Act 1; Scene 4

Laurie: I’m so sorry but you have just missed my grandfather. He’s gone into town

Has he? That is dissapointing. You must excuse me then. So sorry to disturb you—

Laurie: No…please! You mustn’t go.

I only came to thank Mr. Laurence for the-/

Laurie: Come in! We never get visitors, you see, and I— You’re Josephine, aren’t you.

Why, yes. I mean no. I’m only Jo. You see, Mr. Laurence, I only came—

Laurie: I’m not Mr. Laurence. I’m only Laurie

Laurie Laurence? What an odd name!

Laurie: No. My first name is Theodore but I don’t like it because the fellows at school called me Dora for short. So I made them say Laurie instead.

I hate my name to. Josephine! So sentimental!I wish everyone would say Jo instead. How’d you make the boys stop calling you Dora?

Laurie: I thrashed them.

Oh. Well, I can’t very well thrash Aunt March so I suppose I shall have to bear it. This room is capital! Just capital! Boy, what I could do with a room like this!

Laurie: You mean for one of your plays?

How do you know about that?

Laurie: Oh…well.. You see, I am very much alone hereGrandfather likes his books and his quiet and—I get awfully bored, you understand, and so—Oh! Sometimes you forget to put down the curtains at the sitting room and I’ve seen you rehearse.

You have!

Laurie: How I wish I could have seen the performance last night. But there were some ladies blocking the view— I am sorry.

Don’t be sorry.

Laurie: You see, sometimes when the lamps are lit, it’s like looking at a picture to see the fire and you all gathered around your mother and I can’t help watching it. I haven’t a mother, you know…

And that’s why you’ve come to live with your grandfather?

Laurie: Grandfather took me out of school last fall and brought me here to be tutored privately. Grandfather doesn’t hold much store in school and such. So here I am.

It must be dull as blazes all alone in a big old house like this— Oh! Excuse my slang.

Laurie: That’s quite alright.

Christopher Columbus! I’d I’d known you were interested, I would have let you play Roderigo! You would have been smashing.

Laurie: I’d have done my best. I played MacDuff in school once.

You did? Did they have a trap door?

Laurie: (grabbing fire iron) “Then yield thee, coward

And live to be the show and gaze ‘o the time!”

“Yet I will try the last. Before my body.

I throw my war-like shield. Lay on, MacDuff

Laurie: Would this do for your Roderigo?

Capital! (get stabbed and fall)

I tell you, Mr. Laurence—

Laurie: Ah…!

Laurie. We’ll never draw that curtain any more and I give you leave to look as much as you like. Better yet, come over and join us. We are neighbors, aren’t we? Not strangers.

Laurie: Yes. But…

Oh. Your grandfather.Yes, he does seem a frightful old bird. But I’m sure I shouldn’t be afraid of him. His mouth is grim, true, but his eyes are kind hearted. He isn’t as handsome as my grandfather was but I think I like him all the same.

Mr. Laurence: So you’re not afraid of me, hey?

(afraid) Not much, sir…

Mr. Laurence: And you don’t think me as handsome as your grandfather.

Not quite, sir…

Me. Laurence: And my mouth is grim?

Well, I…

Mr. Laurence: But you like me in spite of it?

Yes, I do…sir.

Mr. Laurence: You’ve got your grandfather’s spirit, even if I haven’t his face. He was a fine man, my dear. What is better was a brave and honest one and I was proud to be his friend.

Thank you, sir

Mr Laurence; But what have you been doing with this boy of mine, hey?

Only trying to be neighborly, sir.

Mr. Laurence: Something I am somewhat lacking in, you might say.

Oh, no! In fact, I came to thank you for the splendid Christmas present you sent us yesterday.

Laurie: Oh, thank you, grandfather!

Do you mean it, sir?