Saratoga Trunk Page #10

I would be enchanted to

meet your dear mother.

Good morning, countess.

Comment ca va?

Bon jour,

madame.

Good morning,

clarissa.

Good morning.

May i present

mrs. Du chenfrais.

How do you do?

I hear you call yourself a countess.

No. I call myself

mrs. Du chenfrais.

Very clever.

Won't you

sit down?

You say you've been here

before, they tell me.

No. My dear husband

was here once.

Dear edouard-

the late comte.

That ninny roscoe bean

couldn't find

your husband's signature

in the hotel register.

Isn't that odd?

His signature?

I've been coming to the

saratoga hotel for years.

I've met every

well-known person

that ever stopped here-

in my day, that is.

And i've searched the

registers, old and new...

but no

comte du chenfrais.

Are you sure

he stayed here?

Eh?

Incognito.

When a french diplomat is in

america on affairs of state,

it's sometimes wise

to discard titles.

Well, i'm quite sure

mother doesn't mean-

i'm quite sure that

mother does mean.

She doesn't mean a thing,

do you, clarissa?

I always did tell

dear etienne

that his passion for shunning

the limelight was silly.

Etienne?

And who is etienne?

Her husband.

I knew him well.

Didn't you say

edouard?

His intimates

called him etienne.

A pet name.

Clarissa, i always say

it doesn't pay to inquire

too closely into the background

of us summer saratoga folk.

Take you, clarissa.

You call yourself a lady,

but that doesn't necessarily

mean that you are one, does it?

I advise you to stay

out of this, sophie.

I was merely going to

remark in all innocence

that my family

can remember

when your family

climbed out of the gutter.

Come,

mrs. Du chenfrais.

Shall we have

a bit of a chat?

That would be

charming.

Enchanted to have met you,

madame van steed.

You're all that your dear son

has led me to expect.

I hope you weren't

too sharp

with that very

provincial old lady.

Provincial old lady?

She's an old hellcat.

Thank you very much for

being helpful. Good-bye.

Nonsense, my girl. I want to

talk to you. It's important.

In the garden?

No. In your room.

We can talk better there.

If you'd asked me

who i'd rather be

than anyone else in the

world at this minute,

i'd say you.

Me? But why?

No reason.

No reason, my girl.

Except that you're young

and beautiful and smart,

and you've got two dashing

young men in love with you.

At least, poor bart would

dash if that old harridan

would let go of his coattails

long enough to let him dash.

And you'd be very rich

if you use some sense.

Angelique,

bring the coffee in here.

Yes, ma'am.

Just what is it

you want of me?

Money.

I have no money.

But you will have.

How?

Listening to me.

You have no money. Why haven't

you listened to yourself?

Because i'm not you. I explained

that to you a minute ago.

Tell your woman

to shut the door.

Doesn't matter.

She knows

everything.

She never talks.

No, thank you.

If you mean to harm me,

she'd be likely to kill you.

She'd make a little figure

like you out of soap,

and she'd stick pins into it,

and you'd sicken and die.

Not i. I've had pins

stuck in me all my life-

knives and everything

up to pickaxes.

All my life, mrs. Bellop,

i've been very direct.

If i wanted

to do a thing

and it was possible, i did

it. I say what i want to say.

That old lady

on the piazza dislikes me.

She makes no pretense.

I admire her for it.

I shall be grateful

if you'll be as honest.

You're right.

She hates you.

She wants to run you

out of saratoga,

and she'll do it

unless...

unless?

Look, my girl,

i know that you're no more

the countess de trumprechoochoo

than

i'm queen victoria.

But if i say you are,

if i stand up for you

against that old buzzard and her crew,

the world will

believe you are.

I've watched you, and i'll say

this, you've been wonderful-

bold and dramatic

and believable.

But from now on,

you're gonna need a

strong arm behind you,

and that handsome texan's

arm isn't gonna be enough.

It's got to be

a woman

that's smarter than old lady van steed

and somebody that

she's scared of.

That's me.

You saw it.

I look like

a wash woman,

but i've got family

and influence,

and all she's got are

two generations of money.

What do you want?

I know my way

around this world.

I know what it is

to be very rich,

and i know what it is

to be very poor.

I've lived on nothing

for years... in luxury.

Blackmail?

Oh, give me credit for

being smarter than that.

I make certain hotels

fashionable by touting for them.

I put saratoga

on the map.

I made newport, though i must

say i can't bear the place.

I've been everywhere. I know

europe, and i know america.

And if i give a party that

somebody else pays for,

everybody comes

because i'm giving it.

Don't ask me why.

I don't know.

I've got

nothing to lose

because

i live by my wits.

They can't take

those away from me.

And i say and i do

as i please

because i'm not

afraid of anybody.

It's a grand

feeling.

In a way,

you're just like i am.

I've always-

i know

all about you.

I have connections

in new orleans.

How much do you want?

Your name

was clio dulaine,

and now you want it to be

mrs. Bartholomew van steed.

I think you can get him

with my help,

though

why you want him

with that texan

around-

me, i'd marry him though

he hadn't a penny.

Those shoulders

and small through the hips,

and the way

he looks at you-

oh, me!

Always was a fool.

I'll take 25,000 down

on the day of the wedding

and 10,000 a year for life.

I don't want to be grasping.

How do you know that

i can't do this alone?

Try it.

Come in.

Edouard. Etienne.

Are you two

plotting something?

You look guilty

as all get out.

If i were only 25

years younger, my boy-

mrs. Bellop has offered

to be my chaperone.

A little late,

i'd say.

Not too late,

we hope.

Not too late

for what?

For social

success

and marriage

to someone

who's really

mad about her,

with

your blessing.

She's got that now.

I'll see you later.

I got to pack my bag.

Pardon me.

Clint!

I almost forgot to

tell you, honey.

I'm taking

a little trip.

Where?

Where are you going?

Albany.

What for? You used

to tell me everything.

What are you

keeping from me?

On business.

A couple of days.

Business?

Now, what business?

Cupidon will

take care of you.

And bart.

Want me

to go with you?

Now, look here, honey, you

can't go traveling around

with colonel

maroon,

a respectable widow

like you.

You set out to catch

yourself a millionaire.

You got him

roped and tied.

Now all you got to do is

cinch the saddle down on him.

Poor little bart.

In his place,

i sure would feel cheap

to think i was being married

just for my money.

You never need

to fear.

If you win $500 at cards,

you feel yourself rich.

That sweet little woman in texas

has just such ambitions, i'm sure-

the one who makes those

ravishing white ties,

those blue

forget-me-nots.

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