A Passage to India Page #7

So much to do, so little time to do it.

To do what, Mother?

Settle things up. See Stella.

Get away from all this muddle and fuss

into some cave of my own, some shelf.

Quite so. But meanwhile

the trial is coming on.

I don't want to have anything to do with it.

But you are an important witness.

You dropped off after the first cave

and let Adela go on with him alone.

No one blames you, Mother.

He stage-managed the whole thing

by frightening you with that echo.

Mumbo jumbo, but very effective.

You'll never understand

the nature of that place,

nor will anyone else

in that ridiculous court of yours.

- I don't wish to discuss it further.

- Very well, Mother.

Will you at least stay for our marriage?

- You are getting married?

- Of course. Why do you ask?

I wondered.

All this rubbish about love.

Love in a church, love in a cave,

as if there were the least difference.

And I held up from my business

over such trifles.

I don't understand you.

I've never understood you

any more than you've understood me.

But what of Adela?

I like Adela. She has character.

Then don't you want to help her?

Nothing I can say or do

will make the least difference.

If that is really how you feel,

Mother, then you must go.

Goodbye.

You mustn't upset yourself, my dear.

The verdict's a foregone conclusion.

It isn't that. I'm all right really.

You almost certainly

won't be called till tomorrow.

McBryde will take up

most of the morning.

Then there's Amritrao, who'll be up to his

tricks and playing to the lndian gallery.

(shouting)

(smash)

Come along, dear. We're there.

What are you doing here?

I'm an interested party, Mrs Turton.

I've handed over to my deputy.

- And who is your deputy?

- (gavel)

Das is a good man, Mrs Turton.

Thank you, sir.

On April 3rd of this year,

Miss Quested and her friend, Mrs Moore,

were invited to a tea party at the house

of the principal of Government College.

It was here that the prisoner first met Miss

Quested, a young girl fresh from England.

Until then, the prisoner had never been

in such close proximity to an English girl.

In consideration of the ladies present,

I will merely allude you to the fact that the

prisoner is a widower, now living alone.

And in the course of our evidence,

I'll be providing proof of his state of mind.

Before taking you through

the history of this crime,

I want to state what I believe

to be a universal truth.

The darker races

are attracted to the fairer.

But not vice versa.

Even when the lady

is less attractive than the gentleman?

- (laughter)

- Order! Order!

Order! Order!

(heartbeat)

I must warn members of the public

and certain members of the defence

that the insulting behaviour

which marred yesterday's proceedings

will not be tolerated.

Well said, Das. Quite right.

- Mr McBryde.

- Thank you.

I shall begin by reminding you

of my contention

that prisoner proposed the expedition

with a premeditated intention

of making advances to Miss Quested.

I've made it my business to visit

the Marabar during the last few days.

It's an inaccessible, barren place,

entailing, as you have heard, considerable

planning and expense to get there.

The caves themselves are dark,

featureless, and without interest,

except for a strange echo.

A curious place

for such an elaborate picnic.

The servants were all supplied

by prisoner's lndian friends,

with one exception

of the witness, Antony.

Antony had received explicit instructions

from Mr Heaslop to stay with the ladies.

Yet he remained behind.

Yesterday you heard him admit that he

had accepted money from the prisoner

minutes before the departure of the train.

And that brought us to Mr Fielding.

We are asked to believe he was

prevented from catching the train

because another friend of the prisoner's,

Professor Godbole,

was saying his prayers.

Prayers. After a most unpleasant

altercation, I withdrew my hypothesis

that similar persuasion had contributed

towards this excess of religious zeal.

I object, sir.

Mr McBryde is quite blatantly using

this opportunity to repeat the slander.

- Objection sustained!

- Ha!

(laughter)

Order! Order!

Order!

Prisoner had yet to rid himself

of a third impediment.

The lady in question

suffered from what is known in medical

parlance as "claustrophobia".

Prisoner achieved his objective

by entering a cave with Miss Quested,

leaving this elderly lady in the rear,

where she was crushed and crowded

by servants and villagers.

- Mrs Moore. He's speaking of Mrs Moore!

- Quiet.

Are you accusing my client

of attempted murder as well as rape?

Who is this lady he's talking about?

The lady I met in the mosque. Mrs Moore.

Mrs Moore? You speak of Mrs Moore?

I don't propose to call her.

You don't propose to call her

because you can't!

She was smuggled out of the country

because she was on our side.

- She'd have proved his innocence.

- You could have called her.

Neither side called her,

neither may quote her.

But she was kept from us!

This is English justice?

This is your British Raj?

Just give us back

Mrs Moore for five minutes.

If the point is of any interest, my mother

should be reaching Aden at noon today.

- Banished by you!

- Please, please.

- This is no way to defend your case.

- I'm not defending a case.

And you are not trying one.

We are both slaves!

Mr Mahmoud Ali, unless you sit down,

I shall have to exercise my authority.

Do so! This trial is a farce!

I'm going! I ruin my career!

Mrs Moore! Where are you, Mrs Moore?

We want Mrs Moore!

Mrs Moore! Mrs Moore!

Order! Order!

Farewell, my friend.

(speaks Urdu)

They have taken Mrs Moore!

(speaks Urdu)

- Mrs Moore!

- Mrs Moore!

- Mrs Moore!

- Mrs Moore!

- Mrs Moore!

- Mrs Moore!

- Mrs Moore!

- (crowd chanting)

lsn't it strange?

Rather wonderful.

- I knew they'd try something like this.

- (Das) Quiet, please.

- Poor old Das.

- Quiet! Order!

I apologise for my colleague.

He's an intimate friend of our client,

and his feelings have carried him away.

Mr Mahmoud Ali

will have to apologise in person.

Exactly, sir, he must.

I must repeat that, as a witness,

Mrs Moore does not exist.

Neither you, Mr Amritrao,

nor Mr McBryde, you,

have any right to surmise

what that lady would have said.

She is not here and,

consequently, she can say nothing.

Thou knowest, Lord,

the secrets of our hearts.

Shut not thy merciful ears to our prayer.

We therefore commit her body to the deep

to be turned into corruption.

Looking for the resurrection of the body,

when the sea shall give up her dead.

I heard a voice from heaven

saying unto me:

"Blessed are the dead,

which die in the Lord."

(chanting) Mrs Moore!

Mrs Moore!

(McBrYde) I now call upon Miss Quested.

Place your hand on the book.

And nothing but the truth.

(Das) Quiet, please. Silence!

Now, Miss Quested...

I'd like to take you back to the moment

when you came out of that first cave

and found Mrs Moore

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