Barry Lyndon Page #2

INT. BALLROOM AT FENCIBLES - NIGHT

Dorothy and Roderick entering.

RODERICK (V.O.)

Once, the officers of the Kilwangen

regiment gave a grand ball to which

Dorothy persuaded my to take her.

Several cuts depicting the evening.

Dorothy ignores Roderick; dances, chats, laughs, drinks

punch, and finally, strolls outside with Captain Best.

Roderick makes a half-hearted try at dancing with Miss

Clancy.

RODERICK (V.O.)

I have endured torments in my life,

but none like that. Some of the

prettiest girls there offered to

console me, for I was the best

dancer in the room, but I was too

wretched, and so remained alone all

night in a state of agony. I did

not care for drink, or know the

dreadful comfort of it in those

days; but I thought of killing

myself and Dorothy, and most

certainly of making away with

Captain Best.

EXT. FENCIBLES BALLROOM - DAWN

The guests leaving and saying their goodbyes.

RODERICK (V.O.)

At last, and at morning, the ball

was over.

EXT. ROAD - DAWN

Dorothy and Roderick on horseback together.

DOROTHY:

Sure it's a bitter night, Roderick

dear, and you'll catch cold without

a handkerchief to your neck.

To this sympathetic remark, from the pillion, the saddle

made no reply.

DOROTHY:

Did you and Miss Clancy have a

pleasant evening, Roderick? You

were together, I saw, all night.

To this, the saddle only replies by grinding his teeth,

and giving a lash to Daisy.

DOROTHY:

Oh! Mercy, you make Daisy rear and

throw me, you careless creature,

you.

The pillion had by this got her arm around the saddle's

waist, and gave it the gentlest squeeze in the world.

RODERICK:

I hate Miss Clancy, you know I do!

And I only danced with her because

-- because -- the person with whom I

intended to dance chose to be

engaged the whole night.

DOROTHY:

I had not been in the room five

minutes before I was engaged for

every single set.

RODERICK:

Were you obliged to dance five times

with Captain Best, and then stroll

out with him into the garden?

DOROTHY:

I don't care a fig for Captain Best;

he dances prettily to be sure, and

is a pleasant rattle of a man. He

looks well in his regimentals, too;

and if he chose to ask me to dance,

how could I refuse him?

RODERICK:

But you refused me, Dorothy.

DOROTHY:

Oh! I can dance with you any day,

and to dance with your own cousin at

a ball as if you could find no other

partner. Besides, Roderick, Captain

Best's a man, and you are only a

boy, and you haven't a guinea in the

world.

RODERICK:

If ever I meet him again, you shall

see which is the best man of the

two. I'll fight him with sword or

with pistol, captain as he is.

DOROTHY:

But Captain Best is already known as

a valiant soldier, and is famous as

a man of fashion in London. It is

mighty well of you to fight farmers'

boys, but to fight an Englishman is

a very different matter.

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