Peter Handke - The Ride Across Lake Constance and Other Plays

ALICE

It’s beautiful!

A VOICE

( From the wings ) It’s not beautiful.

(ELLEN KESSLER now appears from the left, also with a suitcase, dressed exactly like ALICE. She tosses VON STROHEIM her hat, then takes off her gloves and hands them to him .)

VON STROHEIM

( Puts the things on the table and asks ELLEN) So you would like to have it?

ALICE

( Replies ) Yes.

( He turns to ALICE and puts the necklace around her neck. She moves voluptuously .

ELLEN begins to walk around. She walks about with the same movements as ALICE did before. Shakes hands with everyone and says: “Hello!” They answer her — at least, the first two do — after an initial pause; then they laugh at each other as over a joke. Behind her back GEORGE takes a cigar out of the box and shows it to JANNINGS; then he takes out a second one; they laugh silently; finally GEORGE shows JANNINGS a third cigar , JANNINGS becomes serious and looks to the left and right, but no one else appears.

In the meantime , ELLEN taps VON STROHEIM on the shoulder to greet him. He is talking to ALICE.)

VON STROHEIM

Why is it that I’m so sure I’ve seen you before whenever I look at you, although when I actually say it (He turns to ELLEN, since she has tapped him on the shoulder, and continues talking to her as if it were quite normal) , it strikes me as the usual cliche? (ELLEN holds out her hand to him and he bends over it. She shies back, and ALICE says, “He bit me! ” remaining motionless, while ELLEN performs the appropriate gestures. VON STROHEIM to ALICE) In my imagination I was about to pinch myself in the arm.

ALICE

( Motionless .) Already forgotten.

VON STROHEIM

Already forgotten?

ALICE

You always ask. Were you alone too long?

VON STROHEIM

Why?

ELLEN

Or did you work too hard?

VON STROHEIM

Why?

ALICE

Or do you pose counterquestions only to win time for your reply? Because you’re figuring out a lie? Because in the meantime you’re so washed up that you can’t answer any more without lying? I came in quietly and you all sat there looking washed up, but you looked at me as though you had been quiet until then, and I, by entering so suddenly, should actually be the one to look washed up.

VON STROHEIM

What are you talking about?

ELLEN

About you. I only wanted to show you how you talk.

( She leans against his back, shoves one leg between his. He looks down at himself. She puts her arms around his neck. ALICE waves to him with a finger. ELLEN doubles the gesture by holding her hands to his face from the back and also bending a finger. He wants to take a step forward, and lean back at the same time, but remains standing there. )

VON STROHEIM

I’ll talk as I please.

(ELLEN puts her hand over his eyes .)

ALICE

Then say something.

VON STROHEIM

( Opens his mouth and shuts it. He moves his hands as if he were looking for something that keeps eluding him. He stammers, but whenever his hand seems to seize something, he produces whole syllables: “be, what, un, re”; then he reaches for it and it escapes him again, and he goes on stammering. ELLEN takes her hands away from his eyes and he calms down instantly .) I can’t; it’s like reaching for a piece of soap under water.

ALICE

What?

VON STROHEIM

Already forgotten. When you covered my eyes, I had it perfectly clear in front of me, but now I have forgotten it. ( He falters .) “Already forgotten!” That was it! You said, “Already forgotten!” and I remembered something, but what? It escaped me again and again, and I had a feeling like searching for a piece of soap under water — ( He makes a perfunctory gesture, suddenly sniffs his fingers, repeats the gesture. Pause. )

ELLEN

Perhaps you’ll think of it …

ALICE

… if you watch me?

ELLEN

( With a flattering voice, ambiguously .) Perhaps, if you watch me, you’ll also remember where you put me— ( She laughs. ) where you carried me to — ( She laughs .) in those days, do you remember? — ( She laughs. ) and you’ll also remember what you should do with me now. ( She laughs. Because ELLEN stands behind him, one does not see her talking, although ALICE moves her lips and makes the appropriate gestures. )

( They let him stand there and skip and dance across the stage side by side. With a fervent pleasure in their work, nearly parallel in their movements, they busy themselves with the objects and with the people: while one takes off JANNINGS’S boots, the other is loosening GEORGE’ S shoelaces: finished at the same time, they begin to brush PORTEN’S and BERGNER’S hair; again they finish at the same time and skip over to the open drawer of the chest; they return with four fancy cushions and stuff them, running helter-skelter but with similar movements, behind the backs of the four people. There is hardly time to perceive these actions when they are already back at the table with four glasses and two bottles and they place them before the characters.

But now their movements slow down and begin to contradict each other; the work of the one is revoked by the other: one takes the glasses and bottles which the other has placed there away again; one dishevels the hair the other has just brushed; then one takes away the cushions from the persons to whom the other has given them. At the same time the other removes the bottles and the glasses that the one … Then one ties the shoelaces the other has untied, while the other in the meantime is taking away the cushions from … whereupon the one dishevels the hair that … while the other puts JANNINGS’S boots back on.

However, they stop at the same time and want to run offstage quickly in opposite. directions; they return once more and change directions, finally run into the wings. As soon as they have disappeared, they cannot be heard running any more.

Everyone onstage is holding his breath. Suddenly, out of their state of complete immobilization, JANNINGS and GEORGE leap up and rush to the suitcases that have been left onstage. They fling them into the wings after ELLEN and ALICE, but no crashing sound can be heard. They listen. Then they stop listening. While they are returning to their places, PORTEN suddenly leaps up too and throws the remaining things, hats and gloves, into the wings after the girls, tossing the hats as if they were gloves, letting the gloves sail through the air as if they were hats. One hears them crashing like suitcases.

They all settle in their places. )

PORTEN

Goo — ( as in good )

( The others turn instantly to BERGNER.)

PORTEN

I’m speaking. ( They turn awkwardly to her. BERGNER seems to have fallen asleep. ) Hello!

GEORGE

( A little too late. ) Hello!

PORTEN

( A little too late .) How are you?

GEORGE

( A little too late. ) Fine. ( A little too late .) And how are you?

PORTEN

( A little too late .) Fine — Please hand me the paper.

( A brief pause. Only then does GEORGE hand her the newspaper from the table. She holds it in her hand. Pause. Only then does she look into it. )

GEORGE

Is there anything in it?

( Pause .)

PORTEN

( As though she had answered immediately ) I’m just looking. ( Pause. She puts the paper away. )