A Canterbury Tale Page #10

to build a camp just outside our village.

Young men flowed in

from every part of the country.

I felt as a missionary must feel...

when one day he finds

there's no need to travel into the jungle...

to find converts...

because the savages are coming to him.

- Thanks for the compliment.

- There's no sin in being a savage.

But a missionary who doesn't try

to do his duty is a bad missionary.

- Well?

- Well, here was a chance for them and for me.

I planned a series of lectures - no one came.

I tried again and again - nobody turned up.

I went to see their C.O.

He sympathized.

Said when the men had finished their work,

they had dates with the girls in the village...

or they went to the movies to see glamour girls

on the screen, or they got up dances.

- They were always with girls or after girls.

- Well, what's wrong with that?

Yeah. It's natural to feel lonesome

in a strange place.

You have a girl at home,

haven't you?

Yes, I have.

Would you like her to go out with strangers

when you're 3,000 miles away?

5,000 miles.

Most of our girls

have their men in the services.

The older people didn't like the idea of them

going out with every soldier that came along.

- I suppose they couldn't do anything about it.

- It was difficult.

Nobody wanted to stop the soldiers

having a good time.

So you stopped the girls

from having one.

Exactly.

Did I ever tell you

about old Dad Butler...

who killed the fly on his baby's head

with a sledgehammer?

Mr. Colpeper, didn't it ever occur to you

to ask the girls to your lectures?

- No.

- Pity.

Well, the fly's dead, the baby's alive

and kicking.

- No harm's been done.

- Oh, hasn't it?

What beats me is that

a man in your position, a magistrate...

somebody whose job it is

to judge other people -

I wonder what sort of sentence

you'd pass...

if the Glue Man was brought before you

and your friends on the bench?

It would depend upon

the findings of the court.

I would try to find out the truth.

I never pass sentence

without doing that.

I should try to discover

the motives of the accused.

I should question every witness personally.

- But you know that every witness

would be against him.

- Are you against him?

Fee Baker said that there are a lot of people

in the village who are not against him.

Are you against him?

He meant well.

Would you believe a burglar

who said he meant well?

If it was his first offense...

and he could prove that he broke into the house

in order to save the baby from burning to death.

- What baby?

- Old Dad Butler's baby.

In any case, Sergeant Gibbs...

if harm has been done

I shall have to pay for it.

And in order to make you pay,

somebody must denounce you.

I want to make that quite clear.

There are higher courts

than the local bench of magistrates.

Pilgrims for Canterbury,

all out and get your blessings.

Rum sort of pilgrimage for you.

A pilgrimage can be either

to receive a blessing or to do penance.

- I don't need either.

- Perhaps you are an instrument.

Do I get a flaming sword?

Nothing would surprise me.

I'll believe that

when I see a halo round my head.

- Taking a pilgrim's view, Sergeant Johnson?

- Yes, sir.

Well, if ever you have a son

who comes to England -

- And here's hoping he comes

in mufti, not like his father.

- And his grandfather.

And his grandfather.

Make him promise he'll become a pilgrim too.

At the moment, sir, I'm having a little trouble

with my future son's mother.

But your advice is sound.

I overheard you say last night

that you liked me in spite of yourself.

- That's true enough.

- And I like you too.

You're not nearly as tough as you try

to make out. Do you know the way?

Yes, thanks.

I'm taking Bob to the cathedral.

He's got a date there

with his buddy.

Then it's good-bye.

- Good luck.

- Thank you.

- Why "good luck" to you especially?

- Yes. Why you?

- Military secret.

- What's cooking? Tell a fella.

- We're off today.

- No? Where to?

- Oh, don't worry. I'll be seeing you.

- It's a date.

And the more of us the merrier.

I'm looking for the police station.

Thank you.

- Okay, Sergeant, watch out for convoys.

- Very good, sir.

- Christchurch gate in 10 minutes. Carry on.

- Very good, sir.

- Inspector?

- Yes.

- Superintendent Hall wants to see me.

- He's not in.

- When will he be?

- Well, it's hard to say. He's got a job on.

Special service in the cathedral

and they're marching through the city.

- I think I'm one of them.

- Well, you ought to know.

Suit yourself. But he won't be back

till the soldiers are gone.

Trouble is, when the soldiers are gone,

I'll be gone too.

Well, you might find him round the cathedral.

Come on, Sergeant.

Good morning, Dr. Kelsey.

Early, as usual.

Oh, excuse me, sir. Have you seen

Superintendent Hall anywhere?

Superin -This is Canterbury Cathedral,

not the police station.

I'm sorry, sir. I was told he might be here.

He wants to see me urgently.

Urgently?

Hmm.

Excuse me, sir.

I think you dropped this.

Hmm. Too much urgency.

Do you mind my looking

at the organ for a moment, sir?

No, go ahead.

Are you the organist, sir?

Do I look like the charwoman?

This is some organ.

What do you know about it?

- I'm an organist.

- Oh?

Or at least I was before the war.

Oh, well, once an organist,

always an organist.

Unless, of course, you only play

the mouth organ.

- Where did you study?

- Royal Academy of Music.

- Under whom?

- Perrault. Do you know him, sir?

Oh, we've cut each other

for 27 years.

But he's a fine teacher.

None better.

Yes, we thought so.

- Are you playing this morning, sir?

- Later.

There's a special service

for a battalion of soldiers.

It's my battalion.

Are you going too?

Yes, sir.

Where did you play last?

- Are you deaf?

- I played in a cinema.

Cinema!

Oh, when I was a young man your age,

after I got my degree, I played in a circus.

The harmonium.

Piano wasn't loud enough,

especially for the elephants.

How much do they pay you

in a cinema?

- Thirty a week.

- Mmm.

They only paid me 22.

Ah, but 22 shillings then

was more than 30 today.

Perhaps 22 shillings then

could buy as much as 30 today.

Oh? Oh, no, no, no, no.

I don't think so.

Well, do you want to play it?

I'd like to.

- Not afraid of it?

- No, I don't think I'm afraid.

Then have a go.

If you're one of them, it's only right

that you should play for them.

Now, show what you can do.

Play something, anything.

Only don't swing it.

And my dad's pa built

the first Baptist church in Johnson County.

Oregon red cedar.

Cedar shingles.

Well, that was a good job too.

Excuse me. Would you mind telling me,

is this old Canterbury Lane?

No, this is Rose Lane.

Canterbury Lane is further up.

I haven't been here since 1940.

The Rose Hotel used to be here.

Just where we're standing.

This is the parade, and that is St. George's Street.

- Oh, yes, I see. Thank you.

- It is an awful mess.

I don't blame you

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