The Miniver Story Page #6

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and the foreign policy

of the country is

seriously undermined

and it's all your fault!

Are you listening to me?

No.

Hello?

Sophie?

Oh, Sophie, I'm awfully

sorry to trouble you,

but Clem has been

perfectly ridiculous

and invited a complete

stranger down for

lunch tomorrow.

So I wondered,

could you possibly...

Er, yes, dear,

some marge and lard,

and er... Oh!

And, er, oh,

yes, yes.

And, er, Sophie...

..the Wedgwood?

Brazil? Do they

play rugger?

We'll ask them

when we get there.

If they don't,

we'll make 'em.

Be swell to get

back to America.

South America.

North, south,

what's

the difference?

The difference

is considerable.

But don't worry

about it

because we shall

probably stay here.

Seems kind of screwy.

I mean, we don't

rate any longer.

We're a vanishing class.

Oh, we are, are we?

Well, who says so?

Teddy Fathergill.

Who?

Oh, oh, yes.

You know,

he's a socialist.

But I thought

you were going to

straighten him out.

Oh, I had

a go at him,

but he

had a go at me, too.

He won.

Bye!

Bye!

Judy not down yet?

No, she was

rather late in,

so I thought I'd

let her sleep on.

Clem?

Are you serious

about Brazil?

Thinking about it.

Thinking hard.

Be a big chance for you,

wouldn't it?

That's

not the point.

Would you listen

to me for a minute?

I know you can think

of a dozen arguments

for staying put.

So can I,

if I want to.

But there's one

tremendous reason

for clearing out.

You.

Me?

Do you really think

you've been fooling me?

You had quite a war,

Mrs Miniver.

You're having

quite a peace.

Cooking,

washing, scrubbing,

standing in queues,

hunting for rations,

finding the meals,

reading the headlines

and worrying about Judy,

about Toby, about me.

No, Clem...

Will you listen to me

for just a minute?

There are times,

quite a number of times,

when you feel so utterly

and completely tired

that you could sit

down on the stairs

and cry like a child.

It might be quite

an idea to take you out

of the fish queue.

Give you a nice hot

meal cooked by somebody

else for a change.

Sit you out in the sun

for an hour or two.

So it's...it's all

on my account, this idea?

No, it's not.

I told you, I want

to get out of Europe.

And then there's Judy.

Doesn't it occur to you

that to get her away

at this time might

not at all be

a bad notion?

Yes, darling,

I know.

But there's...

I'll go.

Hello?

Uh, yes?

Yes, no, I'm sorry,

I'm afraid

she's not down yet.

Who?

Who is speaking,

please?

Oh, General Brunswick.

Yes, it is.

How do you do?

I've, er, I've heard

a lot about you.

Oh, I'm sorry, that wasn't

meant to sound ominous.

Your coat?

It's quite safe.

Shall I send it to you,

or will you...?

Well, I...I'd like

to meet you.

Uh, well, if you

could wait two days,

I could bring it.

Friday at 12.30?

Well, I'd like that

very much.

All right, I shall

look forward to it.

'A a few days later,

Kay took the 10.40 to London.

'Judy wanted her mother to know

this man who meant so much to her,

'and Kay was

determined to meet him.

'Brunswick lived in Westminster,

only 10 minutes from my office.

'I had offered

to return the coat for her,

'but she was adamant.'

Hell's bells!

Yes?

General Brunswick?

Good grief!

Are you Mrs Miniver?

Kay Miniver, yes.

Good grief.

You're a surprise.

A pleasant one?

Decidedly.

That daughter of

yours never told me.

You're a lot younger

than I thought.

What were you expecting?

Oh, I pictured

something nondescript,

middle-aged.

You're quite a beautiful

woman, in your way.

Not really.

This is one of

my good days.

Here's the coat.

Oh, thanks very much.

I've got foul manners.

What are we standing

here for?

Come in and have

a drink.

Thank you.

I'd like a drink.

Ignore the chaos,

I'm on my way out.

Today?

No, tomorrow.

This is my

wife's flat, really.

She gets back from

Canada Sunday night.

Your wife?

Pamela Lyndon.

Yes, yes, of course.

Do you like good

music or jazz?

Uh, both.

Ever hear her?

I heard your wife

give a Greek concerto

a week before

the war began.

First-class

pianist, Pam.

Magnificent woman

in many ways.

Impossible to live with.

Sherry?

Thank you.

Women are impossible for

the most part, you know?

They get a bee in their

bonnet about something

and they won't

let it drop.

They will go on and on.

I must say,

you don't look as if

you'd go on and on.

But you probably do,

if the truth were known.

I'm worse than most.

Sit down.

Good grief,

you're young to have

a girl like Judy.

I suppose everyone

says that.

Uh, it has been

said before.

But I never tire

of hearing it.

Cheers.

Cheers.

Do you fight a lot

in your family?

Or is

everything placid

and respectable?

Oh, we tear

each other to pieces

all day long

and half the night.

Hasn't Judy told you?

No, she hasn't

said much.

To be honest,

she hasn't had

much chance.

When we're together,

I talk most of the time.

What do you talk about?

Oh, life, love,

the world in general.

The world's in a mess,

did you know that?

I had heard something.

Hmm. You look reasonably

intelligent for a woman.

Why haven't

we met before?

It wasn't my doing.

You steered clear of us.

Thought it was best,

considering.

You probably hate

my guts, don't you?

I haven't had time

to hate you yet.

You'll get around

to it.

I'm starting

the divorce as soon

as Pam gets back.

Or rather

she's starting it.

She cabled yesterday.

It'll take some time,

of course.

As soon as

it's through,

I'll marry

your daughter.

Probably won't last,

but I'll marry her.

Time.

How much time?

A year, 18 months.

There's a queue

of people waiting

to get separated.

You don't like that,

do you?

You want to see your

chick settled.

Every mother wants that.

But you're in a hurry.

How do you know?

I know women

and I read faces.

It was my job

in the war,

to guess the other

chap's move and beat

him to it.

Why are you in a hurry,

Mrs Miniver?

You must be a very

difficult man to live with.

Oh, quite impossible.

I warned Judy,

but she just laughed.

She thinks I'm worth it.

Are you?

No.

She's very much

in love with you.

And now that

I've met you,

I'm beginning

to understand why.

Are you?

Well, I can't.

I thank my

stars for it,

but I can't think

what she sees in me.

You're...different.

You're blunt,

almost rude.

You're honest.

That's rare.

And you're rather

dashing and glamorous.

Oh, nonsense.

Oh, yes, that's

your reputation,

you have a name for

bold deeds and wild adventures.

You fire the imagination.

Oh, yes, I can see

what Judy sees in you.

Matter of fact,

if I were her age,

I might...

You might?

That was very good sherry.

May I have some more?

Have the whole

bottle!

Let's get tight.

I never get tight

before lunch.

Let's have lunch

together and get

tight afterwards.

I'm a menace,

Mrs Miniver.

I love Judy,

I love her youth,

her freshness,

her naivete.

Her belief in

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