Moonfleet (1955) Movie Script
Moonfleet.
Where do you come from, boy?
Can't you hear?
We asked you a question.
Don't you touch that!
That's my letter!
My mother's letter!
With your permission, young sir.
"My dearest son, John:
"I write while I have the strength.
"Make your way to Moonfleet,
"and there seek out a gentleman
named Jeremy Fox...
"who, as I hear,
has returned from the colonies
"to live in the house
which was my home.
"I do not know
what the years have done to him.
"But I do knowthat he will be
your friend for my sake.
"God bless and keep you both."
It's always a pleasure
to see such friendly faces.
Come to the fire, my dear.
My business here
will not detain me long.
Greening!
Last night, Master Greening,
I dined with lord Ashwood.
The dinner was excellent,
but deficient in spirits.
This was the more surprising since
I had recently sent his lordship
by special messenger
four casks of French brandy.
The stuff was delivered.
To whom? And how much did
you take for it, Master Greening?
Maybe I don't choose to say.
And maybe the others
don't choose to...
A good price, I hope!
For it's the last delivery you'll be
making in many a day! Get out!
Mr. Fox, talking of deliveries,
here's one just come.
John Mohune...
Olivia's son.
Landlord, look after my guests.
Would you mind if I asked you
for proof of some kind?
Not at all, sir.
It's only natural.
- What's that?
- That's my grandfather's ring.
There's the Mohune crest.
I may as well tell you that I have
no affection for the name you bear.
Nor has anyone in these parts.
Moonfleet's had its bellyful
of the Mohunes.
Mohune justice, Mohune tyranny,
Mohune pride!
Come...
Don't let's quarrel
on such short acquaintance.
Drink up, John Mohune.
Go on, sit down.
What became of your mother
in the great world?
How did she fare when
her family fortunes went to smash?
After my father died,
she taught school.
And I cleaned out grates and things.
And ran errands.
- Did you like that?
- The exercise was beneficial.
Why did she send you to me?
Was there no one else?
No one but you, sir.
What am I supposed to do with you?
Make you a pillar of society,
like myself?
Thank you, sir.
What do you mean by that?
It's nice to have a friend.
A friend!
You disabuse yourself of that whimsy!
Your mother presumed
on a piece of folly
that both of us lived to regret!
The Mohunes sawto that.
They married her off
to the first available cousin
and they shipped me to the devil
by the quickest road.
But the devil and I
became fast friends.
As everyone in Moonfleet
will tell you.
Take him upstairs, put him to bed.
Did they look after you
while I was away?
"As the whirlwind passeth,
"so is the wicked no more."
Proverbs 10:25.
Come on, before it's dark.
Are you taking me to Mr. Fox?
Is that Mr. Fox's carriage?
You are, aren't you?
Never you mind, sir.
Now, in you get.
I want to go to Mr. Fox!
Well, then, want must be your master.
There we are, sir.
Let me out! Help!
Boy! Boy!
Who are you?
Im looking for Mr. Fox.
Do you know where he lives?
He lives in the manor house.
I'll show you. We're neighbours.
- Come on.
- Thank you.
You forgot your hat.
Who's that?
A smuggler.
What did he smuggle?
Brandy.
And silk and tobacco.
Why don't his people come
in the night and take him down?
Mr. Maskew won't allow it.
Who's Mr. Maskew?.
He's the magistrate.
He says Moonfleet's
a nest of smugglers.
He means to make an example
out of this one.
He must be a beast!
He's my uncle.
- Im sorry.
- So am I.
But it can't be helped.
Come along.
That's Mohune Manor in there.
Oh, John,
how long will you stay here?
Always.
Stop!
- Grace?
- Yes, uncle?
Who is that with you?
John Mohune.
He's a friend of Mr. Fox.
Mr. Fox? Ah, indeed!
Mr. Fox has
the most interesting friends.
Give him my compliments.
Mr. Maskew's compliments.
It has long been my wish to get
better acquainted
with my neighbour Mr. Fox.
And his friends.
Drive on.
Bravo!
Encore!
I want to see Mr. Fox, please.
- He's expecting me!
- Mr. Fox?
Yes! Will you let me in, please!
What sort of a man are you?
Here I am, offering you
the chance of a lifetime,
and I find you absorbed in, er...
other things.
You should know, Ashwood,
there's a time for business
and a time for "other things".
Jeremy...
You have a visitor.
It's me, sir.
What the devil!
I beg your pardon, sir. I didn't
knowthere'd be ladies present.
Shall I withdraw, sir?
Not before
you've explained yourself.
Sir...
I was kidnapped, sir.
- You don't say!
- Yes, sir.
What have you done
with my coachman?
Overpowered him
and left him for dead?
Sir?
It was I who ordered you
removed from Moonfleet
and sent back North to a school
where you'll spend
what's left of your boyhood
being starved, bullied and beaten
into a finished English gentleman.
Is that your decision, sir?
It is.
You wouldn't care to discuss it?
You have views on the subject?
Yes, sir. Id rather stay here.
The boy's right.
You can't blame him
if he likes gay company!
Have a drink, boy!
No, thank you, sir.
Or would you rather dance with
that young lady over there?
No, thank you, sir.
I can't dance.
Well, what can you do?
Can you sing?
That's right.
Give us a bawdy song!
If we like it,
we'll tell Fox to let you stay.
Hey, how about it, John?
Have you got a song?
- I know one, sir.
- Well, sing it!
There were two birds
sat on a stone
One flew away
and then there was one
The other flew after
and then there was none
And then the poor stone
was left alone
Now, sir, do I stay?
Who's to undertake your education?
You, sir.
Don't be selfish, Fox.
If the boy's heart's set
on a career of rascality,
there's no man in England
can set him a better example!
Sir, I object to that remark!
- What's that?
- You understood me, sir!
Savage little beast!
John! You will apologise
to lord Ashwood.
No, sir! He insulted you!
They all insulted you!
You're a stubborn,
ill-mannered little lad!
Tooley! Bed this young colt down
for the night.
Pack him off to school,
the sooner the better.
Drum some manners into him!
Ive changed my mind, Ashwood.
I like him as he is.
And how long is he
to stay here?
As long as it amuses me.
What do you intend to do with him?
Corrupt and destroy him too?
There's far more danger
of him destroying me.
No! No!
- Help! Help! They'll kill me!
- Hey, wake up!
- They're tearing...
- Wake up!
Oh, it's you, sir.
Well, did I save your life
in the nick of time?
They were tearing at me...
the whole pack of them!
- Who?
- The dogs!
- In the summerhouse!
- What are you talking about?
- My dream! It was like...
- Like what?
Something my mother told me.
What did she tell you?
About a friend who came to her
one night in the summerhouse.
They set the dogs on him.
They almost tore him to pieces!
Your mother had
an overwrought imagination!
She did wrong to fill your head
with such nonsense!
Jeremy!
Why do you lie to the boy?
Who was your mother?
Why did she send you to him?
Why? Answer! Can't you speak?
It's him they set the dogs on!
They? Who?
The Mohunes.
Jeremy...
Jeremy, why didn't you tell me?
She's dead, Ann.
Not to you, Jeremy!
That's why we had to leave
the islands, isn't it?
To come back here
to this accursed house...
Her house!
It would have been better
for both of us if you'd told me.
So that you could give me
the benefit of your compassion?
No, Jeremy, but at least I would
have known what lay ahead of me.
I would have known howfoolish
I was to be jealous of the others.
The women that you play with
to fill the emptiness
which is your life!
You're right, Ann.
You should not have come here
to share a life that seems so empty.
So I'll arrange for you
to return to the islands.
But I have nothing to go back to!
You knowthat!
When I followed you here
I gave up everything!
You'll sail on the Bonaventure.
She'll be here within a week.
Mr. Fox! Mr. Fox!
John! John!
Ive been here for hours
waiting for you.
How did you get in?
I'll show you,
if you promise not to tell anybody,
or I couldn't come to see you
any more.
Here. There's a breach
in the wall. See?
You do want me to come
and see you, don't you?
Well, come on then,
we'll sit in the summerhouse.
What's wrong?
What are you afraid of?
You don't talk much, do you?
Did the cat get your tongue?
I can't stay long, you know.
It's almost time for church.
The wind blewthe tide
into the graveyard last night.
Came over the wall
and right up to the church door.
Washed away
some of the tombstones.
Have you ever heard
about Redbeard?
Redbeard?
He's been in the churchyard again.
And taken another man.
What?
Master Greening. They say
it was Redbeard that took him!
Do you believe in ghosts?
I believe people should stay
out of the graveyard at night.
While Redbeard's around
looking for his lost diamond.
If I knew where it was,
I wouldn't be afraid!
Id sell the diamond
and rebuild the manor.
When my mother lived here, she said
the house had a hundred rooms
and stables for a hundred horses.
And fountains with gold and silver
fish that played all the time.
But it's not yours.
It belongs to Mr. Fox now.
We're going to live here together.
He's my friend!
That's the bell for church.
My uncle's waiting.
Are you coming?
...Praise Him, all creatures here below
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amenl
"Thou shalt not have strange gods
before me!" So it is written.
Yet you worship the dark gods
of superstition and falsehood
like so many benighted savages!
You whisper of a man long dead,
a man whom you call Redbeard!
You credit him with supernatural
powers, powers of life and death!
Redbeard, indeed!
Sir John Mohune
was an officer of the Crown
who betrayed his sacred trust,
traduced his king
and sold his honour
for a diamond of great price!
He died in Hollisbrooke, a madman,
balked of the enjoyment
of his ill-gotten treasure.
And now, in death,
it is not to be believed
that such a man would be suffered
to defy the divine law
and dishonour the resting places
of our Christian dead!
- Amen!
- Amen, Parson.
But if it weren't Redbeard,
who killed Cracky Jones last winter?
And now...
Nat Greening.
Who took him?
Silence, Granny Clarke, and you,
Ratsey, that should know better.
When I urged...
that a search be made for Nathaniel
Greening, two days missing,
I was told that a search
was useless,
that he was last seen
in the churchyard, after sundown,
and so must have met a monstrous
fate at Redbeard's hands.
I say to you that
this is blasphemy!
And I say to you that if you
persist in these heathen beliefs,
you mock God in His own house
and this shall not be forgiven you
here or hereafter.
Amen!
Who is it?
It's I, sir. John Mohune.
Olivia Mohune's boy.
I was fond of your mother.
Most fond.
Seeing you here in church today
was a comfort to me.
On a day of great anger!
Parson Glennie,
what became of the diamond?
The diamond he sold his honour for.
That secret lies buried
with Sir John.
Perhaps it is better so.
But if I found it,
it would be mine, wouldn't it?
So young, and your heart already
set on possessions?
But if I put it to good use, sir?
If you found it, you would succeed
where generations have failed.
Now, my boy, we're about to
be plunged in primeval darkness.
You're not afraid to cross
the churchyard alone, are you?
No, sir.
Still, you'd better take this.
You can return it in the morning.
I shall look forward
to talking with you.
Thank you, sir.
Good night, my boy. God bless you.
Good night, sir.
Get the ladder up.
Half the roof's fallen in!
Blood, what a shambles!
Get those kegs out of the water!
It was the brandy kegs
dancing around, not Redbeard!
I wonder Parson didn't smell a rat!
The tide come any higher, the
barrels will float down the aisle!
What about me?
- Is this all that's coming?
- Parminter's cried off.
And Starkill...
Rot their chicken hearts!
What ails 'em?
Feared to showfight
since that business of Greening.
The fools!
We'd be twenty against one!
Aye. But the question is,
do we need the one?
Gentlemen!
On my way to Ashwood House,
I received a message.
It said that I might find
better entertainment here.
Who peached?
I can spare you five minutes.
Well, here it is. The men's hearts
ain't in this business any more.
What do the men want,
plainly and simply?
Before they'll run another cargo,
they want a bigger share.
It ain't right that
some should take all the chances
while others
pockets all the profits!
You may give yourself airs
above ground, Mr. Kiss-me-hand Fox,
but down here
you're no better than we are.
You witless, gutless
misbegotten gallows-bait!
Before you thought yourselves
desperate fellows
if you smuggled two kegs
a month in a load of mackerel!
I turned your paltry swindle
into a trade worth thousands!
And I claim the captain's share
because I earn it!
Now, gentlemen,
anything else you wished to discuss?
No?
Then if you'll excuse me.
"Strengthen ye the weak hands,
and confirm the feeble knees."
Isaiah 35:3.
Im for bed.
Here, best see to this.
Cover it up.
Stap me!
It's not my hat! It's too small.
Well, it's more'n likely that
your head's too big with the brandy.
All right, all right.
Get along with it!
That'll do it.
Now nobody can get in or out!
Mr. Fox! Mr. Fox!
Carr, Ashwood. Four queens.
I believe I have the right
to a post draw, do I not?
- Kings over all!
- You're cheating, Ashwood!
Well, even if I were, I should
consider it grossly impolite of you
to say so in my own house.
Id know you anywhere.
It's Jeremy Fox!
You've got a very good memory,
my dear.
Good evening, Mr. Fox.
My lady.
I thought you'd not come.
Ashwood House seems to have
so little to attract you.
Not even gypsy music.
I see lord Ashwood
keeps you well informed.
Jamie has no secrets from me.
Nor you from him?
Why do you smile?
Women.
They have a way of combining
passion with foresight,
the joys of the moment with
a providential care of the future.
Ive a right to think of my future.
Especially now
that you're a part of it.
Now, that's an honour
I hardly deserve.
There's no man in England
who deserves it less.
I think you're cynical
and ruthless,
almost certainly cruel,
a man of bad character
and evil reputation.
You're quite right, my lady.
But then Ive never believed
in the attraction of opposites.
I think there's a far more
powerful affinity between equals.
Help!
Help! Wake up!
Let me in! Help! Help!
Help! Help!
Granny Tucker, are ye daft, woman?
He's back! I heard 'im pipin'!
A-cryin' and a-wailin'
like a soul in pain.
Get home before I slit your
gizzard, you old bag o' bones!
Tell Parson Redbeard's abroad!
Lyin' in wait to throttle us all!
Like Cracky Jones and Greening!
Mr. Fox! Help! Help!
Mr. Fox! Mr. Fox!
Help! Help! Mr. Fox!
I'm glad there's no truth
in the rumour I heard.
Rumours?
That you'd renounced
the pleasures of bachelorhood
for the sake of an adopted son.
My lady, if I wanted a son,
do you really think
I'd have no other choice
but to adopt one?
Well, with no ties in this country,
you're free to travel. Aren't you?
But I have no such intention.
You will change your mind
after speaking to Jamie.
We're going abroad!
And you're coming with us.
As Jamie's partner.
You're not averse to being
my partner, are you, Fox?
Her ladyship was just hinting
at the advantages
that such an arrangement
might hold for me.
Was she?
I have three ships
outfitting at Rotterdam.
They're being armed
to conduct operations of war
against the merchant fleets
of certain hostile nations.
Piracy.
That shouldn't bother
a man like you, Fox.
A man with brains,
courage and capital.
Capital?
Equal shares.
And a fortune to be made.
Equal shares.
If you accept, we'll take you
with us to Rotterdam.
You mean that her ladyship
would be coming with us?
You don't think that
I'd start a newventure
without lady Ashwood's
moral support, do you?
Well, Fox?
Now, why do you hesitate?
All partnerships
have two things in common:
the partner who cheats
and the partner who is cheated.
My dear Fox, you knowthat I trust
you completely in every respect.
And surely you don't think
that I would cheat you?
Milord, a message by hand
for Mr. Fox.
Excuse me.
My lady...
- Going, Fox?
- I'm afraid I must.
At this hour? You make it sound
a matter of life and death.
Is it, my lady.
It seems that the offer was
not as attractive as you thought.
It was your offer he refused, Jamie.
Not mine.
I don't fancy killin' the boy.
There's no sense in puttin' off
what's got to be done!
I say to wait.
I ain't goin' to get in no trouble
with Mr. Fox.
Look, I'm through with waitin'
on Mr. Fox!
What's to be done with the boy?
- A little boat ride...
- A little splash,
and it's all over
as prim as you please.
Take him down to the wharf.
Out the back with him now.
Let's get through with it.
He's sneakin' out!
Help me!
Open up!
Open up in the King's name!
There are men at every door!
Elzevir Block!
Captain Hawkins,
present your warrant.
Authority to search the premises.
Objections?
No.
I thought not. Your keys!
Well, whom have we here?
Mr. Fox's young friend.
You astonish me, Master Mohune.
This is not fit company
for a gentleman.
Mister...
Master John is so kind
as to make allowances.
He sees through our rough ways
into our kind hearts.
Don't you, Master John?
Master John
has remarkable eyesight!
"Unto the pure,
all things are pure." Titus...
Mister...
Well?
Master John was about to...
Let Master John speak for himself.
Come here, boy.
Please, sir, they're going to
take me away on a boat and...
Maskew!
I can scarcely believe my eyes!
A King's magistrate carousing
in a fisherman's pothouse?
Why not, Mr. Fox?
Am I not in good company?
Am I not in some sort
a fisherman myself?
Don't I spread my nets to catch all
kinds of fish, both great and small?
Did you know a man
named Greening, Mr. Fox?
I never had that pleasure.
His mother believes him to have
been engaged in the smuggling trade.
Suspects he met foul play
at the hands of his companions.
Well then, your course is clear.
Hang the lot.
Never fear, Mr. Fox.
In due course
and with proper evidence,
I will have every smuggling rascal
in this parish swing and sun-dry.
I hope I'm there to see it.
Oh, you will be, Mr. Fox.
At my personal invitation.
Until then...
One moment!
Master John, you were
going to tell me something.
Well, come on.
You said they were going to... yes,
going to take you out
on a boat and...
Go on, please.
Speak up, boy.
That's all, sir.
Well?
Nothing out of the way, sir.
Oh, cheer up, Maskew.
You can't hope to hang a man
every morning.
- That was a near thing.
- Why didn't he speak?
- He could have saved himself.
- He has saved himself.
It won't do, Mr. Fox. That boy
knows enough to hang all of us.
The boy is my responsibility.
I'll dispose of him in my own way.
After what he's heard and seen
in the vault, he can't live!
I'll take that risk.
Well, we won't!
This is the second time that you've
chosen to speak for these men.
I take it you regard yourself
as their leader.
Well, Master Block,
we'll settle that now.
Get out of the way!
Now, Master Block...
does he live or die?
Live!
Are you all right, sir?
The exercise was beneficial.
The Bonaventure
will be in before dawn
with a cargo of silk and brandy.
You'll get your orders.
Be on the beach, and ready!
Come on, John Mohune.
My locket, please.
Here you are, Master John.
You opened it and
stole what was in it!
Young sir, what use could I have
for a set of Bible verses
I know by heart?
Bible verses!
John!
All very edifying,
complete to the last syllable,
chapter and verse.
But every blessed number
written down wrong!
Makes no sense at all.
None that my poor head can grasp.
No, John.
We won't discuss it further.
Please, sir. I swear I won't tell.
I'm sorry, John, but under
the circumstances, I have no choice
but to send you to the colonies,
where I trust
you will live long and die rich.
You sail tonight.
Go to your room, John.
Yes, sir.
You heard what I said to the boy?
- You're sending him away?
- Yes.
- I wish he'd never come, Jeremy.
- So do I.
Do you, Jeremy?
The Bonaventure
will be in tonight.
The carriage will take you down
to the beach, you and the boy.
When we've unloaded her cargo,
you'll go aboard.
At St Helier, you will be put
on a Dutch ship for the islands.
Here, you'd better take this.
You'll need it.
Goodbye, John Mohune.
Jeremy! It's no use.
They're everywhere.
They have orders to kill you.
Isn't that why
you sent them down on us?
The boat!
Our only chance, Jeremy!
You're wrong, Ann!
There's Jeremy Fox!
Don't let him get away!
Surrender, Fox,
or I'll shoot you down.
Let me do it, sir.
I'm quite good at that.
No!
And stop looking at me
with those spaniel eyes!
Since you appeared,
I've had nothing but trouble!
You saved my life, sir.
That doesn't mean you
should follow me like a lost dog!
Will nothing teach you once and
for all that I will not be bound
by responsibilities and debts
and ties and obligations?
I wish to heaven your mother
had never sent you to me!
Now, there's the road.
You go that way, back to Moonfleet.
They're looking for a man with a boy.
You'd be my death warrant.
- Here, sir. Take this.
- What is it?
The money you gave me
on the beach. You'll be needing it.
- You keep it.
- Don't worry about me, sir.
I'll sell the locket
from Redbeard's coffin.
It's silver.
I was hoping to find
the diamond in it.
- You didn't, huh?
- No.
Just a paper with Bible verses.
And all of them numbered wrong.
At least
that's what Master Ratsey said.
Bible verses?
In Redbeard's coffin?
Let me look at that!
You say all these numbers are wrong?
That's what Master Ratsey said.
Jeremiah 51:10...
One, two, three, four, five, six,
seven, eight, nine, ten: "Treasure"!
- The tenth word is treasure!
- Treasure?
"Lo, I am this day
fourscore and five years old." Six.
One, two, three, four, five, six:
"Fourscore".
I does mean something,
doesn't it, sir?
It's a cipher!
Fourscore...
feet...
deep.
"Well".
In a well!
Hollisbrooke is
the deepest well in England!
And your Redbeard,
Master John Mohune,
was governor
of Hollisbrooke Castle!
Then that's where the diamond is!
If there is a diamond.
Oh, there is, sir! I know it!
It's in that well!
Fourscore deep...
Sir, is there a way
to get down that far?
Yes, there's a way.
You're late, my lord.
If your messenger hadn't been so...
persuasive,
I shouldn't have come at all.
Hauling me out of bed
at three o'clock in the morning!
How kind, calling me a gentleman.
A drink?
I don't drink with hunted felons.
- Not drink to our partnership?
- We have no partnership.
You're mistaken, Ashwood.
Ive decided to accept your offer.
My dear Fox,
well, to put it bluntly,
you no longer have
the necessary qualifications.
In your own words:
brains, courage...
- And the capital.
- And capital.
Im about to come into
an unexpected inheritance.
Congratulations!
But aren't you selling the bear's
skin before the bear is killed?
Give me time to kill him.
Sorry, but we leave for Rotterdam
tomorrow night.
Till tomorrow night then.
Ten o'clock.
Stop your coach at the bend
on the North Cove Road.
If I satisfy you
that Im a partner worth having,
then you'll take me with you.
And if you fail to satisfy?
Well, there's a hundred guineas
consolation.
Very well.
You're not thinking of taking
that boy along, are you?
I may be able to save you
from the gallows,
but not with that brat
hanging onto your coattails!
- You knowthat, don't you?
- Yes.
- You'll have to get rid of him.
- Yes!
Shall I convey your respects
to lady Ashwood?
Tell her that Im looking forward
to our partnership.
Come off it, major.
You go on duty at eight!
Hey, hey, Hennishaw,
where are you going?
That's not the way
to Hollisbrooke!
Blasted Hollisbrooke! Blasted army!
Must go. Duty at eight.
Of course, major, of course.
But there's always time
for a little nap, isn't there, major?
Time? Of course there's time.
Hennishaw'll have
a head in the morning.
Is the candle all ready?
The cord measured out?
Sir!
Now you look here,
this isn't a game,
so let's understand each other.
If anything goes wrong,
it'll be each for himself.
If I have to abandon you,
Ill do so without hesitation.
I don't think
you'd do that, sir.
You're very much mistaken.
If you'd been my son...
Yes, sir?
Id have taught you to trust no one!
But you are my friend!
I am your partner.
In a dangerous venture! Clear?
The exercise will be beneficial.
Hey, coachman!
Wait for me over there.
Hey, boy! Come here!
Me, sir?
- You want to earn a copper?
- Yes, sir.
Well, you carry these
and follow me.
Major!
What? A sentry leaving his post!
The countersign...
Is this one of His Majesty's
military prisons or a country fair?
- But my orders are...
- Your orders are to stay on guard.
And what's that bird's nest
you've got on your back... a uniform?
- Who's your officer?
- Lt Upjohn, sir.
My compliments to him.
If ever I have occasion to inspect
his guard, I shall hope to see
British soldiers that look like
British soldiers! Dismissed!
Sir!
You ready?
Yes, sir.
Come on, in you get.
Anything wrong here, major?
Who are you?
The well-tender.
The well-tender, eh?
And you ask me
if there's anything wrong!
Haven't you been selling water
to the prisoners?
Why, sir, it's not so. I...
Selling them water and
hiding your takings in this well?
May I be struck dead, sir,
if Id do a thing like that!
Yes, if I were you,
I would not tempt Providence.
Mr. Fox! Mr. Fox!
Who's that?
Well, what's he doing down there?
Proving your innocence...
if you are innocent! Boy!
Yes, major?
Proceed with the search.
Yes, sir.
All right, lower away.
Stop!
Stop it!
- Ive found it, sir!
- Found what?
Raise it.
Got a memento of the wars,
I see there, major.
Well, no more than anyone else
who served in France.
I don't know where you got that one,
friend, but it weren't in the wars.
The 10th Light Infantry
is a garrison regiment.
It's stationed at Hollisbrooke
these six years.
Let go of that brake.
- That's an order!
- That game's played out!
Now, come on! Give us
what you found, or down you go!
Let's have it!
Quick! You go on ahead.
Lt Upjohn, sir. I have the honour
to present the guard for inspection.
Loose.
Give the countersign!
Countersign be hanged!
Im major Hennishaw, you idiot!
Well, my compliments, lieutenant.
Stop that man!
Stop him, I say!
He's a thief and an impostor!
That boy!
They were together! Stop him!
Stop him! Stop him!
I thought you'd gone.
Gone where?
To the beach. To look at the boat.
It's still there.
Yes. It's still there.
This time tomorrow, we'll be across
the channel and safe, won't we?
I knew you wouldn't do it.
Do what?
You said you'd leave me.
But you didn't.
Go back to sleep.
My mother worried
that Id always be poor.
Now we're rich.
I think she'd have liked us
to live together in the manor,
don't you?
Yes.
Now we'll never go back there.
You may... I shan't.
Then I shan't either.
In the colonies,
when we sell the diamond...
we could have a house
like my mother's, couldn't we?
With stables for a hundred horses,
and fountains...
Delighted to see you, my dear Fox.
- My lady.
- Clarissa.
He must call me that,
mustn't he, Jamie?
Nowthat we're partners.
The question is, are we partners?
You won't think me unmannerly
if I ask to see
some evidence of your good fortune?
Ive never seen anything so...
so...
It must be worth at least...
My body and soul, sir!
This is the most remarkable...
Fox, I congratulate you.
Satisfied?
Drive on!
To you, sir! And to our future!
By heaven, Fox, I grudge
the years that we've spent apart.
We belong together,
the two of us.
The three of us!
The four of us.
You've forgotten the diamond.
Where did you find it, Jeremy?
Or shouldn't I ask?
An heirloom, my dear.
Our friend has come into
an unexpected inheritance.
Well, he doesn't seem to be
enjoying it as he should.
Oh, your poor hand!
As soon as we get on board, you'll
let me take care of it, won't you?
Did you know, Fox, they're offering
300 guineas for you now?.
Your value's tripled, alive or dead.
He's becoming more precious
every moment.
Halt! In the King's name!
Pull up your horses!
Let's have a look
at your passengers.
What the deviIs going on here?
Name, sir? Destination?
Destination Poole.
As to my name...
I was under the impression
that this crest
was not entirely unknown
in these parts.
Oh, I beg your pardon, my lord.
We're looking for a criminal
by the name of Fox and a boy...
Well, it's hardly likely that
they'd be travelling with me!
No, my lord, of course not,
not likely at all.
Begging your lordship's pardon,
I have my orders.
All vehicles must be searched.
Father! Doesn't the lieutenant know
that we have better things to do
than to spend the night here,
chatting with him?
Your son-in-law, my lord?
Honeymoon.
My best wishes. There'll be no
further delay in your journey.
Well, good hunting.
I hope you get your birds.
We will, my lord,
alive or dead, we'll get them.
Very resourceful, my dear.
You saved our friend's life.
That's almost worth a diamond,
isn't it?
Is it?
Good thing the boy wasn't with us.
He'd have stumped even you,
eh, Clarissa?
Or perhaps you would've had me
claim him as my grandson.
By the way,
what did you do with him?
Kill him to be rid of him?
You approve?
Children are such a pest!
I can't see how anybody would
want to be bothered with one.
Vicious little chap!
Spilt a glass of wine all over me!
Flew at me because I called you
a scoundrel! Remember?
An absolute tiger!
I remember.
I wish you'd look
a little happier, Fox.
Personally, Im delighted.
- Especially with myself!
- You've every reason to be.
Think of it! In less than an hour
we'll be on board ship,
headed for a new life
of ease and splendour.
I doubt the world holds more
fortunate beings than ourselves.
Stop!
Coachman, pull up!
What's that?
We're going back.
Turn the coach around.
You're mad, Fox!
Im not going back!
Well, this coach is,
with or without you.
Now, you take the road
down to the beach.
If anyone tries to stop you,
drive straight on.
Come on, do what I tell you!
Jeremy!
John!
Time to go, sir?
- No, no yet.
- Is anything the matter?
No, no. Our plans have changed.
You stay here till dawn.
Then you're to make your way
back to Moonfleet.
Go to Parson Glennie.
Give him the diamond
and tell him everything.
Aren't we leaving together?
If anybody stops you, say that
I was holding you and you escaped.
But sir, I don't want to go
without you!
We can't always do
what we want, John.
I need someone here at home
I can trust,
someone I can rely on
till I get back.
But you'll be back soon?
As soon as I can.
Can I depend on you?
Yes, sir, if you think it's best.
It's best.
Good luck, John Mohune.
Good luck, sir.
It's the first time these gates
have stood open for a dozen years.
They must be open! There's no
telling when he'll come home.
Jeremy Fox?
You're sure he'll come back?
He's my friend.
Where do you come from, boy?
Can't you hear?
We asked you a question.
Don't you touch that!
That's my letter!
My mother's letter!
With your permission, young sir.
"My dearest son, John:
"I write while I have the strength.
"Make your way to Moonfleet,
"and there seek out a gentleman
named Jeremy Fox...
"who, as I hear,
has returned from the colonies
"to live in the house
which was my home.
"I do not know
what the years have done to him.
"But I do knowthat he will be
your friend for my sake.
"God bless and keep you both."
It's always a pleasure
to see such friendly faces.
Come to the fire, my dear.
My business here
will not detain me long.
Greening!
Last night, Master Greening,
I dined with lord Ashwood.
The dinner was excellent,
but deficient in spirits.
This was the more surprising since
I had recently sent his lordship
by special messenger
four casks of French brandy.
The stuff was delivered.
To whom? And how much did
you take for it, Master Greening?
Maybe I don't choose to say.
And maybe the others
don't choose to...
A good price, I hope!
For it's the last delivery you'll be
making in many a day! Get out!
Mr. Fox, talking of deliveries,
here's one just come.
John Mohune...
Olivia's son.
Landlord, look after my guests.
Would you mind if I asked you
for proof of some kind?
Not at all, sir.
It's only natural.
- What's that?
- That's my grandfather's ring.
There's the Mohune crest.
I may as well tell you that I have
no affection for the name you bear.
Nor has anyone in these parts.
Moonfleet's had its bellyful
of the Mohunes.
Mohune justice, Mohune tyranny,
Mohune pride!
Come...
Don't let's quarrel
on such short acquaintance.
Drink up, John Mohune.
Go on, sit down.
What became of your mother
in the great world?
How did she fare when
her family fortunes went to smash?
After my father died,
she taught school.
And I cleaned out grates and things.
And ran errands.
- Did you like that?
- The exercise was beneficial.
Why did she send you to me?
Was there no one else?
No one but you, sir.
What am I supposed to do with you?
Make you a pillar of society,
like myself?
Thank you, sir.
What do you mean by that?
It's nice to have a friend.
A friend!
You disabuse yourself of that whimsy!
Your mother presumed
on a piece of folly
that both of us lived to regret!
The Mohunes sawto that.
They married her off
to the first available cousin
and they shipped me to the devil
by the quickest road.
But the devil and I
became fast friends.
As everyone in Moonfleet
will tell you.
Take him upstairs, put him to bed.
Did they look after you
while I was away?
"As the whirlwind passeth,
"so is the wicked no more."
Proverbs 10:25.
Come on, before it's dark.
Are you taking me to Mr. Fox?
Is that Mr. Fox's carriage?
You are, aren't you?
Never you mind, sir.
Now, in you get.
I want to go to Mr. Fox!
Well, then, want must be your master.
There we are, sir.
Let me out! Help!
Boy! Boy!
Who are you?
Im looking for Mr. Fox.
Do you know where he lives?
He lives in the manor house.
I'll show you. We're neighbours.
- Come on.
- Thank you.
You forgot your hat.
Who's that?
A smuggler.
What did he smuggle?
Brandy.
And silk and tobacco.
Why don't his people come
in the night and take him down?
Mr. Maskew won't allow it.
Who's Mr. Maskew?.
He's the magistrate.
He says Moonfleet's
a nest of smugglers.
He means to make an example
out of this one.
He must be a beast!
He's my uncle.
- Im sorry.
- So am I.
But it can't be helped.
Come along.
That's Mohune Manor in there.
Oh, John,
how long will you stay here?
Always.
Stop!
- Grace?
- Yes, uncle?
Who is that with you?
John Mohune.
He's a friend of Mr. Fox.
Mr. Fox? Ah, indeed!
Mr. Fox has
the most interesting friends.
Give him my compliments.
Mr. Maskew's compliments.
It has long been my wish to get
better acquainted
with my neighbour Mr. Fox.
And his friends.
Drive on.
Bravo!
Encore!
I want to see Mr. Fox, please.
- He's expecting me!
- Mr. Fox?
Yes! Will you let me in, please!
What sort of a man are you?
Here I am, offering you
the chance of a lifetime,
and I find you absorbed in, er...
other things.
You should know, Ashwood,
there's a time for business
and a time for "other things".
Jeremy...
You have a visitor.
It's me, sir.
What the devil!
I beg your pardon, sir. I didn't
knowthere'd be ladies present.
Shall I withdraw, sir?
Not before
you've explained yourself.
Sir...
I was kidnapped, sir.
- You don't say!
- Yes, sir.
What have you done
with my coachman?
Overpowered him
and left him for dead?
Sir?
It was I who ordered you
removed from Moonfleet
and sent back North to a school
where you'll spend
what's left of your boyhood
being starved, bullied and beaten
into a finished English gentleman.
Is that your decision, sir?
It is.
You wouldn't care to discuss it?
You have views on the subject?
Yes, sir. Id rather stay here.
The boy's right.
You can't blame him
if he likes gay company!
Have a drink, boy!
No, thank you, sir.
Or would you rather dance with
that young lady over there?
No, thank you, sir.
I can't dance.
Well, what can you do?
Can you sing?
That's right.
Give us a bawdy song!
If we like it,
we'll tell Fox to let you stay.
Hey, how about it, John?
Have you got a song?
- I know one, sir.
- Well, sing it!
There were two birds
sat on a stone
One flew away
and then there was one
The other flew after
and then there was none
And then the poor stone
was left alone
Now, sir, do I stay?
Who's to undertake your education?
You, sir.
Don't be selfish, Fox.
If the boy's heart's set
on a career of rascality,
there's no man in England
can set him a better example!
Sir, I object to that remark!
- What's that?
- You understood me, sir!
Savage little beast!
John! You will apologise
to lord Ashwood.
No, sir! He insulted you!
They all insulted you!
You're a stubborn,
ill-mannered little lad!
Tooley! Bed this young colt down
for the night.
Pack him off to school,
the sooner the better.
Drum some manners into him!
Ive changed my mind, Ashwood.
I like him as he is.
And how long is he
to stay here?
As long as it amuses me.
What do you intend to do with him?
Corrupt and destroy him too?
There's far more danger
of him destroying me.
No! No!
- Help! Help! They'll kill me!
- Hey, wake up!
- They're tearing...
- Wake up!
Oh, it's you, sir.
Well, did I save your life
in the nick of time?
They were tearing at me...
the whole pack of them!
- Who?
- The dogs!
- In the summerhouse!
- What are you talking about?
- My dream! It was like...
- Like what?
Something my mother told me.
What did she tell you?
About a friend who came to her
one night in the summerhouse.
They set the dogs on him.
They almost tore him to pieces!
Your mother had
an overwrought imagination!
She did wrong to fill your head
with such nonsense!
Jeremy!
Why do you lie to the boy?
Who was your mother?
Why did she send you to him?
Why? Answer! Can't you speak?
It's him they set the dogs on!
They? Who?
The Mohunes.
Jeremy...
Jeremy, why didn't you tell me?
She's dead, Ann.
Not to you, Jeremy!
That's why we had to leave
the islands, isn't it?
To come back here
to this accursed house...
Her house!
It would have been better
for both of us if you'd told me.
So that you could give me
the benefit of your compassion?
No, Jeremy, but at least I would
have known what lay ahead of me.
I would have known howfoolish
I was to be jealous of the others.
The women that you play with
to fill the emptiness
which is your life!
You're right, Ann.
You should not have come here
to share a life that seems so empty.
So I'll arrange for you
to return to the islands.
But I have nothing to go back to!
You knowthat!
When I followed you here
I gave up everything!
You'll sail on the Bonaventure.
She'll be here within a week.
Mr. Fox! Mr. Fox!
John! John!
Ive been here for hours
waiting for you.
How did you get in?
I'll show you,
if you promise not to tell anybody,
or I couldn't come to see you
any more.
Here. There's a breach
in the wall. See?
You do want me to come
and see you, don't you?
Well, come on then,
we'll sit in the summerhouse.
What's wrong?
What are you afraid of?
You don't talk much, do you?
Did the cat get your tongue?
I can't stay long, you know.
It's almost time for church.
The wind blewthe tide
into the graveyard last night.
Came over the wall
and right up to the church door.
Washed away
some of the tombstones.
Have you ever heard
about Redbeard?
Redbeard?
He's been in the churchyard again.
And taken another man.
What?
Master Greening. They say
it was Redbeard that took him!
Do you believe in ghosts?
I believe people should stay
out of the graveyard at night.
While Redbeard's around
looking for his lost diamond.
If I knew where it was,
I wouldn't be afraid!
Id sell the diamond
and rebuild the manor.
When my mother lived here, she said
the house had a hundred rooms
and stables for a hundred horses.
And fountains with gold and silver
fish that played all the time.
But it's not yours.
It belongs to Mr. Fox now.
We're going to live here together.
He's my friend!
That's the bell for church.
My uncle's waiting.
Are you coming?
...Praise Him, all creatures here below
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amenl
"Thou shalt not have strange gods
before me!" So it is written.
Yet you worship the dark gods
of superstition and falsehood
like so many benighted savages!
You whisper of a man long dead,
a man whom you call Redbeard!
You credit him with supernatural
powers, powers of life and death!
Redbeard, indeed!
Sir John Mohune
was an officer of the Crown
who betrayed his sacred trust,
traduced his king
and sold his honour
for a diamond of great price!
He died in Hollisbrooke, a madman,
balked of the enjoyment
of his ill-gotten treasure.
And now, in death,
it is not to be believed
that such a man would be suffered
to defy the divine law
and dishonour the resting places
of our Christian dead!
- Amen!
- Amen, Parson.
But if it weren't Redbeard,
who killed Cracky Jones last winter?
And now...
Nat Greening.
Who took him?
Silence, Granny Clarke, and you,
Ratsey, that should know better.
When I urged...
that a search be made for Nathaniel
Greening, two days missing,
I was told that a search
was useless,
that he was last seen
in the churchyard, after sundown,
and so must have met a monstrous
fate at Redbeard's hands.
I say to you that
this is blasphemy!
And I say to you that if you
persist in these heathen beliefs,
you mock God in His own house
and this shall not be forgiven you
here or hereafter.
Amen!
Who is it?
It's I, sir. John Mohune.
Olivia Mohune's boy.
I was fond of your mother.
Most fond.
Seeing you here in church today
was a comfort to me.
On a day of great anger!
Parson Glennie,
what became of the diamond?
The diamond he sold his honour for.
That secret lies buried
with Sir John.
Perhaps it is better so.
But if I found it,
it would be mine, wouldn't it?
So young, and your heart already
set on possessions?
But if I put it to good use, sir?
If you found it, you would succeed
where generations have failed.
Now, my boy, we're about to
be plunged in primeval darkness.
You're not afraid to cross
the churchyard alone, are you?
No, sir.
Still, you'd better take this.
You can return it in the morning.
I shall look forward
to talking with you.
Thank you, sir.
Good night, my boy. God bless you.
Good night, sir.
Get the ladder up.
Half the roof's fallen in!
Blood, what a shambles!
Get those kegs out of the water!
It was the brandy kegs
dancing around, not Redbeard!
I wonder Parson didn't smell a rat!
The tide come any higher, the
barrels will float down the aisle!
What about me?
- Is this all that's coming?
- Parminter's cried off.
And Starkill...
Rot their chicken hearts!
What ails 'em?
Feared to showfight
since that business of Greening.
The fools!
We'd be twenty against one!
Aye. But the question is,
do we need the one?
Gentlemen!
On my way to Ashwood House,
I received a message.
It said that I might find
better entertainment here.
Who peached?
I can spare you five minutes.
Well, here it is. The men's hearts
ain't in this business any more.
What do the men want,
plainly and simply?
Before they'll run another cargo,
they want a bigger share.
It ain't right that
some should take all the chances
while others
pockets all the profits!
You may give yourself airs
above ground, Mr. Kiss-me-hand Fox,
but down here
you're no better than we are.
You witless, gutless
misbegotten gallows-bait!
Before you thought yourselves
desperate fellows
if you smuggled two kegs
a month in a load of mackerel!
I turned your paltry swindle
into a trade worth thousands!
And I claim the captain's share
because I earn it!
Now, gentlemen,
anything else you wished to discuss?
No?
Then if you'll excuse me.
"Strengthen ye the weak hands,
and confirm the feeble knees."
Isaiah 35:3.
Im for bed.
Here, best see to this.
Cover it up.
Stap me!
It's not my hat! It's too small.
Well, it's more'n likely that
your head's too big with the brandy.
All right, all right.
Get along with it!
That'll do it.
Now nobody can get in or out!
Mr. Fox! Mr. Fox!
Carr, Ashwood. Four queens.
I believe I have the right
to a post draw, do I not?
- Kings over all!
- You're cheating, Ashwood!
Well, even if I were, I should
consider it grossly impolite of you
to say so in my own house.
Id know you anywhere.
It's Jeremy Fox!
You've got a very good memory,
my dear.
Good evening, Mr. Fox.
My lady.
I thought you'd not come.
Ashwood House seems to have
so little to attract you.
Not even gypsy music.
I see lord Ashwood
keeps you well informed.
Jamie has no secrets from me.
Nor you from him?
Why do you smile?
Women.
They have a way of combining
passion with foresight,
the joys of the moment with
a providential care of the future.
Ive a right to think of my future.
Especially now
that you're a part of it.
Now, that's an honour
I hardly deserve.
There's no man in England
who deserves it less.
I think you're cynical
and ruthless,
almost certainly cruel,
a man of bad character
and evil reputation.
You're quite right, my lady.
But then Ive never believed
in the attraction of opposites.
I think there's a far more
powerful affinity between equals.
Help!
Help! Wake up!
Let me in! Help! Help!
Help! Help!
Granny Tucker, are ye daft, woman?
He's back! I heard 'im pipin'!
A-cryin' and a-wailin'
like a soul in pain.
Get home before I slit your
gizzard, you old bag o' bones!
Tell Parson Redbeard's abroad!
Lyin' in wait to throttle us all!
Like Cracky Jones and Greening!
Mr. Fox! Help! Help!
Mr. Fox! Mr. Fox!
Help! Help! Mr. Fox!
I'm glad there's no truth
in the rumour I heard.
Rumours?
That you'd renounced
the pleasures of bachelorhood
for the sake of an adopted son.
My lady, if I wanted a son,
do you really think
I'd have no other choice
but to adopt one?
Well, with no ties in this country,
you're free to travel. Aren't you?
But I have no such intention.
You will change your mind
after speaking to Jamie.
We're going abroad!
And you're coming with us.
As Jamie's partner.
You're not averse to being
my partner, are you, Fox?
Her ladyship was just hinting
at the advantages
that such an arrangement
might hold for me.
Was she?
I have three ships
outfitting at Rotterdam.
They're being armed
to conduct operations of war
against the merchant fleets
of certain hostile nations.
Piracy.
That shouldn't bother
a man like you, Fox.
A man with brains,
courage and capital.
Capital?
Equal shares.
And a fortune to be made.
Equal shares.
If you accept, we'll take you
with us to Rotterdam.
You mean that her ladyship
would be coming with us?
You don't think that
I'd start a newventure
without lady Ashwood's
moral support, do you?
Well, Fox?
Now, why do you hesitate?
All partnerships
have two things in common:
the partner who cheats
and the partner who is cheated.
My dear Fox, you knowthat I trust
you completely in every respect.
And surely you don't think
that I would cheat you?
Milord, a message by hand
for Mr. Fox.
Excuse me.
My lady...
- Going, Fox?
- I'm afraid I must.
At this hour? You make it sound
a matter of life and death.
Is it, my lady.
It seems that the offer was
not as attractive as you thought.
It was your offer he refused, Jamie.
Not mine.
I don't fancy killin' the boy.
There's no sense in puttin' off
what's got to be done!
I say to wait.
I ain't goin' to get in no trouble
with Mr. Fox.
Look, I'm through with waitin'
on Mr. Fox!
What's to be done with the boy?
- A little boat ride...
- A little splash,
and it's all over
as prim as you please.
Take him down to the wharf.
Out the back with him now.
Let's get through with it.
He's sneakin' out!
Help me!
Open up!
Open up in the King's name!
There are men at every door!
Elzevir Block!
Captain Hawkins,
present your warrant.
Authority to search the premises.
Objections?
No.
I thought not. Your keys!
Well, whom have we here?
Mr. Fox's young friend.
You astonish me, Master Mohune.
This is not fit company
for a gentleman.
Mister...
Master John is so kind
as to make allowances.
He sees through our rough ways
into our kind hearts.
Don't you, Master John?
Master John
has remarkable eyesight!
"Unto the pure,
all things are pure." Titus...
Mister...
Well?
Master John was about to...
Let Master John speak for himself.
Come here, boy.
Please, sir, they're going to
take me away on a boat and...
Maskew!
I can scarcely believe my eyes!
A King's magistrate carousing
in a fisherman's pothouse?
Why not, Mr. Fox?
Am I not in good company?
Am I not in some sort
a fisherman myself?
Don't I spread my nets to catch all
kinds of fish, both great and small?
Did you know a man
named Greening, Mr. Fox?
I never had that pleasure.
His mother believes him to have
been engaged in the smuggling trade.
Suspects he met foul play
at the hands of his companions.
Well then, your course is clear.
Hang the lot.
Never fear, Mr. Fox.
In due course
and with proper evidence,
I will have every smuggling rascal
in this parish swing and sun-dry.
I hope I'm there to see it.
Oh, you will be, Mr. Fox.
At my personal invitation.
Until then...
One moment!
Master John, you were
going to tell me something.
Well, come on.
You said they were going to... yes,
going to take you out
on a boat and...
Go on, please.
Speak up, boy.
That's all, sir.
Well?
Nothing out of the way, sir.
Oh, cheer up, Maskew.
You can't hope to hang a man
every morning.
- That was a near thing.
- Why didn't he speak?
- He could have saved himself.
- He has saved himself.
It won't do, Mr. Fox. That boy
knows enough to hang all of us.
The boy is my responsibility.
I'll dispose of him in my own way.
After what he's heard and seen
in the vault, he can't live!
I'll take that risk.
Well, we won't!
This is the second time that you've
chosen to speak for these men.
I take it you regard yourself
as their leader.
Well, Master Block,
we'll settle that now.
Get out of the way!
Now, Master Block...
does he live or die?
Live!
Are you all right, sir?
The exercise was beneficial.
The Bonaventure
will be in before dawn
with a cargo of silk and brandy.
You'll get your orders.
Be on the beach, and ready!
Come on, John Mohune.
My locket, please.
Here you are, Master John.
You opened it and
stole what was in it!
Young sir, what use could I have
for a set of Bible verses
I know by heart?
Bible verses!
John!
All very edifying,
complete to the last syllable,
chapter and verse.
But every blessed number
written down wrong!
Makes no sense at all.
None that my poor head can grasp.
No, John.
We won't discuss it further.
Please, sir. I swear I won't tell.
I'm sorry, John, but under
the circumstances, I have no choice
but to send you to the colonies,
where I trust
you will live long and die rich.
You sail tonight.
Go to your room, John.
Yes, sir.
You heard what I said to the boy?
- You're sending him away?
- Yes.
- I wish he'd never come, Jeremy.
- So do I.
Do you, Jeremy?
The Bonaventure
will be in tonight.
The carriage will take you down
to the beach, you and the boy.
When we've unloaded her cargo,
you'll go aboard.
At St Helier, you will be put
on a Dutch ship for the islands.
Here, you'd better take this.
You'll need it.
Goodbye, John Mohune.
Jeremy! It's no use.
They're everywhere.
They have orders to kill you.
Isn't that why
you sent them down on us?
The boat!
Our only chance, Jeremy!
You're wrong, Ann!
There's Jeremy Fox!
Don't let him get away!
Surrender, Fox,
or I'll shoot you down.
Let me do it, sir.
I'm quite good at that.
No!
And stop looking at me
with those spaniel eyes!
Since you appeared,
I've had nothing but trouble!
You saved my life, sir.
That doesn't mean you
should follow me like a lost dog!
Will nothing teach you once and
for all that I will not be bound
by responsibilities and debts
and ties and obligations?
I wish to heaven your mother
had never sent you to me!
Now, there's the road.
You go that way, back to Moonfleet.
They're looking for a man with a boy.
You'd be my death warrant.
- Here, sir. Take this.
- What is it?
The money you gave me
on the beach. You'll be needing it.
- You keep it.
- Don't worry about me, sir.
I'll sell the locket
from Redbeard's coffin.
It's silver.
I was hoping to find
the diamond in it.
- You didn't, huh?
- No.
Just a paper with Bible verses.
And all of them numbered wrong.
At least
that's what Master Ratsey said.
Bible verses?
In Redbeard's coffin?
Let me look at that!
You say all these numbers are wrong?
That's what Master Ratsey said.
Jeremiah 51:10...
One, two, three, four, five, six,
seven, eight, nine, ten: "Treasure"!
- The tenth word is treasure!
- Treasure?
"Lo, I am this day
fourscore and five years old." Six.
One, two, three, four, five, six:
"Fourscore".
I does mean something,
doesn't it, sir?
It's a cipher!
Fourscore...
feet...
deep.
"Well".
In a well!
Hollisbrooke is
the deepest well in England!
And your Redbeard,
Master John Mohune,
was governor
of Hollisbrooke Castle!
Then that's where the diamond is!
If there is a diamond.
Oh, there is, sir! I know it!
It's in that well!
Fourscore deep...
Sir, is there a way
to get down that far?
Yes, there's a way.
You're late, my lord.
If your messenger hadn't been so...
persuasive,
I shouldn't have come at all.
Hauling me out of bed
at three o'clock in the morning!
How kind, calling me a gentleman.
A drink?
I don't drink with hunted felons.
- Not drink to our partnership?
- We have no partnership.
You're mistaken, Ashwood.
Ive decided to accept your offer.
My dear Fox,
well, to put it bluntly,
you no longer have
the necessary qualifications.
In your own words:
brains, courage...
- And the capital.
- And capital.
Im about to come into
an unexpected inheritance.
Congratulations!
But aren't you selling the bear's
skin before the bear is killed?
Give me time to kill him.
Sorry, but we leave for Rotterdam
tomorrow night.
Till tomorrow night then.
Ten o'clock.
Stop your coach at the bend
on the North Cove Road.
If I satisfy you
that Im a partner worth having,
then you'll take me with you.
And if you fail to satisfy?
Well, there's a hundred guineas
consolation.
Very well.
You're not thinking of taking
that boy along, are you?
I may be able to save you
from the gallows,
but not with that brat
hanging onto your coattails!
- You knowthat, don't you?
- Yes.
- You'll have to get rid of him.
- Yes!
Shall I convey your respects
to lady Ashwood?
Tell her that Im looking forward
to our partnership.
Come off it, major.
You go on duty at eight!
Hey, hey, Hennishaw,
where are you going?
That's not the way
to Hollisbrooke!
Blasted Hollisbrooke! Blasted army!
Must go. Duty at eight.
Of course, major, of course.
But there's always time
for a little nap, isn't there, major?
Time? Of course there's time.
Hennishaw'll have
a head in the morning.
Is the candle all ready?
The cord measured out?
Sir!
Now you look here,
this isn't a game,
so let's understand each other.
If anything goes wrong,
it'll be each for himself.
If I have to abandon you,
Ill do so without hesitation.
I don't think
you'd do that, sir.
You're very much mistaken.
If you'd been my son...
Yes, sir?
Id have taught you to trust no one!
But you are my friend!
I am your partner.
In a dangerous venture! Clear?
The exercise will be beneficial.
Hey, coachman!
Wait for me over there.
Hey, boy! Come here!
Me, sir?
- You want to earn a copper?
- Yes, sir.
Well, you carry these
and follow me.
Major!
What? A sentry leaving his post!
The countersign...
Is this one of His Majesty's
military prisons or a country fair?
- But my orders are...
- Your orders are to stay on guard.
And what's that bird's nest
you've got on your back... a uniform?
- Who's your officer?
- Lt Upjohn, sir.
My compliments to him.
If ever I have occasion to inspect
his guard, I shall hope to see
British soldiers that look like
British soldiers! Dismissed!
Sir!
You ready?
Yes, sir.
Come on, in you get.
Anything wrong here, major?
Who are you?
The well-tender.
The well-tender, eh?
And you ask me
if there's anything wrong!
Haven't you been selling water
to the prisoners?
Why, sir, it's not so. I...
Selling them water and
hiding your takings in this well?
May I be struck dead, sir,
if Id do a thing like that!
Yes, if I were you,
I would not tempt Providence.
Mr. Fox! Mr. Fox!
Who's that?
Well, what's he doing down there?
Proving your innocence...
if you are innocent! Boy!
Yes, major?
Proceed with the search.
Yes, sir.
All right, lower away.
Stop!
Stop it!
- Ive found it, sir!
- Found what?
Raise it.
Got a memento of the wars,
I see there, major.
Well, no more than anyone else
who served in France.
I don't know where you got that one,
friend, but it weren't in the wars.
The 10th Light Infantry
is a garrison regiment.
It's stationed at Hollisbrooke
these six years.
Let go of that brake.
- That's an order!
- That game's played out!
Now, come on! Give us
what you found, or down you go!
Let's have it!
Quick! You go on ahead.
Lt Upjohn, sir. I have the honour
to present the guard for inspection.
Loose.
Give the countersign!
Countersign be hanged!
Im major Hennishaw, you idiot!
Well, my compliments, lieutenant.
Stop that man!
Stop him, I say!
He's a thief and an impostor!
That boy!
They were together! Stop him!
Stop him! Stop him!
I thought you'd gone.
Gone where?
To the beach. To look at the boat.
It's still there.
Yes. It's still there.
This time tomorrow, we'll be across
the channel and safe, won't we?
I knew you wouldn't do it.
Do what?
You said you'd leave me.
But you didn't.
Go back to sleep.
My mother worried
that Id always be poor.
Now we're rich.
I think she'd have liked us
to live together in the manor,
don't you?
Yes.
Now we'll never go back there.
You may... I shan't.
Then I shan't either.
In the colonies,
when we sell the diamond...
we could have a house
like my mother's, couldn't we?
With stables for a hundred horses,
and fountains...
Delighted to see you, my dear Fox.
- My lady.
- Clarissa.
He must call me that,
mustn't he, Jamie?
Nowthat we're partners.
The question is, are we partners?
You won't think me unmannerly
if I ask to see
some evidence of your good fortune?
Ive never seen anything so...
so...
It must be worth at least...
My body and soul, sir!
This is the most remarkable...
Fox, I congratulate you.
Satisfied?
Drive on!
To you, sir! And to our future!
By heaven, Fox, I grudge
the years that we've spent apart.
We belong together,
the two of us.
The three of us!
The four of us.
You've forgotten the diamond.
Where did you find it, Jeremy?
Or shouldn't I ask?
An heirloom, my dear.
Our friend has come into
an unexpected inheritance.
Well, he doesn't seem to be
enjoying it as he should.
Oh, your poor hand!
As soon as we get on board, you'll
let me take care of it, won't you?
Did you know, Fox, they're offering
300 guineas for you now?.
Your value's tripled, alive or dead.
He's becoming more precious
every moment.
Halt! In the King's name!
Pull up your horses!
Let's have a look
at your passengers.
What the deviIs going on here?
Name, sir? Destination?
Destination Poole.
As to my name...
I was under the impression
that this crest
was not entirely unknown
in these parts.
Oh, I beg your pardon, my lord.
We're looking for a criminal
by the name of Fox and a boy...
Well, it's hardly likely that
they'd be travelling with me!
No, my lord, of course not,
not likely at all.
Begging your lordship's pardon,
I have my orders.
All vehicles must be searched.
Father! Doesn't the lieutenant know
that we have better things to do
than to spend the night here,
chatting with him?
Your son-in-law, my lord?
Honeymoon.
My best wishes. There'll be no
further delay in your journey.
Well, good hunting.
I hope you get your birds.
We will, my lord,
alive or dead, we'll get them.
Very resourceful, my dear.
You saved our friend's life.
That's almost worth a diamond,
isn't it?
Is it?
Good thing the boy wasn't with us.
He'd have stumped even you,
eh, Clarissa?
Or perhaps you would've had me
claim him as my grandson.
By the way,
what did you do with him?
Kill him to be rid of him?
You approve?
Children are such a pest!
I can't see how anybody would
want to be bothered with one.
Vicious little chap!
Spilt a glass of wine all over me!
Flew at me because I called you
a scoundrel! Remember?
An absolute tiger!
I remember.
I wish you'd look
a little happier, Fox.
Personally, Im delighted.
- Especially with myself!
- You've every reason to be.
Think of it! In less than an hour
we'll be on board ship,
headed for a new life
of ease and splendour.
I doubt the world holds more
fortunate beings than ourselves.
Stop!
Coachman, pull up!
What's that?
We're going back.
Turn the coach around.
You're mad, Fox!
Im not going back!
Well, this coach is,
with or without you.
Now, you take the road
down to the beach.
If anyone tries to stop you,
drive straight on.
Come on, do what I tell you!
Jeremy!
John!
Time to go, sir?
- No, no yet.
- Is anything the matter?
No, no. Our plans have changed.
You stay here till dawn.
Then you're to make your way
back to Moonfleet.
Go to Parson Glennie.
Give him the diamond
and tell him everything.
Aren't we leaving together?
If anybody stops you, say that
I was holding you and you escaped.
But sir, I don't want to go
without you!
We can't always do
what we want, John.
I need someone here at home
I can trust,
someone I can rely on
till I get back.
But you'll be back soon?
As soon as I can.
Can I depend on you?
Yes, sir, if you think it's best.
It's best.
Good luck, John Mohune.
Good luck, sir.
It's the first time these gates
have stood open for a dozen years.
They must be open! There's no
telling when he'll come home.
Jeremy Fox?
You're sure he'll come back?
He's my friend.