MS-HRC-SB-4-2-3

[0110] Extraordinary silence this evening. I strain my ears and
do not hear a sound.[0111] Old Miss Hare ^{Scovell McGlone McGlone} always sings at this hour.[0112] ^{[↑] But no tonight}
[0113] Songs of her girlhood, she says.[0114] ^{Hard to think of her as a girl.}[0115] Wonderful woman. Connaught.
But not tonight. Wonderful woman [⁁]^though.[0116] Connaught ^{I fancy}. [⁁][0116|001] ^{Born, bred and bewildered. [⁁]}[0117] (Pause.)[0118] Shall
I sing when I am her age, if I ever am?[0119] No.[0121] ^Did I sing as a
boy?[0122] No.[0124] Did I ever sing?[0125] No.

[0126] Pause.
[0127] I have just listened to an old year, passages at random.[0128] I
did not check in the book, but it must be at least ten or
twelve years ago.[0129] At that time I think U^I was still living on
and off with Bianca in Street.[0130] Well out of that.
[0131] Hopeless business.[0132] (Pause.)[0133] Not much reference to ^about her. A queer
passage about her ^{description of her Just [⁁] A tribute to her} eyes.[0135] I suddenly saw them again.[0136] (Pause.)

[0137] Incomparable.[0138] (Pause.)[0139] Ah well...[0140](Pause.)[0141] These old P.M.s are
grueseome, but I always - (Krapp switches off, broods, switches
on again) - find them a help befor^re embarking on a new...
(hesitates)...conspectus ^retrospect.[0142] Hard to believe I was ever that young
pup ^whelp.[0143] That ^The voice![0144] Jesus![0145] And the aspirations.[0146] (Brief laugh in
which A joi Krapp joins.)[0147] And the resolutions!

[0148] (Brief laugh
in which Krapp joins.)[0149] To drink less, in particular ^{of all things.}.[0150] (Brief
laugh of Krapp alone.)[0151] Statistics.[0152] Seventeen hundred hours,
out of the preceding eight thousand odd, consumed on licensed
premises alone.[0153] Over 20%.[0155] Plans for a less wearing ^engrossing sexual
life.[0156] Last illness of his father.[0157] Flagging pursuit of happiness.

[0158] Unattainable laxation.[0163] [⁁] ^xx Shadow of the magnum opus.[0164] Closing with ^{a -}
- (brief laugh) - a y^yelp to Providence.[0165] (Prolonged laugh in
which Krapp joins.)[0166] What remains of all that misery?[0167] A girl
in a shabby green coat, on a railway-station platform?[0168] No?^{t even?}
[0169] Pause.

[0170] When I look -[0171] (Krapp switches off machine, n^broods, ;^looks at
his watch, gets up and goes backstage into darkness. [0172] Ten
seconds. [0173] Pop of cork. [0174] Ten seconds. [0175] Second cork. [0176] Ten seconds.
[0177] Third cork. [0178] Ten seconds. [0179] Brief burst of quavering song. [⁁]

[0183] He
comes back into light, sits down, switches on machine, resumes
his posture.)

[0184] - back on the year that is gone, with what I
hope are perhaps the old eyes to come, there is of course the
house on the canal where mother lay a-dying, in the early
autumn, after her long viduity ^{...(hesitates)...viduity} (Krapp gives a start,⁾ and the -
[0185] (Krapp switches off machine, winds back tape a little, bends
his ear closer to machine)[0186] - a-dying, in the early autumn,
after her long viduity ^{...(hesitates)...viduity}, and the -

[0187] (Krapp switches off machine,
raises his head, stares blankly before him. [0188] His lips move in
the syllables of "viduity". [0189] No sound. [0190] He gets up, goes backstage
into darkness, comes back with an enormous dictionary, lays it
on table, looks up the word, reads, (quotes definition if
possibm^le), nods, closes dictionary, switches on machine, re-
sumes his posture.)

[0207] - bench by the weir from where I could see
her window.[0208] There I sat, wishing she were gone.[0209] (Pause.)[0210] Quite
a ni^umber of people I got to know then, oh I mean by appearance,
nursemaids, children, old men, dogs. ^[⁁] One dark young beauty I

[0211] One dark young beauty I