Chapter XXIX: Prologue: SCENE 1. A Castle in Normandy. Eleanor. Fitz Urse

_Eleanor._ Dost thou love this Becket, this son of a London merchant,
that thou hast sworn a voluntary allegiance to him?

_Fitz Urse._ Not for my love toward him, but because he hath the love
of the King. How should a baron love a beggar on horseback, with the
retinue of three kings behind him, outroyaltying royalty?

_Eleanor._ Pride of the plebeian!

_Fitz Urse._ And this plebeian like to be Archbishop!

_Eleanor._ True, and I have an inherited loathing of these black sheep
of the Papacy. Archbishop? I can see farther into man than our
hot-headed Henry, and if there ever come feud between Church and
Crown, and I do not charm this secret out of our loyal Thomas, I am
not Eleanor.

_Fitz Urse._ Last night I followed a woman in the city here. Her face
was veiled, but the back methought was Rosamund--his paramour, thy
rival. I can feel for thee.

_Eleanor._ Thou feel for me!--paramour--rival! No paramour but his own
wedded wife! King Louis had no paramours, and I loved him none the
more. Henry had many and I loved him none the less. I would she were
but his paramour, for men tire of their fancies; but I fear this one
fancy hath taken root, and borne blossom too, and she, whom the King
loves indeed, is a power in the State. Follow me this Rosamund day and
night, whithersoever she goes; track her, if thou can'st, even into
the King's lodging, that I may (_clenches her fist_)--may at least
have my cry against him and her,--and thou in thy way shouldst be
jealous of the King, for thou in thy way didst once, what shall I call
it, affect her thine own self.

_Fitz Urse._ Ay, but the young filly winced and whinnied and flung up
her heels; and then the King came honeying about her, and this Becket,
her father's friend, like enough staved us from her.

_Eleanor._ Us!

_Fitz Urse._ Yea, by the blessed Virgin! There were more than I
buzzing round the blossom--De Tracy--even that flint De Brito.

_Eleanor._ Carry her off among you; run in upon her and devour her,
one and all of you; make her as hateful to herself and to the King as
she is to me.

_Fitz Urse._ I and all should be glad to wreak our spite on the
rose-faced minion of the King, and bring her to the level of the
dust, so that the King--

_Eleanor._ If thou light upon her--free me from her!--let her eat it
like the serpent and be driven out of her paradise!

The story of Nathan Hale might be made into a play with patriotism as its dominant idea, a close character study of Hale himself, or little more than a love story. Notice the way in which with Clyde Fitch the close of the acts steadily emphasizes the love story as the central interest. The first scene is in the school room where Hale is the teacher of Alice Adams.

(_Hale goes toward Alice with his arms outstretched to embrace her;
Alice goes into his arms--a long embrace and kiss; a loud tapping on a
drum outside startles them._)

_Hale._ The Tory meeting!

_Alice._ Fitzroy will be back. I don't want to see him!

_Hale._ Quick--we'll go by the window! (_Putting a chair under the
window he jumps onto chair; then leans in the window and holds out his
hands to Alice, who is on the chair._) And if tomorrow another drum
makes me a soldier--?

_Alice._ It will make me a soldier's sweetheart!

_Hale._ Come.

(_She goes out of the window with his help, and with loud drum
tattoo and bugle call, the stage is left empty and the curtain
falls._)

The second act at Colonel Knowlton's house closes on Hale's decision to serve his country as a spy:

_Alice._ (_In a whisper._) You _will_ go?

_Hale._ I must.

_Alice._ (_A wild cry._) Then I hate you!

_Hale._ And I _love you_ and always will so long as a heart beats in
my body. (_He wishes to embrace her._)

_Alice._ No!

(_She draws back her head, her eyes blazing, she is momentarily
insane with fear and grief, anger and love. Hale bows his head and
slowly goes from the room. Alice, with a faint heartbroken cry,
sinks limply to the floor, her father hurrying to her as the curtain
falls._)

This is the close of Act III.

_Fitzroy._ Look!

(_And he bends Alice's head back upon his shoulder to kiss her on
the lips._)

_Hale._ Blackguard!

(_With a blow of his right arm he knocks Cunningham on the head,
who, falling, hits his head against the pillar of the porch and is
stunned. Meanwhile, the moment he has hit Cunningham, Hale has
sprung upon Fitzroy, and with one hand over his mouth has bent his
head back with the other until he has released Alice. Hale then
throws Fitzroy down and seizing Alice about the waist dashes off
with her to the right, where his horse is. Fitzroy rises and runs to
Cunningham, kicks him to get his gun, which has fallen under him._)

_Fitzroy._ Get up! Get up! You fool!

(_Horse's hoofs heard starting off._)

_Third Picket's Voice._ (_Off stage._) Who goes there?

_Fitzroy._ (_Stops, looks up, and gives a triumphant cry._) Ah, the
picket! They're caught! They're caught!

_Hale._ Returning with Alice Adams on private business.

_Picket._ The password.

_Hale._ "Love!"

_Fitzroy._ Damnation! Of course he heard! (_Runs off right, yelling._)
Fire on them! Fire! For God's sake, fire!

(_A shot is heard, followed by a loud defiant laugh from Hale, and
echoed "Love," as the clatter of the horse's hoofs dies away, and
the curtain falls._)