fist to you for the world. (His knees sag, he wavers and seems about to fall. ANNA utters an exclamation of alarm and hurries to his slde.)
BURKE--(With jubilant happiness--as they proceed toward the cabin.) Glory be to God, is it holding my arm about your neck you are! Anna! Anna! Sure it's a sweet name is suited to you.
ANNA--(Guiding him carefully.) Sssh! Sssh!
BURKE--Whisht, is it? Indade, and I'll not. I'll be roaring it out like a fog horn over the sea! You're the girl of the world and we'll be marrying soon and I don't care who knows it!
ANNA--(As she guides him through the cabin door.) Ssshh! Never mind that talk. You go to sleep. (They go out of sight in the cabin. CHRIS, who has been listening to BURKE's last words with open-mouthed amazement stands looking after them helplessly.)
(The Curtain Falls)