The Scarlet Pimpernel Page #2

THE SAME AIR:

THAT THEY DO.

IF YOU WILL EXCUSE ME,

I MUST TEND TO MY BROTHER.

WAIT!

WHEN WILL I:

SEE YOU AGAIN?

MY BROTHER AND I

ARE HAVING A SMALL

SOIRE AT OUR HOME

IN THE RUE DO VICHELIEU

SUNDAY NEXT-

IF YOU ARE FREE.

FOR SUCH AND INITIATION,

MADEMOISELLE,

I SHALL MAKE...MYSELF FREE.

SUNDAY, NEXT, THEN.

NUMBER 27.

CONGRATULATIONS.

CONGRATULATIONS, MY DEAR.

YOU PLAYED A GREAT SUCCESS,

WE HEAR.

SOLD OUT EVERY NIGHT.

ISN'T IT AMAZING.

I WAS SURE NO ONE WOULD COME.

OH, NONSENSE.

ALL KINDS ADORE YOU.

MY DEAR, HAVEN' YOU HEARD THE NEWS?

NEWS?

EVERYBODY'S TALKING

ABOUT IT.

THERE WERE OVER 20 EXECUTIONS

IN THE PLACE DE LA CREIAS, TODAY.

TWENTY-THREE,

TO BE PRECISE.

PAUL!

MY DEAR, I'VE ONLY JUST BEEN

ABLE TO TEAR MYSELF AWAY.

OH.

YOU LOOK SO TIRED.

COME, LET'S HAVE

SOME CHAMPAGNE.

[LAUGHTER]

YOU SAY THERE WERE 23

EXECUTIONS TODAY, CHAUVELIN?

TO BE PRECISE,

AND THERE WILL:

BE MORE, EVERYDAY,

UNTIL THE COMMITTEE

HAS PURGED THE REPUBLIC

OF THE LAS CORRUPT ARISTOCRAT.

NOT ANOTHER SPEECH,

CHAUVELIN!

THIS IS WHAT I HAVE

TO LISTEN TO ALL DAY NOW, MY DEAR.

ALL DAY?

I'M AFRAID SO.

THIS YOUNG IDEALIST HAS

JUST BECOME MY ASSISTANT.

SO HE HAS NO CHOICE.

YOU MUST BE:

CALLED CHAUVELIN.

CHIEF AGENT FOR THE

COMMITTEE OF NATIONAL SECURITY,

AT YOUR SERVICE.

MADEMOISELLE...?

YOU HAVE THE HONOR

OF ADDRESSING LOUISE LONGET,

LA CHANTESS.

BUT, OF COURSE.

YOU'RE MARGUERITE'S

NEW UNDERSTUDY.

I GATHER YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE

FOR THE ARREST AND EXECUTION

OF ALL THESE...

UNDESIRABLE ARISTOCRATS.

THAT IS A SMALL PAR OF MY DUTIES, MADEMOISELLE.

THE OTHER IS MAKING LONG,

BORING SPEECHES:

AT SOCIAL FUNCTIONS

LIKE THIS.

WELL, NOW YOU WILL HAVE

THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN

HOW TO MAKE:

BORING SPEECHES, TOO.

VERY WELL, JUST FOR THIS ONCE,

I WILL OVERCOME MY USUAL

PATRIOTIC ZEAL, AND CONFINE MYSELF

TO A SIMPLE TOAST TO THE REPUBLIC.

THE REPUBLIC!

[ALL]

THE REPUBLIC.

SEEMS THE BARON DE BATZ DOES NO SHARE OUR ENTHUSIASM FOR THE TOAST.

PERHAPS HE IS NOT A FRIEND OF...

THE REPUBLIC.

OH, ON THE CONTRARY,

MY DEAR CHAUVELIN,

I MAY BE AN AUSTRIAN,

BY NATIONALITY,

AND ARISTOCRAT BY BIRTH,

BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU

THAT I AM:

A VERY GOOD FRIEND

OF THE REPUBLIC.

I BELIEVE, RATHER, THA THE BARON IS A FRIEND OF PROFIT,

WILLING TO SELL HIS ALLEGIANCE

TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER.

IT WOULD APPEAR, MADEMOISELLE,

THAT MY PRESENCE HERE

THIS EVENING IS GIVING YOU

DISTRESS. I SHALL CAUSE YOU NO

FURTHER EMBARRASSMENT,

AND I SHALL BID YOU GOOD EVENING.

THIS JUST SHOWS HOW

VIGILANT WE MUST BE.

WE HAVE TO ROOT OU THE ENEMIES IN OUR MIDST.

WE NEVER KNOW WHERE

THEY MIGHT STRIKE NEXT.

BUT, IF BLOOD HAS TO

BE SHED, NO ONE, I PROMISE YOU

REGRETS IT MORE THAN I DO.

"THE DAUPHIN IS TO BE HELD

PRISONER IN THE TEMPLE. ST. CYR."

AH, THERE YOU ARE.

HOW COULD YOU BE SO RUDE?

TO DE BATZ?

HE WAS A GUES IN MY HOME.

AN UNWORTHY GUEST.

THE MAN IS SUSPECTED

OF SELLING SECRET INFORMATION

TO THE AUSTRIAN:

GOVERNMENT.

AND WHY HAVEN' YOU ARRESTED HIM?

BECAUSE, MY DEAR, HE ALSO

SELLS SECRET INFORMATION,

ABOUT THE AUSTRIANS,

TO US.

YOU'VE EXECUTED

MEN FOR LESS.

REVOLUTIONS ARE:

NEVER BLOODLESS.

THIS BRIEF REIGN OF TERROR,

WILL PURGE THE LAND OF ALL CORRUPTION.

AND TAKE US:

TO NEW HEIGHTS.

BE CAREFUL WHERE I TAKES YOU, PAUL.

TO A NEW ORDER.

TO THE DAY OF GLORY.

AND WE WILL BE:

PROUD OF IT, MARGARITE,

YOU AND I. JUST AS

WE'VE ALWAYS DREAMED.

AND THEN I WILL:

MAKE YOU MY WIFE.

AND THE FUTURE:

WILL BE OURS.

SIR PERCY!

LORD, MADEMOISELLE,

YOU ARE EVEN:

MORE BEAUTIFUL, THAN I RECALL.

IF THAT IS POSSIBLE.

PAUL, THIS IS THE GENTLEMAN

WHO RESCUED ARMAND.

PAUL CHAUVELIN, CHIEF AGEN OF THE COMMITTEE OF NATIONAL SECURITY.

SIR PERCY BLAKENEY.

IT IS A PLEASURE...

MONSIEUR.

THE PLEASURE, I CAN

ASSURE YOU, IS ALL MINE.

MONSEWER.

HA, HA, HA.

I MUST APOLOGIZE

FOR ME TARDINESS.

'TWAS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE,

FINDING A CARRIAGE.

SINK ME, IF EVERYONE ISN' SO EQUAL IN YOUR NEW SOCIETY

THAT NO ONE WANTS TO DO

THE DRIVING ANYMORE.

I TAKE IT, SIR, THAT YOU DO NO APPROVE OF OUR NEW SOCIETY?

APPROVAL, SIR, IN MY OPINION,

DEMANDS THE ATTAINMENT OF PERFECTION.

AND IN THAT SENSE,

YOU RATHER OVERRATE

THE CHARM OF YOUR SOCIETY.

FAITH, FOR ONE THING,

IT DOES SEEM MONSTROUS

ILL-DRESSED FOR

ANY SOCIETY,

EVEN A NEW ONE.

SINK ME, YOUR TAILORS

HAVE BETRAYED YOU.

BETRAYED US? WE PRIDE OURSELVES

ON OUR FRENCH TAILORS.

ODDS FISH, MY DEAR FELLOW,

SUCH SHODDY WORKMANSHIP

WOULD NOT BE TOLERATED IN

LONDON FOR ONE TINY INSTANT.

LOOK YOU HERE, SIR,

AT THIS LIMP CRAVAT.

I ASK YOU!

OR THE SORRY CU OF THIS SLEEVE.

NO, NO, NO.

OF THE SAD STATE

OF THOSE CUFFS.

SINK ME, I CAN HARDLY BRING

MESELF TO LOOK UPON THEM.

NO, NO, NO, SIR.

IF THIS IS THE BES YOUR TAILORS CAN DO.

'TWOULD SERVE YOU BETTER

TO SEND THEM TO THE GUILLOTINE.

WE WILL SEND:

OUR KING, INSTEAD, SIR,

AND EXALT OUR TAILORS.

MORE'S THE PITY.

THEN YOUR TAILORS

WILL RULE THE LAND,

AND NO ONE WILL:

MAKE THE CLOTHES.

SO MUCH FOR:

FRENCH FASHION,

AND FRENCH POLITICS.

WHAT IS IT YOU FRENCHIES SAY?

TWO-SHAY...,

YOU SEE, I'M A BIT OF A POET,

AND YOU DID NOT KNOW IT.

WHAT?

WELL, IT HAS BEEN MOS AMUSING, SIR PERCY.

BUT, IF YOU WILL EXCUSE ME,

I HAVE SOMEONE I MUST SEE INSIDE.

MARGUERITE, MY DEAR.

YOU REALLY MUSTNT TEASE

CHAUVELIN SO RECKLESSLY.

HE'S VERY POWERFUL

IN THE GOVERNMENT.

ALREADY, HE'S ROBESPIERRE'S

MOST TRUSTED AGENT.

THE ONLY POWER THAT I

CAN SEE AT PRESENT, MADEMOISELLE,

IS THE POWER...

OF YOUR BEAUTY.

BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE

OF THE BEHOLDER, SIR PERCY.

THIS BEHOLDER...

IS ENCHANTED.

IF I WERE TO TELL YOU

THAT I ADORE YOU,

WOULD YOU HAVE ME

DO SO, STINTINGLY?

ADORE ME?

OR WOULD YOU HAVE

ME DECLARE IT AS I FEEL IT?

WITH ALL MY HEART.

BUT YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS.

YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME.

EXACTLY SO.

WHICH IS WHY I:

YEARN TO KNOW EVERYTHING.

YOU MUST TELL ME

ALL ABOUT YOURSELF.

IN EVERY DETAIL.

BUT EVER SO SLOWLY.

SO VERY SLOWLY.

SO THAT IT TAKES A VERY...

VERY LONG TIME.

I DON'T KNOW WHETHER

ARE MAD, OR...

DESPERATELY IN LOVE.

'TIS ALL THE SAME.

TELL ME IF YOU CAN...

THAT YOU DO NOT FEEL IT?

PLEASE...

YOU MOVE TOO FAST.

MY HEART...

DICTATES THE PACE.

GOOD MORNING, CITIZEN

ROBESPIERRE.

THANK YOU, ST. CYR.

CHAUVELIN.

THE REPORT INFORMS ME,

THERE MAY BE AN ATTEMP

TO RESCUE THE ROYAL FAMILY,

PARTICULARLY, THE YOUNG

DAUPHIN, HEIR TO THE THRONE.

I SHALL SEE TO IT THA SECURITY IS TIGHTENED AT ONCE.

AND ANOTHER THING, THERE IS

ONE ENEMY OF THE REPUBLIC

IN PARTICULAR WHO CONTINUES

TO ELUDE US, A MAN WE CONSIDER

MORE DANGEROUS THAN ALL THE

OTHERS COMBINED,

THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL.

WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, CITIZEN,

THE MAN HAS SPARED BARELY

A HANDFUL FROM THE GUILLOTINE,

OUT OF HUNDREDS.

SURELY, WE OVERESTIMATE

HIS IMPORTANCE.

ON THE CONTRARY, UNCHECKED

HIS CONTINUED SUCCESS COULD

UNDERMINE THE REVOLUTION ITSELF.

UNDERMINE THE REVOLUTION?

BY RAISING THE HOPES OF

THOSE WHO ARE CONSPIRING

TO OVERTHROW THE REPUBLIC

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