Fanny by Gaslight Page #2

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Yes. Papa's tried to stop me but

I talked him round. I always can.

I quite agree with your father.

It's not nice for a young lady to

parade herself before a gaping audience.

Oh, he squeezed me in the hansom

cab as we trotted round the park

Oh, that naughty man from Delhi

By his manner we could tell he...

Was out for a real good lark

Tra la la

And he kissed me in the Argyle Rooms

In the corner, in the dark

He was quite the wicked pasha

Oh, my goodness! What a masher

And out for a real good lark

Tra la la

And out for a real good lark

Please kindly keep your voice down, will you?

What's going on out there?

I will not stand for this.

- Come on.

- Fetch Mr Hopwood, James.

- Get out of my way.

- Sorry, my lord. Mr Hopwood's orders.

Are you going to get out

of my way or aren't you?

Sorry, my lord.

Stop that! You're breaking my arm!

Aargh!

I had to keep on telling

him to leave go of my hand

Oh, that dirty lad from Delhi

By his manner we could tell he...

Was out for a real good lark

Tra la la

Was out for a real good lark

- Fetch a doctor.

- I tried to stop him, sir.

Ah, the great man himself.

What are Mr Hopwood's orders?

I must ask you to leave, my lord.

Not until I'm ready.

And you.

Well, that's that.

Not if I know Manderstoke, it isn't.

Call a cab for his lordship, Chunks.

Don't imagine I shall

forget this, Hopwood.

About my servant, my lord.

Since you claim to be a gentleman, you

will no doubt settle his doctor's bill.

For the future, kindly remember I do not allow

my premises to be used by drunken bullies.

Come on, Bill! Here's a fight!

Toffs, too.

That's right, governor. Thrash him one.

You've killed him.

It isn't true. He meant to

kill my father, I saw it.

He knew the cab was there.

That will do.

We've already heard

evidence on that point.

You ask the court to believe you

knew nothing about what went on

in the downstairs part

of your father's business?

Known only too

appropriately as The Shades.

Yes, I've told you. I'd only just

returned from boarding school that day.

What about the holidays? Surely a woman

of your age must have noticed something.

I didn't go home for the holidays.

My mama always took me

to the country or the sea.

That will do.

- Yes, but I...

- That will do.

You have heard the evidence

about this distressing affair

and it is to be deplored that a

gentleman of Lord Manderstoke's position

has been involved in

these unhappy proceedings.

I hope that the gentlemen of the press will

see to it that his name is not mentioned.

The evidence clearly

shows that William Hopwood

was the proprietor of what I can only

describe as a place of dubious reputation.

Though it is beyond my province,

I suggest that it would not be inappropriate

if the police took steps to close the premises.

Woe unto him who looketh

upon the wine when it is red,

for he shall be in danger of hell fire.

Accursed be the

publicans, and the sinners.

For it shall be said unto them,

"Go ye into the fires everlasting

where there shall be

weeping and wailing. "

Won't they ever let us alone?

We must get away from here.

Somewhere where nobody knows.

That's what I want to talk to you about.

You must get away.

- I shan't be coming with you.

- Why?

Mama?

- No!

- Ssh, my darling. Let me go on.

I've arranged somewhere for

you to stay for a little while.

Until people forget.

In the future, you must

take the name of... Hooper.

My maiden name.

Go to 117 Belgrave Square

and ask for Mrs Heaviside.

She'll...

She'll take care of you.

I want to take care of you.

You must get well.

We'll go away somewhere together.

My darling, don't cry.

Don't make it harder for me.

Be a good girl.

Take care of yourself.

Don't make the mistake that I...

I feel so tired.

I think I might...

...sleep a little while.

Mama.

Cheer up, Miss Fanny.

Yes, Chunks.

I suppose you don't know nothing about

this place your mother sent you to.

No.

I expect it's all right, really.

I expect so.

Well?

Can I see Mrs Heaviside, please?

Servants' entrance, if you please.

That'll do, George. I think

I know what this is about.

I'm Mrs Heaviside.

I'm Fanny Hop... Hooper.

- My mama told me...

- Yes, yes. I know. Come you in.

And you too, my good man.

How much higher is it?

As near heaven as you'll

ever get, I've no doubt.

In you go. This is your room.

It ain't half a weight.

Get along with you, a

great creature like you.

Take your things off, say your goodbyes,

then come down to my room for some tea.

Yes, ma'am. Which is

your room, ma'am, please?

You've got a tongue in

your head, haven't you?

See you go out by the

servants' entrance, my man.

Old f*ggot.

If it wasn't for what your mother said

before she was took, I wouldn't let you stay.

Oh, Miss Fanny, I've writ

you down my new address.

Joe Boggs.

Jolly Bargee, River Row, Islington.

Joe Boggs.

What a lovely name. Is it really yours?

Chunks to you, miss, same as always.

- What's the Jolly Bargee? - It's just

a pub I've bought out of my savings.

Nothing swanky, just

cosy like, you know.

What I want to tell you, miss, is...

Yes, Chunks?

Well, if you're ever in a pickle,

and they're not kind to you here,

you come along to the

Jolly Bargee to me, you see?

- Thank you, Chunks.

- That's all right.

I'll be off now, dearie.

Mind what I say.

If you're ever in

trouble, you come to me.

Old Chunks, see?

Keep smiling.

Mrs Heaviside's room, if you please.

Oh, I beg your pardon.

I was told that this

was Mrs Heaviside's room.

Come in, Fanny.

Don't you remember me?

No, sir.

Oh, yes, I do.

You're the gentleman who gave me this.

You've got a good memory.

I doubt if I'd have

recognised you so quickly.

Mr Seymore?

- What are you doing here?

- I live here.

- Oh.

- Now, sit down, my dear.

I want to talk to you.

Fanny, I don't know how

to begin to tell you this.

I promised your mother...

William Hopwood was not your father.

What are you saying?

Of course he was my father!

No, dear.

Please listen to what I have to say.

It was all so long ago.

So much has happened since.

Mary... your mother...

and I fell in love.

I think we believed that

we'd discovered love.

We were determined to marry.

Her father was a farmer

on my father's estate.

There would be opposition, I

knew, but it could be overcome.

My father was very clever

about it, very reasonable.

All he asked was that I

should go away for a year.

Then, if I still felt the

same, he would give his consent.

He pulled strings and

had me transferred abroad.

Your mother and I had just one

week together before I went.

Remember, my dear, how young we were,

how very, very much in love.

When I came back, she was married.

You were a few months old.

My father had paid William Hopwood well

to give you, as they put it, a name.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry for both of you.

Thank you, my dear.

You are married now, aren't you?

Yes, many years after.

A wife my family approved

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