Titanic Page #2

Maitire d'hotel, where is Mrs Sturges' table?

Mother. Look!

Well, well.

This ship is filled with nice people.

- Hello, Mr Sturges.

- Richard!

Pommery, 1892.

Mrs Straus, be careful of this old fox.

He has plans.

- Father! How did you get aboard?

- Norman.

By the back door. Good to see you, boy.

- Hello, Sandy.

- Well... I can see a bridge game at last.

Mrs Widener. George.

- Annette.

- Father.

Julia. You all look splendid,

and this is going to be great fun.

- I'll get us a better table tomorrow.

- Daddy, I'm so glad you're here.

I hope this doesn't upset your plans, Julia.

But Norman and I can bunk together.

It's wonderful that you could get away.

- My family will be pleased.

- It makes it a better celebration already.

Can I send a message to Grandfather?

They have a wireless place upstairs.

Might be a good idea. Run along.

Nothing now, thank you.

I'll have a sandwich in the bar.

Annette, I wonder

if you'd get a wrap for your mother.

Yes, angel.

Something funny about you, Father. I know.

I've never seen you without a flower before.

Finish your coffee, Julia.

We can walk on deck while I tell you

what I think of your performance.

I'm in no hurry to finish my coffee,

and not too interested in your opinion.

If I hadn't phoned the house,

you'd have got away with it.

Will you explain

why you're kidnapping my children?

- I'm not. I'm rescuing them.

- From what?

- From you.

- That was my guess.

This family reunion story

is a deliberate trick to get them away.

It is. And they're never going back.

They're going to stop

being rootless hotel children.

- What's wrong with hotels?

- Oh, Richard, I...

Richard, please try to see this sanely.

We're Americans. We belong in America.

And yet for years we've been galloping

all over Europe to be in the proper places.

Winter in St Moritz,

Deauville in season, summer in...

What's the use?

The same silly calendar, year after year.

- Look at Annette.

- I have, with great pride.

She's entertaining, she's discriminating,

she has grace and style.

She's an arrogant little prig.

So you've chosen to drag her back

to the glories of Mackinac, Michigan.

Any town in any state

becomes comic on your lips.

But that's where she's going.

To a big, ugly, pleasant house

with the scent of lilacs around it.

Oh, don't worry. She won't turn out dowdy.

She'll meet dozens of nice boys.

I have something better in mind for her

than being tied down to a lumber salesman.

I know what you have in mind.

I've seen a great many international

marriages, but never a happy one.

I don't want to seem over-eager,

but, uh, could we...?

Not tonight, Sandy, thank you.

More coffee, Julia?

Do you think Annette will be grateful to you

for hauling her into the wilderness?

In time. And as for Norman,

I can only tell you this:

there's not going to be a carriage

waiting for him at 9am every morning.

From now on, he's going to walk to school.

Hm. I should have anticipated this.

20 years ago, I made the mistake

of thinking I could civilise a girl

who bought her hats

out of a Sears, Roebuck catalogue.

I was wrong. And don't think

I haven't had my share of regrets.

One thing, Richard.

You've... you've always been honest.

Will this one do?

Where's Father?

Never mind. It's bedtime.

Come on. It's been a long day.

I sent the wireless, sir.

Good.

Well...

- One game of checkers before we turn in?

- Yes, sir.

No more sea gulls.

It's a mystery, it is.

Take all the fish in the sea.

There must be millions.

And you don't feel friendly

towards a single one.

But put a bird in the sky,

and you feel like old chums.

Listen, lad. This'll teach you

what kind of a boat you're working on.

"Mr James J Hays, on board the Titanic."

When he gets to New York, he'll have

a private train waiting for him.

- That's handy. No waiting for a seat.

- "Mr Benjamin Guggenheim."

"Countess of Rothes. Lady Duff Gordon.

Colonel Archibald Butts."

The ship I was on before,

all we got was weather reports.

Yes, sir?

A form, please.

- Guess I broke the pencil.

- Perhaps I could take it down for you.

No, no, no. I'll do it myself.

Um... Maybe if you would...

It's to my brother.

It's Mr Frank Healey,

689 Boylston Street, Boston.

I am coming home.

I think you should advise the family now

that last week the authorities in Rome...

"Authorities in Rome..."

...authorities in Rome...

- I've got that, sir.

- Oh.

Well, then say, uh...

I'll be back later.

The bar doesn't open till 11:30.

It's the rule on British ships, sir.

I forgot.

- A cup of bouillon, sir?

- No, thank you.

He's not interested.

That poor fella had no dinner last night

and no breakfast this morning.

- What ails him?

- I've seen that look before.

- He's a runaway.

- From what? Some woman?

No. He's running too fast for that.

- What's the commotion?

- Where I come from,

this'd be a revival meeting or a crap game.

Get your tickets for the anchor pool.

Ten dollars gives you a chance to win 600.

Wait a minute. I wanna get in on this.

How do you play this?

Draw a number. If it corresponds

to the minute we drop anchor, you win.

Five.

Don't be shy there, Mr Straus.

Draw a good one.

You draw, Mama.

- What's our lucky number, dear?

- Seventeen.

Hey, Tom. Here. You get it, will you?

Morning. They're selling tickets

on the anchor pool down there.

- Oh?

- Yes. I thought you didn't notice.

- Maybe I could get one for you.

- No, thank you. I'm not much of a gambler.

- How about some soup? Nice and hot.

- Thank you. I just had some.

Oh, this is for Purdue.

It's a college out in Indiana.

- Everybody thinks it's Princeton.

- I see.

Well, to answer your question,

her name is Annette, she's going on 18,

- and I think she's very pretty too.

- Well, now that you brought it up,

I think I kinda got off

on the wrong foot with her.

When I asked her

if I could sit next to her,

she said she'd rather stand

all the way to New York.

- What's your name?

- Giff Rogers. Gifford is a family name.

My mother said one of us

had to be called Gifford.

Sorry.

I always get friendly, pop off the bat.

- Sit down.

- I'm on the tennis team.

The athletic association shot us over to play

Oxford during Easter. We lost every match.

- Will she be at the dance tonight?

- She likes music.

I'd better get my blue suit pressed.

Still the same. Young men hurrying

to get their blue suits pressed.

Mrs Sturges, I bet I can count on you

to put in a good word for me.

"When I was one-and-twenty,

I heard a wise man say,

"'Give crowns and pounds and guineas

But not your heart away;

"'Give pearls away and rubies

But keep your fancy free. '

"But I was one-and-twenty,

No use to talk to me.

"When I was one-and-twenty

I heard him say again,

"'The heart out of the bosom

Was never given in vain;

"'This paid with sighs a plenty

And sold for endless rue. " '

That's pretty. But do you believe it?

I can't answer for myself,

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