going to save her, but now you can say so. It wont be difficult. Just one
word-
(she stops, arrested, utterly motionless, but even then she is
first to recover)
Oh God.
(Gowan rises quickly. Temple whirls to Stevens)
Why is it you must always believe in plants? Do you have to? Is it because
you have to? Because you are a
290 WILLIAM FAULKNER
lawyer? No, I'm wrong. I'm sorry; I was the one that started us hiding
gimmicks on each other, wasn't it?
(quickly: turning to Gowan)
Of course; you didn't take the sleeping pill at all. Which means you
didn't even need to, come here for the Governor to hide you behind the
door or under the desk or wherever it was he was trying to tell me you
were hiding and listening, because after all the Governor of a Southern
state has got to try to act like he regrets having to aberrate from being
a gentleman-
STEVENS
(to Temple) Stop it.
GOWAN
Maybe we both didn't start hiding soon enough-by about eight years-not
in desk drawers either, but in two abandoned mine shafts, one in Siberia
and the other at the South Pole, maybe.
TEMPLE
All right. I didn't mean hiding. I'm sorry.
GOWAN
Dont be. Just draw on your eight years' interest for that.
(to Stevens) All right, all right; tell me to shut up too.
(to no one directly)
In fact, this may be the time for me to start saying sorry for the next
eight-year term. Just give me a little time. Eight years of gratitude
might be a habit a little hard to break. So here goes.
(to Temple) I'm sorry. Forget it.
TEMPLE
I would have told you.
GOWAN
You did. Forget it. You see how easy it is? You could have been doing
that yourself for eight years: every time I would say 'Say sorry,
please,' all you would need would be to answer: 'I did. Forget it.'
(to Stevens)
I guess that's all, isn't it? We can go home now.
(he starts to come around the
desk)
REQUIEM FOR A NUN 291
TEMPLE
Wait. (Gowan stops; they look at each other) Where are you going?
GOWAN
I said home, didn't I? To pick up Bucky and carry him back to his own
bed again. (they look at one another) You're not even going to ask me
where he is now? (answers himself) Where we always leave our children
when the clutch-
STEVENS (to Gowan) Maybe I will say shut up this time.
GOWAN
Only let me finish first. I was going to say, 'with our handiest
kinfolks.' (to Temple) I carried him to Maggie's.
STEVENS (moving) I think we can all go now. Come on.
GOWAN
So do 1. (he comes on around the desk, and stops again; to Temple) Make
up your mind. Do you want to ride with me, or Gavin?
STEVENS (to Gowan) Go on. You can pick up Bucky.
GOWAN
Right. (he turns, starts toward the steps front, where Temple and
Stevens entered, then stops) That's right. I'm probably still supposed
to use the spy's entrance. (he turns back, starts around the desk
again, toward the door at rear, sees Temple's gloves and bag on the
desk, and takes them
292 WILLIAM FAULKNER
up and holds them out to her: roughly almost)
Here. This is what they call evidence; dont forget these.
(Temple takes the bag and gloves. Gowan goes on toward the
door at rear)
TEMPLE
(after him) Did you have a hat and coat?
(he doesn't answer. He goes on, exits)
Oh God. Again.
STEVENS (touches her arm) Come on.
TEMPLE (not moving yet) Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow-
STEVENS
(speaking her thought, finishing the sentence)
-he will wreck the car again against the wrong tree, in the wrong place,
and you will have to forgive him again, for the next eight years until
he can wreck the car again in the wrong place, against the wrong tree-
TEMPLE
I was driving it too. I was driving some of the time too.
STEVENS
(gently) Then let that comfort you.
(he takes her arm again, turns toward the stairs)
Come on. It's late.
TEMPLE
(holds back) Wait. He said, No.
STEVENS
Yes.
TEMPLE Did he say why?
REQUIEM FOR A NUN 293
STEVENS Yes. He cant.
TEMPLE
Cant? The Governor of a state, with all the legal power to pardon or at
least reprieve, cant?
STEVENS
That's just law. If it was only law, I could have plead insanity for her
at any time, without bringing you here at two o'clock in the morning-
TEMPLE
And the other parent too; dont forget that. I dont know yet how you did
it.... Yes, Gowan was here first; he was just pretending to be asleep when
I carried Bucky in and put him in his bed; yes, that was what you called
that leaking valve, when we stopped at the filling station to change the
wheeclass="underline" to let him get ahead of us-
STEVENS
All right. He wasn't even talking about justice. He was talking about a
child, a little boy-
TEMPLE
That's right. Make it good: the same little boy to hold whose normal and
natural home together, the murderess, the nigger, the dopefiend whore,
didn't hesitate to cast the last gambit-and maybe that's the wrong word
too, isn't W-she knew and had: her own debased and worthless life. Oh yes,
I know that answer too; that was brought out here tonight too: that a
little child shall not suffer in order to come unto Me. So good can come
out of evil.
STEVENS
It not only can, it must.
TEMPLE
So touchg, then. Because what kind of natural and normal home can that
little boy have where his father may at any time tell him he has no
father?
STEVENS
Haven't you been answering that question every day for six years? Didn't
Nancy answer it for you when she told you how you had fought back, not for
yourself, but for that little boy? Not to show the father that he was
wrong, nor even to prove to the little boy
294 WILLIAM FAULKNER
that the father was wrong, but to let the little boy learn with his
own eyes that nothing, not even that, which could possibly enter that
house, could ever harm him?
TEMPLE
But I quit. Nancy told you that too.
STEVENS
She doesn't think so now. Isn't that what she's going to prove Friday
morning?
TEMPLE
Friday. The black day. The day you never start on a journey. Except
that Nancy's journey didn't start at daylight or sunup or whenever it
is polite and tactful to hang people, day after tomorrow. Her journey
started that morning eight years ago when I got on the train at the
University-
(she stops: a moment; then
quietly)