The Sound and the Fury

When I moved, they glinted and sparkled. I hushed.

Then I heard Caddy walking and I began again.

'Benjamin.' Mother said. 'Come here.' I went to the door. 'You, Benjamin.' Mother said.

'What is it now.' Father said. 'Where are you going.'

'Take him downstairs and get someone to watch him, Jason.' Mother said. 'You know I'm ill, yet you '

Father shut the door behind us.

'T.P.' he said.

'Sir.' T.P. said downstairs.

'Benjy's coming down.' Father said. 'Go with T.P.'

I went to the bathroom door. I could hear the water.

'Benjy.' T.P. said downstairs.

I could hear the water. I listened to it.

'Benjy.' T.P. said downstairs.I listened to the water.

I couldn't hear the water, and Caddy opened the door.

'Why, Benjy.' she said. She looked at me and I went and she put her arms around me. 'Did you find Caddy again.' she said. 'Did you think Caddy had run away.' Caddy smelled like trees.

We went to Caddy's room. She sat down at the mirror. She stopped her hands and looked at me.

'Why, Benjy. What is it.' she said. 'You mustn't cry. Caddy's not going away. See here.' she said. She took up the bottle and took the stopper out and held it to my nose. 'Sweet. Smell. Good.'

I went away and I didn't hush, and she held the bottle in her hand, looking at me.

'Oh.' she said. She put the bottle down and came and put her arms around me. 'So that was it. And you were trying to tell Caddy and you couldn't tell her. You wanted to, but you couldn't, could you. Of course Caddy wont. Of course Caddy wont. Just wait till I dress.'

Caddy dressed and took up the bottle again and we went down to the kitchen.

'Dilsey.' Caddy said. 'Benjy's got a present for you.' She stooped down and pot the bottle in my hand. 'Hold it out to Dilsey, now.' Caddy held my hand out and Dilsey took the bottle.

'Well I'll declare.' Dilsey said. 'If my baby aint give Dilsey a bottle of perfume. Just look here, Roskus.'

Caddy smelled like trees. 'We dont like perfume ourselves.' Caddy said.

1.12

She smelled like trees.

8.1

'Come on, now.' Dilsey said. 'You too big to sleep with folks. You a big boy now. Thirteen years old. Big enough to sleep by yourself in Uncle Maury's room.' Dilsey said. Uncle Maury was sick. His eye was sick, and his mouth. Versh took his supper up to him on the tray.

'Maury says he's going to shoot the scoundrel.' Father said. 'I told him he'd better not mention it to Patterson before hand.' He drank.

'Jason.' Mother said.

'Shoot who, Father.' Quentin said. 'What's Uncle Maury going to shoot him for.'

'Because he couldn't take a little joke.' Father said.

'Jason.' Mother said. 'How can you. You'd sit right there and see Maury shot down in ambush, and laugh.'

'Then Maury'd better stay out of ambush.' Father said.

'Shoot who, Father.' Quentin said. 'Who's Uncle Maury going to shoot.'

'Nobody.' Father said. 'I dont own a pistol.' Mother began to cry. 'If you begrudge Maury your food, why aren't you man enough to say so to his face. To ridicule him before the children, behind his back.'

'Of course I dont.' Father said. 'I admire Maury. He is invaluable to my own sense of racial superiority. I wouldn't swap Maury for a matched team. And do you know why, Quentin.'

'No, sir.' Quentin said.

'Et ego in arcadia I have forgotten the latin for hay.' Father said. 'There, there.' he said. 'I was just joking.' He drank and set the glass down and went and put his hand on Mother's shoulder.

'It's no joke.' Mother said. 'My people are every bit as well born as yours. Just because Maury's health is bad.

'Of course.' Father said. 'Bad health is the primary reason for all life. Created by disease, within putrefaction, into decay. Versh.'

'Sir.' Versh said behind my chair.

'Take the decanter and fill it.'

'And tell Dilsey to come and take Benjamin up to bed.' Mother said.

'You a big boy.' Dilsey said. 'Caddy tired sleeping with you. Hush now, so you can go to sleep.' The room went away, but I didn't hush, and the room came back and Dilsey came and sat on the bed, looking at me.

'Aint you going to be a good boy and hush.' Dilsey said. 'You aint, is you. Sec can you wait a minute, then.' She went away. There wasn't anything in the door. Then Caddy was in it.

'Hush.' Caddy said. 'I'm coming.'

I hushed and Dilsey turned back the spread and Caddy got in between the spread and the blanket. She didn't take off her bathrobe.

'Now.' she said. 'Here I am.' Dilsey came with a blanket and spread it over her and tucked it around her.

'He be gone in a minute.' Dilsey said. 'I leave the light on in your room.

'All right.' Caddy said. She snuggled her head beside mine on the pillow. 'Goodnight, Dilsey.'

'Goodnight, honey.' Dilsey said. The room went black. Caddy smelled like trees.

1.13

We looked up into the tree where she was.

'What she seeing, Versh.' Frony whispered.

'Shhhhhhh.' Caddy said in the tree. Dilsey said, 'You come on here.' She came around the corner of the house. 'Whyn't you all go on up stairs, like your paw said, stead of slipping out behind my back. Where's Caddy and Quentin.'

'I told her not to climb up that tree.' Jason said. 'I'm going to tell on her.

'Who in what tree.' Dilsey said. She came and looked up into the tree. 'Caddy.' Dilsey said. The branches began to shake again.

'You, Satan.' Dilsey said. 'Come down from there.'

'Hush.' Caddy said, 'Dont you know Father said to be quiet.' Her legs came in sight and Dilsey reached up and lifted her out of the tree.

'Aint you got any better sense than to let them come around here.' Dilsey said. 'I couldn't do nothing with her.' Versh said.

'What you all doing here.' Dilsey said. 'Who told you to come up to the house.'

'She did.' Frony said. 'She told us to come.'

'Who told you you got to do what she say.' Dilsey said. 'Get on home, now.' Frony and T.P. went on. We