The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner Page #4

- I can manage right enough.

- I'm not after your money, love.

I earn enough on me own.

- Cor, what's that?

- Wow, they're fivers.

- Look at that paper.

- They're fivers.

- What shall we do with them?

- Burn it.

You take after your dad right enough,

- you're a bloody loon.

- How much is there, Mum?

- Don't bother me.

- Shut up!

- You going to buy a new house.

- A Rolls Royce!

Get me a hair dryer!

Oh, run and buy some gobstoppers

and stop your rattle.

Mum, buy me a hairdryer!

- Come on, don't... Do as your Mam says.

- Keep your hands to yourself.

I'm the gaffer now.

- You think so?

- Don't think so, I know so.

Oh, for goodness sake, Colin,

haven't we had enough trouble?

Well, I'm going out to pick up

that television set.

All right, gaffer?

Look at little Miss Muffet with the hose.

You bastard.

I've had enough on my plate

without you lot starting.

- Moody, darling.

- What's got into you, Stacey?

I don't know what's the matter with him.

- I can't get a word out of him.

- I'm browned off.

- Do you mind?

- So what?

So are a couple of hundred

other perishing inmates,

but are we downhearted?

- Oh, no!

- No!

Oh, drop dead, you maggot.

- Come on, Stacey, have a cigarette.

- Two's up, Penny.

- Go look out for the screw.

- All right.

- I tell you, I'm right up to here.

- Why?

Look, everything's going fine, now, what?

Discharge up the wall,

and who knows what else.

Don't talk so daft.

Just 'cause the Governor caught you

having a punch-up, so what?

Yeah, you'll only get

three days bread and water,

- something like that.

- Make a nice change.

- Stuff their horse meat.

- And lousy taters.

- And their duff on Thursday.

- You kid yourselves.

The Governor will really have it in for me,

what with being his house leader and all.

The Governor only bets on certs,

and if you're not a lay-down cert, mate.

Well, you are.

- I was.

- Nit, nit. Screw's coming.

All right, lads, in line here,

and, Stacey, cut that hose off.

Put the tools away.

Come on, the rest of you, move!

Right, quick, march!

Come on.

- I think Stacey's got away.

- Oh, do leave off.

- I've been with him all morning.

- It's all down to that bum, Smith.

- Hold up, screws.

- All right, lads,

- have any of you seen Stacey?

- He's got a late lunch.

How many late lunches

you got, Mr. Craig?

Four late lunches,

Stacey's not one of them.

- What party was he on this morning?

- Cooper, what party?

- Come on, lad.

- Gardening party, sir.

I'll check it out with the officer.

Come on, Robins,

you know where Stacey is.

- Oh, leave me alone, will you?

- Walsh, you're his mate,

- what about you?

- I ain't seen him since yesterday.

- How about you? Where is he?

- He's gone on his honeymoon.

- What's the matter, then?

- When did you last see Stacey?

Just before lunch.

I sent him to cut the hoses off.

- I'll check and find out.

- Right.

Looks as if we got one away, Mr. Fenton.

- Yeah.

- I'll get the Chief.

- Yeah.

- Never mind about one away,

- this bloody potato tastes like cement.

- All complaints to the cook.

- This gravy's like water.

- All right, cut it out.

What they trying to do,

keep this meat a secret?

Yeah, you wanna kill this meat

before you give it to us.

If my old woman knew I was eating

this rubbish, she'd go bleeding nuts.

Cut it out.

Cut it out!

- Cut it out, lads.

- Lads, come on, break it up.

- Take it easy, take it easy.

- All right.

Cut it out!

Break it up!

Come on, cut it out!

That's enough!

Come on, keep it quiet!

Come on, quiet you down now! Come on.

Joseph, break it up!

Shut up! Come on, break it up!

- Shut up!

- Quiet!

Quiet!

Come on, cut it out!

This isn't funny. Keep it down.

The food in this place stinks!

Break it up there!

Stop that!

- Well, let's hear what you think, Roach.

- I feel it might have been Smith's fault, sir.

- He's a somewhat complex character. I...

- There's nothing complex about a fight.

In my opinion,

Stacey may have provoked him to it.

In any case, with Stacey gone,

there's no action that I can take,

so that disposes of the fight.

What do you say, Fenton?

Well, I suppose it's possible, sir,

that Stacey took it a bit hard.

He was proud of his position,

it meant a good deal to him.

Yes.

Mr. Fenton, surely it's part of our policy

here, to drive a boy hard,

and then, when he's in a tight corner,

watch the reaction.

- I suppose it is.

- Well, of course, it is.

By putting pressure on a boy,

you begin to know what he's worth.

No news of Stacey, yet, sir,

but we have the others under control.

- All quietened down?

- Yes, sir.

We have the three ring leaders

in the cellblock.

- I don't think we'll have anymore trouble.

- Good.

Chief, it wouldn't surprise you,

in view of what's occurred,

if I put off tonight's concert.

No, sir, it would teach them a lesson.

Perhaps, but I have decided against it.

The concert will take place,

and we'll have our Sports Day.

Chief, I hope that you and the staff

know me well enough

to believe that the last thing I'd do

would be to make your work here

anymore difficult by,

in any way, undermining discipline.

- Certainly, sir.

- lf we make too much of this

spot of bother,

we may damage our relations

with the public, generally,

and also with

the governors of Ranley School.

Quite. Quite.

Well, it's no secret to any of you

that I regard this opportunity

of joining forces

with a public school on our Sports Day,

as a great step forward in our history,

in Borstal history.

So, Padre, there's no need for you

to cancel any of your arrangements

for tonight's concert,

except, I want to talk to the lads

- before it starts.

- Very good, sir.

Well, gentlemen, I think that's about all.

- Mr. Brown, may I have a word with you?

- Certainly.

Something on your mind, Roach?

It's a pity about Stacey, sir.

He'll be badly missed at the sports.

Don't worry.

We'll take that cup from Ranley.

You're thinking about Smith?

Well, I've seen some runners in my time.

Believe me, he'll surprise us all.

This morning's demonstration

in the dining hall

is something that I shall have to make

a pretty good effort to forget.

If you have any reasonable complaint

about the food,

it must be made at the proper time

and to the proper person,

and that is to me.

Now, understand that and remember it.

Of course, I know what sparked this on.

A boy has absconded.

As it happens, he was a boy

that we thought very highly of.

He will be caught.

He'll be brought back

and severely punished.

I'm told that one of the reasons he did it

was that he was disappointed.

Disappointed?

I wonder if he realizes how

disappointing this is for me.

This place has a very good record,

and anybody who lets that record down

is letting each one of you down.

And, now, to look on the brighter side.

You all know about the Sports Day

against Ranley, with Ranley,

with boys very much like yourselves,

except they've had several advantages

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