THE HUMAN VOICE
yes, darling . . . . of course . . . . why yes, darling . . . . What
gloves? . . . . You mean your fur-lined ones, the gloves you used
for driving? .... I don't know. I haven't seen them. Maybe. I'll
go and look .... Hold the wire. Don't let them cut you off.
(From behind the table lamp she picks up a pair of fur–
lined gloves with wristlets and kisses them passionately. She
speaks with the gloves held against her cheek.)
Hello . . . . hello . . . . no . . . . I looked everywhere, the
bureau, the armchair, the dressing room; they just aren't here ....
Listen . . . . I'll look again, but I'm absolutely certain . . . .
If
they should turn up tomorrow morning I'll have them sent do·wn-
stairs with the bag .... Darling? .... The letters .... yes ....
you'll burn them .... I'm going to ask you the silliest thing . . ..
No, look, I mean if you burn them I wish you'd keep the ashes in
that little tortoise-shell cigarette box I gave you, and . . . . Hello !
.... no .... I am a fool .... forgive me. I was being so clever.
(She is crying.)
....
There, that's over. I'll blow my nose. Just
the same, I'd be very glad to have those ashes; that's all ..
How nice of you . . . . Ah!
(The passage in quotation marks is to be spoken by the
actress in the foreign language with which she is most fa–
miliar.)
"As
for your sister's papers, I have burned everything in the
kitchen stove. At first I thought of opening them in order to take
out that design you spoke to me about, but since you had told me
to burn everything, I burned everything . . . . Ah, good . . . . good
.... yes'' ....
(original language:
)
That's right, you're in your dress-
ing gown .... Are you going to bed? .... You ought not to work
so hard, you ought to go to bed now if you're getting up so early
tomorrow morning. Hello! . . . . Hello! . . . . is this better? . . . .
But I
am
talking loud .... There, now can you hear me? ....
I said, Can you hear me now? .... that's funny, because I can
hear you as plainly as though you were here in the room . . . .
Hello! . . . . hello, hello! . . . . Well, for heaven's sake, now
I'm
the one that can't hear
you
....
Yes, but far away, far away ....
And you can hear me. Well, we each get a turn .... No, don't
ring off! . . . . Hello! . . . . I'm still talking, operator, I'm still
talking! . . . . Ah, now I can hear you ! I can hear you so clearly.
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