He climbs down off the bed. He sees the yellow brick on top of Philomena’s locker. He picks it up. He takes it with him back to his bed, holding it up to the light, examining it.

He was shakin’ like a goddam leaf, sweatin like Philomeany’s pussy, the poor fuck. White as a ghost, fucken DTs you ask me.

Raymond    Charles?

Bert    Charlie, yeah. That’s right. Must o’ – probably couldn’t wait.

Bert puts the brick down and shakes his head. Raymond twiddles with his empty glass. Bert goes to him and pours him a shot.

Raymond    I meant to pick a bottle up on the way in.

Bert    Yeah, right . . . you seen the Mayor today?

Raymond    What if I did?

Bert    Asked me to remind you about that loan.

Raymond (snapping)     Not that it’s any of your business, but I paid him back this afternoon.

Bert    Hey, just passing the message on. I’m just the messenger all right? I get a fucken message from the Mayor it’s my business, OK?

Raymond    Point taken . . . You said Charles was . . . he seemed irate?

Bert    Irate? He seemed pissed is what he seemed. But irate, yeah, guess you could say irate.

Raymond    I think he’s hysterical.

Bert    Like earlier?

Raymond    No, no, no, Kowalski, I wasn’t particularising, you understand. I just think that his condition in general is hysterical.

Bert    Edgy, irate, pissed, hysterical, it’s all the same shit. Kid’s gone anyway.

Raymond    Gone where though?

Bert    I dunno. To get some liquor or to get his cock sucked by one of them Dutch broads, or to join some crap game. What does anybody do round here? Anyways, he’ll be back.

Raymond    You know he doesn’t set foot outside of this room other than to work unless he’s accompanied by you, Kowalski. You know how nervous he is. I tried to tell him about your pernicious influence, attempted to provide adult guidance to an impressionable young man. I think that you’ve debauched him, and I’m going to call the desk to inform them of his state of mind.

Bert    You do that.

Raymond    I intend to. To let them know of his hysterical state of mind.

Bert    You’re gonna call them, huh?

Raymond    . . . The desk will know who to contact. The desk will have procedure for this kind of thing.

Bert    This kind o’ thing? The desk’ll have things?

Raymond    Quite. Procedures.

Bert    ‘Procedures’ for hysteria? The desk’ll have ‘procedures’ for hysterical midgets, Ray?

Raymond    Medical procedures. They will have a local doctor they can contact; somebody who’ll be able to give Charles something to calm him down.

Bert    He just needs a drink, or maybe even a little smoke.