A Passage to India Page #4

It's very good of you.

- Mr Fielding!

- Yes?

I have long been wanting to meet you.

I have heard many times about

your kind heart and your sociability.

My dear fellow!

And I have seen you in the bazaar.

Ah.

(Fielding hums "The Sun, Whose RaYs

are all Ablaze" by Gilbert & Sullivan)

?The sun, whose rays are all ablaze

with ever-living glory

?Does not deny his majesty,

he scorns to tell a story...

- I say, Mr Fielding.

- Yes?

Before you come out,

guess what I look like.

Well, let's see.

You're about 5ft 9in tall.

- Jolly good!

- I can see that much through the glass.

Blast!

- Anything wrong?

- I've just broken my back collar stud.

Oh. Take mine.

Have you a spare one?

Yes. Yes, one minute.

- Not if you're wearing it.

- No, no. Here in my pocket.

But nobody carries

a spare stud in his pocket.

I always, in case of emergency.

Here it is.

Many thanks.

Oh, and how do you do?

Sit down while I finish dressing,

if you don't mind the unconventionality.

I always thought Englishmen

kept their rooms so tidy.

Everything arranged coldly

on shelves is what I thought.

There are two English ladies

coming to tea to meet you.

- Oh.

- Oh, I think you know one of them.

- I know no English ladies.

- Not Mrs Moore?

- Mrs Moore?

- And Miss Quested, her companion.

Oh. ls she an old lady?

She's a young lady,

and she wants to see lndia.

(both speak Urdu)

They're here,

or will be in a few seconds.

I've also asked our professor

of philosophy, Narayan Godbole.

Oh, the inscrutable Brahmin.

I hope to goodness his food'll be

all right. He's orthodox, you know.

(Fielding) Good afternoon. Welcome.

- (Mrs Moore) How kind of you to ask us.

- (Miss Quested) Nice to meet you.

Oh.

It must have been a small audience hall.

Mrs Moore, do you remember

the tank in our mosque?

- I do indeed.

- Please come and see.

By a skilful arrangement of our emperors,

the same water comes and fills this tank.

My ancestors loved water.

We came out of the desert.

We came over from

Persia and Afghanistan.

And wherever we went, we created

fountains and gardens and...

Ah, Godbole! You know Dr Aziz,

and here are our new visitors.

Mrs Moore, Miss Quested, Professor

Godbole. We didn't realise you were here.

The sun will soon be driving us

all into the shade.

And I was enjoying the water.

Now, Mrs Moore, would you like

to have our tea served inside or out?

Dr Aziz, I wonder if you could explain

a disappointment we had this morning.

Ah, yes. I'm afraid we may have

given some offence.

That is impossible. May I know the facts?

Yes. An lndian lady and gentleman, whom

we met at the club party the other day,

were to collect us in their carriage

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes