We Three - Act III , Scene 1

CHAPTER 9 – 1870 - ELIZA HUTCHINSON COX’S FUNERAL

ACT III, (1870-1880) Scene 1

Scene: drawing room of the Cox family, Netherfield Villa, Claughton with Grange, Cheshire. The children are all sitting or standing around, looking lost and miserable. The two women, Mary and Emily, are purposeful in trying to minimize the difficulties of the situation. The set is a typical Victorian room, with overstuffed, highly decorated furniture. On each side there is a couch and several chairs, making it easy to separate the group into two.

Time: April 15th, 1870

It is the day of the funeral of Eliza Hutchinson Cox. She was only 35. She and Charley had six children, Edward, 15, Charles, 13, Ada, 11, Gertrude, 8, Edith 6 and Harry 5.

Charles and Mary Walker, and Lindsay and Emily Hall have arrived at Charley’s house, and it is
decided that the older Cox boys go with their father to the funeral, and Mary and Emily will care for the younger Cox children as well as their own - Mary Walker has Mary, aged 11, Frank, aged 6, Lillian 4 and Lucy 2. Emily has Hurley, 12, (who is allowed to go to the funeral with his father) Bernard, 10 and George Silas, 7.

Emily: Well, now children, let’s see what we can do to keep us all busy. Shall I play the piano and we can sing?

Ada: I don’t feel like singing, Mrs. Hall.

Emily: No, of course, you don’t, love.

Mary: I have an idea. There is a huge pile of newspapers here - The Illustrated London News. Let’s
have a competition for the older children - in that each takes one of the papers, and finds an article that they really like. And then they can cut it out, and we will have a performance, and each child can tell us all what they have found that is so special.

Bernard: That is all right for us older children, but what about those that can’t read.

Mary: How about if they find a picture they really like, and then they can make up a story about it. There are lots of copies of Vanity Fair for the last two years and a bit.

Emily: Why don’t we break into two groups? I will work with the older children who can all read - which will include Bernard, Ada, Gertrude, Mary and George. He is young, I know, but he can read. (The older children go to stage right, and each takes up a newspaper, and opens it and starts reading.)

Mary: And I will have Frank, Lillian, Lucy, Edith and Harry. We will take the books with the nice pictures and go to this side of the room.
(The younger children follow her lead and go to stage left where there is a couch and small table. The children each take a magazine and start to leaf through.)

Bernard: Does it matter what sort of article it is?

Emily: I think it would be more fun if we gave the articles a rating system. Let’s say you get 20
points for finding any article at all - but then you get10 extra points if it is about Liverpool or Birkenhead or somewhere around here. Then you get 10 more points if it is about someone in the Royal Family. And you could have 10 extra points if it was about a foreign country.

Mary: And for the younger children, let’s say you can have 20 points for any picture, but an
extra 10 points if there is a person in it, and another 10 points if there is an animal in it, and let’s see what else can we include?

Gertrude: How about a house?

Harry: Trees.

Mary: All right, you can have another 10 points if it has trees or a house in it. Is that clear? Do
you know what you are looking for?

Bernard: So ideally, their picture would be in a Liverpool Park, where Queen Victoria, with her
little dog, was standing by a tree, talking to Princess Beatrice about Mr. Livingstone’s trip to Africa.

Emily: (laughing) Yes, Bernard, that would be ideal but not all that likely to be found.

(For a few minutes everyone is busy looking and nothing happens, as they are paging through.)

Emily (whispering and gesturing for Mary to come to one side): What do you think Charley is going to do now? About les enfants?

Mary: What do you mean?

Emily: (gesturing at the children) You know.

Mary: Well, I expect his and her family will help. And Mrs. Cox is still fit. He’ll have to get a housekeeper.

Emily: It makes you think, doesn’t it? It could have been any of us. My brother Ed went a few years ago, but that was expected. This was a total surprise.

Mary: How did Charley seem?

Emily: Devastated, as you’d expect. Lindsay and Charles will be good for him. Give him the chance to let down, which he couldn’t really do up to now.

Ada: (bringing her newspaper forward) I found one, and I get extra points for it. Where are the scissors?

Emily: I'm not sure. Where did your mother keep her sewing things?

Ada: (starting to cry) I want my Mumma.

Emily: I’m sorry darling. (She puts her arms around her.) I expect we can find them if we ask your cook. What is her name again?

Ada: Jessie

 Emily: Well, you run into the kitchen and ask Jessie for some scissors, and if she has several
pairs, it would be useful.

(Ada goes off, still sniffing)

Little Mary: You aren’t going to die, are you Mumma?

Mary: No, of course not. And let’s not have any more talk about that now, all right?

(Ada comes back carrying two pairs of scissors, and gives one to Mrs. Walker.)

Emily: Ah, Bernard, I see you've found something. What is it?

Bernard: Well, it should fit into several categories, I think. It is about the statue of Gladstone that they have just erected at St. George’s Hall in Liverpool. So that’s 30 points worth. He isn’t exactly
Royal Family, but I should think being PM is just as good, so can’t I have some extra points for that?

It says, ‘The sculptor, who did the statue of Gladstone is John Adams-Acton who attended the
Royal Academy Schools, then went to Rome for a period, where he studied under John Gibson.' 

Then it goes on to talk more about Mr. Gladstone.

‘William Ewart Gladstone, born 1809 is almost as much the epitome of the Victorian age as the great Queen herself. He is a political giant. To what personal qualities can the great achievements be attributed? First, that its origins were genuinely humanitarian and the fact that he was not unmoved by the allures of these women does not contradict his desire to lead them to new lives. He is a man of exceptional physical energy. He is a keen horseman and, when visiting stately homes, he often chooses to walk the last ten miles. After an arduous day of Cabinet meetings and
parliamentary work, followed by a formal dinner, it is quite usual for him to venture on to the streets to rescue ladies of the night.

Ada: What are ladies of the night Mrs. Hall?

Emily: Nothing to worry yourself about now, Ada. What else does it say, Bernard?

Bernard: ‘Secondly, his physical prowess is matched by his mental energy. He is a prodigious reader and claims he has read nearly 20,000 works.'

Emily: That was a very good article, Bernard, and I think you can have an extra five for his
being a Prime Minister.

Bernard: Anyway, it does mention the Queen in the article.

Emily: Well that is worth another 10 then.

George: I found one about opening Stanley Park. That's in Liverpool, isn’t it Mumma?

Emily: Yes, dear.

George: It says, ‘The most notable features are a Con - I can’t read that word.

Emily: Conservatory

George: and the sandstone terraces and the Park lakes. The original design of the Park was done
in 1866 by Edward Kemp, who is a pioneer of public park design. It is situated in Walton - The origin is not certain, possibly from the Anglo Saxon’ I don’t know what that word is.

Emily: Weall, which means a wall, or weald - wood.

George: ‘In Domesday, it was the largest township in the area.’ What is Domesday?

Emily: A record that was made by people after the Norman Invasion just after 1066. Very good George and the park is not all that far from where we live. We must go there soon, now it's open.

Mary: What have you little children found so far. Let’s see. Oh look, Lucy, here is a nice
picture. Shall we cut it out?

Lucy: Pretty frock.

Frank: Don’t be so stupid. That's the Pope.

Mary: Frank, don’t be so unkind. That is a picture of Pius XI - and he wears very fancy
clothes and has a crown on his head. What did you find Frank?

Frank: I want one with everything in it, so I have to keep looking some more. This is so
boring.

Mary: Well, if you look in one of the newspapers that the bigger children have, you might find some
pictures in there with more things in.

Edith: I found one, Mrs. Walker.

Mary: Let’s see, lovey. What did you find?

Edith: It’s a funny fat lady with a crown on her head, and a suitcase. Is she going on a holiday?

Mary: Well, let’s see. It says that it is a picture of Queen Isabella II of Spain. It says 'She has throughout her life been betrayed by those who should have been most faithful to her.’ It explains that she was driven out by a military coup called the Glorious Revolution.

So she is leaving even if it isn’t a sort of holiday. But you should get extra points for having a royal person in your picture.

Bernard: She should get even more extra points. Her story is about a foreign queen.

 Mary: Yes, but for the little children, those things don’t really matter.

Bernard: It may be an accident, but she has found a picture that tells a story that should get a high
rating. It is only fair.

Mary: All right. She can have extra points for those things.

Lillian: I can only see pictures of stupid men.

Mary: Well, most of them are very important men. See if you can find one that looks funnier than
the other ones, and we'll see who he is.

Lillian: Here’s a funny old man with a stick, and he’s holding onto a skinny lady who is
telling him to be quiet.

Mary: Well, you certainly chose an important man, Lillian. That is Napoleon and I think that is
supposed to be Josephine.

Lillian: What does it say?

Mary: Part of it is in French. We will have to ask Mrs. Hall if she knows what it means. 'La regime
parlemetaire' The angel of Liberty.

Emily: It just means the role of Parliament. I think it is supposed to be some sort of joke, but I’m
not quite sure that I get it. Ada, did you find an interesting article? What is it that you are cutting out there?

Ada: It’s about a church that fell apart.

Emily: Oh, that will be St. Joseph’s Church. That is a good article. It is about Liverpool, so
that is extra points.

Ada: It says, ‘January 16. Panic at St Joseph's Roman Catholic Chapel where during the evening
service panic was caused by a drunken man raising a false alarm of fire. Fifteen people were killed and several injured.’

Emily: Well done, Ada.

Mary: So Frank, are you still looking or have you found anything?

Frank: There are two pictures from York. I know it is not from Liverpool, but you come from York,
Mumma, so doesn’t that count?

Mary: Oh those are splendid. The Micklegate Bar, and a Gate with an Alms Box. Those are from an area very close to where I used to live. Let’s see what it says about them.

‘The engraving shows an ancient arched doorway, with a wooden paneled door standing closed.
The doorway is carved, and above it is an heraldic coat of arms. The lion and unicorn of England are just visible.

‘The gates, of which several remain in perfect preservation, and one of which, called the
Micklegate Bar, forms the subject of our Engraving, are singularly imposing.

'The view is taken from the inside the city walls, and shows the several flights of steps by which the path along the walls is reached, and from which a view over the surrounding country, as well as of the tall chimneys and busy foundries immediately below, can be seen The fronts of these bars or
gates, such as the Micklegate, are grand and noble, and so well preserved that one is insensibly carried back some four or five centuries to the time when sombre broadcloth had not extinguished the taste for colour, and “motely was the only wear.”

Mary: Well done, Frank. These are really good, and they show houses, so you get extra points for
that, and I think you should have extra points for being York as well.

Bernard: And extra points because it talks about a King.

Mary: Well, I suppose we have to be consistent.

Emily: So who hasn’t got theirs yet? Little Mary. Are you having a problem? Let me see. (she
opens a newspaper and goes through it) Here’s one about the new hotel by the railway station. Do you want to use that? It says, There is a new Railway Hotel, at the London and North-western Terminus, Lime Street, Liverpool. It was designed by Architect Alfred Waterhouse who was
born into a Quaker family in Liverpool on the 19 July, 1830. 

Little Mary: All right. We live by a railway station.

Emily: Do you love? I’ve never visited you at your house. I must do that one day. Now Gertrude, have
you found anything?

Gertrude: I can’t find anything about Liverpool. Everybody else has taken it all.

Emily: Well, you can have York too, if you want, because we allowed Frank to get extra points for
that.

Gertrude: I found two pictures and in one, it has horses and a building and all sorts. And the other
one is about princesses, I think. It is about Egypt, so I get extra points for that, and royalty, I think. Oh, goodness, give me the scissors. This is so good.

Emily: I think those are camels, not horses, but I agree it is very good. Here is what it is about.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were in Egypt and they went for a ride on the Nile in a boat called the Dahabieh. And they stayed at the Palace of Esbekieh, in Cairo. Here is a picture of the Viceroy
introducing Mrs Santon to the Princess. And is says that they were presented with some mummies.’

Gertrude: Like my mummy?

Emily: No, these are very old people who are dead and were wrapped up and put in tombs for a long
time.

Gertrude: My mummy is dead and they are going to put her in a tomb. (She starts crying again and Emily puts her arm around her to try to calm her down.)

Mary: Now, Harry, I think you are the only one without a picture. Can I help you find one?

Harry: Don’t want to. I want my daddy.

Mary: He’ll be back soon, Harry.

Harry: I want my mumma.

Mary: Your mumma has gone to Heaven to be with the angels.

Harry: I want to go with the angels too, with mumma.

Mary: I think your mumma wants you to stay with your daddy and your brothers and sisters and help them. But let’s see if we can find a picture of some angels. There is sure to be one here somewhere. Oh look, this is such a beautiful picture of some angels. Do you want to cut that one out?

Harry: Yes

Mary: And look, I think it has sheep in the picture too. Here is says about it. ‘The icon of the
Trinity was painted around 1410 by Andrei Rublev. It depicts the three angels who visited Abraham at the Oak of Mamre.

Emily: Now that everyone has their article or picture, we are going to see which story and which
picture gets the most points.

Bernard, for having a story you get 20 points, plus 10 for being about Liverpool, plus 10 for
mentioning royalty - that makes 40.

George, you get 30, and Ada and Mary, but Gertrude, yours has royalty and is about a foreign place,
and has animals in it, so I think we have to give you the full 50.

Bernard. That isn’t fair. It isn’t about Liverpool - and we weren’t supposed to get points for
animals.

Emily: Well, the younger children got points for royal things, when it wasn’t meant to be
theirs - so it is only fair that the same would be true for both groups.

Mary: Now for the younger children, Lucy gets 30, Lillian, Edith and Frank each get 40, and
Harry, with his picture with angels and animals and a house gets the full 50 points so he is the winner.

Gertrude: Do we get a prize?

Emily: Well, I didn’t think about that, but how about six pence each for you to spend as you wish. (She gets out her reticule and produces two coins.)

Here is one for you, Gertrude, and here is one for you, Harry.

Ada: You only let them win because their mummy died.

Emily: No, that is most unfair of you to say, but let’s clean up all this mess before the others come back, and then what say we have a sing song. What songs do you all know?

Mary: How about Yankee Doodle?

Gertrude: I like Annie Laurie.

Bernard: How about Green Grow the Rushes O?

Emily: Let’s start with Yankee Doodle Dandy. All ready now.(They start singing.) Yankee
Doodle Came to Town. (Curtain down)