The Bishop's Wife Page #4

why you love it.

- Oh, hello.

- Pardon me.

Thank you. What about that?

My. Would you care to

have your palm read?

Oh, no, thank you. Would you?

No, thanks. I know too

much about myself as it is.

You are different. I know

so little about myself.

Really? May I look at your hand?

- Can you do that too?

- It's not too difficult.

- You can read the future?

- Within limits.

He's holding her hand.

Well, what do you see?

Well, I never noticed.

Your eyes are green.

I see a great deal of happiness.

I see a woman who's adored.

I see a rich, full life.

- Do you see Henry's new cathedral?

- No. There's a fuzziness about that.

- Oh. And Debby?

- No need to worry about her.

Just thinking. The world changes

but two things remain constant.

- What?

- Youth and beauty.

They're really one and the same thing.

- Yes. The trouble is people grow old.

- Not everybody.

The only people who grow old

were born old to begin with.

You were born young.

You'll remain that way.

- Oh, I wish I could believe you.

- You may.

You haven't looked at my hand once.

I never know what to make of you. I never

know whether you're joking or serious.

I'm at my most serious when I'm joking.

Excuse me, Julia. Gotta

do something about that.

Do forgive me coming to your

table. My name is Dudley.

I believe you're all friends of

Julia's. Would you care to join us?

- Oh, no, thank you.

- Well, join us for some coffee?

How about that? Do come over.

Julia would be delighted.

- All right.

- Well, that'd be lovely.

- That's very nice.

- Just over here.

Hello, Mrs Caster. How

are you? Nice to see you.

Hello. How are you?

Michel, bring us three Benedictines.

- No, no. Make it three Stingers.

- Oui, monsieur.

Julia?

Julia!

Julia!

- Matilda, is lunch ready?

- We thought you were out for lunch.

I cancelled my appointment.

Is Mrs Brougham home?

- Debby's here, sir.

- And Mrs Brougham?

Why, sir, she went out

to lunch with Mr Dudley.

- With Dudley?

- Why, yes, sir.

I thought you knew, sir.

Yes, of course.

That's awful. Merry Christmas.

Santa Claus doesn't

really look like that.

- You know Santa Claus?

- Certainly. Nice chap.

You must tell Debby about him. She's just

beginning to be a little bit doubtful.

- You like that hat?

- Yes, I'm crazy about it.

- Well, let's go in and buy it.

- Oh, no, I couldn't.

- Why, it's much too...

- Too what? Too attractive?

- My old friend, the professor.

- Hello, Professor.

- Julia! Are you with this man?

- Yes, of course. It's Dudley.

The professor knows me

well. University of Vienna.

I've been thinking about that. I don't

believe you've ever been to Vienna.

He always pretends he's

never seen me before.

I don't know who he is,

but I don't trust him.

- Professor, he's Henry's new assistant.

- Oh.

- You know this fellow?

- Of course I do.

Well, in that case, how about dropping

in for a bit of Yuletide cheer?

No, no. I have to go home. I...

Well, perhaps just for a few minutes.

Good. Come along.

There's a little sherry left. It's

rather inferior grade, but potable.

Professor, I see you're a religious man.

- What makes you think that?

- You have an angel on your tree.

Julia gave me that years ago.

- Your tree is beautiful.

- It's disgraceful.

However, it gives me the illusion of

peace on earth, goodwill toward men.

- To a charming lady.

- Lovely.

- You've noticed?

- Isn't it remarkable that you have?

Remarkable? When you want to know

about a woman, ask the old men.

They know.

Why don't you show us the

manuscript of your book?

- My book?

- Yes.

- Oh, no, no.

- You're writing one?

Yes.

- You didn't know?

- You didn't tell me.

I described that book in detail at the

lectures I gave at the

University of Vienna.

All my pupils heard me. Now I'm

certain this fellow's an impostor.

That book? I thought you'd

finished that years ago.

I'll tell you... I'll

tell you about my book.

For 20 years I've been talking about it

and promising the publishers

it'll be delivered next spring.

The funny part is that I

haven't written one word.

- Not one word.

- Why not?

I couldn't think of anything original to

say. Just the same old monotonous history.

Dry as dust.

That's the whole story

of my life. Frustration.

It's a chronic disease

and it's incurable.

Once I was madly...

Once I was madly in love with a girl.

My friends, she was a vision

of delight. A pure enchantress.

- You never told me about it.

- That's the trouble.

I never told her about it

either. I couldn't find the words.

So she married an athlete.

A great hulking oaf who never

even reached the eighth grade.

But he knew how to say "I love you. "

Same trouble with my

book. Can't find the words.

Even when you had this

coin to inspire you?

Why, that's the one

that you gave to Henry.

- Yes. I stole it off the table.

- You wasted your time. It's worthless.

On the contrary, this is one of

the rarest of all antiquities.

Only one hundred of these coins were

minted by Julius Caesar 2,000 years ago.

That was when Cleopatra visited Rome.

Presumably, these were

used to pay her hotel bill.

- I never knew that.

- Nobody knew except Caesar's wife.

- She was suspicious?

- Definitely.

She did not share her husband's

admiration for Cleopatra.

So she had these coins destroyed

- melted into ornaments.

This is the one she missed.

It's an unwritten chapter in history

and you, Professor, will write it.

- Do you know any more stories like that?

- Any number of them.

- You're a curious fellow, Dudley.

- Have you just begun to notice?

- What's your background?

- My background?

- Where do you come from?

- Well...

And don't tell me more about

Vienna because I won't believe it.

All right. If I told you I came from

another planet, would you believe me?

- I don't know.

- I'd believe you, Dudley.

And you'd be right, Julia, as always.

We all come from our own little planets.

That's why we're all different.

That's what makes life interesting.

We don't seem to be making any headway.

First star I see tonight.

You must make a wish, Julia.

Oh, it's getting dark. Must be late.

Henry will be worried. We must be leaving.

- Oh, no.

- Yes. I'm sorry, Professor, but we must.

- Dudley?

- Yes, my friend.

- There's one thing that troubles me.

- What's that?

I'm an old man. That

history is a tremendous task.

I wonder... will I

have time to finish it?

You'll finish your history,

Professor. You'll have time.

I believe you, Dudley.

For quite a while now, every

time I passed a cemetery,

I've felt as if I

were apartment hunting.

Goodbye, Professor.

You've given an old man

a very happy afternoon.

- God bless you both.

- Thank you.

I'll pass that recommendation along.

My, that's pretty.

Why don't you take some of that

pink stuff and make little curlicues?

I hope the dinner won't be spoilt.

No, sir. I had a feeling

they might be late.

Yes... Very considerate of

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