Non-Simultaneous Universal Good

Arthur comes in.

Got my disguise yet?

You mean your costume, says Belle. Yes, here's the black wig and whiskers, and here are some dirty green trousers and a crumpled pink shirt.

Arthur likes the dirty trousers. The dirt is ground in.

But he doesn't like the shirt.

He tries on his costume. He almost looks like Costa. He would, if Costa looked a bit more like Arthur.

David finishes his coffee.

I hear you have some ideas about string, says David.

Who told you? asks Arthur.

Sweezus, says David. The play has come to a halt at some bracketed dots. We await your fresh input.

Arthur doesn't clearly remember his ideas about string. They were transient.

You reckoned that string was a good in the world, says Sweezus. And you reckoned that you'd just seen it in action.

Now Arthur remembers.

It's tricky, says Arthur.

Go on, says Vello. I always appreciate tricky.

Look at this, says Terence. This is tricky.

He turns around, to show Arthur his stink button.

A button, says Arthur. At the back. That is tricky.

Why? asks Terence.

They're normally at the front, says Arthur. So you can pee easily.

It's a STINK button, says Terence. Maybe I need it at the front.

No, you don't, says Belle. I don't want you having easy access.

Why......? begins Terence.

Shut up Terence, says Vello. Go on Arthur.

String is a non-simultaneous universal good, says Arthur.

That makes no sense, says Vello. Can you elaborate?

Yes, give us an example, says Belle.

Okay, says Arthur. I thought of it when this happened. I was sitting under the jetty at Brighton. A woman sat down beside me and started talking.

Lucky you, says Vello. Was she attractive?

Wearing a wig, says Arthur. And a white swimsuit, and dragging a blue rubber ring.

One of the Marilyns! says Belle.

Yes, says Arthur. She asked why I looked so morose.

Why did you? asks Belle.

Never mind! says Vello. He's a morose sort of fellow. Where is the string?

Suddenly, says Arthur, the blue rubber ring began moving towards the water.

On a string, presumably, says Vello. Who was pulling it?

Sikong Shu, says Arthur. Marilyn ran after her ring. Sikong Shu sat down beside me. There's the first example of the non-simultaneous goodness of string. It was good for him then, but not good for me until later.

This is unconvincing, says David. But continue.

She came back. He pulled the string again, and the rubber ring headed back to the water.

I don't understand, says Vello. Wasn't he sitting beside you?

The string was wound around a wooden jetty pile, says Arthur. It was like vectors.

Vello nods. Of course he understands vectors.

And then, says Arthur, they got talking about fighting with bamboo sticks and I walked away. So the string was good for me, but only after it stopped being good for Sikong Shu.

How do you know it stopped being good for him? asks David. Perhaps Sikong Shu and this Marilyn are happy the string brought them together.

I don't know, says Arthur. But that's it. Take it or leave it.