Harold Pinter Plays 2 by Harold Pinter Read Free Book Online Page B

air, boy. You don’t have to tell me about air. What I’m saying is, there’s too much air coming in that window when I’m asleep.
    ASTON. Gets very stuffy in here without that window open.
    ASTON crosses to the chair, puts the plank on it, and con tinues sandpapering.
    DAVIES. Yes, but listen, you don’t know what I’m telling you. That bloody rain, man, come right in on my head. Spoils my sleep. I could catch my death of cold with it, with that draught. That’s all I’m saying. Just shut that window and no one’s going to catch any colds, that’s all I’m saying.
    Pause.
    ASTON. I couldn’t sleep in here without that window open.
    DAVIES. Yes, but what about me? What … what you got to say about my position?
    ASTON. Why don’t you sleep the other way round?
    DAVIES. What do you mean?
    ASTON. Sleep with your feet to the window.
    DAVIES. What good would that do?
    ASTON. The rain wouldn’t come in on your head.
    DAVIES. No, I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t do that.
    Pause.
    I mean, I got used to sleeping this way. It isn’t me has to change, it’s that window. You see, it’s raining now. Look at it. It’s coming down now.
    Pause.
    ASTON . I think I’ll have a walk down to Goldhawk Road. I got talking to a man there. He had a saw bench. It looked in pretty good condition to me. Don’t think it’s much good to him.
    Pause.
    Have a walk down there, I think.
    DAVIES. Listen to that. That’s done my trip to Sidcup. Eh, what about closing that window now? It’ll be coming in here.
    ASTON. Close it for the time being.
    DAVIES closes the window and looks out.
    DAVIES. What’s all that under that tarpaulin out there?
    ASTON. Wood.
    DAVIES. What for?
    ASTON. To build my shed.
    DAVIES sits on his bed.
    DAVIES. You haven’t come across that pair of shoes you was going to look out for me, have you?
    ASTON. Oh. No. I’ll see if I can pick some up today.
    DAVIES. I can’t go out in this with these, can I? I can’t even go out and get a cup of tea.
    ASTON. There’s a café just along the road.
    DAVIES. There may be, mate.
    Dining ASTON’S speech the room grows darker.
By the close of the speech only ASTON can be seen clearly. DAVIES and all the other objects are in the shadow. The fade- down of the light must be as gradual, as protracted and as unobtrusive as possible.
    ASTON. I used to go there quite a bit. Oh, years ago now. But I stopped. I used to like that place. Spent quite a bit of time in there. That was before I went away. Just before. I think that … place had a lot to do with it. They were all … a good bit older than me. But they always used to listen. I thought … they understood what I said. I mean I used to talk to them. I talked too much. That was my mistake. The same in the factory. Standing there, or in the breaks, I used to … talk about things. And these men, they used to listen, whenever I … had anything to say. It was all right. The trouble was, I used to have kind of hallucinations.They weren’t hallucinations, they … I used to get the feeling I could see things … very clearly … everything … was so clear … everything used … everything used to get very quiet … everything got very quiet … all this … quiet … and … this clear sight … it was … but maybe I was wrong. Anyway, someone must have said something. I didn’t know anything about it. And … some kind of lie must have got around. And this lie went round. I thought people started being funny. In that café. The factory. I couldn’t understand it. Then one day they took me to a hospital, right outside London. They … got me there. I didn’t want to go. Anyway … I tried to get out, quite a few times. But … it wasn’t very easy. They asked me questions, in there. Got me in and asked me all sorts of questions. Well, I told them … when they wanted to know … what my thoughts were. Hmmnn. Then one day … this man … doctor, I suppose … the head one … he was quite a man of … distinction …