Harold Pinter – “The Dumb Waiter” (the end)

Gus leaves the lavatory very perturbed and asks Ben a question in a low voice, but since Ben does not appear to hear him, he walks around the bed to speak into Ben’s better ear: who is it upstairs? Ben does not want to discuss it and hits Gus, as the latter keeps on asking: why is he playing these games with us? why are we being tested? The box falls down again, this time carrying an order for scampi. Gus yells into the tube “we’ve got nothing left”, and Ben pushes him away, hitting him in the chest. Then he goes back to his paper and to his routine of reading out to Gus the most shocking bits, except that now he doesn’t even say what the shocking thing actually was, and Gus does not seem to notice, just says dully “incredible”. The box goes up again and Gus goes to the room on the left to have a glass of water. When he’s gone, Ben receives the order from a speaking tube – the man to be executed is about to arrive, they must follow the usual mode. Ben calls out to Gus, but all that comes from the lavatory is the sound of delayed flushing. Then the door on the right opens and Gus stumbles in unexpectedly, in his shirtsleeves and without his revolver. The play ends with them staring at each other.