Original subtitles

BOY: Floy! Wait for me.

(THEME TUNE MASKS DIALOGUE)

(URGENT RAPPING AT DOOR)

-(RAPPING CONTINUES) - Belay there! I'm a-coming!

What o'clock is it?

-(RAPPING CONTINUES) - Hold fast!

Captain Cuttle!

Why, it's Head's Delight! What's amiss, my pretty?

($055)

Stand by, my pretty one, stand by.

Steady is the word, steady it is. Keep her so.

(BELL ABOVE DOOR TINKLES)

(LOCK RATTLES AND ENGAGES)

Here, you come along with me.

So sit 'e down here, my pretty one.

- Cheerily. That's it. -ls Walter's uncle here?

Walter's uncle? He ain't been here this many a long day.

Ain't been 'eard of since he sheered off after poor Walter.

"Though lost to sight, to memory dear

And England, Home and Beauty."

- Do you live here? - I do.

Then save me. Keep me here.

I've no-one in the world to go to.

(SOBS) Don't send me away!

What? Send you away?

I'll tell you what has happened by and by when I can.

Now, my pretty one.

Don't 'e say a word to Edward Cuttle

until such times as you find yourself riding smooth and easy.

As to giving you away...

yes, by God's sake, no.

Church catechism, make a note on.

Here.

- Take a little drop of this. -(BARKING)

Can there be anybody there?

No, my lady lass. It's only people going by.

If there should be someone listening, watching...

Someone who followed me perhaps?

Oh, easy, my dear. Here, I'll go on lookout.

So you're quiet now, are you, brother?

(GASPS)

Well, Captain?

There were nobody there.

Not...not a living soul. Nobody.

(KNOCK AT DOOR)

(CLOCK TICKS)

Lord Feenix and Major Bagstock, sir.

This way, m'Lord.

By gad, Dombey, I, erm...

How do you do, Major?

And you, sir.

Damme, Dombey.

- Won't you take a chair? - Oh, thank you.

An unusually cold Spring, do you not think so?

Dombey, Joseph Bagstock is a bad hand at a counterfeit.

If you want to hold your friends off, give them the cold shoulder,

JB is not the man for you.

Joe is blunt, sir.

If there's one man in the service upon whom I can rely for coming to the point,

that man is Bagstock J.

Now, Dombey, I am...a man of the world.

And our friend Feenix...

I'm honoured, I'm sure.

...is also a man of the world.

And when three men of the world are met together, and are friends...

I'm sure. Most friendly.

...then it's old Joe's opinion that the opinion of the world on any particular subject

is very easily got at.

- Undoubtedly. -Indeed.

May I express my great astonishment and regret

that my lovely and accomplished relative

should have committed herself

in such an extraordinary manner.

I've been in a devilish state of depression ever since.

And said indeed to Long Saxby.

A man of six foot ten. You probably know him.

Yes, I thought you would.

I said it had upset me in a confounded way

and...and made me...bilious.

I'm obliged to you, sir.

Now, Dombey, may I presume upon our friendship to offer a word of counsel?

Sir, the world in these things... (CLEARS THROAT)

"has opinions which must be satisfied.

I know it.

Oh, of course you know it.

I...l know you know it.

A man of your calibre would not be ignorant of it.

I hope not.

Well, sir, a shot is to be taken at this man, Carker, sir.

And you must fire that shot. A-ha.

You have JB at your elbow. He claims the name of friend. God bless you.

Major, I shall put myself in your hands...

when the time comes.

- Splendid. -(KNOCK AT DOOR)

Do you know where they are?

No, I don't.

Begging your pardon, sir.

The messenger you were expecting from the office is here, sir.

- Bid him come in. - Yes, sir.

Excuse me, gentlemen.

Good morning, sir. I have brought my brother's...

I beg your pardon, sir.

The manager's private books, as you instructed.

Who sent you?

Mr Mon'in was unwilling to entrust them to the messenger, sir.

And he entrusted them to you?

Sir, if I may express my deep regret of the action of my brother...

You may not, Mr Carker. Return to your employment if you please.

Did you say Carker? Is that the fellow who's...

His brother.

Oh, Dombey, I admire you. JB admires you.

And in this hour of distress,

you have the toughness to apply yourself to matters of business.

- That man Carker has robbed me. - Of your wife, yes, sir.

But he shall be brought to account for it. You've Joe's word, his pledge.

I was not alluding to Mrs Dombey. The man Carker has robbed Dombey and Son.

Robbed, you say? Of money?

Of power! My power!

He has misused his position of trust

to lead the house into prodigious ventures for his own ends!

(THROWS BOOK ON TABLE)

He's gambled with vast sums of money just to indulge his own greed and vanity!

And has placed the credit of the house of Dombey and Son in danger.

- As bad as that? - Mm.

These were matters which only came to light when his books were examined.

What the extent of the man's treachery is I cannot say at the moment.

But...l say with you, Major: he shall be brought to account.

- You have intelligence of them? - Yes.

Oh, Dombey, I'm rejoiced to hear it.

The intelligence may turn out to be valueless or be true. I cannot say at present.

My explanation must stop there.

It's him.

You see, Ally, I told you he'd come.

It's a poor place for a great gentleman like Your Worship.

- Are you the person who sent me this? - Yes, Your Worship.

- Who's that? - That is my handsome daughter.

But Your Worship won't mind her. She knows all about it.

Woman, I believe that I am weak and forgetful of my station in coming here.

But I seek certain information concerning my wife and a man named Carker.

I know of no reason why I should obtain such information in a hovel.

And from people like you.

So, be warned. If you try to impose upon me...

Ho-ho-ho! A proud, hard gentleman. Hard, hard, hard!

But if Your Worship was put on their track,

you won't mind paying something for it, will you?

Money can obtain unlikely things, I know.

For any reliable information I receive, I will pay. But I must have the information first.

Do you know nothing more powerful than money?

Not here, I should imagine.

Do you know nothing of a woman's anger, then?

Tell me what you know!

Not so fast, Your Worship. It's to be got from someone else.

Wormed out.

Screwed and twisted from 'im.

- Someone who is coming here? - Yes.

- A stranger? - No. No stranger to Your Worship.

When 'e comes, you stand here, sir.

You see, he'd be frightened of you and wouldn't talk.

-(RAPPING AT DOOR) - Come, sir.

Come along. You can hear and judge for yourself.

We don't ask to be believed on trust.

Ah! Ha-ha-ha-ha!

Here is my bonny boy at last.

Robbie, you're like my own son.

Mrs Brown, don't.

Can't you be fond of a cove without squeedging and throttling 'im?

Take care of the birdcage, will ya?

Oh, he thinks of a birdcage afore me.

Me, that feels more than a mother would for 'im.

Don't want nothing to 'appen to this birdcage.

- Do you know who it belongs to? - Your master?

- Yeah, it's our parrot, this is. - Oh, Mr Carker's parrot.

Will you hold your tongue, Mrs Brown?

What do you want to go naming names for?

(CHUCKLES)

Drink a drop of this, Robbie...to comfort you.

- There. - Well, thank you, Mrs Brown.

'Ere's your 'ealth and long may you...

...et cetera.

And 'ere's 'er 'ealth and wishing 'er the same, and many of 'em.

(COUGHS WHEEZILY)

I got to take care of this parrot.

Certain things being sold and a certain establishment broke up.

And I wish you'd attend to 'er for a week or so and give 'er lodging.

Aye, I'll look after it seeing as who it belongs to.

Are you out of your place now, Rob?

Never you mind.

Getting board wages perhaps, eh?

Pretty Polly!

I wonder Master didn't take you with him.

Well, he didn't, so never you mind.

- Mrs Brown! Let go, will ya? -(ALICE LAUGHS)

- What are you doing of? - That's right, Mother, tear him to pieces.

What 'ave I been and done? What am I to be torn to pieces for?

Where's your female tenderness?

You thankless dog.

To cut me off with shod answers and sulky words,

because I happen to be curious to have a bit of gossip about Master and the lady?

Oh, go away!

And I'll slip those after you that'll cling to you like leeches

and slink behind you like foxes.

Come on, Mother. Try him once more.

And if you fall out with him again, ruin him if you like and have done with him.

How is Master, Rob?

He's pretty well, thankee.

Gone abroad, eh?

Oh, Mrs Brown, couldn't you gossip with a cove about anything else?

- What! - Yes! I believe he's abroad.

Did you ever see the lady, Robbie?

Hm? What lady?

The lady. Mrs Dombey.

Yes, I believe I see her once.

Yes, the night she went away, Robbie, eh?

Yes.

Where did they go that night?

Are you dumb?

Where did they go?

They didn't go nowhere. Not together, I mean.

They went different ways.

To meet at an appointed place?

Well, if they weren't a-gonna meet somewhere,

I s'pose they might as well have stayed at home. (GUFFAWS)

Well, Rob, well?

She and me went down to Southampton.

She went away in a packet by 'erself,

me pretending to be a servant and seeing 'er safe aboard. (GUFFAWS)

Now are you contented, Mrs Brown?

No, Rob. Not yet.

Where did Master and the lady appoint to meet?

Come on, lad. I want to know.

How can I pronounce the name of foreign places, Mrs Brown?

Anyway, I've never heard it said.

No, but you've seen it written. And you can spell it, can't you?

If I write it, you won't ask me any more, will you, Mrs Brown?

Not another word, Rob. Not a word.

Well, then, the way was this.

- D. - Will you hold your tongue, Mrs Brown?

I won't have it read out!

Write large, Rob. My eyes are not good.

Go on, go on!

There. Now I hope you're contented.

(BURPS)

Wait!

What will he do, Ally?

Mischief?

Murder.

(CHUCKLES)

Now, cheer up, my lady lass, and try and eat a deal.

You're as safe here as if you were at the top of St Paul's Cathedral

with the ladder cast off. (LAUGHS)

Stand by, dearie. Liver wing it is, sausage it is, and potato.

And... (CHUCKLES)

...and sauce it is.

Try and pick a bit.

If Walter was 'ere...

But he's drownded, ain't he?

Yes, Captain Cuttle.

He was older than you but you was like two children together at first, weren't 'ee?

- Yes. - And now Walter's drownded, ain't he?

Aye .

You was never at sea, my diamond?

No.

Oh, it's an almighty element, my pretty.

Think on it when the winds is roaring, the waves is a-rolling

and the stormy nights is so pitch dark as you can't see a hand afore ye.

- Were you ever in a dreadful storm? - Aye, aye.

I've seen my share of bad weather

but it ain't of myself I was meaning to speak,

but of our dear boy Walter, as was drownded.

I know a story as was told to me once.

There's nothing there, my own, don't you look there.

The story was about a ship that sailed out of the Port of London outward bound.

That there unfortunate ship met with a hurricane

such as not the stoutest vessel ever launched could live in.

Every black spot in every mountain 0' water that rode over 'er

was a bit of the ship's life or a living man.

So, she broke to pieces.

And no grass would ever grow on the graves of them that manned that ship.

Were they all lost?

Three of 'em, the second mate and two seamen, they was left alive.

Of all the beating hearts that went aboard that ship,

they was the only living creatures

lashed to a fragment of the wreck and drifting on the stormy sea.

Were they saved?

Days and nights they drifted

until a sail bore down upon 'em and they was took aboard.

Two living, one dead.

The ship took 'em on a long voyage clear across the chad,

until after a year they was come back home again.

And one of them two as was saved

went cautious to his own door to take an observation,

knowing his friends would think him drownded.

But he sheered off at the...

unexpected barking of a dog.

Captain Cuttle! Are you saying that Walter...?

Walter!

(CRIES OUT)

Stand by. (CHUCKLES)

Stand by.

Gone away, Mrs Pipchin? At this time, Mr Dombey has gone away?

Since last night, Miss Tox.

Him and that Major Bagstock took the night coach to Dover.

Oh. What an extraordinary thing to do.

Oh, perhaps poor Mr Dombey is so deranged by grief

as to be unaccountable for his behaviour.

Oh, that wife of his!

That. . .that upstart woman.

To tell you my mind, Miss Tox, I think it's good riddance.

She, with her brazen face.

Oh, brazen, indeed.

You may well say brazen, Mrs Pipchin.

Oh! To leave him.

And such a noble figure of a man.

- Huh! I don't know about noble, I'm sure. - Ohhh!

When people meet with trials, they must learn to bear them.

Hoity toity, I've had enough to bear in my time.

And what a fuss there is. She's gone, and well got rid of.

And nobody wants her back, I should think.

Oh, no. Indeed not.

I, er... (COUGHS)

...I took what I'm sure is the very great liberty

of coming here and offering poor Mr Dombey my condolences.

Since he is not at home, perhaps I might see dear Florence.

- Gone. - Such a sweet child, so...

Did you say gone, Mrs Pipchin?

Gone more than this week or so.

And nobody knows where or thought to inquire.

The house is empty but for the servants.

Mr Dombey, that wife of his, and Miss Florence,

-they've all gone. - Ohhh.

Now, Captain Cuttle...

...I think we should assert ourselves

to find someone who would be a proper attendant to Miss Dombey.

What has become of Susan?

I asked the lady lass but she ain't 'eard since she was sent away against her will.

The only help about at the time was a certain Mr Toots...

Captain?

Captain Cuttle, I am in a state bordering upon distraction.

Why, he's here!

Oh, I...l do beg your pardon, sir,

but I am at present in that state that my brain's going off, if not gone.

My brother, you was the man we was on the lookout for.

Oh, Captain, what a lookout that must be of which I am the object.

I haven't dared to shave, my clothes have not been brushed...

See 'ere, brother, this 'ere's old Sol Gills' nephew, Walter.

Him as was supposed to have perished at sea.

Oh, good gracious me.

Oh, what a complication of misery.

How do you do? I'm afraid you must have got very wet.

Captain, will you allow me a word in the shop?

Stand by.

That is who you spoke of. You said he and Miss Dombey were made for each other.

Aye, that's right, me lad.

Oh. At this time of all others. A hated rival.

At least, he ain't a hated rival.

What should I hate him for? Oh!

How do you do? I hope you didn't take any cold.

Upon my word and honour, I am glad to see you.

Thank you heartily, sir. I couldn't desire a more generous welcome.

Oh. Huh! Couldn't you though?

- Captain Cuttle, and Lieutenant Walters... - My name is...

...are you both aware of the dreadful circumstances

that have been happening at Mr Dombey's house?

And that Miss Dombey herself has left her father.

Who, in my opinion, is a brute.

And that's she's not to be found.

And has gone away. And nobody knows where!

Mr Toots! I'm so rejoiced to see you.

Thankee. I'm pretty well myself. I...

I'm much obliged to you. I...

Oh, I hope all the family are the same.

Mr Toots, you could do us a great favour...

You've been so kind and so good to me always.

Miss Dombey, your consideration of my feelings is pan of your angelic character

and it is of no consequence.

We wondered if you knew where Susan is to be found?

Susan?

You accompanied her to the coach office when she left me.

Oh! Yes, I...

I don't remember the name of the place written on the side of the coach

but if it be your object to find her,

I will deliver her with every dispatch that devotion can ensure.

Oh, thank you, Mr Toots.

Miss Dombey, I am...

I am more than aware of my own deficiencies and they are...

...they are not of the least consequence, thank you.

But I...l am entirely to be relied upon, I do assure you.

Lieutenant Walters...

- My name is not... - Your servant, sir.

Miss Dombey...and Captain Gills.

Florence, is it true what he says?

I mean, about your father. That you left your home because of his cruelty?

Walter, please try to understand...

Do you not wish to tell me?

There's nothing to tell.

All my life I've been...without a father.

I waited.

I believe I hoped that one day he would turn to me.

And now at last I know I'm nothing to him.

Less than nothing.

As he is to me.

DRIVER: Go on!

DRIVER: Go on!