CLOV Well . . . sooner or later I'd start to stink.
HAMM You stink already. Th e whole place stinks of corpses.
CLOV The whole universe. HAMM [Angrily.] T o hell with the universe. [Pause.] Thin k of something. CLOV What? HAMM A n idea, have an idea. [Angrily.] A bright idea! CLOV A h good. [He starts pacing to and fro, his eyes fixed on the ground, his
hands behind his back. He halts.] The pains in my legs! It's unbelievable! Soon I won't be able to think any more. HAMM YOU won't be able to leave me. [CLOV resumes his pacing.] What are
you doing? CLOV Having an idea. [He paces.] Ah! [He halts.] HAMM What a brain! [Pause.] Well? CLOV Wait! [He meditates. Not very convinced.] Yes . . . [Pause. More con
vinced.] Yes! [He raises his head.] I have it! I set the alarm. [Pause.] HAMM This is perhaps not one of my bright days, but frankly?
CLOV You whistle me. I don't come. The alarm rings. I'm gone. It doesn't
ring. I'm dead. [Pause.] HAMM IS it working? [Pause. Impatiently.] Th e alarm, is it working? CLOV Wh y wouldn't it be working?
HAMM Because it's worked too much.
CLOV But it's hardly worked at all.
HAMM [Angrily.] The n because it's worked too little!
CLOV I'll go and see. [Exit CLOV. Brief ring of alarm off . Enter CLOV with alarm-
clock. He holds it against HAMM'S ear and releases alarm. They listen to it ringing to the end. Pause.] Fit to wake the dead! Did you hear it? HAMM Vaguely.
CLOV The end is terrific!
HAMM I prefer the middle. [Pause.] Is it not time for m y pain-killer?
CLOV NO! [He goes to door, turns.] I'll leave you.
HAMM It's time for my story. Do you want to listen to my story.
CLOV NO.
HAMM Ask my father if he wants to listen to my story, [CLOV goes to bins,
raises the lid of NAGG'S, stoops, looks into it. Pause. He straightens up.] CLOV He's asleep. HAMM Wake him. [CLOV stoops, wakes NAGG with the alarm. Unintelligible
words, CLOV straightens up.] CLOV He doesn't want to listen to your story. HAMM I'll give him a bon-bon. [CLOV stoops. As before.] CLOV He wants a sugar-plum.
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241 0 / SAMUEL BECKETT
HAMM He'll get a sugar-plum, [CLOV stoops. As before.]
CLOV It's a deal. [He goes towards door, NAGG'S hands appear, gripping the rim.
Then the head emerges, CLOV reaches door, turns.] D o you believe in the life
to come?
HAMM Mine was always that. [Exit CLOV.] Got him that time! NAGG I'm listening. HAMM Scoundrel! Wh y did you engender me? NAGG I didn't know. HAMM What? What didn't you know? NAGG That it'd be you. [Pause.] You'll give me a sugar-plum? HAMM After the audition. NAGG You swear? HAMM Yes. NAGG On what? HAMM M y honour. [Pause. They laugh heartily.] NAGG Two. HAMM One. NAGG One for me and one for? HAMM One! Silence! [Pause.] Where was I? [Pause. Gloomily.] It's finished,
we're finished. [Pause.] Nearly finished. [Pause.] There'll be no more speech.
[Pause.] Something dripping in my head, ever since the fontanelles.5 [Stifled
hilarity of NAGG.] Splash, splash, always on the same spot. [Pause, j Perhaps
it's a little vein. [Pause.] A little artery. [Pause. More animated.] Enough of
that, it's story time, where was I? [Pause. Narrative tone.] The man came
crawling towards me, on his belly. Pale, wonderfully pale and thin, he
seemed on the point of?[Pause. Normal tone.] No, I've done that bit.
[Pause. Narrative tone.] I calmly filled m y pipe?the meerschaum, lit it with
.. . let us say a vesta,6 drew a few puffs. Aah! [Pause.] Well, what is it you
want? [Pause.] It was an extra-ordinarily bitter day, I remember, zero by the
thermometer. But considering it was Christmas Eve there was nothing . . .
extra-ordinary about that. Seasonable weather, for once in a way. [Pause.]
Well, what ill wind blows you my way? He raised his face to me, black with
mingled dirt and tears. [Pause. Normal tone.] That should do it. [Narrative
tone.] No, no, don't look at me, don't look at me. H e dropped his eyes and
