The Scarlet Pimpernel Page #5

AS YOU CAN SEE,

I AM QUITE BUSY.

I CAME TO FIND OUT WHA YOU HAVE DECIDED TO DO

ABOUT THE MARQUIS DE ST. CYR.

THAT'S MY AFFAIR,

NOT YOURS.

NO, IT IS MY AFFAIR.

AS CHIEF AGENT OF THE COMMITTEE

OF NATIONAL SECURITY

I WANT TO KNOW IF YOU

INTEND TO DO YOUR DUTY

AS A CITIZEN AND REPORT HIM.

AND IF I SAY NO?

THEN, I AM PREPARED

TO DO IT FOR YOU.

YOU GAVE ME YOUR WORD.

MARGUERITE.

YOU FORCE MY HAND.

YOU HAVE BETRAYED

MY CONFIDENCE.

IT APPEARS THAT WE HAVE

BOTH MISJUDGED ONE ANOTHER.

[UNLOCKING AND OPENING

A PRISON CELL DOOR]

MR. BLAND.

YOU'VE GOT VISITORS.

LET HIM REST FOR A LITTLE

MORE TIME. LEAVE HIM BE.

SHUT UP, WOMAN.

THERE HE IS, BARON.

KING LOUIS' LITTLE BRA IN THE FLESH.

HEH, HEH. WHAT'S

THE MATTER?

YOUR ARISTOCRATIC

SENSIBILITIES OFFENDED?

ARE THEY TREATING YOU

WELL, YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS?

WELL, ENOUGH.

GET HIM UP, DUVAL.

WALK HIM AROUND.

NO, THAT WON' BE NECESSARY.

I'VE SEEN ALL I WISH

TO SEE, THANK YOU.

[CELL DOOR CLOSES]

MY DEAR MARQUIS, THERE ARE

GUARDS ALL OVER THE PLACE.

POSITIONED HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE,

HERE, AND THIS APARTMENT HERE

HOUSES THE COUPLE WHO

ARE LOOKING AFTER THE DAUPHIN.

SO YOU SEE, IT WOULD BE

HUMANLY IMPOSSIBLE

TO GET THE YOUNG

BOY OUT OF THE PLACE.

[LOUD KNOCKING]

IN THE NAME OF THE REPUBLIC,

OPEN UP.

OPEN IN THE NAME

OF THE REPUBLIC:

[DOOR OPENS SUDDENLY]

ARREST THEM BOTH.

WHAT'S THE MEANING

OF THIS?

I HAVE AN ORDER FOR THE

ARREST OF THE MARQUIS DE ST. CYR.

ONE MOMENT CAPTAIN.

ONE MOMENT.

I THINK YOU'D BETTER

HAVE A LOOK AT THIS.

A CERTIFICATE OF IMMUNITY.

YOU ARE THE BARON DE BATZ?

PRECISELY.

SIGNED, AS YOU CAN SEE,

BY CITIZEN FOUQUET, HIMSELF.

RELEASE THE MAN.

I DEMAND TO KNOW

THE CHARGE.

TREASON.

TREASON, WHO ACCUSES

ME OF TREASON?

I WILL HAVE HIS NAME!

SEE FOR YOURSELF.

IT'S WRITTEN

ON THE WARRANT.

MARGUERITE ST. JUST?

BUT I...I HARDLY

KNOW THE WOMAN.

I WILL.

I WILL.

I PERCY, TAKE THEE,

MARGUERITE, TO MY WEDDED WIFE.

I, MARGUERITE, TAKE THEE,

PERCY, TO MY WEDDED HUSBAND.

WITH THIS RING,

I THEE WED.

THIS GOLD AND SILVER,

I THEE GIVE.

WITH MY BODY,

I THEE WORSHIP.

WITH ALL MY WORLDLY

GOODS, I THEE ENDOW.

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER,

AND OF THE SON,

AND OF THE HOLY GHOST,

AMEN.

WE'RE OFF TO LONDON

IN THE MORNING.

ISN'T IT WONDERFUL?

ARMAND FOLLOWS:

IN A FEW DAYS:

FEW DAYS?

NATURALLY, CHAUVELIN IS

ANXIOUS TO ASSUME HIS NEW

POST AS SPECIAL ENVOY.

LOOK AT HER, TONY.

TELL ME IF YOU CAN,

THAT I'M NOT THE MOS

FORTUNATE MAN ALIVE.

HOW THEY BUZZ ROUND HER,

LIKE BEES TO HONEY.

POOR LOUISE, THINGS WERE

ALL OF THAT THEN TO ENGLAND.

HUH? WELL, I HAVE ASKED

HER TO COME ALONG

AND BE MY WIFE.

AND GIVE UP A PERFECTLY

MARVELOUS CAREER?

DON'T YOU DARE, MY DEAR.

HE'S NOT WORTH IT.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO

ABOUT CITIZEN ROBESPIERRE'S

DEMAND FOR ACTION?

THE DE TOURNEYS:

ARE LOST TO US.

I THINK I MAY HAVE

FOUND AN EXCELLEN

REPLACEMENT FOR:

THE COUNT DE TOURNEY.

PERHAPS, EVEN, AN

IMPROVEMENT.

IN MARGUERITE ST. JUST?

IN THE WIFE OF SIR PERCY

BLAKENEY, BARONET.

EVERY DOOR IN LONDON

WILL BE OPEN TO HER.

EVERY CONFIDENCE SHARED.

EVERY SECRET KNOWN.

SHE ISN'T AWARE OF IT YET, PONCEAU,

BUT LADY BLAKENEY IS GOING

TO LEAD ME TO OUR ELUSIVE FRIEND

THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL.

I'VE NEVER SEEN HER

LOOKING HAPPIER.

AS WELL SHE MIGHT.

ON THE SAME DAY SHE

MARRIES THE MAN SHE LOVES,

HAVE HER REVENGE

ON THE MAN SHE HATES.

- THE MAN SHE HATES, BARON?

- THE MARQUIS ST. CYR.

FOR WHAT HE DID:

TO HER BROTHER.

AND WHAT MANNER OF REVENGE

MIGHT SHE HAVE HAD ON THE MARQUIS?

WELL, HAVING HIM ARRESTED

FOR TREASON, OF COURSE.

WHAT LEADS YOU TO BELIEVE

THAT MY WIFE WAS

INVOLVED IN THAT?

OH, COME, SIR PERCY, YOU

NEED HAVE NO PRETENSES WITH ME.

I SAW THE WARRANT FOR HIS

ARREST WITH MY OWN EYES.

PHEW! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!

YOU WIFE'S NAME WAS ON IT.

FOR WHICH WE HAVE

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.

AFTER ALL, I AM A MAN

OF EXTREME DISCRETION.

PERCY, DON'T...

THE MAN WILL BE:

GUILLOTINED FOR THIS.

MY DEAR, SIR PERCY,

HAVE YOU NOT HEARD?

THE MARQUIS DE ST. CYR

AND HIS ENTIRE FAMILY

WERE BEHEADED THIS

VERY MORNING.

ALL OF THEM?

THE CHILDREN AS WELL?

WELL...WELL, YES.

SIR PERCY, I...I'D ACTUALLY

ASSUMED THAT YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS.

WELL, I THOUGHT THAT...

EXCUSE ME.

I'M TRULY SORRY.

SHE MUST NEVER KNOW

THAT I SUSPEC ANY OF THIS.

WE ARE ABOUT TO EMBARK

UPON THE MOST DANGEROUS

MISSION YET.

TO SAVE THE HEIR OF THE

THRONE OF FRANCE.

FROM THIS MOMENT ON

SHE MUST NEVER BE TRUSTED.

WE CANNOT RISK BETRAYAL.

I ONLY PRAY TO GOD THA I CAN CONCEAL FROM HER

THE HORROR I FEEL

AT WHAT SHE HAS DONE.

HOPE THESE GUARDS CATCH 'EM.

THERE'S A GOOD BOY.

NOW YOU TAKE YOUR MEDICINE.

SAY YOUR PRAYERS

FOR THE NICE GENTLEMEN.

THEN YOU CAN GO BACK TO BED.

WHAT MANNER OF MEDICINE

ARE YOU GIVING HIM?

NEVER FEAR, CITIZEN, IT'S

GOOD, STRONG COGNAC.

NOW TAKE IT BOY.

YOU KNOW, IT MAKES

PAPA DUVAL VERY ANGRY

IF YOU DON'T FINISH

EVERY DROP.

THERE, THAT IS

MORE LIKE IT!

NOW THESE GENTLEMEN

WOULD LIKE TO HEAR

YOU SAY YOUR CATECHISM.

- YOUR NAME:

- LOUIS CHARLES CAPET.

LET'S HEAR IT:

LOUIS CHARLES CAPET.

YOUR AGE:

EIGHT.

YOUR NATIONALITY:

CITIZEN OF THE REPUBLIC OF FRANCE.

YOUR FATHER'S NAME:

LOUIS CAPET.

HIS PROFESSION:

FORMER KING, TYRANT AND DEBAUCHER.

HOW DID HE PERISH:

BY THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE.

WHO WAS YOUR MOTHER:

MARIE ANTOINETTE OF AUSTRIA.

HER PROFESSION:

FORMER QUEEN AND WHORE.

HOW DID SHE PERISH:

BY THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE.

AND WHAT DO YOU SAY

TO THEIR MEMORIES:

- I SPIT UPON THEIR GRAVES.

- AGAIN,

- I SPIT UPON THEIR GRAVES.

- AGAIN!

THAT WILL DO.

HOWEVER, I STILL DETEC A TRACE OF DEFIANCE

IN THOSE ROYAL EYES.

KEEP AT IT, FOUQUET.

HE MUST BE ALL OURS.

SINK ME,

WHAT IS THE TIME?

WE SHALL BE MONSTROUS

LATE AT HIS HIGHNESS'

GARDEN PARTY.

I'M AFRAID I CAN'T JOIN

YOU PERCY, I MUST GET BACK

TO THE EMBASSY.

CHAUVELIN IS EXPECTING ME.

- WHAT NEWS OF THE COURIER?

- NONE

ODD.

YOU MADE INQUIRIES?

IT'S TOO DIFFICULT.

CHAUVELIN IS BECOMING

SUSPICIOUS OF EVERYONE

AT THE EMBASSY, INCLUDING ME.

YOU HAVE PERFORMED

AN INVALUABLE SERVICE

TO US THESE PAST FEW

MONTHS, ARMAND.

WITHOUT YOU, WE WOULD NOT HAVE

HAD ANY IDEA AS TO BOY'S FATE.

WHEN I THINK WHAT THEY'RE

DOING TO THAT CHILD!

WHY?

WHAT DO THEY HAVE TO GAIN BY IT?

TO RENDER HIM USELESS TO ANYONE

WHO MIGHT TRY AND RESCUE HIM.

BUT TIME IS RUNNING OUT. WE MUS ACT SOON, OR THEY WILL SUCCEED.

HAVE YOU A PLAN?

WE WAIT ONLY FOR FIRST THE NEWS

OF ANY CHANGE IN THE BOY'S ROUTINE.

THAT WILL BE OUR

SIGNAL TO MOVE.

AND MOVE WE MUST.

SWIFTLY AND SURELY.

THAT IS WHY THESE COMMUNIQUS

FROM PARIS ARE SO CRUCIAL.

THE NEXT MAY BE OUR SIGNAL.

[DOOR OPENS]

AHHHHH,

MY DEAR.

SHALL WE AWAY?

THE DUKE AND DUCHESS

OF RADNOR.

[PEACOCK CRIES

ARE HEARD]

THE DUKE OF ALBANY

AND HIS DAUGHTERS.

LADY BRECKNY AND

LADY DARLINGTON.

[PEACOCK CALL]

SIR PERCIVAL AND

LADY BLAKENEY.

THEY SAY, SHE ONLY MARRIED

HIM FOR HIS MONEY.

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