Svengali Page #4

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(Crowd noise)

Hey, Billy's back!

Billy, how was the country?

Hey, did you cut off your ear like Van Gogh?

No, I've still got both my ears.

- Music -

What's the matter, Billy?

- Music -

Trilby? (Clapping)

- Music -

(Knocking)

(French)

Sandy, it's for both of us.

Then do the honors.

From Trilby.

I'm very unhappy.

I was posing at Curin's, and Billy came in, was so

shocked and disgusted

that he ran away and never came back.

So that's the trouble.

I never thought anything about sitting before.

I sat first as a child to Durian, seemed as

natural for me to sit as for a man.

Now I see the awful difference.

Poor Trilby.

And I've done other things besides, as you

must know, Durian and Besion, but not Bertier, -

though people think so.

Oh, this is harrowing.

If you and The Laird and Billy cut me, I

really think I shall go mad and die. What shall I do?

I don't go out for fear of meeting one of you. Will you

come and see me?

Off you go.

Hello, monsieur. Hello, hello. Mademoiselle Trilby.

Uh-huh. Oh, merci.

(Knocking)

Trilby.

Taffy. I didn't think you'd take any notice of my letter.

Of course you didn't. Here I am. Now, what's all this

nonsense about?

Oh, good heavens, I didn't know a woman

could cry so many tears, and all over nothing.

Nothing?

Nothing at all. Now, you're going to dry your eyes

and have a

good laugh about it. You're going to give me

pneumonia crying

down my shirt front all the afternoon.

Billy hates me.

Oh, my dear, I wish he did.

He'd be in lessof agiddy spin and easier tomanage.

Where is he?

Well, he's just dashed off back to

England without any warning or explanation.

To England?

Oh, don't worry.

He's just about due to dash back again, if I

know Billy.

And when he does, you've got to behave as

if nothing had happened.

You mark my word.

Before you know where you are, you'll both be

laughing your heads off and thinking what

idiots you've both been.

You think so?

Bet me life on it.

I really love him, Taffy.

You quite sure?

Uh-huh.

I never realized how much until I saw his

face at school.

I'm not really wicked.

I know you're not.

Does love always make everyone as

unhappy as this?

It's difficult to know which way it's

going to jump next, but we'd be a lot of dry,

dull old sticks without it, wouldn't we?

You sound as if you've been in love

hundreds of times.

Oh, hundreds.

Well, no.

Only once.

I thought I was.

The same thing, really.

Still, I managed to live through it.

Will I live through it?

I personally guarantee it.

Now, supposing you come right back to the

studio and resume your foster mothering of

Sandy and me as if nothing had happened?

And you deal with Billy when you have to and

not before.

I never knew how wonderful it is to have

real friends.

That's what we are.

We always will be.

Now, where's your hat, huh?

Go on, my dear.

Only one flight more.

Here we are.

Home again.

Welcome on the mat.

There's certainly a great pile of dirty

dishes in the sink.

How's this?

Its a bill.

Attention, Taffy Wynn.

What does it say?

It's a letter from The Laird.

Will you go on in?

I want to have a word with Durian.

- Music -

Is that you, Taffy?

- Music -

Taffy said you'd gone back to England.

I changed my mind at Calais.

Why?

I remember what you said about running away.

Trilby, you've been crying.

Why?

I've been unhappy.

So have I.

It's all wrong, isn't it?

No. Not if you love me. Do you?

Yes.

Will you marry me? Will you?

Yes. Yes, if you want me to.

- Music -

- Music -

- Music -

Long life and happiness.

Long life.

- Music-

So now we have a pair of love birds, ay?

And the scarecrow to go with them.

The life of birds is very short.

They meet, they mate, they molt.

And love birds can hardly be said to live at all.

Leave them alone.

Such a suitable match.

His parents must be delighted.

Have they given it their blessing?

Oh, go home and take a bath.

I'm neither mad nor English.

I never bath.

Gecko, take him home before he spoils

everybody's evening.

Why? What harm can I do them?

Why should I blight their little moment of silly joy?

I will celebrate it with them. Gecko.

- Music -

(Crowd noise)

- Music-

(Laughter)

(French)

I'm sorry.

Come in, Trilby.

This is Miss Trilby O'Farrell.

May I present Mrs. Bagot,

the Reverend Frederick Bagot.

You're Billy's mother?

I am. And this is his uncle.

How do you do?

Miss O'Farrell, you wish to marry my son.

Yes.

Do you consider it a good match?

Oh, no, I'm not the sort of person he ought

to marry, I know that.

But if you know that, why did you

consent to the proposal, Miss O'Farrell?

Because I... because we...

Possibly because they fell in love with each other.

You're very beautiful.

There's no doubt about that.

But you don't want him to marry me, do you?

You have just said yourself that you're

not a fit wife for him.

I know, but Billy said I was when I told him that.

Has he spoken to you about his background?

Not very much.

Surely he told you that he would one

day inherit a considerable fortune?

No, I never knew anything about that.

And now that you do know?

He doesn't have to inherit it

if he doesn't want to, does he?

How will he live?

There's painting.

He's going to be a great artist. Everybody

says so. Don't they, Taffy? And I've always known.

Do you really love him, Miss O'Farrell?

Yes, I really love him.

Then you must know as well as we do what

this marriage would do to him, Miss O'Farrell.

What will this marriage do to him?

Exactly what you know it will do.

Prevent him from taking his rightful place in his own

world.

Separate him from his mother, his sister, his

family, his friends.

I'm afraid my brother is right, Miss O'Farrell.

Will it really do all that, Taffy?

It might. I can't tell you what I feel, Trilby,

but I can't tell lies to you, either.

No.

No, you don't tell lies, Taffy.

How stupid of me not to have thought of all

this at the beginning.

I won't marry your son.

Do you really mean that?

Yes.

I promise.

I will never see him again.

Please don't go...

- Music -

Trilby.

Au Content...

I couldn't stand it. I came away.

Is Billy's mother still there? Well, what happened?

I'm going away.

Where are you going?

I can't tell you that.

Not for a while. When it all blows over, I'll come back

and see

you and Taffy again. Goodbye.

Goodbye, Trilby. God bless you.

God bless you, too.

- Music -

(Horse trotting)

- Music -

Where's Trilby?

Gone.

What do you mean gone? Gone where?

How should I know?

You've destroyed your own world for her,

then you throw her out of yours.

That's a lie.

I love her, and I'm going to marry her. Where is she?

Even if I knew, you would be the last

person I would ever tell. Leave her alone.

You can only bring her more misery, more disgrace.

Let me go.

What did she tell you?

Let me go, or I shall put a curse on you.

Tell me where she is.

No, I tell you, I don't know.

But I hope that she's dead and the fishes have got

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