Broken Glass by Arthur Miller Page A

fight a person’s nature. Like me for instance, I like to talk and I like to laugh. You’re not much of a talker, are you.
    G ELLBURG , a purse-mouthed smile: When I can get a word in edgewise.
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MARGARET, burst of laughter: Ha!—so you’ve got a sense of humor after all. Well give my best to Mrs. Goldberg.
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GELLBURG : Gellbu ...
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MARGARET, hits her own head: Gellburg, excuse me!—It practically sounds like Goldberg ...
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G ELL BURG: No-no, look in the phone book, it’s the only one, G-e-1-1 ...
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Enter Dr. Hyman.
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MARGARET, with a little wave to Gellburg: Be seeing you!
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GE L LBURG: Be in good health.
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Margaret exits.
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HYMAN, in his early fifties, a healthy, rather handsome man, a determined scientific idealist. Settling behind his desk—chuckling: She chew your ear off?
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GELLBURG, his worldly mode: Not too bad, I’ve had worse.
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HYMAN: Well there’s no way around it, women are talkers ... Grinning familiarly: But try living without them, right?
    GELLBURG: Without women?
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HYMAN , he sees Gellburg has flushed; there is a short hiatus, then: ... Well, never mind.—I’m glad you could make it tonight, I wanted to talk to you before I see your wife again tomorrow. Opens cigar humidor. Smoke?
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GELLBURG: No thanks, never have. Isn’t it bad for you?
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HYMAN: Certainly is. Lights a cigar. But more people die of rat bite, you know.
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GELLBURG: Rat bite!
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HYMAN: Oh yes, but they’re mostly the poor so it’s not an interesting statistic. Have you seen her tonight or did you come here from the office?
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GELLBURG : I thought I’d see you before I went home. But I phoned her this afternoon-same thing, no change.
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HYMAN: How’s she doing with the wheelchair?
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GELLBURG: Better, she can get herself in and out of the bed now.
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HYMAN: Good. And she manages the bathroom?
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GELLBURG: Oh yes. I got the maid to come in the mornings to help her take a bath, clean up ...
    HYMAN: Good. Your wife has a lot of courage, I admire that kind of woman. My wife is similar; I like the type.
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GELLBURG: What type you mean?
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HYMAN: You know-vigorous. I mean mentally and... you know, just generally. Moxie.
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GELLBURG: Oh.
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HYMAN: Forget it, it was only a remark.
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GELLBURG: No, you’re right, I never thought of it, but she is unusually that way.
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HYMAN, pause, some prickliness here which he can’t understand: Doctor Sherman’s report ...
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GELLBURG: What’s he say?
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HYMAN: I’m getting to it.
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GELLBURG: Oh. Beg your pardon.
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HYMAN : You’ll have to bear with me ... may I call you Phillip?
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GELLBURG: Certainly.
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HYMAN : I don’t express my thoughts very quickly, Phillip.
    GELLBURG: Likewise. Go ahead, take your time.
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HYMAN: People tend to overestimate the wisdom of physicians so I try to think things through before I speak to a patient.
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GELLBURG: I’m glad to hear that.
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HYMAN : Aesculapius stuttered, you know—ancient Greek god of medicine. But probably based on a real physician who hesitated about giving advice. Somerset Maugham stammered, studied medicine. Anton Chekhov, great writer, also a doctor, had tuberculosis. Doctors are very often physically defective in some way, that’s why they’re interested in healing.
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GELLBURG, impressed: I see.
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HYMAN, pause, thinks: I find this Adolf Hitler very disturbing. You been following him in the papers?
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GELLBURG: Well yes, but not much. My average day in the office is ten, eleven hours.
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HYMAN: They’ve been smashing the Jewish stores in Berlin all week, you know.
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GELLBURG: Oh yes, I saw that again yesterday.
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HYMAN : Very disturbing. Forcing old men to scrub the sidewalks with toothbrushes. On the Kurfürstendamm, that’s equivalent to Fifth Avenue. Nothing but hoodlums in