The Man in the Iron Mask Page #5

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AWARE OF THE DIFFERENCE.

AND M. FOUQUET, OF COURSE.

FOUQUET?

DON'T BE ALARMED.

EVERYTHING HAS ITS PURPOSE.

NOW, COME ALONG, MY BOY.

M. FOUQUET IS WAITING

FOR YOU TO DRESS HIM.

REMEMBER, JUST AS

WE REHEARSED.

ONE FALSE STEP,

AND "SCRCK".

YES, MONSIEUR.

NOW, LEAVE US

DUPLICATE A KING.

LE BRANDT'S PAINTING

IS EXCELLENT.

WHY DO YOU QUIBBLE?

I GATHER NO ONE HAS

NOTICED THE FLAW.

FLAW?

NOTHING SERIOUS:

OF COURSE.

A SIMPLE OVERSIGHT.

IN WHAT MANNER:

OF OVERSIGHT.

MONSIEUR MUST PROMISE

NOT TO SAY A WORD TO MY MASTER.

M. PATRIN WOULD

NEVER FORGIVE ME.

I INTENDED TO PRESENT HIS MAJESTY

WITH THE PAINTING TONIGHT.

IS THERE SOMETHING

YOU FEEL THAT I SHOULD KNOW?

SIMPLY, THAT IN MAKING UP THE

DUPLICATE COSTUME, THERE

WAS AN OMISSION....

COSTUME?

WHAT DUPLICATE COSTUME?

WHY THE ONE LE BRANDT AS MODEL

FOR HIS PAINTING, YOU SEE...

IT HAS A PURPLE SASH.

UMM, WELL.

WELL, THAT'S WHAT THE KING

IS WEARING IN THE PORTRAIT.

A PURPLE SASH.

CAREFUL.

CAREFUL, I SAY.

I FAIL TO SEE:

THE SIGNIFICANCE.

BUT, UH, BUT THE KING WILL BE

WEARING A WHITE SASH TONIGHT.

DON'T YOU SEE?

WHITE?

EXACTLY.

UH, M. PASSERINE CHANGED

HIS DESIGN AT THE LAST MINUTE.

NATURALLY IT WAS TOO

LATE TO CHANGE THE PORTRAIT.

I CAN ONLY PRAY HIS MAJESTY

WILL NOT DETECT THE OVERSIGHT.

WHAT HAS BECOME OF THIS

STUPID COSTUME?

I BELIEVE M. COLBER STILL HAS IT.

[SIGH OF RELIEF]

[THE PRESENT KING LOUIS]

[WEARING A PURPLE SASH]

EXQUISITE.

AH! WE'RE SURE THE QUEEN WILL

FIND YOUR MAJESTY QUITE IRRESISTIBLE.

THE QUEEN...

OFF IN A POLAR BASKET.

IT IS LOUISE DE LA VALLIERE

WHOSE PRAISE WE CRAVE.

[LAUGHTER]

WE WILL SURPRISE HER WITH

A PRIVATE SHOWING BEFORE THE BALL.

[FOUQUET'S CHATEAU AT VAUX-

THUNDERING]

WE GO.

[PHILIPPE WEARING A WHITE SASH]

[WHISPERING] D'ARTAGNAN.

[WHISPERING] SHE IS HERE.

BUT NOT ALONE.

IF I CAN'T FOOL HER MAID,

I'LL NEVER FOOL THE WHOLE COURT.

YOUR POINT IS:

WELL TAKEN.

I MUST SEE HER.

ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT.

BUT HURRY.

FOUQUET WILL BE IN THE

KING'S APARTMEN

AT ANY MOMENT NOW.

HE MUST FIND YOU THERE,

NOT LOUIS.

IT IS INDEED A TRIBUTE

TO M. LE BRANDT'S ART.

THAT HE IS ABLE TO

IMPROVE UPON PERFECTION,

BUT THEN IT DOES NOT SPEAK

THE ULTIMATE IMPROVEMENT.

[GIRLS LAUGHING]

YOUR MAJESTY.

A THOUSAND PARDONS,

MY DEAR.

I MERELY CAME:

TO RETURN....THIS.

HENRIETTA,

PLEASE LEAVE US.

A MIRACLE,

I THOUGHT YOU WERE THE KING.

SOON, GOD WILLING.

IT WAS FOOLISH:

TO COME HERE.

THIS MAY BE MY:

LAST CHANCE TO SEE YOU.

HEAR ME OUT.

IF TONIGHT'S ADVENTURE

GOES AWRY,

PROMISE ME THA YOU WILL DISAVOW OUR LOVE.

I WOULD RATHER CU THE HEART FROM MY BREAST.

FOR YOU'RE OWN SAFETY, IT IS

VITAL THAT YOU NEVER KNEW ME.

I COULD NOT DO IT.

HOW I LOVE YOU.

IF I AM KING, BEFORE

THIS NIGHT IS THROUGH,

I MUST RULE:

WITH LOUIS' NAME,

AND NOT MY OWN.

AND WITH THE QUEEN AS WIFE.

NOT LOUISE.

I COULD NEVER OPENLY

PROCLAIM OUR LOVE.

OH, PHILIPPE.

HOLD ME,

I'M SO AFRAID.

[DOOR OPENS]

YOUR MAJESTY.

[PHILIPPE DISAPPEARS

BEHIND CURTAIN]

[DOOR BLOWS SHUT]

WHAT SORT OF:

PRANK IS THIS?

WHO DARES:

IMPERSONATE THE KING?

HUH. BUT OF COURSE.

A HOAX.

A JEST PREPARED:

BY A CLEVER HOST.

MY APOLOGIES DEAR LOUISE.

FOR A MOMENT WE WERE....

SINCERELY DUPED.

YET, MUCH MORE

THAN MERE CHARADE.

THIS IMPERSONATOR.....

SO....

PERFECT.

SO CONVINCING.

[GASP]

YOU!

WILL YOU NO EMBRACE ME, BROTHER.

[THUNDER]

GUARDS HELP ME!

BATTLE.

HELP ME!

[DOOR OPENS]

NOT ME, YOU FOOL.

THERE IS THE IMPOSTER.

- WHAT?

TREASON AND CONSPIRACY.

HE DARES TO IMPERSONATE THE KING.

- DO NOT LISTEN TO

THIS TREACHERY, FOUQUET.

THERE IS THE USURPER.

TAKE HIM!

HERE IS YOUR MAN.

FOOL, ARE YOU BLIND.

SEE WHO SPEAKS THE TRUTH?

DUVAL.

ARREST HIM.

[THUNDER]

WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?

THIS IS MADNESS!

-ARREST HIM.

BUT, SURELY YOU

MUST BE MISTAKEN.

HERE IS YOU MAN!

- I AM LOUIS!

- I AM LOUIS.

I AM YOUR SOVEREIGN.

- SILENCE HIM!

WHAT ARE YOU FOOLS...

- SILENCE HIM.

FORGIVE ME, SIRE,

FOR HAVING BEEN SO BLIND.

- YOUR MAJESTY.

WHAT IS YOUR DESIRE?

HAS NOT THE KING

ALREADY ONCE:

DECREED HIS:

BROTHER'S FATE?

[THUNDER]

[LOUIS BREATHING HEAVILY]

SO....LET IT STAND.

[LOUIS GASPS]

SO.

I KNOW OF A PLOT THAT

WAS PERPETRATED AGAINST YOU,

AND I PROMISE THAT THERE

SHALL BE RETRIBUTION.

INDEED.

[THUNDER]

YOU MAJESTY.

[BALLROOM MUSIC]

NOW, THE BALL.

WE SHALL PROCEED AS IF

NONE OF THIS HAD HAPPENED.

AS FOR YOU, CAPTAIN,...

YOUR MAJESTY.

WE WOULD FEEL MORE

SECURE WITH YOU AT HAND.

DO NOT LEAVE OUR

SIDE TONIGHT.

I AM YOUR SERVANT, SIRE.

MY DEAR.

A LITTLE LATER.

[LOUIS' MUFFLED SHOUTS]

SEND HIM TO THE SAINT MARGUERITE

AS ORDERED BY THE KING.

HIS SUBLIME MAJESTY,

GRAND MONARCH OF FRANCE,

LOUIS THE FOURTEENTH.

[at Fouquet's chateau at Vaux,

king Louis/Philippe begins his reign]

YOUR MAJESTY.

MONSIEUR FOUQUET.

PLEASE ACCEPT THIS OCCASION

AS TOKEN OF MY DEEP DEVOTION.

TO CONTINUE IN YOUR SERVICE

NEED BE MY ONLY REWARD.

[the new king surprises

with newfound respect and consideration]

MAJESTY.

[MURMURS IN AUDIENCE]

[ WHISPERING] MOTHER.

YOUR MAJESTY.

[AUDIBLE KISS]

MY SON?

I HAVE NEVER SEEN...

I HAVE NEVER SEEN

YOU LOOK MORE BEAUTIFUL.

MY LOUIS?

[MUSIC BEGINS]

YOU ARE WATCHED AS NO MY HUSBAND.

I'M AS CONSTAN AS THE SUN.

YOUR DANCING:

IS MISDIRECTED.

YOU DANCE AS:

ALWAYS, MY DEAR.

IF MY EYES DO NO TELL ME OTHERWISE,

I WOULD THINK THE MAN

WITH WHOM I AM DANCING,

IS NOT MY HUSBAND.

A THOUSAND:

PARDONS, MY DEAR.

IF NOT YOUR HUSBAND,

WHO MIGHT HE BE?

AN IMPOSTER.

WERE THAT THE CASE, SURELY

YOU WOULD BE ALARMED, MADAME.

I AM RARELY:

TAKEN BY SURPRISE.

AND UNLIKE YOU MOTHER,

I CAN AFFORD THE BES

IN PERFORMANCE.

IT FOLLOWS THEN:

THAT YOU WOULD BE

READY FOR THIS USURPER?

MOST LIKELY.

READY TO EXPOSE HIM?

I WOULD HAVE:

LITTLE TO GAIN,

EXCEPT, PERHAPS, YOUR

RETURN TO MY BEDCHAMBER.

LITTLE GAIN.

BETTER YOUR OWN HUSBAND, MADAME,

THAN SOME TOTAL STRANGER.

QUITE THE CONTRARY.

AM I TO UNDERSTAND

THAT YOU WOULD NO

BETRAY THIS:

PHANTOM IMPOSTER?

LET US SAY THIS USURPER

COULD GUARANTEE THAT YOU WOULD

BE NO LESS THE QUEEN

THAN YOU ARE NOW.

THEN, I WOULD HAVE TO BE SURE

THAT MY CHILDREN ARE SECURE.

AND THAT THEY MIGH MAINTAIN THEIR RIGH

TO THE SUCCESSION

OF THE THRONE.

WOULD YOU TAKE:

THE WORD OF SUCH A MAN?

IF HE DID NOT KEEP HIS WORD,

HE WOULD LOSE HIS HEAD.

AS YOU WOULD HAVE TO HOLD

YOUR TONGUE, OR LOSE YOURS.

SO TRUE.

BUT THIS IS AN ABSURDITY.

I INTEND TO ENJOY A LONG

AND FRUITFUL REIGN.

AND SO DO I,

WITH MY BLESSING.

IF YOU WOULD EXCUSE ME,

I SHOULD WISH TO RETIRE.

I DO NOT DESIRE TO SPOIL

YOUR MAJESTY'S PLEASURE.

GOODNIGHT, THEN, MADAME.

GOD BE WITH YOU.

GOD BE WITH YOU,

LOUIS.

CONGRATULATIONS, MONSIEUR.

YOUR BALL SEEMS A GREAT SUCCESS.

MORE THAN YOU IMAGINE,

I WAGER.

LESS THAN YOU IMAGE,

I WAGER.

COLBERT, ONE OF YOUR PROBLEMS

HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT YOU

TEND TO TAKE YOU BOWS

BEFORE THE FINAL CURTAIN FALLS.

YOUR TROUBLE, FOUQUET,

IS YOU NEVER REALIZE WHEN

THE PLAY IS OVER.

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