MS-HRC-SB-5-10

[2099] ^possible to be elsewhere, to be otherwise, supposing nothing,
asking yourself nothing, you can't, you^'re there, you
don't know ^who, you don't know ^{[⁁] where}, the thing stays where it is,
nothing changes, within in, about it, apparently, apparently.

[2100] And ^{[⁁] there is nothing left but} to wait for the end, ^{nothing left but}
for the end to come, ^and at the end ^all will be the same ^[⁁] , a^t the
end at last perhaps ^all the same as before, as all that livelong
time when ^{there was nothing left but} to get to the end, or fly from it,
or wait for it, trembling or not, resigned or not, the nuisance
of doing over, and of being, same thing, for one who could never
do, never be.

[2101] If ^{this voice} could only stop,
^{this meaningless voice which prevents you from being nothing, just barely prevents you from being nothing & nowhere}
just enough to keep alight this little yellow flame feebly darting
to right and left, panting, as if straining to tear itself from
its wick, strange little flame, it should never have been lit,
or it should never have been fed, or it should have been put
out, put out, it ^should have been let go out.

[2102] Regretting, that's
what helps you on, that's what gets you on towards the end of the
world, regretting what i^s, regretting what was, it's not the same
thing, yes, it's the same, you don't know, you don't know what's
happening, you don't know what's happened, perhaps it's the same,
the same regretting, that's what transports you, towards the end
of regretting.

[2103] But a little animation ^now for pity's
sake, it's now or never, a little spirit, it won't produce any-
thing, no^t a budge, that doesn't matter, we are not grocers,
and one never knows, does one, no.[2104] Perhaps Mahood will emerge from
his ^urn and make his way to^wards Montmartre, on his belly, sing-
ing, I come, I come, my heart's delight.

[2105] Or Worm, good old Worm,
perhaps he won't be able to bear any more of not being able, of
not being able to bear any more, it would be a pity to miss that.
[2106] If I were they I'd set the rats on him, water rats, sewer rats,
they're the best, oh not too many, a dozen or a dozen and
a half, that ^might help him to make up his mind, to get going,
and what an introduction, to his future attributes.No, it would

[2107] No, it would