The Phantom of the Opera Page #4

---

A figure approaches from the direction the women were running. It's a man with a sack and a lantern, the RAT CATCHER.

RAT CATCHER:

It's only the old rat catcher. Don't be alarmed. I won't do you no harm. Think I must have given them cleaners a bit of a turn. They're usually gone by the time I'm around. I'm the rat catcher, you see, sir. Place is alive with them. I searches them out with me lamp... then I sort of hypnotizes them... 'til I'm near enough to pounce! (CHRISTINE jumps) Oh, I'm sorry, lady. I caught a couple of beauties tonight, sir. Fat. Like young puppies, they are. (reaching into his sack) Here, I'll show you. (to the rats) Now, now, none of that. I'll find them for you in a moment, sir. You'll never believe your eyes.

CHRISTINE:

Please stop him.

HARRY:

Please don't bother on our account.

RAT CATCHER:

No? I could let you have them both for tuppence, sir. They'd make a lovely pie, you know.

HARRY:
We're vegetarians.

RAT CATCHER:

Pity.

HARRY:

(handing the RAT CATCHER a coin)

Here's something for your trouble, though.

RAT CATCHER:

Thank you, sir. Thank you very much, sir. Well, good night to you then.

The RAT CATCHER leaves and enters another room. The DWARF leaps out and stabs him in the eye. His body is dragged off and the rats escape his bag. They run into the hallway and are seen by HARRY and CHRISTINE.

HARRY:

(lifting CHRISTINE onto a crate) Wait here.

HARRY goes off in the direction the RAT CATCHER went. A voice makes CHRISTINE look up, and she sees PETRIE standing at the top of the stairs. She reacts in horror.

PETRIE:

Young woman. Young woman, you must come with me.

CHRISTINE watches, terrified, as PETRIE emerges from the shadows and comes down the steps toward her. HARRY is still looking around in the other room when he hears CHRISTINE scream. He runs back into the hallway, getting there just after PETRIE goes back up the stairs. He finds CHRISTINE, who has fainted. He picks her up and puts his arm around her. She wakes up, sees it's him, and begins sobbing on his shoulder.

HARRY:

It's all right.

The camera pans back to the empty staircase and lingers there for a moment. Fade to later, at MRS. TUCKER's boarding house, where CHRISTINE lives.

CHRISTINE:

I did see him, Harry. He was standing there at the top of the stairs.

HARRY:

And he had one eye and a mask?

CHRISTINE:

Yes, all black. And he stood there staring and staring at me. It felt as if he was trying to burn a hole in my brain.

MRS. TUCKER

(entering)

The kettle's on and tea won't be a minute. How are you feeling, my dear?

HARRY:

She needs to sleep.

MRS. TUCKER

Quite. A nice cup of tea, then off to bed with you. (she leaves)

CHRISTINE:

You do believe me, Harry?

HARRY:

Yes, I believe you, Christine.

D'ARCY is pacing in front of the stage while a woman sings.

D'ARCY

(to LATTIMER)

Useless. No good at all. For heaven's sake, get rid of her.

LATTIMER:

All right, stop. Stop. That's enough. Next please.

Another woman, YVONNE, comes forward.

YVONNE:

I should like to sing Adele's Song from "Fledermaus".

D'ARCY

Whenever you're ready, my dear.

YVONNE:

With a man like you

And a girl like me

You really should beware

Looking in your eyes

It is no surprise

I'll tell my heart take care

And if I should let myself go

Ah ha ha ha ha

We'll sample some pleasures I know

Ah ha ha ha ha

We'll drink to each other

We'll tell one another

Of everlasting love

Of everlasting love

Such a man as you

With a girl like me

You really should beware

Looking into your eyes

It is no surprise

I'll tell my heart take care

D'ARCY

Quite excellent. Needs a little work, of course. Uh, tell her to come to my office. (to YVONNE) Very good, my dear.

YVONNE:

Thank you.

BILL:

Thank you very much. That's all, thank you very much.

HARRY walks in.

HARRY:

What's going on, Ambrose?

D'ARCY

I have been endeavouring to find someone with the ability to do justice to the leading role in my opera, Mr. Hunter.

HARRY:

But I thought you'd agreed that Miss Charles was to sing it.

D'ARCY

You may have thought so. Now, if you'll excuse me.

HARRY:

No!

D'ARCY

Have I not made myself sufficiently clear? Miss Charles is not to sing in my opera. Not in the leading part nor in any other. She has received her dismissal this morning.

HARRY:

You small-minded, fatheaded...

D'ARC

Be careful, Mr. Hunter.

HARRY:

Just because she refuses to go to your apartment...

D'ARCY

Mr. Hunter...

HARRY:

In the middle of the night...

D'ARCY

You're dismissed. You understand? (pushing past him) Now get out of my way.

BILL:

Sorry, Harry. He made me send the note round by hand.

HARRY:

I'll go and see her. If anything else happens, let me know, will you?

BILL:

Yes.

HARRY arrives as MRS. TUCKER's house and finds CHRISTINE reading her note of dismissal.

HARRY:

Christine?

CHRISTINE:

No, he can't. It's not fair.

HARRY:

Of course it's not.

CHRISTINE:

If he'd stopped me from playing Saint Joan... but not to let me sing at all, it just isn't fair.

HARRY:

Fairness isn't one of his virtues, Christine.

MRS. TUCKER

(walking in)

I forgot to ask, uh... oh, I'm sorry.

CHRISTINE:

It's all right, Mrs. Tucker.

MRS. TUCKER

I thought you'd like a glass of sherry wine, but perhaps...

HARRY:

Nothing I'd like better, Mrs. Tucker. I'll drink it while Miss Charles is getting ready to come and have lunch with me.

CHRISTINE:

No, Harry. I couldn't.

HARRY:

Of course you could. I insist that you come and celebrate.

MRS. TUCKER

Celebrate, Mr. Hunter?

HARRY:

Yes, Mrs. Tucker. Today, we both got the sack.

CHRISTINE:

Oh, no, Harry.

HARRY:

Oh, yes, Harry. So we've both got nothing to do and all the time in the world to do it in. And I'll allow you just... (looks at his watch) ten minutes of it to get ready. Not a moment more.

CHRISTINE:

I'll try.

CHRISTINE and MRS. TUCKER leave the room. HARRY begins to look around. He goes to the piano and presses the keys. He opens a music box and it begins to play. He finds a Mutoscope, starts it up, and looks inside. An amusing sequence of images plays. HARRY then comes across a room divider decorated with elaborate collages. At the bottom a piece of sheet music is incorporated. He examines this sheet music closely. MRS. TUCKER walks back in, carrying a tray of sherry. She clears her throat.

HARRY:

Oh... I wonder if you could tell me where you got this.

MRS. TUCKER

Got it? I made it.

HARRY:

You... where did you get this music from?

MRS. TUCKER

Oh, that's some of the Professor's. Professor Petrie. He used to teach singing at the Academy. When he remembered to go there, that is. He was a little bit, uh... (she makes a gesture indicating forgetfulness) but very nice. He used to play the piano all day long. I have mostly musicians stay with me, you know. He used to play night and day. I just loved listening to him. Then the neighbours started banging on the walls, so I had to put a stop to it.

HARRY:

Do you think it'd be possible for me to have a closer look at that music, Mrs. Tucker?

MRS. TUCKER

Well...

HARRY:

If it's not too much trouble, that is.

MRS. TUCKER

Oh, no, he left a whole pile of it here. He left me enough to paper the house. But I threw some of it out. Here's some, but it's a bit faded now.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote