The sound and the fury
“Benjy’s coming down.” Father said. “Go with T. P.”
I went to the bathroom door. I could hear the water.
“Benjy.” T. P. said downstairs.
I could hear the water. I listened to it.
“Benjy.” T. P. said downstairs.
I listened to the water.
I couldn’t hear the water, and Caddy opened the door.
“Why, Benjy.” she said. She looked at me and I went and she put her arms
around me. “Did you find Caddy again.” she said. “Did you think Caddy
had run away.” Caddy smelled like trees.
We went to Caddy’s room. She sat down at the mirror. She stopped her
hands and looked at me.
“Why, Benjy. What is it.” she said. “You mustn’t cry. Caddy’s not going
away. See here.” she said. She took up the bottle and took the stopper
out and held it to my nose. “Sweet. Smell. Good.”
I went away and I didn’t hush, and she held the bottle in her hand,
looking at me.
“Oh.” she said. She put the bottle down and came and put her arms around
me. “So that was it. And you were trying to tell Caddy and you couldn’t
tell her. You wanted to, but you couldn’t, could you. Of course Caddy
wont. Of course Caddy wont. Just wait till I dress.”
Caddy dressed and took up the bottle again and we went down to the
kitchen.
“Dilsey.” Caddy said, “Benjy’s got a present for you.” She stooped down
and put the bottle in my hand. “Hold it out to Dilsey, now.” Caddy held
my hand out and Dilsey took the bottle.
“Well I’ll declare.” Dilsey said, “If my baby aint give Dilsey a bottle
of perfume. Just look here, Roskus.”
Caddy smelled like trees. “We dont like perfume ourselves.” Caddy said.
_She smelled like trees._
“Come on, now.” Dilsey said, “You too big to sleep with folks. You a big
boy now. Thirteen years old. Big enough to sleep by yourself in Uncle
Maury’s room.” Dilsey said.
Uncle Maury was sick. His eye was sick, and his mouth. Versh took his
supper up to him on the tray.
“Maury says he’s going to shoot the scoundrel.” Father said. “I told him
he’d better not mention it to Patterson before hand.” He drank.
“Jason.” Mother said.
“Shoot who, Father.” Quentin said. “What’s Uncle Maury going to shoot
him for.”
“Because he couldn’t take a little joke.” Father said.
“Jason.” Mother said, “How can you. You’d sit right there and see Maury
shot down in ambush, and laugh.”
“Then Maury’d better stay out of ambush.” Father said.
“Shoot who, Father.” Quentin said, “Who’s Uncle Maury going to shoot.”
“Nobody.” Father said. “I dont own a pistol.”
Mother began to cry. “If you begrudge Maury your food, why aren’t you
man enough to say so to his face. To ridicule him before the children,
behind his back.”
“Of course I dont.” Father said, “I admire Maury. He is invaluable to my
own sense of racial superiority. I wouldn’t swap Maury for a matched
team. And do you know why, Quentin.”
“No, sir.” Quentin said.
“_Et ego in arcadia_ I have forgotten the latin for hay.” Father said.
“There, there.” he said, “I was just joking.” He drank and set the glass
down and went and put his hand on Mother’s shoulder.
“It’s no joke.” Mother said. “My people are every bit as well born as
yours. Just because Maury’s health is bad.”
“Of course.” Father said. “Bad health is the primary reason for all
life. Created by disease, within putrefaction, into decay. Versh.”
“Sir.” Versh said behind my chair.
“Take the decanter and fill it.”
“And tell Dilsey to come and take Benjamin up to bed.” Mother said.
“You a big boy.” Dilsey said, “Caddy tired sleeping with you. Hush now,
so you can go to sleep.” The room went away, but I didn’t hush, and the
room came back and Dilsey came and sat on the bed, looking at me.
“Aint you going to be a good boy and hush.” Dilsey said. “You aint, is
you. See can you wait a minute, then.”
She went away. There wasn’t anything in the door. Then Caddy was in it.
“Hush.” Caddy said. “I’m coming.”
I hushed and Dilsey turned back the spread and Caddy got in between the
spread and the blanket. She didn’t take off her bathrobe.
“Now.” she said, “Here I am.” Dilsey came with a blanket and spread it
over her and tucked it around her.
“He be gone in a minute.” Dilsey said. “I leave the light on in your
room.”
“All right.” Caddy said. She snuggled her head beside mine on the
pillow. “Goodnight, Dilsey.”
“Goodnight, honey.” Dilsey said. The room went black. _Caddy smelled
like trees._
We looked up into the tree where she was.
“What she seeing, Versh.” Frony whispered.
“Shhhhhhh.” Caddy said in the tree. Dilsey said,
“You come on here.” She came around the corner of the house. “Whyn’t you
all go on up stairs, like your paw said, stead of slipping out behind my
back. Where’s Caddy and Quentin.”
“I told her not to climb up that tree.” Jason said. “I’m going to tell
on her.”
“Who in what tree.” Dilsey said. She came and looked up into the tree.
“Caddy.” Dilsey said. The branches began to shake again.
“You, Satan.” Dilsey said. “Come down from there.”
“Hush.” Caddy said, “Dont you know Father said to be quiet.” Her legs
came in sight and Dilsey reached up and lifted her out of the tree.
“Aint you got any better sense than to let them come around here.”
Dilsey said.
“I couldn’t do nothing with her.” Versh said.
“What you all doing here.” Dilsey said. “Who told you to come up to the
house.”
“She did.” Frony said. “She told us to come.”
“Who told you you got to do what she say.” Dilsey said. “Get on home,
now.” Frony and T. P. went on. We couldn’t see them when they were still
going away.
“Out here in the middle of the night.” Dilsey said. She took me up and
we went to the kitchen.
“Slipping out behind my back.” Dilsey said. “When you knowed it’s past
your bedtime.”
“Shhhh, Dilsey.” Caddy said. “Dont talk so loud. We’ve got to be quiet.”
“You hush your mouth and get quiet, then.” Dilsey said. “Where’s
Quentin.”
“Quentin’s mad because he had to mind me tonight.” Caddy said. “He’s
still got T. P.’s bottle of lightning bugs.”
“I reckon T. P. can get along without it.” Dilsey said. “You go and find
Quentin, Versh. Roskus say he seen him going towards the barn.” Versh
went on. We couldn’t see him.
“They’re not doing anything in there.” Caddy said. “Just sitting in
chairs and looking.”
“They dont need no help from you all to do that.” Dilsey said. We went
around the kitchen.
_Where you want to go now, Luster said. You going back to watch them
knocking ball again. We done looked for it over there. Here. Wait a
minute. You wait right here while I go back and get that ball. I done
thought of something._
The kitchen was dark. The trees were black on the sky. Dan came waddling
out from under the steps and chewed my ankle. I went around the kitchen,
where the moon was. Dan came scuffling along, into the moon.
“Benjy.” T. P. said in the house.
The flower tree by the parlor window wasn’t dark, but the thick trees
were. The grass was buzzing in the moonlight where my shadow walked on
the grass.
“You, Benjy.” T. P. said in the house. “Where you hiding. You slipping
off. I knows it.”
_Luster came back. Wait, he said. Here. Dont go over there. Miss Quentin
and her beau in the swing yonder. You come on this way. Come back here,
Benjy._
It was dark under the trees. Dan wouldn’t come. He stayed in the
moonlight. Then I could see the swing and I began to cry.
_Come away from there, Benjy, Luster said. You know Miss Quentin going
to get mad._
It was two now, and then one in the swing. Caddy came fast, white in the
darkness.
“Benjy,” she said. “How did you slip out. Where’s Versh.”
She put her arms around me and I hushed and held to her dress and tried
to pull her away.
“Why, Benjy.” she said. “What is it. T. P.” she called.
The one in the swing got up and came, and I cried and pulled Caddy’s
dress.
“Benjy.” Caddy said. “It’s just Charlie. Dont you know Charlie.”
“Where’s his nigger.” Charlie said. “What do they let him run around
loose for.”
“Hush, Benjy.” Caddy said. “Go away, Charlie. He doesn’t like you.”
Charlie went away and I hushed. I pulled at Caddy’s dress.
“Why, Benjy.” Caddy said. “Aren’t you going to let me stay here and talk
to Charlie awhile.”
“Call that nigger.” Charlie said. He came back. I cried louder and
pulled at Caddy’s dress.
“Go away, Charlie.” Caddy said. Charlie came and put his hands on Caddy
and I cried more. I cried loud.
“No, no.” Caddy said. “No. No.”
“He cant talk.” Charlie said. “Caddy.”
“Are you crazy.” Caddy said. She began to breathe fast. “He can see.
Dont. Dont.” Caddy fought. They both breathed fast. “Please. Please.”
Caddy whispered.
“Send him away.” Charlie said.
“I will.” Caddy said. “Let me go.”
“Will you send him away.” Charlie said.
“Yes.” Caddy said. “Let me go.” Charlie went away. “Hush.” Caddy said.
“He’s gone.” I hushed. I could hear her and feel her chest going.
“I’ll have to take him to the house.” she said. She took my hand. “I’m
coming.” she whispered.
“Wait.” Charlie said. “Call the nigger.”
“No.” Caddy said. “I’ll come back. Come on, Benjy.”
“Caddy.” Charlie whispered, loud. We went on. “You better come back. Are
you coming back.” Caddy and I were running. “Caddy.” Charlie said. We
ran out into the moonlight, toward the kitchen.
“Caddy.” Charlie said.
Caddy and I ran. We ran up the kitchen steps, onto the porch, and Caddy
knelt down in the dark and held me. I could hear her and feel her chest.
“I wont.” she said. “I wont anymore, ever. Benjy. Benjy.” Then she was
crying, and I cried, and we held each other. “Hush.” she said. “Hush. I
wont anymore.” So I hushed and Caddy got up and we went into the kitchen
and turned the light on and Caddy took the kitchen soap and washed her
mouth at the sink, hard. Caddy smelled like trees.
_I kept a telling you to stay away from there, Luster said. They sat up
in the swing, quick. Quentin had her hands on her hair. He had a red
tie._
_You old crazy loon, Quentin said. I’m going to tell Dilsey about the
way you let him follow everywhere I go. I’m going to make her whip you
good._
“I couldn’t stop him.” Luster said. “Come on here, Benjy.”
“Yes you could.” Quentin said. “You didn’t try. You were both snooping
around after me. Did Grandmother send you all out here to spy on me.”
She jumped out of the swing. “If you dont take him right away this
minute and keep him away, I’m going to make Jason whip you.”
“I cant do nothing with him.” Luster said. “You try it if you think you
can.”
“Shut your mouth.” Quentin said. “Are you going to get him away.”
“Ah, let him stay.” he said. He had a red tie. The sun was red on it.
“Look here, Jack.” He struck a match and put it in his mouth. Then he
took the match out of his mouth. It was still burning. “Want to try it.”
he said. I went over there. “Open your mouth.” he said. I opened my
mouth. Quentin hit the match with her hand and it went away.
“Goddamn you.” Quentin said. “Do you want to get him started. Dont you
know he’ll beller all day. I’m going to tell Dilsey on you.” She went
away running.
“Here, kid.” he said. “Hey. Come on back. I aint going to fool with
him.”
Quentin ran on to the house. She went around the kitchen.
“You played hell then, Jack.” he said. “Aint you.”
“He cant tell what you saying.” Luster said. “He deef and dumb.”
“Is.” he said. “How long’s he been that way.”
“Been that way thirty-three years today.” Luster said. “Born looney. Is
you one of them show folks.”
“Why.” he said.
“I dont ricklick seeing you around here before.” Luster said.
“Well, what about it.” he said.
“Nothing.” Luster said. “I going tonight.”
He looked at me.
“You aint the one can play a tune on that saw, is you.” Luster said.
“It’ll cost you a quarter to find that out.” he said. He looked at me.