A Man for All Seasons Page #10

That is all.

STEWARD turns, gestures HOUSEHOLD out.

ALICE, MARGARET, ROPER return _through door on gallery. MORE is about to follow when (on SOUND) a discreet cough. He turns, reluctantly. Looks down and sees: STEWARD, a model of mournful propriety, looking up at him at foot of stairs, his WIFE behind him; she bobs a curtsey. MORE, forseeing it all, looks a bit dry; as one tackling a small, necessary, distasteful task, descends, saying: MORE

What about you, Matthew, will you stay?

STEWARD Well sir, that’s according.

MORE at foot of stairs helps him to the heart of the matter. 66

MORE:

There will be more work and ... less money.

STEWARD:

(statesmanlike)

Don’t see how I can then, sir. After all, I’ve got my own responsib- Indicates WIFE.

MORE:

Quite right Matthew. Why should you?

Turns to reascend watched by STEWARD, turns again.

MORE:

I shall miss you, Matthew.

STEWARD:

(jocose)

No-o-o sir—you see through me sir; I know that.

MORE:

I shall miss you Matthew. I shall miss you.

A moment of confrontation. MORE releases him by turning away. STEWARD, with wife, CLOSE SHOT, his face puzzled, shocked watches him. Then goes. So soon as they are out of sight: 73 INT. BUTLER’S ALCOVE

STEWARD:

Now damn me isn’t that them all over!

He hurls cap onto ground. His WIFE retrieves it. He takes it, absently. Miss me? What’s in me for .him to miss? He lectures WIFE, defensive, wordly-wise. “Matthew, will you take a cut in your wages? No Sir Thomas I will not”—that’s it. Points_warning finger at WIFE. And that’s all of it!

67

WIFE, a fan of MORE, afraid of her husband, looks at him dubious. He reacts: All right—so he’s down on his luck—Pm sorry’ ....Don’t mind saying that; Pm sorry—bad luck! If I had any good luck to spare he could have some! I wish we could all have good luck all the time! I wish rain water was beer! I wish we had wings! ... But we don’. CUT r14 INT. MORE’S HOUSE BED CHAMBER

MORE enters his bedroom, ALICE sirs there, sewing savagely. He waits. She looks up. ALICE

So there s an end of you. What will you

do now? Sit by the fire and making goslings in the ash?

MORE:

Not at all, Alice. I expect write a

bit. I’ll write, read, think. I

think learn to fish: play with my grandchildren when son Roper’s done his duty. Alice—shall I reach you to read? ALICE No by God:

And now comes out with what preys deepest on her mind:

Poor silly man—d’you think they’ll leave you here to learn to fish? MORE

If we govern our tongues they will!

It threatens to be a marital row. Curtly:

Look) I have a word.to say about that. I

have made no statement. I’ve resigned, that’s all. The King is made by Act of Parliament Supreme Head of the Church in England. This English Church will first divorce him from the QueEn, then marry him to Lady Anne. MORE (Con’)

But on any of these matters, have you heard me make a statement? ALICE

No. And if I’m to lose my rank and fall to housekeeping I want to know the reason: so make a statement now. MORE

No! Alice, it’s a point of law. Accept it from me, Alice, that in silence is my safety under the law: But my silence must be absolute, it must extend to you. ALICE

In short you don’t trust me.

MORE:

Look—Fm the Lord Chief Justice, I’m Cromwell, Pm the Keeper of the Tower and I take your hand and I clamp it on the Bible, on the Blessed Cross—CLOSE SHOT, he takes a Bible and does so—

And I say. “Woman. has your husband made a statement on these matters?” Now—on peril of your soul remember—what’s your answer? ALICE No.

MORE And so it must remain.

ALICE sews; he puts away the Bible. She speaks, softly.

ALICE:

Have you opened your mind to Meg?

MORE:

Would I tell Meg what I won’t tell you?

ALICE:

Meg has your.heart. I know that well enough.

68

69

It is said sadly, but not resentfully. MORE is moved, but it is the truth. He stoops and kisses the coarse grey hair. She says anxiously: ALICE

This is a dangerous matter then; if you haven’t told Meg.

MORE:

(comfortably)

I don’t think so. No no—when they find I’m silent they’ll ask nothing better than to leave me silent: you’ll see. CUT

75 EXT. HAMPTON COURTYARD SNOW

It is Winter but all that we can see is snow ‘on pavement and ledges as in CLOSE TRACKING SHOT we cross a courtyard of Hampton with RICH. He is well clad now and has an air of modest consequence. He passes two officials with a little bow and they turn to look after him, heads together. 75A INT. HAMPTON STAIRS

He enters a small doorway and plunges up the dark stairs, pauses and listens at a door. 76 INT. CROMWELL’S NEW STUDY

#A ROOM IN HAMPTON. CROMWELL seated at a table loaded with papers. NORFOLK seated in a carved chair, uneasy and exasperated CROMWELL is insultingly patient. NORFOLK

But he’s silent Mr Secretary—why not leave him silent?

CROMWELL:

Not being a man of letters, Your Grace, you perhaps don’t realize the extent of his reputation. This “silence” of his is bellowing up and down Europe! In Europe he is claimed as the King’s enemy. NOR FOLK

Rubbish—Crank he may be: traitor he is not.

. 70

CROMWELL:

Exactly. And with a little pressure—

Door opens at far end of room and RICH enters.

With a little pressure he can be got to say so. And that’s what we need—a brief declaration of his loyalty to the present administration. NORFOLK

I still say let sleeping dogs lie.

CROMWELL:

The King does not agree with you.

NORFOLK:
flickers.

RICH looks at NORFOLK.

CROMWELL looks at NORFOLK. He rallies:

NORFOLK:

What kind of pressure do you think you can bring to bear?

CROMWELL:

I have evidence that Sir Thomas, while he” was a judge, accepted bribes. NORFOLK What?

Leaps up.

Goddammit he was the only judge since Cato who didn’t accept bribes! When was there last a Chancellor whose possessions, after three years in office totalled one hundred pounds and a gold chain? CROMWELL Richard.

RICH goes to door. CROMWELL sits back,

It is as you imply common practice, but a

CROMWELL (Cont)

practice may be common and remain an offence; this offence could send a man to the tower. RICH admits WOMAN (Averil Machin) Come here.

She comes forward.

This woman’s name is Averil Machin; she comes from Leicester. She entered a case in the Court of Requests in—Consults papers.

WOMAN A property case it was.

CROMWELL:

(mildly)

Shut your mouth. A property case in the Court of Requests in April 1526. WOMAN

And got a wicked false judgement!

CROMWELL:

And got an impeccably correct judgement from our friend Sir Thomas. WOMAN No sir, it was not!

CROMWELL:

Tell this gentleman about the gift you gave the judge. The judgement for what it’s worth, was the right one. WOMAN No sir—!

CROMWELL looks at her. She falters.

Well not to my thinking ...

(then with eager venom, to Norfolk) I gave him a cup sir; an Italian silver cup I bought in Leicester for a hundred shillings. 71

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