The Secret Agent

Shame on you, Michaelis!

I will deny anything that makes use ofblatant oversimplification.

Truth is complex. Once you take away its character of complexity, you destroy it.

And when truth is destroyed, you're building on sand.

Fifteen years in a dark, damp underground cell.

I still can't understand what it is we done wrong, Mother.

Well, now, it's nothing like that, dear.

Weren't you comfortable enough here? Was that it?

I've purposely left you my few bits of good furniture.

I don't see the use of leaving it till I'm dead.

- Stevie? - Yes, Winnie?

You go and do some of your drawing.

I'll fetch you when it's time to bring the luggage down.

All right, Winnie.

What you want to say that for in front ofhim?

You know how upset he gets if anyone talks about dying.

Oh, I'm sorry, Winnie.

I wasn't thinking. I'm all of a fluster.

Is the cabbie here yet?

... the radical change we're all of us working towards.

The revolution cannot be provoked. It must arise spontaneously...

by the will of the people at the moment when it becomes clear to them...

that capitalism is ready to collapse...

under the weight of its own contradiction.

Have you still not understood, Michaelis, that your damn pessimism...

is a way of lying down and allowing the oppressor to march all over you?

"Pessimism."If I were a pessimist...

don't you suppose that sometimes in those 15 years...

I would have found a way to cut my throat?

I could've beaten my head in against the walls of my cell.

No. I'm not advising a resignation or indifference.

I am counseling patience!

"Patience"...another word for doing nothing.

You are saying that all action is useless.

Worse than that. You are offering encouragement...

to those economic cannibals...

who drink the blood and feed on the flesh of the people.

- Hear, hear. - No, no, no. Patience is not submission.

It's a state of mind in which to complete the necessary preparations for the future.

If I could find three men... three...

capable of having no feeling for anything on earth...

including themselves, then I could make the necessary preparations for the future.

You cannot force what must happen of its own accord.

Before long, the property owners...

will begin to fight among themselves...

And in the meantime they hold their branding irons against the skin of the people.

We must hear it sizzle...

and make no response...

except for your damned patience...

to the smell of burning...

Stevie! What's the matter?

Br... Br... Branding irons must hurt, Winnie! Think how they must hurt!

Never mind that. The cab's here. Help Mother down with the luggage.

It's gotta be stopped, Winnie! It's gotta be stopped!

Come along. Don't you worry about it. Mr. Verloc will stop it.

We're trying to conduct a meeting down here! Stop that fuss! Stop it!

- Shh! - I'm so...

- I'm... I'm s... I'm sorry, Mr. Verloc. - We're just leaving.

Come on.

Um, I'm, uh... I'm sorry, gentlemen.

It's, uh... We'll take a short pause.

My mother-in-law is moving out this evening.

It's very good, this. Absolutely typical.

What's very good?

Exactly what you would expect from a degenerate.

I wouldn't let my wife hear you call him that if I was you.

She's very fond of her brother.

- It's a purely scientific term. - Yeah.

Thank you ever so much, Mr. Verloc.

I'm sorry to have disturbed you.

- Please allow me. - Mr. Michaelis.

Mrs. Verloc.

- I can manage, Mr. Ossipon. - Please, call me Tom.

I thought your name was Alexander.

It is, but all my most special friends call me Tom.

Listen to me. Listen.

You can come back anytime you wish.

Oh, Mr. Verloc! You're so kind!

Listen. Do me a favor, will you, young fella? Load the bags for me.

Not supposed to do no liftin'.

Well, go on, then.

Is he all right... your brother?

- He's a little upset today. - Oh. Upset.

- I'm ever so grateful, Mr. Verloc. - No, no. Not at all.

Tell her, Adolf. Nobody wanted her to go.

What? Oh, oh. No, no. Of course not.

Thank you.

- I won't be long. - I'll get rid of them as soon as I can.

- Safe journey. - Come on. Back to the meeting.

- No, no. - Hey?

- Don't whip. - Huh?

- You mustn't whip. It hurts. - Mustn't whip, eh?

Giddap!

Hyah!

Giddap!

Hyah!

Giddap! Giddap!

Yaah!

This is all your idea, Mother, so I don't know why you're carrying on.

I can't help it, love. I'm sorry.

You haven't quarreled with Mr. Verloc, have you?

No, no. Of course not.

Mr. Verloc's always been the soul of generosity.

Then whatever is it decided you to leave us?

I never could get used to that shop.

I had to keep my eyes shut every time I passed through.

It wasn't exactly the sort of place you could ask people back for a cup of tea, is it?

It's a steady business.

I don't know what your dad would've said.

- Dad was a brute. - Winnie!

Well, he was. He used to take it out on Stevie something terrible.

Well, Stevie was a disappointment to him.

He couldn't get used to the idea ofhaving a boy who was a bit, well...

not quite right in the head.

Well, taking his belt off to him wasn't gonna make him any cleverer, was it?

Hup!

Hey!

- It's all right, Winnie. - You get back up this minute.

No. It's all right, Winnie. It's all right.

- No, I'll-I'll walk... I'll run after. - What are you talking about?

- It's too heavy for the horse. - Run after a cab? I've never heard of such a thing.

Don't you let him, Winnie. He'll get lost.

I'll tell Mr. Verloc, Stevie. He'll be ever so unhappy.

You been drinking?

And don't you go for trying that again.

- Poor horse. - Never mind the horse.

How'd you like to sit up here at 2:00 in the morning, hey?

See, I'm a night cabbie.

Gotta take what they bloody well give me.

Hanging out with all sorts in the middle of the night.

Wife and four kids to keep.

It's a hard world.

It's bad. It's very bad.

Hard on horses? Yeah, a damn sight harder...

on poor bleeders like me.

You can come in my bed if you like.

And your horse as well. I'll ask Winnie.

I-I'm doing this for Stevie.

I wanted to be sure that he'd be safe.

It's the same reason that you married Mr. Verloc, if the truth be known.

- What do you mean? - Well, don't tell me you didn't prefer that butcher's boy.

What was his name? Ron?

Nice-looking boy. Liked to laugh.

No. You wanted somebody who'd take care of Stevie.

Mr. Verloc's always liked Stevie.

Yeah, but he can be a bit of a burden at times.

And now I'm getting on a bit, I was afraid I might be as well.

- No. - Well...

the best of men can get tired, dear.

I didn't want him to get tired of Stevie.

He'd have to get tired of me first.

You will come and see me, won't you, Winnie, as often as you can?

Course I will.

I want to see you every Sunday.

I'll come when I can manage, and when I can't, I'll send you Stevie.

No! No, don't let him come on his own.

He gonna change buses and get lost.

You leave it to me. I'll... I'll work out something.

Better go in, Mother.

You'll catch cold out here.

And you look after me on the way home. Help me into the bus.

Mustn't be nervous, Winnie. I'll look after you.

- It's a hard world, Winnie. - That's true enough.

Hard on horses and for poor people.

Nobody can do anything about that, Stevie.

Yes. Police.

That's not what the police are there for.

Then... Then what are they there for, Winnie?

The police are there so's them as have nothing...

can't take nothing away from them as have a lot.

Oh.

What... What can they do if they're poor and hungry?

Mustn't worry about it, Stevie.

Things don't stand much lookin' into.

Long as you and me love each other, Stevie, that's the important thing.

Um... And Mr. Verloc... Does he love me?

Course he does, Stevie!

He's a good man, Mr. Verloc.

Go on. Get up! Get up!

Takings very small today.

That's the least of my worries.

I've been called to a meeting tomorrow.

At the Russian embassy.

It can't be anything good.

- Come to bed. - Mmm.

I thought I was never gonna get rid of'em tonight.

All those wretches.

Mr. Michaelis is a nice man.

He can afford to be.

He's found that old duchess or whatever she is to support him.

And Ossipon?

He'll want for nothing.

As long as there are silly girls in the world...

with savings bankbooks.

That boy isn't fit to hear what's said here.

- He doesn't know any better. Thinks it's all true. - Mmm.

It's bad enough him having to get used to Mother being gone.

What did she want to go and do that for?

Perhaps it's just as well.

He's such a good boy.