DEVLIN I don’t believe he ever called you darling.

Pause.

DEVLIN (cont.) Do you think my use of the word is illegitimate?

REBECCA What word?

DEVLIN Darling.

REBECCA Oh yes, you called me darling. How funny.

DEVLIN Funny? Why?

REBECCA Well, how can you possibly call me darling? I’m not your darling.

DEVLIN Yes you are.

REBECCA Well, I don’t want to be your darling. It’s the last thing I want to be, I’m nobody’s darling.

DEVLIN That’s a song.

REBECCA What?

DEVLIN "I’m nobody’s baby now.”

REBECCA It’s “You’re nobody’s baby now.” But anyway, I didn’t use the word baby.

Pause.

REBECCA (cont.) I can’t tell you what he looked like.

DEVLIN Have you forgotten?

REBECCA No. I haven’t forgotten. But that’s not the point. Anyway, he went away years ago.

DEVLIN Went away? Where did he go?

REBECCA His job took him away. He had a job.

DEVLIN What was it?

REBECCA What?

DEVLIN What kind of job was it? What job?

REBECCA I think it had something to do with a travel agency. I think he was some kind of courier. No, No, he wasn’t. That was only a part-time job. I mean that was only part of the job in the agency. He was quite high up, you see. He had a lot of responsibilities.

Pause.

DEVLIN What sort of agency?

REBECCA A travel agency.

DEVLIN What sort of travel agency?

REBECCA He was a guide, you see. A guide.

DEVLIN A tourist guide?

Pause.

REBECCA Did I ever tell you about that place . . . about the time he took me to that place?

DEVLIN What place?

REBECCA I’m sure I told you.

DEVLIN No. You never told me.

REBECCA How funny. I could swear I had. Told you.

DEVLIN You haven’t told me anything. You’ve never spoken about him before. You haven’t told me anything.

Pause.

DEVLIN (cont.) What place?

REBECCA Oh, it was a kind of factory, I suppose.

DEVLIN What do you mean, a kind of factory? Was it a factory or wasn’t it? And if it was a factory, what kind of factory was it?

REBECCA Well, they were making things—just like any other factory. But it wasn’t the usual kind of factory.

DEVLIN Why not?

REBECCA They were all wearing caps . . . the workpeople . . . soft caps . . . and they took them off when he came in, leading me, when he led me down the alleys between the rows of workpeople.

DEVLIN They took their caps off? You mean they doffed them?

REBECCA Yes.

DEVLIN Why did they do that?

REBECCA He told me afterwards it was because they had such great respect for him.

DEVLIN Why?