"THE PEARLS OF THE CROWN" "With the obligatory details out of the way, here are..." "THE PEARLS OF THE CROWN" "SEE AND HEAR..." "THE AMAZING STORY OF SEVEN FINE PEARLS" "RESEARCHED, WRITTEN, AND OFTEN JUST DREAMED UP..." "BY SACHA GUITRY" "Oh, this is amazing, and unbelievable, like all true stories." "What is it?" "I just came across a fabulous unknown story that would make a fascinating book, play or film." "Almost out of the Thousand and One Nights." "Let me make one note and I'm all yours." "Your Holiness will be pleased to learn the exact provenance of the four magnificent pearls that adorn the crown of England." "Do you know how the crown of England was made?" "That's one thing I don't know." "Good." "I'll take great pleasure in telling you the exact origins of the four pearls that adorn the crown's arches." "Settle back, close your eyes, listen, and imagine the pictures to illustrate my true story." "One evening in February 1518..." "One evening in February 1518," "King Fran?" "ois I of France was telling Lorenzo de' Medici at Fontainebleau..." "I say your melancholy has but one cause: solitude." "You revel in it, but it's harmful to your feeble health." "You've given me marvelous gifts:" "vases from Orbino, and glass and lace from Venice." "Allow me today to repay you." "Accept from my hands a treasure comparable to the splendors you've given me." "Twenty years old, the most beautiful eyes, a delicate soul, a charming heart, and adorable hands." "Don't turn around." "Here she is." "Her name is Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne." "What's more, she's my cousin." "What do you think?" "Doesn't she need a Florentine setting?" "What say you?" "She's beautiful, cousin." "Their union gave birth, ten months later in Florence, to Caterina de' Medici." "That's right, my dear." "Yes, Your Holiness." "It's a little girl, Duchess." "The same day in Fontainebleau, Henri, dauphin of France, was born." "It's a boy!" "Those two infants would one day wed." "Caterina's birth took the life of Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne, closing her charming eyes forever." "I hail and welcome you, young prince of France." "As the king of France greeted his precious offspring," "Caterina met with a far cooler reception from her father." "But we mustn't blame him, for Lorenzo was at death's door when his daughter was presented to him." "Deceased even before he could learn of his wife's death, he was no doubt pleasantly surprised to encounter her upon arriving in the Beyond." "Thus orphaned at birth," "Caterina was given to her uncle, Pope Clement Vll, who ordered her raised in a convent." "Marvelous creature!" "Divine splendor!" "An angel sent from heaven to us here on earth." "See that she's raised in a convent." "If God in his divine grace is willing, she'll spend her entire life there." "Three renowned artists were then painting masterpieces and immortalizing two powerful monarchs." "Jean Clouet began his portrait of Fran?" "ois I as Hans Holbein was finishing his of Henry Vlll of England." "In Venice," "Titian was working on another portrait of Fran?" "ois I, which we find to be a better likeness, though he painted this magnificent work under surprising conditions." "Clouet, do you know how my cousin Henry VIII's legs look?" "No, Your Majesty." "He claims they're seemlier than mine, which I doubt, though he is a handsome man." "This seemingly minor issue is behind a rivalry that's obstructed a difficult but desirable alliance between England and France." "Are you working, Clouet?" " Yes, sire." "You seem to be motionless at your easel." "Motionless, sire?" "If only Your Majesty were more so," "I would be much less so." " Are you jealous of Titian?" " Titian?" " He's painting me in Venice." " Venice?" "I sent a medallion of myself and my richest apparel with the cardinal of Lorraine, who is to tell him the exact tint of my eyes." "Is that you, my son?" "Come here." "Come sit on my lap." "How old are you now?" "I'll soon be eight, Father." "Eight already!" "It's high time you wed." "If you married Henry Vlll's daughter, it might soften those Angles'hard angles." "But a more appealing plan comes to mind." "I'll give you in marriage to Clement VII's niece," "Caterina de' Medici." "You were born the same day." "She's being raised in a convent, and I'm sure she has her lovely mother's sweet disposition." "Clouet, kindly do a quick sketch of the dauphin to send to the pope to show what a fine husband he'd be for Caterina." "Take my seat, young man." "Show him your profile." "Don't move, and don't make faces." "Clouet, do a miniature, medallion-size." "I did a poor job on his chin." "You have greater talent." "Make it less receding... as you see fit." ""If Your Holiness will allow me, on behalf of the dauphin of France, I ask you..."" ""...for Caterina's hand in marriage." "I see in their union a guarantee of lasting peace and happiness." "Your most pious son, Fran?" "ois."" "Thank You, Almighty, for the joy you've brought me." "Quick, get me two men who are trustworthy, discreet and brave." "My nephew Hippolytus, and that friend of his, the young Spanelli." "Yes, Your Holiness." "The dauphin is charming." "What a faultless profile!" "Such an exquisitely shaped chin!" "You are both to leave at once." "Go to the convent at Le Murate and bring Caterina back to me here." "A letter from His Holiness for Mother Superior." "Mother!" "A letter from His Holiness!" "Quick, let them in." "Caterina!" "Farewell, Caterina." "This is... absolutely true." "Come." "Caterina de' Medici, you may one day be a queen." "I can say no more." "But as of today" "I take you under my protection." "I want you to become the most educated and cultured princess in Europe." "Teach her French, and, above all, English." "Because to rule France well, she must know English well." "Not thow ast." "No, I'll say thow!" "No, I'll say thow!" "No one can give me orders!" "It's vexing to be the father of such a fool." "I appreciate a rebellious spirit and a prince who can't bear another's authority." "But to pronounce English in your own way is a sign of stupidity." "Get to work!" "And as for you... " "What's your name, miss?" "Anne de Boleyn, Your Majesty." "You're very pretty." "You would rebel before such eyes?" "You would argue with a face like that?" "You should blush with shame." "Out, young man!" "You are not my son." "Go pray to Our Lord and seek his pardon before mine." "Go!" "I'd like to atone for his faults and foolishness." "How do you pronounce that word?" "How?" "Very good." "De Boleyn's not very English." "But I am indeed the Duke of Norfolk's granddaughter." "You've been here at court for?" "Almost three months." "I'm a maid of honor to the queen." "I too would like to learn English." "Since I need an instructor, will you be the one?" "Alas, I'm leaving Paris tomorrow." " Leaving?" " For England." "The king's asked me to be a maid of honor to the queen." "I should have been there two weeks ago." "So you're leaving now." "What a pity." "Rest your chin on your hand." "Come forward." "More." "Further." "Part your lips." "Close your eyes." "Did you like that?" "Did you hate it?" "What if I say I liked it?" "I'd say I have others even more tender." "And if I didn't like it?" "As punishment for forcing it on you," "I'd ask you to give it back." "Caterina?" "Good day." " Caterina, what's my name?" " Hippolytus." "I hereby declare you a cardinal." "Go!" "A cardinal?" "Yes, at 18 years old." "He thought that would keep Caterina out of danger?" "No, but it would at least keep them from marrying." " Did he make the other one a bishop?" " No." "To get rid of him, he said..." "I need you for an extremely important mission." "If you succeed, your every desire will be granted... and more." "And I think" "I know what they are." "Here are two fine pearls." "I want five others exactly identical in weight, shape and color." "Search the world over, if need be." "Bring them to me, and I guarantee you'll be the happiest of men." "See that he's given 1,000 gold pieces." "He's to leave at once." "Go now and return quickly." "I give you my blessing." "In giving him those pearls and sending him off to search the world for five identical ones, the pope surely thought he was rid of Spanelli forever." "Meanwhile, things in England were about to grow more complicated." "She finally decided to appear." "He scolded her for her delay for an entire hour, she who was to become his mistress, then his wife, and soon after, his victim." "Then he interrogated her." "Where had she been?" "France." "Doing what?" "But upon hearing she'd been at court, and that the king had looked especially kindly upon her, his own attitude changed." "Attractive and pretty, this merchant's daughter seemed worthy of a king." "But a man entered who looked askance at their long kiss:" "Cardinal Wolsey." "Having presented her to his privy councilor, he took her to the queen." "For it's an odd habit husbands have of making their wives evaluate their mistresses-to-be." "For Henry VIII to take a mistress is natural." "I'd be in bad standing... - You're standing badly." "I'd be in bad standing to criticize." "But asking Rome to annul his marriage amazes me, for I was sure he loved her." "What if he marries her?" "Then he certainly doesn't love her." "Marrying one's mistress means getting her out of the way." "It's a way of winning back one's freedom, for the mistress's position thus becomes vacant." "Do you know what the king of England dares ask?" "That I annul his marriage to the queen so he can marry a merchant's daughter named Anne Boleyn!" "This is an outrage!" "I'll never annul it, you hear?" "Never!" "Never!" "Here's Montmorency, his brow dark with worry, his hands full of bad news." "Not now." "Life's too beautiful today." "Not a word." "I'm sure everything's amiss." "How could it be otherwise?" "Impossible." "Madam, is your king a target?" "That funereal face annoys me greatly, because it's contagious." "Frowns and gloomy looks are never good omens." "You're sad and prudish." "You always foresee war or famine." "Sire, foresight is a virtue." "Yes, but I fear it's not very French." "The people are miserable." "Don't tell them that." "You want to make them happy?" " If I can." "Who wouldn't?" "My friend, you promise them happiness here on earth... - a serious mistake." "The ways of religion are much wiser than yours." "Instead of offering happiness in this life, they prudently promise it for the next one." "If one spends money freely, flings it out the window, it may fall into the hands of the poor." "Indeed, scandal may shake Britain like a tree in the wind, bending it from right to left and back, but the more it's blown one way, the quicker it bends back the other." "But lose its balance?" "Never!" "Never!" "But France is not a tree." "Like this ball, it's light and capricious, flying from your hand just when you think you grasp it firmly." "But fear not when it hits the ground, for it always bounces back." "Henry VIII even spoke of reforming the church." "So loudly did he protest against the pope's obstinacy that... " " He became a Protestant." " Exactly." "See what thwarted love can lead to?" "What about Spanelli?" "He'd journeyed all the way to the Persian Gulf, where he found the first of the pearls he sought." "It was in a black diver's mouth, a pearl amid 32 other white pearls." "It's exactly like the others." "It's splendid!" "But I need three more." "Where will I find them?" "Then our traveler came to a faraway land, untamed yet refined..." " Abyssinia." "No, not this book." "I always confuse them." "Abyssinia." "Its cruel queen claimed to be a direct descendant of the queen of Sheba." "Spanelli was struck by her beauty, but he was astounded when he noticed her earrings... - two magnificent, pear-shaped pearls." "He couldn't help but react." "Seeing his gesture, the queen grew worried." "No, I only speak Italian." "What's going on here?" "I believe I understand." "You're Italian, and you speak French." "I'm French, and I understand English." "He's English, and he understands Abyssinian." "We'll join forces to help the queen understand." "Why did he make this gesture?" "Because her two eyes are like stars." "Because he says the lady has eyes like stars." "Without the presence of that useless snake," "Spanelli would've been the happiest of men that day." "At sunrise, the queen felt a deep gratitude toward him." "She seemed a bit surprised at his insistence, but she realized it was best not to make an enemy of an Italian." "Holy Virgin, have pity on this wandering traveler." "Take pity on this lover who implores you." "Holy Virgin, my last hope." "Guide my steps and lead me to the pearl I still need." " Hippolytus!" " Spanelli!" " How happy I am to see you." " How was your trip?" "Marvelous." "I have the five pearls." "How's Caterina?" " Alas..." " What's happened?" "Poor Spanelli." "Cruel disappointment awaited him." "He'd left a child but returned to find a young girl whose feelings had matured just as her features had." "Her choice was made." "They're beautiful." "Thank you." "You've fulfilled to the utmost the mission I sent you on." "Go now and rest." "Poor Spanelli." "His journey has made him very weary." "Does Your Holiness think he needs... a long rest?" "A long rest." "A very long rest." "No, boys aren't as charmingly precocious as girls." "At 14, girls are already women possessed of understanding and intuition." "You certainly don't look like one betrothed." "Hold yourself more nobly, my son." "My dear child..." "I'm giving you the loveliest pearl necklace in the entire world." "For me?" "It's so beautiful!" "I want their meeting at the port in Marseille to be held in exceptional pomp and splendor." "Since His Holiness is escorting Caterina," "I myself will accompany the dauphin." "Two years later, those two had a son who would become king of France..." " Fran?" "ois II." "The sickly infant had no idea his wife-to-be had just been born in Scotland, and this smiling little girl couldn't know that she was Mary Stuart, who was to become queen of France, yet that's what happened six years later." "After repudiating the queen and dismissing Wolsey," "Henry Vlll wed Anne Boleyn and immediately became very enamored of Jane Seymour." "From that moment on," "Anne Boleyn's days were numbered." "This royal joke brought no smile to her lips." "A few years later the king died, and soon after, the king of France delivered his soul to God." "More." "Henri II succeeded his brother, but it was often Catherine who fulfilled his royal duties." "Years passed." "Mary Tudor succeeded her father, Henry Vlll." "Five years later, Elizabeth succeeded her." "And Pope Clement Vll's lights slowly dimmed." "But then they beamed again." "But then... they faded once more... before brightening again one last time... and then going out completely... and dying." "Paul III succeeded him." "Henry II died suddenly." "Fran?" "ois II took his place, and Mary Stuart became queen of France." "My child..." "I want you to have this necklace of seven pearls my uncle gave me on my wedding day." "Henceforth, I wish the arms of England emblazoned with the arms of France." "I shall thus assert my formal claim to the crown of England." "That's dangerous!" "When Queen Elizabeth hears of it..." "Indeed, on hearing this, Queen Elizabeth was enraged." "But Fran?" "ois II grew weaker by the day, and his brother's shadow loomed ever larger." "Catherine would find consolation in her own way." "Fran?" "ois II soon died, and his brother Charles IX succeeded him." "Mary was in white mourning for 40 days." "Lord, have pity on me." "The Queen Mother hates me." "Queen Elizabeth wishes me dead." "I'm a widow and an orphan, and I'm not even 20." "Lord, come to my aid." "Send her away." "I can't bear the sight of her!" "Send her away." "She's queen of Scotland." "Let her go home, back to her throne." "It's dangerous for her." "What do I care?" "I want her to be gone." "If she needs money, give it to her." "A little." "No, don't give her any." "Let her keep the pearl necklace she wears." "But Your Majesty, you gave it to me." "No, my dear, I placed it in your hands." "Today I'm giving it to you." "Let's not judge an incident that was so... deplorable." "Let's simply recognize that after a hasty trial, poor Mary Stuart was sentenced to be beheaded." "I ask for her help and place my fate in her hands, and she locks me in this gloomy castle." "Queen Elizabeth is too good to me." "I'm afraid." "Let it be known, recounted, and written down what the last hours of my life were like." "Take this." "Please accept this." "Tell them I had my gloves dyed red so the blood would not show on my white hands." "Has the hour come?" "Do not cry." "Come." "Don't leave me alone." "Only four pearls out of seven were recovered from the thieves." "The gang leader had fled with the other three." "Queen Elizabeth took the four famous pearls and hid them in a secret panel in a small box." "Three hundred years later," "Queen Victoria accidentally discovered the secret panel and found the four pearls." "She sent for the royal crown and had the four pearls set on the crown's arches, where all can see them today." "Well, what do you think of that story?" "Fascinating!" "I even see myself in poor Mary Stuart's role." "And I see myself as Fran?" "ois I, of course." "We always lend our faces to the heroes of the story." "And why not?" "Listen, I want to know what happened to the other three pearls." " That the thief fled with?" " Of course." "The other three, Your Holiness?" "It'd be interesting to know what became of them." "If Your Holiness insists..." "You think I should try?" "Of course." "I'm very interested." "I'd love to." "I'm on my way." "I know what I must do." "I'm off." "I have an idea." "NOW HERE IS THE TALE OF THE THREE PEARLS" "TAKEN BY THE THIEF WHO FLED." "Excuse me, Constable." "I'd like to ask you something." "Where is this?" "How silly of me!" "Thank you." "Nice boys." "It's in English, of course." "In this country they have the deplorable custom of using a language I don't know." "Nevertheless," "I see a date and some numbers that look somehow familiar." "Look at that." " Are you Italian?" " Yes, sir." "Then you speak three languages?" "I speak seven, sir." "Congratulations!" "You'd like to know what that says?" "Yes, I see a date and some figures that intrigue me." "It says that at this very table, in 1587, three thieves divided up a necklace of seven magnificent pearls." ""One thief kept three and divided four between his two accomplices."" "Exactly." "You've done me a great favor." "I'm a very happy man." "Me too." "For the same reason?" "I believe so." "I don't think this gentleman is disappointed either." "Could we all be here for the same reason?" "I suspect so." "Then let's introduce ourselves." "Jean Martin, French author." "Giovanni Riboldi, chamberlain to the pope." "Are you hunting for the three pearls missing from the English crown?" "Then allow me." "Let's sit here as those three did in 1587." "That may be, but I didn't understand him." "But I say fate's brought us together, so let's not mislead each other." "That's what he just said." "Good." "Let's share... - Please tell him this:" "Let's share everything we discover." "Instead of hunting for the same pearl, we'll split up." "I suggest we all meet here in two weeks, on April 30th, at 3:00, to see where we stand." "Ask him what he thinks." "I understand French." "Perfect!" " Right here." " At 3:00." " Hello." " Well?" "I found one." "No, not really." "But I know where it was two weeks ago." "But today?" "Who knows?" "It belonged to a certain Fleury Genneval, but the sly old fox won't say what she did with it." "When I think of all I've done in 12 days." "I traced its entire path since 1587, and now it eludes me at the very last minute... - how irritating!" "But surely all isn't lost." "When are you to see your two colleagues?" "In three days, at that tavern in London I told you about." "I found out a jeweler has the pearl, so I visited every jeweler in Paris, but in vain." "Any word from your mother?" " Good news." "She'll be back tonight." "You see?" "Bad news travels in pairs." "Oh, sweetheart!" "Actually I'm off tomorrow to Amsterdam to pursue a lead, then to London on the 29th." "Call me at lunch every day at the restaurant I always go to." "Oh, I'd give anything for that pearl!" " If only I could help." " I'm sure you will." "I swear, if I find it, I'll make a film about it." "What's that?" "Yes, I'm Mr. Martin." "Is that you, darling?" "I think I found it." " What?" " The pearl." "You're crazy!" "I'm not." "It's in the morning paper." "It said there's an auction." "Let me find it." ""An auction of jewels belonging to Madame Fleury Genneval..."" "Isn't that the name you mentioned?" ""...including a pear-shaped pearl weighing 192 grains."" "That must be it!" "It goes on to say "...of historical value."" "They always say that, but for once it's true." "Listen, go to that auction and see who buys it." "Phone me with details immediately afterward." "I'll grab the next flight." "Of course, if a foreigner buys it," "I must know where he's headed." "When's the auction?" "At 2:00 sharp." "It's now 1:40." "I'm off." "Bye, darling." "Bye, sweetheart." "Ladies and gentlemen, we'll begin the auction." "Payment must be made on the spot and include 14.5 % of the bid." "We'll begin with item No. 5 in the catalog:" "a pear-shaped pearl weighing 192 grains." "This pearl is unique, of inestimable value." "Nevertheless, we've estimated it at 200,000 francs." "We'll begin at 50,000." "50,000 francs." "55,000!" "65,000!" "It was given to me in 1903 by a grand duke over supper at Maxim's." " 100,000 on my right!" " 110,000 in the first row!" "I'm sure he'll give me a magnificent present." "From what he said this morning, it'll be either a ring or a bracelet." "I'd prefer cash, but in the end it's the same thing." "After three months together, circumstances call him back to America, forcing us to separate." "But I'm blameless, meaning he doesn't know you exist." "So in that case," "I'd say the present will cost... 165,000!" "...around 100,000 francs." "And I think I'm worth it." " Some port?" " Yes, darling." "180,000!" "185!" "190!" "195!" "200!" "210,000 in the first row!" "210,000!" "Do I hear more?" "210,000 going once." "250." "250,000 in the rear!" "Going... going... gone!" "Will you be keeping it?" "I'll take it with me." " How will you be paying?" " By check." " When does the Normandie sail?" " Tomorrow morning." "But he prefers to stay in Le Havre tonight." " I'm glad." " So am I." "Shouldn't I go, all the same?" "Stay just 15 minutes more." "It's 2:30." "I love you." "Oh, miserable man!" " He left." " With my gift." "He took advantage of me, the bastard!" "The ingratitude!" "And to top it all, they expect us to love them." "My God, how stupid can a man be!" "What'll I do with this pearl?" "We'll see." "Good news... - I know who bought it." "A nice gentleman from the south has it on him." "Doesn't seem to know what to do with it." "I'll explain why later." "I'm spending the night in Le Havre." "My room's next to his." "Because he sails on the Normandie tomorrow." "I couldn't call any earlier!" "I haven't left his trail for a second." "What should I do?" "Take the Normandie?" "You're joking!" "What about you?" "That's right." "It calls at Southampton." "All right." "Wait, darling." "What if he speaks to me after running into me everywhere?" "You're so silly!" "So I'm to speak to him in adverbs only?" "Very well." "See you tomorrow, darling." "Well, I'll be!" "Pardon me." "You're a lovely woman." "Careful." "I'm only allowed to use adverbs." "Are you French?" "Certainly." "Me too." "Does it show?" " Positively." "I'm from Marseille." "Obviously." "If I woo you, you'll react?" "Stoically." "I've seen you eight times in two days." "Similarly." "You find that normal?" "Perfectly." "Going to New York?" "What?" "Are you going to New York?" "Probably." "Are you alone?" "Heroically." "You're quite young." "Sufficiently." "A ravishing lady's kiss would set me back?" "Enormously." "And one kiss from you would set me back?" "Inestimably." "How do you live?" "Conjugally." "So you're saving your kisses for?" "My lover-ly." "What about your husband?" "He is my lover-ly." " Hello!" "How are you?" " Fine!" "You?" "Wonderful!" "Good to see you again." "Shall we wait for our third thief?" " It's only polite." " Here he is." " What?" " He found the first pearl." " I found the second." " I found the third." "We did it!" "What is it?" "I hope they're not all the same one." "He gave mine to an English girl for her "favors."" "Then we did it!" "We found the three pearls!" "The thief lost his at gambling, but he tried to sell mine." "But something stopped him?" "What?" " He died first." " Tell us the story." " Why me first?" " He and I already know our stories." "Very well." "I give in." " So he tried to sell it?" " But it was too risky in England." "Besides, he felt only a king could afford such a pearl." "But how was he to approach a king?" "Then he recalled that Henri IV, your famous ladies' man, was then in Dieppe, recruiting all willing men for his army, whether from England, or Switzerland, or anywhere else." "So he crossed the Channel." "And our new recruits?" "Sire, 942 volunteers just arrived from England." "I'll inspect them shortly." "942!" "We'll fight tomorrow, before your very eyes." " How many men does Mayenne have?" " I don't know." "But an army's valor isn't measured by the number of its men." "You're beautiful... exquisite... adorable... charming." "Give me a smile, darling." "Take my hand and come see the Englishmen who'll be dead by tomorrow." "Have no fear, my beloved." " What did that man want?" " I don't know." "His look frightened me." "I'm still trembling." " He tried to address the king." " He mustn't do that again." "Hail the victor, and reward him with your most ardent kiss." " A decisive victory?" " Resounding." "Yet my joy is soured by remorse." "I begin to weary of an enterprise that leaves so many dead and wounded." "Poor friend!" "Come to me!" "The man who tried to speak to you." "He's in horrible pain." "He threw himself into my arms." "No, leave him with me." "You may go." "He's looking for something." "What is it?" "A pearl?" " He's giving it to you." " Why?" "He wants to speak." "He's dying." "Look away." "Poor man." "It's all over." " Maybe he has papers on him." " I hope so." "No, nothing." "I give this to you." "But never give it away, and never sell it." "Whatever its origins, it is now sacred, for this man died fighting for us." "Bury him nearby." "On his tombstone, engrave but these few words:" ""An English soldier who died for France in the arms of Henri IV."" "Now do you see... why I grow weary of battle?" "That's why he was unable to sell it." "What happened to it?" "You can't stop there!" "For almost two centuries, never leaving the court, it followed an amazing zigzag course, finally reaching" "Madame du Barry." "The king gave it to me as a New Year's gift." "Henri IV had given it to his mistress." "Gabrielle died, bequeathing it to the queen." "Since then it's been passed from one woman to another, from the hands of queens to our own, a reward sometimes for love, sometimes for virtue." "Three queens have worn it." "Five mistresses have owned it." "It's lovely." " Splendid." " Unique." " Zamor wants to see it too." " Whatever for?" " He's so ugly." " And so dark." " He's amusing." " Less than you think." "Sit up pretty." "As a reward, you may lick my fingertips." "He adores me." "It's true." "I think you're mistaken." "I'd bet my life on it." "So would I." " You hear that singing?" " It's awful!" "The wisest thing is to bury them at the foot of a tree." "I don't think anyone's seen us." "Come quickly!" "Madam Véto had promised me" "She'd slit the throats of all Paree" "But she failed and caused no fears Thanks to our cannoneers" "Dance the carmagnole Harken to its sound" "Dance the carmagnole as our guns resound" "It's not true!" "Someone lied to you!" "Why arrest me?" "I've done nothing wrong!" "It was you, Zamor?" "You betrayed me?" "You may lick my fingertips." "Did you see Du Barry guillotined?" "No, sadly, I wasn't in Paris." "She was beautiful." "What a head!" "It was as if they cut off the body, not the head." "Yes, he's like Puss in Boots." "He's pitiful and laughable at the same time, with the oddest look in his eyes." "Barras... will you introduce me?" " Yes, at once." "General Bonaparte, Joséphine de Beauharnais." "Why do you mock me?" " Mock you?" " Cruelly." "From afar, with your laughter and smiles and stifled cries devoid of meaning." "To me you're the most beautiful, most alluring woman here tonight." "I've poured out my soul to you from afar." "You've read it in my eyes." "Yet you laugh at this general who's just 27." "You laugh at my hair, my slight frame, my miserable uniform." "You should blush with shame." "You're mean... yet so lovely." "Who's that?" "We call her "Our Lady of Thermidor."" " Meaning?" " Madame Tallien." "Barras's mistress?" "If he didn't brag so about it, I'd be sure." "I don't care about that one, but speak to Madame de Beauharnais tonight and you won't see me for two weeks." "I adore you." " Marry her off." " That's my dream." "For she's an "em-barras-ment" to this Barras." "Barras." "You allow a lieutenant general to be dressed like this?" "Am I to have but 30 francs in my pocket?" "Beautiful, isn't she?" "Who?" "Countess de Beauharnais." " She's charming." " No, she's beautiful." "You have every reason to be in love." "Deliver 40,000 francs to General Bonaparte tomorrow." " That's too much." " No, it's fine." "Buy her jewels." "She loves them." "In two days you'll be in command of the army in Italy." "You'll leave on the 5th." "Marry her on the 4th." "32,000 is very expensive." "Look at it, General." "It's unique." "Know who that is?" "Bonaparte." "No!" "You sure?" "Positive." "General, I'll let you have it for 30,000 francs, but only because it's you." " It's 10:00 p.m." " Yes, it is." " He's an hour late." " Yes, he is." "Getting married at this hour!" "He leaves tomorrow." "It was a last-minute decision." "Perhaps he forgot." "The mayor's fallen asleep." "No regrets?" "No, not yet, but the future looks dim." "You're wrong." "Why aren't you marrying me?" "Meanie!" " Here he is." " Forgive me." "Come along." "Marry us quickly!" "Sorry I'm late." "I had to prepare for my journey." "I adore you." "Napoléon Bonaparte..." " This is it." "...born in Ajaccio on August 15th, 1767." "1767?" "You added two years to your age?" "To make you appear even younger." "Do you take as your husband General..." "I love you." "The visit to Malmaison, the memory of poor Joséphine, and the reminders of my youth had already broken my heart." "I wanted to see Fontainebleau one last time, but I shouldn't have done it." "Why didn't they let me die?" "The poison I took was already taking effect." "Deserted, betrayed, vanquished... - life is horrible!" "Her Majesty Queen Hortense." "Why have you come?" "After giving you Mother's diamonds earlier," "In my jewel box I found this pearl that the empress was so fond of." "Take it." "It's very valuable." "You may need it one day." "It's yours." "Give it to your son on his wedding day." "He still has that glum look." "You may reign one day." "Should I foster such a hope?" "Is he intelligent?" "I don't know." "Whether my son reigns or not," "I don't want Louis to be Napoléon II." "No, never." "The third!" "I was born in Granada, but I spent holidays at my uncle's in Arteaga." "Every morning I'd kneel in the cathedral before that jewel-studded virgin who's worked many miracles." "If one day I wished to make a vow..." "I'd surely go there." "The emperor!" "She's so beautiful." "On June 17th, 1815, on this very spot, the emperor bid farewell to my mother." "I was here." "I can still see myself." "He asked Queen Hortense about me." "He was anxious to know if I was intelligent or not." "He shouldn't broach that topic." "People will always ask that about me." "It will never be resolved." "In any case, he asked my mother to one day give me this pearl that had belonged to Empress Joséphine." "Today, June 17th, 1865, 50 years later, since we are among friends, allow me to offer it to the empress." "I've come to pray for those fighting to save France." "I wish to add this pearl to the Virgin's treasures." "Good-bye, Father." "God be with you, Your Majesty." "What pearl, sir?" "On the Virgin's forehead?" "In 1914, a very old lady asked me to add it to the Virgin's treasures so she would take pity on those fighting for France." "And that lady was?" "Empress Eugénie, sir." "Thank you, Father." "And that's the story of the third pearl." "Now hear the tale of the first pearl, the one the thief lost at gambling." "Ah, I understand." "She gave it to her granddaughter for her engagement, saying the pearl should never leave their family." "The old woman of our day has only a son." "She gave it to him begrudgingly." "The pearl was false." "I understand English now." " He said that in French." " Ah, that's why!" "It must be one of the two from the queen of Ethiopia." "Probably." "Your turn now." "Yes, my turn." "This pearl seems to have come into this world only to help secure the amorous favors of the ladies." "Fifty years later, old and poor, she sold it to an old lord, who had a place for it right beside him." "Money provides three types of joy:" "acquiring it, having it, and spending it." "I prefer spending it." "For you, my sweet little Frenchie." "What's your name?" "I'm Sorel's great-great-great-granddaughter." "Agnès Sorel." "I love you too, you distinguished old Englishman." "Kiss me." "Again." "Good Lord, they're demanding!" "Don't be cruel, my mean little lass." "Years later, that same woman, now of some stature, learned gratitude to men." "You're a handsome young Hungarian." "Yes, I'm rather pleased with myself." "And since I'm pleased with you as well..." "I have a present for you." "Good idea." "I should get two kisses for this pearl." "Two kisses are a lot." "Ah, turnabout is fair play." "Should I repent for having been cruel?" "What I said in the past don't you say now." "No, don't say I'm demanding." "I said those words too often." "Find something else, something better." "Make me suffer, if you wish... if you can!" "Truly, I deserve it more than any woman." "Be brutal... cowardly... vile... despicable." "Be not sparing with your cruelty if you wish me to suffer almost as much as I, for 200 years, made other men suffer." "Sixty years later, the 90-year-old Hungarian, with roles reversed once again, waves the pearl with trembling fingers at the lyric soprano whose favors he buys." "Those piercing high notes are called "sweetheart notes"... - pure coincidence." "In any case, this old, none-too-bashful gentleman pays dearly for each note." "With age, sopranos lose their voices, as she did hers." "One winter night she sold the magnificent pearl to a gentleman whose singular tastes might seem perverted." "Yes, my sweet negress, your profile isn't Greek." "But Helen's beauty isn't what I seek." "Your beauty makes my head spin." "For the satin luster of your ebony skin will bring this pearl's whiteness to its peak." "Sixty-two years later, the old woman, ailing and miserable, sold the pearl to Don Pedro Jiménez." "That same night," "Don Pedro gave it to a ballerina, whose eyes, legs, and breasts he loved." "Old in her turn, one night at Maxim's, she sold it to a grand duke at the next table." "Sic transit gloria mundi." "The new owner parted with it 32 years later." "Life is cruel at times." "To avoid poverty, she sold it yesterday at an auction." "And then?" "Would you like to see the pearl?" "See it?" "Yes, see it and hold it." "Would you like to touch it?" "Of course!" "Then come to dinner tonight on the Normandie at Southampton." "What do you say?" "Of course." "Come in." "Who are they from?" " I don't know." "But I think it was a man." "Probably." "When do we reach Southampton?" " In three minutes." " Thank you." "Oh, I can't take any credit." "Some arguments are decisive." "Hypothetically." "Hello, darling." "This is John Russell," "His Majesty's equerry." "Giovanni Riboldi, the pope's chamberlain." "Well?" "Come along." " Where is he?" " I don't see him yet." "There, right behind you." "The man sitting alone?" "He looks furious." "Because we came along?" "I have no idea." "Has he spoken to you?" "Yes, he made some vague compliments." "Are these from him?" "I found them in my cabin with no card." "I'm sure it was him." "Congratulations." "Your boyfriend doesn't even have a tuxedo." " You mustn't stare." " Oh really!" "The man speaks to my wife and sends her flowers, and I'm to say nothing?" "Be logical." "You told me to follow him." "He saw me at the auction, on the train, at Le Havre, and here." "He wondered if I was following him and finally asked." "I'm in an awkward situation, and it's your fault." "We'll discuss that later." "Gentlemen, please excuse my reaction." "I think it's quite natural." "What's our choice of poison here?" " What?" " There's something on my plate." "See what it is." "The pearl!" "By God!" "He's gone." "Good riddance." "I don't want a private matter to spoil our excitement." "Hand me that pearl." "Gentlemen, here's the marvelous pearl." "I said you'd see it tonight." "I kept my promise." "Magnificent." "Marvelous." "Please put it on." "I'm not saying you'll wear it for long, but put it on for a moment." "Getting off at Southampton, sir?" "Yes, I am." "I don't want any trouble with that man." "You're not going on to New York?" "I'll take the next ship." "That'll teach me." "Women!" "How would you know?" "I was one once." "I'll curse all women until the day I finally meet one who makes me forget the harm the rest have done me." "Inexorably." "What's with all the adverbs on this ship?" "Get my bag." "Luckily I trust you, because it's unthinkable for a man to just send a woman a pearl worth 250,000 francs." "Let me have that pearl." "I'll give it back to the gentleman and clout him a good one at the same time." "Don't think I won't!" "Gentlemen, we must say farewell to this pearl." "You're returning it to him?" "Of course." "What did he say?" "It's of historic value." "Do you have the right to dispose of it... " "Do I have the right?" "I must say I agree with him." "Yes, it's the sole survivor of the three lost pearls." "Yes, it's true." "It belonged to Pope Clement VII," "Catherine de Médicis... and the queen of Scotland." "It should end up..." " In Rome." " In England." "Or in the Louvre, in which case... " "My God!" "The die is cast." "Fate has decided that that marvelous wandering pearl should return from whence it came."