Evelyn Page #7

possessed by the Devil.

Objection. Your Lordship,

the witness is demonizing my client.

Not so, my lord. The Sister

is merely expressing herself vividly...

using a figure of speech

appropriate to her occupation.

Objection overruled. Proceed, Sister.

He was like a man possessed.

He shouted at me, ''Where is my daughter?''

-He yelled at the top of his voice.

-And what did you say to him, Sister?

-l asked him if he had an appointment.

-And what did he say?

He grabbed me by the throat

and almost choked the life out of me.

Throttling me, he was.

He said if l didn't tell him

where his daughter was...

he would tear me limb from limb.

Those were his exact words.

-l thought he was going to murder me.

-And what did he do then, Sister?

l told him where the girl was

and he ran upstairs...

repeating his threats as he did so.

My neck was black and blue

from where his thumbs had been.

Did you report

this deplorable incident to anyone?

Yes, l phoned the police.

They will confirm every word.

Sister Theresa decided, out of the charity

of her heart, not to press charges.

No further questions, my lord.

Have l messed it up for us all, then?

You may have.

We're just gonna have to show

that this was an isolated incident...

not part of a pattern of behavior.

-l hope that was the only such incident?

-Of course it was.

Apart from the time you tried to punch

Father O'Malley at Fergal's.

That.

-And when you tried to kidnap your kids.

-Yes, but l was drunk on both occasions.

For God's sake, don't try to use

drunkenness as a defense.

lt doesn't impress them.

Haven't you heard the phrase,

''As sober as a judge''?

So, you see, Your Lordship...

l only shook Sister Brigid when

l found out she'd beaten up my little girl.

-l object, Your Lordship.

-Not as much as l object.

l object to anyone laying a finger

on my kids.

Objection upheld.

That's Mr. Wolfe's objection,

not yours, Mr. Doyle.

Continue with your testimony.

Wouldn't any father have done what l did?

Evelyn's face was all battered and bruised.

Silence in court.

Even as a very dubious kind of Catholic...

who finds himself throttling a nun...

you must know that the fundamental

building block of our society...

is the family...

whose very model is the Holy family...

Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

How can you, as a single father

and as a Catholic...

possibly claim to bring up your children

without a mother?

There is absolutely no precedent for it...

in the religion

in which you allegedly believe.

Cat got your tongue...

Mr. Doyle?

There is....

There is a precedent, as you'd like to call it.

What are you saying?

The fundamental building block of our faith

is not the Holy family...

it's the Holy Trinity.

The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

When my mother died...

my father brought us up on his own...

with only the Holy Spirit to guide him.

He used to say the Holy Spirit was love.

Doesn't the Holy Bible say,

''...faith, hope and love...

''but the greatest of these is love''?

l've given up the drink.

l've worked all the hours God sends.

l've become a better person

to try and fill myself with the Holy Spirit...

so l can bring my kids up

surrounded by love.

That's all l can do.

No man can do more.

Silence in court.

Silence!

No further questions.

Your Lordship, we would request

that the court is recalled...

when we have subpoenaed

our next witness...

Evelyn Doyle.

The bastards.

They'll intimidate the little soul.

Lord Jesus, l have to go to the big court

soon, to answer some questions.

Please let my daddy win.

l know you're testing him,

but l think he's getting very tired.

Lord, please let him win.

Amen.

-Daddy!

-Hello, love.

Your hair.

l told them to cut it.

Don't you like it?

lt's lovely, pet.

lt suits you.

You've got your new shoes on again.

You've got to go now.

Bye, Daddy.

Silence in court.

The court will draw itself to order.

Now, Evelyn Doyle...

do you remember the time in St. Joseph's,

when you tripped in the corridor...

and bashed your face,

when you fell down the stairs?

No, sir.

Think back to last March.

Apparently, Sister Felicity

had to give you some aspirin.

lsn't that correct?

-Yes, sir, she did.

-And why was that?

Because my face was all swollen

and black and blue.

Because you had fallen down the stairs.

No. That's what Sister Brigid said.

According to Sister Felicity,

you made no attempt...

to deny the fact that you had fallen

down the stairs and bruised your face.

You didn't say otherwise, did you?

No.

l mean, yes.

l'm all mixed up.

So, what really happened...

was exactly what Sister Brigid said

had happened.

And you made up a story

in your letter to your father...

because you wanted to get out

of St. Joseph's...

and you thought a little lie would help.

l didn't lie. l didn't make it up.

l know it must be a frightening

experience for you, Evelyn...

being a little girl in a big court like this.

You must try not to be scared. Even though

you're alone in front of all these people.

l'm not scared anymore, Your Lordship,

and l'm not alone.

My granddad is here with me.

See. He's letting us know he's here.

Your Lordship, the child's grandfather

died some months ago.

She obviously has a very...

vivid imagination.

Now, child...

let me ask you one last time...

do you remember falling in the corridor

and hitting your face on the stairs?

No, l didn't fall on the stairs.

l was going to tell Sister Felicity

what really happened...

but then l thought

it would only get Sister Brigid into trouble.

So, l prayed that God

would forgive Sister Brigid for hitting me.

This is a preposterous assertion.

Why on earth

would the good Sister hit you?

Because l said she shouldn't belt Annette

for getting her catechism wrong.

Poor little innocent. Shame on you.

She was better off with Desmond Doyle.

l can see that now.

-Wait till l get you outside!

-Silence in court!

Evelyn Doyle...

do you expect this court to believe

that after she did that to you...

-you prayed for her?

-Yes, l did.

l put it to you that you are lying.

Lying is a sin

against the Eighth Commandment.

''Thou shalt not bear false witness

against thy neighbor.''

l'm surprised you don't know that,

if you're a lawyer.

Sister Brigid told this court

the truth of the matter...

that she picked you up

when you fell down the stairs.

No. That's not true.

Hope she goes to confession soon.

-Wanna hear the prayer l said last night?

-We do not.

Not so, Mr. Wolfe.

lt is material to the court's evaluation

of the child's character.

Evelyn, let us hear your prayer, please.

''Lord God...

''you guide the universe

with wisdom and love.

''Hear the prayer we make to you

for our country...

''the beautiful country of lreland.

''Through the honesty of our citizens,

and the wisdom of those who govern us...

''may lasting peace be delivered...

''and truth and justice flourish.''

Amen.

-She's a credit to you.

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