The Belles of St. Trinian's

1

Well done!

Tell Arshad to have the windows

facing the street boarded up.

Yes, Your Highness.

...the favour of an early reply.

My felicitations, et cetera.

I was told you wished to see me

with Fatima, sir.

Yes, I do. Will you sit down, please,

both of you?

Miss Anderson, first let me say

that I've always been delighted

with the way

you've brought up my children.

However, in a few years' time,

Fatima will reach an age when...

Well, as you know, I've had to let

the Americans build air bases here

and in the circumstances

I thought it advisable

for her to finish her schooling abroad.

I take it it's England

you wish to send her to, sir?

It is.

Since my racehorses are there,

I shall be able to visit them and Fatima

at the same time.

Had you any particular school in mind,

Your Highness?

Well, I thought you might be able

to advise me about that, Miss Anderson.

There are many excellent schools

where I've no doubt Fatima would be...

Tell Arshad I wish to see him

on a domestic matter.

I'm awfully sorry, Your Highness,

but... that girl...

- Hm?

- She isn't your wife, sir.

- I beg your pardon?

- No, sir. She's not on the strength.

She's an American lady writing a series

of articles called "The Lure of the Harem"

for the "Saturday Evening Post".

Arshad has no right to do these things

without my permission.

You were saying, Miss Anderson?

Well, I've been thinking.

An old school friend of mine is

headmistress at a school in Barchester

called St Trinian's.

Barchester?

But what could be more convenient?

My horses are trained

in the same county.

Would you like me

to write to my friend, then, sir?

Will you, please, Miss Anderson?

Inform her mother

what I'm proposing, will you?

Her mother?

My dear girl, look in the files!

'The train now standing

in platform one is the school special'

'calling at Reading, Hungerford...'

St Trinian's?

Now, girls, put away those whistles

at once and get into the train.

Good morning. I'm Prudence Buckland,

physics mistress, St Trinian's.

Princes Fatima, I presume.

Miss Fritton, our head, told me to keep

a special eye open for little Fatima.

Now, come along, my dear.

The train's just off. Thank you so much.

- Yes?

- Is that you, Superintendent?

This is Sergeant Goobold

of Little Twining speaking. They're back!

I shouldn't be

more than five minutes, Sam.

- Bella, hurry up.

- OK.

Come along.

Good morning.

Excuse me. My name is Fritton.

Clarence Fritton. I'm Bella's father.

She knows! How do, Rose?

How do you do? Actually, I've come

to see my sister, Miss Fritton.

She's... she's... she's head...

Oh... Thank you.

Thank you very much. Excuse me.

What a very odd woman.

What does she teach?

- Scripture and needlework.

- Oh, really?

Bella!

How lovely to see you!

I told you I'd be back!

We have that hurdle yet to cross, my girl.

Now, you just behave yourself

and let me do the talking.

Come in.

- Morning, Millie.

- Hello, Auntie.

Clarence.

Clarence, I thought I'd made it

abundantly clear from my letter

that I had expelled Arabella.

Yes, I know. I know, Millie. I know.

Goodness knows, I've been lenient

with her to the point of imbecility!

Monica Drew wasn't expelled

when she burnt down the gymnasium.

The gymnasium was insured!

The sports pavilion was not.

I appreciate the distinction, Millie.

I can no longer afford to have... to have

continual arson about in my school.

I had to make an example!

But why pick on Arabella?

Clarence, when poor Frieda and I

started this school,

during the general strike of 1926,

we vowed to make it the happiest carefree

establishment to the whole of Britain.

And what a gay arcadia of happy girlhood

it was then until the war broke out.

And such things as good manners

and good taste

were replaced by...

by your black-market values.

- Why are you in that dreadful get-up?

- I'm going to Newbury races.

Hm!

Still following those pernicious animals.

Really, Clarence,

you're a disgrace to the family.

I'd hardly call you a credit to it, Millie.

Then why are you so anxious for me

to take Arabella back?

Business.

I hear that the Sultan of Makyad

is sending his daughter to school here.

And what, pray, has that got to do

with you or Arabella?

The Sultan of Makyad has a string

of first-class racehorses, Millie.

Do you... do you mean to say

that you're sending Arabella back here

simply to get you racing information?

But in my world, we live by information.

Really, Clarence, this is a school,

not... not Newmarket Heath! Oh!

Now, nothing on earth will persuade me

to take Arabella back.

Oh... Oh!

Millie...

You wouldn't like it if I went to Mother

and told her that you had mortgaged

the family home up to the hilt, would you?

Mummy would never believe you.

She'd cut you out of her will in a trice

and you know it.

But Clarence, you come here

with a request like that

without having the grace to offer

to pay Arabella's back school fees.

Oh, well,

I'll give you something on account.

And supposing, just supposing,

I was insane enough to accept,

how long do you expect

this evil child to remain here?

Only for this term.

Yes, and I should think so, too.

She'll well over school age as it is.

Jane Andrews is older than me.

So's Pogo Williams.

What's more, Pogo's married.

Not officially.

Clarence, I'll take 40 in cash

and the balance by cheque.

I'm sorry, Millie. A tenner's the top.

Clarence, I said 20 in cash.

Not a penny less.

I only wish I could spare it, Millie.

Of course, if you don't...

Oh, I suppose

I'm just a foolish weak woman.

And you're an unscrupulous rogue,

Clarence.

Come in.

Oh... I'm sorry, Miss Fritton.

I didn't know you were engaged.

It's all right, it's all right.

We're just going.

I've brought the new girls.

How do you do?

Is this the little princess?

Yes, this is her little highness.

Bless her!

How are you, my dear?

I know your father very well.

He and I are both great animal lovers.

Miss Buckland, bring the children

over here, will you, please?

This is my daughter, Arabella.

She's going to be

a good friend to you, aren't you?

- You bet!

- Come along, girls.

Goodbye, Millicent.

I'll tell Mummy you're doing splendidly.

How do you do, my clears?

This is Daphne Potter and Celeste West.

Hello , Daphne, Celeste.

And this is the Princess Fatima.

Ah, yes! And welcome to St Trinian's.

You'll find us all

one big happy family here.

Perhaps just a teeny-weeny bit

unorthodox,

but, there, that's better

than being old-fashioned, isn't it?

You see, in other schools,

girls are sent out quite unprepared

into a merciless world.

But when our girls leave here,

it is the merciless world

which has to be prepared.

That is why we set great store here

on physical fitness.

Lots of games, lots of exercise,

a certain amount of food

and, above all, lots and lots of fresh air!

Particularly fresh air!

Thank you.

We're gonna be late

if we don't hurry, gov.

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