Comrades Page #2

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We should be getting nine shillings.

- Not eight.

- There's been no mistake, Mr Stanfield.

You must take it or leave it.

Brine!

MAN AT DESK:
Brine.

Will you sign?

We haven't all day.

(Murmur of distant chatter)

Mother?

l'm hungry.

Let me in.

Mother!

(Sobs)

You mustn't touch. You can look

as much as you like, but don't touch.

- How much are they?

- Ten a penny.

- That isn't a bargain.

- They're a bargain at twice the price.

Wait.

A dozen then, a dozen for a penny.

l only have a half a penny.

l don't really sell ha'penny's worth.

But as a special favour to you,

five for an ha'penny.

Come on, Briney.

Afternoon.

Nice day.

- lnnit?

- lnnit?

What are you doing this afternoon, then?

Shall we go blackberry picking?

A bit of blackberry picking in the woods there?

What do you say?

What you do with blackberries,

you squash 'em all up...

..you rub them all over your face,

and you lick the juice off.

Be nice?

(They laugh)

Are you all right?

Go off for a walk up the woods, then?

(Girl squeals)

Hurry up.

(Whistles)

Hurry up.

Come here.

Here, duck down.

MAN:
d She's the girl l'll marry, marry, marry

d She's the girl for me

d Oh, she's the girl l'll...

Whoa there, Nelly. Whoa.

(Horse and cart approaching)

Whoa!

Dear God, teach him not to think.

Help him to accept things as they are.

Don't let him question things.

Not too much.

Handsome bit of work.

You'd have to get yourself a new pair of britches

before you could sit on one of them.

- What's his asking price?

- A pound apiece.

Know how long it takes him?

Two weeks a chair. Getting on.

What would you say

to your trying to up the price a bit?

l'll take full responsibility.

- l could ask.

- Good man.

l'll to the top of the hill with you.

Walk on.

Up you go, go on!

(Young woman sobs)

OLDER WOMAN:
Come.

Come to me.

l'm not angry with you.

You see, if we get

something for nothing in this world,

it means someone else may have to suffer.

Now, that's not a good thing, is it?

lt's quite simple really, you know.

We only have to love one another

to know what we must do.

Forgive Charity, she meant no harm.

He's a good lad.

But not perfect.

Has his ups and downs, just like the rest of us.

But...

..he's been a good son to me.

Who'd have sons?

(Giggles)

What's funny?

Now, get you back.

You can't come wi' us.

Go on, get you back.

(Women laughing)

d A poor man to labour, believe me, 'tis so

d To maintain his family is willing to go

d Either hedging or ditching

d To plough or to reap

d But how does he live

on eight shillings a week?

d Eight shillings a week, eight shillings a week

d But how does he live

on eight shillings a week?

d So now to conclude and to finish my song

d May the times be much better

before it's too long

d May every labourer be able to keep

his children and wife on 12 shillings a week

(Women laughing)

(Man singing)

(Woman whispers) James.

James.

l'm not going back there.

No.

James.

You must come to bed.

d Sailor's Hornpipe

(Cheering)

Roll up, roll up! For don't you know,

it's Sergeant Bell and his Royal Raree Show.

Highly instructive for lads and lasses.

ldeal for the gentry and the labouring classes.

Come on, now, don't hog it.

Let the lady in, there we are.

There's a man of God.

l've the very thing for you, sir.

Jacob and Adam in the land of Nod.

Now, it's only a penny to take a look,

to see the pictures from the holy book.

Oh, sir, l beg your pardon,

it's Eve without her clothes on,

in the garden! Ha-ha-ha!

Roll up, Sergeant Bell's Raree Show!

Only a penny to see the view.

See Nelson being defeated

at the Battle of Waterloo.

The Raree Show's the thing

for all the lads and the lasses,

but be careful, thou young titches,

not to breathe on the glasses.

d Lively fiddle and whistle

(Chatter and laughter)

John. John.

(Grunts)

FOREMAN:
Ford!

Grey.

Hammett.

Father. Father.

- Leave me alone, son. Leave me alone!

- Father.

l'm tired!

(Low conversations)

- We've talked about this before.

- But we've got the advantage now.

MAN lN BACKGROUND:

l'm not saying we should go against the law.

l'm saying we've had enough of all this.

No!

(Woman screams in agony)

Tom!

Argh!

JOHN:
lf mother was alive

to see what you've become!

JAMES:
Leave our mother out of this.

- There's such a thing as responsibility.

JAMES:
What's so responsible about fathering

a child when you can't make ends meet?

Who do you think you are telling me what to do?

Your brother, that's who.

My first loyalty is to Bridget and the baby.

You want me out of the way now. ls that it?

- That's a good idea. There's the road.

- l'm boss in my life, not you or anyone else.

l'll decide what l want to do

where and when l want to do it.

That bloody baby has gone right to your head.

(Baby stirs)

(Baby grizzles)

Shh.

(Sheep bleating)

What on earth is it?

lt's a skeleton, Mrs Wetham.

But what's it for?

lt's a design for a banner.

- For a union.

- Union?

A society of friends.

lt's a most unusual request.

- We'll pay a fair price.

- l'll speak with my husband.

MAN:
Mr Loveless.

Good day.

Well, well, well,

what brings you into town?

l thought l detected a...Tolpiddle hereabouts.

So you're a lover of prints.

Who would have guessed it?

l like to extend my mind whenever l can.

How rewarding that one who uses his hands...

might also use his mind.

An antidote to the sloth of countrifying,

Mr Frampton.

The problem, Mr Loveless, is to match it.

And having matched it,

to use both hand and mind

to exert it to some use.

For a well-balanced appetite,

we must satisfy all our parts.

Eh, Mr Loveless?

But it is sad to see folk who are...

blind to their own interests.

Folk are not blind, sir.

- But it is those that master us that cannot see.

- Explain yourself, Loveless.

Here, for instance.

Can you see this, sir?

Yes.

Can you see it now?

No.

What prevents you seeing it?

The silver, of course.

That's just it.

Sir.

GEORGE:
Mr Pitt.

- George Loveless.

- lt's very kind of you to meet me, sir.

- l thought we'd take a ride out of town.

- Thank you, sir.

(Wind blusters)

(Trumpet fanfare)

(Gunfire)

(Shouts angrily under cacophony)

(Trumpet, drumming, xylophone)

Do you want to buy a ticket to see the show, sir?

None of us needs to bother with that.

We'll be having a battle of our own

soon enough. For nowt.

My dear sir, l think you underestimate

the novelty of this unique exhibition.

A diorama is the highest achievement

of human ingenuity,

delineating the most interesting parts of

the world in varying aspects of light and shade.

How about a trip

to the other side of the world tomorrow?

What you offer, sir, is illusion.

lt's the real world l'd like to see.

ln our short lives we move about so little...

..see so little.

Yes.

l'd like to travel one day.

Hello, George.

You're gonna have 25 children.

lf you spent less time thinking about yourself

and more time helping others.

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