Three Plays [antikvár]

THE SETTING The setting is the week-end cottage of the Harrington family in Suffolk. A multiple set enables us to see a fair amount of this house: the living-room, the hall, the landing, and the schoolroom where Pamela has her lessons. The living-room occupies all of the stage on the ground floor. It is well furnished, and almost aggressively expresses Mrs Harrington's personality. We are let know by it that she is a Person of Taste; but also that she does not often let well alone. There is more here of the town, and of the expensive town, than is really acceptable in the country: the fumisliings are sufficiently modish and chic to make her husband feel, and look, perpetually out of place. To the left - from the viewpoint of the audience - there is a sofa or banquette, and a coffee-table. To the left of the sofa and just downstage of the front door is a table with a lamp and their telephone. A comfortable armchair, with a round table to the right of it, bridges the gap between the social centre of the room and its eating centre. This last is to the right, and slightly more upstage is a dining-table with three matching chairs and an upholstered bench downstage of the table. The wall upstage, running parallel to the table, is made of brick and contains a large fireplace. Built into the wall is a brick bench, covered with a red cushion. Inside the fireplace, which actually begins at the height of the bench, we see polished andirons and a brass bowl of green leaves. The right wall contains the french window, through which comes all the light the room receives - autumn light from an old garden. Below the window is a built-in window-seat - high enough for Mrs Harrington to use it as a sideboard. There is a lamp there, also a decorative bowl of grapes and leaves. The door to the garden is downstage of the window-seat. Left of the window, and on the same wall as the fireplace, is the kitchen door. Up centre against the back