Goodbye, Mr. Chips Page #2

Hawthorne, scholarships

honour the intellect.

Our bursaries here make Brookfield

very, very special to me.

But sir, everyone here knows

they only go to...to the unwealthy.

And everyone at Cambridge

will know that too.

Doesn't the quality of the mind

outweigh all social considerations?

When you graduate from Cambridge,

and you shall gain entry,

then I am certain you shall graduate

with distinction,

help whom you can

to use their minds well.

That will level the score, hm?

(Floor creaks)

(Yells)

Ow! Get off!

Get off! Ow!

(Gasps)

(Banging from outside)

Ouch!

Cease this!

Now would be a good time

to feel ashamed, gentlemen.

Sir, this is our house initiation.

It's barbaric, Rinehart. Barbaric!

I've said so before

and I shall go on saying it

- until good behaviour supervenes.

- But, sir, I was barrelled.

Precisely! And it made you

a barbarian! Now get to your house!

(Rattling)

- Alderdyce.

- Sir...

Come along.

(Sighs)

(Metcalf) Come on, come on!

Quietly!

Straight to bed.

What is this?

Chipping, what have you done now?

- Alderdyce, were you barrelled?

- Yes, sir.

You have to stay there until fetched.

Now you have to do it again.

Please, sir, it wasn't my fault, sir.

Alderdyce is innocent in this.

Alderdyce, go to bed.

Put some dry clothes on, Alderdyce.

Did you halt the barrelling?

- Interest omnium recte facere.

- Speak English!

It is for the good of all

to do right.

I am Alderdyce's housemaster,

not you!

(Whispers) Good luck, Hawthorne.

Ah, Chipping.

Beastly this waiting, isn't it?

The housemaster thing.

Not for me.

I've no wish to spend every day

of every week, month, year, decade

mollycoddling the little beasts.

Can you imagine?

Runny noses, stomach aches - urgh!

Not for me,

I've told the headmaster as much.

- Oh?

- Oh, no, I didn't mean...

- It'd be quite the thing for you.

- Oh, no. Yes.

Hey! Give it back!

- Give it back!

- Over here!

It's not funny!

(Excited laughter and shouting)

- Oh, no!

- We've lost that.

(Boy) What's going on?

(2nd boy) Someone's on the roof!

(3rd boy) Come on,

you're nearly there!

(Boy) Oh, well done!

- Hang on, Sexton!

- Be careful!

(Cheers)

- Sexton!

- (Screams)

(Yells)

- He's safe, sir.

- Well, fetch a ladder! Quickly!

Sexton! Are you all right?

- Yes!

- Hold still! Do not move a muscle!

(Boy) Sexton, hold on!

(Excited chatter)

Here! What is going on?

A patch of misdemeanour, Headmaster.

A boater, a roof

and a boy who ought to know better.

Address it, would you, Mr Chipping?

I shall want to know.

Headmaster.

Main prep room, Sexton. Ten minutes.

Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.

(Knock at door)

Come!

Close the door, Sexton.

Come and stand in front of me.

Put your boater down.

Raise both arms and hold them out

with the palm upward.

(Coughs)

Now, it is a distinct contravention

of Brookfield rubric to climb a roof.

Why, Sexton?

Because danger lies inherent.

Therefore I must address

this wilful misdemeanour of yours.

You heard the Headmaster, hm?

Very well.

(Yelps)

(Sobs)

(Whispers) Get out, Sexton.

Thank you, sir.

(Door opens, closes)

Sir!

Sir...

I'm in! Cambridge has accepted me.

- I'm in.

- Oh, well done, Hawthorne.

- That's wonderful news. Well done!

- No, sir, well done to you.

In life there are matters of

character and matters of behaviour.

Passing that examination

was a matter of good character.

Highest praise, Hawthorne.

- (Knock at door)

- Er, come in!

- You sent for me, Headmaster?

- Ah, yes, Chipping.

Do sit down.

I sent for you regarding the position

of the new housemaster.

- Yes, Headmaster.

- It's a position of some gravity.

The position requires

an egregious range of values.

Duties in a house extend

far beyond those of a classroom.

A different dedication,

a redirected perception and so forth.

You do not, I feel sure,

require a recital.

Indeed, I find myself so in agreement

that a recital would be superfluous.

Good, I'm grateful.

So, bearing in mind all things,

I've offered the position to Staefel.

Yes, Headmaster. An excellent choice.

Thank you, Chipping.

That will be all, Chipping.

Headmaster, may I enquire

as to why...?

I mean, so to speak,

why I was not chosen?

Oh...

Do you know, Chipping,

I sometimes think

that giving reasons for one's actions

is a rather futile gesture.

You do understand

what I mean, don't you?

Yes, Headmaster. Thank you.

(Boy) Come on!

(Indistinct chatter)

Alderdyce! Alderdyce, come here!

I haven't seen you since your ordeal.

How are you?

- You going home for the hols?

- Please, sir...

Come on, Alderdyce - race you!

I wish I were going with you.

You will be careful?

I must avoid being careful, Max,

it has availed me little.

Nor, if I'm truthful,

has being careless proven useful.

If you were my housemaster,

how would you now advise me?

Goodbye, sir.

When I stopped judging myself harshly

the world was kinder to me.

Remember I told you once,

go out, look around the world?

Do that now, only this time

let the world look at you.

My friend, I assure you,

the world will like what it sees.

Cheerio, Max.

(Lark singing)

(Panting)

Madam? Is everything in order?

Hm?

You appear to be in a position

of possible peril.

Um, no peril, thank you.

- Do you know why I'm up here?

- I don't.

It's my vantage point.

You see, from up here

I can see the fish perfectly.

Fish are so much more visible

when viewed from above.

Indeed, there have been murmurs

to this effect.

Oh! Oh!

Hold on!

Keep quite still.

Now, steady. That's it,

I've got you. Just fall.

Thank you.

- Are you all right?

- I am now.

Thank you.

Who are you?

Oh, just...someone on holiday.

Nobody really.

Nobody's nobody.

Or is nobody actually your name?

Richard Nobody? David Nobody?

Actually my name is Chipping.

I was with a walking party

but...I escaped.

They didn't want

to look at the fish, I did.

What are you, Mr Chipping?

A solicitor?

- No.

- Are you a stockbroker?

- A dentist?

- No, not a stockbroker.

Nor a dentist.

Not a stockbroker, not a dentist.

Are you a man with a cotton business

in Manchester?

No, er...I'm a teacher, I hope.

Oh, how wonderful!

(Chipping) Shelter, perhaps?

- Here, in here.

- Oh! (Giggles)

Good heavens!

- (Sighs)

- Oh, here. I have a cape.

Oh, thank you.

Thank you.

Do you know, a teacher is

the very best thing to be!

Well, I used to think so.

Oh, yes.

Think of

the wonderful gifts you give.

"Gifts"?

Think of the gift you gave when you

told someone where Mesopotamia is.

Or you taught someone

the length of the Nile.

- I am Latin, not geography.

- Well...

Think of the gift you give

when you teach someone Cicero.

Or Lucretius.

Do you truly think

teaching's like this?

Truly.

It's terribly important.

It is the most

important thing there is.

- Madam...

- I'm not madam,

I'm Katherine Bridges and everyone

calls me Kathie, Mr Chipping.

"Mr Chipping". I expect

your pupils call you "Chips".

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