Before going through he straightens causing her to stand up, balancing herself, and then goes through; Ann follows. He shuts the door behind her, taking her by the hand up the steps. Without thinking she walks around the outside of the small spiral stairwell instead of following him up so Joe turns her around with his hand, leaning over the railing from above (ANN [blissfully unaware as he leads her around] So happy.), and leads her back round to the bottom of the steps (ANN. So happy.) and up the right way. She staggers up steps after him, stopping by a door as Joe goes to unlock his one a few steps up. In her stupor, she raises her hand and is about to knock on the neighbour's door when Joe sees her, running over to catch her hand just in time. He leads her to the door and unlocks it. He goes in and turns on the light.
JOE [muttering as Ann follows him in] Out of my head. [He shuts the door behind her].
ANN. Is this the elevator?
JOE [offended] It's my room. [He turns on a lamp at the other end of the room, by the bathroom door].
ANN [she almost topples over, walking to the bed and putting a gloved hand on the endboard to steady herself] I'm terribly sorry to mention it, but the dizziness is getting worse. [Looking around] Can I sleep here?
JOE. That's the general idea. [He walks over and opens a wardrobe on the landing next to the front door].
ANN [poetically] Can I have a silk nightgown with rosebuds on it?
JOE [walking over to Ann, presenting her with some pyjamas] I'm afraid you'll have to rough it tonight-in these.
ANN [with delight, taking them] Pyjamas!
JOE. Sorry, honey, but I haven't worn a nightgown in years. [He goes over to open another cupboard by the lamp].
ANN. Will you help me get undressed, please? [she stands ready, head raised expectantly].
JOE [pauses, unsure, then goes to her] Er...ok. [He undoes her necktie, sliding it away fom her neck; presenting it to her] Er, there you are; you can handle the rest. [She looks at it, blankly, then takes it]. Joe walks over to the table by the front door, pouring a drink into a glass from a bottle, and swallowing it.
ANN [just putting down her last glove] May I have some?
JOE [firmly] No. [Puts his glass down, going over to her] Now look-.
ANN [shaking her head] This is very unusual. [Unbuttoning her cuffs, then the bottom button of her blouse] I've never been alone with a man before, even with my dress on. [Pulling up her blouse out of her skirt] With my dress off it's most unusual. [With a half-laugh] Hm, I don't seem to mind. [Smiling at him as she starts to open the remaining buttons] Do you?
JOE. I think I'll go out for a cup of coffee.
ANN [amused] Hm.
JOE [pulling out a pillow from the bed] You'd better get to sleep. [She starts to sink onto the bed (ANN. Hm?); he catches her] Oh, no, no; [pointing to the ottoman at the side, leading her over] on this one.
ANN [still working on her buttons] How terribly nice.
JOE. Hey, hey: [bringing the pyjamas from the bed, presenting them to her] these are pyjamas; they're to sleep in; you're to climb into them, you understand?
ANN [taking them] Thank you.
JOE. And you do your sleeping on the couch, see?-not on the bed, not on the chair: on the couch; is that clear?
ANN. Do you know my favorite poem?
JOE. Ah, you already recited that for me. [He goes to get some blankets from the bed].
ANN [as he lays them out on the ottoman] I refuse a* rose from a couch of snows in the Aquasaromian* Mountains. Keats.
JOE. Shelley.
ANN. Keats!
JOE. If you just keep your mind off the poetry and on the pyjamas, everything'll be alright; see?
ANN. It's Keats.
JOE. I'll be- it's Shelley. I'll be back in about ten minutes.
ANN [to her back as he goes to the door] Keats. [She shakes her head, looking at the pyjamas slightly confused. Thinking better of it, Joe takes the bottle and places it on top of the tall cupboard on the other side of the door. He opens the door and goes through. Ann turns to face him] You have my permission to [her skirt slides down] withdraw.
JOE [stopping in the doorway] Thank you very much. [He goes out; Ann resumes her task of getting undressed].
