Black Narcissus Page #3

Joseph can.

You'll help us,

won't you, Joseph?

The brothers left

a blackboard in the school.

I'll draw things on it

in colored chalk.

They can tell me their name for it,

and I'll tell them the English.

I can take their names and ages

and make a register.

You can hardly

call that a lesson.

You can call it

a very sensible idea.

Thank you, Sister Blanche.

I suppose you know who I am.

You must be Mr. Dean.

I must.

And you must be

the sister superior.

What curious feathers. Are they all

from the birds that you've shot?

I don't shoot birds.

When you've shot everything,

it appalls, doesn't it?

I'm the general's agent.

He welcomes you to Mopu.

Understood you wanted to see me.

We want to talk to you on business.

I didn't suppose you wanted

to talk to me on anything else.

Sorry.

Perhaps that wasn't fair.

Mr. Dean, you know

that General Toda Rai...

has given us this house for

a new foundation of our order.

We very much appreciate it.

It's very generous of him.

Yes. You'd like

the general, Sister.

- He also has a superior being.

- Really!

I don't know why you are being

so rude to me, Mr. Dean.

I have to talk business with you

whether I like it or not.

Well, talk it then,

and don't teach at me.

It's no place to put a nunnery,

I can tell you that.

Difficult, but not impossible.

Nothing is impossible-

Is yours a contemplative order?

I mean, do you live in meditation?

Do you keep solitude?

Our order isn't in the least like that.

We're very busy people.

We're going to open

a dispensary,

a school for children

and a class for girls.

Good. You'll be doing me a great favor

when you begin to educate the local girls.

I have already been told, Mr. Dean,

that you do not believe in solitude.

Do you know what the people

call this place?

"The House of Women. "

The general's father

used to keep his ladies here.

From now on, it will be known

as the House of St. Faith.

Sister, will you have

that picture taken down?

I give you

till the rains break.

Oh, dear, dear.

Who is it?

Sister Briony.

I can't sleep.

Anything wrong, Sister?

It's Sister Ruth.

I've just seen her.

- How is she?

- She's sick.

She has violent pains in her joints,

a boil on her finger...

and headaches.

It's this wind.

And they all seem so tired.

It's the altitude.

Our dispensary

is more crowded than ever.

This big house to look after

and all the unpacking still to be done.

And the plumbing's

broken down again.

What do you think, Sister?

Perhaps Mr. Dean-

Certainly not.

We can manage without Mr. Dean.

Yes, of course.

- Are you all right, Sister?

- Of course I'm all right.

- Show me your arm.

- I'm perfectly all right.

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