Madeleine Page #5

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I will.

DOCTOR:
Good day to you.

THUAU:
Good day, Doctor.

WOMAN:
Still!

- Madeleine.

WOMAN:
Stand up straight if you please.

I'm sorry, Madame Borani.

Oh, it'II look beautiful, will it not,

Christina?

Oh, yes, ma'am.

(Door bell rings) - See who it is,

Christina. Bessie, dear, come.

Hurry, girl.

You will give me room to breathe,

Madame Borani?

- Mustn't sacrifice elegance, must we,

ma'am? - Indeed, no.

Good evening.

Is Mr. Smith at home? My name is Thuau.

- Come in, sir.

MR SMITH:
What is it, Christina?

To see you, sir.

Hm.

Come in, sir.

Oh, I do hope Papa will like it.

I'm sure he will.

He has an excellent taste in these things.

- Shall I call him in?

- Hold still, Miss Smith!

Not yet, dear.

Wait till it is nearer completion.

Who was it, Christina?

A visitor for the master, ma'am.

- Who?

- I didn't quite catch the name, ma'am.

Oh, you must try to hear names, Christina.

- Look, Mama.

- Lovely, my dear. Lovely!

Continue, Mr. Thuau.

It seems apparent, Mr. Smith,

that he committed suicide.

Poor fellow.

It is very prevalent among that class.

- Would you er...?

- No, thank you.

But how does this concern me?

It concerns Miss Madeleine Smith, sir.

And so you.

My daughter?

He...

He hoped he was going to marry her.

Then he was a mad man.

My daughter is to marry a gentleman

by the name of Minnoch.

- To marry?

- Certainly.

Quite soon.

Mr. Smith, I think you should know

that among Mr. L'Angelier's effects

are many letters from your daughter,

which show that his hopes, if mad,

had some little support.

I do not believe you, sir.

I'm a representative of my country.

I do not lie.

Madeleine.

Yes, Papa?

MR SMITH:
I wish to speak to you.

- She's fitting her dress.

MR SMITH:
I shall not detain her! At once!

(Door slams)

I'm sorry, madam.

- Put this round you, dear.

- No, thank you, Mama.

MOTHER:
Who can it be?

- It sounded a foreign name, ma'am.

I hope, sir, you'll excuse my dress.

Yes, Papa?

Madeleine, have you ever heard

of a Frenchman called...

Pierre Emile L'Angelier.

No, Papa.

Have you ever written letters to him,

or anyone else, without my knowledge?

No, Papa.

Perhaps you will go, now, sir.

Miss Smith... Emile is dead.

Well?

Say something.

How?

He committed suicide.

Where are my letters?

You knew him?

Did you?

- Answer me.

- Yes, Papa, for a time.

- You were intimately acquainted

with him, too. - Were you?

I met him, but he's not been here

for some time, Papa.

He came to this house?

Why did I not see him?

- Tell me.

- It was downstairs.

- Among the servants?

- No, Papa.

Alone.

When?

I should be grateful, sir,

if you would tell me when.

- At night.

- Did he tell the butcher boy too?

He expected to marry you, mademoiselle.

I... I had broken with him, Papa.

But, Miss Smith, the day before he died,

he returned unexpectedly from the country

as a result of a letter from you,

asking him to come here.

- That was only a week ago.

- He did not come.

Why did you write?

To ask him to return my letters.

I have seen what you wrote, Miss Smith.

The language does not convey such a purpose.

MR SMITH:
My daughter.

Papa, he did not come.

Miss Smith, I should have mentioned that

death was the result of arsenical poisoning.

Enquiries will be exhaustive.

MR SMITH:
There will be enquiries?

THUAU:
Inevitably.

Good night, sir.

I swear to you, I have not seen him.

I am not the police, Miss Smith.

Papa.

We are naked.

He did not come, Papa.

Has there been another train

for Rhu this morning?

- This'll be the first of the day.

- Thank you.

I am going away.

Christina told me at the house.

You were there early.

I wanted to see you.

The police were with me last night.

About what?

The death of a man.

(Train whistle blows)

Do not go away, my dear.

- I must.

- Scotland is not very big, you know.

William, I bought arsenic for my skin.

Tell them that.

I'm frightened.

I'm frightened, William.

Be frightened here where you have friends.

Fear by yourself - that's a crushing thing.

You do not know.

- I know you will stay.

- Why?

Because to do otherwise is not Madeleine.

(Guard's whistle)

- Stay.

- I'm human.

How could you be brave if you were not?

Stay.

(Guard's whistle)

- Oh, porter, will you find me a cab,

please? - Yes, ma'am.

I will take you.

No. I shall go alone.

I could help.

I do not wish it, thank you.

Dear William.

Take this.

- But... that is yours.

- Keep it for me.

It may get lost.

Goodbye, William.

Good morning, ma'am.

- Where are they?

- They're in the drawing room, miss.

- Good morning.

- Good morning, ma'am.

Miss Smith?

Yes?

I am the representative

of the Procurator Fiscal of Glasgow.

I have a warrant for your arrest on a charge

of murdering Pierre Emile L'Angelier.

MAN:
The wicked shall be destroyed!

This daughter of a rich man in her devilry

defied the most sacred laws of God and man.

She dresses in purple and fine linen.

But her heart is black!

Black with sin!

"Vengeance is mine," said the Lord,

and retribution will be just upon

this murderess, this daughter of Satan!

Just and...

(Clamouring)

Here she comes.

(Jeering and booing)

MAN:
She shall perish!

Yes, she shall perish!

Evil!

OFFICER:
Get away there! Get down!

Get away! Get down!

(Jeering)

You'll hang!

WOMAN:
Hang from a rope till you're dead!

MAN:
Take her out and hang her!

(Jeering)

(Booing)

(Wagon's wheels clatter)

We're on Princes Street.

(Horses' hooves clip clop)

I have your lavender water

and clean handkerchiefs.

Thank you, Miss Aiken.

(Jeering and booing)

(Jeering and booing outside)

I trust this won't take long. It's come

at a most inconvenient time for me.

You must resign yourself to

a very lengthy wait, I fear.

- Maybe several days.

- No talking, gentlemen, if you please.

(Fanfare)

I shall be beside you.

My glove is unstitched.

- It'll not show.

- I hope not.

(Bell rings)

MAN:
Come up, please.

You must go up.

MAN:
Come up, Miss Smith.

Are you sure you're not faint?

Madeleine Hamilton Smith, now or lately

prisoner in the prison of Glasgow,

you are indicted and accused of wickedly and

feloniously administering a quantity of arsenic

to Pierre Emile L'Angelier, now deceased,

with intent to murder him

on 22nd February 1857,

in consequence whereof

he suffered severe illness;

while further indicted and accused of feloniously

administering a quantity of arsenic

to the said Pierre Emile L'Angelier with

intent to murder him, on 22nd March 1857,

in consequence thereof

he suffered severe illness and did die,

and was thus murdered by you.

Prisoner at the bar,

you have heard the indictment read.

Do you plead guilty or not guilty?

Not guilty.

I wonder if Madeleine

is wearing her new dress.

- Sshh.

- Did you see, Mr. Minnoch?

(Door opens)

- Dr. Penny.

- Oh...

Dr. Penny, you were requested

by the Procurator Fiscal

to analyse the contents

of the body of the deceased.

I was.

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