Three Strangers Page #5

Fallon squealed.

Don't I know.

Let go of my arm,

Gabby.

Here's some grub.

It's all I could scrape up.

That'll

come in handy.

So Alfred of

the Blue Crown

Passed on the

good tidings, huh?

He just said the

bridge, that's all.

I've been an hour

looking.

It's a nice hideout.

And much more pleasant

than Mrs. Proctor's.

Let me show you around.

Well, first of all,

we have southern exposure.

And here, come here.

There's a beautiful view

of the river all the way-

Not in the daylight!

I'm sorry.

It's hard to imagine

one is not free

With a sky overhead.

Grub?

I had some lunch,

thanks.

You know,

I like it here.

You think we can stay, or do

we have to pay the city rent?

We've got to move on, Johnny. Where?

To monk varney's

up in aberdeen.

Aberdeen? And how

do we get there?

I've got it

all fixed.

Monk's got a car in a garage

over on bristol street.

I got the ticket.

They'd pick us all up as

soon as we showed our faces.

Not Johnny,

they wouldn't.

They don't know

him by sight.

He could go over to the garage

and meet us wherever we decide.

I'm not going

to aberdeen.

Why not?

I don't want to get

too far away from Fallon.

Oh.

Gabby, you better duck

till it's all over.

And then you can

come back.

Oh, all right-

But I'll come back.

Johnny-

I ain't never

seen you eat.

Not since you been

with us.

This is the first time.

I think I'm sober.

Talk, Johnny.

I like to hear you talk.

What about?

Anything

you have a mind to.

What were you thinking

just now?

Nothing.

I was looking at all the

lights in all these houses.

Yes?

You see, each light cuts a tiny

little circle out of the darkness,

And each circle is the

center of somebody's life.

People swing around

these lights

Like planets swing

around the stars.

And we ain't got a light,

is that what you're thinking?

If I only knew half

what you know,

A lot of things

would be different now.

Hasn't helped me much.

You're an odd number,

Johnny.

Gentleman, ain't you?

Was born one.

The booze?

No, not the booze.

The psyche.

You know about

the psyche?

Psyche?

It's what makes

human beings of us.

Is that a fact?

That's a fact.

Something is missing

from mine.

You know how it is with

a man who loses his leg

And how the leg

he hasn't got itches

And he goes

to scratch it?

Mmm.

It's like that with a missing

portion of my psyche anatomy.

Whenever it itches,

I take a drink.

Tonight, it's itching

like the devil.

It won't be

long now, Johnny.

Just till

we can get away,

And then you can drink

all you want.

I promise you.

I'm going to stick

with you, Johnny.

I'm going to

look after you.

What?

Wherever you go, that's

where I'm going, too.

What are you saying?

You see, nobody

has never treated me

The way you treat me.

Johnny, I've been

knocked about

Ever since I was a kid.

I can't remember

anything else.

I just thought that was

the way people acted,

That's all.

You make me feel like-

Like I was somebody.

At first I thought you

was making fun of me,

But you're not.

That's just

the way you are.

I'd hurt you

more than anybody.

You couldn't hurt

a soul, Johnny.

You can't even

hate anyone.

You don't even

hate Fallon.

No. That's right.

If I could hate

Fallon...

I suppose I...

I could love you.

Funny.

Whatever you say won't

change what I'm going to do.

Oy, Johnny.

Say, it's time

we were going, ain't it?

I think just about,

if I'm to meet you at 9:00.

Have you got

the car ticket?

Yes.

Icy gave it to me.

Now, wait for us

in the car

Down the street

from the Blue Crown.

You know just where

that is, don't you?

I could find the Blue Crown

in my sleep.

Johnny,

not in the Blue Crown.

No, not in

the Blue Crown.

Down the street from it.

Oh, you're sober.

Johnny, this is our one

chance to pull out of this.

I know.

Icy and me,

we're trusting you.

Get that. We're trusting

you to stay sober

Until you pick us up.

I promise you, Gabby,

by the big light in our ceiling,

The one we are

swinging around.

It's all right,

Gabby.

He'll do like

he promises.

Nice violets, mister?

Only sixpence a bunch.

No, not tonight.

Make your wife happy,

it will.

I haven't got a wife,

and if I had one,

A bunch of violets

wouldn't make her happy.

Uh, one minute.

Violets, mister?

No.

I- I've changed

my mind.

I- I think it would

make her happy.

Oh, here's one,

special nice.

Thank you.

Oh, thank you, sir.

Watch out for yourself

in back of you.

On the wagon?

Yes. Uh, I promised my wife-No

more booze till the baby comes.

So you're going

to have a baby, eh?

Well, we ought

to drink to that.

This is on me.

No, thanks.

You know, I've seen you

before somewhere.

I never forget a face.

In fact, I can almost

remember your name.

It's, uh...

James aloysius

mergatroyd.

Mergatroyd?

That's funny.

I would have said

something else.

You would?

Yes.

Now, let's see.

You're about 5'5",

brown eyes, dark hair,

With a continental

accent.

In fact,

you tally so closely

To the description of

a man named john west

That I'm afraid we're

going to have to take a walk

In the direction of

the nearest police station.

Anything you say.

Oh, by the way, is the

invitation still good?

Why, of course, Johnny.

I was a little worried

about that.

That was the only thing that

didn't check with our information:

Your refusing a drink.

Huh.

In there getting himself

tanked up he is.

I knew we couldn't

trust him.

He'll be here

in a minute, Gabby.

I'm gonna fetch him,

drag him out of there.

No. Stay here. There may be

coppers watching the place.

Inspector, I guess where I'm

going, I won't need these.

It's a copper.

He's got Johnny.

What was it?

You are lucky.

You get the cell

with the gramophone.

It belonged

to barry,

Him who chopped off

his uncle's head.

Oh.

He left it here

for anyone to use

Who might occupy

this cell.

That was 5 hangings ago.

5 ago.

It's broke, the record, in the middle.

It won't go

any further.

It keeps playing the same

thing over and over again.

Please don't do that.

You know, it gets on

the prisoners' nerves.

I imagine it would.

It's very simple.

I'll show you.

You see, you lift it up over here,

Put it down there...

yes.

And the record plays

as good as new.

Wowonder whether it's

the same with us who play it?

Sir robert.

Forgive me for coming

to your club,

But I simply

had to see you.

You're

Mrs. David Shackleford?

Yes. I've come to you because there's

nobody else that I can turn to.

Nobody.

Indeed.

It's about my husband,

of course.

He's in trouble.

Trouble? Not serious trouble, I hope.

What trouble,

Mrs. Shackleford?

He's up for a new post in the

dominions office, isn't he?

Yes.

I recommended him.

Oh, it will mean

so much to him...

And to me, too.

There's every likelihood that

the appointment will go through.

I do want David

to succeed.

He can do great things.

He can. He has the capacity.

If only...

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