LAW. But that’s your towel.
JANE. I don’t mind, really.
LAW I have clean ones, dry ones.
JANE (patting her face). This is clean.
LAW. But it’s not dry.
JANE. It’s very soft.
LAW. I have others.
JANE. There. I’m dry.
LAW. You can’t be.
JANE. What a splendid room.
STOTT. Isn’t it? A little bright, perhaps.
LAW. Too much light?
STOTT turns a lamp off.
STOTT. Do you mind?
LAW. No.
JANE begins to take her clothes off.
In the background STOTT moves about the room, turning off the lamps.
LAW stands still.
STOTT turns off all the lamps but one, by the fireside.
JANE, naked, gets into the bed.
Can I get you some cocoa? Some hot chocolate?
STOTT takes his clothes off and, naked, gets into the bed.
I was feeling quite lonely, actually. It is lonely sitting here, night after night Mind you, I’m very happy here. Remember that place we shared? That awful place in Chatsworth Road? I’ve come a long way since then. I bought this fiat cash down. It’s mine. I don’t suppose you’ve noticed the hi-fi stereo? There’s all sorts of things I can show you.
LAW unbuttons his cardigan.
He places it over the one lit lamp, so shading the light. He sits by the fire.
The lamp covered by the cardigan.
Patch of light on the ceiling.
Patch of light at LAW’S feet.
LAW’S hands on the chair arms.
A gasp from JANE.
LAW’S hands do not move.
LAW’S legs. Beyond them, the fire almost dead.
LAW puts on his glasses.
LAW reaches for The Persian Manual of Love.
LAW peers to read.
A long sigh from JANE.
LAW reads.
Exterior. Cliff-top. Day. Summer.
Long-shot of STOTT standing on a cliff-top.
Exterior. Beach.
The beach is long and deserted. LAW and JANE, in swimming costumes. JANE building a sandcastle. LAW watches her.
LAW. How old are you?
JANE. I’m very young.
LAW. You are young.
He watches her work.
You’re a child.
He watches her.
Have you known him long?
JANE. No.
LAW. I have. Charming man. Man of great gifts. Very old friend of mine, as a matter of fact. Has he told you?
JANE. No.
LAW. You don’t know him very well?
JANE. No.
LAW. He has a connexion with the French aristocracy. He was educated in France. Speaks French fluently, of course. Have you read his French translations?
JANE. No.
LAW. Ah. They’re immaculate. Great distinction. Formidable scholar, Stott. Do you know what he got at Oxford? He got a First in Sanskrit at Oxford. A First in Sanskrit!
JANE. How wonderful.
LAW. You never knew?
JANE. Never.
LAW. I know for a fact he owns three chateâux. Three superb châteaux. Have you ever ridden in his Alvis? His Facel Vega? What an immaculate driver. Have you seen his yachts? Huh! What yachts. What yachts.
JANE completes her sandcastle.
How pleased I was to see him. After so long. One loses touch … so easily.
Interior. Cave. Day.
STOTT’S body lying in the sand, asleep.
LAW and JANE appear at the mouth of the cave. They arrive at the body, look down.
LAW. What repose he has.
STOTT’S body in the sand.
Their shadows across him.
Interior. Room. Night.
LAW lying on the floor, a cushion at his head, covered by a blanket.
His eyes are closed.
Silence.
A long gasp from JANE.
LAW’S eyes open.
STOTT and JANE in bed.
STOTT turning to wall.
JANE turns to the edge of the bed.
She leans over the edge of the bed and smiles at LAW.
LAW looks at her.
JANE smiles.
Interior. Room. Day.
STOTT lifts a painting from the wall, looks at it.
STOTT. No.
LAW. No, you’re quite right. I’ve never liked it.
STOTT walks across room to a second picture‚ looks at it. He turns to look at LAW.
No.
STOTT takes it down and turns to look at the other paintings.
All of them. All of them. You’re right. They’re terrible. Take them down.
The paintings are all similar watercolours.
STOTT begins to take them from the walls.
Interior. Kitchen. Day.
JANE in the kitchen, cooking at the stove, humming.
Exterior. Backyard. Winter. Day.
The yard is surrounded by high blank walls.
STOTT and LAW sitting at an iron table, with a pole for an
umbrella.
They are drinking lager.
LAW. Who is she? Where did you meet her?
STOTT. She’s charming, isn’t she?
LAW Charming. A little young.
STOTT. She comes from a rather splendid family, actually.
LAW. Really?
STOTT Rather splendid.
Pause.
LAW. Very helpful, of course, around the house.
STOTT. Plays the harp, you know.
LAW. Well?
STOTT. Remarkably well.
LAW. What a pity I don’t possess one. You don’t possess a harp, do you?
STOTT. Of course I possess a harp.
LAW. A recent acquisition?
STOTT. No, I’ve had it for years.
Pause.
LAW. You don’t find she’s lacking in maturity?
Exterior. Beach. Summer. Day.
LAW and JANE lying in the sand. JANE caressing him.
JANE (whispering). Yes, yes, yes‚ oh you are, oh you are, oh you are …
LAW. We can be seen.
JANE. Why do you resist? How can you resist?
LAW. We can be seen! Damn you!
Exterior. Backyard. Winter. Day.
STOTT and LAW at the table with lager.
JANE comes to the back door.
JANE. Lunch is up!
Interior. Hall. Day.
LAW and JANE come in at the front door with towels over their shoulders.
Interior. Room. Day. Summer.
LAW and JANE at the entrance of the room, towels over their shoulders, staring at the room.
The room is unrecognizable. The furnishing has changed. There are Scandinavian tables and desks. Large bowls of Swedish glass. Tubular chairs. An Indian rug. Parquet floors, shining. A new hi-fi cabinet, etc. Fireplace blocked. The bed is the same.
STOTT is at the window, closing the curtains. He turns.
STOTT. Have a good swim?
Interior. Room. Night. Winter. (Second furnishing.)
STOTT and JANE in bed, smoking, LAW sitting.
STOTT. Let’s have some music We haven’t heard your hi-fi for ages. Let’s hear your stereo. What are you going to play?
Interior. Bar. Evening.
Large empty bar. All the tables unoccupied.
STOTT, LAW and JANE at one table.
STOTT. This was one of our old haunts, wasn’t it, Tim? This was one of our haunts. Tim was always my greatest friend, you know. Always. It’s marvellous. I’ve found my old friend again –
Looking at JANE.
And discovered a new. And you like each other so much. It’s really very warming.
LAW. Same again? (To WAITER.) Same again. (To JANE.) Same again? (To WAITER.) Same again. The same again, all round. Exactly the same.
STOTT. I’ll change to Campari.
LAW (c
licking his fingers at the WAITER). One Campari here. Otherwise the same again.
STOTT. Remember those nights reading Proust? Remember them?
LAW (to JANE). In the original.
STOTT. The bouts with Laforgue? What bouts.
LAW. I remember.
STOTT. The great elms they had then. The great elm trees.
LAW. And the poplars.
STOTT. The cricket The squash courts. You were pretty hot stuff at squash, you know.
LAW. You were unbeatable.
STOTT. Your style was deceptive.
LAW It still is.
LAW laughs.
It still is!
STOTT. Not any longer.
The WAITER serves the drinks.
Silence. STOTT lifts his glass.
Yes, I really am a happy man.
Exterior. Field. Evening. Winter.
STOTT and LAW. JANE one hundred yards across the field. She holds a scarf.
LAW (shouting). Hold the scarf up. When you drop it, we run.
She holds the scarf up.
LAW rubs his hands. STOTT looks at him.
STOTT. Are you quite sure you want to do this?
LAW. Of course I’m sure.
JANE. On your marks!
STOTT and LAW get on their marks.
Get set!
They get set.
JANE drops scarf.
Go!
LAW runs. STOTT stays still.
LAW, going fast, turns to look for STOTT; off balance, stumbles‚ falls‚ hits his chin on the ground.
Lying flat, he looks back at STOTT.
LAW. Why didn’t you run?
Exterior. Field.
JANE stands, scarf in her hand. Downfield, STOTT stands.
LAW lies on the grass. LAW’S voice:
LAW. Why didn’t you run?
Interior. Room. Night. Winter. (Second furnishing.)
STOTT. Let’s have some music. We haven’t heard your hi-fi for ages.
STOTT opens the curtains and the window.
Moonlight. LAW and JANE sit in chairs, clench their bodies with cold.
Exterior. Backyard. Day. Winter.
STOTT walking. LAW, wearing a heavy overcoat, collar turned up, watching him. LAW approaches him.
LAW. Listen. Listen. I must speak to you. I must speak frankly. Listen. Don’t you think it’s a bit crowded in that flat, for the three of us?
STOTT. No, no. Not at all.
LAW. Listen, listen. Stop walking. Stop walking. Please. Wait.
STOTT stops.
Listen. Wouldn’t you say that the flat is a little small, for three people?
STOTT (patting his shoulder). No, no. Not at all.
STOTT continues walking.
LAW (following him). To look at it another way, to look at it another way, I can assure you that the Council would object strenuously to three people living in these conditions. The Town Council, I know for a fact, would feel it incumbent upon itself to register the strongest possible objections. And so would the Church.
STOTT stops walking, looks at him.
STOTT. Not at all. Not at all.
Interior. Room. Day. Summer.
The curtains are closed. The three at lunch, at the table. STOTT and JANE are wearing tropical clothes. JANE is sitting on STOTT’S lop.
LAW. Why don’t we open the curtains?
STOTT eats a grape.
It’s terribly close. Shall I open the window?
STOTT. What are you going to play? Debussy, I hope.
LAW goes to the record cabinet. He examines record after record, feverishly, flings them one after the other at the wall.
STOTT. Where’s Debussy?
STOTT kisses JANE.
Another record hits the wall.
Where’s Debussy? That’s what we want. That’s what we need. That’s what we need at the moment.
JANE breaks away from STOTT and goes out into the yard. STOTT sits still.
LAW. I’ve found it!
Interior. Room. Night. Winter.
LAW turns with the record.
The room is furnished as at the beginning.
STOTT and JANE, naked, climb into bed.
LAW puts the record down and places his cardigan over the one lit lamp.
He sits, picks up the poker and pokes the dying fire.
Exterior. Backyard. Day. Summer.
JANE sitting at the iron table.
STOTT approaches her with a glass and bottle.
He pours wine into the glass.
He bends over her, attempts to touch her breast.
She moves her body away from him.
STOTT remains still.
LAW watches from the open windows.
He moves to the table with the record and smiles at STOTT.
LAW. I’ve found the record. The music you wanted.
STOTT slams his glass on the table and goes into the room.
LAW sits at the table, drinks from the bottle, regards JANE.
JANE plays with a curl in her hair.
Interior. Cave by the sea. Evening. Summer.
LAW and JANE. He lying, she sitting, by him.
She bends and whispers to him.
JANE. Why don’t you tell him to go? We had such a lovely home. We had such a cosy home. It was so warm. Tell him to go. It’s your place. Then we could be happy again. Like we used to. Like we used to. In our first blush of love. Then we could be happy again, like we used to. We could be happy again. Like we used to.
Exterior. Backyard. Night. Winter.
The yard is icy. The window is open. The room is lit.
LAW is whispering to STOTT at the window. In the background JANE sits sewing. (Second furnishing.)
Exterior. Backyard. Window.
LAW and STOTT at the open window, STOTT’S body hunched.
LAW (whispering very deliberately). She betrays you. She betrays you. She has no loyalty. After all you’ve done for her. Shown her the world. Given her faith. You’ve been deluded. She’s a savage. A viper. She sullies this room. She dirties this room. All this beautiful furniture. This beautiful Scandinavian furniture. She dirties it. She sullies the room.
STOTT turns slowly to regard JANE.
Interior. Room. Day.
The curtains are closed.
STOTT in bed. JANE bending over him, touching his head.
She looks across at LAW.
Silence. (Second furnishing.)
LAW. Is he breathing?
JANE. Just.
LAW. His last, do you think?
Pause.
Do you think it could be his last?
JANE. It could be.
LAW. How could it have happened? He seemed so fit. He was fit. As fit as a fiddle. Perhaps we should have called a doctor. And now he’s dying. Are you heartbroken?
JANE. Yes.
LAW. So am I.
Pause.
JANE. What shall we do with the body?
LAW. Body? He’s not dead yet. Perhaps he’ll recover.
They stare at each other.
Interior. Room. Night.
LAW and JANE in a comer, snuffling each other like animals.
Interior. Room. Night.
STOTT at the window. He opens the curtains. Moonlight pierces the room. He looks round.
Interior. Room. Night.
LAW and JANE in a corner, looking up at the window, blinking.
Interior. Room. Day.
STOTT at the window, closing the curtains. He turns into the room. The room is unrecognizable. The walls are hung with tapestries, an oval Florentine mirror, an oblong Italian Master. The floor is marble tiles. There are marble pillars with hanging plants, carved golden chairs, a rich carpet along the room’s centre. STOTT sits in a chair. JANE comes forward with a bowl of fruit. STOTT chooses a grape. In the background LAW, in a corner, playing the flute. STOTT bites into the grape, tosses the bowl of fruit across the room. The fruit scatters. JANE rushes to collect it.
STOTT picks up a tra
y containing large marbles.
He rolls the tray. The marbles knock against each other.
He selects a marble. He looks across the room at LAW playing the flute.
LAW with flute.
At the other end of the room STOTT prepares to bowl.
STOTT. Play!
STOTT bowls.
The marble crashes into the wall behind LAW.
LAW stands, takes guard with his flute.
STOTT. Play!
STOTT bowls.
The marble crashes into the window behind LAW.
LAW takes guard.
STOTT. Play!
STOTT bowls. The marble hits LAW on the knee.
LAW hops.
LAW takes guard.
STOTT. Play!
STOTT BOWLS.
LAW brilliantly cuts marble straight into golden fish tank. The tank smashes. Dozens of fish swim across the marble tiles.
JANE, in the corner, applauds.
LAW waves his flute in acknowledgement.
STOTT. Play!
STOTT bowls.
Marble crashes into LAW’S forehead. He drops.
Interior. Kitchen. Night.
JANE in the kitchen, putting spoonfuls of instant coffee into two cups.
Interior. Room. Night.
The room is completely bare.
Bare walls. Bare floorboards. No furniture. One hanging bulb.
STOTT and LAW at opposite ends of the room.
They face each other. They are barefooted. They each hold a broken milk bottle. They are crouched, still.
LAW’S face, sweating.
STOTT’S face, sweating.
LAW from STOTT’S viewpoint.
STOTT from LAW’S viewpoint.
JANE pouring sugar from a packet into the bowl.
LAW pointing his bottle before him, his arm taut.
STOTT pointing his bottle before him, his arm taut.
JANE pouring milk from a bottle into a jug.
Harold Pinter Plays 3 Page 11
