Major Barbara Page #5

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- [Horn Honking]

[Chicken Clucking]

[Children Chattering]

- Hello, Bill. Found your girl?

- Garn!

[Chuckles]

I know you.

You're the one what took

my girl away, aren't you?

You're the one what set her against me.

- Well, I've come to get her out, see?

- [Gasps]

Tell her Bill Walker wants to see

her. She'll know what that means.

And you start to jaw back at me,

and I'll start on you, you hear?

- There's your way. In you go!

- [Sobs]

Easy there, mate! She

ain't done you no harm.

Who are you callin' "mate"?

Standin' up for her, are you?

- Put up your hands!

- You great brute!

Oh, God forgive you. How could

you strike an old woman like that?

You go and forgive me again, and I'll

go and forgive you one on the jaw...

that'll stop you praying for a week!

- Have you anything to say against that?

- No, matey. She ain't nothin' to do with me.

Good job for you, you starved cur.

Now, are you gonna fetch

that Mog Habbijam...

or am I gonna knock your block

off and fetch her out myself, eh?

Oh, please, someone go

in and tell Major Barbara!

There, you want to tell

your major on me, do you?

Please don't drag my hair! Let me go!

Do you or don't you? Yes or no?

Oh, God, give me strength.

- Oh!

- Go and show her that and tell her...

if she wants one like it to

come and interfere with me!

You!

Here, finish your mess

and get out of my way.

You take a liberty with me, and I'll bash

your face with this mug and cut your eye out.

Come in shoving and

bullying your way in here...

with the bread of charity

sittin' in our stomachs.

What good are you, you old palsy maggot?

- What good are you?

- As good as you and better!

I'll do a day's work again' you or any

other fit, young soaker of your age.

Well, what do you know? Not

even how to behave yourself.

Coming in here and laying your dirty fist

across the mouth of a respectable woman.

- [Gasps] - Don't provoke me

to lay it across yours. Do you hear?

Yeah, you'd like to hit

a old man, wouldn't you...

after you've done with the women!

I ain't seen you with a young man yet.

You lie, you old soup-kitchener, you.

There was a young man here just now.

Did I offer to hit him, or did I not?

Was he starving, or was he not?

Was he a man...

or just a cross-eyed

thief and a loafer?

Would you hit my

son-in-law's brother?

- Who is he?

- Todger Fairmile of Balls Pond.

Him what won that 20 off the Japanese

wrestler at the music hall...

for standing up again' him

for 17 minutes, 14 seconds.

I ain't no music hall wrestler.

- Can he box?

- Yes! And you can't.

What? I can't, can I?

What's that you say?

Will you box Todger Fairmile

if I puts him on to you?

I'll stand up to any man alive

if he was 10 Todger Fairmiles...

but I don't set up to be a professional.

Here, what am I doing talking

to an old mutter like you for?

I'm goin' in there to fetch her out!

You're gonna be carried to the police

station on a stretcher, more likely.

You mind what you're about.

- Why, haven't you heard that the major here

is a granddaughter of a earl? - Garn!

- You'll see.

- Well, I done nothing to her.

Suppose she says you did?

Who's going to believe you?

God, there ain't no

justice in this country.

- I'm as good as her!

- Tell her so.

It's what a fool like you would do.

- Good morning.

- Good morning.

Sit down. Make yourself at home.

Now then, since you've made friends

with us, we want to know all about you.

Name and trades, please.

Peter Shirley, fitter.

Chucked out of me job two

months ago 'cause I was too old.

You'd pass still. Why

didn't you dye your hair?

Oh, I did. But me age came out at

the coroner's inquest on me daughter.

- Steady?

- Teetotaler.

Never out of a job before. Good

worker, and sent to the scrap heap.

No matter. If you did

your part, God will do his.

My religion's no concern

to nobody but meself.

I know. Secularist.

- Did I offer to deny it?

- Why should you?

My own father's a secularist, I think.

Our father... yours and mine...

fulfills himself in many ways...

and I daresay he knew what he was about

when he made a free thinker of you.

So buck up, Peter. We can always

find a job for a steady man like you.

- What's your name?

- What's it to you?

Afraid to give his name. Any trade?

Who's afraid to give his name?

If you've got a charge to

bring against me, bring it!

My name's... Bill Walker.

Bill Walker.

Oh, you're the man that little Jenny

Hill was praying for inside just now.

Who's Jenny Hill, and what

call's she got to pray for me?

I don't know. Perhaps it

was you that cut her lip.

Yes, it was me what cut her

lip. I ain't afraid of you.

How can you be, since

you're not afraid of God?

You're a brave man, Mr. Walker.

It takes some pluck for us

to carry on our work here...

but none of us dare lift a hand against a girl

like that for fear of her father in heaven.

I don't want none of

your cantin' jaw, see?

I suppose you think I came here to beg

from you, like this damaged lot here.

Not me. I don't want none

of your bread and scrape.

And I don't believe in your God neither,

no more than what you do yourself.

Oh, I beg your pardon for putting

your name down, Mr. Walker.

I didn't understand. I'll strike it out.

Here, you let my name alone. Ain't my

name good enough to go in your book?

Well, you see, there's not much

point in me putting your name down...

if I can't do anything for you.

- What's your trade?

- That's no concern of yours.

Quite so. I'll put you down as...

the man who struck poor

little Jenny Hill in the mouth.

Now see here. I've had enough of this!

- What did you come here for?

- I came for my girl, see?

I came to take her out of this

and to break her jaw for her.

You see, I was right about

your trade. What's her name?

Her name? Mog Habbijam.

That's what her name is! Mog.

Mog Habbijam. Oh, she's gone to

Tower Bridge to our shelter there.

Has she? Then I'm going to

the Tower Bridge after her.

Here.

Are you lying to me so

as you can get shod of me?

I don't want to get shod of you.

I want to keep you

here and save your soul.

You better stay. You're going

to have a bad time today, Bill.

Who's gonna give it to me? You perhaps?

Someone you don't believe in.

But you'll be glad afterwards.

Yes. Well, I'm going to the Tower Bridge

to get out of the reach of your tongue.

And if I don't find Mog there...

I'll come back and I'll

do two years for you.

So help me if I don't.

It's no use, Bill.

- She's got another bloke.

- What's that?

He fell in love with her when

he saw her with her soul saved...

and her face clean and her hair washed.

Well, what did she wash it

for, the carroty cat? It's red.

It's quite lovely now because she wears

a new look in her eyes to go with it.

It's a pity you're too late, Bill.

The new bloke's put your

nose right out of joint.

I'll put his nose out of joint for him!

Not that I care a curse for her, mind that.

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