
[2620] My weekly supply of lager, half-a-dozen quart bottles, was delivered
every Saturday.
[2621] I never touched them until the next day, for lager must
be left to settle after the least disturbance.
[2622] Of these six
bottles Gaber and I, together, had emptied one.
[2623] There should therefore be
five left, plus the remains of a bottle from the previous week.
[2624] I went
into the pantry.
[2625] The five bottles were there, corked and sealed, and one
open bottle three quarters empty.
[2626] Martha followed me with her eyes. [2627] I
left without [₰] a word to her and went upstairs.
[2628] I did nothing but
go to and fro.
[2629] I went into my son's room.
[2630] Sitting at his little desk he
was admiring his stamps, the two albums, large and small, open before him.
[2631] [⁁]On my approach he shut them hastily.
[2632] I saw at once what he was up to.
[2633] But
first I said, Have you got your things ready?
[2634] He stood up, got his pack
and gave it to me.
[2635] I looked inside.
[2636] I put my hand inside and felt through
the contents, staring vacantly before me.
[2637] Everything was in.
[2638] I gave it
back to him.
[2639] What are you doing? I said.
[2640] Looking at my stamps, he said.
[2641] You call that looking at your stamps? I said.
[2642] Yes papa, he said, with
unimaginable effrontery.
[2643] Silence, you little liar! I cried.
[2644] Do you know
what he was doing?
[2645] Transferring to the album of duplicates from his good
collection properly so-called, certain rare and valuable stamps which[₰]he
was in the habit of gloating over daily and could not bring himself to
leave, even for a few days.
[2646] Show me your new Timor, the five reis orange,
I said.
[2647] He hesitated.
[2648] Show it to me! I cried.
[2649] I had given it to him
myself, it had cost me a florin.
[2650] A bargain, at the time.
[2651] I've put it in
here, he said piteously, picking up the album of duplicates.
[2652] That was all
- Segments
Molloy © 2016 Samuel Beckett Digital Manuscript Project.
Editors: Magessa O'Reilly, Dirk Van Hulle, Pim Verhulst and Vincent Neyt