ACT 1, SCENE 3

LOCATIONS SIGNAGE: OXFORD, APRIL 1888 (Esme aged 6) (Ditte aged 40)

All cast are on stage in bright and busy celebration, with much cheering, dancing and toing and froing. Big influx of energy. DITTE and HARRY catch sight of each other, wave.

HARRY: The famous historian, Miss Edith Thompson!

DITTE: Hardly, Harry … One book.

HARRY: It’s so good to see you here.

DITTE: When ‘here’ is beautiful Oxford, with its spires of scholarship? How could I resist? My god, what a seduction this place is!

ALL: (cries) Speech! Speech! Dr Murray! Speech!

MALING: Dr Murray, your audience awaits!

MURRAY steps forward, rather pleased.

MURRAY: Then I must perforce … My friends and colleagues … When Samuel Johnson undertook to compile his dictionary, he resolved to leave no word unexamined. That resolve soon eroded when he realised that one enquiry only gave occasion to another, that book referred to book, that to seek was not always to find, and to find was not always to be informed.

VARIOUS: (in agreement) Holla!

MURRAY: Our task is of course prodigious – that is to say, researching, editing and compiling a definitive dictionary of English words based on historical principles. That is to say, the etymology – and pronunciation! – of all English words as well as quotations to demonstrate their significant modifications of use.

ALL: (cheers)

MURRAY: If I have been more successful – thus far – than Dr Johnson it has been owing to the goodwill and helpful cooperation of many volunteers – I have a long list of such men with which now to acquaint you … (names fading out: Mr W.C. Minor, Mr Frederick Furnivall, Henry Huck Gibbs, FitzEdward Hall, James Dixon, Dr Price, Alfred Erlebach, Charles Doble …)

HARRY and DITTE separate from the rest.

DITTE: Such an occasion!

HARRY: But we have published the first volume, Edith! The letters A and B!

DITTE: And only twenty-four letters to go!

HARRY: Nevertheless, publication is a club to wield against the delegates of the Oxford University Press for more time, so for now our resident genius is, as you can see, relieved!

DITTE: (perceptive) But you …?

HARRY: Oh. I would not say so out loud …

DITTE: No …?

Great burst of hilarity off stage.

HARRY: Sometimes it’s hard not to think our task might be an impossibility.

DITTE: Well. As you didn’t say it, I definitely didn’t hear it.

HARRY: That’s a relief.

DITTE: Not to mention – which I also am not doing –

HARRY: No, I can see you’re not.

DITTE: I knew I could rely on you. Not to mention that to be daunted by an impossibility would be a waste of all our good work, assistants and volunteers alike, male, and incidentally also female, whom I note were elided in Dr Murray’s kind words.

HARRY: Ah. Aye.

DITTE: But we females are used to that, sadly, even from genius outsiders to whom we give our support. Now. Harry! Where is my goddaughter?

HARRY: Esme is either somewhere very secret, making up conversations with invisibilities, or having her hair brushed by Lizzie. I can handle the invisibilities, but the hair is beyond me. I know Lily would have managed it but –

DITTE: Harry …

HARRY: Aye. I’m sorry. My capable girl. My Scottish lass.

DITTE – one beat – then she waves the envelope she has in her hand.

DITTE: Some more slips.

HARRY: (takes the slips) Saving on the post?

Enter ESME, hair half done.

ESME: Ditte!

DITTE: (to HARRY) I so love the way she calls me that! (he nods – total agreement – this child is cute as) Hello, my darling. (to HARRY) Of the slips. There’s a couple there that may well be superfluous to need.

ESME: Da? Ditte?

HARRY: ‘Superfluous to need’ – Extra. Beside/the point.

DITTE: /the point. Not really wanted.

ESME: Not wanted. I see.

DITTE and HARRY are equally impressed with their darling.

DITTE: Now, Esme. I’m all yours.

ESME: Good. Da said I can ask.

DITTE: And?

ESME: Did you bring me a book for my birthday?

DITTE: Do you know – I did!

ESME: It is my number six birthday, Ditte.

DITTE: I know! Fancy them having such a party for your birthday, Esme!

ESME: Dee-terrrr. The party’s not for my birthday. It’s for the letters A and B.

DITTE: I am pretending it’s for your birthday.

ESME: You are very nice to me.

DITTE: Of course. And I always will be.

ESME: What is my number six book?

DITTE: It’s called – The Origin of Species.

HARRY: Perfect reading for a six-year-old.

ESME: Is it?

DITTE: Essential reading for everyone, especially little girls. Your da may need to explain some of it. But I’ll read you the first chapter.

ESME: And tell me the story about Mama Lily and Baby Esme.

DITTE: Always. Every year. The same story.

ESME: Yes, please.

DITTE: Now you must tell me all your news, Esme. Have you been doing interesting things?

ESME: I have been saving treasures, Ditte. I started with one. And now I have … quite a few more!

DITTE: Treasures?

ESME: Oh. Only when they are superfluous to need.