The Body Snatcher Page #26

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MACFARLANE:

The Resurrection business? That may

end sooner than you think. New laws

may come.

Gray shrugs.

MACFARLANE (CONT'D)

What I was going to say is this --

wouldn't you be more comfortable at

Leith in a neat little house?

GRAY:

Would you bribe me to leave you be?

MACFARLANE:

I would make you rich.

GRAY:

It wouldn't be half so much fun for

me. Toddy, as to have you come here

and beg --

MACFARLANE:

(cutting in)

Beg -- beg of you! You crawling

graveyard rat!

He chokes off the last speech and glares at Gray. He is

almost trembling with the effort to control himself.

GRAY:

Aye -- that is my pleasure.

As he speaks he is refilling MacFarlane's glass.

MACFARLANE:

Well then -- I beg you -- I beseech

you --

GRAY:

(shaking, his head and

grinning)

But then I wouldn't have the fun of

having you come here and beg again,

Toddy.

They look at each other. MacFarlane bends over in his chair.

Gray hitches himself forward a little on the table, ready,

waiting, then relaxes as MacFarlane begins to speak.

MACFARLANE:

But why, Gray? Why?

GRAY:

Because it would be a hurt to me to

see you no more, Toddy. You're a

pleasure to me.

MACFARLANE:

A pleasure to torment me?

GRAY:

No -- a pride to know that I can

force you to my will. I'm a small

man -- a humble man -- and being

poor, I've had to do much that I

did not want to do. But so long as

the great Dr. MacFarlane jumps at

my whistle, that long am I a man --

and if I have not that, I have

nothing. Then I am only a cabman

and a grave-robber.

MacFarlane looks at him. As he looks, he realizes he has

heard the truth and that Gray will never leave him in peace.

Now he, in turn, attempts cunning. He moves forward in his

chair as if wishing to put forth a convincing argument.

MacFarlane starts to rise; his mind made up. Gray sees there

is no longer any hope of forestalling violence. He throws

himself forward and seizes him as he seized Joseph.

MED. FULL SHOT - MacFarlane and Gray. As MacFarlane rises

Gray clings to him and gets his other arm about MacFarlane's

neck. MacFarlane tries to shake him off; tries to twist away

from him. The effort makes him lose his footing. They fall

together.

CLOSE SHOT - MacFarlane and Gray on the floor near the

hearth. Gray still clings to him, every muscle tense.

MacFarlane, with his hands under Gray's shoulders, heaves up

trying to push the man off. He heaves once, twice, a third

time and then lets his arms relax from the futile, enormous

effort.

TWO HEAD CLOSEUP - Gray and MacFarlane.

GRAY (CONT'D)

Let be, Toddy. Let be. I have no

wish to hurt you.

MacFarlane's eyes grow huge and fierce with anger. Now he

tries to pummel Gray in order to free himself; raining blows

on his back, his head and into his side, Gray grunts with

each punishing blow, but never for a moment relaxes his grip.

Finally the piston-like blows grow weaker, the flailing arms

fail and MacFarlane drops his hands to the floor at his side,

limp and relaxed.

MED. CLOSE SHOT -- MacFarlane and Gray as MacFarlane, with

great effort, throws his body to the left, toward the

fireplace. The boiling kettle is upset and the steaming

water thrown on both of them.

CLOSE SHOT -- MacFarlane in agony as the water spurts over

him.

CLOSE SHOT -- Gray. His face is twisted in torment and steam

rises from his scalded flesh.

GRAY (CONT'D)

Stay, Toddy -- don't force me to

kill you -- I have need of you --

the great need of my pride.

TWO SHOT -- Gray and MacFarlane. MacFarlane's arms again

relax. Gray smiles through the pain of his scalding.

GRAY (CONT'D)

That's better Toddy. That's more

reasonable,

He lets go his grip on MacFarlane's face. No sooner has he

done so than MacFarlane throws him off with a violent

movement. Both men scramble to their feet and face each

other.

THE CAMERA SWINGS AWAY FROM the two men and FOCUSES ON the

wall above a lowboy on which the white cat is sitting. The

cat's great, round eyes seem to be surveying the struggle

while above its head the shadows of the two men can be seen

meeting, struggling, breaking off, rushing together again,

and all the while there can be heard the sound of blows,

hoarse breathing, gasps and hard ejaculations of breath. Then

one indistinguishable figure picks up a chair. The chair

breaks with a crash over the head of the other figure and

that figure falls out of scene. Only one upright shadow

remains above the head of the cat. That shadow picks up a

cloak and top hat, puts them on and bends to pick up a body.

The shadow of one man carrying the body of the other comes

toward the cat, the shadow growing huge and out-figure on the

wall. The cat's fur bristles. It arches its back and snarls.

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