"THE PRESIDENT'S MISTRESS" "Based on a true story..." "It's tight!" "It hurts, here." "There?" "Meg..." "Félix!" "Élysée Palace, Feb. 16, 1899" "Help!" "Help!" "I beg you!" "Open up!" "Stand back!" "Don't leave me." "Stay." "Mr. President!" "Quick, call a doctor." "Call a doctor!" "No!" "Félix!" "Three years earlier" "There he is..." "It's Félix." " Stop fidgeting." " It's too tight." " You should've worn a corset." " I wore a corset." "Mr. President." "Delighted to meet you." "My wife, sir." "He won't come." "Oh, no..." "That's all we needed." "Buttons, oh God, your buttons." "Well, it seems to be me." "Bravo, maestro." "I'm not too bad, Berthe, am I?" "A bit severe, perhaps." "I made it from a lithograph." "I did my best to honor your presence and natural authority, while respecting your rank as the head of state." "Allow me to introduce my wife." " Mr. President." " Pleased to meet you, Madam." "They're mischievous, those little buttons." "Actually, I'm feeling a little tight in my vest too." "Perhaps this might help." "On one condition, of course." "That you'll return it to me." "Thank you." "We must be going." "I'm coming, Berthe." "Glad I could help, Madam." "Once again, congratulations, maestro." "Meg." "Meg." "You're incorrigible." "Leave me alone." "Adolphe, are you still sulking?" "At least he saw your painting." "Be quiet." "You cloaked us in ridicule and probably lost my only customer, the President of the Republic." "It was too good to be true." "Papa!" "My jewel." "The future for girls is stenography." "Stenographers will replace copyists." "So everyone says." "Do you realize?" "Stenography?" "We just wanted to learn to sew and spin, and even that was too much." "The way things are going, two salaries could help." "You want me to work?" "If things continue this way, yes." "Why do you say that, Papa?" "Your paintings are good." "It's not your fault nobody buys them." "Anyway, I find them good." "That's kind, my jewel, but these days, only scribblers appeal." "Little dots of color that look like fly droppings." "The Impressionists aren't bad." "You think it's better that way?" "With stenography, I could do accounting." "If you want to do accounting, do it." "That's what you say now." "...to pass your study certificate." "After you can do what you want." "You could even go further." "Go further in what?" "In your studies." "Studies?" "I'm not a boy." "If I'd had the chance..." ""If I'd had the chance."" "Lampshades, lovely lampshades, ladies." " We could take one?" " What for?" "As a hat for Granny." "It would suit her perfectly." "The latest in Parisian chic." "That's not nice for Granny." "Do you see that?" "Who is it?" "Imagine with that light, Mr. President." "Come in." "It's my wife and daughter." "Mrs. Steinheil, come in." "We need you." "Do you think this light suits me?" "Yes." "But why?" "Mr. President is ordering a new portrait." "I was just suggesting ochre as the predominant color." "Of course, we can use sienna, which is much deeper, more dense, but..." "Personally, I'd recommend ochre tones." "And what do you think?" "I think you should heed my husband's taste." "Which is fine, incontestably." "Ochre." "I never should have accompanied you here." "Don't start, Meg." "We don't get invited to the Élysée everyday." "So, try to act pleasant." "He says he loved the portrait I made of him." "He even wants to buy my sketches." "That's rare." "It shows he's a real connoisseur." "It's obvious he invited you to please me." "So act agreeable and smile." "Mr. President." "Mrs. Steinheil, how delightful." "Your presence honors us." "My wife was just saying she's enthralled, right dear?" "Really?" "I'll get you some champagne." " No, I'll go." " Allow me." "Don't move." " You seem to be avoiding me?" " Me?" "Not at all." "Just as well." "I'd be sorry." "Your dress is magnificent." "Rest assured, in case of need I've a stock of tiepins." "That won't be necessary, I'm breathing easy this evening." "Excuse me." "They're asking for you, Mr. President." "I'm coming." "It's warm in here." "I don't know what's happening with the heating here." "But that flush in your cheeks is very moving." "Why?" "Am I red?" "You're marvelous." "Madam?" "Félix?" " Félix." " Please excuse us." "What happened, Meg?" "You chased him off?" "Can we go?" "Meg, do you realize what you're saying?" "My career hangs in the balance." "You see who's here?" "Careful!" "Be on time." "You can't keep the President of the Republic waiting." " I'll come with you." " Where, dear?" "To the Élysée." "You're going with the painting?" " Yes." " You're right." "I was impolite." "I'll make it up." "Alright like that?" "Perfect." "Let's go then." "Since you'd like the sketches, Mr. President, here's the first." "And the second, which is already very different." "Yes..." "I allowed myself to raise the mustache slightly." "Very well done." "Mr. President?" "The painting has arrived." "Well, bring it in." "If you allow me, Mr. President, I have to ensure its reception." "Of course, I understand." "You never know..." "Take your time." "Mr. President, the painting." "I introduce you to your portrait, Mr. President." "Meg, it's me." "Meg?" "Are you sleeping?" "I'm tired." "But, it's just past 9:30, Meg." "I could enter if I wanted." "Meg, you're my wife." "You should remember that." "When I was 18, I had a fiancée." "He was a lieutenant." "I never saw him again." "I don't even know what became of him." "Have no regrets." "I'm sure he lost his hair and put on weight." "We planned to get married, then one month before, my father died." "Can you help me?" "So, my mother didn't want me to marry him anymore." "She introduced me to Adolphe." "He was ugly, but nice." "I was so despondent, I didn't have the courage to say no." "I don't know why I'm telling you that." "I don't want you to go." "What else can I do?" " Marthe Steinheil!" " You can live as you wish." " For my jewel..." " Not so much, careful!" " She's fourteen years old!" " Thanks." " There." "Wait, we'll toast." " Thanks." "To Marthe Steinheil, for your graduation!" "To your future!" "Free and happy." "To business picking up!" " No, sorry, my agenda's full." " Are you sure?" "Not before three months?" "Stop troubling Mr. Steinheil, we'll wait." "See you soon." "Oh, here's my little family, wait, I'll introduce you." "Marguerite, my wife, and Marthe, my daughter." " She's studying at Pigier." " Congratulations, Miss." "Mr. and Mrs. Raspail." "Madam, Miss..." "Hello." "Madam, I'm delighted to meet you." "Pleased to meet you." "Shall we go, Marthe?" "See how he looked at you?" "Like an exotic animal." "Really, I didn't notice." "If you eat now, you won't be hungry later." "Food's expensive." "Take one, don't be shy." "It won't go down." "They're lapping it up, back from the scribblers." "They're starting to understand real talent!" "That's magnificent." "If nobody minds, I'll take these until tomorrow." "You'll ruin my bananas in your painting workshop." "Then, I'm the one who'll eat them, Mariette." " Going, going, gone." " Can I come with you, Papa?" "Of course, my jewel." "You know, there are five kinds of yellow..." "Come on, Mariette, don't sulk over bananas." "I don't care about bananas." "People are talking, you know." "It'd be too bad if your husband heard." "Or the little one." "And I thought business was better." "Why?" "What do people say?" "It pains my stomach when I hear such gossip at the market." "Such as?" "The painter's wife and the President." "Think it's offensive?" "I'm the one who has to do the shopping." "I'm sorry, Meg." "Those Cabinet meetings go on forever." " What's wrong?" " We can't continue, Félix." "Why, what did I do?" "All of Paris is talking about us." "You scared me." "It's just gossip, Meg." "I'm used to it." " No." " Ignore it." "No, I don't want my daughter to hear of it." " Calm down." " No, we have to stop, Félix." "We'll find a solution." "The solution's to stop seeing each other." "Meg!" "We're allowed to be in love too." "No." "It's not for me." "I'm not strong enough." "Let me go." "No!" "Unless you tell me you don't want to see me anymore." "Then I'll open this door, and you'll never hear from me again." "Meg." "We need a reason to justify your presence here." "A real reason." "I found it." "You know how to write?" "Come with me." "Here." "What's this?" "Personal notes." "On my life and career." "They need organizing." "You're speaking of Dreyfus, why are you giving me this?" "Because you're the person I trust most." "And it'll shut up imbeciles." "I don't think you realize." "These are state secrets." "I wouldn't know how to do this." "You'll know." "Madam Japy?" "Mother?" "What are you doing here?" " Adolphe didn't tell you?" " No..." " Will you be staying long?" " That doesn't depend on me." " On who, then?" " On Adolphe." "With his success, he needs someone to take orders, organize exhibits, ship the canvases." "It doesn't interest you, so I'll do it." "He didn't mention it." "Couples don't always tell each other everything." "Do you have any arnica?" " You've got nerve." " Do you have some or not?" "Marguerite, there are men you shouldn't get too close to." "I say this for your own good." "My own good?" "You know what's good for me now?" "Adolphe is a good husband." "You don't live with him." "You're the one who's difficult." "In fact... thanks, I'm placing his papers in order." "Sorting them, classifying..." "The President of the Republic has no one to do that?" "Of course." "He has trusted collaborators." "But, he needs an outsider's view." "A view." "Before, she never wanted to go to the Élysée, now we can't keep her away." "It must be to her advantage." "I'm proud that my mother works for the President." "Thank you." "Not everyone has the chance." "Dreyfus wasn't a traitor." "The evidence was doctored." " Possibly." " So, why not review the trial?" "France is in a bad way, Meg." "Our Republic is still too young, I don't want to endanger it." "Besides, we've enough pressure." "What's your personal opinion?" "My opinion is of no importance." "If I authorize a review, I ignite the powder keg." "But if you do nothing, it's the same." "I'm maintaining a balance, it's difficult, Meg." "What's this list of names?" "Financiers, journalists, politicians, all implicated in the Panama Canal affair." "Meaning?" "To finish the Canal, funds were raised from small donors," "They lost all their money." "To prevent a scandal, we tried to keep it quiet." "We bought the silence of those who could make a fuss." "Their names are here." " Then they're all..." " You can say it, corrupt." "Then review the Dreyfus trial." " It'd be wrong not to." " I know, but I can't." "I'm the loyal guardian of the law the cause attacked." "I want you." " Here?" " Yes, here." " You excite me." " You excite me too." "Come in." "Mr. President, your meeting." "Yes, Le Gall, I'll be right there." "Come." "Good day, gentlemen, how are you?" "I'm fine, thanks." "Actually, I'd be better if I saw welcoming faces." "Friendly faces instead of baldheads." "Let's discuss the Dreyfus affair." "Your affairs." "It's not on the day's agenda." "Then, we'll change the agenda, since we can't change the day." "While you're at it, try to change your way of thinking." "I'm listening." "Thanks, Mariette." "Henri." "Do you realize how much money my daughter spent, Dr.?" "I hope they'll order paintings from my son-in-law." "Quite the guest list." "It's Émile Zola, he hates my son-in-law's work." "He lacks sensibility." "Meg, tell us how Faure is." "Does he only wear London suits?" "I wouldn't know." "It surprises me you'd miss such a detail." "And his mistress?" "Who's he sleeping with?" "Is that all that interests you about the President?" "His private life?" "It interests everybody." "The private life of a President." "That's his most amusing side." "What does he say about Capt. Dreyfus, Mrs. Steinheil?" "Contrary to what people think, he's not hostile to a review." "He's considering it." "Thinking can be dangerous when you're not used to it." "He's a Republican." "He doesn't dive in headfirst." "The excuse of cowards." "Knowing your opinions, I'd never have invited you, if he had no intention of changing his position." "But it's you I wanted to meet, Mrs. Steinheil." "My wife has become the darling of Paris, now she visits the Élysée daily." "So, my dear Adolphe, Mr. Zola's not here to admire your art." "Oh, no, you have to understand him." "My painting is so bourgeois." "So dull." "Photography seems to represent reality better." "Even if it's a nascent art." "A nascent art?" "More like one-eyed art." "You're all here to see my paintings, aren't you?" " Yes..." " Follow me then..." "Please, go look at Adolphe's magnificent paintings." "Isn't Adolphe selling a lot lately?" "We know why!" "I'm just asking for a few days in the country with the family." "We haven't done it for months." "I'm sorry, dear friend, I'm very busy." "Don't bother lying to me." "I see her through my windows daily." "I never pretended not to have a mistress." "I've been warned, you're allowed everything, is that so?" "Anyway, her or another, your gaze will soon wander." "You're annoying me, Berthe." "And have done so for 32 years." "32 years." "Just for that I deserve a statue." "Let me do my work." "It's odd how little you know me after 32 years." "You pick up the receiver." "You call the operator, she replies, and you give her the number you want to call." "Then you hang up." "If your caller's with the same exchange, no problem." "If not, the operator calls another operator." "But not to worry, you'll be connected." "When someone calls you, it's easy." "It rings." "You pick up and you speak." "I'd never have imagined speaking to someone not in the same room." "Would you like to try, Miss?" "Yes..." "Here." " Who should I call?" " Whoever you like." "I don't have to pay?" "No, the Élysée pays." " It's a fabulous invention." " Fabulous." "It rings, you run." "Stop it." "What are you doing?" "Slip that on." "We'll go out walking, window shop, go to a café." "Like regular people." "It'd do you good to see people up close." " You want me to put this on?" " Yes." "I'm suffocating here." "I've seen enough of these four walls." "Try this one." "Meg, everybody'll recognize me." "At worst, they'll say you look oddly like President Faure." "I bet you everyone will turn to watch me pass." "See, it's there." " You were born here?" " Yes." "I didn't remember it being so small." "There used to be a chair factory that my father owned." "See, we lived up there, crammed in a little apartment." "After, I worked as a clerk in a tannery." "How do you get from a tannery to politics?" "You get married." "I married well." "My wife was rich." " Give me that!" " Here, take your bread." "Let me go!" "Bastard!" " Enough!" " Take that!" "Get up." "Run." "He's just an urchin." "He steals bread cause he's hungry." "How am I supposed to pay for the flour?" "How much do I pay?" "To earn what?" "Everything in this country goes to the rich!" "Madam... it's hard for everyone." "You're not so bad off." "We'll always need your bread." "Where are you from, to say such stupidities?" "He killed Dreyfus." " You're Félix Faure?" " Slut!" "Thieves!" "Son of a whore!" "Come on!" "Cuckold!" "Bastard!" "There he is." "Félix!" "Please!" "Call someone!" "Félix!" "Help!" "It'll be okay." "Don't worry." "I could kick myself." "I couldn't imagine how much they hate me." "I'm sorry you had to hear such horrors, Meg." " Goodbye, Mr. President." " Thank you, doctor." "It's not serious, Mrs. Faure, a superficial..." "Are you completely crazy?" "Going out without an escort." "We were very lucky, Mr. President." " Very lucky." " You could've died." "The one who'll get me isn't born yet." "You forgot your predecessor's assassination, on the street?" "Mrs. Steinheil, I'm very sorry to involve you in such idiocy." "I think you should go home now." "Your family must be worried." "You weren't sleeping?" "Mom, you're never there anymore." "I'm sorry dear, but we finished very late..." "How are your courses at Pigier going?" "Are you happy?" "I don't want that tart in the Élysée again." "If it continues, she'll govern France." "She already put it into his head to review the Dreyfus trial." "Don't think it's true?" "He changed his mind from one day to the next." "That's true." "But you know as well as I do that to prevent civil war we can't do otherwise." " Public opinion is hostile." " Let's not talk politics." "Mrs. Faure, everything's politics." "The press has already taken aim at the Republic over this." "I want her denied entry to the Élysée." "Let's call a spade a spade." "That woman's a whore." "But, a dangerous one." "So, what will you win?" "He'll go out." "We can't keep him on a leash." "So, the whore won." "Can't we do anything against her?" "That's what you're telling me?" "Mrs. Faure, my job is to prevent a return to the old regime." "Let me take care of it." "Meg, we'll wait a few days until things calm down." "Otherwise, I know them..." "But what, a week, 10 days?" "Two weeks?" "Forever?" "No." "A week, Meg." "Not a day more." "I'm thinking of you, sweetheart." "You're lucky your husband's a saint." "Stop it." "When I think you reproached me for pushing you to marry him..." "Stop it!" "Like your Lt. Keller." "Scheffer, Armand Scheffer." "What a catch." "Where would you be today if I'd let you?" "You've no answer?" "You know what?" "I'm going to your room to pack your bags and you're leaving!" "Why are you leaving?" "We were going to the Charity Bazaar opening together." "We'll go another time." "See you soon, pet." "She had to leave some day." "I'll take you to the Charity Bazaar." "Oh, yes?" "Not working anymore?" "A bit less." "Madam." "Madam?" "This hall is reserved for Cabinet members." "Meg?" " What's happening?" " Would you like her removed?" " Leave me alone." "It's private." " I won't be long." "I know why you weren't in a hurry to see me." "Rest assured, you won't have to." "Meg, we're in the Council chamber, show some respect." " Do you show respect?" " Wait, Meg." "It won't happen again." "It was a folly." "You should have thought of that before." "Meg, wait!" "Continue, gentlemen." "Meg!" "Do you want to ridicule me in front of the ministers?" ""The President's mistress interrupts Council."" "Want to see that in the papers?" "It might please your Dreyfusard friends!" "What do you want?" "For me to resign?" "You'd be doing France a favor!" "Yes..." "I don't know if she's there." "I have to go look." "Hold the line." "Listen..." "I received your letters and flowers, but I haven't changed my mind." "Nor will I." "Happy?" "You got what you wanted." "It's not my fault you can't resist temptation." "A child with a new toy." "Very touching." "You're wrong to doubt my affection for her, Berthe." "Good night, dear friend." "I'd be ready to sell myself to sell your lousy paintings." "Sell yourself?" "More like a loan." "The President of the Republic ordered a nude of my wife, to exhibit at the National Assembly, so I do as I'm told." "Remove your dressing gown." "Pose, more languid, I don't know... put your hand like this." "Yes, slightly arched..." "Don't move." "I said remove your dressing gown." "I'm cold." " Remove your gown!" " Stop it!" "Stop!" "Adolphe, no!" "Let me go!" "No." "No!" "You can't say no now." "He'll recover." "Thanks." "What can I tell him, when he comes to?" "That I wanted to kill him 'cause I couldn't stand him anymore?" "I never loved him." "If I'd loved him even a bit nothing would've happened." "Get in." " Get in, I tell you." " Let me go!" "No!" "Go!" "I miss you, Meg." "Really?" " I thought I'd been replaced." " I know I made a mistake." "I realized you're the only one that matters, Meg." "It's you I want." "You had to sleep with someone else to find out?" "Wonderful." " It's only human, no?" " Male." " Meg." " Please stop." "I'll wait for you." "Le Gall?" "What is it?" "The Charity Bazaar is on fire." "What's that?" "The firemen are on the way." "1200 people are trapped inside." "They were showing the Lumière Bros. film and a fire started." "Who was there?" "The cream of charity organizations." "The Duchesses of Lanson, Uzès, General Février, many..." "Not counting bystanders." "The Apostolic Nuncio had blessed the site an hour earlier." "Go to the scene, I may have friends there." "Very well." "I understand, sir." "Thanks." "Mariette, did Mrs. Steinheil go to the Charity Bazaar today?" "How so, it's possible?" "Was she or wasn't she?" "Then, pass me her husband." "He's not there either?" "You don't know where he is?" "Thank you." "The latest casualty figures." "Close to 100 victims." "The wounded, mostly women, are on their way to hospitals." "Get me the Chief of Police." "Yes, find me Adolphe Steinheil." "No, Steinheil." " Was she there or not?" " Where?" "At the Bazaar, was she there?" "Yes... she was going to the Charity Bazaar." "Put him down there." "After, she was going to come to work with you." "Work, eh?" "We understand each other, Mr. President." "Get me the Interior Minister." "I know she'll come back to me, because I'll never betray her!" " Never!" " Sit down, Steinheil." "She was there." "It's confirmed." "Manage it." "Find her." "She always believed in my painting." "Your painting?" " You don't deserve her." " You treat her like a whore!" "Everybody does because of you." "Yes?" "There are still 129 victims to be identified." "Go home." "I'll keep you informed." "She's my wife." "I'm staying here." "Drink this, it'll do you good." "C'mon." "Try." "I never should have refused to go with her." "God's punishing me." "Drink, instead of saying such stupidities." "Yes?" "Yes, thank you." "That's it, Steinheil, she's in good health, alive." " Go home." " No, I'm staying here." " Get the hell out of here." " Nobody talks that way to me." "How do they talk?" "You're drunk." "Get out of here or the cops will take you!" "So?" "Everything's fine." "Why isn't she here?" "When's she coming?" "The fire devoured everything in its path." "People fell... women... children..." "Everybody was screaming." "We managed to break down the bars." "We escaped by the courtyard." "It was a miracle." "Meg, it's over." "Don't think of it anymore." "Look at me." "To think I almost lost you." "I want to marry you." " You're crazy." " No." "I'm serious." "I thought it over." "I'll get a divorce." "I'll be the first divorced president." " I need to see my daughter." " Yes, of course." "There's something I have to ask you." "Take my notebooks home, everybody's spying on me here." "Okay?" "My darling, you know things may change from now on." "What do you mean?" "It's not going very well with your father." "You must've noticed." "You'll leave." "No, what are you saying?" "Firstly, I'll always be with you." "You're my daughter." "You're the person who matters most to me." "You know it." "I thought I'd never get through it." "I had a meeting with Von Bulow, he showed up an hour late." "The worst is that I had another after." "It's really infernal." "I have something for you." "It can't be eaten, or drunk either," "but you can hook it." "No, a kiss first." "It's magnificent." "You're the one who's magnificent." "It's hot, isn't it?" " You're hot?" " Yes, open the window a bit." " Isn't it better like this?" " Yes, much better." "I don't know, this evening I feel oppressed." " It's fatigue." " Yes..." "Come here." "I don't know what's wrong with me." "Don't move." "I'll take care of you." "Yes." "Meg!" "It hurts." "It's tight!" "I've a pain here." "Here." " Félix!" " Meg!" "Help!" "Félix, the key." "Talk to me!" "Say something!" "I beg you, say something." "Open up!" "Quick!" "Open up!" "I beg you!" "Open up!" "Stand back!" "Don't leave me." "You hear me?" "Don't leave me!" "Quick, call a doctor." " Mr. President!" " Call a doctor!" "No, Félix!" "No!" "Is the President still "on conscious"?" "No." "She left by the service stairs." "He's dead!" "That's Marguerite Steinheil." "His mistress..." "Why are they taking her?" "Madam, you were alone with him for 40 minutes." "You had plenty of time to poison him." "Why would I have done such a thing?" "I loved him." "That's what appearances say." "I remind you, the President was already attacked once." "When he was in your company." "Curious, isn't it?" "That's got nothing to do with it." "Apparently, you didn't always see eye to eye." "Especially on the Dreyfus Affair." "That's correct, like thousands of Frenchmen." "Some of your houseguests were openly hostile to him." "What are you doing there?" "Le Petit Parisien." "Could I ask you a few questions?" "Le Petit Parisien!" "Get the hell out of here!" "That piece of crap!" "For God's sake!" "Miss Steinheil." "Sorry to bother you." "Pierre Germain, from the Journal du Peuple." "Leave me alone." "Were you aware of your mother's relationship with the President?" "Do you think she killed him?" "The doctors concluded death by natural causes." "They had no more reason to hold me." "What is it?" "What's wrong?" "Read it!" "The President sacrificed too much to Venus" "Three years later." "Mother, please meet Pierre." "Pierre Buisson." " Pleased to meet you." " My pleasure." "Please follow me." "Your parents aren't here?" "They couldn't make it at the last minute." "This may seem sudden, Marthe and I haven't known each other long." "We love one another." "My daughter is still very young." "Mother, I'm 19." "At my age, you were already married." "My family is delighted to welcome Marthe." "We know you've had difficulties, but they won't interfere." "Pierre's parents are wonderful." "I'm sure they are." "Are you trying to make me think you love him?" "He's insipid." "He's sensible and nice." "I feel safe with him." "Marrying at 19 when you're not in love makes no sense." "I know what I'm talking about." "Cheating on your husband and making the front page does?" "All my life, I've wanted the best for you." "It seems I failed." "I really wanted you to be a free woman." "You don't understand?" "I don't want to be a Steinheil anymore!" "I don't want to be the daughter of Marguerite Steinheil!" "I want to change my name, the sooner the better." "Don't worry about the money." "Pierre's parents will pay." "Will you stay that way long?" "You haven't held a brush for months." "So?" "There aren't any orders." "I found you two orders." "Two!" "What are you waiting for to get started?" "Look at that." "That's called photography." "It's an exact reproduction of reality." "You're hurting me." "I'll never achieve such perfection." "Figurative art is finished now." "It's dead!" "So why bother with painting?" "When all you have to do is press a button?" "A device does the work for you." "Poor Adolphe Steinheil, brought down by the invention of photography." "A few years ago, it was the Impressionists." "Then, abstract scribblers." "Evidently, everyone has it in for you, huh?" "Shut up." "You know nothing." "Art is beyond you." "Oh, yeah?" "What solution do you propose?" "How will we live?" "How will we pay Marthe's wedding if you sit drinking all day?" "You just have to use your brain, or your ass." "Invite President Loubet to visit my workshop." "I'm sure he'll order a portrait too." "How much?" "Wait." "Nobody will give you more." "I assure you." "It's an exceptional piece that will be very hard to resell." "Félix!" "Fetch, Félix!" "Yes, that's good." "Félix is a good dog." "A gentleman to see you." "He won't give his name." "Excuse me for coming uninvited." "It's an unusual situation." "Who are you?" "I once worked on the design of the Panama Canal." "What about Panama?" "I have reason to believe you have documents citing my name." "I don't know what you're talking about." "He's talking money, hear him out." "There's nothing for sale here." "Besides my husband's paintings." "Please leave." "Think it over, Madam." "I have." "Very well." "If you take it that way." " What's this document?" " Nothing that concerns you." "Let go of me!" "Stop lying to me." "I can't take anymore." "As soon as Marthe is married, I'm suing for a divorce!" "A divorce!" "How will you earn a living?" "Whore!" "Shut up!" "I'm ashamed of you!" "You're the disgrace." "How you've changed!" "The last time a tomboy, now a woman." " So how's your fiancé?" " You'll see." "He's a good match!" "My dear Adolphe, it's been so long." "I'm so happy to see you." "Come in." "I'm so happy to see my granddaughter again, and you're already taking her away." "Maybe we should serve the coffee instead?" "A little wine never hurt anyone." "Just a drop." "Taste that." "So?" "You see, I did well to see big for the engagement." "3 cases of white, 3 of red..." "Nothing moves!" "So, my wife tells me you fell head over heels for my daughter?" "You met, made sparks, and now you're together for life." " Naturally." " Like us, dear." "One spark!" "Remind me, Mr. Buisson, you're 15 on your side?" "Yes." "Plus us 4 and our friend Leydet, that's 20." "Actually, my parents and I were thinking of sharing the costs." "There are more of us." "Careful, you'll vex my wife." "She's very traditional, right Meg?" "Absolutely." "The young man's family takes care of the ring, and the young lady's does the meal." "Do your parents agree to celebrate in the country house?" "Naturally, Madam." "You're sure we're not forgetting anything?" "Once we get there it'll be too late." "Don't worry Madam." "I thought of everything." "As if it was for my daughter." "Except I have no daughter with this big ninny." "So, dear, see you tomorrow." "See you tomorrow, dear." "It'll be a great day." "This Pierre Buisson is serious, polite and rich to boot!" " He's opportune for Marthe." " Why's that?" "I was just talking." "I'm tired of your snide remarks." "We can't say anything anymore." "Can you shut that dog up?" "Félix, lie down!" "We know you like your daughter moving up in society." "Remember what you promised?" "You won't drink tomorrow." "I didn't promise you, but my daughter." "And I'm getting a head start for tomorrow." "She won't change, you know." "It's her character." "She's lucky she still has you." "Meg, I put your mother in your room." "She won't have to climb two flights with her leg." "You'd better go to bed right away, Mother." "They're picking us up early in the morning." "Mrs. Steinheil!" "Mr. Steinheil!" "Mrs. Steinheil!" "There were four of them." "Three men and a redheaded woman." "All wearing black." "They looked like monks." "According to you why did they let you live?" "I was sleeping in my daughter's room." "They must've thought I was she." "Since your mother was in your room, they mistook her for you?" "Surely, yes." "Pardon?" "Surely, yes." "So they knew the layout?" "But not you, 'cause they mistook you for your daughter?" "Yes, I think so." "Something's wrong with that story." "Your daughter's 19, you're 37." "There's no reason to confuse you." "Nor to mistake your mother for you." "I don't understand what happened either." "The gas lighter said everything was calm this morning." "The neighbors heard nothing either." "The dog?" "Poisoned." "Did your dog usually sleep outside?" "No, but he wouldn't stop barking last night so..." "I put him out." "Alright, I think we've got the basics." "It smells like a planned amateur job." "Mrs. Steinheil..." "You're accused of murder, Madam." "You could lose your head." "It's not possible." "I was almost murdered." "I'm a victim, being treated like a criminal." "You're paying for your relationship with Pres." "Faure." "Counselor, they're afraid of the notebooks." "You never had those documents." "They're not in your possession." "And say nothing of the Dreyfus Affair, of course." "You have no chance." "The CID chief is overzealous, paranoid." "He's convinced you poisoned the dog to quiet it." "I can't be accused because of a dog!" "Maybe a neighbor killed it?" "He wouldn't stop barking." "My daughter?" "She refuses to see you." "Anyway, she has to come testify at the trial." "Please!" "For goodness' sake!" "Quiet!" "Gentlemen!" "We're not at a music hall, talk outside if you want." "Please continue." "Mrs. Steinheil." "You're accused of killing your husband, to be able to remarry." "And of killing your mother, out of vengeance." "When you were a young girl, she prevented you from marrying a young lieutenant, namely Armand Scheffer." "Correct?" "I was 16 years old." "It was a young girl's disappointment." "Why was your mother opposed to that marriage?" "His family was less wealthy than ours." "And you were angry with your mother?" "At the time, yes." "But I got over it." "Some years later, you married Adolphe Steinheil, 22 years your senior." "How did you meet him?" "He was a friend of my mother's." "You claim the four murderers were dressed in black?" "Yes." "They seemed to be disguised as monks." "As monks?" "What an imagination." "It's not my fault those barbarians had a penchant for theatrical blasphemy." "Let's return to the facts." "Why did you put the dog out?" "He was a good guard dog?" "You wanted to keep him from awakening the household?" "You wanted to allow the killers to act in peace?" "Not at all." "I put him out because he kept barking." "It's often what we want a dog to do." "You state nothing was stolen." "So, what were they looking for?" "Documents?" "Given the state the police found your house in, it'd clearly been searched carefully." "I suppose they were looking for something interesting to steal." "Since there was nothing, they took nothing." "A double murder, in case there was something to steal." "Your Honor, I'd like to call a witness," "Mrs. Mariette Wolfe." "Mrs. Wolfe, how many years were you working for the Steinheils?" "Twelve years." "Let's return to the day before the tragedy, why did Mrs. Steinheil ask you to accompany her daughter?" "To help her prepare the wedding dinner." "A fiancée doesn't have anything better to do on such a day?" "Isn't that more the mother's job?" "I imagine you learn many things in 12 years, about those who employ you." "Did you know Mrs. Steinheil had an adulterous affair with President Faure?" "Not at all." "Did you know Mr. Steinheil received orders from the Élysée?" "Of course." "Call Miss Marthe Steinheil to the witness stand." "Miss Steinheil, you're only 19, you're not yet an adult." "How has your life been since the tragedy?" "I live with my mother's cousins, in the 16th district." "They were designated guardians." "That will depend on the outcome of this trial, but, supposing it's favorable for your mother, do you plan to resume living with her?" "No." "You no longer want to live in the house of the tragedy?" "I want to live with my father's family." "No matter the outcome." "At the time, you were preparing to celebrate your wedding." "How did your fiancé react?" "He called it off." "You mean, he thinks your mother's guilty?" "No, he's afraid of scandal." "The papers talk about us a lot, and it's not the first time." "What are you alluding to?" "To the death of Félix Faure." "Marguerite Steinheil!" "For funerals with pump!" "What of your mother's relations with President Faure?" "We never talked about it." "I only knew she worked with him." "What did this work entail?" "Secretarial work, I think." "From what we know, Félix Faure kept notebooks, a sort of diary where he wrote what he had on his mind." "However, these notebooks were never found after his death." "Do you think your mother may have hidden them?" "I never heard anything about them." "Thank you, Miss." " I'm so happy you came." " Thank your lawyer." "You received a lot of mail." "Insults and marriage proposals, they didn't want me to bring them, nor newspapers." "I can guess what they say, no need to read it." "It seems everyone calls me the Red Widow now?" "That's true." "I'm really sorry your fiancée broke it off." "I'm sorry I learned it that way." "I'll never be known as Mrs. Buisson." "I'll remain Marthe Steinheil." "He let you down when you needed him most." "He didn't deserve you." "That's easy to say." "You're not the one who endured that humiliation." "I have no illusions, I'll be condemned." "You have to be ready." "That's what everyone tells me." "I didn't ask you here just to say farewell." "I have a last request for you." "I hid the notebooks under a floorboard, in my room under my desk." "I'd like you to retrieve them and burn them." "Let nothing remain." "Can I count on you?" "I'm innocent." "You loved your father, just for that I wouldn't have killed him." "I know." "Gentlemen!" "All rise!" "Mr. Foreman of the Jury, what's your verdict?" "In all conscience, before God and man, the jury replied no to all counts." "Mrs. Steinheil, you are acquitted." "You're free, Madam." "You're free, Mrs. Steinheil." "Why?" "It seems the Chief Justice received an order from above." "From whom?" "I don't know." "You're sure you don't want to accompany me to England?" "Nobody knows us there." "I prefer to stay with the cousins." "Once I find work, I'll rent a room." "Think it over." "Mother," "I'm happy that you're free." "But don't ask for more." " Will you close the shutters?" " Yes, Mariette." "Tell me, Marthe, you burned the notebooks like I asked?" "Yes." "You wouldn't lie to me?" "Why would I lie to you?" "I don't know." "President Faure's notebooks were published in 2009." "The double murder was never solved." "After acquittal, Mrs. Steinheil married an English Lord." "She became Lady Abinger Brooke Campbell Scarlett." "She died, rich and respected, in Sussex in 1954, aged 80." "Translation:" "James Rae Épilogue"