HE
| [
gloomily
] Madam.
|
SHE
| Are you all right? [
Pause
.] You asked me to come.
|
HE
| I ask no one to come here.
|
SHE
| You suffered me to come.
|
HE
| I meet my debts.
[
Pause
.]
|
SHE
| I have come to listen.
|
HE
| When you please.
[
Pause
.]
|
SHE
| May I squat on this hassock? [
Pause
.] Thank you. [
Pause
.] May we have a little heat?
|
HE
| No, madam.
[
Pause
.]
|
SHE
| Is it true the music goes on all the time?
|
HE
| Yes.
|
SHE
| Without cease?
|
HE
| Without cease.
|
SHE
| It’s unthinkable! [
Pause
.] And the words too? All the time too?
|
HE
| All the time.
|
SHE
| Without cease?
|
HE
| Yes.
|
SHE
| It’s unimaginable. [
Pause
.] So you are here all the time?
|
HE
| Without cease.
[
Pause
.]
|
SHE
| How troubled you look! [
Pause
.] May one see them?
|
HE
| No, madam.
|
SHE
| I may not go and see them?
|
HE
| No, madam.
[
Pause
.]
|
SHE
| May we have a little light?
|
HE
| No, madam.
[
Pause
.]
|
SHE
| How cold you are! [
Pause
.] Are these the two knobs?
|
HE
| Yes.
|
SHE
| Just push? [
Pause
.] Is it live? [
Pause
.] I ask you is it live.
|
HE
| No, you must twist. [
Pause
.] To the right.
[
Click
.]
|
MUSIC
| [
faint
] ...........................................
[
Silence
.]
|
SHE
| [
astonished
] But there are more than one!
|
HE
| Yes.
|
SHE
| How many?
[
Pause
.]
|
HE
| To the right, madam, to the right.
[
Click
.]
|
VOICE
| [
faint
] ...........................................
|
SHE
| [
with voice
] Louder!
|
VOICE
| [
no louder
] ........................................
[
Silence
.]
|
SHE
| [
astonished
] But he is alone!
|
HE
| Yes.
|
SHE
| All alone?
|
HE
| When one is alone one is all alone.
[
Pause
.]
|
SHE
| What is it like together?
[
Pause
.]
|
HE
| To the right, madam.
[
Click
.]
|
MUSIC
| [
faint, brief
] .....................................
|
|
[
Silence
.]
|
SHE
| They are not together?
|
HE
| No.
|
SHE
| They cannot see each other?
|
HE
| No.
|
SHE
| Hear each other?
|
HE
| No.
|
SHE
| It’s inconceivable!
[
Pause
.]
|
HE
| To the right, madam.
[
Click
.]
|
VOICE
| [
faint
] ...........................................
|
SHE
| [
with voice
] Louder!
|
VOICE
| [
no louder
] .......................................
[
Silence
.]
|
SHE
| And—[
faint stress
]—
you
like that?
|
HE
| It is a need.
|
SHE
| A need?
That
a need?
|
HE
| It has become a need. [
Pause
.] To the right, madam.
[
Click
.]
|
MUSIC
| [
faint
] .........................................
|
SHE
| [
with music
] Louder!
|
MUSIC
| [
no louder
] ......................................
[
Silence
.]
|
SHE
| That too? [
Pause
.] That a need too?
|
HE
| It has become a need, madam.
|
SHE
| Are they in the same . . . situation?
[
Pause
.]
|
HE
| I don’t understand.
|
SHE
| Are they . . . subject to the same . . . conditions?
|
HE
| Yes, madam.
|
SHE
| For instance? [
Pause
.] For instance?
|
HE
| One cannot describe them, madam.
[
Pause
.]
|
SHE
| Well, I’m obliged to you.
|
HE
| Allow me, this way.
[
Pause
.]
|
SHE
| [
a little off
] Is that a Turkoman?
|
HE
| [
ditto
] Allow me.
|
SHE
| [
a little further off
] How troubled you look! [
Pause
.] Well, I’ll leave you. [
Pause
.] To your needs.
|
HE
| [
ditto
] Goodbye, madam. [
Pause
.] To the right, madam, that’s the garbage—[
faint stress
]—the
house
garbage. [
Pause
.] Goodbye, madam.
[
Long pause. Sound of curtains violently drawn, first one, then the other, clatter of the heavy rings along the rods. Pause. Faint ping
—
as sometimes happens
—
of telephone receiver raised from cradle. Faint sound of dialling. Pause
.] Hello . . . Miss . . . is the doctor . . . ah . . . yes . . . he to call me . . . Macgillycuddy . . . Mac-gilly-cuddy . . . right . . . he’ll know . . . and Miss . . . Miss! . . . urgent . . . yes! . . . [
shrill
] . . . most urgent!
[
Pause. Receiver put down with same faint ping. Pause. Click
.]
|
MUSIC
| [
faint
] ...........................................
|
HE
| [
with music
] Good God!
|
MUSIC
| [
faint
] ...........................................
[
Silence. Pause. Click
.]
|
VOICE
| [
faint
] ...........................................
|
HE
| [
with voice, shrill
] Come on! Come on!
|
VOICE
| [
faint
] ...........................................
[
Silence
.]
|
HE
| [
low
] What’ll I do? [
Pause. Faint ping of receiver raised again. Faint dialling. Pause
.] Hello . . . Miss . . . Macgilly cuddy . . . Mac-gillycuddy . . . right . . . I’m sorry but . . . ah . . . yes . . . of course . . .
can’t reach him . . . no idea . . . understand . . . right . . . immediately . . . the moment he gets back . . . what? . . . [
shrill
] . . . yes! . . . I told you so! . . . most urgent! . . . most urgent! . . . [
Pause. Low
.] Slut! [
Sound of receiver put down violently. Pause. Click
.]
|
MUSIC
| [
faint, brief
] .......................................
[
Silence. Click
.]
|
VOICE
| [
faint, brief
]
|
HE
| [
with voice, shrill
] It’s crazy! Like one!
|
|
[
Telephone rings. Receiver raised immediately, not more than a second’s ring
.]
|
HE
| [
with music and voice
] Yes . . . wait . . . [
Music and voice silent. Very agitated
.] Yes . . . yes . . . no matter . . . what the trouble is? . . . they’re ending . . . ENDING . . . this morning . . . what? . . . no! . . . no question! . . . ENDING I tell you . . . nothing what? . . . to be done? . . . I know there’s nothing to be done . . . what? . . . no! . . . it’s me . . . ME . . . what? I tell you they’re ending . . . ENDING . . . I can’t stay like that after . . . who? . . . but she’s left me . . . ah for God’s sake . . . haven’t they all left me? . . . did you not know that? . . . all left me . . . sure? . . . of course I’m sure . . . what? . . . in an hour? . . . not before? . . . wait . . . [
low
] . . . there’s more . . . they’re together . . . TOGETHER . . . yes . . . I don’t know . . . like . . . [
hesitation
] . . . one . . . the breathing . . . I don’t know . . . [
vehement
] . . . no! . . . never! . . . meet? . . . how could they meet? . . . what? . . . what are all alike? . . . last what? . . . gasps? . . . wait . . . don’t go yet . . . wait! . . . [
Pause. Sound of receiver put down violently. Low
.] Swine!
[
Pause. Click
.]
|
