OF THE   Undercroft. Abutments. Stones. Wood. Breathe...
HOUSE   Buttresses. Bressumers. Spandrels. We Breathe...
     Columns and Pillars. Shafts. Arches. Capitals. Breathe....

     We breathe. We are waiting.
     We rise. We are waiting.
     We are Usher. House of Usher.

     Pilasters. Quoins. Piers.
     Spandrels and columns that shaft through the years.
     House of Usher.
     Wainscots. Stairs. Balusters. Cusps and Cornices.
     Spandrels and Columns the capital years.
     House of Usher.

     We breathe. We are waiting
     We rise. We are waiting.
     We are Usher. House of Usher.

     Beams. Corbels. Joists. Kingposts.
     Copings and Chimney-shafts.
     Ridge-ribs. Struts. Stanchions. Parapets.
     Pediments. Mansards and Gargoyles.
     The eaves. The dripping eaves...
     Cupola. Finials. Gables. Tiles. Lead...

     We breathe. We are waiting.
     We rise. We are waiting.
     We are Usher. House of Usher.
     We are Keystone. We are Usher.

RODERICK USHER
("The Sleeper") The lady sleeps. oh, may her sleep
     which is enduring so be deep!
     Heaven hold her in its sacred keep!
     This chamber changed for one more holy,
     this bed for one of melancholy.
     I pray to God that she may lie
     forever with unopened eye
     while the dim, sheeted ghosts go by.

     My love, she sleeps. Oh, may her sleep
     as it is lasting so be deep!
     Soft may the worms around her creep!
     Far in the forest, dim and old,
     now may some tall vault enfold her;
     some vault that oft hath flung its black
     and winged panels fluttering back
     triumphant o'er the crested palls
     of her grand family funerals....


USHER         MONTRESOR

          I didn't mean to interrupt...
Montresor, you came!
          Did you think I'd ignore your letter?
Montresor, you're here!
Come let me help you with your coat.
Sit down and rest yourself.
Oh, it's so good to see you here!
Now tell me all your news...
I see you've changed a bit, my friend...
Now won't you have a drink...
          Yes, yes
          but one thing at a time!
          First you must tell me what...
But I expect I too have changed.
How many years could it be now
since last we said farewell?
          It must be ten years
          since our last meeting,
Yes, it must be ten years
since our last meeting     since our last meeting.
          Tell me what is wrong?
          Your letter spoke
          of a malady;
          some desperate trial
          you could not face alone...
Oh, no, you tell me all your doings!
          Tell me.
Tell me
how you pass your days     how you pass your days
Tell me
from the beginning.     from the beginning
Tell me
everything        everything
that's happened
since we went our      since we went our
separate ways.       separate ways.
Look at me...
I have not left these walls
these three years,
I do not dare to do so!
I am imprisoned and fear is my gaoler.
Each word I speak
seems too dangerous.
My slightest act could bring about
the very thing I fear
          But fear of what?
Hush, and I shall tell you...
tell you...

USHER   I shun the light,
     creep in the gloom like a toad, a white worm,
     tortured by the faintest gleam of sun.
     I hear...
     oh God, if you could only know the things I hear!

     I hear the lake sucking at the walls,
     I hear bats breathing
     I hear the sky moan to join with the slime!

     And this,
     all this like thunder to me,
     like thunder!

     My senses scream at me:
     Sight... Touch... Sight... Touch...
     Sound and Taste... Sound and Scent,
     All torment and claw at my sanity.

     There is no hiding place for me,
     for even in the quietest of my rooms,
     I hear the walls in conversation;
     I hear the palpitations of my heart;
     I feel all that lives and does not move
     and know it knows my feeling.

     My only peace lies in my music
     and then only because it drowns out
     all other sounds and souls...

     You may think that I am mad, but it is not so.
     My senses reel beneath the blow of feathers falling
     and more...
     But no, I see you do not understand.

MONTRESOR  Oh, my poor dear friend,
     you must see you are not well.
     I've read of this before,
     I think it's called Hyperaesthesis.
     I'm no doctor, but it's clear
     your nerves have gone to pieces.
     You need to get away,
     you need a holiday,
     you need a change of air!
     You need an ocean cruise,
     you need to be amused!
     I tell you plain, this House
     to me seems most unhealthy.
     You're unattached, you're free to go, you're wealthy.

USHER      MONTRESOR    THE CHORUS

       Leave this House.
       Leave this House.
       Leave this House
       and come away.
       Leave this House
I cannot!
       Leave this House!
I cannot!
       Leave this House!
Here I must stay.
Here I must stay.
             You are wasting
             your time.
             He will never
             leave...
I can never
leave here
therefore do
not ask me
say no more    I've heard of this before
and let me be    I think it's called Hyperaesthesis
I can never    I'm no doctor but it's clear
leave here     your nerves have gone to pieces.
therefore do    your nerves have gone to pieces.
not ask me.
Say no more
and let me be
I cannot leave
             He cannot leave
The House is I
             The House is he
We are as one
             They are as one
And I would die
             and so must die
       Now you must leave
I             He cannot leave
cannot      Now you must fly
leave            The House is he
       Now you must run
The            They are as one
House is     No-one will die
I             And so must die
I cannot leave
       Now you must leave
             He cannot leave
The House is I
       Now you must fly
             The House is he
We are as one
       Now you must run
             and so must die
and so must die
       No-one will die

USHER      MONTRESOR    THE HOUSE

             We shall
             not let
             him go!
             We shall not
       Leave     let him go!
Do not torture me!   this     We shall not
Do not try to persuade! House     let him go!

             We shall not
       Leave     let him go!
It only brings me grief this     We shall not
       House     let him go!
       Leave this House  We shall not
I cannot leave         let him go!
             We shall not
             let him go!
             shall not let him go!

USHER   MONTRESOR   THE CHORUS   THE HOUSE

     Leave this House
I cannot
     Leave this House
I cannot
Leave this House Leave this House
     and come with me      We shall not
               let him go.
     Leave this House
I cannot        Never, never
     Leave this House never!
I cannot
     Leave this House
     and come with me Never!    Never, never,
               never!
          Never!    Never, never,
               never!
I can never            We are bound
leave here            together
therefore do  for the last time      so never
not ask me  I entreat you  He shall   he shall
say no more       never leave   never leave
and let me be.           We are bound
               together
     for the last time      so never
     I entreat you  He shall   he shall
     Leave!    never leave   never leave.
Do not
talk to me            Never
do not try            never
to persuade  Leave!         never
          He shall   never
          never leave
     Leave this house
Oh Montresor            never never
I beg of you            never never
I can             never never
never leave            never never
I can never            never never
leave this house Leave this house      never never
I can never       You are wasting  never never
leave this house Leave this house you time   never never
I can never       he will never  never never
leave this house Leave!    leave    never never
               never!
The House
is I.

        End of Act Two