240
ABE: There's no inconsistency.
COHN: No inconsistency?!
JULES FEIFFER
ABE: It's perfectly plausible that I could die Abe and come back
somebody else, but is it plausible that I should die Abe and corne
back Abe?
COHN: Is it plausible that you should die
Jefferson
and come back
Abe?
ABE: - in the same house, with the same Cohn? A frog into a
Prince I could believe. Change! That's plausible! But sameness!
Eternal sameness! No, I beg your pardon, I can't be convinced.
COHN:
(exasperated)
I'm through wasting my breath. (JOAN
crosses
to
ABE.
He backs away. She takes his hand and stares into his
eyes.)
JOAN: I am Joan of Arc.
ABE: It's possible. You could be anybody. I won't fight over it.
COHN: He doesn't believe you.
ABE:
It
doesn't matter what I believe, it's what you believe.
COHN: She believes you were dead!
ABE:
(to
COHN) That's her privilege.
JOAN: You
were
dead.
ABE:
(to
JOAN)
As
far as you were concerned. You never saw me, I
never saw you. In that sense I was dead.
JOAN: I brought you back to life.
ABE: In a physical way? Well, who knows? It's been a long time.
But I do feel a certain arousal-
COHN:
(groans and buries his head in his hands)
It's not opinion!
It's not an argument. It's a fact. A fact! A fact! She's Joan of
Arc! She has voices! She brought you back to life!
(to
JOAN)
Strike
him
dead and bring him back again!
(to
ABE) And
this
time pay attention!
ABE: You ask me is this Abe? I ask you is this Cohn? You believe
she's Joan of Arc?
COHN: No doubt about it.
ABE: And I was dead?
COHN: No question.
ABE: And she brought me back to life?
COHN: Believe me, it's a mixed blessing.
ABE:
(to
JOAN ) Huh-must you be able to argue!
