The Quiet American Page #8

A dreary lie, Fowler.

If you'll pardon the Americanism, corny.

A favorite lie of a desperate,

middle-aged, middle-class husband

trying to hang on to an extracurricular fling.

How did Phuong's sister

get hold of the letter?

Phuong had it somehow.

She brought it with pride and happiness

to have it translated.

I might have guessed that she knew.

Well, the reason for the lie

should be obvious enough.

I wanted to keep her.

Just as a comfort. One of the old-fashioned

comforts until you're ready to leave her.

With what?

Certainly not with a deep freeze

and a television set.

Your anti-Americanisms

are pretty worn out, too.

Some of them have become

anti-British by now.

Have you thought she might want a home,

a place to belong, children?

Bright, young American citizens,

ready to testify. Is that more up-to-date?

Not much, but the distortion is greater.

Well, then be grateful to me.

You can drop your scruples now too,

and go ahead without them.

Not that I am too sure

how scrupulous you are,

away from the wide-screen world

of romance.

- With plastics, for instance?

- Plastics?

It's almost 1 :
00.

What are you talking about?

I hope you know what you're doing there.

I assume that your motives are good.

Well, they always are.

I sometimes wish you had

a few bad motives.

Might help you to understand

a little more about human beings.

You know, for people as expert

with them as you are,

the use of certain words

should be licensed, like guns.

Words such as human beings

and understanding.

In your hands, they are a menace to society.

Operation Bicyclette.

What's happening?

It looks like a policemen's ballet.

It is not yet half past 1 :00.

My watch must be four minutes slow.

What happens next?

For the time being, that is all.

What's it all about?

Let me show you something.

Look carefully.

Look at the pump.

Does it remind you of anything?

Yes, the mold for the plastic.

That was shaped like the half-section

of a bicycle pump.

I thought you would be interested.

Come and have a drink with me, Heng.

I'd like to know more about it.

Oh, I'm sorry, I might give you

a prejudiced opinion.

The garage of Mr. Moi is right there.

But Mr. Moi is elsewhere at the moment.

In the days that followed,

I caught

occasional glimpses of them together.

At the cinema.

Strolling with his dog,

of course, in the botanical gardens.

Driving past the Continental in his car,

laughing at being young together.

I was not yet ready to risk

the chance of running into them.

So, I found myself from time to time

in places like Le Pavilion.

Le Pavilion was a coffee and gossip center

for non-Asiatic wives,

one flight above the street,

considered cheap and sanitary.

There was little likelihood that either

Phuong or the American would come there.

Besides, it was 11:00 in the morning.

And I knew precisely where

Phuong would be.

Having her milkshake at the milk bar,

across from the Continental.

- What is it?

- A bomb, monsieur.

A great disaster.

- Close to the Continental.

- Continental?

Vigot! Vigot!

I've gotta get across to the milk bar.

I've got a friend there.

Everybody here has friends.

Milk bar. Phuong is at the milk bar.

- We must get across to it.

- She's not there.

- She must be. She always goes at 11 :00.

- Not this morning.

- Why not? How'd you know?

- I warned her not to.

You warned...

- What do you mean you warned her?

- Told her to stay away.

There was supposed to be a French military

parade. It was canceled at the last minute.

I heard rumors there might be

a demonstration sometime,

like those bicycle bombs.

- Not "those" bicycle bombs. Yours!

- Mine?

Take a look. Take a good look around.

And see what full drum of Diolacton can do.

- Diolacton?

- No, I want you to look!

Why this of all hours, the shopping hour,

when the place is filled

with women and children?

What are you talking about?

Do you think that General The

would call off the bombing

because the parade was canceled?

No, no, this is much better than a parade.

This is front page news.

The blood of women and children.

That's real news.

You must be out of your mind.

Look, you put your General The

on the map, all right.

Look, that red color on the street.

There's your third force.

And those things being carried by on

stretchers, there's your national democracy.

Why don't you shut up?

For once in your life, why don't you

just shut up and help somebody?

Go home to Phuong,

and tell her about the heroic dead.

Mr. Fowler.

A few dozen less

of her country people to worry about.

Mr. Fowler.

Someone wants to see you.

Someone? Who, your friend?

If you want, I can bring you to him.

I was there in the middle of it.

- Blood...

- I know.

Forgive my bringing you here.

It was thought best that we meet

where they would be

least likely to search for me

or my associates.

This place of strange worship.

No stranger than

Saint Paul's or Saint Peter's.

The police will be very active today.

You had nothing to do with it.

It was the American again.

His General The's

not a very controlled character.

- And plastics are not for boys from Texas...

Look, how can I help, Heng?

He's gotta be stopped.

You must try to be calm, Mr. Fowler.

How many bombs and dead children

can you get out of a drum of Diolacton?

If you feel so strongly

that he must be stopped,

would you be prepared to help us?

He comes blundering in here and other

people have to die because of his mistakes.

It's a pity you didn't know

he was in the watch tower that night.

You could have made sure

that your people would get him.

It would've made a lot of difference

to a lot of lives.

We have been standing in one place

too long.

We agree with you

that he has to be restrained.

If you would invite him to dinner tonight

at the Vieux Moulin restaurant.

- Between 8:
30 and 9:30?

We would talk to him on the way.

Well, he may not want to.

He may not be able to.

Then ask him to call at your flat

sometime before 6:00.

He will certainly come.

If he accepts your invitation to dinner,

take a book to your window

as though to catch the light.

Why the Vieux Moulin restaurant?

It is by the bridge to Dakow.

We shall be able to talk undisturbed.

What will you do?

I promise you, we will act as gently

as the situation allows.

Will you help us, Mr. Fowler?

I don't know.

I don't know.

Sooner or later, one has to take sides.

Is that not so?

Take a book to the window

as though you want to catch the light.

Mr. Heng's instructions

smacked suddenly of cheap melodrama.

Surely there must a proper book,

a pertinent passage.

Come in.

I found your note

under my door.

It is forgiving of you to come.

- I thought so.

- Will you have a drink?

I can only stay a minute.

Well, you must be having a very busy day.

The note said you wanted to see me.

What about?

I thought, if you weren't engaged,

we might have dinner together.

Why?

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