Marnie Page #8

but who screams if you come near her!

So what about your dreams, Daddy dear?

I never said I was perfect.

That was quite a speech.

It encourages me to believe

that you have leafed through

one or two books.

Which one did you find

the most interesting?

You're really dying

to play doctor, aren't you?

OK, I'm a big movie fan.

I know the games.

Come on. Let's play.

Shall I start with dreams

or should we free-associate?

Oh, Doctor, I'll bet you're

just dying to free-associate.

Alright now, you give me a word

and I ' ll give you an association.

You know, like:
needles, pins;

when a man marries, trouble begins.

You ready?

Well, come on! I thought you wanted

to play doctor, so let's play!

- Water.

- Bath. Soap. Cleanse.

Pure. Made pure for me.

"And his tears

shall wash away thy sins

and make thee over again."

Baptists. Mother used to take me

to church. Twice on Sundays.

There. I'm not holding back

at all, am I?

You're bringing me out

marvellously, Doctor.

You'll have me up on my poor paralysed

little legs by the next scene. Go on.

- Air.

- Stare.

And that's what you do.

Stare and blare and say you care,

but you're unfair, you want a pair.

- Sex.

- Masculine, Feminine,

Adam and Eve, Jack and Jill.

I'll slap your filthy face

if you come near me again, Jack!

- Death.

- Me. Oh, listen, Mark -

- Needles.

- Pins.

- Black

- White

- Red!

- White. White!

It's alright, Marnie.

Darling, come here.

I won't let anything bad

happen to you. You're alright.

- You're alright.

- Oh, help me!

Help me. Oh, God,

somebody help me!

(Indistinct Chatter, Laughter)

(Doorbell Rings)

(Doorbell Rings)

(Doorbell Rings)

(Butler) What name, sir?

- Strutt.

- (Butler) Mr and Mrs Strutt.

Mr Strutt, Mrs Strutt? How do you do?

I'm Lil Mainwaring,

Mark's sister-in-law.

- So good of you to come all this way.

- So nice of you to ask us.

Wait till tomorrow, Charlie.

Wait till you see her on a horse, eh?

- I'm not a bit nervous, Mark.

- You have no reason to be.

You're unquestionably

the best-looking woman here.

The best-dressed. The most intelligent.

And you're with me.

- I think everyone's here.

- Well, Lil's scorekeeper.

She has the list, made the table

arrangements and everything.

I'm afraid I wasn't much help,

but I'll do better next time.

You're doing well enough.

I suppose we should keep... circulating.

Why?

- Why?

- I don't know. I swear I don't know.

He wasn't invited here.

He's never been invited here.

- It's Lil!

- Lil?

- She doesn't even know Strutt.

- It's Lil!

Get me out of here please.

It's too late. Here they come.

Look, call his bluff. I'll back you up.

- Oh, hello, Strutt. Good to see you.

- Good to see you.

- We haven't met. I am Mark Rutland.

- How do you do?

- And this is my wife.

- How do you do?

Well, this is a surprise.

I hadn't heard about your marriage.

You know, we all think

a great deal of your husband.

We've been doing business with

the Rutlands... for a long time.

- I believe we've met before.

- I don't think so.

Think again... Mrs Rutland.

Are you just recently married?

Marnie and I have been married

for two months.

But we've known each other

quite well for four years.

Four years? Before Estelle...

Yes, didn't you know?

Darling, Betty seems

rather stranded over there.

You'll have to excuse us for a few

moments, Mrs Strutt.

Oh, and Lil, would you see that

Mr and Mrs Strutt's glasses

are kept brimming?

That's a good girl.

- I'm going to be sick.

- You're not going to be sick.

You said we'd known each other

four years. Lil thought -

I don't give one infinitesimal damn

what Lil thought or thinks.

- Dinner is ready, sir.

- Good. Announce it.

Dinner is served.

Mr Strutt, my wife's taken a fancy

to you. Will you see her into dinner?

Five minutes! I'm five minutes behind

you, and in those five minutes

you've got yourself up like a cat

burglar and packed for a world cruise.

I've got to get out of here,

and you've got to let me go.

That man is going to send me to jail.

You know he is!

What are you using

for guts this season?

Don't you understand?

He's coming back here tomorrow

and he's coming for my head!

We just won't give it to him.

Strutt may be throbbing away

with vengeful fantasies,

but the fact is he's a businessman,

he's in the business of doing business.

- So?

- So we try to do business.

The Rutland account

is one of the biggest he's got.

If he insists on acting like the swine

he is, then... and he'll lose others too.

I'll see to it, but first I'll see to

it that he understands I'll see to it.

You can keep him from prosecuting,

you can't keep him from talking.

I don't care if he outtalks every

Southern senator on Capitol Hill.

Well, I do. I care.

Darling, didn't your mother

ever tell you about sticks and stones?

Can't you understand there may be

other... things involved,

other people that I don't

want to hear about me?

Yes, I can understand,

but since you're the well-known

orphan child, who's to care?

The police, damn you.

What can the police do if we can stop

Strutt from prosecuting?

They can start investigating

other jobs. Other similar jobs.

- Well, that's something else again.

- Yes, it is.

How many? How many other jobs?

Tell me the truth, damn it! You've

nothing to gain by lying to me now!

- How many jobs have you pulled?

- Three.

- Try again.

- Four. Five counting Strutt.

Over how long a period?

Five years,

and that's the truth, I swear!

- Alright. How much? How much?

- Under $50,000.

What towns?

Buffalo, Detroit, Elizabeth, New Jersey

and New York.

Well, in New York and Philadelphia,

I ' ll be poor old Mark Rutland who lost

his head over a pretty girl.

In the others I'm just

an accessory after the fact

and equally liable under the law.

Well, then let me go! They can't

blame you because you didn't know!

After you found out, I ran away.

Just let me go!

If I let you run out now,

nothing could keep the lid on it.

They've got your real name. They'll

work up a complete dossier on you.

When they finally catch you,

and they will catch you,

they'll throw the

New York City Library at you.

But, suppose we don't lose our heads?

All we've got to fight is Strutt's

big mouth. That gives us time.

Sit down. Listen.

We can do one of two things.

We can hire a lawyer

and a psychiatrist,

and make an immediate voluntary

confession and an offer of restitution.

That'll make the whole thing public.

But the chances are very good

that you'll get a suspended sentence.

Now the alternative.

We can go together and make private

calls on all the places you've robbed.

You'll express deep sorrow

and repentance,

sincere and vocal contrition.

And while you sob, I show a check

for the amount stolen.

Press it into their hands

and ask as a special favour

to a distraught husband,

to withdraw the charge.

But if one of them says,

"Thanks, I'll take the money,

but I won't drop the charge, "

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