Beat the Devil Page #3

But when you were a child,

didn't you ever have a mother

and father and a house

and a street and a town?

No. I, uh- I was an orphan

until I was 20,

and then a rich

and beautiful lady adopted me.

Heh. You know,

I've changed my mind

about your being

an evil doctor.

You're off to keep

a rendezvous some place

in Africa sacred

to the tribesmen.

You're going

to found a new empire

and make yourself master

of the riches of the world,

but you need

a beautiful blond queen

to impress the natives as-

A- as the incarnation

of the queen of Sheba.

That's why you're making

a pass at me.

Am I?

Of course.

I don't generally go sightseeing

with strange men.

You don't believe that,

do you?

Oh, I believe anything you say.

- Do you?

- Mm-hm.

Well, you shouldn't, you know.

You really shouldn't.

Mr. Chelm.

Yes?

It is I, Mrs. Dannreuther.

Maria.

Oh, come on.

Tea for two and two for tea.

Now, that's most awfully kind.

You shouldn't

have troubled. Really.

Billy told me you had a chill.

Bit of one. On the liver.

Too tiresome.

- Milk, of course.

- Of course.

I feel I should like somehow

to do him a good turn

of some kind.

You do?

Well, naturally.

Oh, I see, naturally.

I think it would be nice if-

If you were able

to do something for him.

Help him along.

Give him the benefit

of your advice.

Delighted, of course.

For instance?

Oh, something with business.

He was very pleased

with that tip you gave him

on the way home last night

about the gold shares.

I've forgotten what I told him.

What was it?

I don't remember either.

I was listening to your voice.

I wasn't listening

to what you said.

You see,

if you were helping him,

it would be so much easier

for us to be together

a lot out there in Africa.

Well, has he any head

for business?

Why, he's simply brilliant.

I wouldn't have thought it.

But of course he is.

You don't suppose

I'd marry a ninny, do you?

If you imagine that Harry

is simply going

to Africa to plant coffee,

you're very much mistaken.

In point of fact-

In point of fact,

coffee is the least

of Harry's interests.

In point of fact,

the land he's acquiring

is extremely rich

in certain minerals.

Minerals which are indispensable

to the production

of atomic energy.

Harry's land simply teams

with uranium.

It wouldn't surprise me

to see him become

the uranium king.

So you see,

my husband isn't such a ninny

as you may have imagined.

It might very well be worth

your while to go in with him.

The potential mineral wealth

of Africa

has hardly been scratched.

So I was telling you

last night.

But of course,

it's a well-known fact.

Billy-Boy.

Had a happy day?

Very.

I'm so glad.

What an attractive woman

Mrs. Chelm is.

Is that what you called me over

to tell me?

- Who are the Chelms?

- They're English.

Going out to British East.

They have a coffee plantation.

Any money in coffee?

No. But there's a type

of Englishman goes off

to coffee plantations

without caring

whether there's any money

in it or not.

Relatives leave them

coffee plantations

and they go out to them.

But why this sudden interest

in the Chelms?

I just like to know who's

making friends with my friends.

Well, now you know.

I don't believe

one word...

You know,

if I ever leave you,

it will be for someone

of the type of Harry Chelm.

Well, bully for you.

I suppose

that type of Englishman

is like a story I once heard.

An English gardener in England

was showing some Americans one

of those wonderful English lawns

and of course

they wanted to know how

to make a lawn like that,

and this English gardener said-

He said all you have to do

is get some good grass

and roll it every day

for 600 years.

I heard that story

before you were born.

Englishmen tell it when they're

feeling down in the mouth.

You just don't understand

the Chelm type.

You're not even listening.

You never do.

Some day I'll say goodbye

and you won't hear that either.

Some day I shall really

meet my type

and run off with him,

and you'll be simply amazed.

That's possible.

George Moore said-

I learned it by heart years ago.

He said that,

"Each great passion

is the fruit

of many fruitless years."

George Moore was a very

distinguished English writer,

you know.

Except that he was Irish.

Cheer up, sugar.

If I make a million

on this deal,

I'll buy you

an old English lawn,

one we can roll up

and take with us.

Billy.

Good morning.

Well, what's our wide-eyed

Irish leprechaun

doing outside my door?

Why do you always make jokes

about my name? Huh?

In Chile

the name of O'Hara is-

Is a tiptop name.

Many Germans in Chile have

become to be called O'Hara.

Good morning, Mr. O'Hara.

Madame. My respects.

Perhaps Mr. O'Hara would

like something to drink?

Yes, uh, maybe perhaps, uh,

a little whiskey, huh?

Uh, very weak, please.

What's this visit

in honor of?

Oh...just wanted to have

a little talk with you.

Okay, but make it fast.

Fast. Heh.

I give you my word, Billy. I-

I give you my word.

I'll feel to you like, uh-

Like an older brother.

Oh, it's not so much

the difference of age.

It's, uh-

It's probably-

Yes, the reason is because-

'Cause I come from a culture

which is so much older

than yours.

In my country a child,

is older in his heart

than you will be at-

At- At 60.

It smokes. It drinks.

It philosophizes.

At this rate, I'll be 60

before you get to the point.

The point-

The point is that-

That Peterson,

Ravello and myself,

we are the principals

in this case.

We are in with the money.

We cannot switch around

and turn and-

But an agent,

it's easy to imagine

that he could conceivably-

Doesn't feel himself quite

as irrevocably committed as-

As, uh, Peterson or...

We're fellow passengers,

I believe.

Not quite yet,

would you say?

Too sadly true.

By any chance you-

You don't happen to have seen

your Mr. Dannreuther about?

I don't think

Billy's up yet.

It's not 11.

He's rather a late riser.

But he said- He said-

Well, anyway...

I shouldn't put too much stock

in what Billy says,

particularly

when he's had a few drinks.

Not that he means

to break his word,

he just forgets

that he's given it.

Charm and dependability

so seldom go in one package.

There are exceptions,

of course.

Your husband, I imagine,

from his manner

and behavior, is one.

Oh, yes, very-

Well, quite, I mean.

I'm looking forward

to meeting your husband

and having a chat

about Africa.

By all means.

I understand

he's in coffee.

You make it sound

like a total immersion.

The part of Africa

we're going to

is due for some

pretty important changes.

In my opinion, things

will be booming out there

before you can say

"Jack Robinson."

I do hope there won't be

too many changes.

It's completely unspoiled,

I hear,

with some of the loveliest

scenery in the world.

I can't imagine anything more

lovely in the way of scenery

than to have

a few acres of gold

and diamonds cropping up

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