ACT ONE

Scene I

(Scene - The Great Hall at Monkswell Manor. Late

afternoon.)
(The hou.se looks not so much a period piece but a house
which has been li11ed in fry generations of the same
famity with dwindling resources. There are tall windows
up centre; a big arched opening up right leading to the
entrance hall,. the front door and the kitchen,· and an
arched opening left le.ading upstairs to the bedrooms. Up
/,eft /,eading off the stairs is the door to the library; down
/,eft is the door to .the drawing-room; and down right
the door (opening onstage) to the dining-room, right is
an open fireplace· and beneath the window up centre a
window seat and a radiator.)
(The Hall is furnished as a /,ounge. There is some good
old oak, including a large refectory table fry the window
up centre, an oak chest in the entrance hall up right,
and a stool on the stairs left. The curtains and the
upholstered furniture - a sofa left centre, an armchair
cerJ,tre, a large l,eather armchair right, and a small
Victorian armchair down right - are shabfry and oU­
fashwned. There is a combined desk and bookcase left,
with a radio and telephone on it and a chair beside it.
There is another chair up right centre fry the window,
a Canterbury containing newspapers and magazines
above the fireplace and a small half circul,d,r card table
behind the sofa. There are two wall brackets over the
fireplace which are worked together; and a wall bracket
on the /,efl wall one left of the library door and one in
the entrance hall, which are also worked together. There

7
8 THE MOUSETRAP THE MOUSETRAP 9
'

are double switches l,eft of the arch up right, and on the Motorists are warned against ice-bound roads. The
downstage side of the door doum left, and a single switch heavy snow is expected to continue, and throughout
on the upstage side of the door down right. A table lamp the country there will be a certain freezing, particularly
stands on the sofa t_able.) at points on the north and northeast coast of Scotland.
(See the Ground Plan) MOLLIE. (calling) Mrs. Barlow! Mrs. Barlow! (Receiving no
reply she crosses to the armchair centre, picks up her handbag
(Before the curtain rises the House Lights fade to a and one glove and then goes out through the arch up right.
complete blackout and the music of "Three Blind Mice" She removes her overcoat and then returns.) Brr! It's cold.
is heard.) (She goes to the wall switch above the door down right and
(When the curtain rises the stage is in complete darkness. switches on the wall brackets over the fireplace. She mot.Jes up
The music fades giving place to a shrill whistle of the to the window, feels the radiawr and draws the curtains. Then
same tune, "Three Blind Mice. " A woman '.s piercing she moves down to the so/a table and switches on the table
scream is heard then a mixture of male and female voices lamp. She looks round and notices the large sign board lying
saying: "My God, what'.s that?" ''Went that way!" "Oh, on its side on the stairs. She picks it up q,nd places it against
my God!'' Then a police whistle sounds; followed by the wa�l left of the window alcove. She steps back, nodding her
se-oeral other police whistles, all of which fade to silence.) head.) It really does loo.k nice - oh! (She notices that there
is no "S" on the sign.) How stupid of Giles. (She woks at
VOICE ON THE RADIO .
...and according to Scotland Yard, her watch then at the dock.) Gosh!
the crime took place at twenty-four Culver Street,
(MOLLIE hurries off up the stairs left. GILES enters
Paddington.
from the front door right. He is a rather arrogant but
(The lights come up, revealing the Hall at Monkswell attractive young man in his twenties. He stamps his
Manor. It is late afternoon, and almost dark. Snow can feet to shake off the snow, opens the oak chest and puts
be seen falling heavily through the windows up centre. inside a big paper carrier he has been carrying. He takes
There is a fire burning. A freshly-painted sign board is off his overcoat, hat and scarf, moves doum and throws
standing on its side on the stairs against the archway them on the armchair centre. Then he goes to the fire and
le.ft; it has on it in large letters: Monkwell Manor Guest warms his hands.)
House.)
GILES. (calling) Mollie? Mollie? Mollie? Where are you?
The murdered woman was a Mrs. Maureen Lyon. In
connection with the murder, the police are anxious (MOUJE enters from the arch kft.)
to interview a man seen in· the vicinity, wearing a dark MOLLIE. (cheerfully) Doing all the work, you brute. (She
overcoat, light scarf, and a soft felt hat. crosses to GILES.)
(MOLLIE RALSTON enters through the arch up right. GILES. Oh, there you are - leave it all to me. Shall I stoke
She is a tall, pretty young woman with an ingenuous theAga?
air, in her twenti.es. She puts down her handbag and MOI.J.JE. Done.
gloves on the armchair centre then crosses to the radio GILES, (kissing her) Hullo, sweetheart. Your nose is cold.
and switches it off during the next speech. She places a MOLLIE. I've just come in. (She crosses to the fire.)
small parcel in the desk cupboard.)
10 THE MOUSETRAP THE MOUSETRAP 11

GILES. Why? Where have ytm been? Surely you've not been MOLLIE. No, I'm not. I love it. And talking of a guest
out in this weather? house. Just look at that! (She indicates the sign board in an
MOLllE. I had to go down to the village for some stuff I'd accusing manner.)
forgotten. Did you get the chicken netting? GILES. (complacently) Pretty good, what? (He crosses to left of
GILES. It wasn't the right kind. (He sits on the kft arm of the sign board.)
the armchair centre.) I went on to another dump but MOLLIE. It's a disaster! Don't you see? You've left out the
that wasn't any good either. Practically a whole day "S." Monkwell instead of Monkswell.
wasted. My God, I'm half frozen. Car was skidding like GILES. Good Lord, so I did. However did I come to do
anything. The snow's coming down thick. What do you that? But it doesn't really matter, does it? Monkwell is
bet we're not snowed up tomorrow? just as good a name.
MOIJ.JE. Oh dear, I do hope not. (She crosses to the radiator MOILIE. You're u;i disgrace. (She crosses to the desk.) Go and
and feels it.) If only the pipes don't freeze. stoke up the. central heating.
GILES. (rising and moving up to MOLLlE) We'll have to keep GILES. Across that icy yard! Ugh! Shall I bank it up for the
the central heating well stoked up. (Hefeels the radiator.) night now?
H'm, not too good - I wish they'd send the coke along. MOILIE. No, you don't do that until ten or eleven o'clock
We've not got any too much. at night.
MOIJ.JE. (moving down to the sofa and sitting) Oh! I do so GILES. How appalling!
want everything to go well at first. First impressions are
MOILIE. Hurry up. Someone may arrive at any minute now.
so important.
GILES. You've got all the rooms worked out?
GILES. (moving down to right of the sofa) Is everything ready?
Nobodfs arrived yet, I suppose? MOLLIE. Yes. (She sits at the <ksk and picks up a paper from
it.) Mrs. Boyle, Front Fourposter Room. Major Metcalf,
MOIJ.JE. No, thank goodness. I think everything's in order.
Blue Room. Miss Casewell, East Room. Mr. Wren, Oak
Mrs. Barlow's hooked it early. Afraid of the weather, I
Room.
suppose.
GILES. (crossing to right of the sofa table) I wonder what all
GILES. What a nuisance these daily women are. That leaves
these people will be like. Oughtn't we to have got rent
everything on your shoulders.
in advance?
MOLUE. And yours I This is a partnership.
MOLLIE. Oh no, I don't think so.
GILES. (crossing to the fire) So long as you don't ask me to
GILES. We're rather mugs at this game.
cook.
MOLUE. They bring luggage. If they don't pay we hang on
MOLLIE. (rising) No, no, that's my department. Anyway,
to their luggage. It's quite simple.
we've got lots of tins in case we are snowed up.
(Crossing to GILES) Oh, Giles, do you think it's going to GILES. I can't help thinking we ought to have taken a
be all right? correspondence course in hotel keepi�g. We're sure
to get had in some way. Their luggage might be just
GILES. Got cold feet, have you? Are you sorry now we didn't
bricks wrapped '1P in newspaper and where should we
sell the place when your aunt left it to you, instead of
be then?
having this mad idea of running it as a guest house?
MOILIE. They all wrote from very good addresses.