La Ronde

LA RONDE

Ten Dialogues

Characters

Characters

PROSTITUTE

SOLDIER

MAID

YOUNG MASTER

YOUNG WIFE

HUSBAND

SWEET YOUNG THING

POET

ACTRESS

COUNT

1. The Prostitute and the Soldier

1. The Prostitute and the Soldier

Late evening. By the Augarten Bridge. The SOLDIER enters, whistling, on his way home.

PROSTITUTE. Come on, handsome.

He turns, then keeps walking.

D’you want some company?

SOLDIER. Me? Handsome?

PROSTITUTE. Course. Who else? Come on, I’m just up the road.

SOLDIER. Ain’t got time. Got to get back to barracks.

PROSTITUTE. You’ll get back to barracks all right. Better at my place, though.

SOLDIER (closer). Maybe.

PROSTITUTE. Ssh. A copper might turn up.

SOLDIER. Yeah, right. Like to see a copper deal with this.

Pats his bayonet-case.

PROSTITUTE. Come on then.

SOLDIER. Piss off. Anyway, I ain’t got no money.

PROSTITUTE. Don’t need any.

SOLDIER (stops short. Under a street lamp). No money? Who are you, anyway?

PROSTITUTE. Ordinary blokes pay. Soldiers like you get it for free.

SOLDIER. I bet you’re the one Huber told me about.

PROSTITUTE. Never heard of him.

SOLDIER. You must be. You know – the café in the Schiffgasse – you went home with him.

PROSTITUTE. Wouldn’t be the first from there. Mmm . . .

SOLDIER. Come on then. Come on.

PROSTITUTE. In a hurry now, are we?

SOLDIER. Well, what’re we hanging about for? And I’ve got to be in barracks by ten.

PROSTITUTE. When did you join up, then?

SOLDIER. What’s it matter to you? How far’s your place?

PROSTITUTE. Ten minutes.

SOLDIER. That’s too far. Give us a snog.

PROSTITUTE (kisses him). I always think that’s the best bit. When I really fancy a bloke.

SOLDIER. Dunno ’bout that. Forget it, it’s too far.

PROSTITUTE. Tell you what, come round tomorrow then. In the afternoon.

SOLDIER. All right. Give us your address.

PROSTITUTE. But you ain’t gonna come, are you?

SOLDIER. I told you.

PROSTITUTE. Tell you what, if my place is too far – what about down there?

Towards the Danube.

SOLDIER. You what?

PROSTITUTE. It’s quiet down there. No one about.

SOLDIER. Nah. Not my idea of a good time.

PROSTITUTE. I’ll give you a good time, don’t you worry about that. Come on, stay with me. Who knows, we could all be dead by tomorrow.

SOLDIER. All right. But hurry up.

PROSTITUTE. Watch out. It’s dark. One slip, and you’re in the river.

SOLDIER. Best place for me.

PROSTITUTE. Afterwards, maybe . . . Hey, slow down a bit. There’s a bench just ahead.

SOLDIER. You know your way around.

PROSTITUTE. I could do with someone like you.

SOLDIER. You couldn’t handle me.

PROSTITUTE. I could have fun trying.

SOLDIER. Ha ha.

PROSTITUTE. Keep it down. Coppers come wandering round even down here sometimes. Wouldn’t think it, would you: here we are, right in the middle of the city.

SOLDIER. Come here. Come on.