"( quietly ):" "I am innocent." "( sobs )" "( whispers ):" "I am in..." "Fifine!" "( quietly ):" "Am I to be left to dress myself?" "Oh!" "Pitt!" "PITT:" "Rawdon?" "Oh, good gracious." "I had to see you, Pitt." "What, at this time in the morning?" "Why ain't you at home?" "Home?" "I'm done for, Pitt." "I can't help you, Rawdon." "Every shilling is tied up." "It's not about the money." "What is it, then?" "It's Rawdy." "I want you to take care of him when I'm gone." "Your dear, good wife has always been kind to him." "Indeed, he's always been fonder of her than he has of his own mother." "Damn it, Pitt." "You know I should have had Aunt Crawley's money if I hadn't married that woman." "Your marriage was your own doing, not mine." "Well, it's all over now." "Good God..." "Is she dead?" "No." "But, by God, I wish I was." "And that blasted villain, too." "Am I to take it that you are referring to... the marquis of Steyne?" "I found them together, Pitt." "We'll fight it, of course, but... but-but if it goes fatally with me..." "You may rely on me, brother." "Uh, here's 600 pounds I want you to pay to Briggs and there's some more for the boy's upkeep." "You never knew I was so rich, did you?" "Neither did I, by God." "A thousand?" "Not that." "I'm going put a bullet through the man that belongs to." "You can't come in, sir." "Tell your master that Colonel Rawdon Crawley will be at the Regent Club all day from 1:00, at his convenience." "Knightsbridge Barracks." "MacMURD O:" "Crawley, me boy..." "what brings you here so early in the morning?" "RAWDON:" "I need a friend, Mac." "A matter of honor." "You've come to the right man." "Gambling business, is it?" "It's about my wife." "And the Lord Steyne?" "What the deuce do you know about it?" "Not a thing, my boy, not a thing." "I knocked him down and thrashed him." "Good." "And now I'm going to kill him." "Excellent." "You don't know how fond I was of that one, Mac." "I followed her about like a footman." "I gave her everything she wanted." "I pawned my watch so she could have anything she fancied and all the time she was making a silk purse for herself." "Mr. Wenham, I was just..." "Do you bring word from his lordship?" "Has he sent for me?" "Shall we?" "My dear Mrs. Crawley..." "Don't attempt to see Lord Steyne." "He'll understand when I explain." "It's all over, Mrs. Crawley." "I urge you to take my advice for your own safety." "Don't look at me like that." "I'm not guilty." "Rawdon's been here." "I know everything." "No, no, you know nothing." "He's deceived." "I mean he's mistaken." "It's all a mistake." "I've done no more with Lord Steyne than... than with you, dear Pitt." "Shh." "Of course, I knew he was partial to me." "Was it wrong of me to use that partiality to help advance my husband and my dear brother-in-law?" "To get Rawdon an appointment of state and for you, dear Pitt, we talked of a peerage." "Good God..." "Really?" "Of course, I did everything to please Lord Steyne." "Well, everything a virtuous wife could do and my efforts bore fruit." "I secured the appointment for Rawdon." "Why, it should be in the paper this very day." "By jove..." "So it is." "A governor!" "And it was just when I was..." "Thanking his lordship for his goodness to us that Rawdon came home and..." "Help me, Pitt." "You're so wise, so... clever." "You understand a woman's heart." "There, there." "It was all for Rawdon." "All for you and Rawdon and now I'm ruined." "There, now." "There, there, there." "Perhaps something may be done, hmm?" "What is that woman doing in my house?" "How dare you." "Tell her, Pitt, tell her I'm innocent." "Upon my word, my love," "I think you do her an injustice." "Do I?" "She's heartless mother and a faithless wife." "She's deceived her husband as she's deceived everybody including you, Pitt." "Oh, no, really, my love." "I have been a true and faithful wife to you, Pitt but righteous obedience has its limits." "You must choose, sir, between her and me." "( door closes )" "It was that diamond clasp, Pitt." "I think she always knew it was you that bought it for me." "Really?" "She never mentioned it." "No, she wouldn't." "I won't make things difficult for you, Pitt." "I know you'll do your best for me." "SMITH:" "It's in the observer." "BROWN:" "What is?" "SMITH:" "You mean you don't know?" "Old Liversedge has given up the ghost." "Colonel Rawdon there is the new governor of Coventry Island, my boy." "BROWN:" "Good God, that's rum." "I wonder where the hell it is." "Just in the nick of time, eh?" "Chap hasn't got two shillings to rub together." "What's the salary?" "Two or three thousand but the climate's so infernal, they don't enjoy it long." "I daresay, that was part of the plan." "Whose plan?" "Steyne's, of course." "How do you do, Crawley?" "WENHAM:" "I'm glad to see you." "This is my friend" "Captain MacMurdo of the heavy dragoons who acts for me in this matter." "I'll leave you two together to discuss the time and place." "No, Colonel Crawley." "I think all may be brought to a happy conclusion." "Now, you are... irritated against my noble friend." "Irritated, sir?" "I understand, Colonel you come home from a journey and find my Lord Steyne in your house..." "But he has been in your house a hundred times before." "I saw what I saw, damn you." "Name your place and time, sir." "No, sir." "I found Lord Steyne this morning determined to challenge the colonel." ""One of us," he said" ""must not survive the outrage of last night."" ""Good God, sir," I said." ""How I wish now" ""that Mrs. Wenham and I had accepted" ""Mrs. Crawley's invitation to sup with her."" "She asked you to sup with her as well?" "After the opera." "Here's the note of invitation." "No, that's another paper." "I thought I had it with me." "But I assure you, it was only one of Mrs. Wenham's headaches that prevented us." "I don't believe one word of your whole damned story, sir." "And if the challenge doesn't come from Steyne by God, it'll come from me." "MACMURD O:" "Hold hard now, hold hard." "You put this affair into my hands therefore you will act as I think fit and not as you do." "now, as for this, uh... this affair with Mrs. Crawley... my belief is there's nothing proved at all." "Your wife is innocent and I think you'd be a damned fool not to let it go at that." "Captain MacMurdo, you speak like a man of sense." "To know all is to forgive all." "Wouldn't you agree, colonel?" "Tout comprendre, c 'est tout pardonner?" "And you're a damned liar, sir... in English or in French." "I forgive you, Crawley." "Heat of the moment, I'm sure." "Heat of the moment." "You don't stick at trifles, do you, Mr. Wenham?" "Here is a thousand-pound note and tell your Lord Steyne we will not kill him today and we would rather not take his money." "All right?" "Good day to you, sir." "I think it pained him to part with the boy." "I think it did, my love." "Not a word from the poor child's mother of course." "Is anything known of her?" "On the continent, I understand." "Boulogne, Naples..." "so on." "She receives a small allowance, I believe." "From whom, I wonder?" "( clears throat )" "I don't imagine we shall see her again, my love." "AMELIA:" "Major William Dobbin, Bunglegunge, India." "My dear William" "Here we continue very quietly, more quietly than I would wish since Georgy is now with his grandfather in Russell Square." "It is very selfish of me to mind so." "He receives far more than I could ever give him and he comes to see us once a week." "A little bird informs me that we may shortly hear of your marriage." "What?" "I wish you and the fortunate Miss Glorvina O 'Dowd every happiness in the world..." "( whispering ):" "No, no, no, no." "And I hope that your loving godson, Georgy, and his mother will continue to claim a corner in your heart." ""Corner"?" "Your affectionate friend, Amelia Osborne." "MISS ANN DOBBIN:" "Dear brother" "We all hope you are well and bearing the frightful heat of India." "I write to tell you that we expect very soon to hear of the engagement of your old acquaintance Amelia Osborne to one of the curates at Brompton, the reverend Mr. Binney." "Not a good match, but nevertheless..." "DOBBIN:" "Colonel!" "O'Dowd!" "Colonel O'Dowd!" "Mrs. O'Dowd!" "Whatever is the matter?" "I must speak with your husband, ma'am." "Colonel O'Dowd, will you get out of bed and attend to the major?" "What is it, Dob me boy?" "I must go back to England on most urgent private business." "Now." "Tonight." "Oh, Major Dobbin!" "MAN:" "All aboard that's going aboard!" "JOSEPH:" "I say, Dobbin!" "Good God!" "Jos Sedley." "JOSEPH:" "You won't have heard the sad news yet, I'm sure." "I only heard myself this morning." "DOBBIN:" "What do you mean, Jos?" "What sad news?" "Mother passed away." "Very peaceful, short illness." "Makes a chap feel a bit..." "cut up, though." "Oh, my poor Jos." "I'm so sorry." "Your father will feel her loss keenly." "Yes... yes, I must do what I can for them." "I shall take a house, Dobbin." "Jos Sedley need never work again if he don't care to." "Your sister will be glad to see you." "Yes, I daresay she will." "And-and I trust she'll be happy in the marriage she's about to make." "Marriage?" "What marriage?" "To the Reverend Binney?" "Really?" "She never mentioned it to me." "Reverend Binney, eh?" "Man's a stick, in my opinion." "William." "You've come home." "Yes." "This is Major Dobbin, our dear old friend." "This is Mr. Binney, William." "How do you do, sir?" "Honored to meet you, Major." "I-I hope to make your better acquaintance uh, but for the present" "I beg you'll excuse me." "Mrs. Binney will be wondering what's become of me." "Mrs. Binney?" "Yes, Miss Grits that was." "I don't think you ever knew her." "No." "For-forgive me." "I should have begun... by saying how sorry I was to hear of your sad news." "Thank you, William." "And-and I've another arrival to announce." "Mrs. Dobbin?" "No." "DOBBIN:" "No, your brother Jos." "I came on before him." "He'll be in London tomorrow." "All will be well now." "He said he's going to take a good house for you all." "Papa, you remember Major Dobbin, don't you?" "Yes, I knew your father well, sir, once upon a time." "Indeed you did, sir." "He is very much shaken but he's glad to see you, William." "( snoring softly )" "He's a fine boy." "Oh, it hardly does him justice." "He is so much handsomer in the flesh." "He's the comfort of my life and he's the image of... him that's gone." "So, you are not to marry Glorvina O'Dowd after all?" "No, indeed." "My heart is safe... from her." "I see." "Then you intend to remain a bachelor?" "( snoring grows louder )" "Ah..." "Oh, Papa, you've been asleep." "Who's that?" "Why, it's Major Dobbin, Papa." "Ah, I believe I knew your father well, sir once upon a time." "I fancy the Sedleys may hold their heads high again, eh?" "You've done everybody proud, Jos." "Well, well, a chap does what he can, you know." "What about you, little man?" "Don't suppose you remember me at all." "I'm your..." "I remember Major Dobbin because Ma spoke of him hundreds and hundreds of times." "He was a hero at Waterloo, you know, like my papa." "Weren't you, Major Dobbin?" "Well, your uncle played his part at Waterloo as well, you know, Georgy." "GEORGY:" "Did he really?" "AMELIA:" "Yes, and he is the best of brothers." "And you can come and stay here as often as you like." "Old Mr. Osborne has given his consent." "Ah, Amelia, Dobbin, uh, you must excuse me." "I have an appointment at the club for luncheon." "We'll see you later, perhaps?" "Thank you, yes." "Tell me what you did at Waterloo, Uncle Jos." "JOSEPH:" "Well, I, uh, I had a huge mustache." "DOBBIN:" "I see you still have your piano." "Oh, yes." "I'm so glad you kept it." "I was afraid you didn't care about it." "I value it more than anything I have in the world." "Do you, Amelia?" "Truly?" "But of course." "Didn't he go and buy it for me at that horrid auction when all our things were sold and have it sent to me and never said a word?" "it was the dearest thing he ever did for me." "Yes, of course." "I didn't know." "It was you." "It was you, wasn't it?" "I did buy it for you." "I loved you then and I love you still." "I think I loved you from the moment I saw you when George brought me to your house to show me the girl he was engaged to." "Since then... there's not an hour of any day for ten years that I haven't thought about you." "I'm very ungrateful." "No." "No." "I know what you're feeling." "You're hurt in your heart that the piano came from me and not George." "I beg your pardon for being a fool for a moment and thinking that years of constancy and devotion might have pleaded my cause with you." "Now you are being cruel." "George is my husband here and in heaven." "How could I forget about him?" "I do care about you, William." "You have been everything to my little boy and me." "Please be his friend still, and mine." "Ah, there's a handsome little woman there." "What do you say, sir?" "That lady is my sister, sir:" "Mrs. George Osborne." "Is she?" "No offense." "And the lad?" "Her son George." "Handsome boy." "And that's the father?" "Lord, no, she's a widow." "That's Major Dobbin." "Her admirer, I presume." "I say... no, no, old Dob's not a lady's man." "He's a dear old friend." "We were all at Waterloo together." "Saw a little of that myself." "Major Loder, sir, at your service." "Joseph Sedley." "Taking the cure?" "So am I... with a chere amie, if you follow." "Oh, quite the place these days" "Bad Pumpernickel." "Lots of swells here in the high season." "May I recommend the Edelweiss Hotel." "The Edelweiss." "Just mention my name:" "Major Loder." "That'll see you right." "Thank you very much, sir." "Loder, Edelweiss." "That's it, my boy." "A bientot, as they say." "Willkommen am Bad Pumpernickel." "Recht !" "Recht." "Uncle Jos, I'm just going for a stroll around town." "Ah!" "WOMAN ( singing soprano ):" "" La lune blanche "" "" Luit dans les bois "" "" De chaque branche "" "" Part une voix "" "" Sous la ramee "" "" Bien-aimee... "" "" L 'etang reflete "" "" Profond miroir la silhouette "" "" Du saule noir ou le vent pleure "" "" Revons "" "" C 'est l 'heure. "" "Monsieur, n 'est pas joueur?" "Ah, non, madam." "Well." "Put it on any number you like." "See if you can bring my luck back." "Make a strong, strong wish." "Douze rouge." "There, you see?" "You're lucky for me." "Shall we try again?" "Yes, please." "George." "Oh, Lord, I have to go." "What's your name?" "George Osborne." "Of course." "Of course." "Come again another day, George." "I shall." "Come on." "Are you coming, Jos?" "I think I'll, just, uh, linger a moment, Dob." "As you wish." "JOSEPH:" "May I, uh...?" "Please do." "Have you come to bring me luck like my young friend?" "Well, I hope so, ma'am." "There." "I see you're the same bold, generous soul you always were." "You've not changed;" "nor have I, not at heart." "Do you not know me, Jos?" "Good God, who is it?" "Can't you guess?" "Good heavens!" "Mrs. Crawley." "BECKY:" "I know what you're thinking- what a strange place this is for a woman who has lived in a very different world." "I think... if you had known what was to come you wouldn't have been so cruel as to desert me all those years ago." "Oh, I say, look here, you know..." "We'll say no more of that." "You weren't to know." "Now all my friends have been false to me." "I was the truest wife even though I married my husband out of pique because..." "Well, never mind that." "Mrs. Crawley..." "Rebecca." "And that man betrayed me, Joseph." "He trampled upon me and deserted me." "The damned swine!" "So now I think back all those years ago and how I wish..." "But it's all no use." "You wish?" "You... were the first man I ever saw." "Or ever." "I was scarcely more than a child when you broke my heart, but I forgive you." "You, of all others, never meant me any harm and perhaps..." "Perhaps?" "DOBBIN:" "There you are, Jos." "We'd almost given you up for lost." "Uh..." "Amelia, my dear, I've just had the most extraordinary..." "Yes, God bless my soul the most extraordinary adventure." "An old friend of ours is staying here and I would like you to see her." "An old friend, here?" "Yes, I may say, one of your older and dearest friends and... she's fallen on hard times." "Rebecca..." "I'm sure it's Rebecca." "Her family has been most cruel to her." "JOSEPH:" "Her son- the same age as little Georgy here- the ruffians tore him shrieking from her arms, you know." "They took her child from her?" "Emmy, there are two sides to this story." "But to lose her child, William." "Perhaps I should see her." "I think you should not, Emmy." "LODER:" "So, share and share about?" "The fat one for you and the pretty little widow for me." "What do you say?" "You have no chance there, so just stay clear." "As a matter of fact another ship is coming into port this evening with a large party- the greatest prize of all." "My lord." "He cut you, Becky." "No, he didn't." "He wouldn't want to make a scandal." "LODER:" "I think you flatter yourself, Becky." "You're not the prize you were." "To him I am." "BECKY:" "There." "And to think I was considering Jos Sedley." "Mrs. Crawley." "Mr. Wenham." "What a happy coincidence." "I have arranged for you to leave the restaurant now, Mrs. Crawley." "The bill has been settled, of course." "Lord Steyne will be leaving Bad Pumpernickel tomorrow morning and will return in two weeks' time." "He will not find you in town." "If you stay, you will risk very serious illness... or worse." "Assassinate poor little me?" "How romantic." "Tell your master that I shall stay and tell him that I am not without friends to defend me if it should come to that." "Who?" "The major here?" "I don't think so." "WENHAM:" "We know things about Major Loder that would send him to the gallows." "We have friends everywhere, Mrs. Crawley and we know everything- where you have been and who with where you have debts and who you owe them to." "How was it, do you think that no minister on the continent would receive Mrs. Crawley?" "Because she has offended someone who never forgives." "You did him wrong to show yourself to him." "For myself..." "I am sorry to be the bringer of bad news." "I always found madame's company quite... enchanting." "BECKY:" "I never cared for him in any case." "He has a heart of stone." "I pity that poor creature by his side." "It'd be a different tune if you'd snared him, I fancy." "Well, that's one gone and just two weeks left to nab the other." "I shall... and if you do one thing to interfere..." "What?" "Just don't, that's all." "Now go." "Now?" "I need my beauty sleep." "I need to..." "I have to be the Becky they first knew." "At least let me come up with you." "No." "You'll frighten her with your disapproval." "You wait down here." "Amelia..." "No, I shall be perfectly all right." "That creature will wrap Emmy around her little finger just as she did her husband." "Now, Dob, draw it mild." "She's a good girl at heart, I do believe... and very fond of me." "And so am I of her, by jove." "( knock at door )" "Entrez." "Oh, Becky." "And so they took your darling child from you?" "How could they?" "Oh, Emmy..." "you can imagine my agonies." "I thought I should die." "I fell into a brain fever and the doctors quite gave up on me but somehow I recovered and here I am... alone and friendless." "And how old is he now?" "Who?" "Seven." "Only seven." "But surely..." "Wasn't he born the same year as Georgy?" "Oh, Emmy...." "Oh, grief has made me forget so many things, I..." "Becky, you cannot be happy in this place." "Needs must." "You don't mean to say you're going to have that woman here living in your apartments, under your protection?" "Yes, I am." "So don't be angry and break all the furniture." "The poor creature, and after all her sufferings." "Deserted by her husband..." "Her child stolen from her very arms..." "Forced to give singing lessons to get her bread." "Singing lessons!" "Is that what she told you?" "Well, take singing lessons, by all means but don't have her in the house!" "I'm astonished at you." "You, who are always good and kind." "Now is the moment to help her." "Now she is miserable." "The oldest friend I ever had." "She was not always your friend, Emmy." "For shame, Major Dobbin." "I never thought you could be so cruel." "EMMY:" "Oh, George..." "Emmy, forgive me." "Let her come and lodge with us, if you will... but you and I mustn't be enemies." "How could you, William?" "If I had forgiven it, was it for you to speak?" "And it's from his own lips that I know how wicked and groundless my jealousy was." "My husband was pure." "My saint in heaven." "Rebecca, this is my boy." "Georgy, this is Rebecca Sharp, as she was my oldest friend." "I say, weren't you the lady...?" "(laughs nervously )" "Oh, Emmy..." "He reminds me so of..." "And dear Joseph." "This is just like those happy times so long ago." "Major Dobbin, how wonderful to see you." "I am bound to tell you, ma'am that it's not as your friend that I come here now." "Now, now, let's not have this sort of thing." "BECKY:" "I want to hear what he has to say." "Well... well, I don't." "Leave the room, Georgy." "I came to say- and as you stay, Mrs. Crawley, I must say it in your presence- that I think a lady who is separated from her husband who travels under a false name and who frequents public gaming tables" "is not a fit companion for Mrs. Osborne and her son." "And there are people here who know you and have mentioned conduct" "I don't care to speak of... before Mrs. Osborne." "What is this conduct you don't care to speak of?" "My honor is as untouched as my dear friend's here but if you accuse me of being poor and forsaken then, yes, I plead guilty to those faults and I'm punished for them every day." "Oh, Becky." "BECKY:" "You had better let me go, Emmy." "My stay interferes with the plans of this gentleman." "Indeed it does, ma'am." "And if I have any authority in this house..." "Authority?" "None!" "Come with me, Rebecca." "He may go where he likes." "Amelia, stay one moment and let me speak to you in private." "You wish to speak ill of me when I'm not here." "On my honor, ma'am, this is not to do with you." "Emmy, please." "I..." "I was confused just now." "I misused the word authority." "Yes, you did." "But I do have claims to be heard- the claims left to me by Georgy's father." "Whose memory you insulted this very morning and I will never forgive you for it- never." "You don't mean that, Amelia." "It was not his memory I impugned." "But I know why you cannot hear me... why you will not hear me." "I have loved and watched you for years, in vain because you would rather cling to a memory than feel an attachment such as mine for you deserves." "And which I would have won from a woman more generous than you." "I think I knew all along that the prize I'd set my life on wasn't worth the winning." "( scoffs nervously )" "I was a fool... bartering all my truth and ardor against your little feeble remnant of love." "Good-bye, Amelia." "Let it end." "We are both weary of it." "Am I to understand, then that you are going away, William?" "I went once before and came back." "I've spent enough of my life at this play." "Oh, Becky, I feel so..." "Now listen to me, Amelia." "It's time you saw sense." "One of the best men I've ever known has offered you a hundred times." "that man has a noble heart and you've played with it shamefully." "I tried, Becky." "I did, honestly." "But I couldn't forget..." "Couldn't forget him?" "That preening booby." "He was ready to forget you soon enough." "He would have jilted you except Dobbin made him keep his word." "It's false." "It's false, Rebecca!" "Read this." "He gave it to me at the ball the night before he was shot at Waterloo." "He wanted me to run away with him." "Oh, Becky." "( crying )" "It's all right." "Now you can love Dobbin with a clear conscience and you've all the time in the world together." "Oh, Becky!" "GEORGY:" "Stop, Major Dobbin!" "Wait!" "My ma wants to marry you after all!" "It was time you sent for me." "And you will never go again, William?" "No." "Never." "This is what you pined for, so cling tightly to him." "Cling to your rugged old oak and grow green again" "( whispers ):" "you little parasite." "Excuse me, what?" "I don't understand that, Becky." "Never you mind, Jos." "Never you mind."