Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. Arcadia

Начало книги

TWO ELIZABETHANS passing the time in a place without any visible character.

They are well dressed---hats, cloaks, sticks and all.

Each of them has a large leather money bag.

GUILDENSTERN'S bag is nearly empty.

ROSENCRANTZ'S bag is nearly full.

The reason being: they are betting on the toss of a coin, in the following manner.

GUILDENSTERN ( hereafter " GUIL " ) takes a coin out of his bag, spins it, letting it fall.

ROSENCRANTZ ( hereafter " ROS " ) studies it, announces it as "heads" ( as it happens) and puts it into his own bag. Then they repeat the process. They have apparently been doing this for some time.

The run of "heads" is impossible, yet ROS betrays no surprise at all--- he feels none.

However, he is nice enough to feel a little embarrassed at taking so much money off his friend. Let that be his character note.

GUIL is well alive to the oddity of it. He is not worried about the money, but he is worried by the implications; aware but not going to panic about it--- his character note.

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