The sound and the fury
Caddy came to Versh and me and turned her back.
“Unbutton it, Versh.” she said.
“Dont you do it, Versh.” Quentin said.
“Taint none of my dress.” Versh said.
“You unbutton it, Versh.” Caddy said, “Or I’ll tell Dilsey what you did
yesterday.” So Versh unbuttoned it.
“You just take your dress off.” Quentin said. Caddy took her dress off
and threw it on the bank. Then she didn’t have on anything but her
bodice and drawers, and Quentin slapped her and she slipped and fell
down in the water. When she got up she began to splash water on Quentin,
and Quentin splashed water on Caddy. Some of it splashed on Versh and me
and Versh picked me up and put me on the bank. He said he was going to
tell on Caddy and Quentin, and then Quentin and Caddy began to splash
water at Versh. He got behind a bush.
“I’m going to tell mammy on you all.” Versh said.
Quentin climbed up the bank and tried to catch Versh, but Versh ran away
and Quentin couldn’t. When Quentin came back Versh stopped and hollered
that he was going to tell. Caddy told him that if he wouldn’t tell,
they’d let him come back. So Versh said he wouldn’t, and they let him.
“Now I guess you’re satisfied.” Quentin said, “We’ll both get whipped
now.”
“I dont care.” Caddy said. “I’ll run away.”
“Yes you will.” Quentin said.
“I’ll run away and never come back.” Caddy said. I began to cry. Caddy
turned around and said “Hush.” So I hushed. Then they played in the
branch. Jason was playing too. He was by himself further down the
branch. Versh came around the bush and lifted me down into the water
again. Caddy was all wet and muddy behind, and I started to cry and she
came and squatted in the water.
“Hush now.” she said. “I’m not going to run away.” So I hushed. Caddy
smelled like trees in the rain.
_What is the matter with you, Luster said. Cant you get done with that
moaning and play in the branch like folks._
_Whyn’t you take him on home. Didn’t they told you not to take him off
the place._
_He still think they own this pasture, Luster said. Cant nobody see down
here from the house, noways._
_We can. And folks dont like to look at a loony. Taint no luck in it._
Roskus came and said to come to supper and Caddy said it wasn’t supper
time yet.
“Yes tis.” Roskus said. “Dilsey say for you all to come on to the house.
Bring them on, Versh.” He went up the hill, where the cow was lowing.
“Maybe we’ll be dry by the time we get to the house.” Quentin said.
“It was all your fault.” Caddy said. “I hope we do get whipped.” She put
her dress on and Versh buttoned it.
“They wont know you got wet.” Versh said. “It dont show on you. Less me
and Jason tells.”
“Are you going to tell, Jason.” Caddy said.
“Tell on who.” Jason said.
“He wont tell.” Quentin said. “Will you, Jason.”
“I bet he does tell.” Caddy said. “He’ll tell Damuddy.”
“He cant tell her.” Quentin said. “She’s sick. If we walk slow it’ll be
too dark for them to see.”
“I dont care whether they see or not.” Caddy said. “I’m going to tell,
myself. You carry him up the hill, Versh.”
“Jason wont tell.” Quentin said. “You remember that bow and arrow I made
you, Jason.”
“It’s broke now.” Jason said.
“Let him tell.” Caddy said. “I dont give a cuss. Carry Maury up the
hill, Versh.” Versh squatted and I got on his back.
_See you all at the show tonight, Luster said. Come on, here. We got to
find that quarter._
“If we go slow, it’ll be dark when we get there.” Quentin said.
“I’m not going slow.” Caddy said. We went up the hill, but Quentin
didn’t come. He was down at the branch when we got to where we could
smell the pigs. They were grunting and snuffing in the trough in the
corner. Jason came behind us, with his hands in his pockets. Roskus was
milking the cow in the barn door.
_The cows came jumping out of the barn._
“Go on.” T. P. said. “Holler again. I going to holler myself. Whooey.”
Quentin kicked T. P. again. He kicked T. P. into the trough where the
pigs ate and T. P. lay there. “Hot dogs.” T. P. said, “Didn’t he get me
then. You see that white man kick me that time. Whooey.”
I wasn’t crying, but I couldn’t stop. I wasn’t crying, but the ground
wasn’t still, and then I was crying. The ground kept sloping up and the
cows ran up the hill. T. P. tried to get up. He fell down again and the
cows ran down the hill. Quentin held my arm and we went toward the barn.
Then the barn wasn’t there and we had to wait until it came back. I
didn’t see it come back. It came behind us and Quentin set me down in
the trough where the cows ate. I held on to it. It was going away too,
and I held to it. The cows ran down the hill again, across the door. I
couldn’t stop. Quentin and T. P. came up the hill, fighting. T. P. was
falling down the hill and Quentin dragged him up the hill. Quentin hit
T. P. I couldn’t stop.
“Stand up.” Quentin said, “You stay right here. Dont you go away until I
get back.”
“Me and Benjy going back to the wedding.” T. P. said. “Whooey.”
Quentin hit T. P. again. Then he began to thump T. P. against the wall.
T. P. was laughing. Every time Quentin thumped him against the wall he
tried to say Whooey, but he couldn’t say it for laughing. I quit crying,
but I couldn’t stop. T. P. fell on me and the barn door went away. It
went down the hill and T. P. was fighting by himself and he fell down
again. He was still laughing, and I couldn’t stop, and I tried to get up
and I fell down, and I couldn’t stop. Versh said,
“You sho done it now. I’ll declare if you aint. Shut up that yelling.”
T. P. was still laughing. He flopped on the door and laughed. “Whooey.”
he said, “Me and Benjy going back to the wedding. Sassprilluh.” T. P.
said.
“Hush.” Versh said. “Where you get it.”
“Out the cellar.” T. P. said. “Whooey.”
“Hush up.” Versh said, “Where’bouts in the cellar.”
“Anywhere.” T. P. said. He laughed some more. “Moren a hundred bottles
left. Moren a million. Look out, nigger, I going to holler.”
Quentin said, “Lift him up.”
Versh lifted me up.
“Drink this, Benjy.” Quentin said. The glass was hot. “Hush, now.”
Quentin said. “Drink it.”
“Sassprilluh.” T. P. said. “Lemme drink it, Mr Quentin.”
“You shut your mouth.” Versh said, “Mr Quentin wear you out.”
“Hold him, Versh.” Quentin said.
They held me. It was hot on my chin and on my shirt. “Drink.” Quentin
said. They held my head. It was hot inside me, and I began again. I was
crying now, and something was happening inside me and I cried more, and
they held me until it stopped happening. Then I hushed. It was still
going around, and then the shapes began. “Open the crib, Versh.” They
were going slow. “Spread those empty sacks on the floor.” They were
going faster, almost fast enough. “Now. Pick up his feet.” They went on,
smooth and bright. I could hear T. P. laughing. I went on with them, up
the bright hill.
_At the top of the hill Versh put me down._ “Come on here, Quentin.” he
called, looking back down the hill. Quentin was still standing there by
the branch. He was chunking into the shadows where the branch was.
“Let the old skizzard stay there.” Caddy said. She took my hand and we
went on past the barn and through the gate. There was a frog on the
brick walk, squatting in the middle of it. Caddy stepped over it and
pulled me on.
“Come on, Maury.” she said. It still squatted there until Jason poked at
it with his toe.
“He’ll make a wart on you.” Versh said. The frog hopped away.
“Come on, Maury.” Caddy said.
“They got company tonight.” Versh said.
“How do you know.” Caddy said.
“With all them lights on.” Versh said, “Light in every window.”
“I reckon we can turn all the lights on without company, if we want to.”
Caddy said.
“I bet it’s company.” Versh said. “You all better go in the back and
slip upstairs.”
“I dont care.” Caddy said. “I’ll walk right in the parlor where they
are.”
“I bet your pappy whip you if you do.” Versh said.
“I dont care.” Caddy said. “I’ll walk right in the parlor. I’ll walk
right in the dining room and eat supper.”
“Where you sit.” Versh said.
“I’d sit in Damuddy’s chair.” Caddy said. “She eats in bed.”
“I’m hungry.” Jason said. He passed us and ran on up the walk. He had
his hands in his pockets and he fell down. Versh went and picked him up.
“If you keep them hands out your pockets, you could stay on your feet.”
Versh said. “You cant never get them out in time to catch yourself, fat
as you is.”
Father was standing by the kitchen steps.
“Where’s Quentin.” he said.
“He coming up the walk.” Versh said. Quentin was coming slow. His shirt
was a white blur.
“Oh.” Father said. Light fell down the steps, on him.
“Caddy and Quentin threw water on each other.” Jason said.
We waited.
“They did.” Father said. Quentin came, and Father said, “You can eat
supper in the kitchen tonight.” He stopped and took me up, and the light
came tumbling down the steps on me too, and I could look down at Caddy
and Jason and Quentin and Versh. Father turned toward the steps. “You
must be quiet, though.” he said.
“Why must we be quiet, Father.” Caddy said. “Have we got company.”
“Yes.” Father said.
“I told you they was company.” Versh said.
“You did not.” Caddy said, “I was the one that said there was. I said I
would”
“Hush.” Father said. They hushed and Father opened the door and we
crossed the back porch and went in to the kitchen. Dilsey was there, and
Father put me in the chair and closed the apron down and pushed it to
the table, where supper was. It was steaming up.
“You mind Dilsey, now.” Father said. “Dont let them make any more noise
than they can help, Dilsey.”
“Yes, sir.” Dilsey said. Father went away.
“Remember to mind Dilsey, now.” he said behind us. I leaned my face over
where the supper was. It steamed up on my face.
“Let them mind me tonight, Father.” Caddy said.
“I wont.” Jason said. “I’m going to mind Dilsey.”
“You’ll have to, if Father says so.” Caddy said. “Let them mind me,
Father.”
“I wont.” Jason said, “I wont mind you.”
“Hush.” Father said. “You all mind Caddy, then. When they are done,
bring them up the back stairs, Dilsey.”
“Yes, sir.” Dilsey said.
“There.” Caddy said, “Now I guess you’ll mind me.”
“You all hush, now.” Dilsey said. “You got to be quiet tonight.”
“Why do we have to be quiet tonight.” Caddy whispered.
“Never you mind.” Dilsey said, “You’ll know in the Lawd’s own time.” She
brought my bowl. The steam from it came and tickled my face. “Come here,
Versh.” Dilsey said.
“When is the Lawd’s own time, Dilsey.” Caddy said.
“It’s Sunday.” Quentin said. “Dont you know anything.”
“Shhhhhh.” Dilsey said. “Didn’t Mr Jason say for you all to be quiet.
Eat your supper, now. Here, Versh. Git his spoon.” Versh’s hand came
with the spoon, into the bowl. The spoon came up to my mouth. The steam
tickled into my mouth. Then we quit eating and we looked at each other
and we were quiet, and then we heard it again and I began to cry.
“What was that.” Caddy said. She put her hand on my hand.
“That was Mother.” Quentin said. The spoon came up and I ate, then I
cried again.
“Hush.” Caddy said. But I didn’t hush and she came and put her arms
around me. Dilsey went and closed both the doors and then we couldn’t
hear it.
“Hush, now.” Caddy said. I hushed and ate. Quentin wasn’t eating, but
Jason was.
“That was Mother.” Quentin said. He got up.
“You set right down.” Dilsey said. “They got company in there, and you
in them muddy clothes. You set down too, Caddy, and get done eating.”
“She was crying.” Quentin said.
“It was somebody singing.” Caddy said. “Wasn’t it, Dilsey.”
“You all eat your supper, now, like Mr Jason said.” Dilsey said. “You’ll
know in the Lawd’s own time.” Caddy went back to her chair.