The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Page #7

"Hey,Johnny Cope".

But were I to receive

a proposal of marriage tomorrow...

from the Lord Lyon, king of arms,

I would decline it.

Allow me,

in conclusion...

to congratulate you warmly on your

sexual intercourse as well as your singing.

With fondestjoy,

Jean Brodie".

Is this what your girls,

your set...

has learned under your auspices,

Miss Brodie?

It's a literary collaboration.

Two separate hands are involved.

One of the authors

slants her tail consonants...

in an unorthodox manner,

and the other does not.

Also, the paper seems

somewhat aged.

Is that all

you have to say?

What else

is there to say?

Two little girls at the age

of budding sexual fantasy...

have concocted a romance

for themselves.

They've chosen me as a romantic symbol.

Is that so surprising?

Do you deny that you encourage

these fantasies, as you call them?

Do you deny that by consorting openly

with Mr. Lowther of Cramond...

you lead these poor children

into the most fevered conclusions?

Not only Mr. Lowther, but Mr. Lloyd

is brought into the circle of fire.

Mr. Lloyd, who has

a wife and... six children.

It is diabolic that infants should

be knowledgeable...

12-year-old girls

are not infants, Miss Mackay.

- How do you know they're 12 years old?

- From the handwriting...

the vocabulary, the rudimentary

knowledge of the facts of life.

Oh, surely you cannot believe that that is

the work of 9-year-olds?

I could believe it was the work

of your 9-year-olds, Miss Brodie.

There's very little

for me to say, Miss Mackay...

in the face of your

extraordinary prejudice and hostility.

Miss Brodie, I am not

asking you to say anything.

I am asking... demanding...

that you put your signature,

your own signature...

on a letter of resignation

which I have prepared for you.

I will not resign.

If you will not resign,

you will force me to dismiss you.

I will not resign...

and you will not dismiss me,

Miss Mackay.

You will not use

the excuse of that pathetic...

that humorous document

to blackmail me!

Mr. Lowther,

you are a witness to this.

Miss Mackay has made totally unsupported

accusations against my name and yours.

If she has one

authentic shred of evidence...

just one,

let her bring it forth!

Otherwise, if one more word of this

outrageous calumny reaches my ears, I shall sue!

I shall take Miss Mackay

to the public courts...

and I shall sue the trustees of

Marcia Blaine, if they support her.

I will not stand quietly by

and allow myself to be crucified...

by a woman whose fetid frustration

has overcome her judgment!

If scandal is to your taste,

Miss Mackay, I shall give you a feast!

- Miss Brodie!

- I am a teacher!

I am a teacher,

first, last, always!

Do you imagine

that for one instant...

I will let that be taken

from me without a fight?

I have dedicated, sacrificed

my life to this profession.

And I will not stand by

like an inky little slacker...

and watch you rob me

of it and for what?

For what reason?

For jealousy!

Because I have the gift

of claiming girls for my own.

It is true I am

a strong influence on my girls.

I am proud of it!

I influence them to be

aware of all the possibilities of life...

of beauty, honor, courage.

I do not, Miss Mackay, influence them

to look for slime where it does not exist!

I am going.

When my class convenes,

my pupils will find me composed...

and prepared to reveal to them

the succession of the Stuarts.

And on Sunday, I will go to Cramond

to visit Mr. Lowther.

We are accustomed,

bachelor and spinster...

to spend our Sundays together

in sailing and walking the beaches...

and in the pursuit

of music.

Mr. Lowther is teaching me

to play the mandolin.

Good day, Miss Mackay.

Uh, Mr. Lowther...

I am sure I need not

suggest to you that we keep...

the details of Miss Brodie's

little... tantrum to ourselves.

- Yes...

- I've no doubt that you, as well as I...

- have her interests at heart.

- Well, I...

Thank you,

Mr. Lowther.

No doubt you have

other duties to attend to.

Oh, yes. Yes, Miss Mackay.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Jean!

Jean, you were heroic!

Heroic!

Oh, to see you like that,

it was really inspiring!

If only I could have stood up

like that to Mr. Gaunt, if I said...

"Look here, Mr. Gaunt. If you have

one authentic shred of evidence,just one..."

- What are you talking about?

- Mr. Gaunt called to see me the night before last.

He advised me to resign as organist

and elder of the church. He spoke plainly.

And what did you answer?

I resigned.

And you allowed this

evil-minded man...

a man who uses his position

as deacon of the Kirk...

to receive the slanderous gossip

of petty provincials...

But Jean,

it isn't just gossip.

You do not go home

on Sunday nights.

They had no proof!

None whatever.

You should have refused

point-blank to resign.

Can't you see that resignation

is tantamount to a confession of guilt.

- But I feel guilty.

- Well, I do not!

Will you not marry me and put an end

to all this sneaking about?

- Why won't you marry me?

- Only yesterday...

it was told to my face that you are planning

to marry the chemistry teacher.

Oh, I... I played golf

with Miss Lockhart once.

- Twice.

- Twice?

Beware.

Don't trifle with her.

She has the means

to blow us all up.

Now, don't tease me,Jean.

Miss Lockhart means nothing to me.

You know all I care about is you.

All I want is to see you happy and safe.

I don't

understand you, Jean.

You will not marry me,

yet you feed me and share my bed.

"Share your bed"!

Why can't you say you are my lover?

I do not want

to be your lover...

I want

to be your husband.

I want to go on my honeymoon where my mother

and father went on their honeymoon...

and come back to Cramond

with my bride.

That's what I want.

And I want to conduct

the church choir too.

Rumors are flying.

Are you out?

Hmph! On the contrary,

Miss Mackay experienced...

the utmost difficulty

in persuading me to stay.

How I wish I might have heard her plea.

The utmost difficulty.

You've been painting Jenny.

- Yes, that's right.

- I am glad, very glad.

She's getting more beautiful each year.

She quite amazes me.

You see it too.

You're an artist.

You see things other men don't see.

You must see it.

Jenny's quite

a pretty girl.

Pretty? No, no.

It's much more than that.

She has... extraordinary

physical instincts...

Primitive and free.

Primitive?

Little Jenny?

What are you

up to, Jean?

I'm only trying to tell you

I've always felt that Jenny...

could be

magnificently elevated...

above the ordinary rung

of lovers.

What are you

talking about?

It's just that I've

always known that one day...

you would paint Jenny.

Paint Jenny?

Jean, I think you're quite aware

of what you're doing.

You're trying to put that child

in my bed in your place.

Don't be disgusting!

It's only the words that disgust you!

You don't boggle at the thought, do you?

You'll accept anything,

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