Berkeley Square Page #3

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all arranged in our letters.

But sir! Kate!

But sir!

Kate.

This is more in keeping with what I've

heard of your rough ways at home, sir.

I vow you are the audacious fellow

I told Helen we must expect.

Helen?

Oh yes. Yes, your sister.

You have not even asked my mother's

permission to pay your addresses.

Oh, must I do that?

Well, is it not invariably done?

Well uh .. not in New York.

This is London.

And do visitors in New York walk into

houses without so much as by-your-leave?

Well, I pressed the bell.

Bell?

I mean I .. I knocked.

Oh ..

We saw you alight from your

coach. But who let you in?

The door was ajar .. I walked in.

Simply to get out of the rain.

But your clothes are dry.

I wore a cloak.

My miniature.

Fair.

What is that?

It's for you.

Most charming, but .. but

is this not a little premature?

Premature?

Well, does this not signify in

New York .. what it does here?

Oh of course, if you will

have the declaration formal.

I know how it was done.

Uh how it .. is done.

Miss Pettigrew, fair cousin ..

will you be my wife?

You go much too fast.

You'll not dislike me for that.

I've not said that I dislike you.

Well, I cannot find ..

Ye gads ..

My brother Tom .. Mr Peter Standish.

Your servant, sir .. I trust you

had a pleasant journey, sir?

Yes .. yes indeed.

Thank you.

We have been searching

everywhere for you, sir.

Ma'am, I present our cousin,

Mr Peter Standish.

Oh welcome. Ten thousand

welcomes dear, dear cousin.

And may I present our dear friend

Mr Throstle .. Mr Standish.

Your servant, sir.

And Helen .. I present our

cousin, Mr Peter Standish.

I am your servant sir.

Your servant ..

If London interests you sir, I shall

be glad to show you the town.

Oh yes, yes.

Where should I take him first?

Cox's museum, Ranelagh or Vauxhall?

Of course, I shall put you

down for Brookes's club.

Thanks, I want to see everything.

Should your tastes prove more

sober than Mr Tom's, sir ..

I shall be glad to present you to the

President of the Royal Academy.

Sir Joshua.

Reynolds?

Do you think he'd paint my portrait?

Aye, at a hundred guineas.

Five hundred dollars .. for Reynolds.

Indeed it is a monstrous

price, but he's the fashion.

Of course my prospective brother-in-law

may persuade him to paint you for less.

Brother-in-law?

Our cousin will be here for

your birthday reception, Helen.

Oh then your aunt's gift is

your birthday present?

Gift?

I mean the cashmere shawl.

Oh Helen, you sly puss.

Is it a shawl?

Aunt Willoughby gave me

a parcel for my birthday.

But I wasn't to open it until then.

I haven't opened it .. I

don't know what's in it.

Dear me, what conjurer's trick is this?

How did you know about Helen's present?

Yes, how did you know it was a shawl?

I believe it is an American jest.

A shawl .. so it is, by gad ..

But cousin, how did you know?

Indeed, how cousin? Come, come sir.

I'm heartily sorry. I must

Have got muddled somehow.

Muddled sir, muddled? It is

not you who are muddled.

Oh Helen, here is a rival for you.

Now lookee cousin. Can you

read thoughts like my sister?

No, of course not.

Pray solve us your riddle, Peter.

I .. I must have heard about

the shawl somewhere.

But sir, you have now reached

London from America.

I'm afraid our cousin Peter is not well.

No, I'm not .. I have a

rather tiresome headache.

And then you must rest until dinner.

Tom .. take our cousin to his room.

Ma'am .. come sir.

Hmm .. the man must be

gifted with second-sight.

Such feats as this are

common in Scotland.

Your room, cousin.

Thank you sir.

Now that the rain has ceased, I shall

go to The Blue Boar for your boxes.

Berkeley Square.

I thought it would look like this.

Why do you stop?

I hope your headache is gone, cousin.

There wasn't really anything the

matter with your head, was there?

No, not really .. but you were

the only one who saw.

But any rate, you made

them stop bothering me.

And .. how could you

know about my shawl?

Please .. don't ask me any more

about the confounded thing.

If you wish.

Thank you.

You know .. just as soon

as I saw you I felt ..

Here is someone I can talk to.

You'll help me out here, won't you?

How can I help you, cousin?

It's all so strange.

Strange?

Yes, all this.

England? London?

Yes .. I didn't think it would but

it makes me .. uncomfortable.

You see that. I see that you see it.

I feel like a fish out of water.

Kate will soon put you at your ease.

Helen, are you really

engaged to Mr Throstle?

Tom had no right to say it.

I thought so.

I could see you weren't

in love with him.

Oh, do you think that's reason

enough not to marry?

Of course.

Look here Helen, we'll make a bargain.

You help me out .. and I'll back you up.

Will you?

Yes, I will.

Of course, I keep forgetting.

I can't interfere with

things that happen.

That really do happen.

I mean ..

You see, my position

here is so .. unusual.

You don't realize yet what

your position here is.

They'll do anything you wish.

Yes, but ..

You would never understand.

Perhaps .. perhaps you really

do marry him after all.

Never!

Oh, that's the spirit, Helen .. I don't

care much for the little fellow.

And anyway, I'm quite sure there

is nobody here good enough ..

Why do you look at me like that?

I don't know.

Is there anything strange

or wrong about me?

Strange or wrong?

I'm an American you know, just come into

the New World .. That's why I'm nervous.

Is it?

No, no, don't go .. I've got nothing

in common with the others.

All the others?

Most amazing, sir. Never met

anybody like him in my life.

Why it is no small privilege for a

Yankee to be admitted to this club.

Yet he patronizes the members.

Why only yesterday, he turned

his back on the Prince Of Wales.

Thank heaven it was thought an accident.

Why did he, though?

Because His Highness blew

his nose with his fingers.

Have you also observed his ignorance

of the petty details of everyday life?

And his nice disgust

with so many of them?

We affect him, as a tribe of

barbarians would affect us.

Yet he is an American .. a colonial.

It is the most absurd paradox.

This sounds not at all like my Yankee.

But then I've not seen him

since we reached London.

Well, see him you shall,

for there is your rebel now.

Why Standish ..

Have I had the honour, sir?

My friend of 27 days in the packet from

New York pretends he doesn't know me?

Standish, have you forgotten Clinton?

Oh Major Clinton, of course.

Without travelling garb and dressed as a

peacock, your mother wouldn't know you.

You don't seem the same man ashore.

You take the words out of my mouth.

You don't seem the same man on shore.

Well I must push off .. I have a

sitting with Sir Joshua Reynolds.

I will see you later.

"Push off"?

"See you later" ..

[ tut, tut, tut ]

You Americans seem to

believe Mr Standish ..

That now you've broken away from England

you will do great things in the Colon ..

I mean .. "The United States".

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