THE JUDGMENT OF BETT. By R. N. Sandberg. Perusal Copy 2007, 2008, 2014

Transcription

1 THE JUDGMENT OF By R. N. Sandberg 2007, 2008, 2014

2

3 THE JUDGMENT OF by R. N. Sandberg (The Sedgwicks house. waiting, anxious. appears.) Yes, Bett. What is it you want? I m not sure, sir. Does Colonel Ashley need something? No, sir. Then why are you here? I m not exactly sure. Ridiculous. Do you think I have nothing more to do than... Go back home. ( turns to leave. does not move.) Mr. Sedgwick? What?!... What is it, woman? Are you an animal that you stand there mute? I have no time for this. I ve left Colonel Ashley s, sir. Left? Won t live there no longer.

4 2 My goodness, they haven t sold you, have they? No, sir. Not sold me. Nor given me away, nor my little Sara, nor sister Lizzie. But I think I should be gone from that house. You ve not - run away, have you? No, Bett. That would be wrong. The law is clear. I m obliged to return you or give you over to the sheriff. You d best go back. Mrs. Ashley s not likely to take kindly to such nonsense. Her servants are her servants. Not really a servant, am I, Mr. Sedgwick? Bought and sold, just like in Virginia, only called different, a more polite Massachusetts name. This is an inappropriate conversation. Dressed different, too. Fine clothes. Enough. Even sit down to eat with the family at times. I have treated you with courtesy. Always, with courtesy. Now, please, take your leave. But I am a slave, aren t I? Yes. And so good night. (Off) Teddy? Teddy?! (SHE enters, distraught.) Oh, Theodore. Oh, my heavens. I ve looked all over. Teddy s no where. Go back to bed, Pamela. No, no, he s gone.

5 3 Mary s taken him and the girls out for some air. It s cold, Theodore! The air is too cold! They re fine. Go back and rest. I can t. I Pamela. Oh, you have company. I beg your pardon. Is it Bett? Is it you, dear Mumbett? Yes, Mrs. I m glad to see you up and about. But I think Mr. Sedgwick has said right. Would you like me to help you back to your bed? I have such dreams since Teddy s birth. You have a child; you know what it is to fear for them. I do, Mrs. Should I make you some tea? I know where Mary keeps it. There s no need. Bett was just leaving. (HE touches Bett s arm lightly to move her away. SHE winces in pain.) Your arm, dear. What is it? No worries. Just a scratch. You come sit down, Mumbett. Pamela.

6 4 I ll make you the tea. Pamela. Yes? Oh, I m sorry. You have business. I get distracted. A pleasure to see you, Bett. And you, Mrs. Rest easy. Yes, I ll try. (SHE exits.) She ll get her strength back, sir. It comes in spells. And then - She ll be free of it. For a time. I m sorry to have troubled you, Mr. Sedgwick. Take care of her. Bett? Why are you leaving the Ashleys? Shouldn t you...? She ll be fine till we finish. Why are you here? (Trying to joke) Thought I d take the air. Cure myself of the vapors.... I m not an animal, Mr. Sedgwick, not some dumb critter. What happened to your arm? I was in the street just now. There was speakers, reading. From the Philadelphia Declaration. All men are created equal. You remember, years ago, when you and the Colonel were in our parlor writing the Resolves? It s almost the same words.

7 5 That mankind in a state of nature Are Equal, free, and independent Three years before Philadelphia. I always remembered those words you wrote. Did Mrs. Ashley hit you? She didn t mean to. She thought Lizzie took a cake or some such. I got in the way. I would not let her hit Lizzie. Lizzie s, Lizzie don t do her work right. We all know that. And Mrs. Ashley has a temper. I m not here cause of her. She treats me fair enough. What did she hit you with? A kitchen shovel. A hot kitchen shovel. Abominable. Completely and thoroughly... The Colonel put the salve on, helped me bandage it. But the skin s blistered good. And you no longer want to stay in that house. It s my home, Mr. Sedgwick, but... we have a new law, now, don t we? A constitution? A Massachusetts constitution? And thank God for that. The courts may finally be opened.

8 6 Yes, and that s why I want to know - where do I come into it? I don t understand, Bett. How does the law apply to me?. There s nothing about servants or Negroes in the constitution. Nothing about slaves? The Constitution that was voted down two years ago? It recognized slavery as legal and prohibited free Negroes from voting. This new one says nothing one way or the other. But all men are free? Yes. All people have rights? Of course. Including folks like me? Mrs. Sedgwick needs my attention, now, I think. I suggest your daughter and your sister probably need yours as well. Go back to the Ashleys. I was thinking bout goin to court, Mr. Sedgwick. As am I. Do you know what the Continental Army owes me for food and livestock? It s been seven years the mobs have kept the courts shut. If the Constitution convinces them to let the courts open? Well, what a suit I ll have. Not that I d demand payment now.

9 7 The court could say me, like every person, has the rights. Say, like every person, I m free. I was thinkin you could be my lawyer. That is absurd. Cause the Colonel s a judge? A powerful man? No. Well, yes, but that s not the point. Slavery exists in Massachusetts. There is nothing explicit to deny it. The law, sir. The law is the power above any man, that s what you always said. What you believe. Why do you come to me? You know what people say, I m no friend of the common man. I see myself above the crowd. And I have a Negro servant myself. You let him go to fight, like my William. Your husband was a good man. I was sorry you lost him. If your Caesar returns from the militia, will you keep him as your slave or will you say, no, we have fought for our freedom from the King, we have declared our independence here and in Philadelphia, there are no more Massachusetts slaves? Colonel Ashley is a much kinder man than I. Why do you not go to him with your request?... My whole life has been with Mrs. Hannah s family and the Colonel s. They see me as part of it. I see that as well. So when I ask, let me leave the family, what can he say? He must say, haven t I treated you well? And what should I answer but yes? And should he be a kind man beyond a kind master and say, go free Bett, what would Mrs. Hannah do? Would she not make his life a misery for doing such a thing? Would her temper not rage through the house striking my sister at every turn? But if this were the courts sayin

10 8 Why do you thrust this on me? There are many lawyers, many. None so powerful they can stand to a judge like Colonel Ashley. I am his friend. Yes. He would know neither of us mean him harm. Oh no, this is harm. You are valuable property. Taking you away is harm. Like taking all of us from the King. Freedom is harm. What you want would bring anarchy. It would be like siding with the mob. No, with the law. Not with a rifle or a torch or a screaming crowd. We d walk into the court, saying this is the law. Courts are not meant to legislate. Legislatures make laws. Why would they make a law for me, Mr. Sedgwick? I can t vote. A judge and jury s the only hope I got. You could lose your case. You could be sent back into that house and after such a challenge can you imagine how Mrs. Ashley would welcome you? How she would treat your Sara? Perhaps for the rest of her life? I hadn t thought of that. And I would be the laughingstock of every gentleman in Massachusetts. So I should give up my freedom so you can stay respectable.

11 9 Take care of your daughter. I will, Mr. Sedgwick. I ll take her and myself out of that house this very night, and we ll find a lawyer who believes in those words you and my master and those men in Philadelphia wrote. (SHE goes.) ( is troubled. enters.) I drank some tea, Theodore. I feel calmer. She wants to leave the Ashleys. Bett? She should. She s the finest midwife, seamstress, what have you, in the county. And with the children? No one s better. John may appreciate her. Hannah certainly doesn t. She s leaving there tonight. Tonight? Taking Sara and leaving. Where will they go? I have no idea. Go after her. Bring her here. Here? Are you mad? (SHE stares at him and smiles.) At times, I seem so, don t I? But not about this.