Waltz of the Toreadors Page #3

At the moment she appears to be,

but she'll get over it.

Good God, sir,

has the Medical Corps got no honour?

How would you like me to slap your face for you?

Well, I'd slap yours back.

- Oh, would you?

-Yes. I would.

After all, I'm Acting President of the Sports Club,

you're merely the Honorary Secretary.

- Oh, am l?

- Yes.

Damn you, Grogan!

I'm going to close with you.

Aargh! Aargh! Aargh! Aargh!

En garde!

- Excuse me, that's my umbrella.

- Oh, that's your game, is it? Right, then.

Take that! That!

That! That!

That and...

Now what are you going to do, eh?

Unqualified, am l?

Touch.

All right, Casanova.

It's my best one.

My chrysanthemums.

- Oh, dear. Do be careful with it.

- What? What was that?

- Oh, no, sir. Nothing important.

- No you don't, Grogan! Come back in here.

Stand and fight like a man.

- Aargh! Aargh!

- Er..er...no, no.

Look, how often must I tell you?

Keep your sword arm up.

Up. You never were any damn good

with a sabre. Look. Look at this.

Mind what you're doing with that thing.

Oh, dear.

You're spry on your feet for a motor mechanic.

I do an hour's exercise every morning.

Well, we're both the same age. Look at this.

Feel it.

- Oh, you're pulling it in.

- No, I'm not. Now look at this.

There's nothing wrong...

nothing wrong with that.

- Disgusting.

- What?

Good heavens, I never noticed that before.

Leo.

Leo? Oh!

Mon Dieu, you are wounded!

- Of course I'm not.

- No, no.

- Who is this man?

- This is my good friend Dr Grogan.

- How do you...? Grogan?

- Yes.

- Kill him.

- Come, come, my love.

No, don't. Save him. He is our evidence.

Oh, thank you, thank you.

- What for, precisely?

- Never mind, none of your business.

What the deviI's going on here?

Look, my love,

would you allow the doctor and I to withdraw

for just a few moments and consult?

We won't keep you

more than just a few moments.

I want your advice, Grogan.

Very hard to come by today.

The doctor seems pressed for time.

- Are you still here?

- Some of the green ointment...

No, no, that's for your wife's complaint.

- Well, if it helped her...

- If it helped you, you'd end up in a museum.

Come back in a few months if it's not better.

- That's right.

Well, General, who's the lady?

- The lady?

- Mm-hm.

The lady is Mademoiselle Ste-Euverte -

the love of my life, as I am hers.

17 years this has been going on, Grogan.

17 years!

Yet she is still a maiden -

yes, oh, yes, a maiden -

and I am still a prisoner, blast it!

Bless my soul.

But, General, your life's nearly over.

Why are you still waiting?

Why? Because I'm a coward, that's why.

What, with all your medals and your 1 8 wounds?

Oh, well, those came to me in battle, sir.

Life is... Life is different, isn't it?

God damn it, General. Look, you're a soldier.

- You've got a kitbag, haven't you?

- What if I have got a kitbag, hm?

Well, pack it, sir. Three shirts, two pairs of pants,

half a dozen handkerchiefs and...off you go.

What do you mean, eh? What, fly the old coop?

Precisely.

What, leave...leave Emily?

Why not?

Yes, yes.

Why not? Why not, indeed?

Yes, and you'd better get a move on.

A few more years' delay,

and Mademoiselle will die a young girl.

Oh, don't, don't, don't!

I don't know, Grogan. It all seems to me

like some fantastic flight to the moon.

Then fly, General.

Fly.

Damn it, I'll do it. I'll do it, Grogan.

I'm 30 years old, you know.

I am, I swear it to you.

30. Don't I look it?

- One hour's exercise in the morning.

- Oh, well, that's nothing. I can cope with that.

Lieutenant Fitzjohn, yes.

Don't take any notice of this.

Ah, Ghislaine.

Ghislaine?

Ghislaine, I've made my decision.

I'm leaving Emily.

We shall be together for always.

Oh, my dearest.

Come, my love. We must go home and tell her.

Oh, yes, Leo.

Mademoiselle,

may I ofter you a lift in my car?

- It is all right, Leo?

- Yes, of course it is.

- You two go ahead.

- Thank you.

- Your bird, sir.

- Thank you, sir.

- Hurry, Leo.

- I'll be home before you, my love.

- Papa! Papa! What do you think of...?

- Out of my way. Can't you see I'm in a hurry?

What do you think of them, Papa?

You're obstructing a senior officer

in the execution of his duty.

- Out of it.

- General.

On the rampage as ever, I see.

Oh, I've a...little urgent business, Mrs Bulstrode.

Then come and take a glass

of my cranberry wine with me first.

lt always did refresh you.

- Well, er...just a spot, then, and er...

- Papa!

- Only for a moment, perhaps.

- Papa, Papa!

Please come and see our dresses, Papa.

Get inside, you silly little geese. Go along.

By Jove, Emma, what a figure!

You're lovely and tempting

and swish-swishing as ever.

Oh, come now, General.

All that was over years ago.

What? Never. I'm 30, I tell you, and I swear it.

But can you prove it?

We had to perform miracles

to make beauties out of these girls.

More than their mother could do.

This is lovely material, Emma.

- Now, General, look at your daughters.

- This is rather nice here.

What's, er...

what's it going to cost me, Emma, eh?

- Now, you know I'm very reasonable.

- Oh, Emma, how I wish you were.

Oh, God. Robert,

take these two stupid girls out for a walk.

It's much too nice a day to moon around indoors.

Yes, take us for a walk, Robert.

Yes, do. You haven't chosen one of us yet,

and you've got to.

Now, Emma, these repeated refusals of yours

are quite absurd.

Oh, stop it, you wicked man!

Emma, Emma, you still keep the cranberry

in the changing room, do you?

I suppose I shall have to give you a nip

before you'll go.

Oh, you devastating...little creature.

lt was never as hot as this in India, Emma.

- What can have happened?

- I don't know. It's difficult to say.

It's rather like a woman, you know.

Her illness may be completely imaginary.

I don't mean your motorcar.

Do you think he has fallen off his horse?

Oh, no, gentlemen don't falloff horses,

Mademoiselle.

No, they're thrown.

Leo, where have you been?

Sorry, my love.

Just a little business I had to attend to.

Well, into battle, eh?

- Courage, mon amour.

- Yes, yes.

- Where is she?

- Upstairs, my love.

Now, look. You be a good girl, wait in the study,

and I'll go up and get this damn business over.

Don't be long, Leo.

I can't bear to be away from you.

Nor I from you, my love.

Nor I from you.

My General.

- Forward march.

- That's precisely what I was doing.

I know, I know. Courage.

- Leo?

- Yes, my love?

I can't stand it.

Damn it all, Ghislaine,

you've stood it for 1 7 years.

Surely you can give me a few more minutes

to put my life in order.

Oh, Leo, let us leave now.

My love, go in the study, close the door,

there are some magazines on the table.

Magazines? Like at the dentist!

It's my tooth that's coming out,

- not yours

- Yes, I'm sorry, Leo.

I adore you.

And I adore you, my love.

- Are you all right?

- Oh, yes.

Yes, splendid.

I've found the trouble.

I've been pressing her too hard.

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