Requiem for a Nun

232 WILLIAM FAULKNER

a message for Gavin ... I know; he just left here. Something I forgot .

. . If you'll ask him to call me when he comes in . . . . Yes. . . .

Wasn't it. . . . Yes. . . . If you will . . . Thank you.

(she puts the receiver down and starts to turn back into the

room when the telephone rings. She turns back, takes up the

receiver, speaks into it)

Hello . . . Yes. Coincidence again; I had my hand on it; I had just

called Maggie. . . . Oh, the filling station. I didn't think you had had

time. I can be ready in thirty minutes. Your car, or ours? . . . All

right. Listen. . . . Yes, I'm here. Gavin . . . How much will I have to

tell?

(hurriedly)

Oh, I know: you've already told me eight or ten times. But maybe I

didn't hear it right. How much will I have to tell?

(she listens a moment, quiet, frozen-faced, then slowly

begins to lower the receiver toward the stand; she speaks

quietly, without inflection)

Oh, God. Oh, God.

She puts the receiver down, crosses to the sofa, snaps off the table lamp

and takes up the child and crosses to the door to the hall, snaps off the

remaining room lights as she goes out, so that the only light in the room

now enters from the hall. As soon as she has disappeared from sight, Gowan

enters from the door at rear, dressed except for his coat, vest and tie. He

has obviously taken no sleeping pill. He goes to the phone and stands

quietly beside it, facing the hall door and obviously listening until Temple

is safely away. Now the hall light snaps off,and the stage is in complete

darkness.

GOWAN'S VOICE

(quietly)

Two three nine, please . . . Good evening, Aunt Maggie. Gowan . . . All

right, thank you . . . Su re, some time tomorrow. As soon as Uncle Gavin

comes in, will you have him call me? I'll be right here. Thank you.

(Sound of the receiver as he puts it back)

(Curtain)