GER. But you must know that there are moments when you look almost
beautiful.

WOMAN. Oh, listen to him!

STRANGER. Yes. And then you resemble a woman who was dear to me.

WOMAN. Thank you!

WAITRESS. Don't talk so loud, there's a sick man here.

STRANGER. Tell me, have you ever been in love?

WOMAN. We don't use that word, but I know what you mean. Yes. I had a
lover once and we had a child.

STRANGER. That was foolish!

WOMAN. I thought so, too, but he said the days liberation were at hand,
when all chains would be struck off, all barriers thrown down, and...

STRANGER (tortured). And then...?

WOMAN. Then he left me.

STRANGER. He was a scoundrel. (He drinks.)

WOMAN (looking at him.) You think so?

STRANGER. Yes. He must have been.

WOMAN. Now you're so intolerant.

STRANGER (drinking). Am I?

WOMAN. Don't drink so much; I want to see you far above me, otherwise
you can't raise me up.

STRANGER. What illusions you must have! Childish! I lift you up! I who
am down below. Yet I'm not; it's not I who sit here, for I'm dead. I
know that my soul's far away, far, far away.... (He stares in front
of him with an absent-minded air)... where a great lake lies in the
sunshine like molten gold; where roses blossom on the wall amongst
the vines; where a white cot stands under the acacias. But the child's
asleep and the mother's sitting beside the cot doing crochet work.
There's a long, long strip coming from her mouth and on the strip
is written... wait... 'Blessed are the sorrowful, for they shall be
comforted.' But that's not so, really. I shall never be comforted. Tell
me, isn't there thunder in the air, it's so close, so hot?

WOMAN (looking out of the window). No. I can see no clouds out there....

STRANGER. Strange... that's lightning.

WOMAN. No. You're wrong.

STRANGER. One, two, three, four, five... now the thunder must come! But
it doesn't. I've never been frightened of a thunderstorm until to-day--I
mean, until to-night. But is it day or night?

WOMAN. My dear, it's night.

STRANGER. Yes. It _is_ night.

(The DOCTOR has come in during this scene and has sat down behind the
STRANGER, without having been seen by him.)

WAITRESS. Don't speak so loud, there's a sick person in here.

STRANGER (to the WOMAN). Give me your hand.

WOMAN (wiping it on her apron). Oh, why?

STRANGER. You've a lovely white hand. But... look at mine. It's black.
Can't you see it's black?

WOMAN. Yes. So it i