"THE SHANGHAI DRAMA" "For 7 years this school has been your home." "For 7 years we have lived as family;" "Your teachers have done their best to be your friends." "May they remain so." "In a few days, you'll rejoin your families – some here in China others in England, that country whose unseen presence you have felt here." "I hope that you won't forget your teachers" "I hope that you will prove yourselves worthy of the lessons we have taught you." "Keep a small place for us in your hearts and memories." "Goodbye, my dear children." "God bless you." "Three cheers for Miss Collins!" "Quick, Vera, quick!" "We have to change clothes!" "We'll meet up when we get to Shanghai – promise?" "Promise!" "Well, I'm going to London!" "I'm going to have a hot chocolate at the Savoy and cake!" "Watch out – mixing them together will make you sick!" "You're happy to be seeing your mother again?" "Just think – it's been 7 years since I saw her." "I was just a little girl." "If I didn't have this photo, I wouldn't even remember what she looked like." "Isn't she beautiful?" "Very." "Mama and I will have such fun getting acquainted again!" "Oh, I can't wait for the 3 days to go by!" "Kay Murphy – Shanghai's Queen" "You know, my little friend, I've never really had time for love." "Why's that?" "Because I've had too many lovers." "It was a gamble." "Did you win at least?" "No, I lost." "What?" "My time." "But you still had talent." "I could have been an artist;" "instead I'm just a star" "Big Bill!" "Champagne" "Fire one!" "And fire two!" "Here's to love!" "She's cute, eh?" "A real winner – pretty as a" "Bill, I've told you I don't care for your compliments." "Well, excuse me!" "I'm just making conversation;" "I said you're cute because that's what I think" "Sorry!" "I won't think so anymore!" "Miss Kay's charms surpass your compliments." "Oh, I understand!" "Excuse me..." "It passes the time..." "Big Bill has a face like a convict." "He looks like what he is." "These poor dancers are the ones who look like they're on a chain gang." "They can't escape" "Why?" "Because to be a woman is to be a prisoner." "They're all Russians – the second from the right." "Daughter of a high-ranking officer." "Yes – a former colonel." "She's pretty." "You know her telephone number?" "You know the routine in Shanghai." "No need to phone them to know them." "Fire one!" "Fire two!" "Knock it off!" "Don't talk back!" "Ladies, you danced like widows at a funeral." "I don't go for this sort of thing in my establishment." "The customers want laughter, joking, smiles!" "Smile!" "Shut up while I'm speaking!" "And show a little leg there!" "You're all wearing your skirts around your ankles!" "For what you pay us?" "I've payed for better than you." "But I'm telling you: you've got to have the proper attitude." "I'm a singer, not an exhibitionist." "A singer, you?" "You have such a way with words." "Politeness shows up through contrast." "Don't like it?" "Go back to your own country." "You know there's no way I can go back to Russia!" "Excuse me: your country isn't Russia:" "it's the gutter." "Shut up!" "Fire one!" "Do you think there will be a war?" "I'm don't have a crystal ball." "Cigarette?" "Thank you." "Do you have any instructions to pass on?" "No." "Didn't they brief you on the dossier?" "No." "You have no information?" "None." "Besides, I'm no longer connected with the Black Dragon." "Not since Ivan died." "Ivan is dead?" "Murdered." "By whom?" "No one knows." "An ambush?" "How long ago?" "Three months." "Poor Ivan." "What a loss for our organization." "Since his death, I've had nothing to do with the Black Dragon." "They've probably forgotten all about me." "The Black Dragon never forgets its agents." "Oh, Natasha, what are you doing here?" "I'd like to see Kay." "She's sitting out front." "What do you want with her?" "To put in a word with Big Bill." "What's going on?" "Get back to work!" "And you need to change costume!" "Go on, ladies, hurry up!" "Is there something you want?" "I'd like to speak to Kay Murphy." "You can wait here." "I'm pretty good at reading faces." "I suppose you need work?" "Yes, sir." "Yeah, you look like it." "You're Russian, of course." "With a brother and invalid mother to support, probably." "What does your brother do?" "Nothing!" "And your mother?" "The same!" "How can anyone get work?" "Millions of coolies will work for pennies a day!" "Oh, yes, I understand" "Do you sing?" "No sir." "Dance?" "A little" "Smile?" "Your legs." "Excuse me?" "Let's see your legs!" "Thanks." "Smile!" "You can do both at the same time!" "And don't move around!" "Fire one!" "Cut it out, will you?" "Just a second" "Fire two!" "You see?" "She doesn't mind." "When she knows what dirty business you're running she won't be so calm." "You can lower your skirt." "You want to repeat what you just said?" "You understand me perfectly well." "I know what's going on here." "Get out." "What?" "Get out right now!" "She's replacing you." "Hurry up and get changed." ""Dirty business!"" "You don't know the half of it!" "But... you can't kick me out like that!" "Save the crying;" "I'm not putting up with your antics anymore." "Hurry up and get changed." "Natasha!" "I told you not to come and see me here!" "I've just hired her." "That can't be true!" "Is it?" "Poor girl, hadn't a penny, and an unemployed brother where a million coolies work for next to nothing every day!" "Well, I took pity on her." "She'll be in the chorus." "Bastard!" "Since you're interested, come along to a rally." "Oh, but I'm stopping you from enjoying the song." "It's not important;" "I already know it." "A Cheng rally?" "Let's go together." "Because Cheng versus the Black Dragon is quite a matchup." "Personally, I'd like to see Cheng win." "Children younger that 10 work 14 hours a day in mills, workshops and factories." "This outrage must end!" "In all the big cities, coolies work 14 hrs. a day for a pittance and still can't support themselves." "This outrage must end!" "In the streets, starving mothers sell their children to survive." "This outrage must end!" "Exploitation is not due to backwardness;" "it is the fruit of western civilization." "This outrage must end!" "China will rise again!" "The hour of liberation will soon strike!" "We are ready!" "China is united!" "Students and coolies, workers and bourgeois peasants and landowners share in this struggle." "And we must hope and strive for victory!" "The south and north, Canton and Nanking together will form a solid bloc." "The Chinese people can only count on themselves to triumph." "The Chinese people will break the chains of our oppression!" "We cannot prosper without peace, and peace is in danger." "Our enemies dream of colonizing China, and reducing us to slavery." "To put us at the mercy of their manufacturers and their generals." "Boycott the manufacturers' products!" "Boycott the murderous propaganda of the generals!" "We want peace!" "China cannot carry out its great reforms without peace." "Peace will end the exploitation of China!" "But the arms traffickers, the war profiteers lurk everywhere and silently prepare their counter stroke." "Beware of provocations!" "Beware of instigators of conflict!" "Watch for the agents of the Black Dragon, who work for our destruction and who speculate on war to endanger peace and endanger the rebirth of our homeland." "We know that our enemies are armed." "We will oppose them with our faith and our discipline." "But if they continue to challenge us, if they threaten our work we are ready to fight and die for our ideals." "Because we are certain that a new, happy, strong China will rise from the ashes!" "His whole address is an attack against the Black Dragon." "Cheng's prestige is growing." "His prestige will destroy him." "The workers listen to him." "They won't listen to him much longer." "He exercises considerable influence on the students." "This influence will not last long." "His movements are watched; an attack will soon be impossible." "He's called for a boycott." "Cheng is a declared enemy of my country." "My brother is nobody's enemy." "He is China's friend." "Cheng must give up his activities." "You are the most obvious person to make your brother see reason." "He won't listen to me." "There are ways of making him listen." "During a rally Cheng appeals for Chinese unity and denounces the activities of the Black Dragon." "Ha!" "Chinese unity – I ask you!" "Franchon sent this stupid telegram." "That idiot is a specialist in absurdity." ""Chinese unity" - madness!" "Lunacy!" "Impossible!" "And it's 3 months until Armistice Day!" "War NEVER breaks out in the summer!" "Hello!" "Got anything for me?" "Franchon, the boss wants to see you." "He wants to see me; my article has been rejected and I'll have to do it over again." "Hello, Mr. MacTavish!" "Oh, it's you!" "Listen, Franchon..." "Do you think that I, head of the International Telegraphic World News Agency would publish something like this!" "No!" "Well!" "Your talk of war between China and Japan is ridiculous." "You've no hard facts, just insinuations." "Check... and I have your king." "I forbid you to help my opponent!" "Your story about Cheng is garbage." "And who is this Cheng, anyway?" "Nothing – zero – nobody." "And what do you know about China?" "Nothing, zero and zero." "I know China, and I tell you that China is a country where nothing ever happens." "There is no Chinese politics, no Chinese events...there is no China!" "No China?" "No China!" "It's not a state, it's a land of dreams" "A sleeping country that dreams that it exists, but it doesn't exist." "It's only on the map as a matter of principle." "Understand?" "Good!" "I'm taking notes; there's no China." "But then, where are we?" "That's what I'm asking." "So the Black Dragon is an illusion." "Exactly!" "And Cheng is a figment of my imagination." "He's just a head case." "As for his Chinese unity – here's what I think of it." "I turn it into four unities!" "Hey, wait!" "Don't forget to show up this evening when the Manhattan docks." "I want you to write a few lines, as my daughter is coming home from school." "The boss is nuts, and the Chinese can take him and...fill in the blank." "Say, have two sailors from a foreign country been murdered yet?" "Not yet." "Maria Sergeyevna, the good Lord himself wouldn't recognize you!" "It's been so long since we've seen each other." "I want you to get rid of everything that would remind me of this life." "Finally I can breathe!" "Where should these dolls go?" "To hell!" "These fans?" "In the garbage!" "These papers?" "Into the fire!" "What will we have left?" "Nothing." "We'll finally become human." "We'll start fresh." "So often I've nearly lost myself..." "I'm reborn... of pure air...of the wind" "I was ashamed to show myself in broad daylight." "Now I'll start a new life." "Nana, in two weeks we'll be in New York." "It's far." "New York?" "Two weeks." "It's tomorrow." "I can hardly believe it... seven years." "I'll have waited 7 years." "For 7 years I lived this nightmare each night, to dream of this escape." "Seven years without our Verotchka." "She was so pretty!" "An angel!" "And now she's almost a young woman." "Every night she'd put her little arms around my neck, and hug me so hard!" "Then she left for boarding school." "How you wept, Maria Sergeyevna." "No more of that, Nana, or I'll cry even more." "For once I don't think of love with pain...my little girl." "Tonight she'll be here." "Life is beautiful, Nana, and I have to get dressed." "What about this, Maria Sergeyevna?" "Throw it out!" "It was good for the other one – the woman I used to be." "Oh, the woman you used to be!" "You used to rely on me." "Now you're happy, you don't need me anymore." "The Black Dragon, whose modest spokesman and unworthy emissary I am begs pardon of the illustrious Cheng for these unworthy surroundings." "But here, none will suspect the importance of our meeting." "The Black Dragon humbly solicits the estimable help of the powerful Cheng." "My humble person is infinitely conscious of the honor the Black Dragon grants me." "The Black Dragon recognizes the power the honorable Cheng has over the masses." "The Black Dragon is but an insignificant organization." "Its wealth is its only fortune, and armaments its only means of defense" "The Black Dragon then wishes to exercise a vigilant control over China?" "The very generous Cheng attributes to us an ambition that we do not possess!" "We express merely the desire to attempt a friendly, peaceful rapprochement with the estimable approval of the powerful Cheng." "Those who trust in arms and riches should bear in mind that all China is not prepared to submit to slavery." "And that one cannot exploit an entire land as one would a private possession." "The most powerful Cheng is very young." "A long life is offered him;" "he would be wrong to decline it" "Cheng thanks his hosts for their wise advice." "He will manage to live as long as the Black Dragon permits." "The Black Dragon would regret losing so quickly the illustrious Cheng's company." "Would the gracious Cheng deign to listen to this song?" "Finished!" "Already?" "Yes, I've done singing." "I have a meeting." "It looks like the Manhattan is late." "Yes, an hour or so." "Is that important for you?" "Yes." "You're not very talkative this evening." "My mind is elsewhere." "Elsewhere." "In the plain a stream was flowing," "By the stream, a fountain so clear" "Near the fountain stood a castle," "In the castle a lady fair." "Lady fair, with eyes of blue," "What dreams have come to you?" "I dream that I'm a fountain" "In the plain by the flowing stream," "The stream where the fairest of ladies" "In her castle dreamt her dream." "You're very merry this evening, my dear fountain!" "I've a right to be!" "Such sudden merriment on the part of a fountain?" "Not so sudden as that;" "I've waited 7 years for this merriment" "After 7 years, the merriment arrives tonight!" "Franchon, I'm happy!" "What's your reason?" "A good one" "It must be lovely!" "Beautiful!" "Can I know what it is?" "No, I'm keeping it to myself!" "Oh, you're expecting a lover, right?" "I'll know for sure, because I'll see him get off that boat this evening" "I have no lover – not even an imaginary one." "Don't you agree that life is beautiful?" "Kay!" "Come quick!" "You can't go!" "Why?" "Because he's back!" "He's upstairs, waiting for you!" "Who?" "Ivan!" "He's back?" "That's what I'm telling you!" "Come on!" "But..." "Kay!" "Good evening, Kay" "Ivan!" "You recognize me, eh?" "Sit down." "Look at me." "What do you think of the corpse?" "You hide your grief very well." "Nice work, eh?" "That's what you call a close shave." "You hoped the next time you saw me, I'd be covered with cuts like this." "I wasn't involved." "On the contrary." "I don't know anything about the attack." "Who says you did?" "You're incapable of treachery." "You never even betrayed my murderers" "You know about their plot and didn't warn me" "They missed." "I'm still here" "The scar's attractive, isn't it?" "Poor Kay!" "You thought my death would simplify your life." "Don't worry – my death hasn't fixed anything." "You're wrong, Ivan;" "I wasn't counting on your death." "I'm touched." "I've decided to have nothing more to do with your plots." "What?" "That's it." "I want a normal life." "Who do you think you are?" "I'm going to be leaving." "Impossible." "Why?" "Because you have to carry out my orders." "It's over, do you hear me?" "Over!" "No, it's just beginning." "It's over." "I've given it up." "I don't want to answer to you anymore." "I've had enough!" "Enough!" "And if you insist on hounding me, then too bad." "Too bad for you." "So you want your freedom?" "Yes!" "OK, under one condition." "No!" "Yes, my poor Kay, freedom comes with a price." "You'll do one last job for us." "Last?" "A tiny little job." "After that, I'll have you taken off the organization's list, and so long." "Young Cheng is out front." "You'll bring him up here." "He's the wave of the future, and we'd like to wipe out that future." "Kay isn't to leave under any circumstances." "Watch her." "But..." "No buts." "You're in charge of Kay." "Alright." "See you later." "Is Miss Murphy upstairs?" "I don't know." "What do you mean?" "She's busy, OK?" "And you can't wait here." "Why?" "Because backstage is off limits to strangers." "You're lucky." "I have to go, but I'll be back." "You're going with me?" "Well?" "No, I can't." "Go without me." "See you later." "I have to leave." "Just a half hour." "Ivan said you have to stay all night." "I'll be back before midnight, promise." "No!" "It's useless to keep asking." "What if I tell you the truth?" "What?" "I'll confide in you." "Well, that's different." "Promise you'll never repeat what I'm going to tell you." "My daughter's arriving tonight, on the Manhattan." "Your daughter?" "She doesn't know my address, she doesn't know anyone in Shanghai." "If I'm not there to meet her, what will she do, alone in this town?" "How old is she?" "Sixteen." "Sixteen?" "Do you take me for a fool?" "You don't believe me?" "Go out for a minute to do some business with some so-called daughter!" "That's a laugh!" "Bill!" "You're not going to let me go?" "No!" "I'm going!" "You've no right to stop me!" "Let me out!" "Forget it, you're staying!" "Ivan told me to watch you, and I know what'll happen if I don't." "It's my skin, and I'm not risking it for some imaginary daughter!" "Let me go!" "Whore!" "Sorry." "I didn't mean it." "There's just no point going on about it." "So, did you have a good trip?" "Good!" "She's very pretty, isn't she, dear?" "Oh, excuse me, Madame!" "Vera!" "What are you doing here by yourself?" "My friend Vera; my father, my mother." "You're all alone?" "Mama said she'd be here to meet me." "She didn't come?" "You can't stay here by yourself." "Is this the passenger from the Manhattan?" "My daughter, Anne." "And her friend, Miss Vera." "Blonski." "Ah, Miss Vera Blonski." "Franchon, if you wouldn't mind looking after Miss Vera, you can take her home." "Phone us, and let Anne know where to find you." "This is your first time in Shanghai?" "I've just come from Hong Kong." "I don't know anyone." "Why, that almost rhymes!" "Well, I didn't do it on purpose." "You're excused." "You have your mother's address?" "Nanking Road, 10." "That's the address for American Express." "That's where I sent my letters." "Where does she live?" "I don't know." "You don't have another address?" "No." "That's too bad, the American Express office is closed." "Oh, we'll figure it out!" "But you can't spend the night here." "Aren't you hungry?" "No." "No Blonski in the phone book." "What does your mother do?" "She's Russian." "That's not a job." "She doesn't do anything." "Nice work if you can get it." "She has friends in Shanghai?" "Yes." "Who?" "I don't know." "I enjoy confused plots, and yours is very confused." "Eat." "I'm not hungry." "Eat anyway, ideas come when you eat." "Oh, don't look like that!" "Not like that." "Don't cry;" "Rice With Tears isn't a Chinese dish!" "Let's think; your mother had you send your letters to American Express." "Why?" "I've no idea." "Great." "What does she look like?" "Tall." "A photographic memory, I see." "Dark hair, beautiful sad eyes..." "a very pretty smile." "And a voice you can never forget." "I haven't seen her for a long time, but I think I'd know her voice." "Seven years." "And she never said what she did in her letters?" "No." "She mostly talked about me." "She promised she'd be there tonight to meet the Manhattan?" "Yes." "Most unusual." "What could have kept her away?" "You know that song?" "Oh, now I see!" "Boy!" "The bill!" "Madame is not home." "I know;" "I've brought something for her." "What?" "You be sure to give it to her in person!" "What is it?" "Lost baggage." "Verotchka!" "Nana!" "Ross, I like the blonde one." "What?" "You see, my fiancée has dark hair, so with a blonde it's not cheating so much." "The blonde probably costs a lot." "Oh no!" "Just give her two dollars, and we'll have some fun." "I'll go on ahead." "Allow me to see you out." "If you leave now, you won't make it home alive." "I can't stay here all night." "In any case, they wouldn't dare openly attack me." "Here in this box, you're safe." "Don't leave for any reason." "We must try to warn the Central Committee." "Let me go." "There's only one way of getting rid of a guy like Cheng." "Would you please put away Exhibit A there?" "Sure." "You come up with another way of killing him – I only know one." "You have no imagination." "Cheng must die of natural causes." "We can't attract the attention of the police to our organization." "So, we've got to kill Cheng without killing him while we're killing him." "What you lose in force you gain in subtlety." "Cheng sent 2 messengers to the Central Committee." "And...?" "They've been taken care of." "Good!" "Go back downstairs." "You remember the death of Kwan Sen?" "Yes, the seventh attempt succeeded." "What a mistake!" "Go ahead." "And if it fails?" "I'd be very surprised." "Bring in the coolie." "Would you like to make a dollar?" "Yes." "Hold out your arm." "You see?" "No trace." "The autopsy will detect nothing." "Heart attack." "My compliments." "You've given Kay her instructions?" "Precise instructions." "You can count on her." "The days are heavy" "Days without love" "Nothing more, no hope" "Supports me now" "My life is a vast cold desert" "Where hope perishes" "If you can hear me" "Why do you stay so far away?" "You, my unknown dream" "You whom I seek in vain" "Lovely image, mirage of you" "You, whose glance pursues me" "You I dream of in the night" "You, in the shadows of the dark" "They say time flies, leaves nothing behind" "And still I wait" "My quivering heart, my aching arms" "Reach out to find you" "You, my unknown dream" "This evening I found you" "Lovely image, mirage of you" "Sing, "My Heart Is A Bird"!" "Yes! "My Heart Is A Bird"!" ""The Green Waltz"!" "Vera has arrived!" "Yes, yes! "Vera has arrived"!" "I love that one!" "She's at the house!" ""She's at the house"!" "It's true!" "How?" "Do you mind?" "Later" "Will you tell him to get lost?" "Go on, don't stay here." "I have to talk to you." "Will you stop sticking your nose in?" "Go on, he's asking for you." "You asked for me?" "No." "But please sit down." "Bastard!" "What?" "Ah, I see that's your family name." "Oh, why don't you get lost?" "I'm curious about what you've got Kay doing here all evening." "So is it true that Kay and Cheng are...?" "Oh, bugger off!" "You're too curious!" "I don't know what Kay told you but I'll tell you this:" "You shouldn't concern yourself with what happens to Cheng." "'What happens to Cheng'?" "Not sharing a nice evening with Kay at the Olympic?" "Thanks for the info, Big." "What info?" "Bless you." "You thought that I'd asked for you?" "It must be fate that brought you to me." "You sang beautifully, Kay." "I know it, because while listening to you, I forgot." "What?" "Everything." "And the rest." "I've admired your talent for a long time, Miss Murphy." "And I'm sorry not to have had a chance to tell you so before." "Really?" "And to have known not only the star, but also the woman." "A very beautiful, alluring woman." "Such pretty compliments, Mr. Cheng." "And so insincere." "Don't touch the champagne." "Why?" "Because it was served to me." "So?" "So...nothing." "Don't touch the champagne." "Let's speak openly Kay." "I'm in great danger." "Don't look at me – smile!" "We have to be very cheerful;" "people are watching." "I fear something bad has happened to my friends who left here an hour ago." "Look happy!" "You're the only one I can trust." "How can one get out of the Olympic besides by the front door?" "I'll tell you: by the roof." "Can you take me backstage and show me the way to the roof?" "Cheng – you're making fun of me!" "I swear that I'm not." "This may be the last favor I'll ever ask of anyone." "The last favor?" "The last favor..." "Come with me." "You're a regular stage door Johnny!" "Pass?" "Good." "I didn't expect to have the great honor of seeing you again." "I didn't expect the honor of greeting the great Cheng in such a place." "What?" "Huh?" "Repeat what you said!" "What are you talking about?" "You said that American sailors were bums!" "American sailors are NOT bums!" "You heard him!" "BUMS!" "Would the honorable Cheng please be seated?" "You've won." "After them!" "They went this way!" "You know Mr. Cheng?" "You're not telling me Mr. Cheng started this riot!" "And who are you?" "I know this young man;" "I'll vouch for him." "Allow me to go down with you." "These gentlemen can carry on their interesting discussion without me." "I guess you don't need us anymore?" "No, excuse me for bothering you for nothing." "Anyone can make a mistake, sir!" "One moment." "Thank you for your intervention." "Oh, it was nothing!" "You're staying?" "Yes, I've forgotten something." "Someone, actually." "The woman." "Be careful." "Very beautiful..." "but dangerous." "Goodnight." "No!" "No!" "Let me go!" "You're shaking – what's happened?" "Quiet, for God's sake!" "Pull down the blinds, will you?" "My poor Franchon – I'm done for." "Don't talk nonsense." "Done for." "You played an unusual role this evening." "What was it?" "Innocent, noble mother, cloak-and-dagger, schemer?" "Your hands are frozen, but they don't explain anything." "Trust me, Kay." "Tell me what this performance meant – this drama." "Think whatever you like; it's all over for me." "He's got me – he'll never let me go." "Who?" "Big Bill, Ivan, Li Peng..." "all of them!" "The Black Dragon." "I did everything I could to escape, I swear I did." "Go." "Don't endanger yourself any more by associating with a dead woman." "All I ask is that they spare Vera." "My darling!" "Mama!" "My poor little girl!" "Forgive me for not being at the dock to meet you." "I planned such a celebration for your arrival, and then..." "At the last moment..." "Vera!" "You won't kiss me?" "Oh yes, Mama!" "I just didn't want to smear your makeup." "Why weren't you at the dock?" "I couldn't..." "I had to work." "Work?" "Yes." "That's why I was too late." "Too late." "But you – did you have a nice trip?" "You had fun?" "You have to tell me everything!" "What's wrong?" "Why don't you say anything?" "I was thinking about your letters." "It's funny, but you're different." "Different." "It's hard to explain." "For all these years, I've..." "I've worked a lot." "What do you do, Mama?" "I sing." "You're tired." "You must sleep." "Tomorrow we'll have time to talk about everything." "Good night, Vera." "Good night, Mama." "Mama!" "Yes?" "It's just that everything is so terribly new – so different." "Yes." "Cheng has reacted." "We were unlucky." "We had him, we just had to finish him off." "A trap ready to spring." "It's disgusting to have a professional conscience." "Have you read this appeal?" "We must intervene without delay." "Cheng would never fall into an ambush again." "Once bitten, twice shy." "There's really only one method to silence Cheng: war." "War is not a method – it's an end" "I don't believe the people want war." "It's isn't the people who want war, it's countries." "All they need is a pretext to start a war." "And a pretext is a fait accompli." "You're a cynic." "No." "There's nothing easier than turning two populations against each other." "War is a victory of beast over man." "And peace is only a victory of man over beast." "Besides, man is largely beast, you see?" "I am a man." "I fear that two sailors from a foreign power are going to die violently today." "And I'm afraid that poor Cheng will be held responsible for this horrible attack." "But Cheng would never do such a thing!" "It only matters that he be blamed for the attack." "But have you thought of the human sacrifice a war will cause?" "I respect your sensitivity, and am deeply touched by your nobility of heart." "I hope you will conquer these generous impulses." "It would be regrettable if excessive scruples were to thwart our plans." "It is time for you to play your part." "Please inform the MacTavish press office that we fear an attack at 5:00 PM." "What if I give you an order to do Cheng's job for him, and carry out this attack?" "I would do it." "I am a weakling." "So, the two sailors from a foreign power haven't been murdered yet?" "Not yet." "Mr. MacTavish wants to see you in his office at once." "Ah, guess what?" "We have some news of your friend Cheng." "He's finished, and serve him right." "Let me introduce André Franchon, my best reporter." "You know my friend Mme Tsei – the wife of a dear friend and confidential source." "Mme Tsei has brought sensational news which I've been expecting for some time." "You're surprised, eh?" "Not me." "You see, I know China, and it's a place where anything can happen!" "I'm sorry, but this note contains errors." "What?" "Cheng is named as a terrorist and agent provocateur" "Cheng is a public menace!" "And I say that deliberately:" "a public menace!" "The information is precise:" "Cheng is preparing a show of force." "Now, get this out on the wires." "Sorry, sir, but I can't fool the entire world." "I can manage one or two at the same time but not 300 million Europeans and 200 million Americans." "I don't sell lies wholesale, only retail." "Don't talk back!" "Go on, write out that report and take it downstairs" "Not me." "You refuse?" "I do." "Out!" "Get out!" "It's usually assistants who do the throwing out." "Will you get out?" "Good day to you." "I have to get out!" "All the boats are full." "Where do you want to go?" "Anywhere, just away from the war." "No, there's not going to be a war!" "What do you think?" "The people in the street are ready to explode." "You can see the war fever in their eyes!" "When's the next boat for New York?" "Your papers." "What day is it leaving?" "Passport first." "This isn't your passport." "I'm not going" "Your daughter?" "Russian emigré?" "With this passport it will be hard." "I don't think the American consulate will give you a visa." "Next?" "Passport." "Emigré papers?" "Impossible." "But sir!" "There's nothing I can do." "Next!" "You need a passport?" "If you can pay $100, go to this address." "You'll find what you need." "Payment in advance." "Don't be afraid." "Can I count on you?" "Our passports are very good." "Next to ours, the real ones look fake!" "Thank you." "I'll send the passport to your house at 3:00." "Goodbye, Madame." "Why did Mama have to go out?" "I've hardly seen her this week." "And why are you both so strange?" "You remind me of your mother when she was your age." "She'd bother me all day long:" ""Nana, why is this?" "Why is that?"" "Mama?" "You knew her when she was my age?" "Of course I knew her!" "What was she like?" "Beautiful?" "An angel!" "But wait a minute " "Photographs?" "Come and see, my dear." "Now listen." "A mansion?" "Yes." "Once there was a mansion in the forest." "With a beautiful garden, and a marble fountain." "In Russia?" "Yes." "And in this mansion there lived a little girl." "She had hair as black as a raven's wing." "And eyes as blue as the autumn sky." "And a little nose, just like yours." "And this little girl became a beautiful young lady." "And when she passed by, people would say, "Look at our beautiful Maria Sergeyevna!"" "And one day a handsome officer arrived, who fell in love with the beautiful lady;" "and they married and were very happy!" "No, Verotchka, it didn't happen that way." "But all fairy tales go like that!" "Maybe because this isn't a fairy tale." "Nana..." "Yes, my dear?" "I don't like this story." "It's sad." "Madame has gone out." "I'll wait." "But sir..." "Shut the door." "Don't go!" "I'm a friend of your mother's and I know you very well." "Your name's Vera, you've just come from school, and you're 16." "Right?" "May I?" "Why don't you like Shanghai?" "I can't really like or dislike it;" "I've hardly seen it." "And you want to leave already?" "Where will you go?" "I don't know." "To Europe maybe." "And your mother." "It's enough to see her for one day every 10 year?" "One day out of 10 years isn't much." "You are already rehearsing some sad songs." "Sad songs are a poor memory when times are hard." "Nothing is decided." "Maybe I won't go." "Who knows?" "You could stay on – first for your mother, then for Shanghai." "It's an exciting place." "Show me the picture." "Now, that's funny!" "Very funny." "Look at this dead man." "No, not dead, since I'd forgotten him." "Where did you find this?" "Among the old bills, probably." "All the same, I wasn't bad looking." "What are you doing here?" "We were conjugating verbs." "We'd just gotten to the past definite." "Leave us alone." "She's charming." "She looks a lot like you." "Don't you remember?" "Forget her." "It's difficult." "Then promise me not to tell anyone that Vera is in Shanghai." "My word is worthless." "But you can be discreet." "I know." "Sentimental?" "Why?" "You kept my picture." "Oh, the leftover scraps of our youth." "What a time!" "My morals were elegant;" "now my clothes are." "We grew up together." "We decayed together." "We were friends." "We became partners in crime." "Our walks in St. Petersburg." "Comings and goings." "Our first confidences." "Now, we don't trust each other." "Our first dance." "Maria." "What?" "That was your name." "Yes, that's right." "You were a lovely girl, I was a handsome boy." "Good family, excellent upbringing;" "the future was ours." "I had a good career in the army;" "you would have helped me in society." "I went into the theater... then the war." "How many corpses between us?" "The Revolution." "We fled." "We were Russians; now we're just exiles." "Shanghai." "China." "Handsome officer – your fine uniform was a worthless rag." "And I almost loved you." "You were a good-looking fellow." "Look!" "Oh, not for long." "It lasted just a moment." "Shit!" "Enough chit-chat;" "let's get to business." "What's this?" "Give me that passport!" "It's useless." "Give it to me!" "So you can give it to your daughter?" "No, it's too dangerous to leave in the hands of a child." "How did you get it?" "Connections." "Connections!" "I have my own police." "I want Vera out of Shanghai!" "Why?" "Shanghai will suit her very well." "You can't destroy this child!" "You've already ruined my life, isn't that enough?" "Vera is an excellent hostage." "I beg you to give me the passport!" "I swear I won't leave Shanghai!" "I beg you, Ivan, give it to me." "I've sacrificed everything for Vera." "I want her to have a decent life." "You're a great actress – you play the role of mother very movingly." "I'm not acting – this is my private life!" "We have no private life, Kay – you know that." "Sorry;" "I'll give this passport to your bosses." "Vera's fate is not up to me." "Vera is going, whether you like it or not." "Stop talking nonsense." "She's going!" "I'll join her later, and have another life." "Far from Shanghai and this rottenness." "Too late." "You're a prisoner of Shanghai – a lifer." "Because of you!" "You sold me to your friends!" "You used me for your filthy politics." "But I don't care about your politics!" "I want my daughter to be happy – that's all that matters, you bastard!" "We can't wait any longer for Ivan." "Give me the passport!" "No." "Let Vera go!" "She's got what it takes to make an excellent agent." "You don't want Vera to wind up at the Olympic?" "Why not?" "You're not trying to soften me with your maternal sentiments, are you?" "For the sake of our youth!" "Let's not speak of the dead." "Look down there;" "I'll call them, they'll come up and I'll give them the documents." "No!" "Yes, and I'll give them the passport." "I forbid you to call them!" "Enough." "I forbid it, do you hear?" "I've no more time to waste." "Why didn't you do it 15 years ago?" "The sailors from a foreign power!" "They've been murdered!" "Yes, I know!" "It's war!" "You again?" "Don't you remember I fired you?" "Enough of that; here we go." "Special report by André Franchon." "Capital letters, please." ""As predicted, war has erupted."" "What?" "It hasn't been declared!" "Yes, but it's like cholera; first you get it, then you declare it." "Continue." ""Two sailors have been murdered by an unknown attacker."" ""The deaths of these sailors demand the sacrifice of 100,000 troops."" ""And this is why--"" "No!" "I will not write that!" "War has not been declared." "But it's broken out!" "I don't recognize it until it's declared." "A war without a declaration of war isn't a war." "You don't announce who's won an election when people are still voting!" "You do if your stuffing the ballot box!" "Our signs are ready to distribute." "I've been to the mills." "I've spoken to the workers; they'll all march with us." "Nanking?" "I'm heading there tonight." "A telegram to Canton, to Tien Tsien, for all the other sectors." "Everyone is to put themselves at the service of the military authorities." "Bring me the proofs quickly." "It has to go to the printer right away." "A special edition of our program." "You can count on us." "The masses will fill the streets, and we'll see who's stronger:" "Our people with their faith, or the conspirators with their machine guns." "Hsio: arrested last night" "Carrying unpublished tracts" "Propaganda in the mills" "Who is your leader?" "Cheng – we know." "Who are his accomplices?" "The names?" "The names." "You know what's waiting for you?" "Farewell, Hsio." "Next." "Don't cry, Vera, don't cry." "It's so horrible!" "What are they going to do to us?" "Hush, dear, you haven't done anything." "But what'll happen to you?" "Don't worry; we'll soon be free." "Why lie, Mama?" "No more lies!" "I'm big enough to understand now." "I love you, Mama, I love you!" "I don't want to leave you again!" "My darling!" "Next!" "They can be so stubborn." "A French journalist is asking for you." "What does he want?" "He says he has an appointment with Ivan." "Show him in." "Please leave." "Mr. Ivan had a meeting with you?" "Yes." "When did he set up this meeting?" "Yesterday." "Why did he want to see you?" "As a journalist I have ways of giving your movement all the publicity it needs." "Thank you." "Ivan is sorry, but he can't be disturbed." "He is in conference." "With his God." "Besides, our movement is not anxious for exposure." "We can do without the often damaging propaganda of the press." "In that case, perhaps you can give me some information instead." "Regarding what?" "A singer at the Olympic – Kay Murphy." "She's disappeared." "What makes you think I know where she is?" "Kay Murphy is a white woman." "And we won't allow her to be dragged off in the middle of Shanghai." "We demand an inquiry." "Inquire." "An inquiry could do considerable damage to your association." "While looking for her, we could turn up...other things." "What?" "Do I need to spell it out?" "You're from the MacTavish World Telegraphic News Agency." "Yes." "Whose employ you left 24 hours ago." "Since you are in our hands, we will facilitate your interview and will send you to meet Ivan at his current address." "What do you think?" "You'll pay for this!" "I'll protest to my government!" "Have you lost your mind?" "A foreign journalist?" "Don't worry; he won't protest for long." "Finally!" "I thought I'd never find you." "It's madness – you mustn't stay here." "You don't know..." "Yes, I know." "I killed Ivan." "No." "You rid yourself of an incubus." "I can pay for it – with my life." "But Vera!" "Can you imagine that I'll let you die here?" "It's not over, Kay!" "Don't lose hope, for God's sake!" "What does it matter if I die here or somewhere else?" "She must be saved." "I'm not important." "Idiot!" "We'll get you both out of here." "There's a wonderful life outside waiting for you." "The world is full of freedom." "My poor friend, no matter what happens, I'll never leave Shanghai." "It's my own private prison – no way out." "Shanghai holds me in its claws." "It'll never let me go alive." "You see Franchon, life is right here." "It's her." "They're here." "They'll be silent soon enough." "They have no weapons, only words." "The foreign press mustn't be allowed to criticize our victory." "My apologies." "You've been the victim of an unfortunate misunderstanding." "I hope you will excuse my ill humor which the circumstances seemed to justify." "You are free." "And these women?" "Their fate is not in my hands – it is up to our justice." "Kay Murphy must answer for the crime of murder and treason." "I will not leave without them." "Let them go!" "I cannot substitute myself for the law." "But rest assured, she will be properly convicted." "I will personally ensure that she has a fair verdict." "I am honest." "I ask only one thing – free my daughter." "I do not have the power." "In that case, stay here." "But it's in your power to leave this prison." "Don't fire!" "Don't fire on your brothers!" "Look!" "Our enemies are here!" "They've come to finish the work of the provocateurs!" "Let us unite!" "The fate of China hangs in the balance!" "Unite!" "As brothers!"