William Gaddis - J R

— Christ bring them in why not, Bast? you all right?

— Not really but if you could look in the mail Mister Gibbs could I take a box lunch?

— Here take two good God don’t look like you can get as far as watch your case, whole God damned thing’s coming apart there watch the stairs…!

— Jack? Who’s this what’s all this…

— Box lunches Tom ordered in some box lunches, not enough veal Marengo to go round if this keeps up here just put them look put them on the God damned floor, want to sign for them Tom? Got another customer here…

— How do you do my name is Bailey, I have a sub…

— Come right in Bailey just step over that’s it, pick up a box lunch go right in join the…

— Whole damn door just came off Jack.

— No place to put it just lean it against, yes? help you?

— Come to do the phone, man.

— What do you mean do the phone.

— Like the tap man I mean do the tap, like my people tell me the tap’s out I come up to replace it, like I mean where’s the chick.

— No more chicks look just do your tap and do it God damned fast waiting for an important call here and I’m wait Bailey this way, go that way the lampshades will get you come in and meet Marshal Drovie, bring in another lunch for the marshal there Tom?

— Hey there Bill how they hanging.

— Hey Bill, you on this one too?

— Civil action thought I’d never find it, sorted out the players yet?

— Looks like Teets and Urquhart here where’s my scorecard, might be Bast there by the…

— Got his picture here from yesterday’s paper, hard to tell what he looks like all these feathers but…

— Look Marshal I just told you my name’s Eigen and this is…

— Who’s that by the window Bill, description of the company president they gave me from some magazine here says steel blue eyes bulldog jaw…

— God damn it wait a minute, him? I mean look at that face Marshal not a God damned thing’s happened there for thirty years, completely uncontaminated by getting on in the world think you’d ever see that face in a God damned board room? Find a trace of one mean small God damned thought there other little bastards trying to take advantage of him Marshal, get his National Park set imperforates for those God damned Deutsches Reich surcharges…

— Look Jack will you stop…

— Never see faces like that do you Marshal, hope without expectation never see that do you, acceptance without resignation…

— Subpoena here for the company records too, books correspondence memos any phone tapes…

— Got a spade cat in there doing a tap for you right now all got rhythm haven’t they Bailey, try to dig up some records for you just promised the Boswell Sisters to the marshal here but…

— Jack listen…

— In the bottoms how I used to play round, Lordy what a spankin I got…

— Damn it Jack stop singing these men are serious they…

— Just trying to entertain them Tom looking for books too, anything special Marshal? Twenty years of the Musical Courier right over here how about novels, got some God damned fine novels just have to dig for them, like Broch Bailey? Came across his Schlafwandler the other day spent the whole God damned afternoon with it…

— May better just get a fire inspector in here and then get an order seal the whole place up Bill, any other agencies in this?

— Probably get Tippy up here from Internal Revenue better get a postal inspector in here too, take a look back here Bill…

— Now just a minute Marshal I have some personal mail that…

— What’s these piles E Gerst, B Best, R Gast all sound like AKAs don’t they Bill, haven’t seen a mess like this since the Scungilli brothers.

— Infinite riches in a little room, Merchant of Venice isn’t it Bailey? Want to read us the whole passage there’s probably a copy in that H-O box there, don’t mind if I run through these piles while we’re waiting do you Marshal? Sent away for some dance lessons I can’t wait to…

— Seriously Marshal you can’t simply come in here and subpoena everything in sight I have some personal effects that…

— Box he’s pawing through there Tom ask him if he’s got a subpoena for the Three Wide Men listen ever think of that God damned game we made up that night? Remember it we could sweep the country make a million dollars tell you what I’ll do, leave you my royalties if you can ever remem…

— No now seriously Marshal I have some papers here that may be worth a good deal, manuscripts that sort of thing they’ve got nothing to do with whatever you’re after here that box right behind you, it’s got the manuscript of a book I wrote in it and there’s another one, a folder I’ve been looking for notes and manuscript it belongs to an estate…

— Don’t get hot and bothered friend everything gets inventoried, wait listen there Bill hear that?

— ther report brought to you every day at this time by She. the magazine today’s wom…

— Sound like it’s coming from over there Bill somebody under the…

— Meant to tell you Marshal shipwreck here last night may have caught the cabin boy when the cargo shifted, they still in business out front there Freddie? Kids all over the place truck a block long’s got the funeral hemmed in can’t leave now Marshal, haven’t even opened your box lunch let’s see what they gave you, ham and cheese banana cupcake pickle wedge not leaving now are you Tom?

— These papers I found in my pocket yes, I ought to…

— Golf game in the corner there thought we might spread it out get up a foursome water hazards and all, like golf Bailey?

— No seriously these papers I ought to take them down to Mrs Schramm and Marshal? That folder I mentioned if you come across it, I’m an executor of the estate it belongs to it’s a plain manila folder with stains all over it just be sure I, I just want to be sure nothing happens to it you know she might have some interest in it Jack I, Marshal there’s no reason I can’t leave? Those names you read I’m not even…

— Parties answer their subpoenas in court or we’re out with an arrest warrant that’s all friend, hear that Bill it’s coming from way under there…

— Family of Companies. And now the weather. Forty-eight degrees in sunny midtown. Listen every day at this time for the weather report brought to you by She the magazine designed for today’s worn…

— Wait one thing before you…

— That ten you wanted I forgot it yes, wait…

— So had I, that’s not what I…

— Five, ten here and, these papers may not be any good to her I’ve been carrying them around so long I just thought I ought to take them down and…

— Meet her yes, probably be God damned grateful, shame you can’t take that folder along too show her he was on the threshold of great things, might have kicked the world to pieces…

— I don’t know what you’re, why you can’t give me this either can you any credit for, credit for any loyalty to his memory my God see him in that canvas sack it’s like being loyal to a nightmare…

— Had your choice of nightmares go ahead I mean you’ve got custody of his memory Christ, all you’ve done for it certainly got the right to sweep it up with the trash why not take along that picture he had of her too, see you waiting there in the lofty drawing room her pale face floating toward you in the dusk takes both your hands in hers no chick but good Christ she’s survived hasn’t she, probably tell you she knew him better than you did want to hear his last words give her something to live with, dream the nightmare right through to the God damned end when you come out with it…

— What with, what do you mean I…