Cirrus@Austlit

Alleyne Manning has won the lottery. After decades of hard office work, she can finally afford a tasteful apartment filled with furnishings, which are as dear to her as her new financial security. She plans to spend her days relaxing, playing bridge, and indulging in her comfortable life. However, she is already beginning to feel a little bored. Alleyne’s curt friends barely have a chance to criticise her situation before Lise Farra, an English ballerina, appears on Alleyne’s sundeck—stranded and seeking a way home.

The two fall immediately into sympathy with one another, and many months pass while they enjoy time together. Their relationship is marked by ongoing arguments—Lise is intense and tenacious, and often dissatisfied. Alleyne believes women ought to find companionship in men, and urges Lise to follow suit. Throughout the ensuing drama the two women find themselves drawn back to one another, time after time. Alleyne must eventually decide between the life and the man she had hoped for, and the gripping appeal of a life with Lise.

Characters

ALLEYNE MANNING An unmarried woman of 45

ISABEL BROWN

CONNIE PERCEVAL Friends of Alleyne’s and about the same age

ROBERT PERCEVAL Connie’s husband

Members of a touring European ballet company:

LISE FARRA Aged 18

GABRIEL MAURICE 30

NATASHA

VERA OBELESKA

SERGE Vera's husband