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Back The Darker Face of the Earth Save as PDF
Chapters (27)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Half-Title Page
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. Dedication
  7. Cast
  8. Prologue
  9. Act One
  10. Scene 2
  11. Scene 3
  12. Scene 4
  13. Scene 5
  14. Scene 6
  15. Scene 7
  16. Scene 8
  17. Act Two
  18. Scene 2
  19. Scene 3
  20. Scene 4
  21. Scene 5
  22. Scene 6
  23. Scene 7
  24. Scene 8
  25. An Interview with Rita Dove
  26. Biographical Note
  27. Back Cover
LOUIS Get rid of it! Destroy the bastard!
DOCTOR

My charge is to preserve life,

Mr. LaFarge, not to destroy it.
LOUIS What’s the matter? Aren’t you a man?
DOCTOR (Scathingly; a fierce whisper.)

My manhood isn’t the question here.

Do you want your business

smeared across the whole county?

Think for a minute: What have we got

here? A fresh slave. New property.

And you’re in need of a little spare change,

aren’t you? I understand the cards

haven’t been much in your favor lately.
LOUIS What are you trying to say, Doctor?
AMALIA

Stop your whispering, gentlemen.

No one’s going to touch this baby!
LOUIS

You can be sure I’ll never

touch you again!
AMALIA That’s one blessing.
DOCTOR Is this baby worth destroying your life?

Pulling LOUIS aside.

Give me a minute alone with her.

I’ll make her see reason. Go on, now.

He shoves the reluctant LOUIS out of the door, then moves quickly to the window to peek out on the slaves below. Among the SLAVES, excitement reigns as SCYLLA hobbles over to HECTOR, whose eyes are still fixed on the bedroom window.

PHEBE (To PSYCHE.)
Scylla gonna be alright?
PSYCHE (Sees the curtains move.)
Hush chile!
Pointing to the window.
Something’s stirring.

The SLAVES look up to the window and freeze. The DOCTOR returns to AMALIA, who is singing to the baby.

DOCTOR

You can cease your motherly blandishments,

Amalia. He’s gone.
AMALIA

I knew you were good for something besides

tonics and botched surgeries, Doctor!
DOCTOR

Oh, you’re mighty clever, Miss Jennings—

no wonder your marriage is a disappointment.

Hell, your daddy saw it coming;

he worried about you. How many times

did he have to haul you back from the fields,

kicking and scratching like a she-cat?
AMALIA

And just who was I supposed to

play with—the pigs and the chickens?

Daddy could run a plantation

but he didn’t know the first thing

about raising a daughter. All morning

he’d teach me to calculate inventory,

but he expected his slippers darned come evening!

And when I refused, off I went—

to finishing school and the Charleston society balls.

Lights up on LOUIS, sitting on the bed in his room, head in hands.

LOUIS

Spare change. Spare change!

How they all smirk! I know what they’re thinking.

“Louis sure slipped into a silk-lined purse!”

Takes a swig from a flask in his jacket.

Damn his blasted Hippocratic oath!

Paces, agitated; then stops, an idea dawning.

That’s it! Of course.

Doctor, I’ll save you the trouble.

He rummages in drawers; lights up on AMALIA’s room.