SCENE--Same as Act One--the back room with the curtain separating it from the section of the barroom with its single table at right of curtain, front. It is around half past one in the morning of the following day.
The tables in the back room have a new arrangement. The one at left, front, before the window to the yard, is in the same position. So is the one at the right, rear, of it in the second row. But this table now has only one chair. This chair is at right of it, facing directly front. The two tables on either side of the door at rear are unchanged. But the table which was at center, front, has been pushed toward right so that it and the table at right, rear, of it in the second row, and the last table at right in the front row, are now jammed so closely together that they form one group.
Larry, Hugo and Parritt are at the table at left, front. Larry is at left of it, beside the window, facing front. Hugo sits at rear, facing front, his head on his arms in his habitual position, but he is not asleep. On Hugo's left is Parritt, his chair facing left, front. At right of table, an empty chair, facing left. Larry's chin is on his chest, his eyes fixed on the floor. He will not look at Parritt, who keeps staring at him with a sneering, pleading challenge.
Two bottles of whiskey are on each table, whiskey and chaser glasses, a pitcher of water.
The one chair by the table at right, rear, of them is vacant.
At the first table at right of center, Cora sits at left, front, of it, facing front. Around the rear of this table are four empty chairs. Opposite Cora, in a sixth chair, is Captain Lewis, also facing front. On his left, McGloin is facing front in a chair before the middle table of his group. At right, rear, of him, also at this table, General Wetjoen sits facing front. In back of this table are three empty chairs.
At right, rear, of Wetjoen, but beside the last table of the group, sits Willie. On Willie's left, at rear of table, is Hope. On Hope's left, at right, rear, of table, is Mosher. Finally, at right of table is Jimmy Tomorrow. All of the four sit facing front.
There is an atmosphere of oppressive stagnation in the room, and a quality of insensibility about all the people in this group at right. They are like wax figures, set stiffly on their chairs, carrying out mechanically the motions of getting drunk but sunk in a numb stupor which is impervious to stimulation.
In the bar section, Joe is sprawled in the chair at right of table, facing left. His head rolls forward in a sodden slumber. Rocky is standing behind his chair, regarding him with dull hostility. Rocky's face is set in an expression of tired, callous toughness. He looks now like a minor Wop gangster.
ROCKY--(shakes Joe by the shoulder) Come on, yuh damned nigger! Beat it in de back room! It's after hours. (But Joe remains inert. Rocky gives up.) Aw, to hell wid it. Let de dump get pinched. I'm through wid dis lousy job, anyway! (He hears someone at rear and calls) Who's dat? (Chuck appears from rear. He has been drinking heavily, but there is no lift to his jag; his manner is grouchy and sullen. He has evidently been brawling. His knuckles are raw and there is a mouse under one eye. He has lost his straw hat, his tie is awry, and his blue suit is dirty. Rocky eyes him indifferently.) Been scrappin', huh? Started off on your periodical, ain't yuh? (For a second there is a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes.)
CHUCK--Yeah, ain't yuh glad? (truculently) What's it to yuh?
ROCKY--Not a damn ting. But dis is someting to me. I'm out on my feet holdin' down your job. Yuh said if I'd take your day, yuh'd relieve me at six, and here it's half past one A.M. Well, yuh're takin' over now, get me, no matter how plastered yuh are!
CHUCK--Plastered, hell! I wisht I was. I've lapped up a gallon, but it don't hit me right. And to hell wid de job. I'm goin' to tell Harry I'm quittin'.
ROCKY--Yeah? Well, I'm quittin', too.
CHUCK--I've played sucker for dat crummy blonde long enough, lettin' her kid me into woikin'. From now on I take it easy.
ROCKY--I'm glad yuh're gettin' some sense.
CHUCK--And I hope yuh're gettin' some. What a prize sap you been, tendin' bar when yuh got two good hustlers in your stable!
ROCKY--Yeah, but I ain't no sap now. I'll loin dem, when dey get back from Coney. (sneeringly) Jees, dat Cora sure played you for a dope, feedin' yuh dat marriage-on-de-farm hop!
CHUCK--(dully) Yeah. Hickey got it right. A lousy pipe dream. It was her pulling sherry flips on me woke me up. All de way walkin' to de ferry, every ginmill we come to she'd drag me in to blow her. I got tinkin', Christ, what won't she want when she gets de ring on her finger and I'm hooked? So I tells her at de ferry, "Kiddo, yuh can go to Joisey, or to hell, but count me out."
ROCKY--She says it was her told you to go to hell, because yuh'd started hittin' de booze.
CHUCK--(ignoring this) I got tinkin', too, Jees, won't I look sweet wid a wife dat if yuh put all de guys she's stayed wid side by side, dey'd reach to Chicago. (He sighs gloomily.) Dat kind of dame, yuh can't trust 'em. De minute your back is toined, dey're cheatin' wid de iceman or someone. Hickey done me a favor, makin' me wake up. (He pauses--then adds pathetically) On'y it was fun, kinda, me and Cora kiddin' ourselves--(Suddenly his face hardens with hatred.) Where is dat son of a bitch, Hickey? I want one good sock at day guy--just one!--and de next buttin' in he'll do will be in de morgue! I'll take a chance on goin' to de Chair--!
ROCKY--(starts--in a low warning voice) Piano! Keep away from him, Chuck! He ain't here now, anyway. He went out to phone, he said. He wouldn't call from here. I got a hunch he's beat it. But if he does come back, yuh don't know him, if anyone asks yuh, get me? (As Chuck looks at him with dull surprise he lowers his voice to a whisper.) De Chair, maybe dat's where he's goin'. I don't know nuttin', see, but it looks like he croaked his wife.
CHUCK--(with a flash of interest) Yuh mean she really was cheatin' on him? Den I don't blame de guy--
ROCKY--Who's blamin' him? When a dame asks for it--But I don't know nuttin' about it, see?
CHUCK--Is any of de gang wise?
ROCKY--Larry is. And de boss ought to be. I tried to wise de rest of dem up to stay clear of him, but dey're all so licked, I don't know if dey got it. (He pauses--vindictively) I don't give a damn what he done to his wife, but if he gets de Hot Seat I won't go into no mournin'!
CHUCK--Me, neider!
ROCKY--Not after his trowin' it in my face I'm a pimp. What if I am? Why de hell not? And what he's done to Harry. Jees, de poor old slob is so licked he can't even get drunk. And all de gang. Dey're all licked. I couldn't help feelin' sorry for de poor bums when dey showed up tonight, one by one, lookin' like pooches wid deir tails between deir legs, dat everyone'd been kickin' till dey was too punch-drunk to feel it no more. Jimmy Tomorrow was de last. Schwartz, de copper, brung him in. Seen him sittin' on de dock on West Street, lookin' at de water and cryin'! Schwartz thought he was drunk and I let him tink it. But he was cold sober. He was tryin' to jump in and didn't have de noive, I figgered it. Noive! Jees, dere ain't enough guts left in de whole gang to battle a mosquito!