Search -
The Cockpit; Romantic Drama in Three Acts
The Cockpit Romantic Drama in Three Acts Author:Israel Zangwill General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1921 Original Publisher: Macmillan Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can selec... more »t from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: NICH. [Confused] I -- we -- I mean I can't assert myself against Norah. We both owe her too much. PEGGY Oh, I know she nursed me and all that. But all the same [norah returns with tray and the new china.] I'm sorry, Norah, I spoke severely. NORAH Bless you, Miss Peggy, I like it when you talk like that -- it's only natural. PEGGY No, it isn't, it's unnatural. Haven't you been almost a mother to me ? NORAH [Blubbering] Don't, Miss Peggy, or I'll be dropping my best china. [Goes to table and changes cups.] Divil take the "Drys." I've been in many God-forsaken places, but never one where you had a detective down your throat! [Exit R.] NICH. [Laughingly] That's another reason for not going to Europe -- you said you were hungering for it, but people would think you were thirsting. Don't pretend to be a Philistine! You know very well that we Americans have no romance, no art, no music . . . NICH. I ought to have known college turns out Europe-snobs! Parasites on her decaying civilisation. I ought never to have let you learn Italian. You'll end with the gang in Florence who won't go home! PEGGY But if America shocks them! NICH. A shock is God's message to set what shocks you right. PEGGY You can't remedy rawness. NICH. More easily than rottenness. I wonder what your idea of a European city is. Naples, I suppose, with Vesuvius in continuous performance. PEGGY No, daddy, my European city snuggles among snow- mountains that play bo-peep with you through the mists. And at their feet the women sing strange, sad songs as they strip the vines. What's ...« less