Complete Works, Volume III (17 page)

She leans over the edge of the bed and smiles at
LAW
.

LAW
looks at her.

JANE
smiles.

Interior. Room. Day.

STOTT
lifts a painting from the wall, looks at it
.

STOTT
. No.

LAW
. No, you're quite right. I've never liked it.

STOTT
walks across room to a second picture, looks at it
.
He turns to look at
LAW
.

No.

STOTT
takes it down and turns to look at the other paintings
.

All of them. All of them. You're right. They're terrible. Take them down.

The paintings are all similar watercolours
.

STOTT
begins to take them from the walls.

Interior. Kitchen. Day.

JANE
in the kitchen, cooking at the stove, humming
.

Exterior. Backyard. Winter. Day.

The yard is surrounded by high blank walls.

STOTT
and
LAW
sitting at an iron table, with a pole for an umbrella
.

They are drinking lager
.

LAW
. Who is she? Where did you meet her?

STOTT
. She's charming, isn't she?

LAW
. Charming. A little young.

STOTT
. She comes from a rather splendid family, actually.

LAW
. Really?

STOTT
. Rather splendid.

Pause.

LAW
. Very helpful, of course, around the house.

STOTT
. Plays the harp, you know.

LAW
. Well?

STOTT
. Remarkably well.

LAW
. What a pity I don't possess one. You don't possess a harp, do you?

STOTT
. Of course I possess a harp.

LAW
. A recent acquisition?

STOTT
. No, I've had it for years.

Pause.

LAW
. You don't find she's lacking in maturity?

Exterior. Beach. Summer. Day.

LAW
and
JANE
lying in the sand.
JANE
caressing him.

JANE
(
whispering
). Yes, yes, yes, oh you are, oh you are, oh you are . . .

LAW
. We can be seen.

JANE
. Why do you resist? How can you resist?

LAW
. We can be seen! Damn you!

Exterior. Backyard. Winter. Day.

STOTT
and
LAW
at the table with lager
.

JANE
comes to the back door
.

JANE
. Lunch is up!

Interior. Hall. Day.

LAW
and
JANE
come in at the front door with towels over their shoulders
.

Interior. Room. Day. Summer.

LAW
and
JANE
at the entrance of the room, towels over their shoulders, staring at the room.

The room is unrecognizable. The furnishing has changed. There are Scandinavian tables and desks. Large bowls of Swedish glass. Tubular chairs. An Indian rug. Parquet floors, shining. A new hi-fi cabinet, etc. Fireplace blocked. The bed is the same.

STOTT
is at the window, closing the curtains. He turns
.

STOTT
. Have a good swim?

Interior. Room. Night. Winter
. (
Second furnishing
.)

STOTT
and
JANE
in bed, smoking
.
LAW
sitting
.

STOTT
. Let's have some music. We haven't heard your hi-fi for ages. Let's hear your stereo. What are you going to play?

Interior. Bar. Evening.

Large empty bar. All the tables unoccupied.

STOTT
,
LAW
and
JANE
at one table
.

STOTT
. This was one of our old haunts, wasn't it, Tim? This was one of our haunts. Tim was always my greatest friend, you know. Always. It’s marvellous. I've found my old friend again –

Looking at
JANE
.

And discovered a new. And you like each other so much. It's really very warming.

LAW
. Same again? (
To
WAITER
.) Same again. (
To
JANE
.) Same again? (
To
WAITER
.) Same again. The same again, all round. Exactly the same.

STOTT
. I'll change to Campari.

LAW
(
clicking his fingers at the
WAITER
). One Campari here. Otherwise the same again.

STOTT
. Remember those nights reading Proust? Remember them?

LAW
(
to
JANE
). In the original.

STOTT
. The bouts with Laforgue? What bouts.

LAW
. I remember.

STOTT
. The great elms they had then. The great elm trees.

LAW
. And the poplars.

STOTT
. The cricket. The squash courts. You were pretty hot stuff at squash, you know.

LAW
. You were unbeatable.

STOTT
. Your style was deceptive.

LAW
. It still is.

LAW
laughs
.

It still is!

STOTT
. Not any longer.

The
WAITER
serves the drinks
.

Silence.
STOTT
lifts his glass
.

Yes, I really am a happy man.

Exterior. Field. Evening. Winter.

STOTT
and
LAW
.
JANE
one hundred yards across the field. She holds a scarf.

LAW
(
shouting
). Hold the scarf up. When you drop it, we run.

She holds the scarf up
.

LAW
rubs his hands
,
STOTT
looks at him
.

STOTT
. Are you quite sure you want to do this?

LAW
. Of course I'm sure.

JANE
. On your marks!

STOTT
and
LAW
get on their marks
.

Get set!

They get set
.

JANE
drops scarf
.

Go!

LAW
runs
.
STOTT
stays still
.

LAW
,
going fast, turns to look for
STOTT
;
off balance, stumbles, falls, hits his chin on the ground
.

Lying flat, he looks back at
STOTT
.

LAW
. Why didn't you run?

Exterior. Field.

JANE
stands, scarf in her hand. Downfield
,
STOTT
stands.

LAW
lies on the grass
.
LAW’S
voice
:

LAW
. Why didn't you run?

Interior. Room. Night. Winter
. (
Second furnishing
.)

STOTT
. Let's have some music. We haven't heard your hi-fi for ages.

STOTT
opens the curtains and the window.

Moonlight
.
LAW
and
JANE
sit in chairs, clench their bodies with cold
.

Exterior. Backyard. Day. Winter.

STOTT
walking.
LAW
,
wearing a heavy overcoat, collar turned up, watching him
.
LAW
approaches him
.

LAW
. Listen. Listen. I must speak to you. I must speak frankly. Listen. Don't you think it's a bit crowded in that flat, for the three of us?

STOTT
. No, no. Not at all.

LAW
. Listen, listen. Stop walking. Stop walking. Please. Wait.

STOTT
stops.

Listen. Wouldn't you say that the flat is a little small, for three people?

STOTT
(
patting his shoulder
). No, no. Not at all.

STOTT
continues walking
.

LAW
(
following him
). To look at it another way, to look at it another way, I can assure you that the Council would object strenuously to three people living in these conditions. The Town Council, I know for a fact, would feel it incumbent upon itself to register the strongest possible objections. And so would the Church.

STOTT
stops walking, looks at him
.

STOTT
. Not at all. Not at all.

Interior. Room. Day. Summer.

The curtains are closed. The three at lunch, at the table
.
STOTT
and
JANE
are wearing tropical clothes
.
JANE
is sitting on
STOTT’S
lap
.

LAW
. Why don't we open the curtains?

STOTT
eats a grape
.

It's terribly close. Shall I open the window?

STOTT
. What are you going to play? Debussy, I hope.

LAW
goes to the record cabinet. He examines record after record, feverishly, flings them one after the other at the wall
.

STOTT
. Where's Debussy?

STOTT
kisses
JANE
.

Another record hits the wall
.

Where's Debussy? That's what we want. That's what we need. That's what we need at the moment.

JANE
breaks away from
STOTT
and goes out into the yard
.
STOTT
sits still
.

LAW
. I've found it!

Interior. Room. Night. Winter.

LAW
turns with the record
.

The room is furnished as at the beginning.

STOTT
and
JANE
,
naked, climb into bed.

LAW
puts the record down and places his cardigan over the one lit lamp
.

He sits, picks up the poker and pokes the dying fire.

Exterior. Backyard. Day. Summer.

JANE
sitting at the iron table.

STOTT
approaches her with a glass and bottle.

He pours wine into the glass.

He bends over her, attempts to touch her breast.

She moves her body away from him.

STOTT
remains still.

LAW
watches from the open windows.

He moves to the table with the record and smiles at
STOTT
.

LAW
. I've found the record. The music you wanted.

STOTT
slams his glass on the table and goes into the room.

LAW
sits at the table, drinks from the bottle, regards
JANE
.

JANE
plays with a curl in her hair
.

Interior. Cave by the sea. Evening. Summer.

LAW
and
JANE
.
He lying, she sitting, by him.

She bends and whispers to him.

JANE
. Why don't you tell him to go? We had such a lovely home. We had such a cosy home. It was so warm. Tell him to go. It's your place. Then we could be happy again. Like we used to. Like we used to. In our first blush of love. Then we could be happy again, like we used to. We could be happy again. Like we used to.

Exterior. Backyard. Night. Winter.

The yard is icy. The window is open. The room is lit.

LAW
is whispering to
STOTT
at the window. In the background
JANE
sits sewing.
(
Second furnishing
.)

Exterior. Backyard. Window.

LAW
and
STOTT
at the open window
,
STOTT’S
body hunched
.

LAW
(
whispering very deliberately
). She betrays you. She betrays you. She has no loyalty. After all you've done for her. Shown her the world. Given her faith. You've been deluded. She's a savage. A viper. She sullies this room. She dirties this room. All this beautiful furniture. This beautiful Scandinavian furniture. She dirties it. She sullies the room.

STOTT
turns slowly to regard
JANE
.