9. Cf. Revelation 7.9?10: 'After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which . cried with a loud voice . . . Salvation.'
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240 4 / SAMUEL BECKETT
the without.] Let's see. [He looks, moving the telescope.] Zero . . . [He looks.]
. . . zero . . . [He looks.] . . . and zero. HAMM Nothing stirs. All is?
CLOV Zer? HAMM [Violently.] Wait till you're spoke to! [Normal voice.] All is . . . all is .. . all is what? [Violently.] All is what? CLOV Wha t all is? In a word? Is that what you want to know? Just a moment.
[He turns the telescope on the without, looks, lowers the telescope, turns
towards HAMM.] Corpsed. [Pause.] Well? Content? HAMM Look at the sea. CLOV It's the same.
HAMM Look at the ocean! [CLOV gets down, takes a few steps towards window left, goes hack for ladder, carries it over and sets it down under window left, gets up on it, turns the telescope on the without, looks at length. He starts, lowers the telescope, examines it, turns it again on the without.]
CLOV Never seen anything like that! HAMM [Anxious.] What? A sail? A fin? Smoke? CLOV [Looking.] Th e light is sunk. HAMM [Relieved.] Pah! W e all knew that. CLOV [Looking. ] There was a bit left. HAMM Th e base. CLOV [Looking.] Yes. HAMM An d now? CLOV [Looking.] All gone. HAMM NO gulls? CLOV [Looking.] Gulls! HAMM An d the horizon? Nothing on the horizon? CLOV [Lowering the telescope, turning towards HAMM, exasperated.] What in
God's name could there be on the horizon? [Pause.]
HAMM Th e waves, how are the waves?
CLOV Th e waves? [He turns the telescope on the waves.] Lead.
HAMM An d the sun?
CLOV [Looking.] Zero.
HAMM But it should be sinking. Look again.
CLOV [Looking.] Damn the sun.
HAMM IS it night already then?
CLOV [Looking.] No.
HAMM Then what is it?
CLOV [Looking.] Grey. [Lowering the telescope, turning towards HAMM, louder.] Grey! [Pause. Still louder.] GRREY! [Pause. He gets down, approaches HAMM from behind, whispers in his ear.]
HAMM [Starting.] Grey! Did I hear you say grey?
CLOV Light black. From pole to pole.
HAMM You exaggerate. [Pause.] Don't stay there, you give me the shivers. [CLOV returns to his place beside the chair.] CLOV Wh y this farce, day after day?
HAMM Routine. On e never knows. [Pause.] Last night I saw inside m y breast.
There was a big sore.
CLOV Pah! You saw your heart.
HAMM NO, it was living. [Pause. Anguished.] Clov!
CLOV Yes.
.
ENDGAME / 2405
HAMM What's happening? CLOV Something is taking its course. [Pause.]
HAMM Clov! CLOV [Impatiently. ] What is it? HAMM We're not beginning to . . . to . . . mean something? CLOV Mean something! You and I, mean something! [Brief laugh.] A h that's
a good one!
HAMM I wonder. [Pause.] Imagine if a rational being came back to earth,
wouldn't he be liable to get ideas into his head if he observed us long enough. [Voice of rational being.] Ah, good, now I see what it is, yes, now I understand what they're at! [CLOV starts, drops the telescope and begins to scratch his belly with both hands. Normal voice.] An d without going so far as that, we ourselves . . . [With emotion.] .. . we ourselves .. . at certain moments . . . [Vehemently.] T o think perhaps it won't all have been for nothing!
CLOV [Anguished, scratching himself] I have a flea! HAMM A flea! Are there still fleas?
CLOV O n me there's one. [Scratching.] Unless it's a crablouse. HAMM [Very perturbed.] But humanity might start from there all over again! Catch him, for the love of God!
CLOV I'll go and get the powder. [Exit CLOV.] HAMM A flea! This is awful! Wha t a day! [Enter CLOV with a sprinkling-tin.] CLOV I'm back again, with the insecticide. HAMM Let him have it! [CLOV loosens the top of his trousers, pulls it forward
and shakes powder into the aperture. He stoops, looks, xvaits, starts, frenziedly shakes more powder, stoops, looks, waits.]
