The Draughtsman's Contract Page #10
- R
- Year:
- 1982
- 108 min
- 2,002 Views
If we had light,
that might be possible.
I'm sure we can find some light.
But it is not finished, Mr. Neville.
No, Mr. Talmann, it is not.
You may successfully
hide your face in the dark...
...but in England it is not
easy for you to hide your accent.
I did not think to hide
my identity for long...
...which even in the eyes of
the English is no especial crime...
...compared with the identity
you care to assume with such ease.
And what identity might that be?
The identity of a man
of some little talent...
...some dubious honour, a
proper dealer in contracts.
The identity of a man with an
eye to the improper pursuit...
...of dishonour to others.
You talk, Mr. Talmann, like
one who has learnt abroad...
...an archaic way of speaking
that became unfashionable...
...in England when my
grandfather was a young man.
My speech is in no way dependable...
...on your view of fashion.
We all know that in the
field of deeds and of talent...
...you in your field are an innovator.
That must be some sort
of flattery, Mr. Talmann.
Have your companions
also come to flatter?
We have come merely as
curious observers, Mr. Neville.
To wonder why after
so much has happened...
...you return to continue to fix
Mr. Herbert's property on paper...
...and chose to draw
this particular site?
those questions...
...if I didn't feel that the
truthful answers I would give...
...would in no way
be of interest to you.
It is our belief, Mr. Neville,
that in returning here...
...you are seeking a
codicil to your original contract.
A codicil of a more permanent
nature than the last one.
A lasting contract with a widow.
You speak, of course, Mr. Talmann,
like a disinherited man.
Uninterested in painting
or draughtsmanship.
Uninterested even in the
prospect of the estate...
...you covet from this position.
An ideal site for a memorial, perhaps.
Do you think Mr. Herbert
would have appreciated...
...the prospect of his estate?
As a landowner
yourself, Mr. Seymour...
...I leave you to judge.
For a man of property it is
a view that might be enviable.
Though I think you are
wrong to ascribe those...
...enviable thoughts to me.
Perhaps they should be ascribed...
is I think standing beside me.
A custodian of contracts.
A man who was given
custody of private agreements...
...in black and white.
And how do you feel
that Mr. Herbert...
...felt about these
black and white contracts?
As his agent, his
bailiff, his notary...
...his one-time friend, the close...
...though not close
enough confidant of his wife.
I would have thought you would be
the best person to answer that.
It is curious that you
persist in asking me questions...
...which you are the most
suitably situated to answer.
It has occurred to me that you
might have advanced...
...Mr. Herbert the information
that was so discretionally...
...set down in black and white.
If he could have appreciated
what it stood for is another matter.
He was blind to so much.
Certainly blind to
considerable unhappiness.
Your understanding of
Mrs. Herbert's unhappiness...
...could in no way be
considered profound or relevant.
I had access to some considerable...
...observation of her state of mind.
You won't forget that I
was helped in that respect by...
...her daughter, your wife.
And was persistently
persuaded by both ladies...
...to undertake the
commission in the first place.
And they persuaded you with a view...
...that you might reconcile
differences and not plunder them.
I am in no way responsible...
...for Mr. Herbert's death.
The affair is a mystery to me...
...though I have suspicions
Mr. Talmann...
...Mr. Seymour, Mr. Noyes.
And if they were here, indeed of
Mrs. Herbert herself and Mrs. Talmann.
Ladies who both after all entered
willingly into their contracts.
Is that why, Mr. Neville, you
have just abused Mrs. Herbert further?
What a pity.
That was clever.
We now have a contract
with you, Mr. Neville...
...and under conditions
of our choosing.
The contract concerning
our present pleasure...
...has three conditions.
you have removed your finery.
Take off you hat.
My hat has no contractual
obligations with anyone.
The contract's first condition...
...and there's no need
to write it down for you...
...will never see it,
is to cancel your eyes.
Since we have now deprived
you of your access to a living...
...this shirt on your back
will be of no value to you.
It may well dress a scarecrow
to frighten the crows.
Or be scattered about an estate...
...as ambiguous evidence...
...of an obscure allegory.
And the third condition
of your contract...
...concomitant to the other two...
...and legally binding...
...and efficiently undertaken...
...and for what is a
man without property...
...and foresight...
...is your death.
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Submitted on August 05, 2018
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"The Draughtsman's Contract" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Nov. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/the_draughtsman's_contract_20113>.
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