Read this passage from An Inspector Calls by JB Priestley. BIRLING [after a pause, with a touch of impatience]: Well, what is it then? INSPECTOR: I’d like some information, if you don’t mind, Mr Birling. Two hours ago a young woman died in the Infirmary. She’d been taken there this afternoon because she’d swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out, of course. ERIC [involuntarily]: My God! INSPECTOR: Yes, she was in great agony. They did everything they could for her at the Infirmary, but she died. Suicide of course. BIRLING [rather impatiently]: Yes, yes. Horrible... Show more Read this passage from An Inspector Calls by JB Priestley. BIRLING [after a pause, with a touch of impatience]: Well, what is it then? INSPECTOR: I’d like some information, if you don’t mind, Mr Birling. Two hours ago a young woman died in the Infirmary. She’d been taken there this afternoon because she’d swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out, of course. ERIC [involuntarily]: My God! INSPECTOR: Yes, she was in great agony. They did everything they could for her at the Infirmary, but she died. Suicide of course. BIRLING [rather impatiently]: Yes, yes. Horrible business. But I don’t understand why you should come here, Inspector — INSPECTOR [cutting through, massively]: I’ve been round to the room she had, and she’d left a letter there and a sort of diary. Like a lot of these young women who get into various kinds of trouble, she’d used more than one name. But her original name — her real name — was Eva Smith. BIRLING [thoughtfully]: Eva Smith? INSPECTOR: Do you remember her, Mr Birling? BIRLING [slowly]: No — I seem to remember hearing that name — Eva Smith — somewhere. But it doesn’t convey anything to me. And I don’t see where I come into this. INSPECTOR: She was employed in your works at one time. BIRLING: Oh — that’s it, is it? Well, we’ve several hundred young women there, y’know, and they keep changing. INSPECTOR: This young woman, Eva Smith, was a bit out of the ordinary. I found a photograph of her in her lodgings. Perhaps you’d remember her from that. [INSPECTOR takes a photograph, about postcard size, out of his pocket and goes to BIRLING. Both GERALD and ERIC rise to have a look at the photograph, but the INSPECTOR interposes himself between them and the photograph. They are surprised and rather annoyed. BIRLING stares hard, and with recognition, at the photograph, which the INSPECTOR then replaces in his pocket.] GERALD [showing annoyance]: Any particular reason why I shouldn’t see this girl’s photograph, Inspector? INSPECTOR [coolly, looking hard at him]: There might be. ERIC: And the same applies to me, I suppose? INSPECTOR: Yes. GERALD: I can’t imagine what it could be. ERIC: Neither can I. BIRLING: And I must say, I agree with them, Inspector. INSPECTOR: It’s the way I like to go to work. One person and one line of inquiry at a time. Otherwise there’s a muddle. BIRLING: I see. Sensible really. Show less
Read this passage from An Inspector Calls by JB Priestley.
BIRLING [after a pause, with a touch of impatience]: Well, what is it then? INSPECTOR: I’d like some information, if you don’t mind, Mr Birling. Two hours ago a young woman died in the Infirmary. She’d been taken there this afternoon because she’d swallowed a lot of strong disinfectant. Burnt her inside out, of course. ERIC [involuntarily]: My God! INSPECTOR: Yes, she was in great agony. They did everything they could for her at the Infirmary, but she died. Suicide of course. BIRLING [rather impatiently]: Yes, yes. Horrible business. But I don’t understand why you should come here, Inspector — INSPECTOR [cutting through, massively]: I’ve been round to the room she had, and she’d left a letter there and a sort of diary. Like a lot of these young women who get into various kinds of trouble, she’d used more than one name. But her original name — her real name — was Eva Smith. BIRLING [thoughtfully]: Eva Smith? INSPECTOR: Do you remember her, Mr Birling? BIRLING [slowly]: No — I seem to remember hearing that name — Eva Smith — somewhere. But it doesn’t convey anything to me. And I don’t see where I come into this. INSPECTOR: She was employed in your works at one time. BIRLING: Oh — that’s it, is it? Well, we’ve several hundred young women there, y’know, and they keep changing. INSPECTOR: This young woman, Eva Smith, was a bit out of the ordinary. I found a photograph of her in her lodgings. Perhaps you’d remember her from that. [INSPECTOR takes a photograph, about postcard size, out of his pocket and goes to BIRLING. Both GERALD and ERIC rise to have a look at the photograph, but the INSPECTOR interposes himself between them and the photograph. They are surprised and rather annoyed. BIRLING stares hard, and with recognition, at the photograph, which the INSPECTOR then replaces in his pocket.] GERALD [showing annoyance]: Any particular reason why I shouldn’t see this girl’s photograph, Inspector? INSPECTOR [coolly, looking hard at him]: There might be. ERIC: And the same applies to me, I suppose? INSPECTOR: Yes. GERALD: I can’t imagine what it could be. ERIC: Neither can I. BIRLING: And I must say, I agree with them, Inspector. INSPECTOR: It’s the way I like to go to work. One person and one line of inquiry at a time. Otherwise there’s a muddle. BIRLING: I see. Sensible really.
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