Complete Works, Volume III (18 page)

Interior. Room. Day.

The curtains are closed.

STOTT
in bed
.
JANE
bending over him, touching his head
.

She looks across at
LAW
.

Silence
. (
Second furnishing
.)

LAW
. Is he breathing?

JANE
. Just.

LAW
. His last, do you think?

Pause.

Do you think it could be his last?

JANE
. It could be.

LAW
. How could it have happened? He seemed so fit. He was fit. As fit as a fiddle. Perhaps we should have called a doctor. And now he's dying. Are you heartbroken?

JANE
. Yes.

LAW
. So am I.

Pause.

JANE
. What shall we do with the body?

LAW
. Body? He's not dead yet. Perhaps he'll recover.

They stare at each other.

Interior. Room. Night.

LAW
and
JANE
in a corner, snuffling each other like animals.

Interior. Room. Night.

STOTT
at the window. He opens the curtains. Moonlight pierces the room. He looks round
.

Interior. Room. Night.

LAW
and
JANE
in a corner, looking up at the window, blinking
.

Interior. Room. Day.

STOTT
at the window, closing the curtains. He turns into the room. The room is unrecognizable. The walls are hung with tapestries, an oval Florentine mirror, an oblong Italian Master. The floor is marble tiles. There are marble pillars with hanging plants, carved golden chairs, a rich carpet along the room's centre.
STOTT
sits in a chair.
JANE
comes forward with a bowl of fruit.
STOTT
chooses a grape. In the background
LAW
,
in a corner, playing the flute.
STOTT
bites into the grape, tosses the bowl of fruit across the room. The fruit scatters,
JANE
rushes to collect it.
STOTT
picks up a tray containing large marbles. He rolls the tray. The marbles knock against each other. He selects a marble. He looks across the room at
LAW
playing the flute.

LAW
with flute.

At the other end of the room
STOTT
prepares to bowl
.

STOTT
. Play!

STOTT
bowls.

The marble crashes into the wall behind
LAW
.

LAW
stands, takes guard with his flute
.

STOTT
. Play!

STOTT
bowls
.

The marble crashes into the window behind
LAW
.

LAW
takes guard
.

STOTT
. Play!

STOTT
bowls. The marble hits
LAW
on the knee.

LAW
hops.

LAW
takes guard.

STOTT
. Play!

STOTT
bowls.

LAW
brilliantly cuts marble straight into golden fish tank. The tank smashes. Dozens of fish swim across the marble tiles
.

JANE
,
in the corner, applauds.

LAW
waves his flute in acknowledgement.

STOTT
. Play!

STOTT
bowls.

Marble crashes into
LAW’S
forehead. He drops.

Interior. Kitchen. Night.

JANE
in the kitchen, putting spoonfuls of instant coffee into two cups
.

Interior. Room. Night.

The room is completely bare.

Bare walls. Bare floorboards. No furniture. One hanging bulb
.

STOTT
and
LAW
at opposite ends of the room.

They face each other. They are barefooted. They each hold a broken milk bottle. They are crouched, still
.

LAW’S
face, sweating.

STOTT’S
face, sweating.

LAW
from
STOTT’S
viewpoint.

STOTT
from
LAW’S
viewpoint
.

JANE
pouring sugar from a packet into the bowl
.

LAW
pointing his bottle before him, his arm taut
.

STOTT
pointing his bottle before him, his arm taut.

JANE
pouring milk from a bottle into a jug
.

STOTT
slowly advancing along bare boards
.

LAW
slowly advancing
.

JANE
pouring a small measure of milk into the cups
.

LAW
and
STOTT
drawing closer
.

JANE
putting sugar into the cups.

The broken milk bottles, in shaking hands, almost touching
.

The broken milk bottles fencing, not touching.

JANE
stirring milk, sugar and coffee in the cups
.

The broken milk bottles, in a sudden thrust, smashing together.

Record turning on a turntable. Sudden music
.

Debussy's ‘Girl With The Flaxen Hair’
.

Exterior. Front area. Night.

LAW
standing centre, looking at the basement door.

JANE
crouched by the wall. Rainhat. Raincoat.
LAW
wearing
STOTT’
s
raincoat
.

Interior. Room.

Furnished as at the beginning.

STOTT
sitting by the fire, reading. He is smiling at his book
.

Exterior. Front area
.

LAW
still.

Interior. Room.

STOTT
turns a page.

Doorbell.

STOTT
looks up, puts his book down, stands, goes into the hall
.

Interior. Room.

The room still. The fire burning.

Interior. Hall.

STOTT
approaches the front door. He opens it.

Silence.

He stares at
LAW.
From his position in the doorway
STOTT
cannot see
JANE.

STOTT
(
with great pleasure
). Law!

LAW
(
smiling
). Hullo, Charles.

STOTT
. Good God. Come in!

STOTT
laughs
.

Come in!

LAW
enters.

I can't believe it!

Landscape

Landscape
was first presented on radio by the BBC on 25th April, 1968, with the following cast:

The play was first presented on the stage by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych Theatre on 2nd July, 1969, with the following cast:

DUFF
: a man in his early fifties.

BETH
: a woman in her late forties.

The kitchen of a country house.

A long kitchen table.

BETH
sits in an armchair, which stands away from the table, to its left.

DUFF
sits in a chair at the right corner of the table. The background, of a sink, stove, etc., and a window, is dim. Evening.

NOTE:

DUFF
refers normally to
BETH,
but does not appear to hear her voice
.

BETH
never looks at
DUFF,
and does not appear to hear his voice
.

Both characters are relaxed, in no sense rigid
.

BETH

I would like to stand by the sea. It is there.

Pause

I have. Many times. It's something I cared for. I've done it.

Pause

I'll stand on the beach. On the beach. Well . . . it was very fresh. But it was hot, in the dunes. But it was so fresh, on the shore. I loved it very much.

Pause

Lots of people . . .

Pause

People move so easily. Men. Men move.

Pause

I walked from the dune to the shore. My man slept in the dune. He turned over as I stood. His eyelids. Belly button. Snoozing how lovely.

Pause

Would you like a baby? I said. Children? Babies? Of our own? Would be nice.

Pause

Women turn, look at me.

Pause

Our own child? Would you like that?

Pause

Two women looked at me, turned and stared. No. I was walking, they were still. I turned.

Pause

Why do you look?

Pause

I didn't say that, I stared. Then I was looking at them.

Pause

I am beautiful.

Pause

I walked back over the sand. He had turned. Toes under sand, head buried in his arms.

DUFF

The dog's gone. I didn't tell you.

Pause

I had to shelter under a tree for twenty minutes yesterday. Because of the rain. I meant to tell you. With some youngsters. I didn't know them.

Pause

Then it eased. A downfall. I walked up as far as the pond. Then I felt a couple of big drops. Luckily I was only a few yards from the shelter. I sat down in there. I meant to tell you.

Pause

Do you remember the weather yesterday? That downfall?

BETH

He felt my shadow. He looked up at me standing above him.

DUFF

I should have had some bread with me. I could have fed the birds.

BETH

Sand on his arms.

DUFF

They were hopping about. Making a racket.

BETH

I lay down by him, not touching.

DUFF

There wasn't anyone else in the shelter. There was a man and woman, under the trees, on the other side of the pond. I didn't feel like getting wet. I stayed where I was.

Pause

Yes, I've forgotten something. The dog was with me.

Pause

BETH

Did those women know me? I didn't remember their faces. I'd never seen their faces before. I'd never seen those women before. I'm certain of it. Why were they looking at me? There's nothing strange about me. There's nothing strange about the way I look. I look like anyone.

DUFF

The dog wouldn't have minded me feeding the birds. Anyway, as soon as we got in the shelter he fell asleep. But even if he'd been awake . . . . .

Pause

BETH

They all held my arm lightly, as I stepped out of the car, or out of the door, or down the steps. Without exception. If they touched the back of my neck, or my hand, it was done so lightly. Without exception. With one exception.

DUFF

Mind you, there was a lot of shit all over the place, all along the paths, by the pond. Dogshit, duckshit . . . all kinds of shit . . . all over the paths. The rain didn't clean it up. It made it even more treacherous.

Pause

The ducks were well away, right over on their island. But I wouldn't have fed them, anyway. I would have fed the sparrows.

BETH

I could stand now. I could be the same. I dress differently, but I am beautiful.

Silence

DUFF

You should have a walk with me one day down to the pond, bring some bread. There's nothing to stop you.

Pause

I sometimes run into one or two people I know. You might remember them.

Pause

BETH

When I watered the flowers he stood, watching me, and watched me arrange them. My gravity, he said. I was so grave, attending to the flowers, I'm going to water and arrange the flowers, I said. He followed me and watched, standing at a distance from me. When the arrangement was done I stayed still. I heard him moving. He didn't touch me. I listened. I looked at the flowers, blue and white, in the bowl.

Pause

Then he touched me.

Pause

He touched the back of my neck. His fingers, lightly, touching, lightly, touching, the back, of my neck.

DUFF

The funny thing was, when I looked, when the shower was over, the man and woman under the trees on the other side of the pond had gone. There wasn't a soul in the park.

BETH

I wore a white beach robe. Underneath I was naked.

Pause

There wasn't a soul on the beach. Very far away a man was sitting, on a breakwater. But even so he was only a pinpoint, in the sun. And even so I could only see him when I was standing, or on my way from the shore to the dune. When I lay down I could no longer see him, therefore he couldn't see me.

Pause

I may have been mistaken. Perhaps the beach was empty. Perhaps there was no-one there.

Pause

He couldn't see . . . my man . . . anyway. He never stood up.

Pause

Snoozing how lovely I said to him. But I wasn't a fool, on that occasion. I lay quiet, by his side.

Silence

DUFF

Anyway . . .

BETH

My skin . . .

DUFF

I'm sleeping all right these days.

BETH

Was stinging.

DUFF

Right through the night, every night.

BETH

I'd been in the sea.

DUFF

Maybe it's something to do with the fishing. Getting to learn more about fish.

BETH

Stinging in the sea by myself.

DUFF

They're very shy creatures. You've got to woo them. You must never get excited with them. Or flurried. Never.

BETH

I knew there must be a hotel near, where we could get some tea.

Silence

DUFF

Anyway . . . luck was on my side for a change. By the time I got out of the park the pubs were open.

Pause

So I thought I might as well pop in and have a pint. I wanted to tell you. I met some nut in there. First of all I had a word with the landlord. He knows me. Then this nut came in. He ordered a pint and he made a criticism of the beer. I had no patience with it.

BETH

But then I thought perhaps the hotel bar will be open. We'll sit in the bar. He'll buy me a drink. What will I order? But what will he order? What will he want? I shall hear him say it. I shall hear his voice. He will ask me what I would like first. Then he'll order the two drinks. I shall hear him do it.

DUFF

This beer is piss, he said. Undrinkable. There's nothing wrong with the beer, I said. Yes there is, he said, I just told you what was wrong with it. It's the best beer in the area, I said. No it isn't, this chap said, it's piss. The landlord picked up the mug and had a sip. Good beer, he said. Someone's made a mistake, this fellow said, someone's used this pintpot instead of the boghole.

Pause

The landlord threw a half a crown on the bar and told him to take it. The pint's only two and three, the man said, I owe you three pence, but I haven't got any change. Give the threepence to your son, the landlord said, with my compliments. I haven't got a son, the man said, I've never had any children. I bet you're not even married, the landlord said. This man said: I'm not married. No-one'll marry me.

Pause

Then the man asked the landlord and me if we would have a drink with him. The landlord said he'd have a pint. I didn't answer at first, but the man came over to me and said: Have one with
me.
Have one with
me.

Pause

He put down a ten bob note and said he'd have a pint as well.

Silence

BETH

Suddenly I stood. I walked to the shore and into the water. I didn't swim. I don't swim. I let the water billow me. I rested in the water. The waves were very light, delicate. They touched the back of my neck.

Silence

DUFF

One day when the weather's good you could go out into the garden and sit down. You'd like that. The open air. I'm often out there. The dog liked it.

Pause

I've put in some flowers. You'd find it pleasant. Looking at the flowers. You could cut a few if you liked. Bring them in. No-one would see you. There's no-one there.

Pause

That's where we're lucky, in my opinion. To live in Mr Sykes’ house in peace, no-one to bother us. I've thought of inviting one or two people I know from the village in here for a bit of a drink once or twice but I decided against it. It's not necessary.

Pause

You know what you get quite a lot of out in the garden? Butterflies.

BETH

I slipped out of my costume and put on my beachrobe. Underneath I was naked. There wasn't a soul on the beach. Except for an elderly man, far away on a breakwater. I lay down beside him and whispered. Would you like a baby? A child? Of our own? Would be nice.

Pause

DUFF

What did you think of that downfall?

Pause

Of course the youngsters I met under the first tree, during the first shower, they were larking about and laughing. I tried to listen, to find out what they were laughing about, but I couldn't work it out. They were whispering. I tried to listen, to find out what the joke was.

Pause

Anyway I didn't find out.

Pause

I was thinking . . . when you were young . . . you didn't laugh much. You were . . . grave.

Silence

BETH

That's why he'd picked such a desolate place. So that I could draw in peace. I had my sketch book with me. I took it out. I took my drawing pencil out. But there was nothing to draw. Only the beach, the sea.

Pause

Could have drawn him. He didn't want it. He laughed.

Pause

I laughed, with him.

Pause

I waited for him to laugh, then I would smile, turn away, he would touch my back, turn me, to him. My nose . . . creased. I would laugh with him, a little.

Pause

He laughed. I'm sure of it. So I didn't draw him.

Silence

DUFF

You were a first-rate housekeeper when you were young. Weren't you? I was very proud. You never made a fuss, you never got into a state, you went about your work. He could rely on you. He did. He trusted you, to run his house, to keep the house up to the mark, no panic.

Pause

Do you remember when I took him on that trip to the north? That long trip. When we got back he thanked you for looking after the place so well, everything running like clockwork.

Pause

You'd missed me. When I came into this room you stopped still. I had to walk all the way over the floor towards you.

Pause

I touched you.

Pause

But I had something to say to you, didn't I? I waited, I didn't say it then, but I'd made up my mind to say it, I'd decided I would say it, and I did say it, the next morning. Didn't I?

Pause

I told you that I'd let you down. I'd been unfaithful to you.

Pause

You didn't cry. We had a few hours off. We walked up to the pond, with the dog. We stood under the trees for a bit. I didn't know why you'd brought that carrier bag with you. I asked you. I said what's in that bag? It turned out to be bread. You fed the ducks. Then we stood under the trees and looked across the pond.

Pause

When we got back into this room you put your hands on my face and you kissed me.