JANNINGS
What did she say?
GEORGE
Nothing. She is dreaming. (To BERGNER, as to someone who is talking in his sleep) Who are you?
BERGNER
I only walked into the parlor to turn off the light and have been lost without a trace ever since.
GEORGE
Who?
BERGNER
Watch out! the candlestick is falling! (JANNINGS and GEORGE turn around, but the candlestick stands motionless on the table. BERGNER quickly opens her eyes; screams at once) Who are you? What do you want? Where am I? (During these questions she has quieted down again and finished them only for form’s sake. She gets up and sits down in one of the free fauteuils, but leaps up again at once.) It’s still warm! (She tries the second fauteuil and gets up again at once.) How dare you offer me a chair that is still warm?
JANNINGS
I?
BERGNER
No, he. (She points at GEORGE.)
PORTEN
(Sitting quietly in the rear on the sofa, has opened her eyes.) What snowstorms?
(VON STROHEIM stops blinking his eyes and follows the conversation.)
BERGNER
(To GEORGE) Why don’t you answer? (To JANNINGS) He doesn’t answer? (JANNINGS stammers.) Think before you speak!
(Pause.)
JANNINGS
(Fluently) Perhaps he felt you didn’t expect an answer to your question.
BERGNER
Can’t he answer for himself?
JANNINGS
I speak for him.
BERGNER
Are you more powerful than he is?
JANNINGS
Why? I mean, why do you ask?
BERGNER
Because you speak for him. (JANNINGS is taken aback. He looks at GEORGE, who returns the glance. JANNINGS stammers. Pause. BERGNER quickly) Does he please you? (JANNINGS nods absentmindedly.) Naturally, as your friend he can’t help but please you.
JANNINGS
More powerful? Yes … Yes, why not? (To GEORGE) Right? I speak for you, therefore you have to listen to what I say! (GEORGE nods playfully.) You’re not my friend! If someone has something to say here, it’s me! (Pause. JANNINGS and GEORGE begin to play. JANNINGS drops into the fauteuil and stretches out his feet.) The boots! (GEORGE quickly steps up to him, gets down on one knee, and puts on JANNINGS’S boots.) The tea! (GEORGE quickly pours into a cup; hands him the cup.) The sugar! (GEORGE offers him the sugar bowl. JANNINGS takes a piece with the sugar tongs and lets it drop elegantly into the cup.) A spoon! (GEORGE hands him a spoon. Both grin, are close to giggling. JANNINGS stirs once snappily with the spoon.) The newspaper! (GEORGE is already by the newspaper table and back.) My glasses!
GEORGE
(Blurts out) But you don’t wear glasses!
JANNINGS
(Snorts.) The mustard! The hairbrush! The … (He hesitates.)
GEORGE
(Assists him.) The photo album! The pincers!
JANNINGS
(With a surgeon’s gesture) The scalpel! The scissors!
GEORGE
A permanent — and make it snappy!
JANNINGS
(Reaching blindly behind him with gestures of an auto mechanic.) The pliers! The monkey wrench! The soldering iron!
GEORGE
Hand over all your money — and be quick about it, if you please!
JANNINGS
The sun!
GEORGE
(Hesitates.) Why the sun?
JANNINGS
(Fatigued by the game) The sun has come up.
GEORGE
(Confused) Why? I mean, why do you say that?
JANNINGS
(Snaps at him.) Those are my words! (As if exhausted) I don’t know why.
GEORGE
(Confused, but indifferent) Your saying so doesn’t change anything. (The last words he has spoken to himself.)
(In fact, the dawn light did change gradually some time ago to a normal stage light.
Finally one hears VON STROHEIM.)
VON STROHEIM
Wrong! Entirely wrong! (He gets up quickly. BERGNER has turned toward him; whereas she previously had turned away from the others as if disappointed.) I’ll show you how it should be done!
(Pause. All prepare to watch.
VON STROHEIM takes a slow look around as if he is about to pick out someone. GEORGE and JANNINGS draw in their heads when his glance passes them. Finally VON STROHEIM examines PORTEN. Since he has his back to the audience, the fact that he is looking at her can only be gleaned from her response to him. First she leans forward, sits upright. Then she rises like a sleepwalher, walks toward VON STROHEIM, stops in front of him. Standing before him, she wants to take off his dressing gown, but then steps behind him and take it off from behind; while doing so, she does not seem to touch him. She walks to the tapestry door behind which the vacuum cleaner is stored, hangs the coat inside, takes out a wine-red smoking jacket; back again behind VON STROHEIM, she spreads it out and he slips into it; again they do not touch one another. GEORGE, as spectator, coughs.)
JANNINGS
Psst!
(PORTEN pulls VON STROHEIM’S cuffs from under his jacket sleeves. Pause. VON STROHEIM now describes a quarter circle with his hand, signaling PORTEN to stand in front of him. She obeys immediately and, in doing so, makes sure never to turn her back to him. She stops in front of him. He beckons her with his index finger to come closer. Pause.
JANNINGS, eagerly watching, points with a similar circular movement of his hand at the cigar box. GEORGE, also enthralled, has noticed the movement out of the corner of his eye and obeys blindly by handing JANNINGS the box from the table, still watching the two. Then he realizes what he has done and is quite startled. He looks toward JANNINGS. They look at one another rather startled and immediately turn back to the action.
VON STROHEIM pulls PORTEN closer to him by the stole. Playfully he steps a little to the side so that PORTEN is completely visible too. He grabs her with his index finger under the chin and lifts her face. Pause. He strokes the back of her head. Pause. He pats her fondly on the shoulder. Pause. He drums with two fingers on her cheek. Pause. He snaps his fingers against her teeth. Pause. He pulls her lower eyelid down with his finger. Pause. He gives her a pat on the behind so that she goes half down on her knees. Pause. GEORGE coughs.)