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LINDA [withdrawing her hand coldly, frightened]: Have a nice—trip.

BEN [to WILLY]: And good luck with your—what do you do?

WILLY: Selling.

BEN: Yes. Well . . . [He raises his hand in farewell to all.]

WILLY: No, Ben, I don’t want you to think . . . [He takes BEN’S arm to show him.] It’s Brooklyn, I know, but we hunt too.

BEN: Really, now.

WILLY: Oh, sure, there’s snakes and rabbits and—that’s why I moved out here. Why, Biff can fell any one of these trees in no time! Boys! Go right over to where they’re building the apartment house and get some sand. We’re gonna rebuild the entire front stoop right now! Watch this, Ben!

BIFF: Yes, sir! On the double, Hap!

HAPPY [as he and BIFF run off ]: I lost weight, Pop, you notice?

[CHARLEY enters in knickers, even before the boys are gone.]

CHARLEY: Listen, if they steal any more from that building the watchman’ll put the cops on them!

LINDA [to WILLY]: Don’t let Biff . . .

[BEN laughs lustily.]

WILLY: You shoulda seen the lumber they brought home last week. At least a dozen six-by-tens worth all kinds a money.

CHARLEY: Listen, if that watchman—

WILLY: I gave them hell, understand. But I got a couple of fearless characters there.

CHARLEY: Willy, the jails are full of fearless characters.

BEN [clapping WILLY on the back, with a laugh at CHARLEY]: And the stock exchange, friend!

WILLY [ joining in BEN’S laughter]: Where are the rest of your pants?

CHARLEY: My wife bought them.

WILLY: Now all you need is a golf club and you can go upstairs and go to sleep. [To BEN] Great athlete! Between him and his son Bernard they can’t hammer a nail!

BERNARD [rushing in]: The watchman’s chasing Biff!

WILLY [angrily]: Shut up! He’s not stealing anything!

LINDA [alarmed, hurrying off left]: Where is he? Biff, dear! [She exits.]

WILLY [moving toward the left, away from BEN]: There’s nothing wrong. What’s the matter with you?

BEN: Nervy boy. Good!

WILLY [laughing]: Oh, nerves of iron, that Biff!

CHARLEY: Don’t know what it is. My New England man comes back and he’s bleedin’, they murdered him up there.

WILLY: It’s contacts, Charley, I got important contacts!

CHARLEY [sarcastically]: Glad to hear it, Willy. Come in later, we’ll shoot a little casino. I’ll take some of your Portland money. [He laughs at WILLY and exits.]

WILLY [turning to BEN]: Business is bad, it’s murderous. But not for me, of course.

BEN: I’ll stop by on my way back to Africa.

WILLY [longingly]: Can’t you stay a few days? You’re just what I need, Ben, because I—I have a fine position here, but I—well, Dad left when I was such a baby and I never had a chance to talk to him and I still feel—kind of temporary about myself.

BEN: I’ll be late for my train.

[They are at opposite ends of the stage.]

WILLY: Ben, my boys—can’t we talk? They’d go into the jaws of hell for me, see, but I—

BEN: William, you’re being first-rate with your boys. Outstanding, manly chaps!

WILLY [hanging on to his words]: Oh, Ben, that’s good to hear! Because sometimes I’m afraid that I’m not teaching them the right kind of—Ben, how should I teach them?

BEN [ giving great weight to each word, and with a certain vicious audacity]: William, when I walked into the jungle, I was seventeen. When I walked out I was twenty-one. And, by God, I was rich! [He goes off into darkness around the right corner of the house.]

WILLY: . . . was rich! That’s just the spirit I want to imbue them with! To walk into a jungle! I was right! I was right! I was right!

[BEN is gone, but WILLY is still speaking to him as LINDA, in nightgown and robe, enters the kitchen, glances around for WILLY, then goes to the door of the house, looks out and sees him. Comes down to his left. He looks at her.]

LINDA: Willy, dear? Willy?

WILLY: I was right!

LINDA: Did you have some cheese? [He can’t answer.] It’s very late, darling. Come to bed, heh?

WILLY [looking straight up]: Gotta break your neck to see a star in this yard.

LINDA: You coming in?

WILLY: Whatever happened to that diamond watch fob? Remember? When