The Ride Across Lake Constance and Other Plays by Peter Handke Page A

it!” “Lupus in fabula,” “Talk of the devil!” “Atlantis has reappeared!”
    VON STROHEIM stands in front of the others like a magician. He turns all his pockets inside out very fast—the pockets are very wide and light-colored — and strikes a pose. PORTEN applauds vigorously. VON STROHEIM, as magician, takes off his smoking jacket in a jiffy, turns it over, and already has put it back on. )
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    JANNINGS
    ( Enthusiastically ) So it is true! (VON STROHEIM produces a small imitation of a rolling pin out of his pocket, which is now the magician’s pocket. JANNINGS exclaiming so that the cigar drops out of his mouth) Not only in jokes then! (GEORGE hands him the cigar. JANNINGS wipes the ash off his knees, stops suddenly, notices what he is doing, continues cleaning in a merry ritual. ) Ash on my suit! When I tell about that, no one will believe me. (They all laugh. VON STROHEIM conjures up the magician’s magic cloth, a flag in colors that do not signify a particular country. He blows briskly on the flag, making it flutter.) Indeed, it flutters! The flag flutters! (VON STROHEIM stashes the things into his pockets, becomes an actor: he walks to the bar, takes out a bottle, fondles it, then supports himself backward with one hand on the table. JANNINGS calmly translates this for GEORGE.) He is fondling the bottle and supporting himself
with his hand on the table. (VON STROHEIM moves to the side of the table, dangles the bottle by the neck, and begins to squint. JANNINGS to GEORGE) He is holding the bottle by the neck and squinting. (VON STROHEIM puts the bottle back and moves through the room with hunched shoulders, making an unnecessarily wide curve around each object but at the same time scrutinizing each.) He hunches his shoulders, looks at the objects, yet makes a curve around them.
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    VON STROHEIM
    ( Returns to the table. As a teacher ) And now to the practical application: someone fondles an object or leans against it?
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    GEORGE
    The proprietor.
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    VON STROHEIM
    Someone moves with hunched shoulders among objects, makes a curve around them?
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    GEORGE
    The guest.
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    VON STROHEIM
    Someone who is squinting holds an object in his hand?
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    GEORGE
    The thief.
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    JANNINGS
    Someone fondles an object because it belongs to him. Because someone fondles an object, does it belong to him?
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    VON STROHEIM
    Unless you prove the opposite.

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    JANNINGS
    Someone with an object in his hand begins to squint. Because he has stolen it?
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    VON STROHEIM
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    Unless he proves his innocence.
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    JANNINGS
    Someone suddenly puckers up his mouth and nose. ( He shows how. ) Because he’s afraid and a coward?
    VON STROHEIM
    Unless his actions prove the opposite.
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    JANNINGS
    But if there’s nothing to do?
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    VON STROHEIM
    What else would he be afraid of?
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    JANNINGS
    I don’t understand that.
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    VON STROHEIM
    What you’re sitting on is an easy chair, isn’t it?
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    JANNINGS
    Yes.
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    VON STROHEIM
    Or is it perhaps a life preserver? (JANNINGS laughs at this extraordinary suggestion. ) It seems just as ridiculous to you when I claim that you are sitting on a life preserver as it would to claim that someone’s mouth and nose pucker up ( He imitates it .) because he feels like doing something.
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    ( Pause. )

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    JANNINGS
    But an easy chair is an easy chair, and an expression ( He makes one .) is an expression. How can the two be compared?
    VON STROHEIM
    I will demonstrate to you how one can. ( Pause. They all wait. Pause. VON STROHEIM suddenly ) What do you have in your mouth? (JANNINGS quickly takes the cigar out of his mouth and puts it out. VON STROHEIM smiles.) Why is your collar button open? (JANNINGS nimbly closes his collar button. ) You are so serious?
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    (JANNINGS laughs resoundingly. Pause. Quiet. Pause. )
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    JANNINGS
    ( Softly ) You have something on your nose.
    VON STROHEIM
    ( Is about to wipe it