The Quiet American Page #4

behind a typewriter.

'What we found there,

what we saw, in Phat Diem...

'... what did that do?

'To his zeal, to my detachment?

'The dead are not involved.

'The dead have no zeal.

'They are lying in wait.

'You see them, all their tenderness,

'and then they haunt you.'

- Communists?

- This is not the work of French soldiers.

It doesn't make sense.

The communists don't kill townspeople.

- It is not in their interest.

-Maybe another faction.

There are so many of them.

Each with their own army.

What's that book

you're always reading?

York Harding,

"The Dangers To Democracy".

- An American?

- Yeah.

He was out here a couple of years back.

- Was he here long?

- I don't know.

I heard him lecture once.

Joe actually met him.

He put forward the idea

of a third force to run Vietnam.

- Not the communists, not the French.

- Not the Americans?

No. We're not colonialists.

Something that could

really help these people.

- You have a gun, either of you?

- No.

They shall attack again tonight.

You don't want to be taken alive.

Believe me.

Shoot yourselves.

- Thank you.

- Thanks.

Stay inside that bunker.

- Do you want something to eat?

- No, thank you.

Come on.

You didn't come up

to check your medical team.

Joe Tunney sent you, right?

A little intelligence work.

I've never have been very good

at keeping secrets.

There is another reason

why I came up here.

- It's you.

- Me?

Yeah.

You said that you might be

coming up here.

The thing is, it's about Phuong.

Well, I guess it started

that night when we were

at the Arc en Ciel

and I was dancing with her.

I didn't think you ever got

close enough.

And then I had dinner

with her and her sister

that Saturday and...

...just when I was sitting

there looking at her,

it all just became so clear to me.

I see.

Look, Tom,

none of this was planned.

There's no way...

I never ever used to believe in

love at first sight.

But after seeing those other girls

in that awful place

and thinking that Phuong

could easily become one of them,

I want to protect her.

What did she say when you

offered her your protection?

- I haven't told her yet.

- You haven't?

No. I didn't think it would be right.

I wanted to speak with you first.

Look, if you two were married

that would be completely different.

I can never marry her. Oh, sh*t!

My wife would never give me a divorce.

She's a Catholic.

They're getting closer.

They're walking in.

'Dear Thomas, I guess

I'll be back in Saigon ahead of you.

'And I wanted to reassure you

'that I won't go to see Phuong

until after you return.

'If you can make

the next transport out,

'you should be back

by the end of the week.

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