Digital Manuscript ProjectMalone meurt / Malone Dies

[1039|001] The Lamberts. [1040] One day Sapo arrived at the farm earlier than
usual.
[1041] But do we know waht [ ] time he usually arrived?
[1042] Lengthening,
fading shadows.
[1043] He was surprised to see, at a distance, in the
midst of the young stubble, the father's big red and white head.
[1044] His body was in the hole or pit he had dug for his mule, which had
died during the night.
[1045] Edmund came out of the house, wiping his
mouth, abnd joined him.
[1046] Lambert then climbed out of the hole and the
son went down into it.
[1047] Drawing closer Sapo saw the mule's black
corpse.
[1048] Then all became clear to him.
[1049] The mule was lying on its
side, as was to be expected.
[1050] The forelegs were stretched out straight
and rigid, the hind drawn up under the belly.
[1051] The yawning jaws, the
wreathed lips, the enormous teeth, the bulging eyes, composed a
stirking [ ] death's-head.
[1052] Edmund handed up to his father the pick,
the shovel and the spade and climbed out of the hole.
[1053] Together
they dragged the mule by the legs to[⁁] the edge of the hole and heaved it in,
on its back.
[1054] The forelegs, pointing towards heaven, projected above
the level of the ground.
[1055] Old Lambert banged them down with his
spade.
[1056] He handed the spade to his son and went towards the house.
[1057] Edmund began to fill up the hole.
[1058] Sapo stood watching him.
[1059] A great
calm stole over him.
[1060] Great calm is an exaggeration.
[1061] He felt better.
[1062] The end of a life is always vivifying.
[1063] Edmund paused to rest, leaned
panting on the spade and smiled.
[1064] There were great pink gaps in his
front teeth.
[1065] Big Lambert sat by the window, smoking, drinking,
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Malone meurt / Malone Dies © 2017 Samuel Beckett Digital Manuscript Project.
Editors: Dirk Van Hulle, Pim Verhulst and Vincent Neyt