Separate Tables Page #6

- Yes. Perhaps that would be best.

Well, it's...

It's a duty I hardly relish.

Just a moment, Mrs. Railton-Bell.

We haven't heard from your daughter.

My daughter agree with me.

I know herfeelings on the subject.

I think she should be permitted

to speak for herself.

Sibyl, can we have your views?

Mr. Malcolm is speaking to you, dear.

- Yes, mummy.

- Can we have your views?

- My views?

- On Maj. Pollock, dear.

What action should we take about him?

It's the shock.

You know what you've

just read in the paper, dear.

What do you feel about it?

- It made me sick.

- Of course it did.

- That's how we all feel.

- It made me sick.

- It made me sick!

- Oh, Sibyl, stop that.

Stop that crying! Now, darling...

It made me sick...

Mummy, I don't feel well.

No, of course you don't feel well.

- It made me sick.

- Come, we'll go up to our room and lie down.

- Is she often like that?

- Oh, no, not often.

But sometimes, I'm afraid.

Her mother ought neverto have told her.

And I'm surprised at you, Mr. Malcolm.

You ought not to have brought her into it.

I suppose not.

I thought I might get her once,

just this once,

in the whole of her life,

to publicly disagree with her mother.

It could save her soul

if she ever did.

Oh, dear. Poor child.

Oh, the whole affair is too dreadful.

It's made me quite miserable.

Yes. The trouble about

being on the side of right,

as one sees it, is that one often finds oneself

in the company of such very questionable allies.

Oh, dear.

There's nothing to be done about it now.

Youryoung friend Mr. Ridgewell...

he nevertelephoned?

Well, he could still turn up.

I can here the front doorbell, you know.

And, of course, with all this,

I won't get a wink of sleep.

I wish he'd taken the trouble to call.

You're making it a bit too obvious, you know...

That you hate the very sight of me.

The very sight of you, Ann,

is perhaps the one thing about you I don't hate.

Please, John, don't be so ill-mannered.

All this fencing is a bit idiotic, isn't it?

I am leaving in the morning.

And I certainly wouldn't be here

if I'd known you were going to be married.

- Credit me at least with some degree of tact.

- I do. You were always very tactful,

especially about my bad manners.

I never mentioned your manners.

Incidentally, if you disliked me s intensely,

why did you ever marry me in the first place?

Do you want it reaffirmed after all these years?

Does your vanity need it that much?

I wanted you desperately.

My craving foryou was so violent,

I could deny you nothing.

Not even a marriage

that was bound to end in disaster.

Why disaster?

Ann, it's a long way from a Pennsylvania

steel town to upper park avenue.

Class distinction?

You always claimed it never existed.

Until I married you.

And then I really found out how wrong I was.

You see, Ann, my ideas

of a wife were influenced

by watching my mother ruin her health

to bring up 8 kids.

Not that my demands on you

would have been as high as that,

but they would've included the proper

running of a home and the bearing of children.

About children...

I did make it perfectly clear...

I know, I know.

The beautiful fashion model...

that little hobby of yours.

Yourfigure was too important

to risk for posterity.

I accepted the bargain.

I have no complaints.

But you have.

You know you have, John.

The same complaint as always...

that I didn't love you when we got married.

Oh, please.

Let's not go into that.

Why would I have married you,

if I didn't love you?

After all, there were others...

more important men.

They couldn't pay you the full price.

- What price?

- Enslavement.

Oh, John, really.

How ridiculous you are.

If all I wanted to do was

make my husband a slave,

why would I have chosen you

and not the others?

Because where would the fun have been...

where would the fun have been,

enslaving men like that?

Atame millionaire a mincing baronet.

Too well brought up to say anything

when you denied them their conjugal rights.

Too well-mannered not to take

your headaches at bedtime

asjust headaches at bedtime.

Where would the fun have been

turning your weapons on men like that?

No, Ann, you were reaching

onto another class.

You were looking for wilder game.

Rememberthat expression you used

when you introduced me to yourfriends?

'My wild, roaring savage? '

That was always good for a laugh.

To turn your weapons on him, to...

to make him sit up and beg at the whispered

promise of what was his by right anyway.

To goad him to such a

fury of drink and rage

that he'd kick open the locked door

of your bedroom and damn near kill you.

That really must have been fun.

Forgive me, Ann, I...

I don't get many chances

at speechmaking these days.

Besides, I'm a little drunker

than usual tonight.

Because of seeing me?

- Yes.

- I'm sorry.

No, you're not.

- You haven't changed much.

- Haven't I?

The same old John,

pouring out the same old cascade of truths,

half-truths and distortions.

Well, human nature isn't

as simple as you make it, John.

You've left out the

most important fact of all...

You see, you're the only person in the world

I've ever really been fond of.

Notice howtactfully

I leave out the word 'Love.'

Give me a cigarette.

Oh, no...

Not those awful cheap things.

Hand me my bag.

Do you dispute that?

Yourfondness for me

was sometimes shown in surprising ways.

- Why are you staring at me?

- You know perfectly well why.

Well, don't.

It makes me embarrassed.

You really think I haven't

changed much?

- Uh, to look at, I mean?

- Not at all.

- Just the clever makeup, I expect.

- I don't think so.

I still think you're the most beautiful,

the most desirable woman I've ever known.

John, I really think you mean that.

You know, some of the thinks you used

to tell me might happen to me are happening.

Such as?

- Loneliness, for one.

- No friends?

Not many.

I haven't the gift.

What about yourfiance?

You really think

I'm in love with him?

It's always been you, John.

All these years.

It's so wonderful

seeing you again like this.

I'm only sorry it's too late.

If only I could just...

just stay on a little while.

I won't be a nuisance.

I won't, John, really, I won't.

Darling, please.

This is a public place.

Anyone might come out at any moment.

There's no one here for it

to make any difference to me, I...

I wasjust thinking of you.

Miss Cooper has given me

what appears to be a very isolated room,

the number of which is... 12.

Shall we go?

How do I look?

All right?

All right.

Mrs. Shankland,

you're wanted on the telephone.

It's a call from London.

Oh, thank you.

- You know where the telephone is?

- Yes, I do. Thank you very much.

You knew who

she was, didn't you?

Yes.

I must say, she's exactly

as you described herto me.

- 'Carved in ice,' you once said.

- Did I?

So that's the woman

who smashed up your lift.

She didn't, Pat.

I smashed up my own lift.

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