Requiem for a Nun

REQUIEM FOR A NUN 241

STEVENS

Good morning, Henry. Here we are.

GOVERNOR

Yes. Sit down. (as Temple sits down) Does Mrs Stevens smoke?

STEVENS

Yes. Thank you.

He takes a pack of cigarettes from his topcoat pocket, as though he had come

prepared for the need, emergency. He works one of them free and extends the

pack to Temple. The Governor puts one hand into his dressing-gown pocket and

withdraws it, holding something in his closed fist.

TEMPLE

(takes the cigarette) What, no blindfold?

(the Governor extends his hand across the desk. It contains

a lighter. Temple puts the cigarette into her mouth. The

Governor snaps on the lighter)

But of course, the only one waiting execution is back there in

Jefferson. So all we need to do here is fire away, and hope that at

least the volley rids us of the metaphor.

GOVERNOR

Metaphor?

TEMPLE

The blindfold. The firing squad. Or is metaphor wrong? Or maybe it's the

joke. But dont apologise; a joke that has to be diagrammed is like

trying to excuse an egg, isn't it? The only thing you can do is, bury

them both, quick.

(the Governor approaches the flame to Temple's cigarette.

She leans and accepts the light, then sits back)

Thanks.

The Governor closes the lighter, sits down in the tall chair behind the

desk, still holding the lighter in his hand, his hands resting on the desk

before him. Stevens sits down in the other chair across from Temple, laying

the pack of cigarettes on the desk beside him.