The Complete Dramatic Works (45 page)

S:
As such … I feel … perhaps … at a pinch …

[
Pause.
]

A:
Are you familiar with the works of Sterne, miss?

S:
Alas no, sir.

A:
I may be quite wrong, but I seem to remember, there
somewhere, a tear an angel comes to catch as it falls. Yes, I seem to remember … admittedly
he was grandchild to an archbishop. [
Half
rueful,
half
complacent.
]
Ah these old spectres from the days of book reviewing, they lie in wait for one at
every turn. [
Pause.
Suddenly
decided.
] Note it, miss, note it, and come what may. As well as for a sheep … [
Pause.
]
Who is this woman … what’s the name?

S:
Maud. I don’t know, sir, no previous mention of her has been made.

A:
[
Excited.
]
Are you sure?

S:
Positive, sir. You see, my nanny was a Maud, so that the name would have struck me,
had it been pronounced.

[
Pause.
]

A:
I may be quite wrong, but I somehow have the feeling this is the first time–oh I
know it’s a far call!–that he has actually …
named
anyone. No?

S:
That may well be, sir. To make sure I would have to check through from the beginning.
That would take time.

A:
Kith and kin?

S:
Never a word, sir. I have been struck by it. Mine play such a part, in my life!

A:
And of a sudden, in the same sentence, a woman, with
Christian
name to boot, and a brother. I ask you!

[
Pause.
]

S:
That twin, sir …

A:
I know, not very convincing.

S:
[
Scandalized.
]
But it’s quite simply impossible! Inside him!
Him!

A:
No no, such things happen, such things happen. Nature, you know … [
Faint
laugh.
]
Fortunately. A world without monsters, just imagine! [
Pause
for
imagining.
]
No, that is not what troubles me. [
Warmly.
]
Look you, miss, what counts is not so much the
thing,
in itself, that would astonish me too. No, it’s the word, the notion. The notion
brother is not unknown to him! [
Pause.
]
But what really matters is this woman–what name did you say?

S:
Maud, sir.

A:
Maud!

S:
And who is in milk, what is more, or about to be.

A:
For mercy’s sake! [
Pause.
]
How does the passage go again?

S:
[
Rereading.
]
‘Me get up, me go on, what a hope, it was he, for hunger. Have yourself opened, Maud
would say, opened up, it’s nothing, I’ll give him suck if he’s still alive, ah but
no, no no.’ [
Pause.
] ‘No no.’

[
Pause.
]

A:
And then the tear.

S:
Exactly, sir. What I call the human trait.

[
Pause.
]

A:
[
Low,
with
emotion.
] Miss.

S:
Sir.

A:
Can it be we near our goal. [
Pause.
]
Oh how bewitching you look when you show your teeth! Ah were I but … thirty years
younger.

S:
It is well after three, sir.

A:
[
Sigh.
]
Good. Where he left off. Once more.

S:
‘Oh but no, no–’

A:
Ah
but no. No?

S:
You are quite right, sir. ‘Ah but no, no–’

A:
[
Severely.
]
Have a care, miss.

S:
‘Ah but no, no no.’ [
Pause.
]
‘No, no.’

A:
[
Ruler.
]
On! [
Silence.
]
Dick!

S:
He has gone off, sir.

A:
Just a shade lighter, Dick. [
Mild
thud
of pizzle.
]
Ah no, you exaggerate, better than that. [
Swish
and
violent
thud.
Faint
cry
from
FOX
.
Ruler.
]
Ah but no, no no. On!

F:
[
Scream.
]
Let me out! Peter out in the stones!

A:
Ah dear! There he goes again. Peter out in the stones!

S:
It’s a mercy he’s tied.

A:
[
Gently.
]
Be reasonable, Fox. Stop–you may sit, Dick–stop jibbing. It’s hard on you, we know.
It does not lie entirely with us, we know. You might prattle away to your latest breath
and still the one … thing remain unsaid that can give you back your darling solitudes,
we know. But this much is sure: the more you say the greater your chances. Is that
not so, miss?

S:
It stands to reason, sir.

A:
[
As
to
a
backward
pupil.
]
Don’t ramble! Treat the subject, whatever it is! [
Snivel
.]
More variety! [
Snivel.
]
Those
everlasting wilds may have their charm, but there is nothing there for us, that would
astonish me. [
Snivel.
]
Those micaceous schists, if you knew the effect [
Snivel.
]
they can have on one, in the long run. [
Snivel.
]
And your fauna! Those fodient rodents! [
Snivel.
]
You wouldn’t have a handkerchief, miss, you could lend me?

S:
Here you are, sir.

A:
Most kind. [
Blows
nose
abundantly.
]
Much obliged.

S:
Oh you may keep it, sir.

A:
No no, now I’ll be all right. [
To
FOX
.] Of course we do not know, any more than you, what exactly it is we are after, what
sign or set of words. But since you have failed so far to let it escape you, it is
not by harking on the same old themes that you are likely to succeed, that would astonish
me.

S:
He has gone off again, sir.

A:
[
Warming
to
his
point.
]
Someone, perhaps that is what is wanting, someone who once saw you … [
Abating.
]
… go by. I may be quite wrong, but try, at least, what do you stand to lose? [
Beside
himself.
]
Even though it is not true!

S:
[
Shocked.
]
Oh sir!

A:
A father, a mother, a friend, a … Beatrice–no, that is asking too much. Simply someone,
anyone, who once saw you … go by. [
Pause.
] That woman … what’s the name?

S:
Maud, sir.

A:
That Maud, for example, perhaps you once brushed against each other. Think hard!

S:
He has gone off, sir.

A:
Dick!–no, wait. Kiss him, miss, perhaps that will stir some fibre.

S:
Where, sir?

A:
In his heart, in his entrails–or some other part.

S:
No, I mean kiss him where, sir?

A:
[
Angry.
]
Why on his stinker of a mouth, What do you suppose? [
STENOGRAPHER
kisses
FOX
.
Howl
from
 
FOX
.] Till it bleeds! Kiss it white! [
Howl
from
 
FOX
.] Suck his gullet!

[
Silence.
]

S:
He has fainted away, sir.

A:
Ah … perhaps I went too far. [
Pause.
]
Perhaps I slipped you too soon.

S:
Oh no, sir, you could not have waited a moment longer, time is up. [
Pause.
]
The fault is mine, I did not go about it as I ought.

A:
Come, come, miss! To the marines! [
Pause.
]
Up already! [
Pained.
]
I chatter too much.

S:
Come, come, sir, don’t say that, it is part of your rôle, as animator.

[
Pause.
]

A:
That tear, miss, do you remember?

S:
Oh yes, sir, distinctly.

A:
[
Faint
hope.
]
Not the first time by any chance?

S:
Heavens no, sir, what an idea!

A:
[
Disappointed.
]
I might have known,

S:
Last winter, now I come to think of it, he shed several, do you not remember?

A:
Last winter! But, my dear child, I don’t remember yesterday, it is down the hatch
with love’s young dream. Last winter! [
Pause.
Low,
with
emotion.
] Miss.

S:
[
Low.
]
Sir.

A:
That … Maud.

[
Pause.
]

S:
[
Encouraging.
]
Yes, sir.

A:
Well … you know … I may be wrong … I wouldn’t like to … I hardly dare say it … but
it seems to me that … here … possibly … we have something at last.

S:
Would to God, sir.

A:
Particularly with that tear so hard behind. It is not the first, agreed. But in such
a context!

S:
And the milk, sir, don’t forget the milk.

A:
The breast! One can almost see it!

S:
Who got her in that condition, there’s another question for us.

A:
What condition, miss, I fail to follow you.

S:
Someone has fecundated her. [
Pause.
Impatient.
]
If she is in milk someone must have fecundated her.

A:
To be sure!

S:
Who?

A:
[
Very
excited.
] You mean …

S:
I ask myself.

[
Pause.
]

A:
May we have that passage again, miss?

S:
‘Have yourself opened, Maud would say, opened–’

A:
[
Delighted.
]
That frequentative! [
Pause.
]
Sorry, miss.

S:
‘Have yourself opened, Maud would say, opened–’

A:
Don’t skip, miss, the text in its entirety if you please.

S:
I skip nothing, sir. [
Pause.
]
What have I skipped, sir?

A:
[
Emphatically.
]
‘… between two kisses …’ [
Sarcastic.
] That mere trifle! [
Angry.
]
How can we ever hope to get anywhere if you suppress gems of that magnitude?

S:
But, sir, he never said anything of the kind.

A:
[
Angry.
]
‘… Maud would say,
between
two
kisses,
etc.’ Amend.

S:
But, sir, I–

A:
What the devil are you deriding, miss? My hearing? My memory? My good faith? [
Thunderous.
]
Amend!

S:
[
Feebly.
]
As you will, sir.

A:
Let us hear how it runs now.

S:
[
Tremulous.
]
‘Have yourself opened, Maud would say, between two kisses, opened up, it’s nothing,
I’ll give him suck if he’s still alive, ah but no, no no.’ [
Faint
pencil.
]
‘No no.’

[
Silence.
]

A:
Don’t cry, miss, dry your pretty eyes and smile at me. Tomorrow, who knows, we may
be free.

Written in English and completed towards the end of 1961. First published in
Evergreen
Review
(Nov./Dec. 1962). First
broadcast
on the BBC Third Programme on 13 November 1962.

MUSIC:
Small
orchestra
softly
tuning
up.

WORDS:
Please! [
Tuning.
Louder.
]
Please! [
Tuning
dies
away.
] How much longer cooped up here in the dark? [
With 
loath
ing
.
]
With you! [
Pause.
]
Theme…. [
Pause.
]
Theme … sloth. [
Pause.
Rattled
off,
low.
] Sloth is of all the passions the most powerful passion and indeed no passion is
more powerful than the passion of sloth, this is the mode in which the mind is most
affected and indeed– [
Burst
of
tuning.
Loud,
imploring.
]
Please! [
Tuning
dies
away.
As
before.
] The mode in which the mind is most affected and indeed in no mode is the mind more
affected than in this, by passion we are to understand a movement of the soul pursuing
or fleeing real or imagined pleasure or pain pleasure or pain real or imagined pleasure
or pain, of all these movements and who can number them of all these movements and
they are legion sloth is the most urgent and indeed by no movement is the soul more
urged than by this by this by this to and from by no movement the soul more urged
than by this to and–[
Pause.
]
From. [
Pause.
]
Listen!

[
Distant
sound
of
rapidly
shuffling
carpet
slippers.
]
At last!

[
Shuffling
louder.
Burst
of
tuning.
]
Hsst!

[
Tuning
dies
away.
Shuffling
louder.
Silence.
]

CROAK:
Joe.

WORDS:
[
Humble.
] My Lord.

CROAK:
Bob.

MUSIC:
Humble
muted
adsum.

CROAK:
My comforts! Be friends! [
Pause.
]
Bob.

MUSIC:
As
before.

CROAK:
Joe.

WORDS:
[
As
before.
]
My Lord.

CROAK:
Be friends! [
Pause.
]
I am late, forgive. [
Pause.
]
The face. [
Pause.
]
On the stairs. [
Pause.
]
Forgive. [
Pause.
]
Joe.

WORDS:
[
As
before.
]
My Lord.

CROAK:
Bob.

MUSIC:
As
before.

CROAK:
Forgive. [
Pause.
] In the tower. [
Pause.
]
The face. [
Long
pause.
]
Theme tonight …. [
Pause.
]
Theme tonight … love. [
Pause.
]
Love. [
Pause.
]
My club. [
Pause.
] Joe.

WORDS:
[
As
before.
]
My Lord.

CROAK:
Love. [
Pause.
Thump
of
club
on
ground.
]
Love!

WORDS:
[
Orotund.
]
Love is of all the passions the most powerful passion and indeed no passion is more
powerful than the passion of love. [
Clears
throat.
]
This is the mode in which the mind is most strongly affected and indeed in no mode
is the mind more strongly affected than in this. [
Pause.
]

CROAK:
Rending
sigh.
Thump
of
club.

WORDS:
[
As
before.
] By passion we are to understand a
movement
of the mind pursuing or fleeing real or imagined pleasure or pain. [
Clears
throat.
]
Of all–

CROAK:
[
Anguished.
] Oh!

WORDS:
[
As
before.
] Of all these movements then and who can number them and they are legion sloth is
the LOVE is the most urgent and indeed by no manner of movement is the soul more urged
than by this, to and–

[
Violent
thump
of
club.
]

CROAK:
Bob.

WORDS:
From.

[
Violent
thump
of
club.
]

CROAK:
Bob!

MUSIC:
As
before.

CROAK:
Love!

MUSIC:
Rap
of
baton
on
stand.
Soft
music
worthy
of
foregoing,
great
expression,
with
audible
groans
and
protestations–
‘No!’
‘Please!’
etc.
–fro
m
WORDS
.
Pause.

CROAK:
[
Anguished.
]
Oh! [
Thump
of
club.
]
Louder!

MUSIC:
Loud
rap
of
baton
and
as
before
fortissimo,
all
expression
gone,
drowning
 
WORDS
’
protestations.
Pause.

CROAK:
My comforts! [
Pause.
]
Joe sweet.

WORDS:
[
As
before.
]
Arise then and go now the manifest unanswerable–

CROAK:
Groans.

WORDS:
–to wit this love what is this love that more than all the cursed deadly or any other
of its great movers so moves the soul and soul what is this soul that more than by
any of its great movers is by love so moved? [
Clears
throat.
Prosaic.
]
Love of woman, I mean, if that is what my Lord means.

CROAK:
Alas!

WORDS:
What? [
Pause.
Very
rhetorical.
]
Is love the word? [
Pause.
Do.
]
Is soul the word? [
Pause.
Do.
]
Do we mean love, when we say love? [
Pause.
Pause.
Do.
] Soul, when we say soul?

CROAK:
[
Anguished.
]
Oh! [
Pause.
] Bob dear.

WORDS:
Do we? [
With
sudden
gravity.
]
Or don’t we?

CROAK:
[
Imploring.
]
Bob!

MUSIC:
Rap
of
baton.
Love
and
soul
music,
with
just
audible
protestations–‘No!’
‘Please!
’
‘Peace!’
etc.–from
 
WORDS
.
Pause.

CROAK:
[
Anguished.
]
Oh! [
Pause.
]
My balms! [
Pause.
]
Joe.

WORDS:
[
Humble.
]
My Lord.

CROAK:
Bob.

MUSIC:
Adsum
as
before.

CROAK:
My balms! [
Pause.
]
Age. [
Pause.
]
Joe. [
Pause.
Thump
of club
.]
Joe.

WORDS:
[
As
before.
] My Lord.

CROAK:
Age!

[
Pause.
]

WORDS:
[
Faltering.
] Age is … age is when … old age I mean … if that is what my Lord means … is when
… if you’re a man … were a man … huddled … nodding … the ingle … waiting–

[
Violent
thump
of
club.
]

CROAK:
Bob. [
Pause.
]
Age. [
Pause.
Violent
thump
of
club.
] Age!

MUSIC:
Rap
of
baton.
Age
music,
soon
interrupted
by
violent
thump.

CROAK:
Together. [
Pause.
Thump.
]
Together! [
Pause.
Violent
thump.
]
Together, dogs!

MUSIC:
Long
la.

WORDS:
[
Imploring.
]
No!

[
Violent
thump.
]

CROAK:
Dogs!

MUSIC:
La.

WORDS:
[
Trying
to
sing.
]
Age is when … to a man …

MUSIC:
Improvement
of
above.

WORDS:
[
Trying
to
sing
this.
]
Age is when to a man …

MUSIC:
Suggestion
for
following.

WORDS:
[
Trying
to
sing
this.
]
Huddled o’er … the ingle …. [
Pause.
Violent
thump.
Trying
to
sing.
]
Waiting for the hag to put the … pan in the bed …

MUSIC:
Improvement
of
above.

WORDS:
[
Trying
to
sing
this.
]
Waiting for the hag to put the pan in the bed.

MUSIC:
Suggestion
for
following.

WORDS:
[
Trying
to
sing
this.
]
And bring the … arrowroot … [
Pause.
Violent
thump.
As
before.
]
And bring the toddy.. [
Pause.
Tremendous
thump.
]

CROAK:
Dogs!

MUSIC:
Suggestion
for
following.

WORDS:
[
Trying
to
sing
this.
]
She comes in the ashes …. [
Imploring.
]
No!

MUSIC:
Repeats
suggestion.

WORDS:
[
Trying
to
sing
this.
]
She comes in the ashes who loved could not be … won or …

[
Pause.
]

MUSIC:
Repeats
end
of
previous
suggestion.

WORDS:
[
Trying
to
sing
this.
]
Or won not loved … [
Wearily.
] … or some other trouble …. [
Pause.
Trying
to
sing.
] Comes in the ashes like in that old–

MUSIC:
Interrupts
with
improvement
of
this
and
brief
suggestion.

WORDS:
[
Trying
to
sing
this.
]
Comes in the ashes like in that old light … her face … in the ashes ….

[
Pause.
]

CROAK:
Groans.

MUSIC:
Suggestion
for
following.

WORDS:
[
Trying
to
sing
this.
]
That old moonlight … on the earth … again.

[
Pause.
]

MUSIC:
Further
brief
suggestion.

[
Silence.
]

CROAK:
Groans.

MUSIC:
Plays air
through
alone,
then
invites
WORDS
with
opening,
pause,
invites
again
and
finally
accompanies
very
softly.

WORDS:
[
Trying
to
sing,
softly.
]

[
Long
pause.
]

CROAK:
[
Murmur.
]
The face. [
Pause.
]
The face. [
Pause.
]
The face. [
Pause.
] The face.