Nightwatching Page #5

- Oh, God! It won't fall over,

for Christ's sake.

- It would take care of Titus

for some time to come.

You know Uli even said

you shouldn't do the militia.

- Why ever not?

He used to be so keen.

- He keeps on saying

you ought to talk to the man

in the red cloak,

and then decide.

- Who's the man

in the red cloak?

Uli is getting cold feet.

He's losing his nose

for a bargain.

- I don't think so.

Something serious

is worrying him.

- What did you mean,

"Take care of Titus?"

- Ahem. It's certain

that I'm on the way out.

- No. No, you're not.

(coughing)

Come on, get up!

Out of this bed at once!

Let me kiss your belly,

that'll rouse you.

- Oh, for God's sake,

don't start that again!

I'll end up on the floor,

and the floor's cold.

- For Jesus's sake, if the floor's cold,

I'll buy you a f***ing carpet.

(chuckling)

I'm in disgrace.

- Why?

- For attempting to make love

to my wife?

- Were you hoping

to make a baby?

- Not necessarily.

- It is strange, isn't it,

how it all happens?

- Is it?

- I've watched it happen.

The men come to the orphanage,

and some of the older girls -

Judith, she's about 13 -

are taken to the bedroom

overlooking the garden...

...and they stay there

for an hour or so.

I have stood in the gallery

and watched.

There is some laughter, it's true,

but mostly,

it's all done very quietly,

and then there are tears.

But Judith often comes back

with some flowers,

or a new ribbon,

and once,

she was given a Passover cake,

which she shared with me.

And once...

my father gave her

a silver coin.

- Your father? Kemp?

- Oh, yes.

Don't worry.

He took off his white collar

at the door.

I don't think Judith knows

he's my father.

She just thinks of him

as an old grandfather

from Haarlem.

- You're supposed to be an angel

and not know about such things.

What is that bruise

on your face?

- I said I wasn't going to do

what Judith's doing

for at least another year,

not until I start

being a woman, that is.

Otherwise, you end up

like my sister.

She had an accident

with a pot of scalding water.

She will never

be beautiful again.

(thunder)

(rain falling)

(coughing)

- This rain never stops.

Geertje's at Titia's with Titus.

- Probably not.

- Hmm?

She'd have left Titus with Titia

and gone to the guardhouse

round the corner,

more likely with Jorisz.

She'll come back

smelling of tobacco

and other unmentionables.

- Hendrickje's gone home

to buy linen.

I gave her 10 guilders.

(thunder rumbling)

Carl and Gerard

are at the theatre.

They want to paint actors.

- Isn't that what you do?

(Rembrandt chuckling)

(Saskia coughing)

- Annette and Femke

are fetching milk.

Christina and Kirde

are sewing at Katia's.

Pieter is reading to his mother

in Praed Street.

Susanna is praying no doubt

at St. Swithin's,

and Caspar and Jan are fishing.

- In the rain?

- Mm-hmm.

- Their mother will kill me

if they catch another cold.

- Balthasar, well,

he has gone to the cemetery

to whisper

to his father's corpse.

(Saskia laughing)

- And David?

- David? Well, you know David.

He's probably asleep somewhere,

in a barn with a horse.

(sighing)

(thunder)

We...

...we are alone.

- In this big house,

with far too many servants.

(coughing)

- Rich.

- Fat.

- Tired.

- Happy?

- Not so happy.

You're ill,

and I am...

miserable that you're ill.

- What will you do if I die?

- You're not going to die.

- What will you do when I die?

- I could die before you.

- Oh!

(chuckling)

Then where would we be?

I'd have to sell this house.

Say goodbye to paintings

and pictures.

Move back to Leeuwarden

with Titus.

How about "The Militia"?

- Oh, let's not talk about it.

(coughing)

Hell! I confess

I'm beginning to warm to it.

You were right.

What's keeping me interested

is all the invented conspiracies.

- Maybe the conspiracies

are not so invented.

- Well, Kemp ought to be castrated,

that hypocritical, lecherous old wolf.

Apparently,

he's using the orphanage

as a child brothel.

Engelen should be booted

out of the Kirchmarsal.

He's buying houses

in the Jordaan,

and then burning them down

to claim the insurance.

Visscher...

has gone into tobacco

after saying he wouldn't,

and forcing down the price,

and...

there's a new thing.

Borst says...

that I am giving away...

military secrets.

("coughing")

(laughing)

Apparently, I'm not supposed

to show the enemy

how to load and fire

the new muskets.

So I'm painting the muskets

upside down...

(laughter)

...to confuse!

Because it will.

It will confuse the Spanish

in Madrid.

(coughing)

Oh, yes, and, and...

and Valladolid

and Santiago de Compostella.

You see now

what a patriot I am.

(door closing)

Someone back from somewhere.

- Tell them to close the windows

in the balcony,

or the dye will run

on the new curtains.

(thunder)

- They've shot Hasselburg!

Someone's shot Hasselburg!

In the eye!

Th-they shot him

through the right eye!

Into his brain!

(thunder)

He's dead!

(bells tolling)

- Hasselburg was killed

with a bullet in the eye.

Blinded.

A painter would sympathize

with such a death.

- So would Samson.

- He was blinded in two eyes,

but he brought down the temple.

- He had great strength.

- There might be equivalent

great strength in seeing.

You could bring down the Temple.

- Temple. What Temple?

- Samson was a witness.

- Before he was blinded.

- You could be a witness, too.

- Witness?

- I think I might introduce you

to the mourners.

This is Carl,

Hasselburg's son.

- Well, indeed, we have...

more than a little

passing acquaintance.

Don't we, Carl?

Carl is very fond

of my favourite servant,

Hendrickje.

Sir, in your great grief,

I offer you condolences

from myself and my family.

- Thank you, Rembrandt.

And how is Hendrickje?

- She is very well,

and at present, kissing babies.

Uh, where is Egremont?

Where Hasselburg was

Egremont was also,

and I understand Egremont

will now be captain?

- Egremont is gone.

- Gone?

- This is Hasselburg's successor,

Captain Frans Banning Cocq,

Lord of Purmerend and Ilpendam.

May I, Captain, introduce the painter

who will shortly be

memorializing us all?

- Oh, sir, a pleasure.

- Sadness to meet

on such an occasion,

and I trust you have not

started your painting,

and therefore not obliged

to make any irritating changes?

- Maybe since

the subjects have changed,

we should change the painter?

- Ooh!

Do you think so, Willem?

- How would it have been

if you'd been obliged

to paint the portrait

of a one-eyed captain of the militia,

lying on his back in a coffin

dressed like a grandmother

in bed?

- And this is Banning Cocq's

brother-in-law,

and this is

Banning Cocq's nephew.

- I have never met a painter before.

- I have been told

that a painter's hands

are always stained

with the materials of his trade.

- Oh, no, no, no.

As you see, Clement,

Rembrandt has the hands

of a gentleman.

Are you a gentleman, sir?

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