Complete Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald (Illustrated) (503 page)

Pat
: No more. You just like the rubbing.

Bobby
: Lazy mudfish. That’s what you were fifty thousand years ago.

Pat
: I still am a lazy mudfish. Not a very good play-fellow.

Bobby
(
fervidly
): But an extraordinary sweetheart.

Pat
(
sighing
): Not that either — just a sort of — fragment.

Bobby
: A lovely fragment. I’d get very weary if you were perfect. But a lovely fragment — darling. I’ll love you forever.

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123 THE LITTLE BATHING TENT

Lenz sitting in the sand, talking to a boy of thirteen and a girl of ten; they have taken an immediate fancy to him.

Lenz
: The last time I was at the beach was during the war.

The Girl
: Did they fight on the beach?

The Boy
: No, you silly.

Lenz
: That beach was west of here — in Belgium. We were so glad to be there — we threw off our uniforms and ran into the sea like mad.

The Girl
: With your guns?

Lenz
(
laughing
): No, we left them behind. But not far behind, because we’d hear the surf roar, and then every once in a while we’d hear something louder — (
he looks off into the distance
) — that was the big cannon at the front.

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124 THE BEACH, LOOKING SHOREWARD —

Pat and Bobby, arm in arm, coming down to the sea.

Pat
: It looks very cold.

Bobby
: It always does. (
declaiming as he walks in
) But we’ll never be cold — (
unseen by Bobby, Pat scoops up a handful of water
) — as long as we’re together — Ouch! Hey!

As the water hits him, he jumps as if a hot wire had touched him.

DISSOLVE TO:

125 LONG SHOT OF THE INN. TWILIGHT —

The faint sound of a motor which grows louder as we —

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126 A PLAQUE:

“GASTHAUS BLAU-WEISS”

DISSOLVE TO:

127 “BLUE-WHITE INN”

MEDIUM SHOT OF THE INN, showing a big Buick stopping in front. Out of it steps Breuer. He pauses to glance at the darkening beach, and then mounts the steps.

CUT TO:

128 THE RECEPTION HALL —
 — a clean, middle-class seaside inn, really a boarding house. Victorian furniture, a porter’s desk. Fraulein Muller, the proprietress, a very old gentlewoman, greets him. He clicks his heels and bows in his most important manner.

Fraulein Muller
: Good morning.

Breuer
: My name is Breuer — have you a room for the night?

She opens a register on the desk.

Fraulein Muller
: Our season doesn’t start till next week. We only have a few people.

Breuer
(
signing and scanning the register
): I was expecting to meet some friends. Fraulein Hollmann —

Fraulein Muller
: Three people came today, but they were in such a hurry to go swimming they haven’t registered. There was a single man and a young couple.

Breuer
(
aghast
): What!

Fraulein Muller
: I
took
them for a newly married couple and put their bags in the same room.

Breuer
(
furious
): Impossible. Where are they now?

Fraulein Muller
(
pointing
): Out on the terrace.

DISSOLVE TO:

129 THE TERRACE OF THE INN — TWILIGHT —
 — Pat, Bobby and Lenz have finished dinner. Empty coffee cups and glasses. Below the terrace, two strolling musicians with accordion and guitar, are singing “Freut euch des Lebens.”

Breuer comes out of the inn.

Pat
(
surprised and displeased
): Well, hello, Erich. (
Breuer kisses her hand coolly
) You know Mr. Lenz and Mr. Lohkamp.

They rise and bow. Bobby not very cordially.

Breuer
: I’ve had the pleasure. May I?

(
he sits down
)

Pat
: What are you doing here?

Breuer
: I frequently come to the country by myself. It’s a surprise to find you here.

Lenz
: Have you had dinner?

Breuer
: On the road, thank you.

Bobby
(
dryly, suspecting something
): Drive here in your Buick?

Breuer
: Yes — did you come here in your — your —

Lenz
: We didn’t bring Heinrich. It wasn’t fair to the rest of the traffic.

Breuer
(
not knowing his next step
): This is a fortunate accident.

Lenz
: It was an accident that we first met.

Breuer
: Oh yes, the race — (
looking at Bobby
) — and you won.

Bobby
: Yes.

Breuer
(
carelessly
): It was a short distance. (
with meaning
) Over a longer course I would be quite likely to win.

Bobby
(
challengingly
): We can try it sometime.

Fraulein Muller brings a lamp, sets it on the table and retires.

Breuer
: You’re staying in the hotel?

Lenz
: We’re up there somewhere. The end room.

Breuer
(
with a startled laugh
): Not all of you! (
as the music roars to a finale
) That awful music! Go away, you monkeys!

(
he throws some change over the balcony and the music stops
)

Lenz
(
riding him
): Maybe there were two rooms — I didn’t notice. What’s the difference — on the beach all day — just a place to dress and sleep.

Breuer
(
with a double take
): Yes — what? (
then trying to smile as he asks Pat lightly
) You haven’t gone and got married have you?

Lenz
: (
with the implication that Pat and Bobby didn’t worry about a small point like that
): No-o-o

(
a pause
)

Pat
(
suddenly
): Would you wretches mind it terribly if I went to bed? Remember, we’ve been up since six.

Breuer
(
disappointed
): Oh, I wanted to speak to you — (
stops himself
) — the next time I saw you —

Pat
(
interrupting him by getting up
): That’ll be tomorrow. Goodnight, gentlemen.

(
she goes into the inn
)

Breuer
: Just a minute, Pat. (
to the men
) You’ll excuse me?

CUT TO:

130 THE STAIRS — INSIDE — QUITE DARK —

Pat reaches the first landing. Breuer runs after her.

Breuer
: Pat, I must see you alone. I’ve got something to say —

Pat
: It’ll have to keep till morning, Erich. (
almost pleading
) When I say I’m tired, I mean it.

She turns away.

CUT TO:

131 THE TERRACE —

Bobby frowning.

Bobby
: So bad news has come.

Lenz
(
teasing
): Give him a chance — he likes Pat as well as you do.

Bobby
(
impatiently
): I’m going to bed.

Lenz
: I’ll keep an eye on the sea. (
As Bobby goes in, Lenz goes to the terrace and calls over to the musicians
) Hey, boys! Don’t go away.

CUT TO:

132 BOBBY —
 — hurrying up the stairs. He goes to Pat’s door and knocks.

CUT TO:

133 BREUER’S DOOR —
 — which is down the corridor and in half darkness, slowly opening. The strolling musicians have begun to play again outside — a soft, seductive tune.

CUT TO:

134 PAT’S DOOR —
 — opening. She takes a step out and is in Bobby’s arms. We do not hear what they say but it is a long, passionate goodnight. Presently they break apart and he goes to his room.

CUT TO:

135 INT. BREUER’S BEDROOM. BREUER —
 — closing his door and walking across to the window, frowning.

DISSOLVE TO:

136 INT. BREUER’S ROOM — NEXT MORNING

Breuer is taking off his pajama top when his glance falls out the window on the beach.

CUT TO:

137 WHAT HE SEES:

THE ABANDONED FREIGHTER — PAT — sunning herself on a slanting deck. Bobby and Lenz are playing with a medicine ball on the sand. A little farther along are the two children.

CUT TO:

138 BREUER’S ROOM

Breuer reaches for his bathing trunks.

DISSOLVE TO:

139 THE BEACH — BREUER —

In silk bathrobe and beach shoes, approaching the hull cautiously so as not to be seen by Bobby and Lenz. He climbs up the low side of the freighter.

CUT TO:

140 PAT —

Looking up expectantly; changes to a guarded expression as she sees who it is.

Breuer
: Is this a private yacht or can I come aboard?

Pat
: If you’re going where we go. To very pleasant seas.

Breuer
: Well — the company is good — at present. Pat, I want you to marry me. I’m really bowled over when I see you with these tramps.

Pat
: They’ve had tough lives to live but they’re not tramps.

Breuer
(
shrugging his shoulders
): I was in the war, too. That’s the excuse for everything.

Pat
: I won’t even try to explain them, Erich.

Breuer
(
tartly
): No. Don’t. (
persuasively
) I want you to come back with me today. I want you to marry me tonight. I want to give you everything you once had —

Pat
(
interrupting
): Please, please — I’m so happy now, Erich! For the first time in my life. I don’t believe it’s going to last very long — (
very slowly and intensely
) — but while it does, I hate and fear anything that threatens it.

Bobby’s face appears on the high side of the deck.

Bobby
: Swim, Pat? (
he nods to Breuer and pulls himself up on the boat, carrying an inflated innertube
) We have a life preserver.

Breuer
(
supercilious
): Doubtless from the garage.

Bobby
(
glances at Breuer then back at Pat
): Swim?

Pat
(
getting up
): Come on.

She starts up the deck toward the high side of the boat. Breuer signs to Bobby to remain behind. Bobby lingers impatiently.

Breuer
: I want to talk to you a moment. I understand you’ve had trouble renewing your license.

Bobby
: You know that?

Breuer
: A lot of things come to my attention.

Bobby
: What has anybody got against us?

Breuer
(
shrugging his shoulders
): Who knows? Perhaps something political —

We have seen Pat disappear over the high side of the deck. Now we

CUT TO:

141 PAT —

Swinging by her hands from the edge of the deck. Only a yard away is a broken stanchion and if she could reach it, she could descend with ease, but her feet can’t quite make it. A sea gull swirls near her.

CUT TO:

142 UP ON THE DECK

Breuer
: I thought that, whatever the trouble is, I could perhaps make those in charge drop the matter.

Bobby
: What are you driving at?

Breuer
: I want you to let Pat alone.

Bobby
: Oh, so that’s it!

CUT TO:

143 PAT —

Struggling and panting. She has given up trying to reach the stanchion and is merely trying to get back up, for the drop is fifteen feet. She cries, “Bobby!” but feebly.

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