"I understand we wish to leave, Mr. Clarke." "We feel confident enough to leave." " Is that so?" " That's about it." "Have we considered the matter carefully enough?" "Are we ready for the return journey?" "That's what we think." "And you want it confirmed... by a professional opinion?" "Such a sensible approach." "Especially when we've been such a perfect guest." "A prize exhibit amongst all the sacred... and profane remains." "How badly do we need that first drink, Mr. Clarke?" "We don't." "just a cigarette." "We are aware, of course, how revealing your answer was." "We didn't hesitate." "We knew the question was going to be asked... and we had our answer all ready." "But it doesn't matter." "That part of it doesn't matter." "Of course, even perfect guests return... to the scene of the crime, as they say." "The crime being recovery." "An alcoholic is his own informer." "The personal choice we can take care of." "But don't hurry." "I think we should stay a few more days." "Be sure." "Take some, uh... massage." "Get the young one." "She can't massage... but she has perfect breasts." "What are you looking at?" "I keep seeing a shadow, like a hawk." "I thought I saw a seagull the other day." "It worried me." "Probably my wife has sent a hawk... with a camera strapped to its leg... to photograph me." "U-2." "I what?" "Those American planes..." "That's what they're called, isn't it?" "I'm Cuba." "I'm her Cuba, and she's my Bay of Pigs." "What's her name?" "Mrs. Salinas." "No, the... the young one." "The young masseuse." "Oh, no idea." "Don't worry about her name." "just lie face upwards." "Mr. Clarke?" "Excuse me." " Were you expecting a visitor?" " A visitor?" "No." "No." "Oh." "The lady seemed to think you'd see her." "What lady?" ""Fe Carbonell Rodriguez de Moreau."" " Young or old?" " Young, sir." "Well, the name alone is worth the price of admission." "We, uh, haven't met, I don't think." " No, we haven't." " Oh." "I didn't think so." "But you asked to see me." "Yes." "I understand you're leaving here shortly, Mr. Clarke." "Well, I don't intend to take up permanent residence." "I have a suggestion to make about your employment when you leave here." "Oh, I see." "You're a sort of social worker, are you?" "Alcoholics Anonymous or something like that?" "No, nothing like that." "I'm talking about work, Mr. Clarke." "I am in the same line of business as you are." "You're sure you're not thinking about somebody else?" "I don't run any kind of business." "You... take things, don't you?" "Take things?" "Certain things." "Oh." "I'm sorry." "It's a bit of a shock, I know... to have a complete stranger come in and tell you what your life's all about." "Oh, that's all right." "I'm fairly shockproof." "I can be dropped from a height without damage." "It's just that I am not really dressed for confidences." "Why don't I put some clothes on and meet you outside?" "I never feel very confidential in waiting rooms." "I'll be as quick as I can." "All right." "Let's assume that I do take things." "Now, uh, what do I take?" "I take photographs, say." "How's that?" " Beautiful photographs." " Oh, naturally." "You have a photograph I can sell for you." " You're sure of that?" " Quite sure." "Sure that I have it, or sure you can sell it?" " Both." " Ah." "Well, that's very good so far." "Then we need your help in taking more photographs." ""We"?" "Who's "we"?" "My husband and I." "Oh, it's a family business, is it?" "Well, you see, I've always been very happy taking snaps by myself." " There'd be a three-way split." " How generous." "You mean you'd let me keep a third of what I've already got... if I've got it?" "Well, that's very generous." "You ever thought of taking it up seriously?" "I'm being serious, Mr. Clarke." "You know, I have to apologize to you." "I'm not the photographer you think I am." "I'm just a British drunk taking the cure." "It affects some of us this way." "It's called withdrawal symptoms." "May I come and see you again on Sunday... when you've had the time to think it over?" "Sunday?" "Why not?" "That's fine." "Sunday's always a dull day around here." "They don't even let us have Communion wine, you see." "You are going out soon, aren't you?" "I'm thinking about it." " Tell me that joke again." " Which one?" "That about, um, happiness." "Oh." "What's the good of happiness when you can't buy money with it?" " That's very funny." " Yeah." "It's even funnier from where you're sitting." "Oh, somebody told me a joke this morning." "I had a visitor, you know." "A captain of police." "He told me a joke I'd heard before... but it's still one of my favorites." "Somebody tried to rob one of my houses again." "That's..." "That's the joke, is it?" "Yes." "It's a very private joke." "Yeah, they're the best kind." "It doesn't worry you..." "being robbed?" "I'm never robbed." "But if I was, why should it worry me?" "One worries about wives, not what's in the safe." "It's what's outside the safe you worry about." "That's a really very funny remark." "They found the man this morning." "He got nothing, of course." "They found him dead on the beach." " Drowned." " They say that's the nicest death." " Who?" "Who says that?" " People who haven't been drowned." "Excuse me." "I thought perhaps we could share the remainder of the journey together." "You're full of good turns, aren't you?" "And here I was... thinking I'd done all the right things." "I even took the slow train." "People escaping usually make a dash for it." "You forget, Mr. Clarke." "We are birds of a feather." " Are you a bad sleeper in trains?" " No, I am just a bad sleeper." "Well, that's a point in your favor." "Women who sleep easily are usually bitches." "Have you got one of these?" "Fantastic invention." "One-minute color prints." "That's all it takes." "Don't ask me how." "It's all fully automatic, of course." "Why do we have to go on pretending, Mr. Clarke?" "Henry." "How do you spell your first name, by the way?" "F-E, with an accent." "Yeah." "It doesn't suit you." " You weren't ever a nurse, were you?" " Nurse?" "No." "I mean, I think you're more of a Catherine." "And I've always wanted to meet a nurse called Catherine... ever since I read A Farewell to Arms." " Did you ever read Hemingway?" " Yes." "Well, you remember Lieutenant Henry then." "He met this girl called Catherine, and they had this very romantic affair." "I was in a hospital once... during the blitz... but it wasn't the same as Hemingway." "All the nurses had mustaches." "I think we're nearly there." "Oh, good." "Say "cheese."" "Who is it?" "I'm in the bath." "Put it under the door." "I believe I'm keeping an appointment in Samarra." "Don't put it like that, please." "I'm such an admirer of yours." "Do come in." "You know my wife, of course." "Yes." "You might want to burn this." " Not one of my better efforts." " Thank you." " Yes?" " Yes, thank you." " And?" " Just water, no ice." "Even in this climate." "How very British of you." " To the core." " However you take it..." "I don't think the good Dr. Delgado would approve." "Still, that's in the past." "We're not drinking to that." " What are we drinking to?" " I think to the happy thought... that you haven't made a mistake in coming here to meet us." "Of course, you're a difficult man to get to meet." "Not difficult enough it seems." "We all like the thrill of the chase, don't we?" "No, as a matter of fact." "Personally, I think it's overrated." "But I'm here, so what's the proposition?" "This isn't a shakedown, Henry." "May I call you Henry?" " Nothing as crude as that." " Good." " So, what is it?" " Just a discussion." "Darling, can I have my drink?" "just a friendly discussion between three people who share... or could share... certain common interests." "Of course, I must admit that we have a slight edge on you." "We've studied, uh, your career very closely... whereas, possibly, our own isn't quite so familiar to you." " Would you like me to be more specific?" " Why not?" "It's a long way to come for gossip." "Well, specifically... and not to alarm you, we know that you got... the much-publicized Carnival stones." "You stole them quite brilliantly, I thought... and you haven't yet disposed of them." "Well, we have a customer for you." "A very safe, reliable customer... who likes to be satisfied with the better things in life." "He also pays promptly." "Altogether a very splendid character." " He's in the market at $30,000 American." " Which market is that?" "He does most of his shopping in Tangiers." "The air there agrees with him." "That's the proposition." "Excuse me." "Now, what's the bait?" ""Bait"?" "That's rather a crude word, isn't it?" "About as crude as sending your wife." "As you will." "All right." "I'll put it in one word..."Salinas. "" "You see, I've been in the removals business a long time now." "Too long, perhaps." "I still have the brains, but I don't have the legs." " So I want some help." " And it has to be me." " It has to be the best, Henry." " What makes you think I'll take the bait?" "Do have your drink." "It must be coming up to the boil in your hands." "It kills the germs." "Well, I imagine anybody who'd go to the lengths... of becoming a temporary alcoholic just to get near a man... might be tempted to nibble." "I could've saved you the time and trouble... to say nothing of Delgado's exorbitant fees." "I know all there is to know about Salinas." "I've built up my files over a number of years with great care." "I may not have your flashes of genius, Henry, but I am thorough." "I can also afford to be choosy." "Why don't you buy yourself a gold watch and retire?" "That's a lot to lose." "We're hoping it'll be more by the time retirement comes." "Of course, if one is thinking of retirement... it's convenient to find someone else to take the rap... as the vulgarians say, just to make sure of being left in peace." "I know I'm not wrong about you, Henry." "You have such a quick mind." "I don't blame you for being suspicious." "I'd feel the same in your place." "What do you think, Fe?" "I think you're talking too much philosophy and not enough business." "We don't want to rush Mr. Clarke, do we?" "We just want to... stop him running and think things over." "That's okay." "Save your legs." "Well, is he for us?" "Yes, he's for us, all right." "Not for me, I grant you." "You were right there." "But definitely for us." "He interests you, doesn't he?" "If you say so." "Attracts you, even?" "I don't often find a man attractive... as you know." "Oh, somebody... said you..." "I don't know who it was." "Somebody." "Somebody told me you'd been in hospital." "It wasn't a hospital." "It was a rest home." "God, that's where I ought to be." " What reminded me of that?" " Nothing." " I gave you that card." " Oh, yes, yes." "You gave me a card, yes." "What?" " Who is she?" " Ah, yes, the card." "Aw, come on, Fillmore." "Get the old computer working." "Come on." "Tick, tick, tick." "Carbonell." "Carbonell." " Married." "Married, uh..." " Moreau." " What do I think he's doing?" " Yes." "I mean, it's been a week." "It's been a whole bloody week." "We drink to it... the great partnership- and then nothing." " What's he doing?" " What I should be doing in his place... asking questions." "But who is Carbonell?" ""Was." Under the sod, old love." "Went to the funeral." " Who was he then?" " Oh, foreign ministry." "Nothing big." "Quite a power behind the scenes, I believe." "A Hitler fan, I think, during the old krieg." " What about Moreau?" " Ah, yes." "Now, hold on, love." "Moreau, yes." "Uh, yes." "Come on, come on." "Yes, it's all happening." "Uh, Vichy Frenchman." "That's it." "Got out of it in '43." "Came down here to meet the pals." "I have an idea old Carbonell was one of 'em." " You mean he was a politician?" " Good Lord, no, no." "I have an idea..." "Sure." "I have an idea... he was something to do with the old polizei." "just tell me one thing." "What makes you think I'd be happier with the two of you?" "Perhaps because you haven't had the choice before." "My dear, you don't get what you want by understanding people." " It helps." " Not really." " It helps." " Not really." "You get what you want by willpower, mostly." "And nothing weakens willpower so much as the effort to understand." "If that's him, he's timed it rather well." " Moreau?" " Anyway, happiness isn't everything." " Hello?" " One has to have love as well." "Hello?" "Funny he sends you all the time." "Both times he's sent you." " Is he bent, by the way?" " "Bent"?" "Your husband." "Is he queer?" " I didn't know it was so obvious." " I didn't say it was obvious." "You don't like queers, is that it?" "I don't have to." "I'm not married to one." " How long have you been?" " Married?" " Yeah." " Six years." "Oh, that's a life sentence." " Has he ever been to prison?" " No." " I don't think so." " I have." "In England." "It's still the best place to go to prison, I'm told." "You think about them." "That's the trouble." " You think about them all the time." " Yes, I suppose you do." "Not women." "You didn't think I meant women, did you?" "I meant these." "I saw her wearing' 'em once... at a charity ball for thalidomide children." "She was a fat little woman... with a fat little neck." "A kind of blasphemy, really." "Some men in prison think about women." "Even fat little women with fat, ugly necks." "But women change when you're inside." "These don't." " Please." " What?" " Put them away." " They're for you." "That's right, isn't it?" "That's what we're meeting here for." " But don't show them here." " Why not?" "Girls get offered all sorts of things over lunch." "Not things as recognizable as diamonds." "Nobody recognizes diamonds." "Not one in a million." "Not even the people who own 'em." "How funny you didn't know that." " He didn't." "Did you notice?" " Didn't what?" "The waiter." "He didn't hover." "They always say that waiters hover." " Do they?" " Yeah." "In novels and that." "The thing is, why did..." " What's his name... your husband?" " Richard." "Richard." "Why did Richard send you?" "Are you thrown in with the deal?" "It'd be nice to know." "Because if you're not... what are we gonna do about him?" "They're afraid... nine times out of 1 0." "They don't even think of them as being beautiful." "They just take somebody else's word for it... in the same way they take somebody else's word... that they're valuable." "All they know is they've got hold of something they don't really understand... so they're afraid." "So they bury them away in dark safes and blue velvet boxes... and wear replicas made of paste." "Then they're happy." "With paste, they know exactly where they are." "Wouldn't you..." "Wouldn't you agree, Henry?" "Uh, yes, I suppose so." "I'm not all that hot on psychiatry." "What else do psychiatrists do that we don't do?" "We listen to people, don't we?" "Find out what their worries are... how much money they have, how well they sleep at night... what servants they keep." " I hope you find this hot enough." " Thank you." "Whether they're fond of dogs... what time of day they receive their lovers, if they have lovers." "All these intimate details and others." "Then one night, we come along with our little scalpels... and cut away their neuroses painlessly." "Has anyone ever used that as a defense in court?" "Darling." "Well, how else would you account for the fact... that the jewel thief is the one kind of criminal... that a lot of respectable people seem to sympathize with?" "As a philosopher, how do you account for that?" "I'd say, if anything, it's just the Robin Hood element." " Depriving the rich to help the poor." " The poor?" " I'm poor." " Not for long, Henry." "You are, I take it, coming in with us?" "I'm, uh, warming to the idea." " I like simple arrangements." " Wunderbar!" "Two Alsatians, four maids... a cook, chauffeur and three gardeners." "The house is about 60 yards from the wall." " Got a shot of the wall?" " Uh, yes." "You'll have to get me over." "But once over, the gardens should give adequate cover." "Do you have a side elevation of the house?" "Yes, I think so." "Ah, there we are." "Dodgy." "Very dodgy." "It's old." "See that?" "That's where the mortar's crumbling." " Is it climbable?" " Well, anything's climbable." "But you get hold of that stuff, and it'll come away in your hands." "Anyway, let's work backwards." "Where are you saying I ought to get in?" "Well, I thought here." " And what is that?" " One of the secondary bathrooms." " Is it wired?" " They're all wired." " That one's on the old circuit." " How good is the wiring?" "The new stuff's very good." "It was put in three years ago." "Well, what do you think?" "I've seen worse." "Not much worse, I admit." "Get me a really close shot of that." "Let me ask you something." "Why this one anyway?" "Let me ask you something." "Why this one anyway?" "It's messy and it's average." "I don't like being tried out on something that has all the risks and none of the glamour." "There's no question of trying you out." "Then why do we have to mess about?" "The original deal was after Tangiers, Salinas." " That was it!" " Let me talk." "Let's talk about Salinas." "In the first place, why the obsession?" "Why not?" "Why climb Everest?" "Because it's there." "Yes, well, uh, that's fair enough." " What's the joke?" " Oh, just my sense of humor." "There's always something faintly ludicrous, don't you think, about two grown men... talking blandly about a robbery?" "Yeah." "It's a game." "Salinas enjoys it too." "He said so." "The counterplotting." "The fun isn't all on our side." "That's the point." "There's no fun on our side." "Three attempts in the last 1 8 months..." "all failures." "He didn't even make an insurance claim." "No, he's had all the laughs." "Yeah." "I heard him." "That's why I want to get him." " You said you had the key." " I didn't say that." "You implied it." "We're not ready for Salinas, you and I, Henry." "We've got to know each other a lot better before we contemplate a suicide pact." "It's always a mistake, don't you think... to jump into bed with somebody too quickly?" "I haven't had too many failures in bed." "Well, you're more lucky than most." "Perhaps that's why I picked you..." "because you're lucky." "They go to Paris every year, always at the end of this month." "They never leave before the 2 4th or later than the 30th." "Day before they go, she gets the stuff out of deposit at the bank." "So, next week is the operative one." "Twenty-eighth." "That's right." "That's what you said, wasn't it?" "That's the night of the concert." "They leave a day later." "She's acknowledged two tickets, sent a check." "And the concert starts at 8.;00." "Yes, I know." "I've got tickets myself." "Pity about that." " Anything else?" " How good's the safe?" "Twelve years old, French." "Should open just by blowing on it." "Well, we'll just have to get you over the wall with breath to spare." " You're sure about the other thing?" " What other thing?" "The knockout pills." "Dogs can be a hell of a time waster." "I promise you." "We used them with great effect in the war." "Well, I hope you're right." "I was never happy about dogs." " Any particular reason?" " Yes." "I used to work for my living once." "I did a paper route." "What?" "He's changed it." "This thing's brand-new." "Come on." "Come on!" "Come on!" "Nada!" "Nada!" "It's too good for me." "I could spend a whole week and still get nowhere." " We'll bust it then." " Impossible." "Look at it." " A drill is hopeless." " We'll dig it out then." "We'll dig it out, take it with us and bust it later." "How can we?" "We've got this far." "We're not stopping now." "Believe me, it's just not possible." "Get back in the car, and tell Fe to bring it round the side." "Take the tools with you, and the overcoat." "Give me 1 0 minutes." "If I'm not there by then, leave without me." "Bravo!" " Bravo!" " Bravo!" " Bravo!" " Bravo!" " Bravo!" " Bravo!" " Bravo!" " Bravo!" "Get the gate!" "Shut the gate!" "Good morning, my love." "How are we this beautiful morning?" "In particular, how is the patient?" "Getting back to normal." "The normal man has yet to be found." "And when found, cured." "I'm sorry." "I'm just in a good mood." " So I see." " How is he?" "I called a masseur for him." "He's in quite a bit of pain, of course." " I have the perfect painkiller." " You've opened it?" "It had to be blown." " And?" " It's all there and more." " Much more." " How much more?" "Well, it appears our client... has been trying to cover himself against further risks of inflation." " Ask me how much." " How much?" "Well, something to the tune of... well, I put it around, uh, 30 million pesetas." " But that's fantastic." " Quite fantastic." "At current rates, it should translate into something... well, not far short of half a million dollars." "It's too much." "In the normal course of events, yes." "It might mean trouble." "I agree." "Curious enough, the way things are now..." "I don't think he'll be reporting the loss in full." "You may have noticed there's absolutely nothing in the paper this morning." " I don't think he can risk it, you see." " Why not?" "How do you mean?" "My dear, there are too many people in the government... who would like to know what he was doing with 30 million pesetas worth of diamonds." "I think in his position, it would take a lot of explaining away." "Really?" "You really think so?" "I'm sure of it." "It all fits." "It justifies that brand-new bastard of a safe." "How Henry got to it the car is a miracle, but he did." "I just stood around and watched." "All very galling to the old ego." "He's younger than you, that's all." " Is it?" " Yes, of course." "The young always win in the end, don't they?" "Do they?" "Do you want to go and tell him the good news?" "If you like." "Aren't you coming?" "No." "Go and tell him the good news." "Tell him next week we'll go down to the villa and reprieve ourselves by the sea." "Drive carefully." "Cigarette?" "Merci." "Darling?" "But didn't he come, the masseur?" "She." "It was a she." "She came instead of her husband, like you." "Mmm." "Are you complaining?" "I don't know yet, do I?" "It remains to be seen." "Listen." "I've got something fantastic to tell you." "But what are you doing standing up?" " You should be lying down." " All right." "If you say so." "I've got something to tell you." " How much stuff do you think was there?" " No idea." " You know what Richard thinks?" " Nobody knows what Richard thinks." "Richard thinks half a million dollars." "Isn't that simply fantastic?" "I'll take you instead of my share." "Oh, be impressed." "Please, be impressed." "I'm very impressed." "I was impressed the first time I saw you." "Your share will be nearly 200,000." "I think it's fantastic!" "And I think it's fantastic too, and I always will." "And I want you very much." "You're supposed to be resting." "Anyway, I've got something else to tell you." " I bought you a present." " What sort of present?" "Come on and I'll show you." "Come on." "Come on." "You mustn't give men presents." " Where is it?" " In the street." "In the street?" "Hey." "Your hand's shaking." "Is that a criticism of my driving?" "My hand's shaking because you've been holding it." "It's a criticism of your handholding." "Well, in the back row at a cinema, you could always tell." "What are you talking about?" "If you did the ultimate, you know, held a girl's hand... either she called the manager or she was your date." "There isn't a manager to call." "I know." "That's why I brought you here." "Come on." "I feel like a tourist." "Do you really like it?" " I'll take it on one condition." " What's that?" "You let me spread the payments." "I never accepts gifts from married women." "Before the war, my old dad wanted a car." "They only cost about a hundred pounds then." "But he did it the hard way." "He saved up cigarette coupons." "I think he needed about 20,000." "So, he smoked himself stupid." "And by the time he got up to 1 5,000... the war came, they stopped the coupons and a bomb got him." "There's a moral in that somewhere." "What did you mean when you said you were despised?" "What made you think of that suddenly?" "Well, I remembered, that's all." "Who despised you?" "Your parents?" "Not my parents." "My father." "Are you an only child?" "Or maybe he wanted a boy." "I don't know what he wanted, except power." "He liked the war, I think." "At least he seemed happy when the war came." "I've never understood men who have to have a son." "All this business about carrying on the line." "I don't wanna perpetuate me." "I do." " Let's go straight to the villa." " What about Richard?" "We'll send him a telegram when we get there." "He won't like it." "He doesn't have to like it." "He's a philosopher." "Have you done it very often in strange rooms... with girls who have husbands?" "That's my problem, not yours." "I was hoping..." "Before, I was hoping it wouldn't be any good." "Everything would have been so much easier." "Is that what you were thinking too?" "Sort of." "I was thinking in the book... she came to an unhappy end." "What book?" "Who?" "The nurse..." "Catherine." "But there was something in between, wasn't there?" "Between the meeting and the unhappy end." "Yeah." "About 300 pages." "This is an extraordinary place." "I can't make out the geography of it." "Usually I can photograph a house just like that." "Here." "I got something for you." "Hold out your hand." "Your watch." "I not only don't take gifts from married women, I don't give them either." "Leave him." "Would you ever leave him?" "I don't mean divorce." "I know you wouldn't do that." "I just mean..." "leave him." "I know what you meant." "I can't." "Darling, he isn't a rival." "He sleeps with you, doesn't he?" "We have separate beds." "We always have." "You're the first thing he sees when he wakes up in the morning." " I hate him just for that." " You shouldn't." "I know I shouldn't." "It's unreasonable... it's petty, and it's dirty." "But if I don't hate him..." "I'll start pitying him." "Then I'm lost." "But why do you have to do either?" "We don't have to change anything." "We can all be together until..." "Until he's dead?" "Yes." "Until he's dead." "What if I don't like that?" "If I ask you to choose?" "Don't ask me." "Because if I have to choose... even though I love you, I'd have to choose him." " Well, you don't have to." " Yes, I have to." "It's so easy for you, isn't it?" "You don't have to go to somebody you love and say, "I'm leaving you."" "I'm married to him." "It's not love like you and me... but it is love." "And I'm married to him." "No one can insure love forever, not even Lloyds." "I couldn't do anything to hurt him while he's still alive." " And this doesn't, I suppose?" " No." "You don't believe that." "I believe it." "It's not all that out of the ordinary." "The world is full of wives who cheat on their husbands." "Darling, I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "It's okay." "Being in love... needs practice... like everything else." "Hey." "Hey." "We're just out of practice." "Temperaments later." " Are you cross?" " Why should I be cross?" "I've had a very pleasant journey." "Isn't he staying?" "Yes and no." "He's very religious, this man." "He prefers it in the hotel." "Is he nice?" "He looks nice." "Well, his driving's an improvement on previous models." " I hope he's nice." " Yes." "His ideas are rather derivative." "I'd rather suspect he'll be wanting me to buy him a car for himself very soon." "What do you suggest, an E-type?" "I hope the real owner enjoys driving it." " I'm glad you're not cross." " Why on earth should I be cross?" "It's nice to smell the sea air again." "Much nicer than the smell of money." "I must arrange some outings for you younger set." "They have some very good parties here during the summer." "Very good parties." "Except for this mania the rich have of putting on fancy dress." "I always found that rather tiresome." "I can never think what to wear." " What do you usually go as?" " Oh, the noblest Roman of them all." "Yes, I must..." "I must get some invitations." "It'd be nice for Fe to have somebody to dance with for a change." "Why did you marry her?" "That's a very good question, Henry." "It deserves an answer." "If I told you the real reason, you wouldn't think it was a reason at all." "One day I'll tell you." "Meantime, we must both wait." "You don't like waiting." "I do." "Well, that's just the luck of the game." "What game's that?" "The one we've all come here to play." "Excuse me for a moment, Henry." "As older residents, we have to pay certain respects." "Help yourself to what you want." "It's all laid on." "Hello." "Oh, you don't remember me, do you?" "No, but I'm sure I should." "No, you shouldn't." "It's just that I've got this incredible memory for cars." "I remember cars, and then I put a face to 'em." "Oh, really?" "What do you remember most, radiators or rear number plates?" "You know, that's good." "That's a very sexy joke." "I must use that." "Um, look." "Do you mind if I sort of join you?" "By all means." "Would you like one of these?" " No, thanks." "I've given them up." " Yeah, you're probably right." "How 'bout a drink?" "Um..." "Look." "I'm not on my own." "I am with somebody." "I'm with the, uh... oh, dear..." "the count something or another." " Oh, lovely." " Last month in Escorial." " What about it?" " That's when I saw you." "You were a red Flouride with Madrid plates." " Only rented, I'm afraid." "Cheers." " Cheers." " Well, you stared at me." " Yes." "Well, I'm still staring." "I don't know what I've come as, really." "It was the count's idea." "He chose it." "He got it out of some book." "He's always showing me books." "The point is, you see, I'm trying to get into films." "Oh." "You're an actress, are you?" "Oh, no." "No, I'm trying to get into films." "Oh, Lord." "He's out again." "Look." "Could you ask me to dance?" "Please, just once round the floor?" "Then you can dump me." "just so as I'm out of his range." "He doesn't see too well." "Oh, look." "Do you see who that is?" "Over my left shoulder in the alcove there." "You know who it is, don't you?" "It's that, um..." "Oh, what's her name?" "She's in films." "Hey, what's her secret?" " I mean, did you see her last film?" " I didn't see her first film." "How does she do it?" "Well, I imagine she's met the right people." " That's the Salinas table." " Who?" "He's very much your cup of tea." "He's crashed three Bentley Continentals in the last nine months alone." " But has he anything to do with films?" " No." "He's just rich enough to keep you out of them." "Come on." "I'll introduce you." "I don't think our good Dr. Delgado would approve." "Henry." "My dear friend Henry." "Come and take the cure." "No, I can't stay." "I'm with some people." "I'd just like to introduce you to a great little car enthusiast." "I said, what was she like... the girl before me?" "Uh, she was blonde, which you're not." "She was English, which you're not." "And she was too aware, just like you." "But I wasn't thinking about her." " Do you wanna know what I was thinking?" " Mmm." "I found a photograph in a book in your place in Madrid." "Richard in a uniform with the boys of the old brigade." "And I was thinking, maybe that was it." "When a policeman comes over to the other side... he comes all the way." "Love... that's what people never understand... when they talk about queers." "They always leave out love." "When he first told me, I didn't understand either." "Not that part of it." "He was police in the war... but not what you thought, not Gestapo." "just worked alongside them." "There were safes in the Gestapo offices full of confiscated jewelry." "And this boy... this boy raided one of the offices one night." "And Richard caught him." "But instead of turning him over... they worked together." "Richard had the information... and the boy did the work." "They cleaned out the safes in town after town." "There were papers, reports and things as well." "The papers went to the Resistance... and the jewelry they kept to themselves." "They were heroes to some people." "But the Germans had to stop it." "They had to catch the thief." "So they put all their best men on to it." "And the best man of all... was Richard." "So" " So Richard caught him again." "The boy was caught one night." "And the next morning they shot him." "He said..." "Richard said... that when he did it, he thought the boy would tell everything... and they'd die together." "But, you see..." "Richard forgot love too." "And the boy told nothing." "He just let himself be shot." "That's why I married Richard." "He needed someone to forgive him." "Fe?" "Fe?" "Richard?" "Fe not here?" "Hello, Henry." "No, she's not." "Where's she gone?" "She gone out with Tony?" "Tony went shopping on his own." "That one's always nicer when he's had a day spending money." "What?" "Wait a minute." "I'll come down." "She didn't tell me she was going out." "Where has she gone then?" "Well, unless the boat didn't sail, she's on her way to Tangier." "You bastard." "No, no, not entirely... but I can see why you would jump to that conclusion." " It was her decision." " Why didn't I know about it?" " Presumably, that was her decision too." " You know how dangerous it is?" "We don't need the money that urgently." "You could've stopped her." "Why should I?" "I'm a poor husband in many respects... but I know when not to advise my wife." "She's got a will of her own, as no doubt you're aware." " But you knew." " Oh, yes, I knew." "Married people don't have many secrets." "That's both a curse and a blessing." "just hope that nothing happens to her... for your sake." "For all our sakes, Henry." "Get rid of him." "I beg your pardon?" "I want him out of the way while I talk to you." "As you wish, Henry." "Well, now, Henry... am I going to be solicited or merely lectured?" " You know what we've got to talk about." " Not particularly, I don't." "There's a wide range of subjects we could cover." "Shall we have a drink first?" " I don't need a drink." " I'm sure I will." "So I'll help myself now." "Right." "Where do you want to start?" "I want you to divorce her." "I'll supply all the evidence you need." "I'm sure." "How very conventional of you, Henry." "You disappoint me." "You can have all the money from the last job." "You really disappoint me." "What is it, Henry?" "Middle-class morality?" "It's out of character to be outraged." "You're a thief, Henry, a long way from home, as you said." "Thieves mustn't get outraged." "In any case, people only barter for things they want." "Well, I don't want a divorce." "I don't want your money." "Your wife doesn't love you." " She loves me." " Don't let's talk about love." "Let's talk about people sleeping with people... adultery and other middle-class sports." "And being queer?" "Let's not leave that out." "I wondered when you would get around to that." "You're not in love." "You're just shocked." "Tell me something I don't know." " She pities you." " Does she?" "Well, perhaps she does." "There are worse things in marriage." "Is that what she said?" " Pity isn't love." " But is that what she said?" "She told me about the boy..." "the boy who died." "The boy you killed." "I suppose if she slept with you, she had the right... to tell you about that too." "It was a long time ago, Henry." "After the first death, you learn to live with the others." "What do you expect me to say?" "I'm sorry the facts of my life upset you?" "Perhaps you'll pity me too, Henry." "Not pity." "That's not the word I'd use." "No, of course not." "Pity's not manly." "We're talking about manly things." "Right." "Let's talk about the subject you're so expert on." "Let's talk about love." "No." "Let's talk about Fe leaving you..." "about you letting her go." "But does she want to go?" "We haven't established that." " She'd come with me if you'd let her." " But on whose terms, Henry?" " Mine or yours?" " I don't care which." "You might." "You easily might." "You can't be sure that she's told you everything about me." "She's told me all I need to know." "Well, let's see, shall we?" "Did she tell you about the rest of my life?" "No, and it's not important." "You're so positive, Henry." "I envy you." "It must be a great comfort." "I've never had that particular gift... where my life is concerned." "When I first came to Spain... after the events that shock you so much..." "I tried to fall in love." "Your kind of love." "I tried to fall in love with women... a woman." "I wanted to find salvation... forgiveness." "They're words, Henry." "just words." "just words." "I didn't succeed." "To betray oneself, one usually has to betray others." "The woman was my best friend's wife." "Carbonell's wife." "You destroyed him too then?" " Well, I wouldn't quite say that." " He died." "Oh, yes, he died." "And he left you as Fe's legal guardian?" "He wasn't a very intelligent man, but he understood the forces of destruction." "Fe hated him." " Yes, I know." " But did she tell you why?" "No, but I guessed." "But you didn't guess right, did you, Henry?" "And she didn't tell you." "Guess again." "You're so nearly there." "You have the courage." "I've seen you let go and fall before now." "I wasn't a very good lover... but I was good enough." "She isn't Carbonell's daughter." "She's mine." "Salinas has one of these in his bedside table." "At night, he employs a guard." "The guard carries another." "It's all in the file." "Take them both." "It's what you came for in the first place." "I wouldn't like you to go away empty-handed." "Killing you now... would be too easy." "Oh, believe me, it's never easy." "I could do it... now without thinking." "But perhaps that's what you want." "A nice quick end to pity." "Someone to do it for you 20 years too late." "Isn't that what it's all been for?" " Why you sent her away?" " Well, that's one answer." "Yes... but it's too good for you." "I don't want you to be safe." "You haven't got to the end of pity yet." "If I were to kill you now... you'd win... hands down." "She wouldn't be able to despise a dead man." "All you can do with the dead is forget them." " You're not cold?" " No, I'm fine." "Good." "I wanted you to see my house at night." "Oh, it's fabulous!" "Yes, it's a very pretty effect with all the lights on." "If I'm lucky enough to break into films, which everybody says I should..." " Oh, you should." " Do you really think so?" " If you mix with the right people." " One of the things..." "I'd like to do, I'd like to have the most sensational house of my own." "The best time to see this house is when all the gardens are flood-lit." "The trouble is no one pays very much attention to detail nowadays." "The snag is houses, like people, need to be kept in a state of preservation." "Tony?" "No, it's me." "Nice surprise?" "Yes." "Did something go wrong?" "No." "Why should it?" "It all went so well, there was nothing to stay for." "So I took a plane back." "What are you sitting there in the dark for?" "Where's Henry?" " Has he gone to bed?" " No." "Oh." "Where is he then?" " I don't know." " What do you mean?" "What's happened?" "Something's happened, hasn't it, since I went away?" "Tell me." "That's paper you're burning." "Yes, I'm destroying all my files." "The partnership's dissolved." "Richard, look at me." "You must have said something." "He wouldn't just go like that." " Tell me what happened." "Where is he?" " I don't know." "Yes, you do." "You're lying." "I always know when you're lying." "I don't know where he is, but he's gone to take Salinas." "You must have made him then." "You want him to die." "You said something." "You said something about him and me." "Why would I do that?" "I know nothing about you and him." "I simply told him the truth about you and me." "You told him what?" "What truth?" "The point is he's not coming back." "So why concern yourself?" "Let us just say he doesn't want to share you." "Leave it at that." "Richard, what truth?" "I don't understand anything you're saying." "Leave it." "Leave it." "It's all over!" "Richard, stop treating me like a child and tell me the truth." "I must know." "Must you?" "Yes, please." "I told him... the reason you went away is..." "I told him..." "you're my daughter." "It's..." "It's a joke, isn't it?" "It's some terrible joke." "I don't know yet." "But then, how could you say such a lie?" "Richard, why?" "It wasn't necessary." "Yes." "It wasn't necessary." "Such a horrible lie." "No..." "lie." "Yes." "Yes." "Yes." "Yes!" "Yes!" "Oh, he's kinky." "Hasn't he got sweet little ears?" "I used to have a teddy bear in my room." "I just couldn't get to sleep without him." "A habit you've grown out of, I expect." "What's that for?" " What's that, darling?" " That thing behind you." "Oh, that." "That's to make sure you don't get out." " If you tried to escape now, bells ring." " Oh." "Well, as long as the bed's not wired." "What goes on in here?" "Oh, the usual offices." "Pow!" "How usual can you get?" "Is this wired too?" "No, there's just the master switch by the bed." "For the master." "How do you work this thing?" " What?" " Well, I don't want it to be too hot." "How is that?" "Lovely." "Mmm." "Oh, I know what I wanted to tell you." "What's that, my darling?" "That, um..." "What's his name?" "Um, Barbaro." "Barbudo." "Well, what about him?" "He made a pass at me in the restaurant under the table..." " With you sitting there." " So?" "He showed great taste." "Come along." "Well..." "I don't think it was very nice." "After all, you were paying for the meal." "I shall get even." "I shall humiliate him tomorrow at tennis... in front of his wife." "Well, I don't think it's very nice." "I don't think any of it's very nice." "What..." "What is it?" "Bloody light's fused." "Maybe it's just the bulb." "It wouldn't be just the bulb, would it?" "They've all gone." "Never mind." "I love you just as much in the dark." "It's all in the file." "All in the file." "Somebody told me a joke this morning." "I had a visitor, you know." "A captain of police." "He told me a joke I'd heard before... but it's still one of my favorites." "Somebody tried to rob one of my houses." "Tried to rob one of my houses." "It's a very private joke... because he got nothing, of course." "I'm never robbed." "But if I was, why should it worry me?" "It's what's outside the safe one worries about." "Let's talk about Salinas." "Let's talk about him." "In the first place, why the obsession?" "We're not ready for Salinas, you and I, Henry." "Not ready for him." "It's too early for a suicide pact, Henry." "Too early." "She told me about the boy." "One of the advantages of being rich... is that you can play games with other people." "The boy you killed..." "Play games with other people." "Darling!" "No!"