Anne (sitting at the table). And now let’s have the song, Father . . . please . . . (to DUSSEL) Have you heard the Hanukkah song, Mr. Dussel? The song is the whole thing! (She sings) “Oh, Hanukkah! Oh, Hanukkah! The sweet celebration . . .”
Mr. Frank (quieting her). I’m afraid, Anne, we shouldn’t sing that song tonight. (To DUSSEL) It’s a song of jubilation, of rejoicing. One is apt to become too enthusiastic.
Anne. Oh, please, please. Let’s sing the song. I promise not to shout!
Mr. Frank. Very well. But quietly, now . . . I’ll keep an eye on you and when . . .
[As ANNE starts to sing, she is interrupted by DUSSEL, who is snorting and wheezing.]
Dussel (pointing to PETER). You . . . You! (PETER is coming from his bedroom, ostentatiously holding a bulge in his coat as if he were holding his cat, and dangling ANNE’s
present before it.) How many times . . . I told you . . . Out! Out!
Mr. Van Daan (going to PETER). What’s the matter with you? Haven’t you any sense? Get that cat out of here.
Peter (innocently). Cat?
Mr. Van Daan. You heard me. Get it out of here!
Peter. I have no cat.
[Delighted with his joke, he opens his coat and pulls out a bath towel. The group at the table laugh, enjoying the
joke.]
Dussel (still wheezing). It doesn’t need to be the cat . . . his clothes are enough . . . when he comes out of that room . . .
Mr. Van Daan. Don’t worry. You won’t be bothered anymore. We’re getting rid of it.
Dussel. At last you listen to me. (He goes off into his bedroom.)
Mr. Van Daan (calling after him). I’m not doing it for you. That’s all in your mind . . . all of it! (He starts back to his place at the table.) I’m doing it because I’m sick of seeing that cat eat all our food.
Peter. That’s not true! I only give him bones . . . scraps . . .
Mr. Van Daan. Don’t tell me! He gets fatter every day! Damn cat looks better than any of us. Out he goes tonight!
Peter. No! No!
Anne. Mr. Van Daan, you can’t do that! That’s Peter’s cat. Peter loves that cat.
Mrs. Frank (quietly). Anne.
Peter (to MR. VAN DAAN). If he goes, I go.
Mr. Van Daan. Go! Go!
Mrs. Van Daan. You’re not going and the cat’s not going! Now please . . . this is Hanukkah . . . Hanukkah . . . this is the time to celebrate . . . What’s the matter with all of you? Come on, Anne. Let’s have the song.
Anne (singing).
Oh, Hanukkah! Oh, Hanukkah!
The sweet celebration.
Mr. Frank (rising). I think we should first blow out the candle . . . then we’ll have something for tomorrow night.
Margot. But, Father, you’re supposed to let it burn itself out.
Mr. Frank. I’m sure that God understands shortages. (Before blowing it out) “Praised be Thou, oh Lord our God, who hast sustained us and permitted us to celebrate this joyous festival.”
[He is about to blow out the candle when suddenly there is a crash of something falling below. They all freeze in horror, motionless. For a few seconds there is complete silence. MR. FRANK slips off his shoes. The others noiselessly follow his example. MR. FRANK turns out a light near him. He motions to PETER to turn off the center lamp. PETER tries to reach it, realizes he cannot, and gets up on a chair. Just as he is touching the lamp, he loses his balance. The chair goes out from under him. He falls. The iron lampshade crashes to the floor. There is a sound of feet below running down the stairs.]
Mr. Van Daan (under his breath). God Almighty! (The only light left comes from the Hanukkah candle. DUSSEL comes from his room. MR. FRANK creeps over to the stairwell and stands listening. The dog is heard barking excitedly.) Do you hear anything?
Mr. Frank (in a whisper). No. I think they’ve gone.
Mrs. Van Daan. It’s the Green Police. They’ve found us.
Mr. Frank. If they had, they wouldn’t have left. They’d be up here by now.
Mrs. Van Daan. I know it’s the Green Police. They’ve gone to get help. That’s all. They’ll be back!
Mr. Van Daan. Or it may have been the Gestapo, looking for papers . . .
Mr. Frank (interrupting). Or a thief, looking for money.
Mrs. Van Daan. We’ve got to do something . . . Quick! Quick! Before they come back.
Mr. Van Daan. There isn’t anything to do. Just wait.
[MR. FRANK holds up his hand for them to be quiet. He is listening intently. There is complete silence as they all strain to hear any sound from below. Suddenly ANNE begins to sway. With a low cry she falls to the floor in a faint. MRS. FRANK goes to her quickly, sitting beside her on the floor and taking her in her arms.]
Mrs. Frank. Get some water, please! Get some water!
[MARGOT starts for the sink.]
Mr. Van Daan (grabbing MARGOT). No! No! No one’s going to run water!
Mr. Frank. If they’ve found us, they’ve found us. Get the water. (MARGOT starts again for the sink. MR. FRANK, getting a flashlight) I’m going down.
[MARGOT rushes to him, clinging to him. ANNE struggles to consciousness.]
Margot. No, Father, no! There may be someone there, waiting. . . . It may be a trap!
Mr. Frank. This is Saturday. There is no way for us to know what has happened until Miep or Mr. Kraler comes on Monday morning. We cannot live with this uncertainty.
Margot. Don’t go, Father!
Mrs. Frank. Hush, darling, hush. (MR. FRANK slips quietly out, down the steps, and out through the door
below.) Margot! Stay close to me.
[MARGOT goes to her mother.]
Mr. Van Daan. Shush! Shush!
[MRS. FRANK whispers to MARGOT to get the water. MARGOT goes for it.]
Mrs. Van Daan. Putti, where’s our money? Get our money. I hear you can buy the Green Police off, so much a head. Go upstairs quick! Get the money!
Mr. Van Daan. Keep still!
Mrs. Van Daan (kneeling before him, pleading). Do you want to be dragged off to a concentration camp? Are you going to stand there and wait for them to come up and get you? Do something, I tell you!
Mr. Van Daan (pushing her aside). Will you keep still!
[He goes over to the stairwell to listen. PETER goes to his mother, helping her up onto the sofa. There is a second of silence; then ANNE can stand it no longer.]
Anne. Someone go after Father! Make Father come back!
Peter (starting for the door). I’ll go.
Mr. Van Daan. Haven’t you done enough?
[He pushes PETER roughly away. In his anger against his father PETER grabs a chair as if to hit him with it, then puts it down, burying his face in his hands. MRS. FRANK begins to pray softly.]
Anne. Please, please, Mr. Van Daan. Get Father.
Mr. Van Daan. Quiet! Quiet!
[ANNE is shocked into silence. MRS. FRANK pulls her closer, holding her protectively in her arms.]
Mrs. Frank (softly, praying). “I lift up mine eyes unto the mountains, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved . . . He that keepeth thee will not slumber . . .”
[She stops as she hears someone coming. They all watch the door tensely. MR. FRANK comes quietly in. ANNE rushes to him, holding him tight.]
Mr. Frank. It was a thief. That noise must have scared him away.
Mrs. Van Daan. Thank God.
Mr. Frank. He took the cash box. And the radio. He ran away in such a hurry that he didn’t stop to shut the street door. It was swinging wide open. (A breath of relief sweeps over them.) I think it would be good to have some light.
Margot. Are you sure it’s all right?
Mr. Frank. The danger has passed. (MARGOT goes to light the small lamp.) Don’t be so terrified, Anne. We’re safe.
Dussel. Who says the danger has passed? Don’t you realize we are in greater danger than ever?
Mr. Frank. Mr. Dussel, will you be still! (MR. FRANK takes ANNE back to the table, making her sit down with him, trying to calm her.)
Dussel (pointing to PETER). Thanks to this clumsy fool, there’s someone now who knows we’re up here! Someone now knows we’re up here, hiding!
Mrs. Van Daan (going to DUSSEL). Someone knows we’re here, yes. But who is the someone? A thief! A thief! You think a thief is going to go to the Green Police and say . . . “I was robbing a place the other night and I heard a noise up over my head?” You think a thief is going to do that?
Dussel. Yes. I think he will.
Mrs. Van Daan (hysterically). You’re crazy! (She stumbles back to her seat at the table. PETER follows protectively, pushing DUSSEL aside.)
Dussel. I think someday he’ll be caught and then he’ll make a bargain with the Green Police . . . if they’ll let him off, he’ll tell them where some Jews are hiding!
[He goes off into the bedroom. There is a second of appalled silence.]
Mr. Van Daan. He’s right.
Anne. Father, let’s get out of here! We can’t stay here now . . . Let’s go . . .
Mr. Van Daan. Go! Where?
Mrs. Frank (sinking into her chair at the table). Yes. Where?
Mr. Frank (rising, to them all). Have we lost all faith? All courage? A moment ago we thought that they’d come for us. We were sure it was the end. But it wasn’t the end. We’re alive, safe. (MR. VAN DAAN goes to the table and sits. MR. FRANK prays) “We thank Thee, oh Lord our God, that in Thy infinite mercy Thou hast again seen fit to spare us.” (He blows out the candle, then turns to ANNE.) Come on, Anne. The song! Let’s have the song! (He starts to sing. ANNE finally starts falteringly to sing, as MR. FRANK urges her on. Her voice is hardly audible at first.)
Anne (singing).
Oh, Hanukkah! Oh, Hanukkah!
The sweet . . . celebration . . .
[As she goes on singing, the others gradually join in, their voices still shaking with fear. MRS. VAN DAAN sobs as she sings.]
Group.
Around the feast . . . we . . . gather
In complete . . . jubilation . . .
Happiest of sea . . . sons
Now is here.
Many are the reasons for good cheer.
[DUSSEL comes from the bedroom. He comes over to the table, standing beside MARGOT, listening to them as they sing.]
Together
We’ll weather
Whatever tomorrow may bring.
[As they sing on with growing courage, the lights start to dim.]
So hear us rejoicing
And merrily voicing
The Hanukkah song that we sing.
Hoy!
[The lights are out. The curtain starts slowly to fall.]
Hear us rejoicing
And merrily voicing
The Hanukkah song that we sing.
[They are still singing as the curtain falls.]
Curtain
(Scene 5 page 2)
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Scene 5 page 1, and Homework.
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