"What can you say about a 25-year-old girl who died?" "That she was beautiful and brilliant?" "That she loved Mozart and Bach?" "The Beatles?" "And me?" "Do you have The Waning of the Middle Ages?" "You have your own library, preppie." "Would you answer my question, please?" "Would you answer mine first?" "Look, we're allowed to use the Radcliffe Library." "I am not talking legality, preppie." "I'm talking ethics." "I mean, Harvard's got five million books, and Radcliffe's got a few lousy thousand." "All I want is one." "I've got an hour exam tomorrow, damn it." "Please watch your profanity, preppie." "What makes you so sure I went to prep school?" "You look stupid and rich." "Actually, I'm smart and poor." " I'm smart and poor." " What makes you so smart?" "I wouldn't go for coffee with you." " Well, I wouldn't ask you." " Well, that's what makes you stupid." "Comp." "Lit. 105, not bad." "Music 150, not bad." "Music 201." "That's a graduate course." " Renaissance Polyphony." " What's polyphony?" "Nothing sexual, preppie." "Look, Miss Cavalleri, I told you, my name Is Oliver." " First or last?" " First." " Oliver what?" " Barrett." "Barrett like the poet?" "Yeah." "No relation." " Barrett like the hall?" " Yes." "Hey, I'm having coffee with a real Harvard building." " You're Barrett Hall." " No, I'm not Barrett Hall." "My great-grandfather happened to give the thing to Harvard." "So his not-so-great grandson would be able to get in." "If you're so convinced I'm a loser," "Why did you bulldoze me into buying you coffee?" "I like your body." " I major in Social Studies." " It doesn't show." "It's an honors program." "Listen, preppie, I know you've got at least a few brains." "Really?" "Yeah." "You're hung up on me, aren't you?" " Jenny!" " Yeah?" "Listen, you conceited Radcliffe bitch," "Friday night's the Dartmouth hockey game." " So?" " So I want you to come." "Why the hell should I want to go to a lousy hockey game?" " Because I'm playing." " For which side?" "Two minutes, number seven." "Holding." "Barrett, two minutes, holding." "Why are you sitting here when all your friends are out there playing?" " I'm in the penalty box." " What?" " The penalty box." " What did you do wrong?" " I tried too hard." " Is that a big disgrace?" " Come on, I'm trying to concentrate." " On what?" "How I'm going to total that Dartmouth bastard!" " Come on, Arthur, let's go!" " Are you a dirty player?" "Would you ever total me?" "Yeah, I will right now if you don't shut up." "I'm leaving." "Good-bye." "Barrett's back in the game." "Harvard's at full strength." "Go, team, go!" "Go, team, go!" "Harvard goal." "Hackman on the assist, Barrett." " So now I've seen a hockey game." " What'd you like best?" " When you were on your ass." " Thanks for coming." " Did I say you could?" " What?" " Kiss me." " I was carried away." "I wasn't." "Jenny, I may not call you for a few months." " Why?" " Then again, I might call you" " as soon as I get back to my room." " Bastard." "See, you dish it out, but you can't take it." " Hello, animals." " Hey, Ollie." " What'd you get tonight, Ollie?" " An assist on the last goal." "Off Cavalleri?" " None of your business." " I'm your roommate!" " Who's this?" " Hey, hey, Barrett got a new goody?" " Yeah, Jenny Cavalleri." " Who?" "Some music type from Rhode Island somewhere." "Yeah, I know the one." "Real tight-ass." "Yeah, plays piano for The Bach society." "What does she play with Barrett?" "Probably hard-to-get." " Simpson." " Yeah?" "Up yours." "That proves it." "Hello, Jen?" "What would you say if I told you I think I'm in love with you?" "Never say love if you don't really mean it." "What makes you think I don't mean it?" " You're a known quantity, Barrett." " Meaning?" "You're known for quantity." "I mean at Radcliffe, every hall is Barrett Hall." "You've been checking up on me, haven't you?" "I don't dine outdoors with just anybody." " Am I just anybody?" " What do you think, preppie?" "Listen, you're going to have to fend for yourself this weekend." "See, I'm going to be mixing it up with Francis Lapierre." " Very funny." " Are you jealous?" "Francis Lapierre is the captain of the Cornell hockey team." "Oh, you've been reading the sports page, huh?" "You know, I wouldn't mind watching you play hockey with Cornell this weekend." "No." "I'll be involved." "Oh, yeah." "The All-Ivy title." " More than the All-Ivy title?" " Hell of a lot more." "Cornell goal, Cashay." "Score tied, 3-3." "Come on, Barrett!" "Break it up!" "I'll kick your ass all the way back to Montreal." "Break it up!" "Come on!" "All right!" "Break it up, you guys!" "Come on!" "Get up!" "You're out of the game, Barrett!" "Come on!" "I'll break yours before you break mine!" "Come on, Barrett!" "Get off the ice." "Get off the ice!" " You chicken-shit!" " You Montreal faggots!" "What are you talking about?" "Lapierre started the fight!" " Get in there!" " Oh, come on!" "Five minutes for number seven." "Fight." "Penalty, Barrett of Harvard, five minutes for fighting." "Probably want a steak, son." "Thank you, father, but the doctor took care of it." "I meant for your stomach, Oliver." "I think I'm supposed to eat with the team, sir." "Oh, well, that's fine." " Does your face hurt?" " No, sir." "I'd like Jack Wells to take a look at it Monday." " It's not necessary, sir." " Jack's a specialist, you know." "It's not... nothing special." "My car's over there." "Can I give you a lift somewhere?" "I'll walk you to your car." "Tell me, Oliver, have you heard from the law school?" "Father, I haven't..." "I haven't exactly decided on the law school." "I was merely asking whether the law school had decided on you." " No, sir." " There really isn't any doubt." "About what, sir?" "The law school needs good men like you." " They haven't got a hockey team." " You have other qualities, Oliver." "I'm sorry you had to come all the way up here to see Harvard lose." "I came to see you play." "You know, Oliver, the dean of the law school is an old classmate..." "That's very nice, sir." " Well, good-bye." " Good-bye, sir." " Give my best to mother." " Yes, I will." "Briggs Hall." "Sandy Davidson!" " Jennifer Cavalleri." " You have a call on two." " She's in the downstairs phone booth." " Where is that?" "Around the corner." "Briggs Hall." "Would you please, would you please..." "For god's sake, Phil!" "Yes." "Yeah, yeah." "For the million and oneth time, yeah." "Absolutely." "Oh, I love you, too, Phil." "Yeah." "I love you, too." "Good-bye." "Hi." "Hey, what happened to you?" "You look terrible." "I'm injured." "Did you at least make the other guy look worse?" "I always make the other guy look worse." " Jenny..." " Yeah?" " Who's Phil?" " My father." "You call your father Phil?" "That's his name." "What do you call your father?" " Son of a bitch." " To his face?" " I never see his face." " Why?" "Does he wear a mask?" " In a way." " Come on, he must be proud as hell." " Here you are, this big Harvard jock." " So was he." "Bigger than All-Ivy?" "He rowed single sculls in the 1928 Olympics." " Oh." "Did he win?" " No." "Then why is he a son of a bitch?" "Because he leans on me." "Because he makes me do the right things." "What's wrong with doing the right things?" "I don't like to be programmed in the Barrett tradition." "I don't like to have to put out "X" amount of achievement every term." "Yeah, I've noticed you hate making dean's list and being All-Ivy." "What I hate is that he expects no less, and when I do come through," "He's so incredibly blasé and indifferent." " That's ridiculous." " You know all he said after the game?" "He went all the way up to Ithaca to watch you play hockey?" "After we blew the title and after I was nearly massacred by the wild Canadian hordes, do you know what the big banker Harvard man said to his son?" "Hordes in Ithaca?" ""You know, Oliver, the dean of the law school was a classmate of mine."" "What did you expect him to say?" ""How's your sex life?"" " Whose side are you on, Jenny?" " I didn't know it was a war." "You don't understand." "Oh, I think I understand quite a bit more than you wish I did." "Did your father..." "Excuse me..." "Did the son of a bitch at least get lousy grades?" " He was a Rhodes Scholar." " I think I notice a little problem of overachievement in the Barrett family." "Listen. let's forget about it." "There's no problem, OK?" " Right." "No problem." " Hey, do I call my father on the phone?" "Do I bill and coo and say, "I love you, Phil?"" " No." " There you are." " And do you know why?" " Why?" "Because his name is Oliver." "The great Barrett Hall." "Don't you at least salute when you pass it?" "Ugliest building on campus." "Do you know I've never even been inside?" "Now, that's a very mature attitude." "It's not easy to live with history staring you in the face." "How many people do you know have to cope with a Barrett Hall?" " Well, I could name two." " Thanks." "Cavalleri, I've got nothing against music, but must you play it while we study?" "I'm studying the music, preppie." "It's called Analysis of Form." "Yeah." "You're going to flunk out if you just sit there watching me study." "I'm not watching you study." "I'm studying." "Bullshit." "You're looking at my legs." "Listen, Cavalleri, you're not that great-looking." "I know, but can I help it if you think so?" "Let's change the subject, huh?" "I wasn't aware that there was a subject." "You're under the mistaken impression that I wanted to make love to you." " Was I?" " But I'm not interested." "Definitely." "Not interested." "Good." "At least we've got one thing in common." "Look, Cavalleri, I know your game, and I'm tired of playing it." "You are the supreme Radcliffe smart-ass." "The best." "You put down anything in pants." "But verbal volleyball is not my idea of a relationship." "And if that's what you think it's all about, why don't you just go back to your music wonks, and good luck." "See, I think you're scared." "You put up a big, glass wall to keep from getting hurt, but it also keeps you from getting touched." "It's a risk, isn't it, Jenny?" "At least I had the guts to admit what I felt." "Someday, you're gonna have to come up with the courage to admit you care." "I care." "Do you think your priest would like this?" "I don't have one." "Aren't you a good Catholic girl?" "Well, I'm a girl..." "And I'm good, right?" "So, that's two out of three." " Why do you wear it?" " It was my mother's." " Why'd you leave?" " What?" "Why'd you leave the Church?" "I don't know." "I never really joined." "I mean, I guess I never thought there was another world better than this one." "I mean, what could be better than Mozart..." "Or Bach..." "Or you?" "Jenny?" "I'm up there with Bach and Mozart?" "And The Beatles." "Hey, Simpson, let me sack on your couch." " How come?" " Barrett." " Who's the guest of honor?" " Cavalleri." "Again?" "Still?" "Barrett's slipping." "It's amazing." "I'm studying." "I'm really studying." "I'm studying." "Sorry." "Sorry." "Oliver?" "I love you." "I can't believe how great you were." "Yeah, that tells me how much you know about music." "I know enough." "Wise up, would you please, Barrett?" "I was not great." "I was not even All-Ivy." "I was just OK, OK?" "OK." "But I mean, you should always keep at it." "Who said I'm not gonna keep at it, for God's sake?" "I'm going to study with Nadia Boulanger, aren't I?" "Who?" "Next year." "I have a scholarship in Paris." "Paris?" "Yeah." "I've never been to Europe." "I can hardly wait." "Hey." "How long have you known about this?" "Come on, Ollie, don't be stupid, would you please?" "It's inevitable." "What is?" "That we're gonna graduate and go our separate ways, and that you're going to go on to law school." "What are you talking about?" "You're a preppie millionaire, and I'm a social zero." "What does that have to do with going our separate ways?" "We're together now, aren't we?" "We're happy." "Look, Harvard is like this big Santa Claus bag stuffed full of crazy toys," " but when the holiday's over..." " This has been more than a holiday." "You've got to go back where you belong." "You're going back to Cranston, Rhode Island, to bake cookies?" "Pastries!" "And don't make fun of my father." "Then don't leave me, Jenny!" "Please." "Yeah, but what about my scholarship, and what about Paris, that I've never seen in my whole goddamn life?" "And what about our marriage?" "Who said anything about marriage?" "I'm saying it now." "You want to marry me?" " Yeah." " Why?" "Because." "That's a good reason." " You're driving like a maniac." " This is Boston." "Everybody drives like a maniac." "You're gonna kill us before your parents can murder us." "Jenny, my parents are gonna fall in love with you." " Even the son of a bitch?" " Of course." "Absolutely." "Hey, where's the old Radcliffe confidence?" " Back at Radcliffe." " It's going to be OK, Jenny." " What did you say on the phone?" " Just that I'd drop in to visit." " Very casual, huh?" " Yeah, right." "How often do you visit during the term?" " Never." " Oh, that's casual." "Holy shit!" "Hey, stop, Oliver." "No kidding." "Stop the car." "I didn't think it would be like this." " Like what?" " I mean, like, this rich." "This is too much for me." "Don't worry, Jenny." "It'll be a breeze." "Yeah, but why is it that I suddenly wish my name were Abigail Adams or Wendy Wasp?" " Don't be scared." " Aren't you?" "No." " So far, so good." " That's not saying much." " Your hand is cold." " So is yours." "Let's get away from here while we still got a chance." "Master Oliver!" "Hello!" "Hello, Florence." "This is Jenny." "Master?" "I always knew you had slaves." "Let me take your wrap." "Your parents are in the drawing room." "Thank you, Florence." "Wow, I see half the buildings of Harvard hanging on that wall." "Oh, it's nothing." "Hey, you didn't tell me you were related to the Sewell Boathouse." "Yes, I come from a long line of wood and stone." "Hello there!" "I'd like you to meet Jennifer Calaveri." " Cavalleri." " As in Cavalleria Rusticana?" " Right." "No relation." " Hello, Mom." "Hello, darling." "So nice to meet you." "How are you, son?" "Fine." "Fine, sir." "Fine." "Please sit down and make yourself at home." "We'll have to be going soon." "Why are you so uncomfortable with your parents?" "What gave you that impression?" "Why did you want to leave the minute we got there?" "Because I didn't like the way they were treating you." "Like what?" ""What is it your parents are in, Jennifer?"" "What is it your people are in, Jennifer?" "My father bakes cookies." " Oh?" "What's the name of his firm?" " Phil's Bake Shop." " Of Cranston, Rhode Island." " How interesting." "So your people come from Cranston, Jenny." "Well, mostly." "Actually, my mother came from Fall River." "The Barretts have mills in Fall River." "Where they exploited the New England poor for generations." " In the 19th century." " When you inherit, Oliver, you can give all our money back as reparations." "Well, that's exactly what the philosopher, Saint-Simon advocated." "In the 18th century." " It's getting late." " For what?" "But you're staying for dinner, aren't you?" " Yes." " No." "I've got to get back." "Nonsense." "You're staying for dinner, and that's an order." "Everything is an order, a directive, a command." "Where is your sense of humor?" "You know, when I was in school, he used to send me memos." "Memos!" "I mean, don't you find that rather odd?" "I find it rather cute." "Tell me, Oliver, have you heard from law school?" "No, sir, not yet." "He'll get in." "Who've they got better than Oliver?" "I quite agree." "He's bound to be graduated with honors." "Oliver has always done well in school." "Even at Exeter, he was the very..." "Mother, it doesn't mean a thing." "There are a lot of guys trying to get into law school." "I just happen to be one of them." " I could give Price Zimmerman a ring..." " No!" "I mean, please don't, sir." "Merely to find out if he knows." "I want to get my letter with everyone else, please." "He was only trying to be helpful." "But, Jenny, I don't need that kind of help." " OK." " No, it's not OK!" "He's not going to be satisfied till he cuts them off." "What?" "What you wouldn't like to be cut off." "Oh..." "Well, we've got to take care of those." " Take care, you two!" " Drive with caution, Oliver." "Get there a minute later, but get there." "You really like to bug your father, don't you?" "The feeling's mutual, or haven't you noticed?" "I mean, I didn't think you'd stop at anything just to get to your old man." "It's impossible to get to Oliver Barrett III." "Unless maybe..." "if you marry Jennifer Cavalleri?" " Is that what you think?" " Yes, I think it's part of it." "Jenny, you don't believe I love you?" "Yes, but in a crazy sort of way, I think you also love" " my negative social status." " No!" "Listen, I can't pass judgment, Oliver." "I just think so." "I mean..." "I know that I love not only you, but your name and your numeral." "After all, it's part of what you are." " Oh, how can you do it?" " What?" "How can you see me and still love me?" "That's what it's about, preppie." " How are you, son?" " Oh, I'm OK." "OK, sir." " Did you hear from law school?" " Yes." "I called you, remember?" "Oh, yes, yes." "Congratulations." "You'll be the first Barrett on the Supreme Court." "Oh, I may just chase ambulances instead." "Yes, fine." "How's Raymond?" "He's fine." "Got into OCS." "Army?" " That's good." " That's bad." " You haven't mentioned Jennifer." " What's there to say?" "You're presenting us with a fait accompli, are you not?" " But what did you think?" " I think she's absolutely charming," "And I think for a girl from her background" " to get all the way to Radcliffe is..." " Get to the point." "The point doesn't concern the young lady." "It concerns you." "Your rebellion." " And you are rebelling, Oliver." " I fail..." "I fail to see how marrying a beautiful and brilliant" "Radcliffe girl constitutes rebellion." "I mean, she's not some crazy hippie." "She's not many things." "What irks you most, Father?" "That she's Catholic or that she's poor?" " What attracts you most?" " I'm leaving." "Don't go off half-cocked, damn it!" "I would only ask that you..." "wait a bit." " Define "bit."" " Finish law school." "If this thing is real, it will stand the test of time." "It is real, but I don't see why I have to put it to some arbitrary test." " Because I'm asking you to." " You're commanding me!" "Oliver, if you marry her now, I'll not give you the time of day." "Father, you don't know the time of day." "We're..." "looking forward to having you with us next year." "Me, too, Dean Thompson." "Something's come up." " Not a change of heart, I hope." " No, I'm still set on law school," "But..." "I'm going to need a scholarship." " Really?" " That's why I'm here." "That's..." "Well, that's rather curious, considering your background." " I'm not his son anymore." " I beg your pardon?" "We have had a..." "a misunderstanding." "It's a parting of the ways." "This is..." "very unfortunate, Mr. Barrett." "I am not exactly jumping for joy." "Yet... we have many entering students in far worse straits than you." "What's worse than the straits of destitution?" "Dean Thompson, I'm getting married next month." "Now, we're both going to work all summer, and then Jenny's going to take a job in a private school, teaching." "That's a living, but it's not tuition." "Your tuition is pretty steep." "Yes." "Dean Thompson, I need a scholarship." "Now, I'm a Harvard magna, and I've already been accepted." " I don't have any money in the bank." " You have a millionaire father." "Had, dean, had." "Why should I be penalized because I was once related to a rich man?" "Mr. Barrett, I really don't think that this office should enter into a..." "family quarrel?" "A rather distressing one, at that." "I see." "Thank you." "Perhaps... at midyear..." "Thank you." "You've been very generous with your time." "We just passed my junior high school!" "Jenny, I can't believe he liked my instant poverty." "He did, I swear." "I mean, at least now you've got something in common." "God, when I first told him Oliver Barrett..." "Yeah?" "Yeah?" "I mean, he just couldn't believe it." "He kept reminding me of the 11th Commandment." " Eleventh?" " "Do not bullshit thy father."" "Any other commandments I ought to know about?" "Yeah. "Stay loose."" " So, is he for it?" "Does he approve?" " What do you think?" "I won't allow it!" "I will not allow it!" " Do you get me?" " You're tilting at windmills, Phil!" "Will you stop referring to his father as a windmill?" "He's a distinguished citizen of Boston, who I'm gonna call up..." " Mr. Cavalleri..." " Phil." "My name is Phil." "I'm gonna call his goddamn father." "I'll go to Boston, even!" "It's not gonna do any good, goddamn it!" "Would you please not use profanity in this house, Jennifer?" " You do." " What the hell is he gonna think?" "He's gonna think you've lost your marbles." "Why, because I won't allow a parent to reject a child?" " Mr. Cavalleri..." " Phil." " Phil." " Phil, sir..." "I reject him, too." "Now, don't talk like that, Oliver." "A father's love is something to cherish and respect." " It's a rare thing." " Especially in my family." "Let's get him on the phone." "No, you see, my father and I have installed this cold line." "He'll thaw, Oliver." "He'll thaw, and he'll melt." "Believe me, when it's time to go to church..." "Come on, let's get him on the phone." " Wait." "Phil." " What?" "About the church bit." "Well, we're kind of negative on it." "Well, I..." "I didn't necessarily mean the Catholic Church." "I..." "You... you know that Jennifer is Catholic." "She may have told you that." "And her... sainted mother always dreamed of a..." "Well, the whole mass rigmarole, but you're..." "Well, God would bless this union in any church." " Phil..." " Yeah." " About the God bit." " Yeah?" "Well, we're sort of negative about that, too." "About God?" " About anybody's god?" " See..." "We neither one of us believe..." " And we won't be hypocrites." " Well..." "Well..." "If that's what you wish," "Just tell me who performs the wedding." "We do." "You mean, do-it-yourself?" "That's... that's wonderful." "I know I'm..." "I mean, that's..." "Just... just wonderful." "Do it yourself, huh?" "I think that's just wonderful." "But... tell me." "Is it..." "What's the word?" " You mean legal?" " Legal." "Is that it?" "Is it?" "Yes." "I mean... one of the college chaplains just sort of..." "No, I mean he sort of presides over it, and then the man and the woman address each other." "You mean the bride speaks, too?" " It's a new world, Philip." " Oh, yeah, yeah." "It's... it's new, all right." " You two ready?" " Amen." "They haven't started yet." " Friends..." " How would I know?" "I've never been to a do-it-yourself." "Let us listen to the words, which they have chosen to read" " on this sacred occasion." " Amen." "He said "sacred." The priest." " He's not a priest." " He is to me." "When our two souls stand up erect and strong, face to face, silent, drawing nigh and nigher, until the lengthening wings break into fire at either curved point what bitter wrong can the earth do to us" "that we should not long be here contented?" "Think." "In mounting higher, the angels would press on us and aspire to drop some golden orb of perfect song into our deep, dear silence." "Let us stay, rather, on earth beloved," "Where the unfit, contrarious moods of men recoil away and isolate pure spirits, and permit a place to stand and love in for a day, with darkness and the death-hour rounding it." "I give you my hand." "I give you my love, more precious than money." "I give you myself, before preaching or law." "Will you give me yourself?" "Will you come travel with me?" "Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?" "I, Oliver Barrett, take you, Jennifer Cavalleri, to be my wedded wife from this day forward to love and to cherish, till death do us part." "I, Jennifer Cavalleri, take you, Oliver Barrett, as my wedded husband, from this day forward, to love and to cherish, till death do us part." "By the authority vested in me by the commonwealth of Massachusetts," "I pronounce you man and wife." "So now I'm being kept by a woman." " You won't like it." " I already do." "Oliver, the Shady Lane School is only paying me three thou a year." " Why?" " Because my goddamn name" " is Mrs. Barrett." " Well, couldn't you be Ms. Cavalleri?" "If I was Ms. Cavalleri, I'd be the queen of Paris." " I tell you, it's a great bargain." " Oliver, four rooms for $82.50 a month is absolutely impossible this side of Mongolia." "But this is the Mongolian section of Cambridge." "I have to admit that it's..." "even worse than I expected." " Yeah, but it's home." " Yeah." " Well?" " Well what?" "There's the threshold." "Carry me over it." "Oh, come on, you don't believe in that sort of nonsense, do you?" "Carry me, and I'll tell you later." "You know, we're almost at the top floor?" "OK, I'll be a young and beautiful divorcée." "Hey, what is this, Barrett?" "Oh, what is this?" "I'll tell you after we cross the threshold." " OK?" " This is not a threshold." "Well, I see our name by the bell." "Look, it's not an official goddamn threshold." "Now, upstairs, you preppie." "Why are you so heavy?" "Did you ever think I might be pregnant?" " Are you?" " Scared you, didn't I?" " No, I..." " Don't bullshit me." "Well, yeah, for a second, I clutched." " Now, is this the official threshold?" " What do you think?" " I think if you don't say yes, I'll..." " Yes!" "Yes!" " Hey, is there a Barrett in the house?" " Hey, where are the kids?" "Asleep, thank God!" "It's siesta time." "I've got 45 minutes." "That's more than they give me." "Oh, damn it." "I don't know what's wrong with this engine." " You're a Harvard magna." " Not in mechanics." " Welcome to the world, preppie." " Listen, Cavalleri..." " The name's Barrett, Barrett." " Sometimes you are really a bitch." " How are they treating you?" " Fine, except for the Rittenhouse brat." "You know, I swear he'll be breaking and entering before he's ten." " Oh, yeah?" "What now?" " He tried to pinch me." " I don't blame him." " Next time he does," " I'm going to wallop him." " Jesus, no!" "Not until you get his parents' tip." "Damn it." " Let's get the hell out of here." " Hey, don't touch me, Oliver." "What a thing to say to your husband." "Wash, and you can touch me afterwards." " I will." " Hey, I had another salary hassle today with Ms. Anne Miller Whitman." "Well, I hope you laid it on thick this time." "I told her how very proud I was to be a member of the faculty of the Shady Lane School." "I said, "You know, Ms. Whitman, even Barretts have to pay their rent."" " To which, she retorted?" " "Ho, Ho, Ho."" "Define "Ho, Ho, Ho."" "Thirty-five hundred for the year." " That's ridiculous!" " How would you like to support me while I take the courses necessary to teach in public school?" "Would you please say something?" "Ho, ho, ho." "I thought you were gonna call when the meeting broke." "Yeah, but I wanted you to study." "Did you have anything to eat?" " I waited for you." " But you're a growing boy." " Not anymore." " Yes, you are, in mind." " Did you check the mail?" " Just one second, Jenny." "This is a crucial precedent." " Did you check the mail?" " No, I didn't." "Anything vital?" " We are cordially invited..." " To pay the light bill." "...to a dinner." "Your father's 60th birthday." " Did you hear me?" " Yes." " RSVP." " You even have to ask?" "Oliver, I think it's about time." " For what?" " You know very well what." "Does he have to crawl here on his hands and knees?" " Negative." " He's reaching out to you." "My mother addressed it." "Oliver, think." "Sixty years old." "Nothing says he's still gonna be around when you're finally ready for a reconciliation." "There's not going to be a reconciliation." "Someday when you're being bugged by Oliver V..." " He won't be Oliver V!" " He can be Bozo the Clown, and he'll still going to resent you because you were a Harvard jock!" "by the time he's a freshman, you'll probably be on the Supreme Court." " He won't resent me!" " Why not?" "Because..." "Your father loves you, too, Oliver, just the way you're gonna love Bozo, but you Barretts are so goddamn proud and competitive that you'll go through your whole life thinking you hate each other." " If it weren't for you!" " Yes!" "The case is closed!" "There's still the matter of the RSVP." "I think you can handle it." "In my whole life, I have never deliberately hurt anyone, and I just don't think I could." "Jennifer... just answer "no."" "OK, what's the number?" "Can't you just write a note?" "In a few minutes, I'm gonna lose my nerve." "What is the number?" "338-3434, and dial one first." "Good evening." "This is Jennifer Barrett." "Oh, Mr. Barrett." "Good evening, sir." "Fine, thank you." "Yes, we did." "That's why I'm calling." "I'm terribly sorry, sir." "I mean..." "We're terribly sorry, but no, we can't." "I'm sorry." "Oliver, please talk to him." "Just say hello." " I will never talk to him." " Please, can't you just do it for me?" "I've never asked you to do anything in my whole life." " Please, Oliver, just for me." " No." "You're a heartless bastard." "Mr. Barrett, Oliver would like you to know that in his own special way, he loves you very much." "Just get the hell out of my life!" "I forgot my key." "Jenny, I..." "I'm sorry." "Don't." "Love means never having to say you're sorry." "Paul, would you pay more attention to blending and a little less to showing us your beautiful voice?" " But I wasn't!" " Yes, you were." "Paul, don't bullshit me." "You were showing off." " Sorry, Jenny." " OK, one last time," "And this time, I want crisp diction." "That was really, incredibly, absolutely..." "...not bad." " Oh, Jenny, come on!" " Come on, Jenny!" " Oh, come on." " Tomorrow at 8:30 sharp, OK?" " I'll see you tomorrow at 8:30." " Bye, Jenny." " Bye, Jenny." " See you." " Bye, Jenny." "Well, Barrett, what brings you to church?" "The saloons closed early." "Did you get us a tree?" "Don't worry about it, we'll get one on the way home." "What are you doing New Year's Eve?" "Sleeping." "I thought you wanted to spend it with me." " What are you doing?" " Sleeping." "Someday we're going to look back on these days." "The sooner, the better." "Keep running!" "Go!" "Really run!" "Come on!" "Keep going!" "Come on!" "Come on!" " Come on, Dan." "Come on." " Hey, Jennifer, Come here!" "I'm with children." "Can't it wait?" "Jennifer, I said come here." "What?" "Come on!" "Start it over again." "What the hell is it?" "I've got something important I want to tell you." "Couldn't you just tell me over there?" " No, I want to be alone with you." " OK." "Fantastic news." "Here, read." "Harvard Law School?" "You got kicked out." "Read it, will you please?" "It's great news." " You were first in the class?" " Not quite." " Third." " Only third, huh?" "Hey, but that means I make the law review." "Well, say something, will you, please?" "Not until I've met numbers one and two." "And the William de Jersey Memorial Award for the finest senior essay, to Oliver Barrett IV." "The family of Mark Howells..." " On your feet." " How much?" " Five hundred big ones." " Holy sh..." "Get up." " Quiet!" " Come on, come on." "The Jennifer Barrett Maternity award." "Well, it was a good apartment for 80 bucks." "Yeah, now our garage will cost that much." "I don't see why you'll need your car in New York." "House calls, Jenny." "Come on, fancy lawyers for Jonas and Marsh don't make house calls." "They do to the houses of Mr. Jonas and Mr. Marsh." " They are both close enough to walk." " Jenny, rich people ride." " Nouveau riche people." " That's us." " Hey, Jenny, you won't laugh." " What?" "I'm actually getting to like the name Bozo." " For what?" " For our kid, damn it." " Our huge and bruising All-Ivy tackle." " Bozo Barrett?" "Jen, it's the name of a real Harvard super jock." "You would actually call our soon-to-be-conceived offspring "Bozo?"" "Only if he's a boy." "We have finally crossed the poverty line." " Not quite." " What do you mean?" "Not till you carry me over the goddamn threshold." "Again?" "I thought we had run that gamut." "Yeah, but you weren't a lawyer, so it wasn't legal." " We live on the 10th floor!" " You can carry me in the elevator." "Thank God for that." "Can I help you folks?" "Barrett." "10-H." "We've got bags in the car." "Is the lady all right?" "I will be when he carries me over the threshold." " I see, newlyweds, huh?" " Eternally." "Move your ass, preppie." "You've got it made, you bastard." "Made in the shade." "Snug as a bug in a rug." "Cut the crap and play." "Working for Jonas and Marsh, pulling in the coin." " Play, damn it." " I can't help it." "Married to foul-mouth angel-face." "Pay attention, will you?" " Why should you have all the luck?" " Hey, man, it was a long, hard drag." "This is the first week in our entire marriage that Jenny hasn't had to work." "So, what's she going to do?" "Well, I want her to study at Julliard, and she wants to have a baby," " So?" " So we're making babies." "Do you need any help, old buddy?" "I'll call you if I need you." " Do you know whose fault it is?" " I wouldn't use the word fault, Oliver." "OK, we'll put it your way." "Two 24-year-olds can't seem to make a baby." "Obviously, one of us is malfunctioning." " Who?" " Jenny." "All right, then, we'll adopt kids." "Oliver, the problem's more serious than that." "Jenny is very sick." "Define "very sick."" "She's dying." "That's impossible." "I'm sorry to have to tell you this." "That's impossible." "Well, it's a mistake." "It has to be." "We've repeated her blood test three times." "There's no question about the diagnosis." "She'll have to be told soon." "We can withhold treatment for a little while, but not for long." "We'll have to begin therapy sometime during the next few weeks." "She's only 24." " Will it be painful?" " Hopefully not." "You'll of course want to speak to a hematologist." "I can refer you to Dr. Addison." "Yeah." "What do I do?" "What can I do for Jenny?" "Act as normal as possible for as long as possible." "That's really the best thing." "Normal." "Normal." "OK, I'll be as normal as hell." "Jen?" "Jenny, I'm home." " Hey, I need a lawyer." " I'm a lawyer." " I need you." " I need you, too." "Why?" "I'm not a lawyer." "No, but you're a nut, and I happen to need a nut." " You look lovely, Jenny." " Bullshit." " OK." "OK, you look terrible." " No, I do not look terrible." "I never look terrible." "I look OK for Thursday evening, OK?" " There's no poetry in OK." " Screw poetry, Oliver." " Just tell me what you see." " I see you." "That's poetry." "Hey, Dr. Shapeley said we both checked out." " That's what he told you, too, right?" " Yeah." "So we just have to keep trying, right?" " Yeah." "Let's try now." " Right this very minute?" "Even sooner." "Jenny?" "Jenny!" "Jenny!" "Get up, you lazy preppie, would you please, and get out and support me in the manner to which I plan to become accustomed." "Come on." "Get up." " You meeting Stratton today?" " Who?" "Ray Stratton, your best friend." "Your roommate before me." "Yeah." "We're supposed to play, but I think I'll cancel it." " The hell you will." " Why not?" "Listen, I don't want a flabby husband." "Stay in shape, would you, please?" "All right, but I'll take you out to dinner." "Why?" "What do you mean, why?" "Can't I take my goddamn wife out to dinner if I want to?" "OK, Barrett." "Who is she?" "What's her name?" "What?" "If you have to take your wife to dinner in the middle of the week, you must be screwing somebody." " Hey, what's the matter, Ollie?" " Off day, that's all." "Off day?" "You've been having an off day for two weeks now." "Old man Jonas wanted me to go to Chicago on a big case." "Oh, yeah?" "You know that newscaster that got beat up by the cops?" "Fantastic." "You on the other side of a punch-out rap." " I turned him down." " Why?" "I don't know." "I just couldn't see living in some hotel." "Boy, you're really married." "Your time will come." " Hey, Mrs. Barrett." " I'm in the kitchen, where I belong." " Get the hell in here, preppie." " Mrs. Barrett, guess what?" " You got fired." " I got fired up, and guess where to." " Reno, Nevada." " Paris, France." "We'll be there Christmas Day." "No, that's not the way we're gonna do it." " Do what?" " I don't want Paris." "I don't need Paris." "I just want you." "Well, that you've got, baby." "And I want time, which you can't give me." "You saw Dr. Shapeley?" "And his buddy, too." "He's a very nice guy." " Who?" " Dr. Addison." "He's a Yalie." "College and med school." "But I said you wouldn't mind." "No, not if he's a nice guy." "He's a nice guy, all right." "He didn't bullshit me, and that's what I wanted." " OK, then, for the Yalie doctor." " OK." "I'm counting on you to be strong, you goddamn hockey jock." "I will, baby." "I will." "No." "I mean for Phil." "It's going to be hardest on him." "You, after all, You're going to be the merry widower." " I won't be merry." " Yes, you will be." "I want you to be merry." "You'll be merry, OK?" "OK." " Enough?" " Not for me." "I love watching you dodge and weave." " The old hockey fake-out." " I know, that's you all right, the old hockey fake-out." "Can we get a cup of hot chocolate?" " Sure." "I'll even pay." " Very gracious of you." "I told you I liked it best when I supported you." "You always supported me." "I mean, after all, what's money?" "I don't know." " Hey, could we afford a taxi?" " Sure." "Where do you want to go?" "The hospital." "She's getting white cells and platelets, which, at the moment, is the most important thing she needs." "She doesn't want antimetabolites at all." "What does that mean?" "That's a treatment that slows cell destruction, but there are unpleasant side effects." "Jenny's the boss." "Whatever she wants." "You fellows do everything you can to make sure it doesn't hurt." "Everything." " You can be sure of that." " I don't care what it costs." " It could take weeks and months." " Screw the cost." "I was saying that there's no way of knowing how long she'll linger." "I want her to have the very best." "I'm wealthy." "I'm rich, really." "Really, I'm like a millionaire." " How have you been, Oliver?" " Fine, sir." " And how is Jennifer?" " She's fine, sir." "I need to borrow $5,000 for a very good reason." "Well?" " Sir?" " May I know the reason?" "I can't tell you." "Just lend me the money, please." "Don't they pay you at Jonas and Marsh?" " Yes, sir." " And doesn't she teach?" "Don't call her "she."" " Doesn't Jennifer teach?" " Let's leave her out of this." "Just write out a check, father." "It's a personal matter." "A very important personal matter." "You got some girl in trouble?" "Yeah." "Yeah." "That's it." "Please lend me the money." "Thank you, father." "How is she?" "She wants the troops home for Christmas." " Always running the show." " She may succeed." " That fast?" " Yes." "Hello, baby." "Phil." "How's it going, Mrs. B?" "It's going, preppie." "The troops will be home for Christmas." " That's a little trite." " It's the goddamn truth." "Hey, watch your language." "There's a grownup present." "I hope so." "I mean, Phil made a few promises." "Don't worry, Jenny." "Maybe I ought to let you guys..." "I'll be nearby." "It doesn't hurt, Ollie." "Really, it doesn't." "It's like falling off a cliff in slow motion, you know?" "Only after a while, you wish you'd hit the ground, you know?" "Yeah." "Bullshit." "You never fell off a cliff in your whole life." "Yes, I did..." "When I met you." "Yeah." ""What a falling off was there."" " Who said that?" " I don't know..." "Shakespeare." "Yeah, but who?" "I mean, what play?" "I went to Radcliffe." "I'm supposed to remember those things." "I once knew all The Mozart Köchel listings." " Big deal." " You bet it was." "What number is the A-major concerto?" "I don't know." "I'll look it up." "No, but I used to know all those things." "I really did." "I used to know all those things." "You want to talk music?" "What do you want to talk, funerals?" "No, I don't." "Ollie?" "I told Phil you could have a Catholic service and you'd say OK." "OK?" "It will really help him a lot, you know?" "OK." " Now you got to stop being sick." " Me?" "That guilty look on your face..." "It's sick." "Would you stop blaming yourself, you goddamn stupid preppie?" "It's nobody's fault." "It's not your fault." "That's the only thing I'm going to ask you." "Otherwise, I know you'll be OK." "Screw Paris." "What?" "Screw Paris and music and all that stuff you thought you stole from me." "I don't care, don't you believe that?" "Then get the hell out of here." "I don't want you at my goddamn deathbed." "I believe you." "I really do." "That's better." "Would you please do something for me, Ollie?" "Would you please hold me?" "No." "I mean, really hold me..." "next to me." "Philip." "I wish..." "I wish I hadn't promised Jenny..." "I wish I hadn't promised Jenny to be strong for you." "Oliver." "Why didn't you tell me?" "I made a couple of calls, and as soon as I found out, I jumped right in the car." "Oliver, I want to help." "Jenny's dead." " I'm sorry..." " Love..." "Love means never having to say you're sorry."