"The salon is there, and Lady Esketh has chosen this compartment." "Her maid will be in the next car." "And this compartment―." "Everything seems fine." "Thank you." "It is our privilege, Lord Esketh." "Who is it?" "Alan." "Come in, Alan." "I missed you at dinner." "So the mountain― That's me―." "Has come to Muhammad― That's you." "Do you remember the first time we went to New Orleans?" "We had dinner at Arnauld's." "Oysters." "Turtle soup with sherry." "Trout amandine." "Ice-cold green salad." "Cherries jubilee." "And as the climax to a perfect dinner... and a perfect day," "café diable." "And you said, "Alan, if you could learn the secret of making that"," ""I might marry you after all."" "Well, I did and you did, and all on account of a lousy cup of coffee." "Getting you to laugh is a major accomplishment." "I know, darling." "Aren't you having a good time?" "You said it would be exciting." "Did I?" "Well, I was wrong." "Well, we'll get to Ranchipur in the morning, and we'll put up at the palace." "I'll talk the maharani out of her prized stallion." "It shouldn't take long." "I'm told she needs the money." "We should be on our way back to Lahore in three or four days." "Then we'll grab a plane back to London." "Then Greenview." "Do you realize we've never been home in July?" "Didn't I tell you?" "We're going to Antibes." "We'll fly to Paris and take the train to the Riviera." "I thought you didn't like it at the height of the season." "There were too many tourists, you always said." "And there'll be that French baron," "Andre what's his name." "Yes." "Would you mind very much if I didn't go?" "Of course I'd mind." "We're going to Antibes, you and I together." "We're going in the same plane." "We're going to stay in the same hotel... and in the same suite, though not in the same room." "Is that clear?" "Yes, perfectly." "I should think you'd know by now." "You can squander as much of my money as you want." "You can pick up all the tabs and buy all the horses... and spend whatever you decide on your dear mother and your delicate sister." "But when you and I don't want the same things, you'll do what I want." "You know, Edwina, I sometimes wonder why you bothered to marry me." "Do you really wanna know?" "For a number of reasons, really, and some more important than others." "I liked the title." "All poor little girls want to become princesses, and so do rich little girls." "And you're not ugly, Alan." "Besides, a husband gives me a kind of protection." "Sometimes, I used to be lonely." "Now I never am." "'Cause when there's nothing better to do, you're always around." "And you are amusing, darling." "Someday, when I'm disgusted enough... or ashamed enough or drunk enough," "I may tell you why I married you." "Tell me now." "Some other disenchanted evening, perhaps." "Tell me now." "Well, there was your money, of course." "But then, I've known lots of women with money." "True, none of them had as much as you, but then, I didn't need quite that much." "No, I married you for a very different reason." "You see, you may not believe it, but I still have a few standards." "A little bloody, a little frayed, but more or less unbowed." "I don't like to hurt people." "You were perfect for me." "All the money in the world and no heart." "You couldn't possibly be hurt... because you're the most greedy, the most selfish, the most decadent, the most corrupt―." "Good night, Edwina." "Lord Esketh, we are honored by your and Her Ladyship's presence." "I am Mr. Adoani." "I'm the personal emissary of Her Highness, the Maharani of Ranchipur." "We have planned for you just a little tour, and a concert of native music has been arranged at the music school." "Mr. Adoani, Lady Esketh isn't feeling very well." "She'd like to go to the palace at once." "Of course." "In the meantime, I should point out the items of interest as we pass along." "So sorry." "So sorry." "It's all right." "Thank you, Mr. Adoani." "You're welcome, Lord and Lady Esketh." "Good-bye." "Your Highness." "My house welcomes you." "It's good of you to have us, Your Highness." "I enjoy having handsome people around me." "I have never been in America, but I understand it is a beautiful country and very rich." "I hope you find your quarters habitable." "I'm sure we will." "And now, you must have some tea." "Lemon?" "Milk for both of us." "May I smoke?" "Yes, do." "But for me, no cigarettes, I'm afraid." "It is the same with sweets." "I am forbidden even the smallest taste." "Once, I was able to indulge myself." "But in the last year or so, I have been forced to admit... that my youth, it's near its end." "Maturity approaches." "You're very beautiful, Your Highness." "How kind, and how untrue." "I fear you have chosen an unfortunate season to come to Ranchipur." "We're all now praying for the rains to begin." "However, rains or not, I believe we can entertain you." "In the morning, we shall visit the stables." "Tomorrow night, I'm giving a small dinner in your honor." "It will not be very grand, but you will meet some interesting people, particularly Dr. Safti." "He is my late husband's most brilliant success." "There are men― very few men ever― who have what your President Roosevelt once called..." """a rendezvous with destiny."" "Well, at my age, I have few enthusiasms." "Dr. Safti's one of them." "But you will see for yourselves." "Tonight, I thought you would probably prefer dinner alone in your rooms." "You must be very tired." "But some evening before you leave," "I thought we might, ― we might play some cards." "Would that please you?" "I invariably lose at cards, but I'm eternally optimistic." "I love gambling." "Bridge?" "Canasta?" "Well, personally, I prefer poker." "So do I!" "I warn you, I shall win." "I always win." "I insist on winning." "I have been known to cheat to win." "Cleverly, of course." "No one has ever caught me." "And I always win." "And sometimes, I cheat." "Good." "It will be better then." "Until tomorrow." "Until tomorrow." "Your Highness." "He's magnificent." "Asoka is the most beautiful stallion in the world." "Your Highness, I cannot go back to England without him." "I'll pay whatever you ask." "For some things, there is no price, Lord Esketh." "I can never sell Asoka." "I shall try to make you change your mind." "I would be disappointed if you didn't." "In the meantime, I'd like to see some of the others, Your Highness." "Tom!" "The same brat." "You haven't changed a bit." "I don't believe it!" "It's good to see you." "Good to see you too." "Perhaps I should introduce myself." "I'm the lady's husband." "Hello." "I'm Tom Ransome." "I've known this one since she was this high." "We're very old friends." "Yes, I can see." "We came out here to buy some horses." "But naturally, the maharani is out trading us." "Naturally." "I'll look out for your interests." "Lady Esketh, I shall sue you for alienation of affections." "Tom pretends indifference to me, but it is known everywhere that he is madly in love with me." "And you, Mr. Ransome, I shall sue for slander." "I shall collect too." "I shall bribe both― the judge and the jury." "I want to show you the mares." "Well, now that you're a lady, I assume you're behaving like one?" "But, Tom, you know I always behave myself." "Just one more, please, Alonia." "It feels wonderful." "Fern, you've got company." "Fern Simon memsahib?" "That's... me." "Have message from Her Highness." "Thanks, girls." "From Her Highness?" "What is it?" ""The Maharani of Ranchipur, India respectfully requests..."" ""the distinguished and esteemed presence of Miss Fern Simon..."" ""at dinner honoring distinguished and esteemed guests of Her Highness,"" ""their Excellencies Lord Alan and Lady Esketh of Norham and London, England."" ""8:00 p.m. RSVP."" "But of course she'll come." "I told you, daughter." "I said she'd start inviting us." "Do you remember that reception I told you about?" "And Grandma Holland?" "Well, it was after things got straightened out." "I mean, the war between the states." "Tell Her Highness I accept with pleasure." "I never will forget the first dance your father took me to." "I was only 16." "He got there kind of early, about 7:00." "He was sittin' in the parlor― And you didn't know Pop was there, and you walked into the room without a single stitch on... except your slip and a couple dozen petticoats." "And that was the night Pop decided to marry you." "I'll wear my green chiffon." ""It's not new, but Mother always said, "Quality, Maude." "Quality."" "Mother, you're not invited." "I'm invited." "Just me." "But you can't go over there― Mother, don't be silly." "I've gone to parties alone before." "It's no disgrace." "If only Harry Loder was here." "I just know he'd―." "That boy's so crazy about you, there's nothin' in the world he wouldn't do for you." "I'll rent a car." "No, but you wouldn't want to do―." "Why didn't I think of it before?" "Of course." "Tom Ransome." "Why, yes!" "He goes to every single one of the maharani's parties." "And he's nice..." "when he's sober, anyway." "And you could see he doesn't drink too much." "But, Mother, I've never met Tom Ransome, and neither have you." "He's shy, that's why." "I just know you two would hit it off together." "And he's got all that money." "You know, I never could really understand why he―." "Be careful." "She's listening to every word we're saying." "Now, I'm just gonna go in there and clean up." "Then I'm gonna go over there and I'm gonna say," ""Mr. Ransome, I'm Maude Simon."" ""You surely know my little girl."" "Okay, Mother, you win." "I'll ask Tom Ransome to drive me to the palace and back." "But I'll do the asking." "Well, daughter, you know best." "Now, you go in, get yourself all prettied up, 'cause I have to stay here." "I have something very serious I want to say to Emily." "Very serious." "Hello." "Did I scare you?" "Well, not too much." "You're Fern Simon, aren't you?" "May I talk to you just for a minute?" "Certainly." "Come on." "Sit down." "Thank you." "Can I fix you a drink?" "No, thanks." "You drink a lot, don't you?" "Almost constantly." "Why do you drink so much?" "I studied psychology in school if you'd like me to give you a few possible reasons." "Thank you, no." "I drink because I enjoy it... and because I don't see any good reason not to." "How do you know so much about my drinking habits?" "Everybody does." "Really?" "Am I, what you call an object of ridicule?" "No." "Nobody ever laughs." "Of course, my mother, you know what she says?" "She says, "You know, daughter, all that man needs"," ""all any man needs, is a good woman to straighten him out."" ""I tell you, daughter, I can't understand..."" ""how a man with all his opportunities didn't do more with himself."" ""Went to Harvard College, you know?"" ""Besides, he's got all that money."" "You're nice, Fern." "Thank you." "How do you like Ranchipur by now?" "I don't." "Well, you'll be going back to school soon." "University of Iowa, isn't it?" "It was." "I've graduated." "Now what?" "Marriage?" "That's my mother's idea, but not mine." "Has she picked out a candidate already?" "You bet." "Harry Loder." "That young English pillar of respectability." "And there's somebody back at the university you like better?" "No." "I'd like to go to teachers' college." "There's a very good one in Iowa City." "For heaven's sakes, why do you wanna do that?" "I want to teach." "Why?" "Don't you know you can never teach anybody anything?" "Besides, have you ever seen a lady Ph.D.?" "You're making fun of me." "No." "No, I never make fun of anybody, except myself." "Actually, I'm-I'm not too sure about being a teacher." "Maybe I don't wanna be anything." "But I'd just like to find out if I could be." "Mostly, it's that I want to-." "Mostly it's that you wanna be on your own for a while?" "Yes." "How soon are you going back?" "I'm not." "Why?" "Aside from my mother thinking it's a bad idea, we can't afford it." "Well, Fern, who knows?" "Maybe a miracle'll happen." "They sometimes do, you know, at your age." "I'd heard you were an engineer." "That's right, I was an engineer." "When did you do this?" "Quite a while ago." "You can say no, and I'll certainly understand." "It's ridiculous and embarrassing, and I tried to explain to my mother, but you know how she is." "Anyway, you heard how she is, but I had to say I'd ask you." "Well, I'm almost sure the answer will be yes, but, suppose you tell me what the question is." "Well, the maharani invited me to that dinner for the Eskeths tonight... and didn't ask my family." "And my mother says I have to go, and I don't know why the maharani invited me anyway." "I do." "The maharani thinks you'll be very decorative." "And she's right." "My mother seems to think my reputation would be ruined if I went alone." "All you'd have to do would be to take me there and bring me back." "I shall be very happy to take you, Miss Simon." "You don't have to be polite, you know." "I know." "Thanks." "Have you met Lady Esketh yet?" "Yes." "Lady Esketh and I are old friends." "I read a story about her in a magazine once." "It can't all be true." "Every word of it, and a lot they wouldn't dare print." "Wow!" "And my mother told me it would do me a lot of good to meet her." "Well, let's just put it this way." "I don't think it'll do you any harm." "Hey, you'd better run along home and get ready." "You've only got a couple of hours." "Thanks." "I'll be ready about 7:30." "Right." "Excuse me." "Dr. Safti's late." "We will go in to dinner in five minutes." "Just time for the one martini too many." "Or two too many." "Fern." "Hello, Dr. Safti." "Good evening, Doctor." "Tom." "Hello." "Mr. and Mrs. Adoani." "Rashid." "I am sorry I'm late." "I almost could not come at all." "A baby was demanding to be born the hard way." "You're forgiven." "You always are." "I have a feeling it is not good for a man always to be forgiven." "You look well." "Possibly, it is not good... for a woman always to be told how well she looks." "Lord and Lady Esketh, this is Dr. Safti." "Lady Esketh." "I've been looking forward to meeting you." "I admired your book very much." "You're very kind." "I'm told you're a man of destiny." "I've never met one before." "The maharani is a woman who uses the truth with, carelessness." "The maharani's a woman who is famished." "Besides, the cook will have allowed the carry of crayfish to become cold." "Off with his head!" "Hi." "Hello, Fern." "The, music too much for you?" "No." "I like it." "I don't understand it." "You're not expected to." "Mr. Ransome― You can call me Tom, you know." "I'd hardly say that." "I, ―" "I am what is usually called fairly well-fixed." "That means I have just a little more than enough to live on comfortably... if I don't live too long." "You're disappointed." "Why?" "Nothing." "I was just thinking." "Come on." "Tell me." "What would you say if I asked you to lend me $1,000?" "Well, I'd have to think it over a minute." "I might say yes." "I suppose it might depend on what you wanted it for." "Or is that none of my business?" "Sure it is." "You see, for $1,000," "I could go back to school and pay for my tuition and live until I got my degree... if I worked for my board, and I've always done that." "After I become a teacher, I could pay you back." "Of course, I'm not really asking you." "I know." "Fern, this place is about half again as small as Cedar Falls... as far as gossip goes, that is." "Now, my reputation doesn't matter." "It's already pretty bad." "Yes, I'm sure it is." "There's not too much to talk about here in Ranchipur." "It's your reputation I'm worried about." "What do you think all the old ladies would say?" "Never mind." "Remember, I-I didn't really ask you." "Fern, I'd be glad to lend you the money." "I really would, but―." "Can't you see?" "I just can't do it." "Now you're angry." "Just disappointed." "Look, I won't make any promises, but I'll try somehow to help you get back to school." "Word of honor?" "Word of honor." "Thanks." "Now I think we'd better go inside." "I'm sure Mrs. Adoani has already formed her own conclusions as to what we're doing out here." "Tom, come here and be nice to me." "They're talking about the tiger hunt." "I'm bored." "I need someone to hold my hand." "I'll be happy to hold your hand." "But I'm afraid I won't contribute much to the hunting talk." "I've had my fill of shooting." "As a matter of fact, these days I'm delighted when I read that one hunter has shot another." "Well, in a way, I agree with Tom." "But a man-eater has attacked two villages in the north." "He must be done away with." "Of course, I admit the sport appeals to me too." "And to me." "I love safaris." "Good." "Day after tomorrow then at 4:00 a.m." "You promised to show me the mogul paintings." "I had not forgotten." "I'll send Lachmaania with you." "It is very dark down there." "Thank you, but I believe I can remember where the light switch is." "I am very tired." "It is very late." "It is my bedtime." "We won't be long." "They each have a story, you know." "The stories are almost always sad, and usually about love." "What in so many bad English novels is called unrequited love." "The torment of love unsatisfied?" "That's very good." "But not very original." "A poet named Eliot said it first." "A Mr. T.S. Eliot." "I am familiar with the works of Mr. Thomas Stearns Eliot." "This one is called The Kite." "In India, when a boy wants to tell a girl he's interested in her, he maneuvers his kite so that it falls into her front yard." "If she picks it up and takes it inside, he is elated because he knows he has a chance." "If she leaves the kite there, it means that she cares nothing for the boy, and he is desolate." "One needs to know a great deal about handling a kite... to cause it to fall into the correct front yard." "What does a girl do when she wants a young man's attention?" "Well, if she were a young lady, she would simply pine away." "Well, in my country, it's just the opposite." "The young lady does all the courting." "When she wanted the young man to speak to her, she would drop her handkerchief." "Now that's considered terribly old-fashioned." "It was never very effective anyway." "What does she do now?" "Well, it depends on the young lady." "The shy ones drop their eyes." "The others just look at what they want." "Of course, we still have a few who are like your Indian girls." "They simply pine away." "I do not believe you have done much pining for what you want." "You think I just look?" "I think you are very beautiful." "And?" "Isn't that enough?" """Beauty provoketh thieves sooner than gold."" "That's not very original either." "A poet named Shakespeare said it first." "A Mr. W. Shakespeare." "What else do you think..." "about me?" "I think it is very late... and that unless we get back, the maharani is going to have one of her tantrums." "Are you good at flying kites?" "I have never flown a kite." "I never had time to learn how." "I didn't want to mention it earlier, Your Highness, but I found your watch." "As usual, Abdular had it." "He told me who sold it to him―" "I know who sold it to him." "The watch has only a sentimental value." "I shall make the arrest right here in the palace." "I will do it quietly." "You have the thick skin of an ox." "I do not wish an arrest to be made." "I shall myself speak to the boy." "Good-bye." "I shall resign." "I shall become a thief." "In such a place as this one, it's more respected for breaking the law... than for attempting to enforce it." "Thank you very much, Your Highness." "Lady Esketh." "Lord Esketh." "Good night." "Good night." "Your Highness, it's been a wonderful evening." "Thank you." "Good night, Your Highness." "Lady Esketh, stay for a moment." "I would like to speak to you." "We can talk in the morning." "Stay for a moment, please." "Good night, Alan." "I'll be up in a minute." "And now, I will take one of your cigarettes, please." "I like to have one before I go to sleep." "It quiets my nerves." "How did you like my guests?" "I liked them very much, especially Dr. Safti." "I told you that he was extraordinary, but I didn't tell you why or how much." "His father and mother were untouchables." "After they died of cholera, we brought him to the palace to live with us." "I raised him." "He went to college in Delhi." "And after that, he spent five years in prison." "He had been too active in the freedom movement." "He's a very wise man, but he's not experienced... in, in matters of the heart." "No one ever is." "Lady Esketh, in India, we sometimes bow and smile when we do not wish to bow and smile." "I know." "We have bowers and smilers in my country too." "I'm not one of them." "I shall come directly to the point." "Before you arrived, I took the trouble... to read the many newspaper stories written about you." "I find that you are believed to be a selfish woman." "I love him as a son, and I also very early recognized that he was necessary to Ranchipur." "I will have nothing interfere with his career." "I have no intention of interfering with his career." "But what makes you so sure about what he needs and what he wants?" "Maybe it would do him good to get experience in matters of the heart." "Why don't you let him find out for himself?" "I'm selfish too." "But not for myself― for Ranchipur." "For Ranchipur, I will do what is necessary." "Will there be anything more, Lady Esketh?" "No, thank you, Louise." "Good night." "Good night, milady." "What do you want, Alan?" "To talk to you." "It's almost time for dinner." "We can talk later." "Later will be too late." "We'll talk now." "Today was my birthday." "Well, happy birthday, Alan dear." "You know, 10 years ago, when I was dropping bombs on Berlin," "I'd have given anything to know for sure that I had 10 more years, or even 10 minutes." "Well, I've had 10 years." "On the way up here today while you were so energetically trying to seduce Dr. Safti," "I asked myself what had become of all that time, and of me." "There's not much left of me." "So?" "But enough to know that you disgusted me." "I was glad of that." "It proves that I still have a little decency left in me." "Alan, I'm not in the least interested in your dreary self-analysis." "Yes, you are, Edwina." "You're very interested." "Because I'm calling the deal off." "I'm bowing out." "I'm going back to Lahore right after the hunt tomorrow." "I've made plane reservations for Friday." "I'm leaving for England alone." "I really think the heat must have affected your mind." "And then I'm going to start divorce proceedings." "Are you finished?" "Yes, I'm finished." "Well, I'm not." "How many times have you had these small flashes of courage?" "And how many times have you come crawling back... so humble, so abject, so full of self-pity?" "Well, this time, I don't want you back." "But you will, Edwina." "You'll get lonely and scared." "And this time, I won't come back." "Give my apologies to Dr. Safti." "I'll have dinner in my tent." "That's the 18th cigarette in the last hour and a half." "Does it matter?" "No." "I guess I'm upset." "Didn't you hear the shouting in my tent just before dinner?" "I took a walk." "Well, Alan and I had a fight." "He said terrible things to me, most of which are true." "You don't approve of me, do you?" "All the way up here today, you were very polite but very distant." "I think it's because you don't like the way I've lived." "Well, I have my way, and you have yours." "Yes." "I have my way, but I was not born with it." "It took years of search and of thought and of anguish to discover it." "And when I did, it was so simple that I laughed aloud." "I had found that to do good was not enough." "To be good was all." "If a man is good, then he can do no wrong to himself or to anyone else." "Approve of you, Lady Esketh?" "No, I do not approve of you." "I do not approve of what I have done either." "I knew what was happening in the palace the other night." "I encouraged it." "That was wrong of me." "I apologize." "And now, I'll say good night." "Did it ever occur to you that I might be lonely?" "Very lonely." "I wonder how many times you have said that... and how many times it has succeeded." "I do not wish to be added to your list." "I do not want to be, "The one in India..."" ""in an obscure province called Ranchipur, as I recall."" ""I forget his name, but his skin was brown."" ""I do remember the color of his skin."" "I'd like to go to my tent now." "You know the way." "It's not very far." "Don't move." "Stop it." "Stop it!" "There." "There." "There." "It's gone away." "Quiet." "Quiet, now." "Lord Esketh?" "Lord Esketh!" "Until the tiger is skinned, it's never safe to assume he's dead." "He's a real beauty." "He must be 14 or 15 years old." "Is there anything wrong, Lady Esketh?" "I don't know, Louise." "I don't feel well." "I get these awful chills." "Esketh sahib." "What's happened?" "Esketh sahib go― Esketh sahib go―." "Dead!" "Dead!" "Is he dead?" "Is he dead?" "He's badly hurt." "I don't know how badly." "You're coming along fine now." "In a week or 10 days, you'll be on your way back to England." "It's very difficult to know what to say to a man who's saved your life." """Thank you" is enough, and you've already said that several times." "Particularly if you're not sure that you wanted saved." "Get some sleep now." "You need a lot of sleep." "Dr. Safti, are you in love with my wife?" "For five days now, it has been in this room with us― the question you had to ask, the answer I had to give." "It's contrary to all the rules." "How does one honorable man say it to another?" "Or is it enough to say, "Yes, it is true."" "I am in love with your wife"?" "I'm very sorry for you." "You're a man who matters." "None of the others have, including me." "Very much including me." "I usually stand by and watch while Edwina destroys people." "Her destruction of midgets doesn't interest me." "But you are not a midget, Dr. Safti." "And this time, I'm not gonna stand by and watch." "I want to take Edwina with me when I leave." "I know you've been seeing her." "I don't want you to see her anymore." "I do not think Edwina will go with you." "And unless she forbids it, I shall see her again." "She has told me about the kind of marriage you have." "Has she?" "All about it?" "She told you about our honeymoon in Bermuda, and the Argentinean she met there?" "And about Rome?" "Madrid?" "Casablanca?" "The ending is always the same." "Edwina tires of people." "She tires very easily, and then she simply writes out a check." "That won't do for you, of course." "I will leave the sleeping pill now." "When she's ready to leave you, she'll cry." "You'll find her tears very moving." "I always have." "The weak and the wicked." "I prefer the wicked." "They can be fought." "Are you Westerners all alike?" "I've seen so many like you." "So pious, so radiant with charm, so much shadow and so little substance." "I've tried to teach myself not to hate." "I think I have succeeded." "I do not hate you." "I― I pity you." "Yes, I'm very much in love with Edwina, and I know all she has done and all she has been." "I know, and I do not care." "I love her." "When I come back, it will be as your doctor." "Did you really mean what you told Alan?" "That it doesn't matter what I've done, what I've been?" "I meant it." "I also told him I loved you." "I meant that too." "When did you first know that you loved me?" "That is a question women invariably ask and never should." "It cannot be answered." "It is as impossible to explain when love comes... as to explain why." "At the hunting camp, perhaps, or that afternoon... we sat in the patio and listened to the girl singing in the music school." "Or last night when you went with me into the untouchable quarter." "Or half an hour ago when Esketh was telling me what he thinks you are." "I know what you are." "I know now that you are so much more than I had seen, than anyone had seen." "You were right, you know, about what I was thinking that first night." "And even in the hunting camp." "I had never met anyone like you before, and I was attracted to you." "But that was all." "That was absolutely all." "And now?" "Now, it's so much more that I'm-I'm scared." "Of me?" "No." "Of myself." "Look at me." "You can change." "You can grow and change." "I believe that." "I believe it completely." "Sometimes people wish they could change." "And sometimes, they even try." "But it never works." "It can." "When I was in prison, each of us who wished had a tiny plot of land." "The soil was thin and sour and unfertile." "But if we worked hard enough, we were able to grow exquisite flowers." "The most beautiful flowers in the world." "I need you." "But we could never live here." "I could never live anywhere without you." "And you'll be miserable anyplace else." "Unless I have you, I shall be miserable all my life." "But it's wrong, darling." "Everything about it's wrong." "It's just me." "So I see." "Sundar said you'd be right back, so I thought I'd make myself at home." "Have you ever slept on that couch?" "It looks pretty hard, but I don't think I'll mind it for just one night." "Besides, I can sleep anywhere." "At school," "I slept in a dormitory with 26 other girls." "How would you like to sleep in a room with 26 women?" "I'm talking too much." "I always do that when I get nervous." "Some people bite their fingernails." "I used to know a boy who would recite the 23rd Psalm backwards." "And there was this girl in my English class who took cold showers." "One day, she took six." "She had a final exam." "People do different things." "Some people drink." "Now, suppose you quiet down and tell me what you're talking about." "Well, the truth of the matter is―." "There's no use beating around the bush." "It'll be all over Ranchipur by tomorrow morning." "I've run away from home." "Well, don't you think you're a little old for that?" "What are you gonna do, join a circus?" "No, I'm serious." "Really, I am." "I left a note, pinned it to my pillow." "I can see you haven't learned one of the basic rules." "Never write a note." "You might wanna change your mind." "I knew it!" "That's one of the stories I made up about you." "And you see, I was right." "I said he's been disappointed in love." "There was this blonde woman, and she said she'd wait for him when he went off to the wars." "And then, when he was on this lonely South Pacific island, she wrote him a letter." "She told him unless he bought back his letters, there'd be trouble." "I don't know." "Maybe I missed a sentence or two." "I seem to have lost the thread." "Just what are you talking about?" "You." "I used to watch you when you walked past the mission, and you always looked so bitter and angry." "I used to make up stories how you got that way." "The blonde was one of them." "What you mistook for bitterness and anger was only a hangover." "And there never was a blonde." "Hey, you're soaking wet." "What are you trying to do, catch your death of cold?" "No." "I never catch colds." "I haven't had a cold in years." "I want you to go into the bedroom and dry yourself off." "You can put on some of my clothes." "Then I'll make you a nice, hot brandy." "And then I'm going to take you home." "Okay." "But I'm not going home." "I told you." "I'm going to sleep on that couch." "Well, that's about all." "Except I said," """I don't even like Harry Loder."" "And I slammed the door, ran to my room and wrote my note." "Mother went to bed with one of her sick headaches." "And then you barged in here." "Now, as soon as you finish that drink, I'm driving you home." "You've got to tear up that note before your mother finds it." "You don't seem to understand." "I have to stay here all night." "Then my reputation will be ruined." "Of course, I'll tell everybody, including my mother, that I slept on the couch." "She won't believe that, neither will anybody else." "So, you see, Harry Loder won't have anything to do with me." "Then they'll have to send me back to school." "I've changed my mind." "You haven't got time to finish your drink." "I'm taking you home right now." "Why?" "Because I said so, that's why." "And you're supposed to be so broad-minded." "I thought you were going to help me." "I am, but not this way." "Here, put this on." "Never mind." "Take me home." "You ready to go now?" "I guess so." "I'm sorry I kissed you." "I'm not." "I'm very glad." "Very." "Listen to me, Fern." "Go home." "Get out of here." "Run for your life." "You don't know me." "I'm drunk now." "I'm nearly always drunk." "Please let me go." "I'm not finished yet." "You were right, Miss Simon." "There was a woman in my life." "I had a mistress once, a soft-eyed seductive mistress." "Her name was Idealism." "I thought I was quite a fellow when I joined the air force." "Tom Ransome, dreamer." "That was me." "There were dragons to be slain, and I was going to slay them." "After that, we'd start building a good world." "When I got out of the air force, I had a chestful of medals." "I was a little older, but I still had my dreams." "I thought if you were lucky enough to still be alive, you ought to have learned something." "You ought to be bigger than you'd been before." "I was wrong." "The cars were bigger." "The people who drove them were smaller." "It was still kick and claw and fight." ""I fought back for a while." "Then one day, I said to myself, "Why?" ""Why bother?"" "I didn't need the money." "I-I didn't have to be a part of what was going on." "I didn't even wanna watch it." "So one night, I got on a plane." "I started looking for someplace where I wouldn't have to." "It took a lot of looking, but when I got here, I knew I'd found it." "Once in a while, I make a design for a bridge." "Then I burn it." "And every day and every night, I get drunk." "Time passes very quickly." "If you look carefully, you'll see a sign on the door that says," """Keep out." "This means you."" "This means you, Fern." "I'm ready to go home now." "We were both wrong trying to run away." "Look what it did to you." "I wish I'd known you then." "What do you mean?" "When?" "When you had that mistress." "Dr. Safti!" "Dr. Safti!" "It is the maharani." "She is here in the hospital now." "Why, calm yourself, Miss Gupta." "I do not think the walls will crumble... simply because Her Highness is paying us a visit." "But nothing is pre―." "Good evening." "Good evening, Miss Patel." "Miss Gupta." "You all look very fresh and pretty this evening." "Tom Ransome and I were driving by." "I decided to stop for a minute." "I can't stay." "Tom's waiting in the car." "It's a little late for a social call, isn't it?" "I thought you went to bed at 11:30 sharp these nights?" "I want to talk to you." "I would like a cigarette, please." "I have no intention of contributing to your delinquency." "You are cruel to me." "I'm unloved." "You are much loved, and you are very demanding." "It was only the maharaja who could keep you in place." "It was only the maharaja who understood the delicacy of my nature." "Now, suppose you tell me why you and Tom Ransome have taken to midnight drives." "There's no moon, you know." "I haven't seen you for nearly a week." "I know." "I'm sorry." "No, I'm not very good at secrets and pretending." "Tell me what has happened." "I've rehearsed the words." "It was to be a long speech." "Eloquent, pointed, logical." "I'm afraid I'm not very good at pretending either." "There's no new way to say it." "I love her." "My only pretension, and it is so small a deception, is that you are my son." "That is how much I care." "And wherever it happens, it is the same." "A mother prays that when her son loves, the love will be worthy of him." "I love her." "No." "I know what love is... and is not." "I'm very old, and sometimes I think I am wise." "When you came back from prison, while the maharaja and I waited at the station for you," ""I said, "I'm afraid."" "He took my hand." "He was a man who believed in the holding of hands." ""And he said, "Don't be afraid."" "And you came off the train." "Even before I spoke to you, I knew... you were stronger than ever." "Prison had hardened you." "You need that strength now." "You taught me so many things― the reason the sky is blue, the beauty of a mountain, that always, no matter how painful it may be... or how afraid you are, you must tell the truth." "You also taught me that it's possible to be reborn each instant." "I believe that." "Once, when I was a very small boy," "I wanted to go to the village alone, and you were afraid for me." "I insisted, and finally you said," ""You can go." "You can do whatever you want to do always,"" ""only be sure, be very sure."" ""Then, listen to no one, not even to me."" "And I too must do what I must do." "If I allow this to happen, for the rest of my life I would ask myself... if I had done all that was necessary... to prevent this evil." "I shall order her to leave Ranchipur." "I'm no longer a queen, but I still have some power." "If I succeed, you will hate me, I think." "That is the chance I must take." "And I shall pray that someday, you will forgive me." "If you send her away," "I shall go with her." "That too is a chance I must take." "Mr. Adoani, we're so sorry to be late." "Good evening." "Good evening." "Come right in." "I'm sure you know everybody." "And again, it was Abdular." "There are times when I think it was all a mistake― electricity, engines, perhaps even the invention of the wheel." "And the printing press?" "Well, that's all right." "But candlelight is dependable." "Except in a high wind." "When it is again sunshine, I shall look full into it, even if I blind myself." "Sorry." "Kishin, we need some―" "I'm sorry I'm late." "Lady Esketh, you did not receive a letter explaining?" "It did not arrive?" "Yes, I did receive a letter." "I didn't open it." "I had no idea it was urgent." "If it's important, you can tell me about it now." "I, ― Well, the maharani―." "Yes." "The maharani's annoyed with me." "She said you wouldn't want me to come here tonight." "I didn't for a minute believe her." "India's free now, isn't it, Mr. Adoani?" "You don't have to take orders from the maharani, do you?" "You are my honored guest, Lady Esketh." "Come in, please." "Lady Esketh, you look as lovely as ever." "Thank you." "Hello." "I― I am sorry about Lord Esketh." "Yes." "Hello, Edwina." "I wanna talk to you." "Would you excuse us, please?" "Tom, are you drunk again?" "Have you ever thought of stopping?" "Leave him alone." "I didn't get a drink, darling." ""Would you get me one?" "Do you know what "simple" means, Edwina?" "I looked it up." "It means sincere, undesigning, straightforward, innocent." "He's a simple man, Edwina." "And you used to be an amusing drunk, Tom." "Now you're pious and dull." "He's my friend." "You leave him alone!" "Tommy, don't argue with me tonight, please." "I think I'm sick." "You remember you once said that neither of us could fall in love?" "Well, I have." "I'm telling the truth for a change." "How would you know?" "What's the matter with him?" "He's thirsty." "Darling, you all right?" "Wonderful." "You look beautiful." "You look especially handsome tonight, Dr. Safti." "Is anything wrong?" "The maharani and I had a fight." "Not just a quarrel or an argument." "We had a fight." "She ordered me to leave the palace and Ranchipur." "I don't blame her." "I'd fight back too." "We'll go away." "I'll call the medical college tonight." "They'll send someone." "We should be able to leave in a week, 10 days." "You could stay here." "I can't stay here." "They don't want me." "I'll take you to the mission." "You can stay with the Smileys." "Another heathen to be converted?" "Mrs. Smiley will like you, and you will like her." "We all like to think we're indispensable." "Nobody ever is." "But you'll miss it here." "Yes, I will miss it." "It would be foolish and dishonest of me to deny that." "I know these people, and I..." "love and understand them." "You learn to do what you have to do." "But maybe I'm wrong." "Maybe I'm being selfish again." "Maybe I should try to stop you." "Maybe―." "I love you." "Do you love me?" "Completely." "Then I could not be stopped." "I wish you weren't going away, Tom." "It doesn't seem so very long ago that the maharani called me in... to find out what I knew about the strange, new American." "I'm an inveterate snooper." "That's why I'm a policeman." "I told her, "His name is Thomas Ransome"," ""and he's a veteran of the war and an engineer."" "What does a man have to do to get another drink around here?" "The maharani was very pleased, and so was I." "We need engineers, a lot of them, and builders and leaders." "I told the maharani we need leaders like this Ransome." "It just goes to show you, even a policeman can be mistaken about a man's character." "Tom, may I say something?" "No!" "Go ahead, Rashid." "I'm listening." "Tom, I'm your friend." "I have said to the maharani, "Here is a man of intelligence and warmth."" ""Why is he trying to pretend that he cares nothing..."" ""for himself or for anybody else?"" "I have not found an answer." "Why?" "Has anybody ever told you to mind your own business?" "Yes." "You just have." "But friends owe something to each other." "They have a duty." "Look who's talking about duty!" "Tom, stop it!" "You're the original duty boy, throwing over everything for this―" "I don't know what the word for her would be in Hindi, but in English, it's got one syllable." "Don't say it again!" "Quiet, please!" "Quiet!" "Quiet." "It's just a little tremor of the earth." "Please, don't panic." "I'm terribly sorry, Mrs. Adoani." "Rashid and I have to report into the police station and the hospital." "You'll never know what all may have happened across the other side of the river." "I'm sorry, Tom." "It's all right." "I should've minded my own business." "I'm going with you!" "Edwina, the bridge may be out." "I'll get my coat." "You look after her, Tom." "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" "No, I'd like you here, please." "I can't find it!" "Tom, you find my coat!" "Wait!" "Edwina!" "Wait for me, darling!" "Wait!" "No, Tom!" "Take me over there, Tommy!" "Please!" "You're my oldest friend, the only friend I've ever had." "Please!" "Come on back in the house." "No!" "Edwina!" "Let me go!" "Come on." "Please." "Don't you try to stop me!" "You really never wanted me to be happy." "You've always hated me because I've had more money than you!" "I've always had more money than anybody!" "Stop it, Edwina!" "And now you're trying to keep me from him, and I need him!" "I need him!" "I need him!" "Stop it, I said!" "Please." "Don't hate me, Tom." "Don't hate me." "This girl is ill." "What bedroom can I put her in?" "She cannot remain here." "The maharani's forbidden it." "Adoani, you're a fool!" "I've known it for a long time." "I just never got around to saying it." "Now, get out of my way!" "Hold all vehicles!" "And no more vehicles over that bridge!" "Understand?" "Look!" " Are you all right?" " Just take care of her." "How are you, old girl?" "Tommy." "It's morning." "Looks like the worst is over." "The water hasn't risen in the last two hours." "Do you― Do you think he's all right?" "I don't know." "Things seem to be a lot worse on the other side of the river." "There's a boat coming." "Is it him?" "I don't think so." "I'm exhausted." "Fern, why'd you come here?" "I'll catch my breath in a minute." "You're cold." "Come on inside." "Lady Esketh's in here." "She's very sick." "Come on." "Get off that coat." "I never thought I'd make it." "I started out after that second quake." "You mean you've been out in this all night?" "I know you told me to stay away, but last night, I just couldn't help myself." "I had to find out if you were all right." "If I was all right?" "You could've lost your life, you know." "Come on." "Lie down here." "You get some rest." "I'll use the boat and take Edwina over to the mission." "Then I'll come back for you." "Tom, you're still not going to leave Ranchipur, are you?" "I'm not going anyplace." "Not just now, anyway." "I mean, ever?" "So do I." "Come on, old girl." "We're going for a boat ride." "Emily, it's Lady Esketh." "Yes, take her to my room." "Her bed's all ready." "I'll be right over." "You're doing just fine." "Of course, your temperature always goes up a little this time of night." "How many are out there?" "Last night, there were 200." "Tonight, there'll be more." "How many died last night?" "I don't know." "Now, try not to think about that." "I was telling you about my Grandfather Josephson." "He had 12 children and 135 grandchildren." "We all descended upon him at Christmastime." "And when the neighbors asked him how he liked having such a full house, he said," """Glad to see 'em come, but a darned sight gladder to see 'em go."" "Am I going to die?" "Now, I want you to get some sleep." "I'm gonna get you some aspirin, and then I want you to close your eyes... and just try to doze off." "Am I going to die?" "My dear, don't think that way." "I've done the very best I can, and I've prayed." "That's all I can do." "But― I've got to see him." "I just don't think it's possible for him to get across the river." "I want to tell him what knowing him has meant to me." "I think that would be important to him." "You do see that he would want to know that." "I see." "Well, I have to tell him!" "Don't you understand?" "I understand." "I'm going to get you some aspirin." "How is she?" "She may not last through the night." "I wish there was a way to let Dr. Safti know." "Even if he did― Emily, a hundred people died in the untouchable quarter last night." "Twice that many'll probably die tonight." "And now, the plague is spreading." "If the water would just go down." "It can't go down." "The narrows get more clogged every minute." "There's a whole artificial dam built up there... with parts of houses and furniture and debris and bodies." "You're doing all you can." "Just when you think you're making some headway, something like this happens." "We may have to start all over again at the very beginning." "Not at the very beginning, Homer." "Never at the very beginning." "I'm sure one of the boys will risk getting across." "Just so Dr. Safti knows." "We'd never forgive ourselves if he didn't." "Could I speak to you?" "There's nothing in the world wrong with you." "You'll probably have triplets." "A messenger just came from the mission." "It's about Edwina." "He was a very simple boy." "He came to me instead of to you." "How is she?" "She's very sick." "She's asking for you." "Mrs. Smiley says she may not live." "Will you go to her?" "Please?" "You see, I love her too." "I never told anyone that before, not even Edwina." "Please go." "I cannot go." "You don't really care, do you?" "Of course I care!" "I love her very much." "But I love them too." "Someone got through to the narrows." "The water's going down." "Mrs. Smiley?" "Mrs. Smiley?" "Mrs. Smiley?" "My dear, now, there's nothing to be worried about." "You lie back." "But what's happened?" "Our prayers have been answered, that's what." "The waters are going down." "You know something?" "I think your fever's gone." "How do you feel?" "Better." "Much better." "In fact, I'm hungry." "Good." "I'm so relieved." "I know you'll be all right now." "I'm going to get you some soup." "They finally opened up the bridge." "Dad and Mr. Smiley took the first patients over to the hospital." "Do you know how many people slept in the schoolhouse last night?" "Seventy-two." "And there were 20 more under the tarp in the compound." "Don't you worry about Dr. Safti." "He'll be here the very first minute he can." "Can I get you anything?" "A shampoo, facial and a manicure." "Excuse me a second." "I'll be right back." "It's good to see you." "It's wonderful to see you." "I missed you." "I was so worried, I―." "Well, I couldn't sleep anyway." "There were so many people to take care of." "But where were you?" "I, ― I got held up." "Are you all right?" "I'm fine." "Hello, Tom." "Hello, Fern." "Emily." "How is she?" "She was a pretty sick girl for a while." "I didn't know what to do, so I just used... the common sense the good Lord gave me, and I prayed." "She's all right now." "Or she will be as soon as she sees you." "No, no." "Have some coffee first." "You look as though you need it." "This must be my 500th cup in the last 72 hours." "You must be very tired." "Very." "Now, tell us― tell us what happened." "When we heard the explosion, I couldn't imagine what it was." "And then the waters began to go down, and I―" "I knew someone had opened up the narrows." "Who did it?" "You or Rashid or―." "No." "You couldn't get to it from our side of the river." "I kept asking myself the same question, Emily." "What kind of man, I asked myself, would do that?" "He must know something of Ranchipur." "He knew the dynamite was stored in the old garrison." "He must be something of an expert." "He had to know where to place it so that it would work effectively." "He must be very courageous, because he would have known... that the odds against his surviving were tremendous." "And he must be a man who cares, I told myself." "Who cares about Ranchipur, about people." "Finally, I decided I wanted this man for a friend." "I was glad to find that he already was." "Emily, a lot of people are lined up out there for tea." "Suppose I pour?" "Wanna help?" "Darling!" "I've been so frightened... and so lonely." "Please don't go away again." "For a few minutes now, there will be no flood and no hospital." "Only the two of us." "I worried about you as soon as I heard how very sick you were." "You heard?" "When?" "Mrs. Smiley sent a boy across." "When was that?" "Two days ago." "You've known for two days that I've been sick?" "Darling, even in the hallways and offices of the hospital, there were the sick and the wounded." "And there were several hundred more inside the palace, and no one to help except the maharani and some servants." "I had to make a decision, a very serious one." "If I came across the river, I could not be sure that..." "I would get back to the hospital." "I did not come across." "Besides, I knew that Mrs. Smiley and Fern were here to take care of you." "I almost died." "Did you know that?" "I knew that." "Suppose you'd have known for sure that I was dying." "What would you have done then?" "Darling, please." "What would you have done then?" "I would have remained at the hospital." "Without any question in your mind?" "With so many questions in my mind, but always realizing that it was one life against many." "Even though the one was mine?" "Even though the one was yours." "Please know that it was not easy." "I'll try." "Edwina, we won't be able to leave right away." "Now we need 100 doctors and 1,000 architects and engineers and builders." "You realize that the entire untouchable quarter was wiped out?" "Out of all this wasted destruction, some good will come." "In the new houses, there will be no disease and no filth." "We have a great chance now." "There will be new schools, new roads and a new dam." "We could become an example for all of India." "What's the matter?" "Please understand." "I understand." "It's all right, isn't it?" "It's all right." "But, please, hold me... for a long time." "I would like to see the maharani, please." "But she cannot see you." "She has not yet arisen." "Lachmaania, let Lady Esketh come in." "Have you told him?" "No." "So you have come to me." "Why?" "To have me tell him for you?" "He will see that you are gone, and I hope he will be relieved as I am." "I know." "Have you come to say good-bye?" "I do not believe in good-byes." "To those I love, I say too much." "To those I do not love, I have nothing to say." "To you, I have nothing to say..." "except this." "I have known from the beginning what was in your mind." "Have you?" "How certain you are." "How all-knowing." "Do you ever have doubts about anything?" "Never about you." "I spent three days and three nights in a room listening to people die." "For a while, I thought I might die too." "But that would've been too easy." "You have to be punished for all the evil you do." "I'm being punished now and will always be." "Whatever it was in the beginning, and I know what it was," "I love him now." "I'm going away, and I'm not coming back." "He might've gone away with me, I think." "And he might've been miserable." "I don't know." "I'm less secure than you in my opinions." "And then again, I―" "I might've made him happy." "I might just." "I'd have tried." "How I'd have tried." "But I decided not to try, and you had nothing to do with it." "Because I don't care about you or about this shabby little province." "I care about him... and only him." "And my going away may be the one unselfish act of my life." "I have to think so." "I am positive that eventually, you'll succeed in convincing yourself." "Please!" "You will like that, won't you?" "You will be able to weep into your goblet of champagne..." "Please!" "And tell whatever young, pretty man you can hire... to listen about your one, true love." "No more, please!" "Your noble act." "Don't you understand?" "I need this illusion." "I need it very much." "Go away, please." "I wasn't the one." "But someday, somebody will be." "If you don't mind, I wish to―" "I do mind." "And I don't give a damn what you wish." "He's a great man, really great, but no one can live for duty alone." "You can't cherish duty." "You can't come home to it at night." "I was easy to fight." "But when there's somebody you can't stop, don't even try." "Good-bye." "Good-bye, Edwina." "Edwina?" "Edwina, I could not let you go without being sure... that you know what is now in my heart and will always be." "When I've said that, you must go, my love, without good-byes, without looking back, without regrets." "I know now that I shall not see you again." "For some, there is a lifetime." "For others, only a few hours." "Our few hours have been the most beautiful of my life." "You have given me love, and I now know that a man cannot live without love― that he is warmed by it and ennobled by it... and humbled by it." "In India, we bring gifts for the departing." "My gift is― cannot be held in the hand." "It is without cost, but it is also precious." "It is to say to you this:" "You think yourself as selfish, and you have been that." "And greedy and cold and demanding― You have been all of those." "But in all the years to come, you must know yourself... as― as I do." "I love you." "I love you because you're capable of great unselfishness, because you're gentle and good and kind, and because you have the understanding heart." "I'm grateful, my darling." "I shall always be grateful to you." "Good-bye, Tom." "Good-bye, old girl." "Good-bye, Fern." "Good-bye, Tom." "Good-bye, Alan." "Good-bye, Alan." "Good-bye, Fern."