[He takes her in his arms. He strokes her hair. Tips her head back and kisses her. There is noise of shouting and singing downstairs. Then you hear the COMRADES break into “The Partizan.” They sing it all the way through]

DOROTHY. That’s a lovely song.

PHILIP. You’ll never know how fine a song that is.

[The COMRADES are singing “Bandera Rosa”]

PHILIP. You know this one?

[He sits by her now on the bed]

DOROTHY. Yes.

PHILIP. The best people I ever knew died for that song.

[In the next room you can see the broken-faced COMRADE asleep. While they have been talking, he finished his bath, dried his clothes, knocked the mud off them, and lay down on the bed. As he sleeps, the light shines on his face]

DOROTHY. [Beside Philip, on the bed] Philip, Philip, please, Philip!

PHILIP. You know I don’t feel so much like making love tonight.

DOROTHY. [Disappointed] That’s fine. That’s lovely! But I’d only like to have you stay here. Just stay in and have a little home-life.

PHILIP. I have to go, you know. Really.

[Downstairs the COMRADES are singing the “Comintern” song]

DOROTHY. That’s the one they always play at funerals.

PHILIP. They sing it at other times, though.

DOROTHY. Philip, please don’t go!

PHILIP. [Holding her in his arms] Good-bye.

DOROTHY. No. Please, please, don’t go!

PHILIP. [Standing up] Look, open both the windows before you go to bed, will you? You don’t want to have any glass broken if there’s a shelling around midnight.

DOROTHY. Don’t go, Philip. Please don’t go!

PHILIP. Salud, Camarada!

[He does not salute. He goes into the next room. Downstairs the COMRADES are singing the “Partizan” again. PHILIP, in 110, looks at MAX sleeping; then goes over to wake him]

Max! [MAX, waking instantly, looks around him, blinks at the light in his eyes, then smiles]

MAX. Is time?

PHILIP. Yes. Want a drink?

MAX. [Getting up from the bed, smiling, and feeling of his boots, which have been drying in front of the electric heater] Very much.

[PHILIP pours two whiskeys and reaches for the water bottle]

Do not spoil it with water.

PHILIP. Salud!

MAX. Salud!

PHILIP. Let’s go.

CURTAIN

[Downstairs the COMRADES are singing the “International.” As the curtain comes down, DOROTHY BRIDGES is on the bed in Room 109, with her arms around the pillows; and her shoulders shaking as she is crying]

Act Two  •  Scene Four

Same as Scene III, but four thirty o’clock in the morning. Both rooms are dark andDOROTHY BRIDGESis asleep in her bed.MAXandPHILIPcome down the corridor, andPHILIPunlocks the door of Room 110 and switches on the light. They look at each other.MAXshakes his head. They are both so covered with mud that they are almost unrecognizable.

PHILIP. Well, another time.

MAX. I am very sorry.

PHILIP. It’s not your fault. Want to bathe first?