Perhaps you’ll think of it …
ALICE
… if you watch me?
ELLEN
(With a flattering voice, ambiguously.) Perhaps, if you watch me, you’ll also remember where you put me—(She laughs.) where you carried me to — (She laughs.) in those days, do you remember? — (She laughs.) and you’ll also remember what you should do with me now. (She laughs. Because ELLEN stands behind him, one does not see her talking, although ALICE moves her lips and makes the appropriate gestures.)
(They let him stand there and skip and dance across the stage side by side. With a fervent pleasure in their work, nearly parallel in their movements, they busy themselves with the objects and with the people: while one takes off JANNINGS’S boots, the other is loosening GEORGE’S shoelaces: finished at the same time, they begin to brush PORTEN’S and BERGNER’S hair; again they finish at the same time and skip over to the open drawer of the chest; they return with four fancy cushions and stuff them, running helter-skelter but with similar movements, behind the backs of the four people. There is hardly time to perceive these actions when they are already back at the table with four glasses and two bottles and they place them before the characters.
But now their movements slow down and begin to contradict each other; the work of the one is revoked by the other: one takes the glasses and bottles which the other has placed there away again; one dishevels the hair the other has just brushed; then one takes away the cushions from the persons to whom the other has given them. At the same time the other removes the bottles and the glasses that the one … Then one ties the shoelaces the other has untied, while the other in the meantime is taking away the cushions from … whereupon the one dishevels the hair that … while the other puts JANNINGS’S boots back on.
However, they stop at the same time and want to run offstage quickly in opposite. directions; they return once more and change directions, finally run into the wings. As soon as they have disappeared, they cannot be heard running any more.
Everyone onstage is holding his breath. Suddenly, out of their state of complete immobilization, JANNINGS and GEORGE leap up and rush to the suitcases that have been left onstage. They fling them into the wings after ELLEN and ALICE, but no crashing sound can be heard. They listen. Then they stop listening. While they are returning to their places, PORTEN suddenly leaps up too and throws the remaining things, hats and gloves, into the wings after the girls, tossing the hats as if they were gloves, letting the gloves sail through the air as if they were hats. One hears them crashing like suitcases.
They all settle in their places.)
PORTEN
Goo — (as in good)
(The others turn instantly to BERGNER.)
PORTEN
I’m speaking. (They turn awkwardly to her. BERGNER seems to have fallen asleep.) Hello!
GEORGE
(A little too late.) Hello!
PORTEN
(A little too late.) How are you?
GEORGE
(A little too late.) Fine. (A little too late.) And how are you?
PORTEN
(A little too late.) Fine — Please hand me the paper.
(A brief pause. Only then does GEORGE hand her the newspaper from the table. She holds it in her hand. Pause. Only then does she look into it.)
GEORGE
Is there anything in it?
(Pause.)
PORTEN
(As though she had answered immediately) I’m just looking. (Pause. She puts the paper away.)
GEORGE
Give me the paper. (Pause. Then she gives him the paper, but does so as if she had given it to him at once. GEORGE opens it, looks at it only after an interval. Pause. Then he exclaims as if he had seen the picture on first glance.) Ice floes!
(Pause.)
PORTEN
(Lively) Really? (Pause.) How much do you weigh?
(Pause.)
GEORGE
Two hundred eighteen pounds.
(Pause.)
PORTEN
O God!
(Pause.)
JANNINGS
(Shakes his head. He hesitates and looks at GEORGE.) Why are you shaking your head? Do you want to contradict me?
GEORGE
I am neither shaking my head nor would I, even if I shook my head, thereby want to contradict you.
PORTEN
(To JANNINGS) You were shaking your head yourself.
JANNINGS
That was me?
VON STROHEIM
That was you.
JANNINGS
(Looks to GEORGE.) Who is speaking?
VON STROHEIM
I am.
JANNINGS
(To VON STROHEIM) That was you?
GEORGE
Yes.
JANNINGS
(To GEORGE) You’re talking?
GEORGE
Are you dreaming?
JANNINGS
Am I in earth, in heaven, or in hell?
Sleeping or waking, mad or well-advised?
Known unto these, and to myself disguised:
Am I transformed, master, am not I?
(Pause. To GEORGE) Do you have a match?
GEORGE
Yes.
(Pause. JANNINGS points with his finger on the table, but the others look at his finger. At last he looks at his finger too and lets his hand drop. Pause. VON STROHEIM wants to pull out the red cloth.)
JANNINGS
(Sees it and screams) No! (VON STROHEIM puts it away again instantly. Pause. PORTEN begins to laugh, becomes quiet immediately. GEORGE looks at her questioningly, she only shakes her head. Pause.) Let us pray to God.
PORTEN
(Instantly) My candy.
BERGNER
(In her sleep) There’s a rat in the kitchen.
(Pause.)
VON STROHEIM
(Reaches into the cigar box. He asks) May I take one? (They look at him, he pulls back his hand. He asks once more) May I take a cigar? (And already extends his hand. They look at him and he pulls back his hand. With arms pressed to his sides, he asks once more) May I take one? (No one looks at him and he takes a cigar. PORTEN gives him the ashtray.)