Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $9.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Belinda: An April Folly in Three Acts
    Belinda: An April Folly in Three Acts
    Belinda: An April Folly in Three Acts
    Ebook122 pages1 hour

    Belinda: An April Folly in Three Acts

    By A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne

    ()

    Read preview
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArchive Classics
    Release dateJun 1, 2004
    Belinda: An April Folly in Three Acts
    Author

    A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne

    Alan Alexander Milne (18 January 1882 – 31 January 1956) was an English author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work. Milne served in both World Wars, joining the British Army in World War I, and was a captain of the British Home Guard in World War II. (Wikipedia)

    Read more from A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne

    Related to Belinda

    Related ebooks

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Moving Out, Shifting In

      Jan 8, 2024

      Moving Out, Shifting In
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Parting Shot

      May 8, 2020

      The Parting Shot
      5 min read

    • Article

      Lady with A LUTE

      Aug 3, 2022

      Lady with A LUTE
      9 min read

    • Article

      His Lordship’s LAST GAME

      Jan 24, 2024

      His Lordship’s LAST GAME
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Christmas Day Kitten

      Nov 1, 2022

      The Christmas Day Kitten
      5 min read

    • Article

      A happy COINCIDENCE

      Apr 1, 2020

      A happy COINCIDENCE
      3 min read

    • Article

      War Of The WINDOWS

      Nov 8, 2023

      Clack, clack, clack, clack, clack, clack. Sigh. That is the sound of my friend Wendy pacing up and down the wooden floor of our charity shop in her new clogs. Wendy is not what you’d call a short person, unlike me, and clogs give her an extra two inc

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Necklace

      Mar 8, 2021

      A fine silver chain, with a circlet of diamonds. More of a pendant, really. Lydia saw it in one of the glossy magazines left in the reception of the TV channel where they were waiting to pitch. She would never read one of those normally – never had t

      6 min read

    • Article

      Clean SWEEP

      Aug 31, 2022

      Clean SWEEP
      9 min read

    • Article

      Dark DEEDS

      Jan 20, 2021

      Dark DEEDS
      9 min read

    • Article

      Mr Fabulous

      Apr 5, 2022

      Mr Fabulous
      6 min read

    • Article

      Framed

      Oct 18, 2023

      Framed
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Spook House

      May 1, 2024

      The Spook House
      6 min read

    • Article

      The house of HOPES AND DREAMS

      May 15, 2024

      The house of HOPES AND DREAMS
      9 min read

    • Article

      His Lordship’s LAST GAME

      Jan 31, 2024

      His Lordship’s LAST GAME
      9 min read

    • Article

      All on BOARD

      Aug 26, 2020

      All on BOARD
      6 min read

    • Article

      Two Poems

      Jul 1, 2023

      I The teenaged girl is searching for a placethat goes through, the holeto put the tampon inside. When she finds itshe asks her mother, Is this where the penis would go?Yes, her mother explains.Then I will never have sex. II Sweltering New York City.

      5 min read

    • Article

      A Leap In THE DARK

      Feb 1, 2023

      A Leap In THE DARK
      6 min read

    • Article

      Getting Up

      Oct 15, 2022

      Getting Up
      20 min read

    • Article

      If The Hat Fits

      Aug 18, 2020

      If The Hat Fits
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Mr Darcy MYSTERY

      Nov 23, 2022

      The Mr Darcy MYSTERY
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Sapphire Bow

      Oct 12, 2021

      The Sapphire Bow
      6 min read

    • Article

      UNEARTHING the Past

      Jul 8, 2020

      UNEARTHING the Past
      9 min read

    • Article

      Healing

      Apr 8, 2020

      Healing
      9 min read

    • Article

      Groovy!

      Nov 6, 2024

      Groovy!
      9 min read

    • Article

      Dark DEEDS

      Jan 13, 2021

      Dark DEEDS
      9 min read

    • Article

      Running Away

      Feb 22, 2021

      Leaving London behind her, Millie drove faster, picturing thousands of crazed fans in pursuit, desperate for what – a lock of her hair? Or Julian; except after the last gig, somehow she knew he wouldn’t follow. She knew from bitter experience that di

      5 min read

    Reviews for Belinda

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Belinda - A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne

      The Project Gutenberg EBook of Belinda, by A. A. Milne

      This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with

      almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or

      re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included

      with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

      Title: Belinda

      Author: A. A. Milne

      Posting Date: October 26, 2012 [EBook #6992]

      Release Date: November, 2004

      First Posted: February 20, 2003

      Language: English

      *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BELINDA ***

      Produced by Curtis A. Weyant, Stan Goodman, Charles Franks,

      and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team

      Belinda

      An April Folly in Three Acts

      by

      A. A. Milne

      Characters

      Produced by Mr. Dion Boucioault at the New Theatre, London, on April 8, 1918, with the following cast:—

      Belinda Tremayne .......... Irene Vanbrugh.

      Delia (her Daughter) ...... Isabel Elsom.

      Harold Baxter ............. Dion Boucicault.

      Claude Devenish ........... Dennis Neilson-Terry.

      John Tremayne ............. Ben Webster.

      Betty ..................... Anne Walden.

      The action takes place in Belinda's country-house in Devonshire at the end of April, the first act in the garden and the second and last acts in the hall

      [Illustration]

      Belinda

      Act I

      It is a lovely April afternoon–a foretaste of summer–in Belinda's garden.

      Betty, a middle-aged servant, is fastening a hammock–its first appearance this year–to a tree down L. In front there is a garden-table, with a deck-chair on the right of it and a straight-backed one to the left. There are books, papers, and magazines on the table. Belinda, of whom we shall know more presently, is on the other side of the open windows which look on to the garden, talking to Betty, who crosses to R. of hammock, securing it to tree C.

      Belinda (from inside the house). Are you sure you're tying it up tightly enough, Betty?

      Betty (coming to front of hammock). Yes, ma'am; I think it's firm.

      Belinda. Because I'm not the fairy I used to be.

      Betty (testing hammock). Yes, ma'am; it's quite firm this end too.

      Belinda (entering from portico with sunshade open). It's not the ends I'm frightened of; it's the middle where the weight's coming. (Comes down R. and admiring.) It looks very nice. (She crosses at back of wicker table, hanging her hand-bag on hammock. Closes and places her sunshade at back of tree C.)

      Betty. Yes, ma'am.

      Belinda (trying the middle of it with her hand). I asked them at the Stores if they were quite sure it would bear me, and they said it would take anything up to–I forget how many tons. I know I thought it was rather rude of them. (Looking at it anxiously, and trying to get in, first with her right leg and then her left.) How does one get in! So trying to be a sailor!

      Betty. I think you sit in it, ma'am, and then (explaining with her hands) throw your legs over.

      Belinda. I see. (She sits gingerly in the hammock, and then, with a sudden flutter of white, does what Betty suggests.) Yes. (Regretfully.) I'm afraid that was rather wasted on you, Betty. We must have some spectators next time.

      Betty. Yea, ma'am

      Belinda. Cushions.

      (Betty moves to and takes a cushion from deck-chair. Belinda assists her to place it at back of her head. Betty then goes to back of hammock and arranges Belinda's dress.)

      There! Now then, Betty, about callers.

      Betty. Yes, ma'am.

      Belinda. If Mr. Baxter calls–he is the rather prim gentleman—

      Betty. Yea, ma'am; the one who's been here several times before. (Moves to below and L. of hammock.)

      Belinda (giving Betty a quick look). Yes. Well, if he calls, you'll say, Not at home.

      Betty. Yes, ma'am.

      Belinda. He will say (imitating Mr. Baxter), Oh–er–oh–er–really. Then you'll smile very sweetly and say, "I beg your pardon, was it Mr. Baxter? And he'll say, Yes! and you'll say, Oh, I beg your pardon, sir; this way, please."

      Betty. Yes, ma'am.

      Belinda. That's right, Betty. Well now, if Mr. Devenish calls–he is the rather poetical gentleman—

      Betty. Yes, ma'am; the one who's always coming here.

      Belinda (with a pleased smile). Yes. Well, if he calls you'll say, Not at home.

      Betty. Yes, ma'am.

      Belinda. He'll immediately (extending her arms descriptively) throw down his bunch of flowers and dive despairingly into the moat. You'll stop him, just as he is going in, and say, "I beg your pardon, sir, was it Mr. Devenish? And he will say, Yes! and you will say, Oh, I beg your pardon, sir; this way, please."

      Betty. Yes, ma'am. And suppose they both call together?

      Belinda (non-plussed for a moment). We won't suppose anything so exciting, Betty.

      Betty. No, ma'am. And suppose any other gentleman calls?

      Belinda (with a sigh). There aren't any other gentlemen.

      Betty. It might be a clergyman, come to ask for a subscription like.

      Belinda. If it's a clergyman, Betty, I shall–I shall want your assistance out of the hammock first.

      Betty. Yes, ma'am.

      Belinda. That's all.

      (Betty crosses below table and chairs to porch.)

      To anybody else I'm not at home, (Trying to secure book on table and nearly falling out of the hammock.) Oh, just give me that little green book. (Pointing to books on the table.) The one at the bottom there–that's the one. (Betty gives it to her.) Thank you. (Reading the title.) The Lute of Love, by Claude Devenish. (To herself as she turns the pages.) It doesn't seem much for half-a-crown when you think of the Daily Telegraph .... Lute ... Lute .... I should have quite a pretty mouth if I kept on saying that. (With a great deal of expression.) Lute! (She pats her mouth back.)

      Betty. Is that all, ma'am?

      Belinda. That's all. (Betty prepares to go.) Oh, what am I thinking of! (Waving to the table.) I want that review; I think it's the blue one. (As Betty begins to look.) It has an article by Mr. Baxter on the Rise of Lunacy in the Eastern Counties—

      (Betty gives her The Nineteenth Century Magazine.)

      –yes, that's the one. I'd better have that too; I'm just at the most exciting place. You shall have it after me, Betty.

      Betty. Is that all, ma'am?

      Belinda. Yes, that really is all.

      (Betty goes into the house.)

      Belinda (reading to herself very pronouncedly). It is a matter of grave concern to all serious students of social problems– (Putting the review down in hammock and shaking her head gently.) But not in April. (Lazily opening the book and reading.) Tell me where is love–well, that's the question, isn't it? (She lies back in the hammock lazily and the book of poems falls from her to the ground. Delia comes into

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1