Black Narcissus Page #3

- Shall I wait?

- We are coming in a moment.

I think you'd better

go back to your room.

Good-bye, Sister.

I hope your patient does well.

Who is she?

It sounded like "Samuel,"

but it couldn't be, could it?

Oh, Samil.

She's a good old soul.

One of my best workers.

I'm very much obliged to you.

Thank you.

Now the old place

is a proper convent.

Hello, Sister Ruth.

Going for a walk?

It's time to ring the bell.

You're slipping.

Quarter of an hour early.

Thank you.

I came to ask Mr. Dean

to wait in the blue room.

How did you know he was here?

I saw him from the schoolroom.

I've brought something for you.

Her name is Hersempul,

but we call her Kanchi.

She's 17, she's an orphan...

and it's high time

she was married.

Every evening when I come home,

I find her sitting on my veranda.

She dresses herself up,

puts flowers in her hair.

It's becoming

an absolute nuisance.

If she's cloistered for a few months,

her uncle will marry her off.

But she's been behaving

so badly that no one wants her.

I don't think we want her, either.

Why did you bring her to us?

Isn't it your business

to save souls?

You are not to speak to me

like that, Mr. Dean.

Sorry.

Can't she go into

some sort of service?

She'd set any house by the ears.

I thought no one would have patience

with her, except you.

Would you ask Sister Briony

to come here, please?

Kanchi.

Kanchi.

Are you sure there's no question

you're dying to ask me?

None.

You wanted me, Sister?

I have agreed to have this

girl with us for a while.

Can you find somewhere

for her to sleep?

- What is she to do?

- Sister Honey can take her into the lay school.

Yes.

Tell Ayah to give her

some housework, keep her busy.

Come along.

Well, thanks.

I've heard about the young general's

death. Is the general grieving?

Can never tell with these people.

- What's the new young general's name?

- Dilib Rai.

He was going to Cambridge, but now

he'll be a warrior and marry young.

It'll suit him, all right.

These Rashpits are a fighting race.

Cannon.

Cannon.

Warship.

- Bayonet.

- Bayonet.

Dagger.

- Gun.

- Gun.

You know, Nina, we may have to mix

something with it.

Here, let me have a look.

Hail Mary, full of grace,

blessed is the fruit-

Sister.

Did you hear the bell?

This morning in chapel, I suddenly

had the feeling you were not with us.

- I try hard enough.

- Try what?

I used to forget

everything in chapel.

I used to feel light

and happy and near God.

Let me help you.

What is worrying you?

I remember things

before I joined our order.

Things I wanted to forget.

I never thought of them

until now.

I've been 21 years in the order,

and now they come back to me.

I think you can see too far.

I look out there, and then

I can't see the potato I'm planting.

And after a bit, it doesn't seem

to matter whether I plant it or not.

It's this place with its strange

atmosphere and new people.

Stay with me tonight after chapel,

and we will pray together.

And work, Sister.

Work hard.

Work until you're too tired

to think of anything else.

Oh, isn't it a grand day?

Isn't it a grand day?

Mmm.

What's wrong, Con?

- Everything.

- What specially?

Oh, nothing.

You wouldn't understand.

Is it money?

Whatever else is it?

Desmond's with

a lot of it in Michigan.

I heard from him last week.

He's been made a partner.

And just because I'm the eldest son,

I have to stay here in Ireland...

and hang around

waiting for... this.

I'll have a little money

when I marry, Con.

It isn't a little money.

It's a fortune.

Then it would be a waste.

Clo, don't you sometimes

itch to get away?

No, I don't want to go away.

I want to stay here like this

for the rest of my life.

Ayah! Angu Ayah!

Ayah! Angu Ayah!

Salom, my little general.

I want to see

the reverend sisters.

Why are they called

the servants of Mary?

Is the superior sister

called Mary?

Ask her.

Here she comes.

Go now.

I will speak to her alone.

- Good morning.

- Good morning.

- I want to see the superior sister.

- I am the sister superior.

Oh. I want to be

a student here with you.

I want to study

a lot of learning.

I want to study mathematics,

history, poetry and languages.

I have a note from my uncle

to ask you to encourage me.

I'm very sorry.

We only teach children and young girls.

- Why?

- Convents don't teach men pupils.

That's not very polite to men.

We don't mean it that way.

It's the custom.

Convents are for girls.

The brotherhoods are for men.

Jesus Christ was a man.

He took the shape of a man.

But you don't need

to count me as a man.

I'm only interested

in studious things.

Please, Sister. I've written out

my timetable. May I read it to you?

"5:
00 a. m. to 7:00 a. m.,

algebra with the mathematical sister.

00 a. m. to 10.:
00 a. m., religion,

Christianity with the scriptural sister.

00 a. m., art.

" 1:
00 p. m. to 3:00 p. m., French and Russian

with the French and Russian sisters, if any.

3:
00 p. m. to 4:00 p. m.,

physics with the physical sister. "

Please wait in here, General.

Aren't you afraid with the young general

that you've let a cuckoo into your nest?

If he didn't want to offend the general,

he might turn us out?

Oh, he wouldn't do that?

You may have trouble

with Kanchi.

Kanchi? She'd never dare.

After all, he is a prince,

and she is what she is.

Still, I expect she knows the story

of the prince and the beggar maid.

We're at 40, 41, 42,

43, 44, 45, 46,

47, 48, 49-

When the general

gave us the deeds,

our boundary line was to be

500 yards around the building.

Right.

- So the holy man is living on our ground.

- He was here first.

Yes, but, Mr. Dean, I find

all these things very distracting.

- Distracting?

- Yes, disturbing.

This clear air,

and the wind always blowing.

And the mountain, and the holy man

sitting there day in, day out.

And the people

coming to see him.

They climb the path

by the house,

and they stop and sit

and stare at us.

- What do you want to do?

- Ask the general to ask the holy man to move.

- It wouldn't be polite.

- I don't suppose the general even knows he's there.

Oh, yes he does. That old man

worries him quite a bit,

particularly when he's

in the middle of his dinner...

or when he's trying on

a new coat from London.

- Why?

- I suppose he feels he ought to do likewise.

And he wouldn't turn him out?

It'd be a bit awkward for the general

to turn out his own uncle.

His uncle?

General Sir Krishna Rai,

K CVO, K CSl, CMG.

He has several

foreign decorations too.

He lent our general

the money to buy this place.

I've never heard him talk.

They say he speaks perfect English.

Several other

European languages too.

Does he never speak at all?

I've never heard him.

When does he eat or sleep?

No one knows. He's always

in his place under the tree.

People come miles to see him.

Well, I really don't know what to do.

What would Christ have done?

- Morning, General.

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