"Dunsany, Lord - Glittering Gate, The" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dunsany Lord)

The Glittering Gate

by Lord Dunsany



Persons

Jim, lately a burglar \_ Both dead
Bill, " " " /

Scene: A Lonely Place.
Time: The present.




{The Lonely Place is strewn with large black rocks and
uncorked beer-bottles, the latter in great profusion. At
back is a wall of granite built of great slabs, and in it
the Gate of Heaven. The door is of gold.
Below the Lonely Place is an abyss hung with stars.
The rising curtain reveals Jim wearily uncorking a
beer-bottle. Then he tilts it slowly and with infinite
care. It proves to be empty. Faint and unpleasant laughter
is heard off. This action and accompanying far laughter are
repeated continually throughout the play. Corked bottles
are discovered lying behind rocks, and more descend
constantly through the air, within reach of Jim. All prove
to be empty.
Jim uncorks a few bottles.}

Jim: {weighing one carefully}
That's a full one. {It is empty, like all}

{Singing is heard off left.}

Bill: {enters from left with a bullet-hole over his eye,
singing} Rule Britannia, Britannia rule the waves.
{Breaking off his song} Why, 'ullo. 'Ere's a bottle
of beer. {Finds it empty; looking off and downward}
I'm getting a bit tired of those blooming great stars
down there and this rocky ledge. I've been walking
along under this wall ever since. Why, it must be
twenty-four hours since that householder shot me. And
he need n't have done it, either, *I* was n't going to
hurt the bloke. I only wanted a bit of his silver
stuff. It felt funny, that did. Hullo, a gate. Why,
that's the Gate of Heaven. Well, well. So that's all