Watch On The Rhine Page #3

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wanted her to marry nobility.

It was a brilliant wedding.

Remember, Fanny, in Paris?

Now, doesn't it seem strange

that she's back here?

And the circle is completed, as they say,

right in your house and...

What circle? What are you talking about?

Candy. I'll buy messy candy.

That's what my grandchildren would like.

Messy candy.

If you'd had grandchildren, Mellie,

heaven forbid...

...they'd have been children who never ate

between meals, who were sickly.

All your family were sickly.

I think you've made up a good deal of it.

Licorice. That's what I'll buy.

MELLIE:
Really, Fanny,

you've wasted all afternoon for me.

Now it's too late to try on my dresses.

Oh, do be careful of the candy, Mellie.

Close up the box.

Acting like a 6-year-old

over Sara's homecoming.

It might be better if you spent your time

worrying a little about David.

It isn't that I believe everything that Cora

says, but she says everybody is talking.

Especially after he took her

to the colonel's dinner party. People said...

What are you chattering about?

You must get new upper teeth, Mellie.

Nobody can understand a word

you say anymore.

- You used to have lovely teeth.

- You can't understand me.

You can't even understand that all

Washington's talking about your son...

...and the Countess de Brancovis.

Everybody says it's serious too.

Not just, you know.

If it was just, you know,

people would gossip a little and then stop.

What is "just you know"? Mellie,

you're old enough to say what you mean.

Let me off at the next block.

I promised to fetch David.

Take these things home for me, darling,

and thanks for the car.

Do be careful of the packages, Mellie.

Don't let them bump around.

And be very careful when you take them out

and give them to Joseph himself.

Bye-bye, dear.

- Hello, Miss Drake.

- Hello, Mrs. Farrelly.

FANNY:

Come. Take me home.

I don't like that picture of your father.

It's not big enough. Get a bigger one.

Goodness, my Joshua was handsome.

Wasn't he?

C YRUS:

- Upon the warranties...

FANNY:
Hello, Cyrus. Hello, Miss Hall.

- Fanny.

Cyrus, my German son-in-law

is coming tomorrow. He's an engineer.

The government or somebody

must have use for engineers.

Find him something really good, Cyrus.

How's Marjorie?

Looking her age, Fanny,

which you never do. It's remarkable.

Not very remarkable.

I was a great beauty. You remember, Cyrus.

We always remember. When Joshua

snapped you up, I was heartbroken.

All of Washington was heartbroken.

Most of it. Anyway...

Goodbye, Cyrus. And thanks for arranging

the fine job for my son-in-law.

Fanny, what kind of engineer is he?

What kind? Any kind.

What does Cyrus mean?

There are kinds of engineers.

Civil, mining, electrical.

He used to work for Dornier.

- I guess that would make him...

- He's all kinds of an engineer, I'm sure.

Goodbye, Cyrus.

Bring Marjorie for dinner.

But not soon. In about five or six years.

[GIGGLING]

How much longer do you think the

de Brancovises are going to be with us?

I don't know.

Now that Sara, Kurt and the children are

coming, even our house might be crowded.

I feel sorry for Marthe.

I suppose, after all, her mother was my

good friend, and Teck rather amuses me.

Plays good cribbage and tells jokes.

But that's not enough for a lifetime guest.

And they've been here six weeks.

Have they borrowed

much money from you?

- None.

- Don't bite me. I didn't know.

I hope you haven't

been urging them to stay.

You invited them, Mama.

They're your guests.

Oh, they were mine. But that was before

you became enamored of Marthe.

She was such as pretty young girl.

- I think she's still pretty.

- Naturally, or you wouldn't be so ardent.

I don't know why I say that.

You were ardent with that Carter girl.

And you couldn't

have thought her pretty.

She had a nice disposition.

Why not? Who would have spoiled her?

Oh, look here, David.

What is going on between you and Marthe?

I don't like that question, Mama.

Nothing is going on.

I like her very much. I hope she likes me.

I can assure you she does.

So can all of Washington.

There's a great deal of gossip

about both of you.

- Gossip?

- Oh, nothing serious.

Most of it is rather amusing.

There is nothing to gossip about.

That's never stopped anybody

from gossiping.

You and Marthe haven't been very good

at hiding whatever there is to hide.

You know, I wonder

whether it has reached Teck.

- Now, look here, Mama...

- I only wanted to say, David...

...that I have a feeling that he isn't really

a very good-natured man.

Underneath the manners

and the calmness...

...I have a feeling

he isn't good-natured at all.

- Enchanting evening. Good night, admiral.

- Good night, madame.

- A most pleasant good night, sir.

- Good night, sir.

- Good night, admiral.

- Good night, sir.

[SPEAKING IN ITALIAN]

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

[SPEAKING IN GERMAN]

[SPEAKING IN ITALIAN]

WoMAN 1:
It's been a great pleasure

to have been here. Good night.

GENERAL:

Thank you. Good night.

MAN 1:
I hope your stay,

Your Excellency, will be long.

GENERAL:
Thank you. Good night, sir.

MAN 1:
Good night.

I do not think I envy you, Dr. Klauber.

Envy me? Of course not.

Perhaps publishing a pro-Nazi paper

in the United States...

...isn't the best of all occupations.

There may be no future in it, but it pays.

PHILl:
Good night.

- I'll be expecting you on Wednesday.

PHILl:

Yes.

- Good night.

- Good night, baron.

- Glad to have seen you again.

- Good night.

[MAN 2 SPEAKING IN ITALIAN]

- Good night.

WoMAN 2:
Good night.

Well, that should be enough

of the handshaking.

Are we ready?

PHILl:

How many of them come here?

Our Herr Hitler violates their morality

in the morning...

...but by the evening, they've recovered

and they're here to dinner at the embassy.

And so it's gone in most places

in the world for over seven years.

One might almost suspect their morality.

KLAUBER:
That would be cynical.

- I daresay.

Good evening, Blecher.

Herr Blecher, here first, as usual.

How was the tea party?

It was a distinguished gathering.

A tribute to the diplomacy

of the fatherland.

Don't put this in your paper...

...but His Excellency acts the host

as if he were on a beer party in a cellar.

He's a dull man.

Ribbentrop did not send him here

to amuse people.

Then he's doing very well.

In my paper, he is all things to all men.

Tomorrow we will have a little talk

about your paper. You and I.

Gladly. The cost of everything rises.

Paper, ink, wages.

That is not what we will talk about.

It is generally supposed, Mr. Chandler...

...that these little talks of Blecher's

are most instructive and unpleasant.

Baron von Ramme,

too much may be generally supposed.

A threat, Butcher Boy?

Butcher Boy. That is funny, yes.

We Nazis are always funny.

And we have a funny leader

with a funny mustache.

His name used to be Schicklgruber

and he was a paperhanger.

That too is funny. Yes.

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