Donovan's Reef Page #4

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No. Naturally, you want to spend

Christmas with your father.

Thank you. It would be very nice to

spend Christmas at your father's house.

Well, that settles that.

Father, not that way,

that's a saloon. The gate.

Michael, who was Manulani?

She was the granddaughter of the

last hereditary prince of these islands.

- What happened to her?

- She died in childbirth.

I'm going to California

When I come back, we'll be married

What do you want me to bring you?

And this is what she said...

A hat with a crooked crown

Silver buckles for my shoes

A boa with feathers

A scalloped petticoat

And a short, tight dress

Well?

I have the pleasure

to inform Your Excellency

that your worst fears

have been realised.

- I knew he was up to something.

- Indubitably. In a canoe.

Canoe?

A canoe?

But I have a plan.

- Bravo!

- Are you trying to crab my act?

My apologies, mademoiselle. Boy!

A drink for mademoiselle. Champagne.

No, no, no. My voice.

A slug of gin, if you please.

- Your work permit has expired.

- And your tourist permit.

But we have a plan of Mr. Donovan's

house. Here is his bathroom.

You're telling me.

Come on, Sally.

- Oh, those children.

- Yeah, it's the same thing every night.

You know, Michael Donovan,

you're quite a fella.

Well, you know,

Amelia Dedham, you're quite a gal.

Cigarette?

- What's the matter?

- I thought you were going to kiss me.

- What?

- Well, I have been kissed before.

Well, I...

I thought I'd been kissed before.

- I wonder if those kids are really asleep.

- I'll sit this one out.

- I'll walk you home.

- No, I'll walk this off.

Goodnight, Michael.

Oh, the monkeys had no tails

In Zamboanga

Oh, the monkeys had no tails...

Have you a light, Michael?

It's a gag, Mike. That Chinaman,

that Mr. Eu. It's all a gag!

You idiot. A hammock.

SOS. Go!

Let's have it.

"Doc. Mayday.

Your Boston daughter here."

- Dotter. D-O-T-T-E-R.

- That's right, two T's.

"Insert name of"?

Her name's Amelia, you dope.

How would I know?

I ain't shacking up with her.

"Boston daughter Amelia here.

"Your kids living at my house.

Supposed to be mine.

"Mayday, Doc.

Watch your step. Guns."

He's reading.

His kids?

Doctor Dedham, I presume.

Amelia.

Father.

- Oh, Doctor-san.

- Yoshi, Koshi.

- Bath's ready, Doctor.

- How'd it go?

Fine. I'm no brain surgeon,

but she'll be all right.

I'm glad.

- Do you like it?

- Very much.

I invited some children

over for Christmas.

Three of the sweetest kids

in the world.

Little half-castes.

- Mr. Donovan's. You know them.

- Yes, I know them.

Look. The generator's working.

- Do you mind?

- No. No, not at all.

I'll go shave and get cleaned up, huh?

- I'll have tea ready.

- Good.

Thank you, Yoshi.

Thank you.

- No cream.

- It isn't cream.

- Rum?

- Shh.

Aunt Sarah

and Grand-uncle Sedley might hear.

That's right. I'd forgotten.

"The Dedhams have never traded in rum.

"We refer to it as West Indies goods."

To Aunt Sarah, Grand-uncle Sedley

and West Indies goods.

- Skol.

- Slainte.

Since when have you been

acquiring Irish?

Oh, Guns Donovan.

How do you know

it isn't Mr. Gilhooley?

Gilhooley?

No. I'd just like you to know that

I've signed all my shares over to you.

- No, I'd rather you kept them.

- Why?

Perhaps admiration for my father?

Thanks.

I couldn't care less about

the Dedham Shipping Company.

The very mention of it gives me cold

chills. That's true of Boston, too.

I remember how happy I was to

become the father of a fine baby girl.

That was early in the war.

The months went on. The years.

The letters got fewer and fewer.

Then none at all.

- You knew that Mother was...

- I didn't. And no one bothered to write.

Then we were torpedoed.

A lot of the men were killed.

A few of us managed to get to a raft.

Ten days later, we got here.

The sensible thing

would've been to surrender.

But the people hid us, fed us,

nursed us, and some even died for us.

We owed them something for that.

They didn't have a doctor on the island,

and God knows they needed one.

I didn't know about your mother

until five months afterwards.

When I was discharged

at Pearl Harbor

I couldn't bring myself

to go back to Boston.

I wasn't needed there.

But I was desperately needed here.

I know I failed

in my responsibility to you.

But there were children here, too.

Children I'd brought into the world,

who might die if I wasn't around.

- I understand all that, but...

- Why couldn't I have gone back?

- Even for a visit?

- There must've been other doctors.

That's very true.

But, you see, by that time I...

Isn't that sweet?

They're bringing you flowers.

That's "welcome".

Of course, you know that.

Why did they do that? Why don't

they come on up? I'll go get them.

Amelia.

Yes.

Well, "'The time has come,' the Walrus

said, 'to speak of many things... '

- "'Of sailing ships and sealing wax... '

- 'And cabbages and kings.'"

I've been here about...

Well, horse and buggy time. Good old

Doc Dedham. Excuse me, dear.

- It's an emergency.

- I understood. May I help?

All right. Come on.

Help me scrub up.

Mes chers enfants, bon et joyeux Nol.

Merry Christmas.

My children, once again we've come

to that holy time of the year.

Time for giving,

for loving and for remembering.

Tonight we have much

to be grateful for.

All of us. And I perhaps most of all.

Because our chapel has,

at long last, an organ.

A magnificent organ.

A gift of Miss Amelia Dedham.

Mademoiselle, I weep for joy.

Forgive me.

A gift of $150 for the repair

of the chapel roof,

donated by Messrs Donovan

and Gilhooley...

...has been crossed out.

The poor are still with us.

Before we proceed with the pageant

that Mother Gabrielle has prepared,

I'd like to say that the Royal Australian

Navy has again sent a corvette

to do honour to the hereditary

princess of our island paradise.

I would like to thank

our brave and noble allies

in the name

of the Republic of France.

We thank the Governor.

"And thus it came to pass that the

child was born in the city of David,

"called Bethlehem.

"And, behold,

a star appeared in the heavens."

Hi, Amelia.

- Horse and buggy?

- See Amelia gets home.

Affirmative.

"And then from the East

came three wise men,

"three kings bearing gifts,

"to gaze upon the child and to kneel

before him in adoration.

"The King of...

"...Polynesia.

"The Emperor of China.

"The King of...

"The King

of the United States of America."

Steady on, lads. Steady. Sing out.

- Bonjour. Bon Nol.

- Father Cluzeot.

- I want the truth.

- Ah, the truth!

Who doesn't seek the truth?

All of us. All men. Everywhere.

You know what truth I mean.

The Navy Cross,

three Purple Hearts...

No, no, no.

Not there.

Here. Where it is enquired situation

de famille. Observe what he writes.

Clibataire.

Clibataire. A bachelor.

Donovan is unmarried.

Well, there is our Mike Donovan.

Three children and not one marriage.

He's not the first man

to put the cart before the horse,

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