STOTT slowly advancing along bare boards.
LAW slowly advancing.
JANE pouring a small measure of milk into the cups.
LAW and STOTT drawing closer.
JANE putting sugar into the cups.
The broken milk bottles, in shaking hands, almost touching.
The broken milk bottles fencing, not touching.
JANE stirring milk, sugar and coffee in the cups.
The broken milk bottles, in a sudden thrust, smashing together.
Record turning on a turntable. Sudden music.
Debussy’s ‘Girl With The Flaxen Hair’.
Exterior. Front area. Night.
LAW standing centre, looking at the basement door.
JANE crouched by the wall. Rainhat. Raincoat, LAW wearing STOTT’S raincoat.
Interior. Room.
Furnished as at the beginning.
STOTT sitting by the fire, reading. He is smiling at his book.
Exterior. Front area.
LAW Still.
Interior. Room.
STOTT turns a page.
Doorbell.
STOTT looks up, puts his book down, stands, goes into the hall.
Interior. Room.
The room still. The fire burning.
Interior. Hall.
STOTT approaches the front door. He opens it.
Silence.
He stares at LAW. From his position in the doorway STOTT cannot see JANE.
STOTT (with great pleasure). Law!
LAW (smiling). Hullo, Charles.
STOTT. Good God. Come in!
STOTT laughs.
Come in!
LAW enters.
I can’t believe it!
LANDSCAPE
Landscape was first presented on radio by the BBC on 25th April, 1968, with the following cast:
BETH Peggy Ashcroft
DUFF Eric Porter
Directed by Guy Vaesen
The play was first presented on the stage by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych Theatre on 2nd July, 1969, with the following cast:
BETH Peggy Ashcroft
DUFF David Waller
Directed by Peter Hall
DUFF: a man in his early fifties.
BETH: a woman in her late forties.
The kitchen of a country house.
A long kitchen table.
BETH sits in an armchair, which stands away from the table, to its left.
DUFF sits in a chair at the right corner of the table. The background, of a sink, stove, etc., and a window, is dim. Evening.
NOTE:
DUFF refers normally to BETH, but does not appear to hear her voice.
BETH never looks at DUFF, and does not appear to hear his voice.
Both characters are relaxed, in no sense rigid.
LANDSCAPE
BETH
I would like to stand by the sea. It is there.
Pause
I have. Many times. It’s something I cared for. I’ve done it.
Pause
I’ll stand on the beach. On the beach. Well … it was very fresh. But it was hot, in the dunes. But it was so fresh, on the shore. I loved it very much.
Pause
Lots of people …
Pause
People move so easily. Men. Men move.
Pause
I walked from the dune to the shore. My man slept in the dune. He turned over as I stood. His eyelids. Belly button. Snoozing how lovely.
Pause
Would you like a baby? I said. Children? Babies? Of our own? Would be nice.
Pause
Women turn, look at me.
Pause
Our own child? Would you like that?
Pause
Two women looked at me, turned and stared. No. I was walking, they were still. I turned.
Pause
Why do you look?
Pause
I didn’t say that, I stared. Then I was looking at them.
Pause
I am beautiful.
Pause
I walked back over the sand. He had turned. Toes under sand, head buried in his arms.
DUFF
The dog’s gone. I didn’t tell you.
Pause
I had to shelter under a tree for twenty minutes yesterday. Because of the rain. I meant to tell you. With some youngsters. I didn’t know them.
Pause
Then it eased. A downfall. I walked up as far as the pond. Then I felt a couple of big drops. Luckily I was only a few yards from the shelter. I sat down in there. I meant to tell you.
Pause
Do you remember the weather yesterday? That downfall.?
BETH
He felt my shadow. He looked up at me standing above him.
DUFF
I should have had some bread with me. I could have fed the birds.
BETH
Sand on his arms.
DUFF
They were hopping about. Making a racket.
BETH
I lay down by him, not touching.
DUFF
There wasn’t anyone else in the shelter. There was a man and woman, under the trees, on the other side of the pond. I didn’t feel like getting wet. I stayed where I was.
Pause
Yes, I’ve forgotten something. The dog was with me.
Pause
BETH
Did those women know me? I didn’t remember their faces. I’d never seen their faces before. I’d never seen those women before. I’m certain of it. Why were they looking at me? There’s nothing strange about me. There’s nothing strange about the way I look. I look like anyone.
DUFF
The dog wouldn’t have minded me feeding the birds. Anyway, as soon as we got in the shelter he fell asleep. But even if he’d been awake …..
Pause
BETH
They all held my arm lightly, as I stepped out of the car, or out of the door, or down the steps. Without exception. If they touched the back of my neck, or my hand, it was done so lightly. Without exception. With one exception.
DUFF
Mind you, there was a lot of shit all over the place, all along the paths, by the pond. Dogshit, duckshit … all kinds of shit … all over the paths. The rain didn’t clean it up. It made it even more treacherous.
Pause
The ducks were well away, right over on their island. But I wouldn’t have fed them, anyway. I would have fed the sparrows.
BETH
I could stand now. I could be the same. I dress differently, but I am beautiful.
Silence
DUFF
You should have a walk with me one day down to the pond, bring some bread. There’s nothing to stop you.
Pause
I sometimes run into one or two people I know. You might remember them.
Pause
BETH
When I watered the flowers he stood, watching me, and watched me arrange them. My gravity, he said. I was so grave, attending to the flowers, I’m going to water and arrange the flowers, I said. He followed me and watched, standing at a distance from me. When the arrangement was done I stayed still. I heard him moving. He didn’t touch me. I listened. I looked at the flowers, blue and white, in the bowl.
Pause
Then he touched me.
Pause
He touched the back of my neck. His fingers, lightly, touching, lightly, touching, the back, of my neck.
DUFF
The funny thing was, when I looked, when the shower was over, the man and woman under the trees on the other side of the pond had gone. There wasn’t a soul in the park.
BETH
I wore a white beach robe. Underneath I was naked.
Pause
There wasn’t a soul on the beach. Very far away a man was sitting, on a breakwater. But even so he was only a pinpoint, in the sun. And even so I could only see him when I was standing, or on my way from the shore to the dune. When I lay down
I could no longer see him, therefore he couldn’t see me.
Pause
I may have been mistaken. Perhaps the beach was empty. Perhaps there was no–one there.
Pause
He couldn’t see .. my man .. anyway. He never stood up.
Pause
Snoozing how lovely I said to him. But I wasn’t a fool, on that occasion. I lay quiet, by his side.
Silence
DUFF
Anyway…
BETH
My skin …
DUFF
I’m sleeping all right these days.
BETH
Was stinging.
DUFF
Right through the night, every night.
BETH
I’d been in the sea.
DUFF
Maybe it’s something to do with the fishing. Getting to learn more about fish.
BETH
Stinging in the sea by myself.
DUFF
They’re very shy creatures. You’ve got to woo them. You must never get excited with them. Or flurried. Never.
BETH
I knew there must be a hotel near, where we could get some tea.
Silence
DUFF
Anyway … luck was on my side for a change. By the time I got out of the park the pubs were open.
Pause
So I thought I might as well pop in and have a pint. I wanted to tell you. I met some nut in there. First of all I had a word with the landlord. He knows me. Then this nut came in. He ordered a pint and he made a criticism of the beer. I had no patience with it.
BETH
But then I thought perhaps the hotel bar will be open. We’ll sit in the bar. He’ll buy me a drink. What will I order? But what will he order? What will he want? I shall hear him say it. I shall hear his voice. He will ask me what I would like first. Then he’ll order the two drinks. I shall hear him do it.
DUFF
This beer is piss, he said. Undrinkable. There’s nothing wrong with the beer, I said. Yes there is, he said, I just told you what was wrong with it. It’s the best beer in the area, I said. No it isn’t, this chap said, it’s piss. The landlord picked up the mug and had a sip. Good beer, he said. Someone’s made a mistake, this fellow said, someone’s used this pintpot instead of the boghole.
Pause
The landlord threw a half a crown on the bar and told him to take it. The pint’s only two and three, the man said, I owe you three pence, but I haven’t got any change. Give the threepence to your son, the landlord said, with my compliments. I haven’t got a son, the man said, I’ve never had any children. I bet you’re not even married, the landlord said. This man said: I’m not married. No-one’ll marry me.
Pause
Then the man asked the landlord and me if we would have a drink with him. The landlord said he’d have a pint. I didn’t answer at first, but the man came over to me and said: Have one with me. Have one with me.
Pause
He put down a ten bob note and said he’d have a pint as well.
Silence
BETH
Suddenly I stood. I walked to the shore and into the water. I didn’t swim. I don’t swim. I let the water billow me. I rested in the water. The waves were very light, delicate. They touched the back of my neck.
Silence
DUFF
One day when the weather’s good you could go out into the garden and sit down. You’d like that. The open air. I’m often out there. The dog liked it.
Pause
I’ve put in some flowers. You’d find it pleasant. Looking at the flowers. You could cut a few if you liked. Bring them in. No-one would see you. There’s no-one there.
Pause
That’s where we’re lucky, in my opinion. To live in Mr Sykes’ house in peace, no–one to bother us. I’ve thought of inviting one or two people I know from the village in here for a bit of a drink once or twice but I decided against it. It’s not necessary.
Pause
You know what you get quite a lot of out in the garden? Butterflies.
BETH
I slipped out of my costume and put on my beachrobe. Underneath I was naked. There wasn’t a soul on the beach. Except for an elderly man, far away on a breakwater. I lay down beside him and whispered. Would you like a baby? A child? Of our own? Would be nice.
Pause
DUFF
What did you think of that downfall?
Pause
Of course the youngsters I met under the first tree, during the first shower, they were larking about and laughing. I tried to listen, to find out what they were laughing about, but I couldn’t work it out. They were whispering. I tried to listen, to find out what the joke was.
Pause
Anyway I didn’t find out.
Pause
I was thinking … when you were young … you didn’t laugh much. You were … grave.
Silence
BETH
That’s why he’d picked such a desolate place. So that I could draw in peace. I had my sketch book with me. I took it out. I took my drawing pencil out. But there was nothing to draw. Only the beach, the sea.
Pause
Could have drawn him. He didn’t want it. He laughed.
Pause
I laughed, with him.
Pause
I waited for him to laugh, then I would smile, turn away, he would touch my back, turn me, to him. My nose .. creased. I would laugh with him, a little.
Pause
He laughed. I’m sure of it. So I didn’t draw him.
Silence
DUFF
You were a first-rate housekeeper when you were young. Weren’t you? I was very proud. You never made a fuss, you never got into a state, you went about your work. He could rely on you. He did. He trusted you, to run his house, to keep the house up to the mark, no panic.
Pause
Do you remember when I took him on that trip to the north? That long trip. When we got back he thanked you for looking after the place so well, everything running like clockwork.
Pause
You’d missed me. When I came into this room you stopped still. I had to walk all the way over the floor towards you.
Pause
I touched you.
Pause
But I had something to say to you, didn’t I? I waited, I didn’t say it then, but I’d made up my mind to say it, I’d decided I would say it, and I did say it, the next morning. Didn’t I?
Pause
I told you that I’d let you down. I’d been unfaithful to you.
Pause
You didn’t cry. We had a few hours off. We walked up to the pond, with the dog. We stood under the trees for a bit. I didn’t know why you’d brought that carrier bag with you. I asked you. I said what’s in that bag? It turned out to be bread. You fed the ducks. Then we stood under the trees and looked across the pond.
Pause
When we got back into this room you put your hands on my face and you kissed me.
BETH
But I didn’t really want a drink.
Pause
I drew a face in the sand, then a body. The body of a woman. Then the body of a man, close to her, not touching. But they didn’t look like anything. They didn’t look like human figures. The sand kept on slipping, mixing the contours. I crept close to him and put my head on his arm, and closed my eyes. All those darting red and black flecks, under my eyelid. I moved my cheek on his skin. And all those darting red and black flecks, moving about under my eyelid. I buried my face in his side and shut the light out.
Silence
DUFF
Mr Sykes took to us from the very first interview, didn’t he?
Pause
He said I’ve got the feeling you’ll make a very good team. Do you remember? And that’s what we proved to be. No question. I could drive well, I could polish his shoes well, I earned my keep. Turn my hand to anything. He never lacked for anything, in the way of being looked afte
r. Mind you, he was a gloomy bugger.
Pause
I was never sorry for him, at any time, for his lonely life.
Pause
That nice blue dress he chose for you, for the house, that was very nice of him. Of course it was in his own interests for you to look good about the house, for guests.
BETH
He moved in the sand and put his arm around me.
Silence
DUFF
Do you like me to talk to you?
Pause
Do you like me to tell you about all the things I’ve been doing?
Pause
About all the things I’ve been thinking?
Pause
Mmmnn?
Pause
I think you do.
BETH
And cuddled me.
Silence
DUFF
Of course it was in his own interests to see that you were attractively dressed about the house, to give a good impression to his guests.
BETH
I caught a bus to the crossroads and then walked down the lane by the old church. It was very quiet, except for birds. There was an old man fiddling about on the cricket pitch, bending. I stood out of the sun, under a tree.
Pause
I heard the car. He saw me and stopped me. I stayed still. Then the car moved again, came towards me slowly. I moved round the front of it, in the dust. I couldn’t see him for the sun, but he was watching me. When I got to the door it was locked. I looked through at him. He leaned over and opened the door. I got in and sat beside him. He smiled at me. Then he reversed, all in one movement, very quickly, quite straight, up the lane to the crossroads, and we drove to the sea.
Pause
DUFF
We’re the envy of a lot of people, you know, living in this house, having this house all to ourselves. It’s too big for two people.
BETH
He said he knew a very desolate beach, that no-one else in the world knew, and that’s where we are going.
DUFF
I was very gentle to you. I was kind to you, that day. I knew you’d had a shock, so I was gentle with you. I held your arm on the way bade from the pond. You put your hands on my face and kissed me.
BETH
All the food I had in my bag I had cooked myself, or prepared myself. I had baked the bread myself.
DUFF
Harold Pinter Plays 3 Page 12