VON STROHEIM
(Strikes the body of the guitar and spreads his fingers.) Just so you aren’t put to shame by him!
JANNINGS
(Turns to GEORGE.) Look over here! (Successively he takes several objects from the table or out of his pocket and shows them to GEORGE. GEORGE looks helplessly at each of them. Finally JANNINGS shows him some paper money, waves it, and GEORGE quickly tries to grab it. JANNINGS laughs.) This language he understands! This language he understands! (He laughs again. Pause. They both bow their heads. JANNINGS scratches himself once vigorously. Suddenly he points angrily at the cigars.) What’s that?
GEORGE
Cigars.
JANNINGS
And what’s that supposed to mean? Pick them up! (GEORGE bends down. JANNINGS giggles.) Can you still imagine doing anything but what I tell you to? (GEORGE tries to imagine it. Finally he also starts giggling, but stops again and tries to think once more.) Imagine you’re sitting in my place. (GEORGE looks up at him. He begins to giggle. JANNINGS giggles too, but differently; he looks around himself. PORTEN is also giggling. VON STROHEIM is smiling. BERGNER is absentminded. GEORGE collects the cigars and puts them carefully back in the box. JANNINGS, while watching him, tells a story.) Once — (To PORTEN) Why are you grinning?
PORTEN
I’m not grinning, I’m smiling.
JANNINGS
Stop fidgeting!
PORTEN
I’m not fidgeting, I’m making myself comfortable.
JANNINGS
Shut your trap!
PORTEN
I don’t have a trap.
JANNINGS
(Has already turned back to his story.) … I had a bad day, you know how that is. (GEORGE nods.) I burned my tongue on the coffee; as I was tying my shoelaces, I suddenly had two pieces in my hand, you know what that’s like. (GEORGE nods.) Just as suddenly — why “just as suddenly”? What’s the difference! In any case, as I’m writing down what I plan to do, the tip of the pencil breaks off. I look for another pencil — no, not what you’re thinking: the pencil does write; however, all at once I noticed that overnight I’ve begun to write one letter differently from the way I used to, with a curlicue where I never before made a curlicue during my entire life! You know what that’s like. (GEORGE nods, but only after JANNINGS has looked at him.) To top it all, I suddenly see before me a woman trampling furiously on eggshells. I tear her away by the hair, you know what that’s like. But it turns out that she is purposely breaking up the shells for the birds. Dazed, I walked on and notice another madman. He’s running back and forth on a piece of land, and a crowd has already formed around him. Then it turns out that he isn’t mad at all but the owner of the land trying to keep people from trespassing. Even more dazed, I walk on and am thinking about a goose I’m in the process of carving up, very fastidiously, you know what I’m like, not to get any grease stains on my suit, when someone grabs me by the arm from behind. Despite, or just because of, my dazed state — (He smirks.) Whenever I say despite, I also must say, just because of—I swiveled around and gave this someone a box on the ear. My hand slipped; you know what that’s like: I thought someone with greasy fingers had grabbed me. Suddenly—yes, again suddenly, that day passed in leaps and bounds — I stood before a dog that squatted with quivering behind at the curb—quivering: I’ve never used that word before! — and wanted to do his business, you know what that’s like. I, no lazybones myself — (To GEORGE, who hesitates) Don’t let me stop you from your work — gave him a kick …
PORTEN
Don’t go on, please! I don’t want to have to dream about it.
GEORGE
Once my mind was on a child and a hot iron, and when I suddenly saw someone reaching for the door handle, I shouted at him: Don’t touch!
JANNINGS
You can talk and stack cigars evenly at one and the same time? (GEORGE continues to work in silence, JANNINGS goes on talking.) … and went home. Luckily the sun set very rapidly, as it always does in the tropics — that’s how it is described in all narratives, isn’t it? — and as I slowly open the door, there is a soft rustling behind it. (Slowly and softly generally belong together.) I immediately fired through the panel — and I myself had spread the papers on the floor to frighten the burglars when they’d open the door. A bad day! Later in my rocking chair I dozed off. Suddenly I awake and see the dog running past me. A quick slap with the riding crop — you know what that’s like? (GEORGE nods.) But it was my own feet: when I jerked awake, I took my black socks for the dog. (Pause.) You have nothing to say?
GEORGE
I feel no need to say anything.
JANNINGS
It’s enough that I feel the need to hear something from you.
GEORGE