Complete Works, Volume III

Complete Works, Volume III by Harold Pinter Read Free Book Online Page B

Book: Complete Works, Volume III by Harold Pinter Read Free Book Online
Authors: Harold Pinter
him.
    TEDDY . Of course they are. They love her. We'll be seeing them soon.
    Pause.
    LENNY ( to TEDDY ). Your cigar's gone out.
    TEDDY . Oh, yes.
    LENNY. Want a light?
    TEDDY . No. No.
    Pause.
    So has yours.
    LENNY . Oh, yes.
    Pause.
    Eh, Teddy, you haven't told us much about your Doctorship of Philosophy. What do you teach?
    TEDDY . Philosophy.
    LENNY . Well, I want to ask you something. Do you detect a certain logical incoherence in the central affirmations of Christian theism?
    TEDDY . That question doesn't fall within my province.
    LENNY . Well, look at it this way . . . you don't mind my asking you some questions, do you?
    TEDDY . If they're within my province.
    LENNY . Well, look at it this way, How can the unknown merit reverence? In other words, how can you revere that of which you're ignorant? At the same time, it would be ridiculous to propose that what we know merits reverence. What we know merits any one of a number of things, but it stands to reason reverence isn't one of them. In other words, apart from the known and the unknown, what else is there?
    Pause.
    TEDDY . I'm afraid I'm the wrong person to ask.
    LENNY . But you're a philosopher. Come on, be frank. What do you make of all this business of being and not-being?
    TEDDY . What do you make of it?
    LENNY . Well, for instance, take a table. Philosophically speaking. What is it?
    TEDDY . A table.
    LENNY . Ah. You mean it's nothing else but a table. Well, some people would envy your certainty, wouldn't they, Joey? For instance, I've got a couple of friends of mine, we often sit round the Ritz Bar having a few liqueurs, and they're always saying things like that, you know, things like: Take a table, take it. All right, I say, take it, take a table, but once you've taken it, what you going to do with it? Once you've got hold of it, where you going to take it?
    MAX . You'd probably sell it.
    LENNY . You wouldn't get much for it.
    JOEY . Chop it up for firewood.
    LENNY looks at him and laughs.
    RUTH . Don't be too sure though. You've forgotten something. Look at me. I . . . move my leg. That's all it is. But I wear . . . underwear . . . which moves with me . . . it . . . captures your attention. Perhaps you misinterpret. The action is simple. It's a leg . . . moving. My lips move. Why don't you restrict . . . your observations to that? Perhaps the fact that they move is more significant . . . than the words which come through them. You must bear that . . . possibility . . . in mind.
    Silence
    TEDDY stands.
    I was born quite near here.
    Pause.
    Then . . . six years ago, I went to America.
    Pause.
    It's all rock. And sand. It stretches . . . so far . . . everywhere you look. And there's lots of insects there.
    Pause.
    And there's lots of insects there.
    Silence.
    She is still.
    MAX stands.
    MAX . Well, it's time to go to the gym. Time for your workout, Joey.
    LENNY ( standing ). I'll come with you.
    JOEY sits looking at RUTH.
    MAX . Joe.
    JOEY stands. The three go out.
    TEDDY sits by RUTH, holds her hand.
    She smiles at him .
    Pause.
    TEDDY . I think we'll go back. Mmnn?
    Pause.
    Shall we go home?
    RUTH . Why?
    TEDDY . Well, we were only here for a few days, weren't we? We might as well . . . cut it short, I think.
    RUTH . Why? Don't you like it here?
    TEDDY . Of course I do. But I'd like to go back and see the boys now.
    Pause.
    RUTH . Don't you like your family?
    TEDDY . Which family?
    RUTH . Your family here.
    TEDDY . Of course I like them. What are you talking about?
    Pause.
    RUTH . You don't like them as much as you thought you did?
    TEDDY . Of course I do. Of course I . . . like them. I don't know what you're talking about.
    Pause.
    Listen. You know what time of the day it is there now, do you?
    RUTH . What?
    TEDDY . It's morning. It's about eleven o'clock.
    RUTH . Is it?
    TEDDY . Yes, they're about six hours behind us . . . I mean . . . behind the time here. The boys'll be at the pool . . . now . . . swimming. Think of it. Morning over there. Sun. We'll go

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