Atdtda33: Fair play, 935-939 #2

[Paul Nightingale]

On 936 Coombs produces the map discussed in its absence--just as the map
discusses locations in their absence--in the previous section. As yet we
don't know who is present, and each character is introduced as they react to
the map, Cyprian first and silently, then Reef, Yashmeen and Ratty through
speech. Cyprian first speaks when he asks Yashmeen a Riemann-related
question and we are given his reading of her appearance (937). He is
"closely scanning the map" (936), then "turn[s] back to his scrutiny of the
map" (937): between these two moments comes the silent appraisal of her
features, the "saint-in-a-painting look" that sets mathematics against Reef
as rival passions. This passage is followed by a lengthy speech in which he
reads out one of the "hundreds of ... short messages" (936) that have
replaced place-names. The message is a history of sorts: "... thus has the
Belgian Congo descended into its destiny" (937). This statement effectively
anchors the mapped location in time as well as space: not just 'here' but
'here now'. In these two paragraphs, then, Yashmeen's revealing features, as
seen by Cyprian, are followed by the "odd sort of note" that refers to
"damaged coin bearing imperial faces too worn to be expressive of any
fineness of emotion": he returns his attention to the map and what he reads
following the end of the previous paragraph when Yashmeen attempts
(unsuccessfully, "the deed ha[s] been done on his heart") to defend herself
against his gaze. Ostensibly quoting the "odd ... note", then, he addresses
her. Note also his "running log" at the bottom of 938, by which time he is
effectively absent from the narrative; he reappears, top of 939, when the
scene has changed ("the time came nonetheless").

Down the page on 937 Ratty is called Reg for the only time in this section;
this speech (on 932: "Around here I'm 'Reg'") might come from Jenny or
Sophrosyne, silent throughout this section, although their presence is
indicated at the bottom of 938, or perhaps from Coombs, who has just said
"everything on this map stands for something else" (937). Either way the use
of this name marginalises Cyprian as the narrative is distanced from his
pov. Yashmeen does speak again, top of 938, as does Reef down that page, but
Cyprian isn't identified as a speaker until, alone with Yashmeen, top of
939, he changes the subject to end the section.