THE BLIND SPOT

A Comedy in One Act

by Burton Bumgarner

Adapted from the story

by H.H. Munro (Saki)

Performance Rights

It is an infringement of the federal copyright law to copy this script

in any way or to perform this play without royalty payment. All
rights are controlled by Eldridge Publishing Co., Inc. Contact the
publisher for additional scripts and further licensing information.
On all programs and advertising the author’s name must appear
as well as this notice: “Produced by special arrangement with
Eldridge Publishing Company.”
PUBLISHED BY

ELDRIDGE PUBLISHING COMPANY

www.histage.com
© 2000 by Burton Bumgarner

Download your complete script from Eldridge Publishing

http://www.histage.com/playdetails.asp?PID=1140
 The Blind Spot
-2-

STORY OF THE PLAY

At his Kennebunkport estate, Uncle Lulworth eagerly

awaits the next meal from his exceptional, but foul-tempered
cook, Mrs. Sebastian. His niece, Ellen, visits him on the day
of their Aunt Adelaide’s funeral. As executor of their aunt’s
estate, Ellen has run across a series of letters between Aunt
Adelaide and Uncle Peter, another relative who died years
earlier under mysterious circumstances.
As Uncle Lulworth reads through the letters, a portrait of a
despicable human being emerges. Uncle Peter’s life was
one of fraud and deceit, abusing his family, and cheating the
church and the nation. Aunt Adelaide was his only confidant,
and he corresponded with her throughout his life. She
began losing her memory early on, and never reported to the
rest of the family anything Uncle Peter told her.
Through re-enactments we learn that perhaps Uncle Peter
was killed by someone he knew, perhaps even someone
close to Uncle Lulworth and Ellen!
While this adaptation has been embellished from the
original, all the humor, irony and wit is still retained which
makes it so appealing.

Running Time:

35 minutes
 The Blind Spot
-3-

CAST OF CHARACTERS
(5 female, 6 male, 1 flexible. Doubling possible.)

MRS. SEBASTIAN: A cook.

UNCLE LULWORTH: A wealthy New Englander.

ELLEN: Lulworth’s niece.

UNCLE PETER: Uncle to Lulworth, great-uncle to Ellen.

PENELOPE: Peter’s sister.

PAULINE: Peter’s sister.

JOSEPH: Lulworth’s father.

REV. WATKINS: The local minister.

A RUSSIAN SPY: Male or female (written as male).

AN INJURED SOLDIER: Male.

ANOTHER SOLDIER: Male.

AGATHA: Peter’s wife.

 The Blind Spot
-4-

SETTING

The Blind Spot is set in a parlor of the Lulworth estate on

the southern coast of Maine. There are two comfortable
period chairs, an end table, and a desk USR. There is also
a coat rack near the desk where a trench coat hangs, and a
watering can near the desk. DSL, or on the apron, are two
period chairs and an end table, where Mr. Lulworth and his
niece will have their conversation. On the end table is a pair
of reading glasses.

This will also serve as Peter’s home, many years earlier.

The time is the present, and the past.

PROPS

Newspaper (Lulworth)
Tray with hors d’oeuvres (crackers and paté)
Bundle of letters (Ellen)
Papers and pen (pre-set on desk)
Reading glasses (Lulworth)
Coins (Sisters)
School book (pre-set in desk)
Piece of cake on a plate (Penelope)
Pot of coffee with 2 cups (Ellen and Lulworth)
2 trays with 2 coffee cups each (Mrs. Sebastian)
Envelope (pre-set in desk)
2 plates with coffee cake (Mrs. Sebastian)
Army medal (on Soldier 1)
Stack of books (pre-set on desk)
Sack of money (Spy)
Watering can (pre-set behind desk)
Mallet (Mrs. Sebastian)
 The Blind Spot
-5-

The Blind Spot

(AT RISE: MR. LULWORTH is seated in a chair near the

desk reading his afternoon newspaper. MRS. SEBASTIAN
enters with a tray of hors d’oeuvres and places it on an end
table beside the chair. Mr. Lulworth looks at her with
gratitude. She scowls, then exits. He samples a cracker
with paté. He registers absolute delight at the paté. He eats
another cracker. Mrs. Sebastian enters and stands to his
left. ELLEN, unseen by Lulworth, enters and stands to his
right. She holds a bundle of letters in her hand.)

SEBASTIAN: (With disdain.) Your niece is here.

LULWORTH: My niece? What niece?
SEBASTIAN: Miss Tarkington.
LULWORTH: Oh, her. Tell her I’m ill, Mrs. Sebastian.
Typhoid fever or something like that.
SEBASTIAN: (Looking at ELLEN.) I don’t think she’ll go for
it.
LULWORTH: Don’t think so, huh? How about out of town ...
or better yet, out of the country. That’s it! I’m out of the
country. France, maybe. Perhaps Italy. No, she knows
I’d never go there. Make it the northern coast of Africa!
That should keep me away for a while.
SEBASTIAN: (Sarcastic.) She’s far too clever for that.
LULWORTH: Do you really think so? She never struck me
as being clever at all. (ELLEN folds her arms in disgust.)
A simple child, really. Comes from her father’s side of the
family. We begged her mother not to marry the man. But
the woman was so ... plain. I suppose she was fortunate
to marry anyone at all.
SEBASTIAN: I wouldn’t know about that, sir.
LULWORTH: Trust me. Her mother was as plain as a stick,
and her father was as simple as a farmhand. It was all
Kennebunkport could talk about ... until that OTHER
incident. You know what I mean, Mrs. Sebastian.
SEBASTIAN: If you say so.
 The Blind Spot
-6-

LULWORTH: Trust me, the marriage was a humiliation.

The loving couple ... plain, slow, and dull. Quite below the
social standards of our lovely region of Maine. It only
stands to reason that the offspring should also be plain,
slow and dull. Why not use your imagination, Mrs.
Sebastian. You think of an excuse to turn her away. I
know any pretense, no matter how unlikely, will work.
ELLEN: I wouldn’t be so sure! (LULWORTH is startled.)
LULWORTH: Why, Ellen. What a surprise.
ELLEN: Apparently an unpleasant one.
LULWORTH: (Embarrassed, stands and embraces ELLEN.)
Not at all. Not at all. Sit down. Have some of this
wonderful pate Mrs. Sebastian made. This is absolutely
the most heavenly pate you will ever taste. (To MRS.
SEBASTIAN.) That will be all, Mrs. Sebastian ... I mean, if
it’s all right with you.
SEBASTIAN: (Snippy.) Dinner at 7 o’clock.
LULWORTH: Can’t it be earlier?
SEBASTIAN: No. (MRS. SEBASTIAN exits. ELLEN pulls
up a chair and sits beside LULWORTH.)
ELLEN: So, my mother was plain as a stick, was she? And
my father simple as a farmhand? And it stands to reason
that I am simple enough to believe any excuse your cook
chooses to create?
LULWORTH: I DO hope you take my personal comments in
the spirit in which they were given.
ELLEN: And that spirit is ...?
LULWORTH: (Thinks.) It was for the benefit of Mrs.
Sebastian. A common woman who enjoys an occasional
bit of gossip to spread among her fellow servants
whenever they get together in the village.
ELLEN: (Sarcastic.) I’m sure my mother, were she living,
would be most understanding about her plainness and my
father’s simplicity being exploited by your cook. Mother
always spoke so fondly of you ... in indirect terms.
LULWORTH: (Not getting it.) Well, good. I’m glad that’s
understood. You know, Mrs. Sebastian really has a foul
disposition. The other day she nearly killed the gardener’s
boy for misreading her writing when he went to market.
 The Blind Spot
-7-

LULWORTH: (Continued.) He brought home a pound of

squid instead of a pound of squash. Mrs. Sebastian took
after him with a pick ax. The poor boy is recovering nicely.
Should be back on that riding lawn mower in no time. So,
what brings you out this afternoon?
ELLEN: I’ve just come from Aunt Adelaide’s funeral.
LULWORTH: Oh, dear. That was today, wasn’t it.
ELLEN: Yes. And the family was surprised by your
absence.
LULWORTH: Well, I’m afraid my relationship with dear Aunt
Adelaide did not always run a smooth course.
ELLEN: Much like your relationship with the rest of the
family, no doubt.
LULWORTH: (Not getting it.) I’m glad you understand.
ELLEN: But to miss her funeral?
LULWORTH: Yes, well. See ... the fact is ... I WAS
planning on a trip to the northern coast of Africa, and ...
well ... the trip was canceled, but I failed to remove it from
my calendar; and when I awoke this morning, I looked at
my calendar, as I always do, and when I heard the sound
of the waves breaking on the rocks I mistook it for the
sounds of the market in Casablanca.
ELLEN: You did not! You missed Aunt Adelaide’s funeral
on purpose!
LULWORTH: Well, that too. I suppose it was like most
other funerals.
ELLEN: I’ll be happy to tell you about it.
LULWORTH: It should wait until after dinner. Why don’t you
stay? Mrs. Sebastian is preparing her famous roast beef
with rosemary potatoes. Oh, and her borscht is absolutely
wonderful! You’ve never tasted borscht until you’ve tasted
Mrs. Sebastian’s borscht.
ELLEN: I’m not interested in roast beef, rosemary potatoes
or borscht.
LULWORTH: Why, you don’t know what you’re missing!
ELLEN: I am missing a dinner prepared by your foul-
tempered cook. You know, Uncle Lulworth, your love of
food is quite famous.
LULWORTH: And how is that?
 End of Freeview

Download your complete script from Eldridge Publishing

http://www.histage.com/playdetails.asp?PID=1140

Eldridge Publishing, a leading drama play publisher since

1906, offers more than a thousand full-length plays, one-act
plays, melodramas, holiday plays, religious plays, children's
theatre plays and musicals of all kinds.

For more than a hundred years, our family-owned business

has had the privilege of publishing some of the finest
playwrights, allowing their work to come alive on stages worldwide.

We look forward to being a part of your next theatrical production.

Eldridge Publishing... for the start of your theatre experience!