MS-OSU-RARE-29-6

[0873] And now?

[0873|001] All gone. [0874] (as before). [0875] All gone.

[0876] No gulls?

[0877] '⁽as before). [0878] Gulls!

[0879] And the horizon? [0880] Nothing on the horizon?

[0881] (lowering the glass, turning towards Hamm, exasperated). [0882] What the hell ^{in God's name} could there be on the horizon?

[0884] The waves, how are the waves?

[0885] The waves? [0885|001] (Pause.) [0885|002] Lead. [0886] (He turhⁿs the telescope on the waves.) [0887] Lead.

[0888] And the sun.

[0889] (looking). [0890] Nix. ^{None. Nix Zero}

[0891] But it should be setting[⁁] ^{going down sinking}. [0892] Look carefully ^again.

[0893] (having looked again). [0894] Damn the sun.

[0895] Is it night already then?

[0896] (looking). [0897] No.

[0898] Then what is it?

[0899] (looking). [0900] It's grey. [0901] (Lowering the glass, turning towards Hamm, louder.) [0902] Grey! [0903] (Pause. [0904] Still louder.) [0905] GRREY!

[0907] (starting). [0908] Grey! [0909] Did ^{I hear} you say grey?

[0910] Light black. [0911] From pole to pole.

[0912] You exaggerate! [0913] (Pai^use.) [0914] Don't stay there, you frighten me ^{make me nervous give me the creeps}.

[0916] Why this farce, day after day?

[0917] Routine. [0918] You never know. [0919] (Pause.) [0920] Last night I saw inside my breast. [0921] There was a big sore.

[0922] Pah! You saw your heart.

[0923] No, it was living. [0923|001] (Pause.) [0923|002] Clov[0924](Pause. [0925] With anguish.) [0926] Clov!

[0927] Yes.

[0928] What's happening?

[0929] Something is taking its course.

[0931] Clov.

[0932] (impatiently) [0933] What is it?

[0934] We're not beginning to...to...mean something?

[0935] Mean something! [0936] You and I, mean something! [0937] (Brief laugh.) [0938] Ah that's a good one!

[0939] I wonder. [0940] (Pause.) [0941] Imagine ^Suppose an intelligent being ^{came back} in the world again ^{Imagine an intelligent[⁁] if a rational being came back to earth,}, wouldn't he be liable to get ideas into his head, if he observed us long enough? [0942] (Voice of intelligent ^rational being.) [0943] Ah, good, now I see what it is, yes, now I understand what they're at! [0944] (Clov starts, drops the glass and bein^gins to scratch his belly with both hands. [0945] Normal voice.) [0946] And without going so far as that, we p^ourselves...(with emotion)...we ourselves, at certain moments...[0947](Vehemently.) [0948] To think perhaps it won't all have been for nothing!

[0949] (with anguish, scratching himself). [0950] I have a flea!

[0951] A flea! [0952] Are there still fleas?

[0952|001] Unless it's a crablouse. [0953] (scrac^tching). [0954] Unless it's a crablouse. [0954|001] ^(morpion)

[0955] (very disturbed ^upset). [0955|001] A flea! [0956] But from there humanity might start ^{from there} all over again! [0957] Catch him, for the love of God!

[0958] I'll go and get the powder.

[0960] A flea! [0961] This is awg^ful! [0962] What a day!

[0964] I'm back again, with the insecticide.

[0965] Let him have it!

[0968] The bastard!

[0969] Did you get him?

[0970] Looks like it. [0970|001] Unless he's ^{laying low} [0971] ^{(He drops the tin and adjusts his trousers.)} [0972] ^{Unless he's laying low.}

[0973] ^Laying! [0974] ^{Lying, you mean.} [0975] ^{Unless he's lying low.}

[0976] ^Ah! [0977] ^{One says lying?} [0978] ^{One doesn't say laying?}

[0979] ^{Use your head, can't you.} [0980] ^{If he was laying we'd be bitched.}

[0980|001] ^Ah! [0981] ^(Pause.) [0982] ^{What about that pee?}

[0982|002] What about your pee?

[0982|003] I'm having it. [0982|004] ^{It's nearly over.} [0983] ^{I'm having it.}

[0984] Ah that's the spirit, that's the spirit.^!

[0986] (with ardour). [0987] Let's ^{be gone} go from here, the two of us! [0988] South! [0989] You can make a raft [0990] and the currents will carry us away, far away, to other... mammifers. ^mammals.

[0991] God forbid!

[0992] Alone, I'll set out ^embark alone! [0993] Get working on that raft ill^mmediately. [0994] To-morrow I'll be gone.

[0995] (hastening towards the door). [0996] I'll start straight away.

[0997] Wait! [0998] (Clov halts.) [0999] Will there we sharks, do you think?

[1000] Sharks? [1000|001] If there are there will be. [1001] I don't know. [1002] If there ^stillare there will be.

[1004] Wait! [1005] (Clov halts.) [1006] It is not yet time for my sedative ^painkiller?

[1007] (violently). [1008] No!

[1010] Wait! [1011] (Clov halts.) [1012] How are your eyes?

[1013] Bad.

[1014] But you can see?

[1015] Sufficiently.

[1016] How are your legs?

[1017] Bad.

[1018] But you can walk.

[1019] I come...and go.

[1020] In my house. [1021] (Pause. [1022] With prop^hetic relish.) [1023] One day you'll be blind. [1024] Like me. [1025] You'll be spitting ther ^{sitting there}, a speck in the void, in the dark, for ever, [1026] like me. [1027] (Pause.) [1028] One day you'll say, I'm tired, I'll sit down, and you'll go and sit down. [1029] Then you'll say, I'm hungry, I'll get up and get something to eat. [1030] But you won't get up. [1031] You'll say, I shouldn't hac^ve sat down, but since I have I'll sit on a little longer, then I'll get up and get something to eat. [1032] But you won't get up and you won't get anything to eat. [1033] (Pause.) [1034] You'll look at the wall for a little ^while, then you'll say, I'll close my eyes, perhaps sleep a little ^{sleep a little}, after that I'll feel better, and you'll close them. [1035] And when you open

[1035] them again there'll be no wall any more. [1036] (Pause.) [1037] Infinitive emptiness will be all around you, all the resurrected dead of all the ages wouldn't fill it, and there you'll bit^e like a little bit of grit in the middle of the steppe. [1038] (Pause.) [1039] Yes, one day you'll know what ^{it is,} it's like, you'll be like me, except that u^you won't have anyone with you, because you won't have had pity on anyone and because there won't be anyone left to have pity on.

[1041] It's not certain. [1042] (Pause.) [1043] And there's something you forget.

[1044] Ah?

[1045] I can't sit down.

[1046] (impatiently). [1047] Well ^then you'll lie down there ^then, what the hell! [1048] Or you'll come to a standstill, simply stop and stand still, T^the way you are now. [1049] One day you'll say, I'm tired, I'll stop. [1050] What does the attitude matter?

[1052] So you all want me to leave you.

[1053] Naturally.

[1054] Then I'll leave you.

[1055] You can't leave us.

[1056] Then I won't leave you.

[1058] Why don't you finish us? [1059] (Pause.) [1060] I'll give you the combination of the larder if you promise to finish me.

[1061] I couldn't finish you.

[1062] Then you won't finish me.

[1064] I'll leave you, I have things to do.

[1065] Do you remember your arrival ^{when you came} here?

[1066] BO ^No. [1067] Too small, you told me.

[1068] Do you remember your father?

[1069] (with lassitude ^wearily). [1070] Same answer. [1071] (Pause.) [1072] You've asked me these questions millions of times.

[1073] I love the old questions. [1074] (With fervour.) [1075] Ah the old questions, the old answers, h^there's nothing like them! [1076] (Pause.) [1077] It was I was a father to you.

[1078] Yes. [1079] (He looks at Hamm fixedly.) [1080] You were that to me.

[1081] It was m^My house was a home for you.

[1082] Yes. [1083] (He looks about him.) [1084] This was that for me.

[1085] (proudly). [1086] No Hamm ^{But for me}(gesture towards himself), no father. [1087] No ^{But for} Hamm (gesture round about ^{towards surroundings}), no home.

[1089] I'll leave you.

[1090] Did you ever think of one thing?

[1091] Never.

[1092] That here we're ^down in a hole. [1093] (Pause.!⁾ [1094] But beyond the mountains ^hills? [1095] Eh? [1096] Perhaps it's still green. [1097] Eh? [1098] (Pause.) [1099] Flora! [1100] Pomona! [1102] (Ecstatically.) [1103] Ceres! [1104] (Pause.!⁾ [1105] Perhaps you won't need to go very far.

[1106] I can't go very far. [1107] (Pause.) [1108] I'll leave you.

[1109] Is my dog ready?

[1110] He lacks a leg.

[1111] Is he silky?

[1112] He's a kind of Pom.^eranian.

[1113] Go and get him.

[1114] He lacks a leg.

[1115] Go and get him! [1116] (Exit Clov.) [1117] We're getting on.

[1120] Your dogs are here.

[1122] He's white, isn't he?

[1123] Nearly.

[1124] What do you mean, nearly? [1125] Is he white or isn't he?

[1126] He isn't.

[1128] You've forgotten his ^the sex.

[1129] (vexed). [1130] But he isn't finished. [1131] The sex goes on at the end.

[1133] You haven't put on his ribbon.

[1134] (angrily). [1135] But he isn't finished, I tell you! [1136] First you finish your dog, ^and then you put on his ribbon.