Scene 3. March 25^th, 1871

The stage opens in a church, St. Mary’s in Worthing, Sussex, with the main feature being the baptismal font. There is a stained glass window effect at the back of the stage, and a side altar, stage right,with a cross on it. Lying on the altar are two candles, a sea shell, two white cloths, some pieces of paper and a quill pen and bottle of ink. There are two already lit candles on each side of the altar. The Ghostly Burgess girls have already arrived and are circling the font, but giving a bit of distance for the action which will be taking place later.

Other characters in this scene:

George Burgess Bennett (Born 1815, aged 56 - son of Ann Botting Bennett - and therefore grandson of Jane Burgess the ghost. Smartly dressed for a successful businessman - as he is a grocer and house agent. Worthing by this time is quite a seaside resort, so he has done well.

Rebecca King (Born 1833, aged 38 - daughter of Sarah King, and the granddaughter of the Ghost Sarah Burgess) Rebecca and George are cousins. Smartly dressed in the fashion of the time and looking pretty.

Mary Ann Johnstone, nurse, aged 25, holding baby Winifred Mary (Born 1870 - 7 months old, dressed in white gown, wrapped in shawl). Dressed in Nurses’ uniform.

Lucy Duffield, aged 17, holding the hand of James Robinson Burgess (Born 1869) 18 months old, also dressed in white outfit - more appropriate to a girl than a boy.

Percy, aged 5, Sailor suit.

George King, aged 4, identical sailor suit

Kathleen, Aged 3, ruffly fancy dress

Rev. Charles Ough, minister in Church of England, although not of this parish, dressed in clerical black.

Thomas Bayfield, Photographer, dressed in working suit, but there for business, rather than pleasure.

As the scene opens, the Ghosts are whispering (as it is in church)

Rev. Ough: Let me see, is there water in the font? (He checks) Yes there is. Is there two candles on the altar nearby? (He checks) Yes, there are. Do I have the white cloths for each of the children? (Again checks) Yes I do. I am ready. Ah, here they are now. How nice to see you. Please come in and gather round the font.

George: Hello, Charles, or I suppose I should call you Rev. Ough since we are here on official business. (shaking hands) It has been ages since I saw you, but I am so pleased that you were able to come and help us out with this christening business. How fortunate that you were on holiday here by the seaside, and that the Church allowed you to do it on their premises.

Rev. Ough: Well, I have taken some services and preached many sermons while I have been here, so they do not consider me a stranger. But we must get on with the business. We can chat later.

George: I don’t believe you have met my wife, have you? This is Rebecca. And these are our older children, Percy, five, George, four, and Kathleen three. They have already been done. And these are the two candidates, Winifred, who is just seven months, and her nurse, Miss Johnstone, and little James Robinson, who is only a year and a half and our other nurse, Miss Duffield. We didn’t have time to have him done with the next baby on the way so quickly - so now we get two for the price of one, heh?

Rev. Ough:( laughing) Spoken like the business man that I know you are. Now who are to be the godparents?

George: Oh, various relatives, but we can just use the nurses as proxies for today, can’t we?

Rev. Ough: Well, yes, but I shall require the true godparents names for the register. Have you asked their permission, and were they willing to take on the tasks? It is not something to take lightly, you know.

Rebecca: Certainly we have asked their permission, and I’ll have you know that one of them is your estranged wife, Jane. She didn’t want to come today, for obvious reasons. But we will provide all the details for the forms when the service is over.

George: No need to get uppity about it, Rebecca. Let’s try to keep friends through this. After all, Charles is a boyhood friend of mine as well as my ex-brother-in-law.

Rev. Ough: Yes, well, enough said. Let’s get on then. I’ll just find the place in my book. (He finds the right page and starts muttering the prayer.)
 
Rev. Ough: Dear God, we have come together today to gather these little ones into your fold.

(He indicates that the nurses should bring the children forward.) 

He goes to the altar, takes the two candles, lights them from the already lit on one the altar, and awkwardly gives them to the nurses to  hold. George, the little four year old, is fascinated by the candles, and tries to get ahold the candle himself from Lucy Duffield, but he is roughly pulled back by his father.

Rebecca: (whispering) Behave, George, or you won't get an ice cream.

Rev. Ough: Receive these candles as a sign of Christ, the light of the world.

(The candles are now blown out and given to Rebecca.)

Rev. Ough: Now the proxy godparents need to make the promises on behalf of the real godparents. (They look a bit anxious, but he goes on. )You only have to say "I do" at the right time. Do you promise to give up the devil and all his works? (the older boys giggle)

Mary Ann and Lucy: I do

Rev. Ough: Do you promise to bring up this child in the true faith of Jesus Christ?

Mary Ann and Lucy: I do

(Rev. Ough signals for Winifred to be brought to the font, and he takes the seashell from the altar, and pours a minute amount of water over her head. She is sleeping throughout.)

Rev. Ough: I baptise you Winifred Mary in the name of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Mary: Oh, they used my name for her second name.

Sarah: It is a very common name, you know.

(Now it is the turn of the little boy, and the nurse holds him up over the font, and Rev. Ough takes a shell full of water and pours it over his forehead. James laughs and rubs the water into his hair.)

James: More, more.

Rev. Ough: I baptise you James Robinson in the name of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

(Rev. Ough then takes the two white cloths and presents them to the sponsors. )

Rev. Ough: Receive these white cloths as a sign of the purity of the souls of these newly baptised children of God.

They all sort of stand nervously wondering what is going to happen next.

Rev. Ough: That's it. Now it's just the forms to sign. (He picks up the papers and a pen also from the altar, and indicates where each of the proxy godparents should sign. Lucy hands the baby to Rebecca and goes up to the altar to sign. Then she offers the pen to Mary Ann. )

Mary Ann: I don't be able to write.

Rev. Ough: That's all right. I will add your name in later, just put an x on the spot there. (He points out the place. She goes up, still holding the hand of James,  and quickly makes an x. )

Rebecca then hands the baby back to Lucy, and goes up to the altar and writes in the names of the real godparents.  While this is happening a young man with heavy awkward camera equipment appears on stage left.

Thomas Bayfield: Is this the Bennett Christening?

George: Yes, it is. Are you the photographer?

(He sets up his equipment on stage right, talking while he is doing it.)

Thomas Bayfield: Yes, and I haven’t got much time. Lots of photos to take at the moment, so if I could just have the parents with the children near the font - and then the older children just in front, and you Vicar, if you could go behind. That’s fine. Now this will take a few minutes, so there is no point in telling you to smile. I just put my head under the black cloth here, and with a bit of luck, and hoping that the church lighting will be sufficient, that should do the trick.

A few minutes of awkward posing, with nobody saying anything.

Thomas: I think that will do it.

He shakes hands with George. Then he picks up his equipment.

Thomas Bayfield: I’ll send you the proofs and my bill as soon as the picture is developed.

He rushes off, and the others collect themselves together, and walk out of church, talking amongst themselves.

(They smile and bow their heads to say a prayer for their new grandchildren - and the curtain closes.)

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