Complete Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald (Illustrated) (518 page)

The cat looks at her, makes up its mind and dashes quickly for the kitchen as if a

dog were after it. At the pantry door it almost upsets the agency butler, carrying a breakfast tray. He curses silently and sets the tray on the table. ‘

IRIS: Good morning.

BUTLER (a German, both sanctimonius and impertinent): Good morning. (He turns on the radio, picks up the tray, and hesitates by the head of the table.) Where are you going to sit?

NICOLAS’VOICE: Right there.

Camera pans to Nicolas coming into the room, his face mask-like, his eyes just faintly bothered. Camera pans him up to the table. As he starts to sit down, the radio, now warmed up, plunges into a loud jazz tune — the same tune they danced to at the Biltmore, but now raucous and jangling.

NICOLAS: And turn that off!

Butler turns to the radio, lowers the volume and turns back to the table.

NICOLAS (quietly): I said off.

BUTLER (mumbling as he obeys): Kind of cheerful.

Two-shot of Nicolas and Iris at table. Nicolas is conscious of the disrespect but can only disregard it. The butler serves them plates of ham and eggs.

NICOLAS (to Iris): Hungry?

IRIS: Not very. I’m thinking of my plans. My train goes at one.

Nicolas looks sideways at the butler: the butler turns and goes to the pantry.

Two-shot of Nicolas and Iris.

NICOLAS: You’re really going home?

IRIS: Oh yes — really this time.

Nicolas’hand falls affectionately on hers. The gesture is not quite natural now, though, and both their hands move away. There is a little constraint between them.

IRIS: You’ve given me a wonderful lime.

NICOLAS: I’m glad. (He does not seem quite glad, in spite of his effort.)

IRIS: I’ve always wanted to go behind the scenes — and see how it was. Now I have.

NICOLAS (eating): Mm-hm.

IRIS (thoughtfully): Nicolas — I want to remember this — but I want to think you’ll forget — just as if it never happened.

NICOLAS: Nonsense.

IRIS: Yes — I want you to remember four years ago, but not this time. Pretend you dreamed it.

NICOLAS: Eat some breakfast.

IRIS: Yes. (She turns to her plate.)

Close-up of Iris: Her eyes look down, then look up again, then stare.

Two-shot of Iris and Nicolas. Nicolas looks up and sees Iris’expression. As he starts to turn and see what she is staring at, the camera drops them and pans very slowly around room, including the side-board, passing it and reaching the door.

Althea, motionless, stands in the door-way, regarding them. We are seeing her in a medium shot from their angle and we hold on it a moment.

Two-shot of Nicolas and Iris from Althea’s angle: Their faces are shocked and staring.

Medium shot of Althea from their angle: She turns very slowly and disappears from the doorway.

Two-shot of Nicolas and Iris: Nicolas gets up, his lips saying, “My God,” soundlessly.

The door to the pantry: The butler is standing wide-eyed, looking into the din-ins room.

Full shot of the drawing room: Althea walks rapidly through, toward front hall and door.

The hall of the apartment: Two porters have just brought in her baggage and set it down. She walks directly past them and out the door into the hall.

The drawing room: Nicolas has just entered from the dining room, looking left and right.

NICOLAS: Althea — Althea!

The outside hall: Althea is standing with her hand on elevator bell. The elevator stops. It is empty — she walks in and the door closes.

The dining room of the apartment: Iris is standing beside the table, her napkin crushed in her hand, her face stricken and aghast. The agency butler has already begun to take off the dishes with a wise expression on his face.

BUTLER (touching her plate): Through?

Iris does not see him. Her head shakes helplessly from side to side.

Park Avenue: Morning. The camera trucks in front of Althea as she walks, looking straight ahead.

Cross street: Althea walking.

Another street: Althea walking.

A corner: A first close shot of Althea as she hesitates, not knowing where to go. Her eyes are dazed and staring as she hails a taxi. It drives up.

Plaza Hotel: Althea is getting out of the taxi.

Desk of the hotel: Althea and clerk.

ALTHEA: My mother, Mrs. Chilton, has her same rooms?

CLERK (smiles): Oh yes, Mrs. Gilbert. She’s all settled.

The lobby: The camera pans Althea to the elevator. Its door opens and passengers go in. Althea hesitates.

BOY: Going up?

Althea shakes her head and turns away. Camera trucks with her to door and picks her up coming out.

Outside hotel: Althea hesitates; her face is set, expressionless. Suddenly her hands go to her face, come down just as quickly. She starts off scene. Camera trucks before her along Fifty-ninth Street. She passes a sign, “Antoine: Coiffeur des Dames.” The camera picks up Althea approaching along the street. Her eyes fall on the sign and, still expressionless, she turns in, the camera turning with her and following her inside.

Antoine’s: By the desk. Althea is taking off her hat. The woman at the desk greets her respectfully.

CLERK: Well, Mrs. Gilbert. It’s good to see you.

ALTHEA (concentrating with difficulty): I want to get — a wave — and a shampoo.

The woman has come around the desk. She looks Althea over.

CLERK: Let’s see — you have Emile.

She puts her hand toward Althea’s hair.

CLERK (surprized). Why you — why it looks as if you’d just had a wave.

Althea starts. Her face is reflected in a pier glass as she passes her hand over her hair.

ALTHEA’S VOICE: Why, yes — I had a wave on the boat.

Her reflection disappears from the glass.

CLERK’S VOICE: Would you like anything else, Mrs. Gilbert?

The clerk stares at the door.

Interior of a taxi: Nicolas and Iris, both in control of themselves now but utterly miserable.

NICOLAS: You’ll make it all right.

IRIS: I’m not worried about the train — (Her voice breaks.} Oh, Nicolas, what have I done to you? (She sobs aloud.)

NICOLAS: Please, Iris, you were always a brave girl. You weren’t to blame and everything will straighten itself out somehow.

Interior of Grand Central: Nicolas and Iris are standing beside a chair car. A porter is handing Iris back a stub. She opens her purse to put it in and something flutters out unnoticed.

PORTER: All aboard! You dropped something.

Iris and Nicolas embrace.

IRIS: Oh, darling, I’m so sorry.

She disappears into the vestibule of the car which begins to move immediately. The porter, swinging from the handrail, points to Nicolas’feet. After a moment, Nicolas stoops and picks it up.

Insert: The program of a nightclub.

Interior of the Gilberts’drawing room: Dusk. A big window opening on the city. Nicolas is sitting near the window in the darkness but he is not immediately visible. When the doorbell rings, we see his leg move off a chair. Then his figure blocks out the window and he stands motionless as we hear a key in the lock.

The hall: As the door opens, Althea, very weary, is momentarily visible against the lights of the outer hall. She comes in, dosing the door behind her.

NICOLAS’VOICE: Althea!

ALTHEA: Yes.

Shooting into the drawing room, we see her figure approach his — then she melts into the darkness on one side and he on the other.

NICOLAS: I’ll turn on the lights.

ALTHEA: Never mind... I like the dark better.

Shooting from the window — a little light falls on each of them — enough to see his utter misery — her fatigue and despair.

NICOLAS: I want you to know that this meant nothing to me. (Pause.) Nothing at all.

ALTHEA: Was she in my room?

NICOLAS: No, never. (Pause.) She was someone I knew a long time ago, many years ago.

ALTHEA: I don’t want to talk about it.

NICOLAS: We always said we’d never go to bed angry.

Shooting toward the window with Nicolas and Althea invisible.

ALTHEA: If you talk about it, I’ll go to a hotel. (Pause.)

NICOLAS: Did you bring your mother back with you?

ALTHEA: Yes.

NICOLAS: I didn’t expect you for a week  — I suppose you meant to surprise me.

ALTHEA: Yes. (Pause.)

NICOLAS: Do you want to go out for supper?

ALTHEA: No, I’m going to bed in a minute.

His shadow crosses the light suddenly. His head is against the window as he kneel at her feet.

NICOLAS: Althea.

Shooting at them from window, they faces dimly visible.

ALTHEA (with quiet scorn): You fool.

NICOLAS: Althea.

ALTHEA: I tied myself to a fool — a fool who threw us away.

A silent montage, showing the following flashes — each one a reminiscence of our first sequence which showed the state of affairs between Althea and Nicolas:

(a) Nicolas and Althea at table on a club veranda or racing pavilion. An unheard question from him — a polite lifting of the eyebrows from her.

(b) Nicolas and Althea in an open car — Nicolas driving, the road throwing them together, Althea coolly but not too obviously moving away.

(c) Nicolas and Althea in a hotel corridor outside two doors. With them a bell-boy with bags. Both pointing out which bags for which room.

Then, faster flashes:

(d) Like (a) but in a hotel dining room.

(e) Like (b) but in a taxi.

(f) An empty corridor — two doors across from each other being closed.

Over this montage comes:

NICOLAS’VOICE: She doesn’t happen to believe in divorce. She offered me a divorce.

HARRISON’S VOICE: I should think that would be much the best thing..

NICOLAS’VOICE (wearily): I suppose so — after two years.

Nicolas’present office. A two-shot of the two men talking. Nicolas’hair is mussed, Harrison is half through a cigar. Shot favors Nicolas.

NICOLAS: Still — still, you can’t tell — (he does not smile nor change expression but a beam of light from the window falls on his face) this morning she seemed very friendly. Came to the door with me, waved her handkerchief...

The Gilberts’breakfast room: Althea’s at phone; Starks picks up her handkerchief from the floor and puts it on the table beside her. He removes a tray and goes off the scene.

ALTHEA (at phone): Naturally I’m excited, Alex — I didn’t know you were in this country — or are you? Would you like to drive down to the country for the weekend? (Pause.) No, our place isn’t open this year — these are some friends. (Pause.) Be ready at two then. I’ve got to visit my hospital on the way.

Close shot of Alex Aldrich at a telephone.

ALEX: All right, Althea. Good-bye.

He hangs up and turns as camera pull-back to show the sitting room of a large hotel suite. Mrs. Chilton sits in a wheel-chair close by.

ALEX (to Mrs. Chillton: Contact established.

MRS. CHILTON: Good.

ALEX: I’d like to know a little more.

MRS. CHILTON: I don’t know anything more. I don’t know how young couples live nowadays, I don’t know what Nicolas did and she has never enlightened me. I only know that it’s all terribly wrong — bare and cheerless and wrong. I’d rather see her run away with a Chinaman than live this life.

ALEX (laughing): Am I to be the Chinaman?

MRS. CHILTON: You? 1 don’t know what you’re to be.

ALEX: You sent for me.

MRS. CHILTON: I promised I would. (Pause.) Perhaps I thought you could make her smile again — not with just her lips — in her heart.

During this speech the English nurse has entered in background with a small medicine glass which she hands to Mrs. Chilton. Mrs. Chilton waves it away.

ENGLISH NURSE: Please.

MRS. CHILTON (to nurse): You think you have established a certain dominance over me.

ENGLISH NURSE: Please.

Mrs. Chilton drinks the medicine. Alex rises.

ALEX: I needn’t tell you my motives are entirely selfish, Mrs. Chilton.

MRS. CHILTON (making a wry face at the medicine): All right.

The nurse goes off-scene with glass.

ALEX: I’m glad you’re in good health.

MRS. CHILTON: Go on — meet Althea — run away with her if she’ll run — beat her, make love to her, wake her up.

ALEX: It sounds like quite an order.

He nods, lakes up his hat, and the camera pans him toward the door.