The Beguiled

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1

Here you go.

Shh.

Are you frightened?

No.

Yes.

Uh, so am I.

Can you move at all?

Uh... Uh, I'll try,

if there's some place to go.

The Farnsworth school is just

on the other side of the woods.

The Miss Martha Farnsworth

Seminary for Young Ladies.

Any men about there?

Just four other students, a

teacher, and Miss Farnsworth.

The slaves left.

I can't say you'll be

welcome as a Yankee,

but it will be better than here.

True enough.

I'll accept your invitation.

Can you give me a hand up?

Just give me a minute, will you?

To catch my breath.

Yes, sir.

Come here.

You're a lot heavier

than my brother.

Where's he now?

He got killed in Tennessee.

Oh, well, that wasn't

none of us.

I was never in Tennessee.

What's your name?

Amelia Dabney.

Mine's McBurney.

Corporal John McBurney.

Pleased to make

your acquaintance, Corporal.

We're off to, where was it now?

To Miss Farnsworth's

Seminary for Young Ladies.

With only five students?

The other girls have gone home,

but Miss Martha kept it open.

It was mainly because we don't

have anywhere else to go.

My home is Georgia,

but my mother thought

it would be better

if I stayed up here

in Virginia fora while,

what with your General Sherman down

there so close to Atlanta and all.

Did you run away?

I was with the

Sixty-Sixth out of New York.

We got hit,

I fell and...

Everything began to blaze.

Do you want to go back?

I can show you the way?

Not now.

Maybe later when my

leg stops bleeding.

...and now

the verb "to be.

Miss Emily.

Trs bien.

Miss Martha!

Marie, come with me.

Help!

Miss Martha!

Miss Martha!

Amy!

Help!

What happened?

Are you all right?

How did he get here?

He was all alone in the woods.

I couldn't leave him

thereto die.

You know you're not

supposed to go that far!

- Is he dead?

- Uh...

No.

Not yet.

Quick, we need

to move him to the porch.

Lift him up.

Edwina, grab a shoulder.

- Yes, Miss Martha.

- Girls!

Let's get him to the porch.

Quick! Quick!

We all need to help.

Get his legs, girls.

One, two, lift.

He could be dangerous,

Miss Martha.

Just pick him up.

Sixty-Sixth New York, ma'am.

Grateful to be your prisoner.

He's a real blue belly.

You know they rape every

Southern woman they come across.

Would you stop

that nonsense, Jane!

It's true.

You couldn't tell from his

face he was a Yankee, would you?

Amy, I need you to run inside,

get the blue rag,

and tie it on the gate.

The blue rag's so the patrol knows

we've captured a live Yankee.

Why did you not call out?

You must have seen

them crossing the fields.

I'm sorry, Miss Martha.

I forgot it was

my turn to look out.

You cannot forget this.

Next time it'll be Union

scroungers in our garden.

That's how we lost

most of our chickens.

All right.

Now, Marie, get up there.

Call out if you see

any of our soldiers.

Yes, ma'am.

We ought to wash his wound.

Yes.

And we're gonna

need to sew it up.

Uh...

Amy, did I not tell you,

get the blue rag, tie it on

the gate for the patrol.

After all the blood he's lost,

he'd die now if he went.

Wouldn't it be

the Christian thing to do?

Yes. Yes, you're right.

It would be.

He's never going to make it.

So, we're going to wait

until he's in better shape,

before he's taken away.

Get him inside.

Come on.

I'm going to need you to put

hot water on to boil, Emily.

And we're gonna need cloth.

Anything we can spare.

Alicia, Jane,

you find that cloth and you

bring it to the music room.

- You hear me?

- Yes, ma'am.

All right.

Miss Edwina.

Shut the door, girls.

I need scissors.

Yes, Miss Martha.

Here.

Ugh.

Go get me some more cloth.

I need cloth, now.

Yes, Miss Martha.

There's enough metal in here

to shoe a horse.

I think I got most of it.

I'm gonna need a needle now.

Get me the thread and needle.

- Back up. I can't...

- Stop it.

Do you hear what they're saying?

No, I didn't.

Edwina, get me some water.

I'm gonna clean him.

Yes, Miss Martha.

I thought so.

Is he going to die?

Not today, I don't think.

What'll happen?

We'll turn him over

to the patrol, of course.

In the meantime, I don't want

you lurking around here.

Or poking around in this room.

Do you hear me?

His name,

in case you've wondered,

is Corporal John McBurney.

Well, he's not going

to be here long enough

for his name to make

any difference to us.

Now, there's been

too much distraction,

so no more studying today.

We have a lot of mending to do.

Mmm. Good.

To the sewing room.

Come on, girls.

Iwon't be here much longer, Amy.

Careful, keep your

stitches in a straight row.

Jane, it's the same

for you as all of us,

you don't leave because there's

nowhere for you to go.

There is so.

My father is with General Lee

and if I so desired,

soldiers would come escort

me to him right now.

If anybody knew where that was.

Nice and even.

My mother wrote me from Charleston

that the blockade is fearful.

She says I probably eat better

here than I would at home.

You do.

You should have never

brought that Yankee here.

I agree.

He's probably a spy

and will let the blue bellies

in at night to raid our garden.

I doubt that, Miss Jane.

Miss Edwina, aren't you

afraid of that blue belly?

No.

And it is very bad manners

to call him that.

He has a name,

Corporal John McBurney.

John.

Let's see.

Am I doing it right?

Yes, but you can get

your stitches closer together.

All right.

It's our boys, Miss Martha.

They're passing our way.

Can't we go and greet them?

No. I don't want them

to see you girls.

I think they have

some prisoners...

Go upstairs. Now.

- What's gonna happen?

- Can't see.

MISS:

MARTHA:
What's the news?

Taking these Yanks

to prison to die.

Good evening, Captain.

Evening, ma'am.

You think Miss Martha's going

to tell them about him?

You all alone here, ma'am'?

Just a few of us.

Well...

Is she telling him?

I can't tell.

Well, you take care, ma'am.

A lot of these Yanks, they got

separated from their outfits.

And they're just roaming

through these woods,

and they're desperate.

I was wondering if you might

have a few cartridges

you could spare?

What good would

that do you, ma'am?

My father left me his revolver.

I'd feel much safer

if I knew I could use it.

Well, I'll see what I can spare.

There you are.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

He's giving her something.

You take care.

- All right, let's move out.

- They're leaving.

She didn't tell them.

What are you doing in there?

See you later.

I was just talking

with him privately.

Let him rest.

He's not one of your

wounded birds or beetles.

We pray for all

of those we have lost.

And we pray

that we will be kept from

harm throughout the night.

Amen.

Amen.

Would anyone like to ask

for special blessings?

I pray that the Lord

see fit to restore

the health

of the wounded soldier.

We pray for his return to

health and his early departure.

Do you think he'll live?

I don't know.

I hope we don't

hear him in the night.

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