"THE WHIP AND THE BODY" " Katia, dear." " Please stop torturing yourself like this." "It was so long ago, Giorgia." "Not for me, Katia." "I can't forget." "That blade is still red with my daughter's blood." "I live only for the unquenchable hatred in my heart." "Before I die, I swear I'll see this blade plunged into that man's throat... just as I saw it plunged into Tania's throat, because of him." "There's no point in crying." "Come now." " My God, it's you, Mr. Kurt!" " So the dogs recognize their master." "I'm back, Lesa".!" "He's back." "Kurt is back!" "Giorgia." "It's no use." "You may stay my hand, but not the hand of fate." "Sir!" " Forgive me." "Kurt is back!" " What?" "He's down in the garden." "I saw him." "You're wrong, Losat." "I'm here." "I told you to never come back." "Did you come here to try and frighten us?" "No, Christian." "I came back because I heard you took a wife." "I'm delighted." "Congratulations, Nevenka." "Thank you, Kurt." "Tell the truth, Kurt." "What do you want?" "I believe I already told you, Brother." "I came back to congratulate you on the bride you chose." "You must be tired, Kurt." "Get out of here!" "You're not my son." "You're a snake." "You enjoy making everyone around you suffer." "I haven't forgotten, you know." "You seduced Tania." "Then you abandoned her without pity, driving her to take her own life." "This old story again?" "Father, you promised." "He didn't come back to the castle to beg my forgiveness." "You're wrong, Father." "I came back for that too." "No, I don't believe you." "We must all fear you." "Are you afraid of me, Christian?" "All that was mine is now yours." "Now you are the favorite son." "I've never been afraid of you, Kurt." "If our father wishes to receive you, it's fine by me." "I won't stand in the way." "All right, Kurt." "Stay, if you wish." "Such a warm welcome." "It's wonderful watching the dawn of a day being born, watching things being born and then watching them die." " Let go of me!" " My dear little cousin." "Tell the truth." "You still love my brother." " I'm sure you wouldn't refuse him." " You're despicable, Kurt!" "You always dreamed you'd marry him one day, didn't you, Katia?" "But instead " "You shouldn't hate me, actually." "After all, Christian's marriage was a harsh blow for both of us." "Is it poisoned?" "No, you'll come to a different end, Kurt Menliff." "You will die by the dagger, just like my daughter." "I've been forgiven by the masters of the house." "I wouldn't presume to ask for the servants' forgiveness as well." "Here are the masters now." "I see you've had your tea, Kurt." "Yes." "I'm not in the habit of waiting." "No one asked you to." "You did well to remind me of it." "You shouldn't treat him like that." " You'll only make things worse." " You think so?" "You don't know him very well if you think he can get worse." "It's me, Father." "You never used to be afraid when I came through there to say good night." "Don't you remember?" "You were the one who showed me that passage." "What do you want from me?" "You've forgiven me, but I can't stay here unless my rights are restored:" "my title and my inheritance." "My end draws near." "I have no time left to put you to the test again." "What was once yours now belongs to your brother." "Forever." "You gave it to him yourself, with your infamy." " Careful, Father." " Get out!" "Damn you!" "Get out!" "Katia, you have something against me." "Isn't that so?" "You're wrong." "I have no feelings at all toward you." "Do I frighten you?" "You used to like me, once." "Yes, once." "You always enjoyed violence." "You haven't changed at all." "Help me find her." "You two, search the grounds." "Where is Nevenka?" "I have no idea." " And that riding crop?" " This one?" "I found it on the road, not far from the castle." "I took a tour of your estate." "It will be dark soon." "It will be even harder to find her." "Katia is right." "You should hurry." "Let's go." "Katia and Christian look good together." "I almost had the impression that Katia wasn't overly eager to find Nevenka." "She would be happy to regain her place at my brother's side." "Don't you think?" "You're a crazy old woman, Giorgia." "I'll light the lanterns." "We can have a look around the moats." "Kurt." "My lady." "My lady!" "Giorgia!" "Giorgia!" "I found her!" "My lady." "Thank heavens!" "Let's take her up to the house immediately." " Help me lift her." " Of course." "Come now." "She's coming around." "I'm sure it was mostly the fright." "Her horse must have thrown her." "Kurt!" "Where is Kurt?" " Go get him, Losat." " Yes, sir." "Losat" "Losat" " How is Nevenka?" " She's already much better." "She just has some deep marks on her back, as if- as if somebody whipped her, sir." " You may go now." " Yes, sir." "Sir?" "Mr. Kurt?" "Kurt!" "Father, come with me." "You mustn't look." "Let me look at him, Christian." "He was fated to end like this." "The dagger." "Look." "Look!" "I recognize it." "There's no doubt." "It's Tania's." "He died the same way she did." "Tania!" "Tania, my child!" "May you rest in peace." "Finally, my daughter, you have been avenged." "Lord, hear our prayer." "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven." "Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile." "When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long." "For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me:" "My moisture is turned into the drought of summer." "I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid." "I said, "I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord."" "And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin." "Amen." "May you rest in peace." "Now, Kurt Menliff is before the judgment of the Almighty." "But, one day, whoever killed him will have to face the same judgment." "Let us pray for their souls." "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen." "Who is it?" "It's me, Christian." "What do you want?" "I'd like to speak to you, Father." "I'm listening, Christian." "I'd like to ask you something about Kurt." "That's why I'm here." "It's a painful subject, but I must know the truth." "What is it?" "At the time of the murder, we were all outside." "You were alone here in the castle, you and Kurt." " No one else was here." " Why, you " "How dare you ask me " "Father, you know I've always followed your wishes." "I've obeyed you without question." "Out of obedience, I even married the woman that you had intended for my brother." " But now I must know." " What do you want to know?" "If he died by your hand, it was an act of justice." "Get out." "Get out of here!" "Thank you, Giorgia." "What's wrong?" "Are you unwell?" "No, I'm afraid." "I spoke to Losat." "He saw a shadow moving in the chapel, and a light too." "Losat's even crazier than you." "It undoubtedly must have been the moon's reflection." "Yes." "Kurt!" "Nevenka." " What happened?" " Outside!" "It was Kurt!" "He was watching me!" "No, Kurt." "Kurt." "Don't get up, dear." "Try and rest." "You had a hallucination." "I'll stay here tonight." "I'll stay next to you, if you wish." "Don't be afraid." "No, go to bed." "I want to be alone." "All right, as you wish." "I'll leave the door ajar." "Call me if you need anything." "Kurt." "Kurt." "Kurt!" "Nevenka, what happened?" "What's wrong?" "You're trembling." "Kurt was here!" "He came inside!" "His boots were muddy." "He looked like he had just climbed out of his tomb!" "Calm down, dear." "It must have been a dream." "It was just a nightmare." "No, it wasn't a nightmare." "He's the one who ripped this!" "Look!" "There are his footprints!" " What footprints?" " There." "They were there." "Nevenka, it was a dream." "Accept it." "There's nothing there." "You can see for yourself." "No, it wasn't a dream." "He was here." "It wasn't a dream." "I saw those footprints." "And his hand." "My God, his hand was so horrible!" "It came out of the shadows like a huge spider!" "Help me, Christian!" "Help me!" "Do I frighten you?" "You used to like me, once." "You always enjoyed violence." "You haven 't changed at all." "You haven 't changed, and you never will." "Oh, it's you, my lady." "I heard some noises and came down." " I thought " " What did you think?" "Nothing." "The dead can't move around in their tombs." "Who knows?" "Maybe they can, when they don't rest in peace." "It's all over now." "My life is empty and hopeless." "Remember when we went to that mountain lake surrounded by willows?" "Our boat was so silent." "You were still just a child." "We were happy, and we didn't know it." " Christian, why did you do that?" " Katia, listen." " The future may yet smile upon us." " No. it's too late now." "It's too late." "No, Katia, don't say that." "We can still rebel against our fate." "Our sacrifice is absurd." "I've always loved you, and you love me too. isn't that true?" "Isn't that perhaps true?" "Yes, but I'll never be your mistress." "No." "Don't touch me." "You're mine, mine." "You'll always be mine." "No, I don't want you." "I don't want you." "I came back for you." "I came back for you, Nevenka, and to take my vengeance upon those who hate me." "Let's leave now, Giorgia." "What good are tears now?" "Him too." "Just like Kurt." "The dagger's disappeared." "The count told me it was locked in here." "It's Kurt's vengeance." "He'll kill us all, because we're all guilty!" " All of us!" " Enough with this nonsense, Nevenka." "Do you want to drive us crazy?" "At least respect my grief." "I will avenge your death, Father." "Someone will pay, be he man or ghost." "I swear it." "Christian?" " I wanted to talk to you." " Why?" "I don't know." "I just wanted to be near you so I could comfort you." "It's no use." "My only comfort now is the thought of revenge." "Leave me alone, I beg you." "I'll return to the castle soon." "It's me, Losat." "I didn't mean to frighten you, Katia." "I was keeping an eye on Christian." "I'm worried about him." "Listen." " I've been meaning to ask you something." " What?" "Remember that night we were all looking for Nevenka?" "Yes, of course." "Did you stay with Count Christian the entire time?" "Yes, as far as I remember." "Why?" "Are you sure?" "You never left his side, not even for a moment?" "No." "Why are you asking me, Losat?" " You can't believe that Christian " " I don't believe anything." "That's absurd." "Why the count too?" "Why?" "You're the one holding the dagger." "You answer the question." "You can tell me anything, Katia." "I wouldn't presume to judge you." "What are you saying?" "Where did you get that dagger, Giorgia?" "You know very well." "I don't have to tell you." "Giorgia, not only did you have a motive for killing Kurt, but you had also sworn to do so." "Tell me where you found that dagger." "Under your mattress, Katia." "No!" "Christian!" " Christian, I know who killed your father." " What?" "It's true." "I could have killed Kurt, and I was also prepared to do it." "But not the count." "Not the old man." "Why would I have done that?" "If that dagger was hidden there, that means either you or someone else must have put it there." "It wasn't me, Katia." "Not me." "Throw that damned dagger away." "It's like a curse on this house!" "Throw it away, I said!" "No, not Katia." "That's absolutely impossible." "You refuse to believe me." "Do you think I'm lying?" " Answer me." " I don't know." "I don't know." "I can't believe there is a killer among us." "No, it's absurd." "And yet, one of us was the killer." "But now we know who it was." "No, not Katia." "You're a coward." "You're afraid to face reality." " In your place, Kurt would have " " Kurt, I know." "You're always thinking about him," "Kurt in my place." "That's what you really wanted." "That's not true." "That's not true!" "He's the one you wanted to marry." "I've always known." "If that's why you killed him, it was a useless crime." "I hated him." "I hated him, understand?" "I always hated him, and I always will." "Always, always!" "Nevenka!" "I heard a scream." "It sounded like it came from your father's room." "She's not here." "Let's try her room." "The footprints lead toward the garden." "Someone's taken her." "Go back in the house." "Christian, don't go by yourself." "Come, Katia." "Let's do as he says." "Come." "Let's keep searching." "Losat!" "What are you doing here?" "Oh, it's you, sir." " Where did you take Nevenka?" " Me?" "She's disappeared, and in her room there were footprints just like the ones you're leaving!" "I don't know what to say." "I was making my usual nightly rounds of the castle." "Suddenly, I thought there was someone in here." " Don't try and trick me!" "Talk!" " No." "There's no one in here but you!" "Sir, certainly you don't intend to " "Yes, follow me!" "The footprints lead from the secret passage." "What are you doing, sir?" "Help me." "There." "Who could have put her in there?" "Nevenka, can you hear me?" "Kurt." "How is Nevenka now?" "She's still delirious." "She still says it was Kurt who dragged her off." "She also says he whipped her until she bled and then took her to the crypt and locked her in the tomb." "We must act, Katia." "We have to do something." "I heard Kurt's laughter too, but every part of me refuses to believe in ghosts." "Yes, it's hard to believe, but we know so little about what happens after death." "I'm now convinced that Kurt is alive." "What did you say?" "How can you think that?" "You saw him with his throat slashed." "We watched them put him in his coffin with our own eyes." "You can't believe that Nevenka really saw him at that window." "No, there's no other possible explanation." "Kurt is alive, and he's hiding here in the castle." "I must find him, or I'll go crazy." "We'll all go crazy." "For a moment, I even suspected you." "I'll wind up suspecting myself in the end." "If what you say is true, he could have hidden the dagger in my room." "I'm afraid, Christian." "I'm afraid!" "Christian, someone was here!" "Calm down, Katia." "Where was he?" "Calm down, please." "The footprints again." "They're the same." " What are you planning to do?" " Open the coffin." "Help me!" "Let's put it up there." "Nevenka." "They're opening my coffin." "This is the last time I'll be with you." "No, it's not possible." "You love me, Nevenka." "You love me." "You will come away with me." " Kurt, what are you saying?" " You will come with me, Nevenka." "Only with me can you be happy." "Why do you torture me like this?" "Because those who hate me must endure the same pains I do and suffer eternally in the desert within their hearts." "I can't." "I hate you." "I hate you!" "I g" "He's unrecognizable." " This could be anyone." " But those are his clothes." "Please, let's put him back in his tomb for heaven's sake." "No." " What are you doing now?" " I'm going to destroy him." "Where are you, Kurt?" "I know you're here." "I've never been afraid of you." "Nevenka!" "Sir!" "Sir!" "What happened?" "You're wounded." "That's not important now." "Come with me." "Quick!" "The secret passage is blocked." "We'll never get it open." "Let's go through the chapel." "Why did you want this, Kurt?" "Why?" "I didn't want to kill him." "I didn't want to." "You forced me to love you, but I hate you, Kurt." "I will free myself from you." "I'll kill you now, and this time it will be forever." "No!" "Nevenka, no!" "Nevenka!" "Forgive me." "I had to do what Kurt wanted." "Now he won't be able... to hurt you anymore." "Kurt hated you." "He hated all of you." "All of you!" "Christian!" "So it was her." "She killed your brother and your father." "Yes." "She was obsessed with Kurt." "She thought he was alive and she was obeying him." "She didn't kill herself." "She wanted to kill Kurt and free herself from him forever." "THE END"