Scene: A basement room. Two beds, flat against the back wall. A serving hatch, closed, between the bed. A door to the kitchen and lavatory, left. A door to a passage, right.
BEN is lying on a bed, left, reading a paper. GUS is sitting on a bed, right, tying his shoelaces, with difficulty. Both are dressed in shirts, trousers and braces.
Silence
GUS ties his laces, rises, yawns and begins to walk slowly to the door, left. He stops, looks down, and shakes his foot.
BEN lowers his paper and watches at him. GUS kneels and uties his shoe-lace and slowly takes off the shoe. He looks inside it and brings out a flattened matchbox. He shakes it and examines it. Their eyes meet. BEN rattles his paper and reads. GUS puts the matchbox in his pocket and bends down to put his shoe. He ties his lace, with difficulty. BEN lowers his paper and watches him. GUS walks to the door, left, stops, and shakes the other foot. He kneels, unties his shoe-lace, and slowly takes off the shoe. He looks inside it and brings out a flattened cigarette packet. He shakes it and examines it. Their eyes meet. BEN rattles his paper and reads. GUS puts the packet in his pocket, bends down, puts on his shoe and ties the lace.
He wanders off, left.
BEN slams the paper down on the bed and glares after him. He picks up the paper and lies on his back, reading.
Silence
A lavatory chain is pulled twice off, left,but the lavatory does not flush.
Silence
GUS re-enters, left, and halts at the door, scratching his head.
BEN slams down the paper.
Ben. Let me give your instructions.
(GUS sights and sits next to BEN on the bed. The instructions are stated and repeated automatically).
When we get the call, you go over and stand behind the door.
Gus. Stand behind the door.
Ben. If there’s a clock on the door you don’t answer it.
Gus. If there’s a clock on the door I don’t answer it.
Ben. But there won’t be a knock on the door.
Gus. So I won’t answer it.
Ben. When the bock comes in -
Gus. When the bock comes in -
Ben. Shut the door behind him.
Gus. Shut the door behind him.
Ben. Without divulging your presence.
Gus. Without divulging my presence.
Ben. He’ll see me and come towards me.
Gus. He’ll see you and come towards you.
Ben. He won’t see you.
Gus. (absently). Eh?
Ben. He won’t see you.
Gus. He won’t see me.
Ben. But he’ll see me.
Gus. He’ll see you.
Ben. He won’t know you are there.
Gus. He won’t know you are there.
Ben. He won’t know you are there.
Gus. He won’t know I’m there.
Ben. I take out my gun.
Gus. You take out your gun.
Ben. He stops in his tracks.
Gus. He stops in his tracks.
Ben. If he turns round -
Gus. If he turns round -
Ben. You’re there.
Gus. I’m here.
(BEN frowns and presses his forehead).
You’ve missed something out.
Ben. I know. What?
Gus. I haven’t taken my gun, out according to you.
Ben. You take your gun out -
Gus. After I’ve closed the door.
Ben. After you’ve closed the door.
Gus. You’ve never missed that out before, you know that?
Ben. When he sees you behind him -
Gus. Me behind him -
Ben. And me in front of him -
Gus. And you in front of him -
Ben. He’ll feel uncertain -
Gus. Uneasy.
Ben. He won’t know what to do.
Gus. So what will he do?
Ben. He’ll look at me and he’ll look at you.
Gus. We won’t say a word.
Ben. We’ll look at him.
Gus. He won’t say a word.
Ben. He’ll look at us.
Gus. And we’ll look t him.
Ben. Nobody says a word.
(Pause)
Gus. What do we do if it’s a girl?
Ben. We do the same.
Gus. Exactly the same?
Ben. Exactly.
(Pause)
Gus. We don’t do anything different?
Ben. We do exactly the same.
Gus. Oh.
(GUS rises, and shivers).
Excuse me.
(He exits through the door on the left. BEN remains sitting on the bed, still. The lavatory chain is pulled once off left, but the lavatory does not flush).
(Silence).
(GUS re-enters and stops inside the door, deep in thought. He looks at BEN, then walks slowly across to his own bed. He is troubled. He stands, thinking. He turns and looks at BEN. He moves a few paces towards him).
(Slowly in a low, tense voice.) Why did he send us matches if he knew there was no gas?
(Silence).
(BEN stares in front of him. GUS crosses to the left side of BEN, to the foot of his bed, to get to his other ear).
Ben, why did he send us matches if he knew there was no gas?
(BEN looks up).
Why did he do that?
Ben. Who?
Gus. Who sent us those matches?
Ben. What are you talking about?
(GUS stares down at him).
Gus. (thickly). Who is it upstairs?
Ben. (nervously). What’s one thing to do with another?
Gus. Who is it, though?
Ben. What’s one thing to do with another?
(BEN fumbles for his paper on the bed) .
Gus. I asked you a question.
Ben. Enough!
Gus. (with growing agitation). I asked you before. Who moved in? I asked you. You said the people had it before moved out. Well, who moved in?
Ben. (hunched). Shut up.
Gus. I told you, didn’t I?
Ben. (standing). Shut up!
Gus. (feverishly). I told you before who owned this place, didn’t I? I told you.
(BEN hits him viciously on the shoulder).
I told you who ran this place, didn’t I?
(BEN hits him viciously on the shoulder).
(Violently) Well, what’s he playing all these games for?
Ben. What games?
Gus. (passionately, advancing). What’s he doing it for? We’ve been through our tests, haven’t we? We got right through our tests, years ago, didn’t we?
We took them together, don’t you remember, didn’t we? We’ve proved ourselves before now, haven’t we? We’ve always done our job. What’s he doing all this for? What’s the idea? What’s he playing these games for?
(The box in the shaft comes down behind them. The noise is this time accompanied by a shrill whistle, as it falls. GUS rushes to the hatch and seizes the note).
(Reading). Scampi!
(He crumples the note, picks up the tube, takes out the whistle, blows and speaks).
WE’VE GOT NOTHING LEFT! NOTHING! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
(BEN seizes the tube and flings GUS away. He follows GUS and slaps him hard, back-handed, across the chest).
Ben. Stop it! You maniac!
Gus. But you heard!
Ben. (savagely). That’s enough! I’m warning you!
(Silence)
(BEN hangs the tube. He goes to his bed and lies down. He picks up his paper and reads).
(Silence)
(The box goes up).
(They turn quickly, their eyes meet. BEN turns to his paper. Slowly GUS goes back to his bed, and sits).
(Silence)
(The hatch falls back into place).
(They turn quickly, their eyes meet. BEN turns back to his paper).
(Silence)
(BEN throws his paper down).
Ben. Kaw!
(He picks up the paper and looks at it).
Listen to this!
(Pause)
What about that, eh?
(Pause)
Kaw!
(Pause)
Have you ever heard such a thing?
Gus. (dully). Go on!
Ben. It’s true.
Gus. Get away!
Ben. It’s down here in black and white.
Gus. (very low) Is that a fact?
Ben. Can you imagine it.
Gus. It’s unbelievable.
Ben. It’s enough to make you want to puke, isn’t it?
Gus. (almost inaudible). Incredible.
(BEN shakes his head. He puts the paper down rises. He fixes the revolver in his holster.
GUS stands up. He goes towards the door on the left. )
Ben. Where are you going?
Gus. I’m going to have a glass of water.
(He exits. BEN brushes dust off his clothes and shoes. The whistle in the speaking-tube blows. He goes to it, takes the whistle out and puts the tube to his ear. He listens. He puts it to mouth).
Ben. Yes.
(To ear. He listens. To mouth).
Straight away. Right.
(To ear. He listens. To mouth).
Sure we’re ready.
(To ear. He listens. To mouth).
Understood. Repeat. He has arrived and will be coming in straight away. The normal method to be employed. Understood.
(To ear. He listens. To mouth).
Sure we’re ready.
(To ear. He listens. To mouth).
Right.
(He hangs the tube up).
Gus!
(He takes out a comb and combs his hair, adjusts his jacket to diminish the bulge of the revolver. The lavatory flushes off left).
(BEN goes quickly to the door, left).
Gus!
The door right opens sharply. BEN turns, his revolver levelled at the door.
GUS stumbles in.
He is stripped of his jacket, waistcoat, tie, holster and revolver.
He stops, body stooping, his arms at his sides.
He raises his head and looks at BEN.
A long silence.
They stare at each other).
Curtain
