Black Narcissus Page #5

That's all the better.

That's what I need.

Ayah! Ayah!

What did she say?

It's Alma's little brother.

Shall we give him magnesia?

Or some of the paraffinic mulch?

A hundred and three!

That's not much in a baby.

They go up and down easily, don't they?

It's been three days.

This morning he wouldn't

wake, so she brought him.

Let him sleep. Take him home,

and put him on your bed.

Aren't you going

to give him anything?

There's nothing I can do.

But there must be

something we can do.

At least bathe his eyes

or relieve his tummy with a little oil.

I daren't touch him, Sister.

I don't think he feels pain.

You've only got to look at him

to see how it must hurt him!

You're thinking

of what Mr. Dean said!

That's enough, Sister!

I won't have any hysteria.

I know what I'm doing.

The kindest thing you can do is to make her go

home, where she'll be amongst her own people.

Sister Ruth.

Everyone's

very late this morning.

I do hope nothing's happened.

Joseph, go down the path

and hurry them up.

- Well, go on.

- I don't want to.

- You don't want to?

- Why don't you want to?

How dare you answer me like that.

Go at once!

- No, I won't go.

- Joseph!

Now stand still.

- Tell me what's the matter.

- Don't frighten him.

- Why haven't the children come?

- Where are they?

He knows why.

Tell us.

I don't want to.

Lemani, don't make me tell!

Joseph, you must tell us.

Please, Joseph, dear.

- Tell us.

- The little baby is dead!

- Oh, no!

- Our little brother is dead!

And they said that this man

and lemani killed him.

Sister Clodagh!

- There's nobody in the dispensary.

- None of the children have come.

- No gardeners.

- Kanchi has gone.

- So has the young general.

- There isn't a servant in the place.

We're all alone.

There's no one in the house.

It was my fault.

Because I loved him.

I couldn't bare to see him die.

I did it!

I killed him!

I gave her a bottle to take, some of our

cotton wool and one of our spoons.

- I killed him!

- Ayah!

Ayah, how much

of this is true?

All true, Lemani.

The people are very angry.

We must explain. Somebody must tell

them. We must find the young general.

- No, he's run away with Kanchi.

- Will you take a message?

- Me? No.

- Well, can Joseph?

- They won't let him come back.

- I'll go.

It's not safe for any of you

to go outside the garden.

- You can't go, Sister. It's far too dangerous.

- I'm not going down.

Tova!

Tova, my pony, quickly.

Well, who was it?

You.

Mr. Dean, do you think it's serious?

Do you think they'll come back?

Sister Clodagh,

the agent before my time...

was riding down to the factory

one day on his pony.

He let it kick an umbrella

lying open in the path.

There was a child asleep

under it, and it was killed.

It was just an accident,

but they murdered him that night.

I'm not trying to frighten you, but I

want you to see that it may be serious.

I've been down to the village.

Everything seems quiet enough.

- Did they say anything?

- Nothing. They listened to me and said nothing.

I saw the woman I drank the stuff

that Sister Honey gave her.

- You drank it?

- I wanted to prove to them that I wouldn't drop down dead.

It was only castor oil.

None of you must go

out of the garden.

Try to behave as though

nothing had happened.

I'll go down now

and come back this evening.

Lemani?

Lemani?

Lemani?

- What's that for?

- For you, Lemani.

Who sent it?

Sister Clodagh?

Do you notice a change in us

since we came here?

I notice a change in you.

Am I very different?

Yes.

You're much nicer.

- Nicer?

- Mmm. You're human.

Human?

Yes, we're all human,

aren't we?

When I was a girl,

I loved a man.

We were children together

in Ireland, where I come from.

A little place

called Dennis Kelly.

I thought-

everyone thought-

we should marry.

But he was ambitious,

and I found out he was going

to America to his uncle...

and he didn't

intend to take me.

He didn't think he was

doing anything wrong.

I don't think he ever

thought of us marrying.

But in a little

place like that,

and I had shown I loved him,

I had to get away first.

And that's why

you entered the order?

And being you,

you wouldn't go back?

It was a strange way

of bringing me in,

but God works in strange ways.

I had work to do,

and I had the life.

No one outside can possibly know

what that means.

It came to be my life.

I had forgotten everything

until I came here.

The first day I came,

I thought of him...

for the first time for years.

I seem to go back to the first time

I loved him, when we were children.

The young general

reminds me of him too.

The world comes

thrusting in behind him.

I've been drifting and dreaming,

and now I seem to be living through

the struggle and the bitterness again.

Here. It's quite clean.

I washed my hair this morning.

Don't take on so. There's a good girl.

It'll all blow over.

There's nothing really wrong.

Sister Philippa is leaving,

and this morning I had a letter

from Reverend Mother.

Sister Ruth

is giving up the order.

She has not renewed her vows.

I'm sorry.

And you-

Ever since we came here,

over all our troubles,

it's been,

"Ask Mr. Dean. Ask Mr. Dean. "

There was just no one else

you could ask.

But I had to take the young general.

I couldn't turn out the holy man.

I couldn't stop

the wind from blowing...

and the air from being

as clear as crystal...

and I couldn't hide the mountain.

Look, you must get away from here,

all of you, at once.

- Run away?

- Yes, if you've got any sense.

What, leave all this work,

like the brothers?

Yes.

I told you it was no place

to put a nunnery.

There's something in the atmosphere

that makes everything seem exaggerated.

Don't you understand? You must

all get away before something happens!

And drive from it

all snares of the enemy.

May Thy holy angels dwell here

and keep us in peace.

May Thy blessing be-

Sister, are you there?

Sister, do you want me

to wake the others?

You can't order me about.

You have nothing to do with me anymore.

I know what you've done.

I know that you've left the order.

I only want to stop you from doing

something you'll be sorry for.

Sister Philippa is going back in a

few days. I want to send you with her.

That's what you would like to do,

send me back and shut me up.

That's what you would all

like to do!

You know that isn't true.

Why should we want to keep you

here against your will?

Because you're all

jealous of me, especially you!

At least wait till the morning.

Wait till the morning,

and I'll wait with you.

- Ayah, wake up!

- Oh, what is it? What is it?

It's Sister Ruth!

Stop her! She's gone mad!

- Oh, it's my fault!

- Shhh!

Can't stop her.

I think we should leave them alone.

- She may kill herself.

- If she's really mad, that won't happen.

Quick, search the house!

We must stop her! Sister Ruth.

Sister Ruth!

Sister Ruth!

We must get Lanchi.

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