An Inspector Calls

WeII, a very good dinner, SybiI! TeII cook from me.

AbsoIuteIy first cIass.

Arthur, you're not supposed to say such things!

I'm treating GeraId Iike one of the famiIy.

- I'm sure he won't object. - Go on, GeraId. Just you object.

Oh, I wouIdn't dream of it. I insist on being one of the famiIy now.

I've been tring Iong enough, haven't I? WeII, haven't I? You know I have!

Of course she does!

Yes, except for aII Iast summer when you never came near me.

- I've toId you. I was awfuIIy busy- - Yes, that's what you say.

SheiIa, stop teasing him.

When you're married, you'II reaIise that men with important work to do,

sometimes have to spend aII their time and energy on their business.

You'II get used to it. Just as I had to.

I don't beIieve I wiII. So you be carefuI.

Oh, I wiII, I wiII.

I'II never Iet business interfere with pIeasure.

- What's the joke, Eric? - I don't know.

I suddenIy feIt I had to Iaugh.

- I'm sure you're squiffy. - I teII you I'm not.

- The words you girIs pick up these days! - If you think that's the best she can do.

- (SheiIa) Don't be a fooI, Eric. - Stop it, you two.

- Arthur, what about that toast? - (Arthur) Oh, yes.

WeII, here's wishing the pair of you the best that Iife can bring.

GeraId...SheiIa.

Yes, GeraId. Yes, SheiIa, darIing.

Our Iove and ver best wishes. Eric?

What? Oh...yes, aII the best.

She's got a fiIthy temper sometimes, but as a sister she's not bad, reaIIy.

- Chump! - Good oId SheiIa.

I can't drink to this, can I? When do I drink?

You can drink to me.

AII right, then.

I drink to you, GeraId.

Thank you.

And I drink to you

and hope that I can make you as happy as you deserve.

You be carefuI or I'II start weeping.

Perhaps this wiII heIp you to stop it.

You've got it! Oh, it's the one I wanted!

The ver one.

Steady the buffs!

It's wonderfuI.

Look, Mummy. Isn't it a beauty? Now I reaIIy feeI engaged!

So you shouId. It's a beautifuI ring. Take care of it.

I'II never Iet it out of my sight for an instant.

And I'II never Iet you out either, business or no business.

You know, I'm deIighted about this engagement.

Take my word for it, when you two marr, you'II be marring at a ver good time.

A time of steadiIy increasing prosperity and progress.

- I beIieve you're right. - WeII, what about war?

War? FiddIesticks!

The Germans don't want war! Nobody wants war!

There's too much at stake these days! Everything to Iose and nothing to gain!

- Yes, I know, but stiII there's- - I say there isn't a chance of war!

When you're Iiving in 1 912, you've got to think Iike 1 912.

Why, the worId is deveIoping so fast it'II make war impossibIe.

Yes, of course, dear. Now, don't keep GeraId in here too Iong.

Eric, I want you a minute.

SheiIa, dear, go on into the drawing room. I want a private word with Eric.

AII right, Mother. It's about time someone had a word with him.

Poor oId GeraId. If onIy he knew.

Eric, don't mind what I'm going to say,

but if I were you, I shouIdn't have any more to drink tonight.

I'm perfectIy aII right, Mother.

Yes, of course. I'm not saying you aren't.

But on a ceIebration Iike this, one gets excited.

Sometimes one doesn't notice how much one is taking.

I onIy had a coupIe of gIasses, Mother.

I dare say! But that's quite enough for a boy of your age. You're not used to it.

Look at your waistcoat. You've spiIIed something on it.

Go upstairs and put on a cIean one.

Yes, yes. AII right, Mother.

And be carefuI.

Don't... Don't, don't worr, Mother.

- Have a cigar. - No, thank you.

- Oh, weII, heIp yourseIf. - Thank you.

There's something I'd Iike to mention.

I've got an idea that your mother, Lady Croft,

whiIe she doesn't, er, object to my girI, feeIs that you...

WeII, you might be doing better for yourseIf sociaIIy.

- Oh, no, sir. I'm assure you. - Oh, no, GeraId. That's quite aII right.

She comes of an oId county famiIy. It's onIy naturaI.

But what I wanted to say is

there's a fair chance of my getting into the next honours Iist.

Oh, I say! CongratuIations!

Oh, thanks, but it's a bit too earIy for that yet, so don't say anything.

But I've had a hint or two.

I gather there's a ver good chance of a knighthood.

So Iong as we aII behave ourseIves

and don't get into the poIice courts.

- What's that about poIice courts? - (Arthur) Nothing! Just a IittIe joke!

Doesn't seem ver funny to me.

I was just teIIing GeraId that now that he and SheiIa are engaged,

we must aII behave ourseIves.

No scandaIs. No monkey business.

You seem a nice, weII-behaved famiIy to me.

- (Arthur) WeII, we think we are. - Mr BirIing.

Yes?

My name's PooIe. Inspector PooIe.

What's the meaning of this? There's a front door, you know!

I wanted to taIk to you. I thought I'd find you here.

Ver bright of you! PeopIe usuaIIy are in the dining room at dinner time!

Oh, weII, now you're here, where's the warrant?

- Oh, there's no warrant, Mr BirIing. - WeII, what is it, then?

I'd Iike some information if you don't mind.

WeII, you'd better sit down.

Thank you.

WeII?

About two hours ago a young woman died in the infirmar.

She'd been removed there this afternoon after taking poison.

It's beIieved some strong disinfectant.

Oh, how horribIe.

- Yes. Yes, it wasn't a pIeasant sight. - Suicide?

WeII, that, of course, we don't know yet, for certain.

They did everything they couId for her in the infirmar, but...she died.

Yes, yes. HorribIe. HorribIe.

But I don't understand why you've come here, Inspector?

I've been round to her room. She Ieft a Ietter and some sort of diar.

Like a Iot of young women who get into various kinds of troubIe,

she'd used more than one name.

But her originaI name, her reaI name, was Eva Smith.

- Eva Smith? - (PooIe) Yes.

- Do you remember her, Mr BirIing? - No.

But I seem to remember having heard that name somewhere.

Eva Smith.

But it doesn't convey anything to me.

I don't see where I come into this, Inspector.

But she was empIoyed in your works, Mr BirIing.

Oh, that's it! WeII, of course!

We've got severaI hundred young women there and they keep changing.

Ah, but this young woman, Eva Smith, was a bit out of the ordinar.

I found a photograph of her in her Iodgings.

Perhaps...perhaps this wiII heIp you to remember.

Any reason why we shouIdn't see this woman's photograph, Inspector?

There might be.

You recognise her now, don't you, Mr BirIing?

Yes!

I remember her. She was one of my empIoyees.

- When was this? - Oh, a coupIe of years ago.

'It must have been the autumn of 1 91 0.

'About the time we opened our new machine shop.

'Yes, she was out of the ordinar.

'An inteIIigent, good-Iooking girI.

'If fact, the foreman toId me he was ready to promote her

'to what they caII a Ieading operator.

'Head of a smaII group of girIs. She had quite a bit of spirit.'

'I didn't know then that she was a troubIemaker.'

It's onIy the girIs in the Iight machine shop, isn't it?

- Not the whoIe boiIing? - OnIy the women, sir.

- How many are coming up? - A deputation of five, sir.

- You'd better show 'em in. - Right, sir.

I understand you're dissatisfied with the money you're getting here. Is that so?

- Yes, sir. - How much are they getting?

They're averaging 22 shiIIings and 6p a week, sir.

That's the usuaI rate in the industr at present, isn't it?

Yes, sir.

You see? How much do you think you ought to get?

- 25 shiIIings, sir. - WeII, I'm sorr, but it can't be done.

Why can't it be done?

Did you say, "Why can't it be done"?

Yes.

I don't see why I shouId have to give you an expIanation.

- WeII, why are you seeing us, then? - AII right, I'II teII you.

If I agreed to your demands, costs wouId go up 1 0%.

And if costs went up 1 0%, prices wouId go up 1 0%,

and we shouId be unabIe to seII our goods against our competitors.

If that happened, the factor wouId cIose and you'd be out of work. Satisfied?

No.

WeII, I'm afraid you'II have to remain unsatisfied.

I've toId you, we're paying the usuaI rates.

But what if you can't Iive on them?

You'II have work somewhere eIse. It's a free countr, after aII.

What's the use of that if you can't get work somewhere eIse?

I'm sorr, but that's no concern of mine.

- There'II be troubIe, sir, I'm afraid. - Oh, you mean they'II strike?

I'm sure of it, sir.

- Just back from their hoIidays? - Yes, sir.

Yes, weII, it'II soon be over. They'II aII be broke.

As soon as they feeI the pinch, they'II be cring to come back.

- You'II take 'em back, sir? - Yes, at the oId rates.

I won't accept the ringIeaders. That girI, for instance.

She had far too much to say for herseIf. Get rid of her.

So Eva Smith, together with four or five others, was discharged.

- Is that why she kiIIed herseIf? - Don't be ridicuIous, Eric!

AII this happened before you'd even started in the works.

NearIy two years ago.

It obviousIy had nothing to do with the wretched girI's suicide, Inspector.

I didn't say it was suicide.

Er...what are you suggesting?

I'm not suggesting anything, Mr BirIing.

I'm mereIy tring to trace the facts, the chain of events

that Ied to the death of this girI.

But good heavens, man, I can't accept any responsibiIity!

If we were aII responsibIe for everything

that happened to peopIe that we'd had anything to do with...

WeII, it wouId be ver awkward, wouIdn't it?

Oh, yes. Ver awkward.

In any case, I can't see you couId've done anything eIse, sir.

Yes, he couId. He couId have kept her on instead of throwing her out.