Free Every Good Boy Deserves Favor and Professional Foul by Tom Stoppard Page A

leave—I didn’t say bring him inside. (
To
ANDERSON
in English
.) Professor Anderson? I’m sorry your friend Mr Hollar has got himself into trouble.
    ANDERSON: Thank Christ—now listen to me—I am a professor of philosophy. I am a guest of the Czechoslovakian government. I might almost say an honoured guest. I have been invited to speak at the Colloquium in Prague. My connections in England reach up to the highest in the land—
    MAN 6: Do you know the Queen?
    ANDERSON: Certainly. (
But he has rushed into that
.) No, I do not know the Queen—but I speak the truth when I say that I am personally acquainted with two members of the government, one of whom has been to my house, and I assure you that unless I am allowed to leave this building immediately there is going to be a major incident about the way my liberty has been impeded by your men. I do not know what they are doing here, I do not care what they are doing here—
    MAN 6: Excuse me. Professor. There is some mistake. I thought you were here as a friend of the Hollar family.
    ANDERSON: I know Pavel Hollar, certainly.
    MAN 6: Absolutely. You are here as a friend, at Mrs Hollar’s request.
    ANDERSON: I just dropped in to—what do you mean?
    MAN 6: Mr Hollar unfortunately has been arrested for a serious crime against the State. It is usual for the home of an accused person to be searched for evidence, and so on. I am sure the same thing happens in your country. Well, under our law Mrs Hollar is entitled to have a friendly witness present during the search. To be frank she is entitled to twowitnesses. So if, for example, an expensive vase is broken by mistake, and the police claim it was broken before, it will not just be her word against theirs. And so on. I think you will agree that’s fair.
    ANDERSON: Well?
    MAN 6: Well, my understanding is that she asked you to be her witness. (
In Czech to
MRS HOLLAR .) Did you ask him to be your witness?
    MRS HOLLAR: (
In Czech
) Yes, I did.
    MAN 6: (
In English to
ANDERSON ) Yes. Exactly so. (
Pause
.) You are Mr Hollar’s friend, aren’t you?
    ANDERSON: I taught him in Cambridge after he left Czechoslovakia.
    MAN 6: A brave man.
    ANDERSON: Yes … a change of language … and culture …
    MAN 6: He walked across a minefield. In 1962. Brave.
    ANDERSON: Perhaps he was simply desperate.
    MAN 6: Perhaps a little ungrateful. The State, you know, educated him, fed him, for eighteen years. ‘Thank you very much—good-bye.’
    ANDERSON: Well he came back, in the Spring of sixty-eight.
    MAN 6: Oh yes.
    ANDERSON: A miscalculation.
    MAN 6: How do you mean?
    ANDERSON: Well, really … there are a lot of things wrong in England but it is still not ‘a serious crime against the State’ to put forward a philosophical view which does not find favour with the Government.
    MAN 6: Professor…. Hollar is charged with currency offences. There is a black market in hard currency. It is illegal. We do not have laws about philosophy. He is an ordinary criminal.
(
Pause.
The radio commentary has continued softly. But in this pause it changes pitch. It is clear to
ANDERSON,
and to us, that something particular has occurred in the match
. MAN 6
is listening
.)
(
In English
.) Penalty. (
He listens for a moment
.) For us, I’m afraid.
    ANDERSON: Yes, I can hear.
(
This is because it is clear from the crowd noise that it’s a penalty for the home side
. MAN 6
listens again
.)
    MAN 6: (
In English
) Broadbent—a bad tackle when Deml had a certain goal… a what you call it?—a necessary foul.
    ANDERSON: A professional foul.
    MAN 6: Yes.
(
On the radio the goal is scored. This is perfectly clear from the the crowd reaction
.)
Not good for you.
( MAN 6
turns off the radio. Pause
. MAN 6
considers
ANDERSON. ) So you have had a philosophical discussion with Hollar.
    ANDERSON: I believe you implied that I was free to go. (
He stands up
.) I am quite sure you know