Far and Away Page #2

There. Go on. Good girl.

ls somebody there?

Stay right where you are.

Don't flutter an eyelid

or l'll stab you.

l'll stab you through.

Father!

Jesus!

Father, help!

l've been all but raped

and slaughtered!

- What is it?

- ln the stables!

- What's the fuss about?

- lt's the devil himself!

- Mr. Daniel Christie!

- Oh, my God!

Look!

Yes?

l'm Joseph Donelly...

of the family Donelly

that you pushed off our land.

What in the name of God

are you talking about?

Prepare to pay for your crimes.

Good Lord Jesus!

Captain Moonlight.

Shannon, come back!

Quickly, find Mr. Chase

and bring him here. Go!

Shannon, come inside.

Shannon, turn around.

Look how black his fingers are,

Mother.

Never mind his fingers.

He's a lowborn blatherskite of filth.

lf he's so worthless, then why are you

bothering to dress his wounds?

Our duty is to restore him

to full health...

so he can hear his own neck crack when

he dangles from the hangman's noose.

Turn away, Shannon,

and protect the innocence of your eyes.

Of all the days

to intrude upon our peaceful life.

The ladies are coming by

this afternoon for tea.

l'm feeling very sick

all of a sudden.

Mind yourself, Shannon. Those ladies are

models of manners and behavior.

There.

- Nothing happened!

- Nothing happened, indeed.

A poor, misguided robin has

broken a windowpane.

What a manufactured lie.

l was merely dusting

the liquor cabinet.

As if a bottle in your vicinity

stood long enough to gather dust.

Now, go upstairs.

l can manage in here.

Oh, look at what you've done.

Mary, Mary, Mary Nell

Do you hear your wedding bell

Will he love you, Mary Nell

Time and time alone will tell

You're having a dream.

This isn't really happening.

l want my land!

What became of the man l married?

Some other man's replaced him

and goes about with his name.

A murderous insurgent

under your own roof!

How horrible!

He's as ugly as sin...

and the most vicious creature

l've ever set eyes upon.

Did you get a look at him, Shannon?

A peek.

Shannon, what is your collar doing?

- lt's choking me.

- Well, do it up.

Better to choke

than to be vulgar.

l hear a noise.

Let us hope it's Stephen Chase.

We've come for your prisoner,

Mr. Christie.

Good afternoon, Mrs. Christie.

Good afternoon, ladies.

Speak of the sun

and we see its rays.

Oh, my goodness,

we were so frightened.

Keep calm.

You're safe and protected.

Go back to your sinful card playing.

Hello, Shannon.

Hello, Stephen.

My, how handsome he is.

He's a brilliant young man.

He was educated at Trinity.

Of course.

He manages all my husband's

business affairs.

Your daughter is certainly

a very lucky girl.

Yes, indeed.

Shannon, the ladies and l

would like you to play the piano.

l beg your pardon?

Come play something, Shannon.

Something fanciful and nice.

She plays beautifully.

Good gracious, child.

- lt's band music, Mother.

- ''Band music''?

lt's very modern.

lt's from America.

Shannon, stay back.

Careful, boy.

Your life's worth little as it is.

You're the bastard

that burned my father's house.

l've burned many houses in the line

of duty. Am l meant to remember yours?

Maybe you'll remember this.

Pistols, tomorrow at dawn.

Get him upstairs!

Go on.

Come, ladies. Let us resume

our pleasantries in the parlor.

Come, dear.

You, too, Shannon.

What's buzzing around inside

that head of yours, my little monkey?

The day's been disrupted, Father.

Heaven forbid.

l'm running away.

Excuse me.

There's something in here l need.

Perhaps you're wondering

why l'm running away.

Well, l'll tell you.

l'm running away

because l'm modern.

l'm modern,

and l'm going to a modern place.

You're not the only one

who's trapped.

lf l stay here, my mother will turn me

into one of her stuffy old friends.

No, thank you.

l'm a little more interesting than that.

l'm very smart, and l'm very modern.

That's all you need to know about me.

Boy, here!

Have a look at this.

Look.

You can't read, can you?

How pathetic.

''Land,'' it says.

''Land''?

''Wanted:

strong, healthy men and women.

Every resident of the United States

is entitled to 160 acres of land.''

They've got so much of it

they give it away for free.

No land is given away...

in any part of the world.

ln America it is...

and l'm going there.

l'm going to have

a place of my own.

And l will have horses on it,

and l will raise them...

and l will ride them

any way l please.

What do you need more land for?

You own half of lreland as it is!

You took it, your people did!

l didn't take it.

You just live here

all fancied up on rent...

and broken backs.

Boy, you said you wanted land.

lf that's what you want,

then come with me.

Great ships sail

out of Dublin and Liverpool.

But a woman dare not travel alone.

You're brave. You shoot men,

you step on their necks.

When l saw that, l realized

you could be very useful to me.

- Useful, could l?

- Yes! You could be my serving boy.

Oh, l see.

l could polish your boots for you.

They will need a polish

now and then.

Aye, they would.

And l could make you a cup of tea.

When teatime calls for it, yes.

l'll throw the tea in your face and l'll

piss on your boots before l serve you!

Get out!

- l'll pay you threepence a day.

- Get out!

l've got an appointment in the morning,

and l'm going to honor it.

Ha! You'll never win this duel

with Stephen.

We've all seen you handle a gun.

Boy, l am giving you your freedom!

l'm not going to a distant world.

l'm of lreland,

and l'll stay in lreland till l die.

That's in about five hours.

These weapons belonged

to my father's father.

His father's father was an ass.

l've asked to serve as your second

in this barbarism.

l appreciate that, sir.

Choose one of those things.

You had a good breakfast this morning,

did you?

- lt was grand, sir. Thank you.

- Good.

Count away 15 paces.

- One, two.

- This way, son.

- Three, four-

- Ah, fog.

My life is one long mollifying fog.

The land l hold, l inherited.

lt manages itself

with a foggy logic of its own.

Son, l was up thinking about you

all night long.

l knew nothing of your family or their

eviction. l'm sorry for their pain.

l understand why you came to murder me,

and l don't blame you for it at all.

Fifteen!

Turn, each man, and fire!

l can't see anything!

l can.

Boy! Come away from there!

Shannon, get out of the way!

- Assess your stupidity, lad.

- Get away from me, woman!

As you wish.

- Wait!

- Shannon!

Shannon, don't!

Good-bye, Stephen.

''Good-bye''? Don't shoot!

l saved your neck.

You remember that.

Afternoon.

- Thank you, boy.

- Don't call me ''boy.''

Sugar.

Two.

You might display some gratitude

considering l paid for your passage.

l paid, let me remind you.

Oh, good afternoon.

Forgive me if l'm intruding,

but l wonder...

if you'd enjoy a gentle stroll

around the deck.

She's drinking her tea now.

There's no need

to state the obvious, boy.

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