This Above All Page #7

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- No, thanks, miss.

You see,

I had my lunch around 1:00.

Well, you'll be wanting

to get dressed, Prue.

Don't you mind me, miss.

Look, Monty, as a matter of fact,

this is her room.

Oh, sorry, miss. My mistake.

- Come along. See where I sleep.

- Oh.

- Did you have a nice trip down?

- Aye, I'll say I did.

- There were two marines on the train and a commercial traveler.

- Mind your head.

We got the civvy into poker

and squeezed him every pot.

I made enough to pay for

the whole trip down and back.

Hey, have you got

any ghosts in here?

No, this is where the old smugglers

used to hide. Sit down.

- I'll bet you got beetles, though.

- Beetles?

There's always beetles

under these old roofs.

Sorry, Nipper. I put my foot

right in it that time.

- Did you bring her down with you or find her here?

- She came with me, of course.

Aye. I might have guessed that.

Accidents like that don't happen so neat.

She's a nice girl.

- Oh, she's a nice girl, sure.

- Well, she is!

Well, I said so, didn't I?

Oh, come off it, Nipper.

I was not born yesterday.

No more were you.

You don't have to make excuses.

- How long is your leave, Monty?

- Twenty-four hours.

Take the first train up

in the morning.

- We'll have to have a talk, Nipper.

- All right.

- How much does she know?

- Look, Monty. You said you'd come down here for a binge.

- Well, I had to say something, didn't I?

- All right, we'll have our binge.

- Come on. Have a drink.

- Okay.

Yes?

- Can we come through?

- Come on.

We'll be at the bar, Prue.

Would Mr. Montague

care to have lunch with us, Clive?

- Of course.

- On one condition, little lady.

- Dinner tonight on yours truly.

- Lovely.

- Well, she did not think so much of me, does she?

- She will...

if you stop thinking

she's what you're thinking.

Okay, Nipper. I'll treat her as if

she were a bloomin' society debutante.

Then you'll be treating her

for exactly what she is.

#And then you've bitten off #

# Much more than you can chew #

# Come on

Hold your hand out #

#We're all fed up with you #

# Cor blimey #

#Adolf, you toddle off

and all your Nazis too #

# Or you may get something

to remind you #

# Of the old red, white and blue #

#We're sick of all the fuddle

and the mess you've made #

Go ahead. See if you

can find a table, Monty.

- I'll get the drinks. What'll you have, Prue?

- Gin and French.

- Pint of the old and mild for me, nipper.

- Right.

- Come on, little lady. We'll dance across.

- Love to.

#Adolf, you've bitten off

much more than you can chew #

# Come on

Hold your hand out #

#We're all fed up with you #

# Cor blimey ##

Hey, fellas,

look who's here! Monty!

- Monty, old boy.

- How are you, Monty? Come and sit down.

- How are you, Monty?

- Good.

Hello. Oh, here, miss. I want to introduce

some of the boys in the East Kent Fusiliers.

How do you do, miss?

Not bad, eh. Not bad, eh.

- Don't you think we ought to make sure of that table over there?

- Aye, miss.

- I'll see you later, boys.

- Don't you worry about that, Monty.

We'll be there, all right.

Oh, that's a bit of all right, ain't it?

- Somethin' I've been wantin' to tell you, miss.

- Yes?

Sorry I crashed into your room

this morning.

If I'd known you were there

I wouldn't have come in.

- Oh, that's all right.

- It's tough on a girl when she's gotta meet her chap's friends.

But don't you worry.

Don't you judge him on me.

He's class, and he's educated.

He may not fling it in your face,

but he's a real gent.

He thinks a lot of you too, Monty.

Well, that's because

we're in the same crowd.

When you work with a bloke, eat, sleep,

and drink with 'em for months on end...

you either want to shoot 'em

or die for 'em.

- Were you in France together?

- I'll say we were.

- Was he-Was he a good soldier?

- Was he a good soldier?

Let me tell you something.

I've been through two wars...

and I've seen every sort of man

in every sort of trouble.

And you can take it from me, miss,

the nipper is great.

If you could've seen him coming down the road

from Arras with ration bags slung over his back...

walking into hell

and cool as a cucumber...

and coming back the very

next night and doing it again!

You wouldn't have to ask me,

"Is he a good soldier?"

And I'll tell you something else.

He's up for a medal.

- He is?

- Aye.

D.C.M. - For carrying his wounded company

officer the last two miles to Dunkirk...

and then givin' up his own place

in the boat to help the wounded.

- If they asked me, I'd make it the V.C.

- Tell me about it.

Well, it was after the Belgies

had thrown up the sponge.

Look. Here's the street in Douai...

where we were fighting a rear guard

action to let the main army through.

"Hold Douai to the last man. "

That was our orders.

- Well, we got to here when theJerry opened fire.

- Here.

- Clive!

- When you two finally win this war, call me.

- I'll be at the bar.

- Monty was just telling me about the medal.

- What medal?

- He hasn't heard.

You're up for a medal, laddie

You're a bloomin' hero.

- What are you talking about?

- Fact. I had it firsthand from the sergeant major.

- Deputation from the East Kent Fusiliers.

- Now what's your trouble?

We tossed up odd man out for the privilege

of asking your lady for a dance...

and I was the lucky one.

Well, I'm not the lucky one at this table.

You're talking to the wrong bloke.

Oh, that's all right.

Do you mind, Clive?

- No. Go ahead.

- Oh, thanks. That's very nice.

Well, drinks on me, chaps.

Well, she's a nice enough girl.

Why didn't you keep your mouth shut, Monty?

You promised me, didn't you?

All right, all right.

I didn't start it. She asked me.

Asked you what?

- Good beer, isn't it?

- Yeah, it's all right.

Look here, nipper.

I hate talking the way I've got to...

but time's getting short

and this may be our last chance.

So we might just as well face it.

Absence without leave,

that's one thing.

But desertion, that's another.

You were given a month's sick leave

on the 10th ofJuly.

Today is the 15th of September.

Now, look, nipper.

We've been pals for a long time-

You might just as well save your breath,

Monty. I'm not going back.

- Oh, listen to me, nipper. She's a decent

enough girl- - She's got nothing to do with it.

Nothing! I made up my mind

a long time before I met her.

Well, if it isn't her, it doesn't

make any sense. You must be crazy.

Hey, Monty!

She dances all right, don't she?

Aye, laddie.

Let's talk sense, nipper.

We've all felt the way you do

one time or another.

Get so sick and tired we want to

clear out and never come back...

even if they shoot us.

But when the time comes,

we always go back.

You don't understand, Monty.

It's bigger than what

you're talking about.

It's bigger than me.

It's just something

that's deep down inside me.

Oh, it's got nothing to do with

being afraid or sleeping in the mud...

or going without food.

Well, it doesn't

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