A Faraway Country About Which We Know Nothing Upstairs Downstairs

CLOCK BELLS CHIME

'This is London.

'Prime Minister Mr Chamberlain is due to return from

'an urgent meeting with Chancellor Hitler

'at the latter's Alpine retreat in Berchtesgaden in Germany.

'It is hoped that agreement can be reached regarding

'Herr Hitler's attempt to reclaim Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia.'

No sign of Mr Chamberlain's plane, sir?

No. Not yet.

Open the door, Spargo, it's the Duke of Kent.

'Meanwhile, German troops are positioned along

'the Czech border and international relations remain tense.'

One does rather hope the sun will come out in a timely manner.

The word we've had is that the talks were inconclusive.

-I'm quite sure this is just the first move of the chess-piece.

-Chamberlain should dig his heels in.

Hitler can't be contained unless we stand our ground.

The British people are averse to war,

especially over a territory of which they've scarcely heard!

But if conflict is postponed, and it can only be postponed,

when it comes it will be all-out, ideological war.

It won't be allowed to happen, it can't be allowed to happen.

And I can't sanction peace at any price.

The world will have to pay the bill in blood.

'The population of Great Britain await instructions

'to prepare for conflict.

'The military is ready to mobilise

'and civilian bodies posed to act as soon as information is received.

'The Air Raid precautions Group has stepped up preparations

'to protect the public in the event of an attack'

Sir. Your Royal Highness.

The Prime Minister's plane.

Nurse!

Nurse!

Lady Agnes!

I need a taxi, please. To take me to Eaton Place.

I'm going home.

Air raid! Air raid! Air raid!

You are advised to take cover! Air raid!

Mr P? Mr Pritchard!

I am engaged in a civic task, Johnny.

Wardens are advised to test their rattles daily.

You're wanted!

A taxi?

I never heard of anything so unwise.

It will be putrid with germs,

and it's not three weeks since her ladyship's Caesarean.

We need a nice, bright fire

for Lady Agnes, please. I advise

deployment of the bellows.

BELL RINGS

Nanny Lyons again!

The new nursery maid

should have been here at noon.

Eunice, are your hands clean?

No, Mr Pritchard. I'm picking over spinach.

Don't you go giving

her contradictory instructions!

Dr Mottershead's demanding

Mousse A La Florentine,

and meatless entrees don't make themselves.

Why's there somebody new just for the nursery?

We're all run ragged, since Miss Buck went sick!

I want this in her ladyship's bed,

eighteen inches from the bottom, placed slightly to the left.

-What's that?

-Mitsouko. She went off Shalimar.

And so Lady Holland, you are restored to Eaton Place.

Were you ever lovers?

I beg your pardon, Dr Mottershead?

You, and my half-sister.

Were you ever lovers? I was always rather curious.

Lady Holland's marriage to Sir Greville was sacramental

and without stain.

I suppose that's it now. You have performed your final service.

Unless you would care for me to attend to your travel arrangements.

I imagine you might like tickets for a train.

No, thank you. I find myself quite comfortable.

Do you like her, Hector?

This is your baby sister. Veronica.

-HECTOR CRIES

-Oh dear. Do you suppose he's jealous?

Oh, we're not at home to Mr Jealous in my nursery, your ladyship.

Agnes! My dear.

You look absolutely frightful, why have the clinic discharged you?

I discharged myself.

I couldn't just lie there, with things the way they are.

Has there been any word from Sir Hallam?

None. Oh, I think she's improving.

Her expression was in rictus last week,

as though she knew her arrival were ill-timed.

Are you anaemic?

I had a blood transfusion yesterday.

It could have come from anywhere.

You need a plant based diet, with plenty of vitamins.

I've drawn up a list for the cook.

I don't believe there's any juice in carrots.

If Dr Mottershead's supposed to be an archaeologist,

why's she peddling all this new-fangled trash?

Lady Agnes doesn't need vitamins, she needs liver!

I shall alert the butcher. Pig's for preference, calf's at a pinch?

Daily, until further notice.

She should have stayed at home and had it in the bathroom.

You'd think that obstetrician had set to with an axe.

Very well. Miss Beryl Ballard.

Three dresses, navy serge, three caps and matching aprons, starched.

Plus three pairs of hose, black lisle.

Oh, I don't wear lisle, in the general way.

Miss Buck said I could wear my own stockings.

Sadly, Miss Buck is in hospital at present.

I am running the household in her stead, her absence will be lengthy.

Shoes please.

Black leather. Hand-finished, from the Lotus shop on Regent Street.

-They will suffice.

-I really am sorry I was late.

I came straight from the coroner's office.

Save your apologies for Nanny Lyons.

You have half an hour to change, and that lipstick must come off.

Eunice, our kitchen maid, will show you to your room.

Mr Chamberlain believes he can reach an understanding with

Herr Hitler, but you must not be reassured by the radio reports.

Germany has not compromised in any way.

There are still tanks on the borders of Czechoslovakia.

Yes?

I'm Beryl, the new nursery maid.

Nanny Lyons sends her apologies, but she sent me down.

Sent me down, sir.

Sir.

I know Pritchard volunteered for Air Raid Precautions as long ago as May.

I now expect Spargo and John to follow his example.

Yes, sir!

From tonight, this house prepares for war.

-What was the pill?

-Norwegian seaweed. Blanche recommended it.

She came to say goodbye to Mother. When is she going to leave?

She's your aunt. We must be kind to her.

I can't believe Mother isn't here.

She always spoke such sense in times of crisis.

So you finally admit it? It is a crisis?

Darling. You nearly died. The baby nearly died.

I didn't, and I don't want you to have a moment's worry.

Hallam, they're digging trenches in Green Park!

We have two tiny children, and London may be bombed into oblivion!

Halifax agrees with Chamberlain,

they'll do whatever it takes to stop Hitler from attacking us.

-But that's good, isn't it?

-Not in the long term.

And I intend to persuade them of that point of view.

-Hallam. You aren't going against policy?

-I can only give advice.

I can hear your mother's voice now,

as clearly as if she'd just walked into this room.

-What does she say?

-She says...

"..Careers are forged and broken during times of crisis.

"Support the men in power, don't make their problems any worse."

Mrs Thackeray says the trenches are going to be used as latrines.

When the bombers come, it's going to be

so frightening we'll all get the runs.

I won't get the runs.

I know Mr P says they're just for hiding from the gas, but...

Will you be quiet about the gas!

You're crying.

I'm just not used to sharing a bed!

I didn't even share with Mum, when we had no money.

I've ordered you porridge

with blackstrap molasses for your breakfast.

And please don't be alarmed, but Pamela has arrived.

-But she's supposed to be in her asylum!

-Matron telephoned.

The building has been requisitioned by the government.

Pamela, darling! Why are you wearing your mother's housecoat?

I like her smell.

I begged Hallam to invite her to the funeral!

She hasn't been able to express her emotions.

-FROM OUTSIDE:

-Attention please!

Would all members of the public please collect their gas masks

from their designated centre! All members of the public, please,

to their designated centre!

Attention please!

Would all members of the public please collect their gas

masks from their designated centre!

These sultanas weigh a ton, Mrs Thack.

Will we be here all afternoon?

I shall take issue if we are.

If there's one thing a war plays havoc with it's dried goods,

and we still haven't managed to track down any sago,

not to mention tapioca.

I must say I'm glad I put my Sunday hat on.

There are some quite superior people in this queue.

Upon entering the hall, please give your name, age,

and full correct address to the registration officer!

No show without Punch.

Mr Pritchard! Mr Pritchard!

Yes, Madam?

Nanny Lyons wouldn't bring the children,

and Lady Agnes has to rest.

She sent me with the measurements of everyone's heads!

That is highly irregular.

Come with me.

'Gas masks will be issued to you by your local authority.

'They are free of charge,

'the masks are your personal responsibility and you must

'carry them with you at all times.

'The filters are lined with blue asbestos

'and effective against mustard gas, but not carbon monoxide or coal gas.'

-Somebody's having a joke with us.

-Oh, Eunice. If only they were!

'When the gas rattles sound, put on your mask no matter where you are.

'If you are out of doors, put on gloves,

'or put your hands in your pockets.'

There's been a memo from Downing Street, Foreign Secretary.

Herr Hitler has invited Mr Chamberlain to another summit,

at a spa near Bonn.

Very well. Are these pleading for peace, or war?

I don't know, sir. They're mostly marked "Personal".

It's always personal, when the man on the street puts pen to paper.

Lord Halifax.

I am at least as concerned with what Herr Hitler puts on paper.

And with what Mr Chamberlain might sign!

He needs the best negotiators to accompany him,

to ensure that there is no ambiguity, even in the syntax...

Holland. I know you align yourself with those

most opposed to a compromise with Hitler.

I know you speak to Eden, and to Churchill too.

You're closer to power than both of them at present,

and that will cease to be the case if you carry on like this!

My views are my own, sir.

Go. And I don't mean to Germany.

So you have scored two on the dice,

and that means you may move your counter two times.

Snake.

Oh...

Dr Mottershead. I believe Miss Pamela is perspiring.

I don't want to play this game. I want to play with Solomon.

Miss Pamela has done very well, Pritchard,

and has earned a nice cold drink.

One special soda water, on its way.

With a maraschino cherry, as Miss Pamela prefers.

The girl is in deep grief, of course.

The practice of mourning has always intrigued me,

ever since I transcribed the Papyrus of Nu.

She's transferring her feelings from Maud to the monkey.

It is a doomed endeavour - they were two quite different personalities.

He's clapping me.

See? I doubt Maud ever clapped her in her life.

If she did, I never saw her.

Still, I suppose every mother does the best she can.

And I'm still not satisfied with these gas masks.

Hector has one of his own.

But why is there nothing for newborns, Pritchard?

It is recommended that we roll the baby in a blanket.

If a rolled up blanket will suffice,

then what are these proboscid monstrosities for?

And I'll have a carrot juice, if I may.

I will communicate with the kitchen.

MONKEY SQUEALS

Pritchard! That wretched animal is going to have to live downstairs!

These came. From Persie.

"Beloved sis. Make sure you spoil her. Smacking kisses, Persie."

It's rather ingenious, sending flowers from Berlin.

You wait. You'll get the bill from Constance Spry tomorrow.

I won't. It came this morning.

We've hardly heard from her in almost two years.

I know she behaved abominably,

but if war breaks out her situation will be dreadful!

Please, can't you try to track her down, and persuade her to come home?

Persie does what most appeals to her at any given time.

I doubt I could persuade her to do anything.

I thought that was your stock in trade, persuading people.

I don't think that comment was called for.

I didn't say it to be unkind.

I said it because I care.

Foreign Office please, Spargo.

Pritchard! What on earth is this?

A gas proof pram, your ladyship.

A newly patented device, designed by a gentleman living in Maidstone.

He is described as "a bachelor, but interested in babies."

I really don't like the look of it at all.

If I may demonstrate.

Baby is placed in the body of the pram, on the mattress supplied.

The lid is brought down on Baby,

who sees familiar faces in the window, and is reassured.

And where did you acquire this, Pritchard?

The ARP depot. I was able to exert a little influence.

Well, I suppose if it's thoroughly scrubbed with Milton's fluid,

-and then aired...

-Your ladyship!

I'm so sorry, John. I feel a perfect fool.

Well. You have been put through the mincer a bit.

I were premature.

Were you?

Too small even for the cot.

Me mam had to put me to sleep in a hat box

and slept with it in the crook of her arm to keep me warm.

It's on top of the wardrobe now.

Just her Sunday hat in it these days.

Veronica has trouble with her lungs.

She stopped breathing three times in the first week,

as though the effort was beyond her.

She'll get the hang of it.

As long as she isn't gassed.

My grandad used to say to me there's no such thing as a dumb creature.

We had a Jack Russell that could bark out numbers.

But I have never met a thicker animal than this.

Solomon's purely a pet.

He's just meant to look appealing and not exert himself.

I'm leaving this to dry.

I'm not surprised Lady Agnes had the jitters. Call it a pram?

Could suffocate a baby.

Good lad.

Good Lad, see, it's nice isn't it. Stay there, stay there Solomon.

-Johnny! What the hell have you done?

-I were worried about the baby

Jesus wept, Johnny! What are you playing at?

It were only for five minutes!

I were just testing the gas pram out!

-You what?

-On the monkey. To see if it worked.

Are your brains just painted on?

They do it down the pit with the linnets!

His heart has arrested. Johnny, get the brandy.

Not the master's brandy! The cooking brandy!

Mrs Thack put it all in that ponding a la Clarence!

You'll break his ribs, Mr Pritchard!

I'll break Johnny's neck if we can't get this wretched animal to breathe.

I was trying to help.

I am of the view that life is now extinct.

You'll get the sack for this.

You left the keys to the Humber on a hook!

You'll be in just as much bother as him!

Couldn't we stretch it out in the garden nip its neck with pliers, make out he'd been attacked by rats?

-His lips are bright pink it's a sign of gassing.

-How do you know?

-I just do.

-Eunice. Put this in the laundry crate.

There will be no word of this to anyone -

beyond the boundary of this room.

I can't be found out, Mr Pritchard! If I am, I'll lose my place.

Mr Amanjit has gone to temple.

Mrs Thackeray has gone to see Miss Buck at the London Chest,

then Robin Hood, second house at the Locarno.

We must hope their absence will assist us.

You had to twist the master's arm to take me back on after Borstal!

If it wasn't for you, I'd still be on the streets

-Don't ask!

-You'll be in as much bother as him.

Dear little Miss Veronica looks as though she will

thrive on a diet of good conversation, porcelain and pearls.

It would therefore delight me to be her Godpapa.

-Thanks, old friend.

-I'm sure you'll be quite marvellous.

Will you excuse me, whilst I take them back to Nanny?

Of course.

Come on young man.

Night, night, be good for Nanny.

Fatherhood suits him.

At the moment it's the only thing that brings him any solace.

He's convinced that Chamberlain is wrong, but feels powerless to influence a change.

It's as though he's being stifled.

Kept at arm's length, because his views don't fit.

Does he suspect that?

I suspect it. He may ruin his career.

Your mother-in-law would be proud of you.

No, she wouldn't. She thought me stupid,

she'd be fuming that I even dared to take a view.

I'm not fuming. I worry for him too.

'Volunteers for the trench digging party,

'please report to the officer at mustering point three.

'Volunteers for the Barrage Balloon team,

'please report to mustering point five.'

I hate the smell of mud.

I hate it now, I hate it when it dries on me.

It's the smell of my Dad, on leave from the front.

Bringing my mum French chocolates in a box.

Giving me sixpence and his fleas.

My old man never went to war. He stayed down the pit.

Lucky him.

What will we do if the family finds out?

It's a monkey, Johnny! A monkey, and we're digging bloody trenches!

I don't want to lose my job!

There will be full employment for the likes of you and me. Don't you worry.

MUFFLED VOICES: I always favour the Locarno.

I knew a woman who got fleas in her beaver coat at the Scala.

But the Scala always shows the Pathe newsreels.

They are superior in every way.

Both of you home together. And a little earlier than expected!

We chanced upon each other on the bus.

And how was Miss Buck?

She is as thin as a paper doll! That shadow on her lung was TB.

We feared as much.

She's being moved to a sanatorium near Esher.

I couldn't settle in the cinema.

Errol Flynn was being very boisterous.

I don't mean any disrespect, Mr Pritchard,

I know you've shaken his martinis in your time -

but with all the trouble in the world

I couldn't sit there watching men pretend to fight.

In stockinet leggings. Tea, Mr Amanjit?

Please. Allow me.

BANGING ON DOOR

BELL RINGS

BANGING ON DOOR

Good morning, Sergeant.

If I might speak to the master of the house, sir.

Someone telephoned the station, sir.

And gave this address, saying there had been a murder.

It was me.

Would you, or would you not,

agree to the fact that the gums are the colour of cherryade?

I'm not familiar with cherryade.

Well if you've pulled as many heads out of ovens as I have,

you would know what you are looking at.

Carbon monoxide, ie gas.

This, sir, appears to constitute an offence against

the 1911 Act for the Protection of Animals.

The offender must be found and prosecuted.

This creature was cherished, and I insist on justice!

Was it your monkey, sir?

-No. It belonged to my late mother.

-Oh. Do YOU insist on justice?

Sergeant.

I am to blame for this unfortunate occurrence.

What do you mean, Pritchard?

In my capacity as an Air Raid Warden,

I undertook to test a piece of prototype equipment,

to be specific, a gas-proof pram.

The animal's demise was the result of that experiment.

I see.

He was my mother's friend!

Well in view of the current crisis,

we'd be inclined to overlook a case against an animal.

You think it doesn't matter that things die?

Of course it matters, Pamela!

-Follow me please, sir.

-Of course.

Well, sir.

I don't think you're going to find us

much exercised by all this monkey business.

However, during our customary check ups,

we stumbled on a separate misdemeanour.

I see.

This isn't your first time in a cell is it, Warwick Edgar Pritchard?

No, Sergeant. It is not.

So why, when you were filling in your

Air Raid Precautions Volunteer application,

did you not admit your past?

There were no questions pertaining to my past.

You were asked if you had any previous convictions.

I have no previous convictions!

You spent five months in Richmond Jail, in 1917.

I went before a tribunal, not a court.

My actions did not constitute a criminal offence.

Would you like to spell out what they were?

You are clearly apprised of what they were.

Not quite so proud of yourself now.

I wasn't proud of myself then.

I simply acted according to my principles.

Say it.

It was more than twenty years ago.

Say it!

I was a Conscientious Objector!

You refused to fight.

You refused to bear arms in defence of your country.

You went to prison in the last war, and didn't admit to it

when you had to fill in your forms for this one.

-We aren't at war yet.

-Don't split hairs.

I'm in the habit of being precise. My profession requires it.

So does mine. I have precisely no toes on my left foot.

I lost them to gangrene, after six months up to my ankles in mud

and rat piss in the trenches.

-Have you ever smelt gangrene?

-Yes. I was in the Ambulance Service.

-Before or after you were in prison?

-Now you're splitting hairs.

I think you need a little time to simmer down.

'The Prime Minister has concluded his second set of talks

'with Chancellor Hitler.

'The summit took place at Bad Godesburg in Germany.

'Mr Chamberlain maintains that war can be averted,

'but Hitler has not altered his demands

'and the international situation has deteriorated.'

Guten Tag. Ich moechte bitte mit Persephone Towyn sprechen.

'Es tut mir leid. Ich bin neu hier.'

-'May I help you?'

-My name is Holland.

I'm trying to track down my sister-in-law, Persephone Towyn.

I understood she was resident at this address.

'Persie? I'm sorry. She's moved on.'

PHONE GOES DEAD

I was hoping we might have sandbags at the front by now.

They were meant to come today, sir.

What the deuce is going on?

ANGRY SHOUTING

Dr Mottershead is going through

Lady Holland's papers, her journals, and her letters!

-Aunt Blanche, this is just plain intrusive.

-Maud was my sister.

-Half-sister.

-We shared the same father, and his genes were dominant.

Now, Pamela is helping me to sort things out.

She's going to take one or two things as mementoes,

then the rest can be burned, or filed and packed away.

Dr Mottershead intends to commandeer this desk.

I have not sanctioned her actions.

I would hope not. I insist you defer to Mr Amanjit,

he is an established member of this household.

I am clearing space for pens and notebooks.

The British Museum will have to be evacuated, and I've been asked to help curate the transfer.

It's splendid stuff, the Elgin Marbles will be put in Aldwych Tube.

I don't care! If you're not going back to Cambridge,

you should rent yourself some rooms.

-I like it here.

-I don't.

And you needn't even think of moving those.

My position is difficult.

The authority was always Lady Holland's.

And now she is gone, I do not know to whom I answer.

You don't answer to my Aunt, I can tell you that now.

Sit down, Mr Amanjit.

This was my pistol when I was in the Navy.

It's the only gun I've ever owned,

and you're the only person I can trust with it.

Is it a Colt, sir? Mine was a Webley 45.

What was your regiment?

59th Scinde Horse, Jullunder Brigade. Sir.

-So you would have been at Ypres?

-I was wounded at Ypres.

That gun needs stripping down and cleaning.

In the event of an invasion, if I'm not here, it is yours,

and you may use it as required.

I will perform any service you desire, sir.

If a man has duties, he has a certain path.

I'm going to speak to the police about Pritchard,

and tell them I'm not pressing any charges.

I want you to go and collect him in the car.

He is essential to the running of this house.

-What about the monkey?

-We have other things to cry about.

'As a precaution orders were issued this afternoon

'calling up men of the Anti Aircraft units of the Territorial Army...'

SHE HUMS

I'm sorry. I need to tip the nappies out.

'..Also as a precaution officers and men of the Royal Air Force

'and units of the Auxiliary Air Force.'

I'm getting used to it already.

..'Defensive units of the Auxiliary...'

-Ouch.

-Yeah, can't get my gloves on for driving,

-my knuckles are so swollen.

-All hands to the pump, eh?

Some paperwork for you to sign before you go, sir.

Shame it wasn't a chicken you gassed.

You could be setting the scene with a few white feathers.

The Great War was a just war, every effort to avoid it through

diplomacy had failed,

so every man had a duty to bear arms!

That is your belief, as a Sikh, Mr Amanjit.

Stop rattling on about religion!

It's the hypocrisy that makes my stomach churn!

Marching up and down like a clockwork Mussolini!

I have been doing what I thought was right!

I did what I thought was right in 1917.

I'll never forget the morning my Leonard left.

He said, "I don't want to go."

"I don't want to go."

And I didn't say that I thought that war was wrong.

I didn't say, "stay home, stay safe."

I hid in the hall,

and the last thing I heard was the latch on the gate.

And his boots on the pavement. Marching off.

I sometimes think that I was a widow from that moment.

People didn't do what they thought was right,

they did what was right.

Hitler and Chamberlain to meet in Munich! Chamberlain to Munich!

Ah, thank you very much sir. Thank you.

PHONE RINGS

This is our final chance.

And I have had more than one sleepless night

since I spoke angrily to you.

I too, sir.

And I find that my opinion has been altered.

Hitler is dictating terms,

and it is all too easy to see where it will end.

You are to go to Germany. It has been decided.

And I end as I began. This is our final chance.

Come upstairs, Hallam.

Come upstairs, and kiss our children.

They're the future, you'll be doing it for them.

PHONE RINGS

I called as soon as I heard.

It's frightfully good of you to come.

I wanted to. Good for my nerves.

You have no nerves.

Is this Bessie Smith?

Billie Holiday, do keep up. Really, Hallam.

One youthful night on the tiles with an exotic songstress,

and you're marked for life.

Cheers.

One wishes opinion weren't so riven.

They're calling you the Glamour Boys, did you know that?

You and Eden. Cranborne. Ronald Tree.

The men who'd prefer to thumb their noses at the Nazis.

We don't want war. But we don't believe in appeasement.

You believe in England, don't you?

Always.

Hallam.

My brother, the King, wrote a letter to Herr Hitler.

The King said "I do not write as one Head of State to another,

"but rather as one ex-serviceman to another.

"I am sure I need not remind you of the last Great War,

"and am convinced that you too would be

"appalled at the possibility of such a calamity recurring."

And I wondered...

..if you might take it to the Fuehrer?

No, sir. The boost to Hitler's ego would be monstrous.

-Do you even refuse to read it?

-I must.

-Take it. I beg you.

No! Sir.

I really do believe that it would be the better thing

for your country, and for your career.

I'm not thinking about my career.

TURNS MUSIC OFF

I can assure you that your wife thinks about it all the time.

Sir.

Your valise is packed and ready, sir,

and your clothes for the morning are set out.

Tailcoat and striped trousers.

And her ladyship suggested your late father's cufflinks.

Thank you, Pritchard.

I'm sorry about all that business with the police.

Your private life, and your opinions, are your own affair.

But it must have been distressing for you.

I find that when one follows one's conscience, sir,

the pain is generally felt by other people.

Can Mr Chamberlain by persuaded to change course?

What are your views on Herr Hitler?

-Sorry about this, Spargo.

-Don't apologise, sir.

Aren't you afraid that standing up to Hitler will result in war?

I wonder, Mr Amanjit, whether you might pass the salt?

SLAMS IT DOWN

That were uncalled for.

I'd have thrown the pepper at him, too.

It's like giving meat and two veg to Judas.

Oh, I think you should all stop this.

Getting your shirt tails in a twist

over something that happened over twenty years ago!

"Something?" Something? Some of us fought a war on your behalf!

A war to end all wars!

Well it didn't end all wars, did it?

So you've nothing to be smug about.

No.

This is all my fault.

Go back out to the servants' hall.

You're taking sides, and that never solves a quarrel.

GUNSHOTS

Excuse me, Mr Amanjit!

Mr Amanjit.

This is a domestic garden, and there are adjacent residences.

I do not consider your actions to be safe.

And you would know all about safety wouldn't you.

Mr Amanjit! Give that gun to me.

Your husband charged me with this.

Well he isn't here now, and you're provoking a disturbance.

Do as Lady Agnes tells you. Give her the gun.

Forgive me, if I was overzealous.

It's warm.

That's not uncommon.

I've twice had occasion to fire one in the past.

The spectacle has concluded.

And since we are in England, I suggest you make some tea.

I was brought up by Quaker parents, your ladyship.

Their belief was that there is "that of God in everyone."

It became mine too.

Well, I think that's rather nice.

Aren't you going to ask him to sit down?

No, because it would make us both feel very awkward.

Carry on, Pritchard.

It made violence seem abhorrent.

When war was declared, I joined the Friends Ambulance Unit.

It seemed the proper way of seeing out the war -

I could play my part, and did not need to declare my conscience.

Others had more courage, and they were sentenced.

The conditions at Richmond jail were vile,

and I felt moved to declare myself at one with those imprisoned.

I meant only to draw attention to their plight,

but found myself incarcerated alongside them.

Why, Pritchard?

Why did you speak out, when there was no need?

I am occasionally driven by my passions.

I wouldn't ask him to elaborate if I were you.

Everyone's entitled to some secrets.

You took the blame for John, too.

There was no need for that.

He is impetuous, and so am I.

Most men have more in common than they think.

And this is the wording suggested for Clause Two?

Yes, Prime Minister.

It concerns the terms for the withdrawal of troops

from Sudetenland, by October the 10th.

Might I have a moment please, Prime Minister?

Herren. Wir moechten uns beraten.

Prime Minister, I strongly advise you to reconsider.

Your amendment ties His Majesty's Government into a pact

that gives Germany the upper hand.

We cannot add the caveat -

"without destroying their military installations."

This is the wording which Hitler has requested.

We need a declaration which Hitler will accept.

Holland. This amendment has to stand.

We all fit into this household in a different way.

We come and go through different doors,

we eat our meals at separate tables,

but we all give 165 Eaton Place as our address.

And that means we're on the same side.

From now on, I expect your behaviour to reflect that.

Or how else will we survive a war?

Stop looking so shifty. I did ask permission.

I'm doing Johnny's next. You can take them out now.

Almost clean again.

Oooh, it's the peroxide that does it.

I used to do nails at a hairdresser's in Walthamstow.

I did hair too, not particularly well. That's going to change.

Oh, yes?

I'm saving up to be apprenticed to a Mayfair salon.

Monsieur Gaston, Court Coiffeur.

-How much does that cost?

-Forty guineas.

That's why I'm here. Living in, all found. So I can save.

It's an investment.

Even if there's going to be a war?

People want what's beautiful.

They want it more when the world turns black. I know, I've seen it.

My mother used to cut pictures of jewellery

out of magazines before she died.

Pictures of houses that she'd never live in.

Did she know she was dying?

I think she had it all planned.

The verdict wasn't suicide, it was misadventure.

Her head wasn't fully in the oven when I found her.

There is every possibility that she might have tripped.

-Gas, eh?

-It gets everywhere these days.

Whisky und soda, bitte. Doppelt, mit Eis.

LAUGHS

Shocking to think old Maud has gone.

Still, she taught me to smoke. I'll think of her every day.

Kellner!

Das ist ein Gin Martini. Ich bat um Wodka.

-Vodka?

-Oh, I'm quite the sophisticate these days.

-Joachim told me you were here.

-Joachim?

Von Ribbentrop. And please don't pull that big brother face.

Joachim and I aren't lovers.

-Any more.

-Good.

-I'm teasing!

You can't tell. You always could, before.

He made sure I was looked after, when I first arrived.

I needed it. Needed him, really.

Besides, aren't we all rowing in the same boat now?

-Same team, great international friends?

-I don't know.

You can't save the whole world, Hallam.

Agnes wants you to come home.

And you can't save me. Because I'm not in danger.

Persie. If Britain signs the deal I've seen being drafted,

in twelve months time the world will be on fire.

If you leave soon, I can arrange a diplomatic flight for you.

Do you think I've nothing to stay here for?

That I haven't built a life I may not want to leave?

It was May, the first time Friedrich brought me here.

I thought the smell was of the lilacs in the garden.

I found out it was the smell of money.

I gather I'm meant to ask who Friedrich is?

He's in the Army now, although he wasn't always.

He's a Standarthenfuehrer.

It means Colonel.

-He has family money.

-You have family, Persie.

I can't work out whether that's a threat, or reassurance.

Have you never wanted to cut all ties?

Sever every bond, and just surrender all your burdens?

If I did, I never dared.

Listen.

The Very Thought Of You. Friedrich buys me records from America.

# The longing here for you

# You'll never know how slow

# The moments go

# Till I'm near to you

# I see your face in every flower

# Your eyes in stars above... #

You can leave with me tomorrow. I can take you home.

No.

But I might come and wave you off.

# It's just the thought of you

# The very thought of you

# My love. #

It smells the same as plimsolls, but I'm getting used to it.

Will you give over trying to make small talk, Eunice!

You sound like a flatulent mallard.

I said it smells the same as plimsolls,

but I'm getting used to it.

Mr Pritchard.

Mr Amanjit.

Sort Eunice's straps out.

The way she's got them addled, Hitler's halfway home.

'We, the German Fuehrer and the British Prime Minister

'are agreed that the question of Anglo-German relations

'is of the first importance.

'We regard this agreement, signed last night,

'and the Anglo-German agreement,

'as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples to never to go to war

'with one another again!

'There has come back from Germany peace - with honour.

'I believe it is peace for our time!'

'We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

'And I now recommend you go home and sleep quietly in your beds.'

Is it all over then?

This is history, Eunice. It's never over.

His Excellency, and Mrs Kennedy,

will be bringing two additional guests -

their son Jack, and, a Mr Caspar Landry.

-I told Agnes how you were.

-Did you tell her that we kissed?

And what's your heart's desire, Mr Landry?

I'd rather like to dance with you.

You do not address any guest of the family upstairs as "dear!"

Let alone the son of the American Ambassador!

I don't want to be here any more!

-Hallam. I want her home.

-These are cries for help.

Sir, we could take in tens of thousands. Britain should take the lead.

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