The Skin Game Page #5

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I serve my employer,

but I'm flesh

and blood, too.

And I give as good

as I get.

I hate this family

of yours.

There's no name

too bad for them

to call me this

last week,

no looks too bad

to give me.

I tell you frankly,

I hate them.

There's good in them,

same as in you.

Ah, there's no good Hornblower

but a dead Hornblower.

But I'm not one?

No, but you'll be the mother

of some, I shouldn't wonder.

Oh, leave me alone, do?

I'm happy here.

Be a sport.

Oh, be a sport.

You can't get round me

, so don't try to.

Oh, it's such a bad time

in the old days.

Oh, do. You might.

You've been fond of

some woman, I suppose.

Think of her.

Now, look here,

mrs. Chloe.

You're only a small

fry in this game,

u.

But I've got to use yo

look here.

Don't you make

an enemy of me.

I haven't been dragged

through hell for nothing.

Women like me can fight,

I can tell you.

Ah, that's better.

I'd rather have a woman

threaten than whine any day.

Go on, threaten away.

Look, there's some money.

It's all I've got.

Take it and drop me out,

won't you? Won't you?

You mistake your man,

missy.

Don't you try those

games on with me.

Oh, you're a beast.

A beast.

A cruel, cowardly beast.

And how dare you bribe

my man to spy on me.

Oh, yes, you do.

You know you do.

If you drove me mad,

you wouldn't care, you beast.

Don't carry on. It won

't get you anywhere.

I hope your mother

and your sisters

if you have any are going through

what I've been going through

ever since you got

on my track.

I hope they'll know

what fear means.

I hope they'll love and find

it's hanging on a thread.

Oh, you coward.

You bastard.

You coward.

Calling yourself a man.

Oh, you're quite

pretty like that.

You're a handsome woma

n when you're aroused.

Is there anything you'll

take not to mess up my life?

Now, look here,

mrs. Chloe.

I've got to go

through with this.

I don't want anything

you can give me,

but I'll let you down

as lightly as I can.

Chloe!

Hello, Chloe.

What are you doing here?

I've been looking for

you all over the place.

I thought I heard

someone talking.

No. I think I'll go to my

room now and have a liedown.

My head's splitting.

Aye, sure. It's damn cold

out here. Come on, love.

I say, what, uh...

what gives you

these heads? Hmm?

You've been having the

m for nearly a month now.

I don't know.

Except that I am going

to have a child, Charlie.

What?

Are you glad?

Of course. I mean,

I suppose I am.

It seems funny, somehow,

you would be having a kid.

The governor will be

mighty pleased, anyway.

Oh, don't tell him yet.

All right,

poor old girl.

I saw you not well.

Kiss, kiss.

You're like fire.

Are you all right?

Oh, not so bad.

Are you happy

with me, Charlie?

What do you think?

You wouldn't easily believe

things against me, would you?

Oh, you're thinking of

those Hillcrists again.

What the hell that woman means

by her attitude towards you, I...

when I saw her there today,

I had all my work out but

to give her a bit of my mind.

This quarrel's

getting on my nerves.

Yes, and we won't forget.

We'll make them pay for it.

Oh! I didn't mean that

can't you get your father

to stop it, Charlie?

Whatever for?

Now, look here, Chloe.

Here, do this.

What's behind all this?

What do you mean?

You're carrying on as

if you were really scared.

Here, come sit down.

I tell you, we've

got these people.

Why, they'll have them out

of deepwater in 6 months.

It's absolute ruination

to their beastly old house.

We'll put our chimneys on the

very edge, not 300 yards off.

And our smoke will be

drifting right over them.

Won't have this confounded,

stuck-up woman here much longer.

And then we can really go

ahead and take our proper place.

So long as she's here,

we shall never do that.

We've only got to drive

on now as fast as we can.

I see.

You know, if you go

on like this,

I shall begin

to think that...

Charlie!

There. You want a good

rest, that's all.

You haven't started your

dinner yet, have you?

You go down and I'll go

to bed quite soon.

Don't stop loving me,

Charlie.

Stop? Not much.

Seeing you yesterday at

the auction did seem rotten.

We didn't begin it.

No, but you don't

understand.

If you've made yoursel

f as father has...

I hope I should be sorry.

Now, that's not

like you.

He can't help thinking

he's a public benefactor.

And we can't help

thinking he's a pig.

Oh, sorry.

If the survival of

the fittest is right...

he may be the fitter, but

he isn't going to survive.

It looks like it though.

Is that all

you came to say?

No.

Couldn't... couldn't

we join together?

Couldn't we stop it?

I don't feel like joining.

Well, we did

shake hands.

You can't fight

and not grow bitter.

I don't feel bitter.

Oh, wait.

You will soon enough.

Why?

Oh, Chloe.

I do think your mother'

s manner to her is...

well?

Well, snobbish.

She may not be

in your class,

but that's just

why it's snobbish.

I think you better

shut up.

What my father

said was true.

Your mother's rudeness

to her yesterday

has made both he and

Charlie ever so much bitter.

Is this

a whistling matter?

No.

I suppose you

want me to go.

Yes.

All right. Aren't we ever

going to be friends again?

I don't expect so.

That's very horrible.

Lots of horrible

things in this world.

It's up to us to make

them pure, Jill.

And be immoral?

That's the last thing

I want to be.

I only want

to be friendly.

That would be

a real first.

Yes, but... but from

the big point of view...

there isn't any.

We're all out

for our own. And why not?

By jove, you have got...

cynical?

Each man for himself.

That's the winner,

hands down. Good-bye.

Jill. Jill.

? Should old acquaintance

be forgot for the...?

Oh.

All right, I'll go

and tell her.

Excuse me, madam.

Mr. Dawker's here...

now, this may come

into court, you know,

so if there's a weak

point in any way,

better administer

it at once.

You are absolutely

sure of the girl?

There's no

question of it.

Here's a cutting

of the actual case.

Hmm.

Come this way.

Morning, ma'am.

I brought my friend's

partner with me.

Is mr. Hornblower coming?

At 11:
00.

But only after I had sent

up a second note to him.

Squire's not in?

L... I haven't

told him.

Well, I think our friends

might wait in there,

then we can use

them when we want to.

Will you make yourselves comfortable?

I've had this drawn

and engrossed.

Pretty smart work.

It conveys that centry added long

meadow to the squire for 4,500.

Now, mum, if Hornblower

puts his hand to that,

he'll have been done in the

eye and 6,000 out of pocket.

You will have a very

nasty neighbor there.

But we shall still have the power

to disclose that secret at any time?

Yeah, but things may happen

you can't bring home to him.

You can't trust

a man like that.

He isn't likely to

forgive me, I know.

But if he signs, we

couldn't honor that.

No, no, ma'am.

You couldn't.

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