Samuel Beckett
Digital Manuscript Project
Fin de partie / Endgame

MS-OSU-RARE-29-6

MS. Pages: 01r - 05r 06r - 10r 11r - 15r 16r - 20r 21r - 25r 26r - 30r 31r - 35r 36r - 40r 41r - 42v
[p. 11r]

Nagg

[0569] To cheer you up.

Nell

[0570] It's not funny.

Nagg

[0571] It has always made you laugh. [0572] (Pause.) [0573] The first time I thought you'd die.

Nell

[0574] It was on the Lake of Como. [0575] (Pause.) [0576] One April afternoon. [0577] '(Pause.) [0578] Can you believe it?

Nagg

[0579] What?

Nell

[0580] That we once went rowing on the the Lake of Como. [0581] (Pause.) [0582] One April afternoon.

Nagg

[0583] We had got engaged the day It was the day after we got engaged We had got engaged the day before.

Nell

[0584] Engaged!

Nagg

[0585] You were in such fits that we capsized. [0586] By right we should have been drowned.

Nell

[0587] It was because I felt happy.

Nagg

[0588] It was not, it was not, not nonsense, nonsense, it was my story and nothing else. [0588|001] Happy![] [0589] Don't you laugh at it still? [0590] Every time []I tell it. [0590|001] Happy!

Nell

[0591] It was deep, deep. [0592] And you could see down to the bottom. [0593] So white. [0594] So clean.

Nagg

[0595] Let me tell it again. [0596] (Raconteur's voice.) [0597] An Englishman, needing a pair of striped trousers in a hurry for the New Year festivities[] rejoicings[], goes to see his tailor who takes his measurements. [0598] (Voice of tailor.) [0599] "That's the lot That'll be all, come back in four days, I'll have it ready." [0600] Good. [0601] Four days later. [0602] Voice of tailor.) [0603] "So sorry, come back in a week, I've made a mess of the seat." [0604] Good, that's all right, the seat is a neat seat never easy a neat seat can be very ticklish can be very ticklish." [0605] A week later. [0606] (Voice of tailor.) [0607] "Frightdfully sorry, come back in ten days, I've made a hames hash of the crutch." [0608] Good, can't be helped, the a snug crutch is always ticklish[] a snug crutch is always a problem teaser. a teaser. [0609] Ten days later. [0610] (Voice of tailor.) [0611] "Dreadfully sorry, come back in a fortnight, I've made a balls of the fly." [0612] Good, at a pinch, a smart fly is a stiff proposition. [0613] (Pause. [0614] Normal voice.) [0615] I never told it worse. [0616] (Pause. [0617] Gloomy.) [0618] I tell this story worse and worse. [0619] (Pause. [0620] Voice of raconteur.) [0621] Well, to make it short, the daffodils are in flower bluebells are blowing and he botches makes a balls of the buttonholes. [0622] (Voice of customer.) [0623] "God damn it, Sir, no, it's indecent, there are limits! [0624] In six days, do you hear me, six days, God made the world. [0625] Yes Sir, no less Sir, the WORLD! [0626] And you are not bloody well capable of making me a pair of trousers in three months!" [0627] (Voice of tailor;, scandalized.) [0628] "But, me lord, me lord, my dear Sir, [0629] my dear Sir, [0630] look - (disdainful gesture, with disgust disgustedly) - at the world - (pause)- and look - (loving gesture, proudly) - at my TROUSERS!"

DOODLE 7 DOODLE 8 [p. 12r]

[0631] Pause. [0632] He looks at Nell who has remained impassive, her eyes unseeing, breaks into a high forced laugh, cuts it short, pokes his head towards Nell, launches his laugh again.

Hamm

[0633] Silence! [0634] HNammgg starts[] gives a start starts, cuts short his laugh.

Nell

[0635] You could see down to the bottom.

Hamm

[0636] (exasperated). [0637] Have you not finished? [0638] Will you never finish? [0639] (With sudden fury.) [0640] Will this never finish? [0641] (Nagg disappears into his bin, shuts closes the lid behind him. [0642] Nell does not move. [0644] Frenziedly.) [0645] My kingdom for a scavenger soilman! [0646] (He whistles. [0647] Enter Clov.) [0648] Clear away this muck! [0649] Chuck it in the sea!

[0650] Clov goes to the bins, halts.

Nell

[0651] Sio white.

Hamm

[0652] What? [0653] What's she gabbling blathering about?

[0654] Clov stoops down, takes Nell's hand, feels her pulse.

Nell

[0655] (to Clov). [0656] Desert!

[0657] VClov lets go her hand, pushes her back in the bin, shuts the lid.

Clov

[0658] (returning to his place beside the chair). [0659] She has no pulse.

Hamm

[0661] What was she drivelling about?

Clàov

[0662] She told me to go away, into the desert.

Hamm

[0663] Tell her to mind her own business. Damn busybody! [0664] Is that all?

Clov

[0665] No?

Hamm

[0666] What else?

Clov

[0667] I didn't understand.

Hamm

[0668] Have you bottled her?

Clov

[0669] Yes.

Hamm

[0670] Are they both bottled?

Clov

[0671] Yes.

Hamm

[0672] Screw down the lids. [0673] (VClov goes towards door.) [0674] Time enough. [0675] (Clov halts.) [0676] My anger subsides, I'd like[stet] I want to pee.

Clov

[0677] I'll goa and get the catheter.

[0678] He goes towards the door.

Hamm

[0679] Time enough. [0680] (Clov halts.) [0681] Give me my sedative painkiller.

Clov

[0682] ,It's too soon. [0683] (Pause.) [0684] It's too soon on top of your stmimulant tonic, it wouldn't act.

Hamm

[0685] In the morning they brace you up and in the evening they calm you down

[p. 13r]

[0685] calm you down. [0686] Unless it's the other way round. [0687] (Pause.) [0688] That iold doctor, he's dead naturally?

Clov

[0689] He wasn't old.

Hammm

[0690] But he's dead?

Clov

[0691] Naturally. [0692] (Pause.) [0693] You ask me that?

[0694] Pause.

Hamm

[0695] Take me for a little turn. [0696] (Clov goes behind the chair and pushes it forward.) [0697] Not too fast! [0698] (Clov pushes chair.) [0699] Right all round the world! [0700] (Clov pushes chair.) [0701] Hug the walls. [0702] Then back to the centre again. [0703] (Clov pushes chair.) [0704] I was right in the centre, wasn't I?

Clocv

[0704|001] (pushing). [0705] Yes.

Hamm

[0706] We'd need a proper wheel-chair. [0707] With big wheels. [0708] Bicycle wheels! [0709] (Pause.) [0710] Are you hugging?

Clov

[0710|001] (pushing). [0711] Yes.

Hamm

[0712] (groping for wall). [0713] It's a lie! [0714] Why do you lie to me?

Clov

[0715] (bearing closer to the wall). [0716] There,! tThere.!

Hamm

[0716|001] Stop!

[0716|002] Clov stops chair close to back wall

Hamm

[0717] Stop! [0718] (Clov stops chair close to back wall. [0719] Hamm lays his hand against the wall.) [0721] Old wall! [0722] (Pause.) [0723] Beyond is the...other hell. [0724] (Pause. [0725] Violently.) [0726] Closer! [0727] Closer! [0728] Up against!

Clov

[0729] Take away your hand. [0730] (Hammw withdraws his hand. [0731] Clov rams chair against wall.) [0732] There!

[0733] Hamm leans towards wall, applies his ear to it.

Hamm

[0734] Do you hear,? [0735] (He stuirkes the wall with his knuckles.) [0737] Do you hear? [0738] Hollow bricks! [0739] (He strikes again.) [0740] That's aAll hollow! [0741] (Pause. [0742] He straightens up. [0743] Violently.) [0744] That's enough. [0745] Back!

Clov

[0746] We haven't finished done the round.

Hamm

[0747] Take me bBack to my place.! [0748] (Clov pushes the chair back to the centre.) [0749] Is that my place?

Clov

[0750] Yes, that's your place.

Hamm

[0751] Am I right in the centre?

Clov

[0752] I'll measure it.

Hamm

[0753] Approximately! [0754] Approximately! [0753] Roughly! [0754] Roughly! [0753] More or less! [0754] More or less!

Clov

[0754|001] (moving chair slightly). [0755] There.!

Hamm

[0756] I'm roughly[] more or less in the centre?

[p. 14r]

Clov

[0757] I'd say so.

Hamm

[0758] You'd say so! [0759] Put me right in the centre.

Clov

[0760] I'll go and get the chain.

Hamm

[0761] Roughly! [0762] Roughly§! [0763] (VClov moves chair slightly.) [0764] Right Bang in the centre!

Clov

[0765] There.!

[0766] Pause.

Hamm

[0767] I feel a little too far to the left. [0768] (Clov moves chair slightly.) [0770] Now I feel a little too far to the right. [0771] (Clov as before.) [0772] Now I feel a little too far forward. [0773] (Clov as before.) [0774] Now I feel a little too far back. [0775] (Clov as before.) [0776] Don't stay there (i.e. behind the chair), you frighten me. make me nervous.

[0777] Clov goes back to his place beside the chair.

Clov

[0778] If I could kill him I'd die happy.

[0779] Pause.

Hamm

[0780] What's the weather like?

Clov

[0781] Same aAs usual.

Hamm

[0782] Look at the land. earth.

Clov

[0783] I've looked.

Hamm

[0784] With the glass?

Clov

[0785] No need of the glass.

Hamm

[0786] Look at it with the glass.

Clov

[0787] I'll go and get the glass.

[0788] Exit Clov.

Hamm

[0789] No need of the glass!

[0790] Enter Clov, with the glass.

Clov

[0791] I'm back again, with the glass. [0792] (He goes to window right, looks up at it.) [0793] I need the ladder.

Hamm

[0794] Why? [0795] Have you shrunk? [0796] (Exit Clov, with the glass.) [0797] I don't like that, I don't like that.

[0798] Enter Clov, with the ladder, but without the glass.

Clov

[0799] I'm back again, with the ladder. [0800] (He sets down the ladder under window left, gets up on it, realizes he has not the glass, gets down.) [0801] I need the glass.

[0802] He goes towards the door.

[p. 15r] DOODLE 9

Hamm

[0803] (violently). [0804] But you have the glass!

Clov

[0805] (halting, violently). [0806] No, I haven't the glass!

[0807] Exit Clov.

Hamm

[0808] This is hoêless hopeless.

[0809] Enter Clov, with the glass. [0810] He goes towards ladder.

Clov

[0811] Things are looking picking up. [0812] (He gets up on the ladder, raises the glass, [0813] lets it fall. [0814] Pause.) [0815] I did it on purpose. [0816] (He gets down, picks up the glass, turns it on the auditorium.) [0817] I see...a multitude...in transports...of joy. [0818] (Pause.) [0819] That's what I call a telescope magnifier. [0820] (He lowers the glass, turns towards Hamm.) [0821] Well? [0822] Don't we laugh?

DOODLE 10

Hamm

[0823] (after reflexion). [0824] I don't.

Clov

[0825] (after reflexion). [0826] Nor I. [0827] (He gets up on the window ladder, looksturns the glass on the without.) [0828] Let's see. [0829] (He looks, moving the glass.) [0830] Zero Sweet...(he looks)...zero damn...(he looks°)...and zero. all.

Hamm

[0830|001] (to himself) [0834] Nothing stirs. [0835] All is -

Clov

[0836] Zero. Zer - Sweet damn -

Hamm

[0837] (violently). [0838] Don't interrupt me! [0839] (Normal voice To himself.) [0840] All is...all is...all is what? [0841] (Violently.) [0842] All is what?

Clov

[0843] What all is? [0844] In a word? [0845] Is that what you want to know? [0846] One Just a moment. [0847] (He turns the glass on the without, looks, lowers the glass, turns towards Hamm.) [0848] Corpsed. [0849] (Pause.) [0850] Well? [0851] Content?

Hamm

[0852] Look at the sea.

Clov

[0853] It's the same.

Hamm

[0854] Look at the ocean!

[0855] Clov gets down, takes a few paces towards window left, goes back for the ladder, carries it over and sets it down under window left, gets up on it, turns the glass on the without, looks at length. [0856] He starts, lowers the glass, examines it, turns it again on the without.

BClov

[0857] Never seen anything like that!

Hamm

[0858] (anxious). [0859] What? [0860] A sail? [0861] A fin? [0862] Smoke?

Clov

[0862|001] The lighthouse is under water. [0863] (looking) [0864] The lighthouse is under water sunk.

Hamm

[0866] Pah! [0867] We knew[] all knew that.

Clov

[0868] There was(as before). [0869] There was a bit left.

Hamm

[0870] The base.

Clov

[0872] Yes.

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