4

HELENA: I won’t!
DOMIN: Dr. Gall.
HELENA: No, no, be quiet. I don’t want any of you.
DOMIN: Another two minutes.
HELENA: This is terrible. I think you’d marry any woman who came here.
DOMIN: There have been plenty of them, Helena.
HELENA: Young?
DOMIN: Yes.
HELENA: Why didn’t you marry one of them?
DOMIN: Because I didn’t lose my head. Until today. Then, as soon as you lifted your veil –
HELENA: I know.
DOMIN: Another minute.
HELENA: But I don't want you, I tell you.
DOMIN (laying both hands on her shoulders): Another minute! Either you must say
something fearfully angry to me point–blank, and then I’ll leave you alone, or, or –HELENA: You’re a rude man.
DOMIN: That’s nothing. A man has to be a bit rude. That’s part of the business.
HELENA: You’re mad!
DOMIN: A man has to be a bit mad, Helena. That’s the best thing about him.

HELENA: If you only knew how enormously that –
DOMIN: Interests me. Europe’s talking about nothing else.
HELENA: Why don’t you let me finish speaking?
DOMIN: I beg your pardon. Did you want to say something else?
HELENA: I only wanted to ask –
DOMIN: Whether I could make a special exception in your case and show you our factory. Certainly, Miss Glory.
HELENA: How do you know I wanted to say that?
DOMIN: They all do. (standing up) We shall consider it a special honour to show you more than the rest, because – indeed – I mean –
HELENA: Thank you.
DOMIN: But you must undertake not to divulge the least –
HELENA (standing up and giving him her hand): My word of honour.
DOMIN: Thank you. Won’t you raise your veil?
HELENA: Oh, of course, you want to see me. I beg your pardon.
DOMIN: What is it, please?
HELENA: Would you mind letting my hand go.
DOMIN (releasing it): I beg your pardon.
HELENA (taking off her veil): You want to see whether I’m a spy or not. How cautious you are!

NANA: You’re scared. Nobody can help being scared. Why, the dog’s scared of them, he won’t take a scrap of meat out of their hands. He draws in his tail and howls when he knows they’re about, ugh!
HELENA: The dog has no sense.
NANA: He’s better than them, and he knows it. Even the horse shies when he meets them. They don’t have any young, and a dog has young, every one has young –
HELENA: Please fasten up my dress, Nana.
NANA: Just a moment. I say it’s against God’s will to –
HELENA: What’s that smells so nice?
NANA: Flowers.
HELENA: What for?
NANA: That’s it. Now you can turn around.
HELENA: Aren’t they nice? Look, Nana. What’s on today?
NANA: I don’t know. But it ought to be the end of the world.
Enter DOMIN.
HELENA: Is that you. Harry? Harry, what’s on today?
DOMIN: Guess.
HELENA: My birthday?
DOMIN: Better than that.
HELENA: I don’t know. Tell me.
DOMIN: It’s ten years ago today since you came here.

PRIMUS: What is there?
HELENA: Nothing but a cottage and a garden. And two dogs. If you knew how
they lick my hands, and their puppies, oh, Primus, nothing could lie more beautiful. You take them on your lap and fondle them, and then you think of nothing and care for nothing else until the sun goes down. Then when you get up, you feel as though you had done a hundred times more than much work. It’s true, I am of no use. Every one says that I am not fit for any work. I do not know what I am.
PRIMUS: You are beautiful.
HELENA: I? What do you mean, Primus?
PRIMUS: Believe me, Helena, I am stronger than all the Robots.
HELENA (in front of the mirros): Am I beautiful? Oh, that dreadful hair! If I could only adorn it with something. You know, there in the garden I always put flowers in my hair, but there is no mirror, nor anyone. (Bending down to the mirror). Am I beautiful? Why beautiful? (Sees PRIMUS in the mirror) Primus, is that you? Come here, so that we may be together. Look, your head is different from mine. So are your shoulders and your lips. – Ah, Primus, why do you shun me? Why must I pursue you the whole day? And then you tell me that I am beautiful.
PRIMUS: It is you who avoid me, Helena.
HELENA: How rough hair is. Show me. (Passes both her hands through his hair) Primus, you shall be beautiful. (Takes a comb from the wash.stand and combs his hair over his forehead)
PRIMUS: Do you not sometimes feel your heart beating suddenly, Helena, and think: now something must happen –
HELENA (bursts out laughing): Look at yourself!
ALQUIST (getting up): What, what – laughter? Human beings? Who has returned?
HELENA (dropping the comb): What could happen to us, Primus?

Karel Čapek, R.U.R. - Rossum’s Universal Robots, 1920