Magic in the Moonlight Page #9

my praying for my aunt was poppycock,

the doctor's skill was real.

No. You will never

know that, because George,

Caroline's husband,

the psychoanalyst,

told me that he was praying

for your aunt, too.

And so we don't know if maybe

it was his prayers

that got answered.

Maybe the angels

like him better.

I won't dignify this

conversation any longer

I'm going to go

and visit my Aunt Vanessa

until she's on her feet,

and then good-bye.

And you won't forgive me?

Well, I can't forgive you.

Only God can forgive you.

But you said there is no God.

Precisely my point.

Lovers depend on

moonlight for a love affair

Babies depend on mothers

for their tender care

Flowers depend on sunshine

and the morning dew

Each thing depends

on something

And I depend on you

I can be happy, I can be sad

I can be good, I can be bad

It all depends on you

I can be lonely

out in a crowd

I can be humble

Oh, it's good

to be home.

More robust than ever,

I'll wager.

"What doesn't kill me

makes me stronger. "

A great man said that.

Oh, not

the "God is dead" fellow.

The very same.

Nevertheless,

I think he was wrong.

What doesn't kill us often

knocks the hell out of us.

Well, sometimes a close

call wakes a person up.

I've had another idea

for our honeymoon.

What if,

after the Greek Islands,

we set sail for the South Seas.

I've always wanted

to visit Bora Bora.

Would that interest you?

I've never...

I've never heard of it,

but the name

sounds pretty exotic.

Exotic? wife-hmm.

I love how you pick

always the exact right word.

Yes, of course, Olivia.

I'll be home in a few days.

I just have to see that Aunt

Vanessa is up and running,

and, uh, I have one or two

press interviews I have to do.

Some things need to be

smoothed over.

This is where

I could use your tact.

Yes, of course. Yes.

Bye, darling.

I bet you'll be glad

to get back to London

and put all this behind you.

Um...

You might enjoy the Galapagos.

You're a great admirer

of Darwin's.

Big turtles. Yes, I suppose so.

And of course,

you must miss Olivia.

Um...

A very fine woman. I can tell

that from her photographs.

Such elegance and style.

Absolutely perfect

for a man of your taste.

Well, yes, it's...

There's no question.

We're ideally suited.

A very... And you need

a well-educated woman

to keep up with you.

And she's quite

attractive, to boot.

Yes, yes,

it's very easy to see us

side by side

through life's journey.

A very handsome couple indeed.

Yes, there's no question.

We're ideally suited.

As you would say.

A quite rational choice.

I mean, it's not

entirely cerebral.

I mean, I do love her.

What are you suggesting?

Suggesting? In the

nuance of your tone?

Of course I love her.

Or are you saying

you think I've come to

love Sophie Baker?

Me? I never mentioned Sophie.

Well, I thought you

were heading there.

Sophie Baker?

The little fake who

played you for a dupe?

Exactly. That wretch.

Why would I suggest you've

fallen in love with Sophie?

Well, you might.

I never know what goes on

in that devious mind of yours.

The very idea of you and that

specious American telepathic.

Well, I know

it defies all reason.

You, a creature of reason.

A man of intellect.

To be sure.

Certainly not trivial.

No, to say the least.

And she's hardly in the

same class as Olivia.

The comparison makes me laugh.

Olivia is a person

of accomplishment and charm.

Sophie's a street finagler

who makes her way living off

one bit of hokum to the next.

Well, I don't see how you

can compare the two.

Well, don't put ideas

into my head!

Well, far be it from me.

Of course, she does come

from dire circumstances.

I mean, it's very

easy to be judgmental

about people who are

born into circumstances

less fortunate than one's own.

Life is harsh.

One must do what one

must to survive.

Well put.

And people do sometimes

make the wrong choices,

which they regret,

even though no serious

harm was done.

Which of us has not made

some blunders in life?

And there is a rather appealing

quality about Sophie.

Despite her

disgusting behavior.

Yes, her smile

is rather winning.

Of course, it depends

how much value

you put on the purely physical.

STANLEY; Well, no, I...

I, for one,

esteem the higher virtues.

Hmm...

Beauty of the soul.

Although her eyes are rather

pleasant to look into.

And that she can be amusing,

under the right circumstances.

Oh, but Olivia is an

educated, cultivated woman.

One that befits a man

of your artistic genius.

Yes, now, my genius

must be factored in.

On paper,

there's really no reason

to prefer Sophie to Olivia.

Well, I would say the opposite.

And so

your suggestion that I,

I be honest with Olivia

and tell her that

irrational as it seems,

I've fallen in

love with Sophie,

that's a preposterous notion.

It's lunacy.

Yet I can't help

feeling that...

That you love Sophie.

Yes, I understand.

You're puzzled and bewildered

because your foolish logic

tells you that

you should love Olivia.

Foolish logic?

And yet, how little

that logic means

when placed

next to Sophie's smile.

What are you saying?

That the world may or may

not be without purpose,

but it's not totally without

some kind of magic.

I have irrational positive

feelings for Sophie Baker.

It's like witnessing

a trick I can't figure out.

I wouldn't try to figure it out.

I'd simply move on it.

Word is, she's already accepted

Brice Catledge's proposal.

Taken to reading

the great books?

Yes.

Well, you once said

not to despair.

There's hope for my brain.

Perhaps I was a bit caustic.

But you will

admit you were guilty

of some rather sleazy doings.

Yes, well, those days are over.

I no longer have to worry about

where to sleep and how to eat.

I take it Brice Catledge has made

a serious marriage proposal?

Yes.

A very tempting one.

Wouldn't you agree?

Yes, I suppose so.

But I'm here to make you

a more tempting one.

More tempting than this?

I came to say

that for some

inexplicable reason

that defies common sense

and human understanding,

that I have, of late,

experienced some small...

Quite small, but discernible

inner stirrings

regarding your smile.

How magnanimous of you.

Yes,

I thought you'd think so.

And possessing

a soul which is large

and capable of complexity,

as all great minds are,

I have decided to forgive you

and take you under my wing.

Your wing?

It's a saying. Obviously,

I don't have wings.

I only mean that,

incredible as it sounds,

and this is no small gesture,

given the time wasted

and the public embarrassment

you've caused me,

that I'm

willing to take you back.

Take me back where?

Under the moon

in the observatory.

I regretted what I was doing,

but I was too inept

to change course,

and I apologize.

Really.

And I accept your forgiveness.

I understand that

it's very generous of you,

and I have to be going.

Going? I haven't said

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