See You Up There Page #3

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Yes.

I'm here for dinner. Albert Maillard.

- Oh, I'm so sorry. - No harm done.

May I take your coat?

I don't have one.

I apologize.

No harm done.

My hat, if you like.

Follow me.

- Please take a seat. - Thank you.

Madam will be down soon.

I'll be back late, darling.

That's right. A meeting.

Hello there!

Alright, I'm coming.

Ah! Pauline said you'd arrived.

My father's keen to meet you.

Actually, I'm not feeling so well...

Do take a seat.

So you knew him well?

Who?

Edouard.

Yes.

I knew him very well.

We fought together. That creates a bond.

Tell me a bit about him.

About who?

Edouard.

Of course.

Well...

He was...

He was very brave. Very brave.

On the battlefield.

He was always the one who led the charge.

He was a real lion in battle.

The Germans were scared. He was so brave.

Once, he dug up a dead man. He recovered.

Do you know if he...

Did he do any other drawings?

He doesn't any more. Didn't, I mean.

Wherever he is, I'm sure he's drawing.

Making the good Lord happy.

It didn't stop him fighting.

I wasn't there, but apparently he painted during one charge.

We were on top, but still...

Your Edouard and his easel.

Bombs raining down.

And he was painting. Painting!

Did he talk about his family?

All the time.

It's simple. Coming in, I felt I knew this house already.

The front:
very pretty.

The staircase:
very pretty too.

And he warned me, but in here...

Pretty.

Very pretty.

You...

Very sweet and kind, he said.

And you...

Very pretty?

No.

A bit stern, but fair.

Fair.

How did he die?

Shot, sir. In the attack on Hill 113.

As I said, he was very brave, so...

It isn't true.

It isn't true.

Actually...

Come on, my boy. Dinner will buck you up.

Which branch are you in?

Low-hanging branches.

No, your profession?

I'm in advertising.

I'm a bookkeeper, in fact, but I lost my job after the war.

So now I'm in advertising.

As a sector,

it's very interesting.

Thank you.

Tastes good.

The maid will show you out.

Look here, Mr. Maillard...

Yes?

You're a bookkeeper?

Yes.

We happen to need bookkeepers.

There are opportunities for investment.

Really?

Come to work for us. On very generous terms.

I... I don't know...

Think it over.

It's no problem. Good night.

Thank you.

Academy of Art

Any news from your family?

"Families seldom contact their dead."

No. That's not what I meant...

Maybe they're sad you're dead.

Maybe even your father's sad you're dead.

Okay, calm down.

"Just get the cash."

You told me they're very rich. Maybe we could rob them?

For the catalogues.

We send Louise to your presumably beautiful home.

She nabs some silver or a painting.

We cash it in for the catalogues.

He says no.

"His father's the family thief."

If you say so.

I'll look for money, then.

"That's right."

I accepted Pricourt's job offer.

And...

And?

I started stealing from him.

On a case-by-case basis.

War profiteers

were special. My favorites.

60,000...

I chose a classic con. The Bridge of Sighs.

The client gives 60,000.

You deposit 40,000 and keep 20,000.

DEPOSITED:

Sign here.

Same with all the others.

26,000.

Twenty-two...

27,000.

Seventeen...

30,000.

Twenty...

23,000.

Sixteen...

DEPOSITED:

I had the cash for 3 days.

Why 3 days?

The advantage of a big bank is nobody notices until reconciliation.

With all the shares, payments, mortgages and loans,

that leaves 3 days until deposits

are compared with receipts.

I'd move money from a verified account into one I'd stolen from.

But it's really cat and mouse!

It's exhausting, hence "Bridge of Sighs".

Alright, note down "embezzlement".

No, what I meant is

it was for the catalogues.

I told Edouard I had a job. He didn't ask where.

Rich people think others ought to work.

INTO THE FRAY!

THE GRATEFUL NATION

ON THE ATTACK:

JOY IN BATTLE:

THANKS FOR EVERYTHING

PROUD TO DIE:

ORPHAN CONTEMPLATING SACRIFICE

- That's you! - Yes!

PATRIOTISM & REMEMBRANCE

Who's Jules d'Epremont?

- "Nobody." - Nobody?

"A bogus member of the Institute. Nobody'll check."

Thanks.

I'd like to say the same.

Here you go!

Clause 4.

The chosen artist must have been French

for 3 generations

or be a war veteran.

If a Senegalese or an Asian wins

I think we should accept.

We'll just pay him less.

Clause 5.

If the artist bears physical scars

of the war,

he may be afforded help. Even if he's blind.

I'm not sure, but we look very inclusive.

A blind man's chances are...

Carry on, carry on.

Clause 6. The memorial will be built in Paris

and also by a French company.

I can add "Priority to the Pricourt company."

No point. I'm paying for it anyway.

Of course. Am I stupid?

Yes.

Clause 7.

The monument's dimensions must be in harmony with the site.

Should we demolish an orphanage or a garage?

The garage, Labourdin.

The garage? I bow to your wish.

Clause 8. The artist must leave enough space on his work

for there to be engraved,

clearly and legibly, the names of...

every victim born in the 8th district.

Lastly, clause 9.

The sum awarded for designing and building the memorial is...

This is your part, Chairman.

Put 150,000 francs.

150,000 francs?

I put 150,000 francs?

Very well.

COMPETITION:

I'll send these off.

I'll check the mail on the way back.

I hope you're wrong.

For months there was no response.

Then, shortly before Bastille Day,

there was a patriotic frenzy.

The orders came pouring in.

It was amazing!

I guessed people were stupid. But that stupid?

I opened a Patriotism & Remembrance account.

I signed Jules d'Epremont.

Then I fetched the money. A large sum.

There's this...

This...

And this...

After the dealers, I got a gun.

But not to protect my own cash.

Our company's doing well.

What do we do? Design and build memorials.

A macabre business?

The artist and I went to war.

These memorials are a way to say goodbye to our comrades.

I said we'd scarper on Bastille Day

while everyone was celebrating.

He seemed to agree.

We grab the cash and run.

I said Africa was the best bet.

He seemed to agree.

He wanted to take Louise.

Mrs. Belmont fostered her as a war orphan.

It paid, so she didn't like our plan.

So I bought Louise.

Money was no object.

Can he take some?

It's your money, Edouard.

Fill it up.

Fill it more!

Till it overflows!

Dammit, Edouard! All those bills.

- "What's this perfume?" - Perfume?

"On your jacket."

Perfume on my jacket?

There isn't.

There is.

His sister's perfume.

My jacket, my perfume.

A little feminine, I admit.

But it's my perfume.

"That perfume was made exclusively for her."

She must've lost the exclusivity.

Don't look at me like that.

I come back smelling of perfume, so I saw your sister?

Easy on the jacket! It's valuable.

Is that Pradelle?

Told you he was a bastard.

I was so scared, I went to tell Madeleine the truth.

I was even more scared at the house.

What about Edouard?

You know abstract art?

No.

Edouard told me about it.

A Russian painter got home one night.

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