1. It was in the year of 1933Copy !req
2. and Grace and her father were heading
southward with their army of gangstersCopy !req
3. After leaving Dogville
they had returned to DenverCopy !req
4. only to find that the mice had been well
and truly playing while the cat was awayCopy !req
5. and new forces had taken
over their former possessionsCopy !req
6. The result was a particularly
unappealing retreatCopy !req
7. that had brought them through
the state of Alabama this springCopy !req
8. in search of new hunting groundsCopy !req
9. No, they will not
admit it! But it's a fact!Copy !req
10. Deep down inside there isn't a woman
alive who doesn't nurture these fantasiesCopy !req
11. whether they involve haremsCopy !req
12. or being hunted through the
jungle by torch-bearing nativesCopy !req
13. however much they go on and on about
civilization and democracy sexy it ain't!Copy !req
14. Grace and her father had
resumed their legendary discordCopy !req
15. even as they pulled out of DogvilleCopy !req
16. and although Grace had
been employing the techniqueCopy !req
17. of letting things go in one ear and out
the other for a pretty long time nowCopy !req
18. she was, to be frank, somewhat weary
of her unbearably overweening daddyCopy !req
19. who still believed any nagging woman could be
pacified with the good old bouquet of carnationsCopy !req
20. I bet you wouldn't have had the guts
to talk like that if mother had been aliveCopy !req
21. No, you are right, my girl, I would not!Copy !req
22. we're going, bossCopy !req
23. Miss, Lady, can I talk
to you? Can I talk to you?Copy !req
24. Yes?Copy !req
25. They going whip him! I knew they would!
It just ain't true! He ain't stole nothing!Copy !req
26. They put that Rhenish wine
from Mam's bedside table in his cabinCopy !req
27. just to give 'em somethin'
to whip him for! That's the lawCopy !req
28. One bottle and it's a whippin',
that's "Mam's Law!"Copy !req
29. what are you talking about?
who... who are they going to whip?Copy !req
30. - Timothy!
- why?Copy !req
31. That's how they do us slaves...Copy !req
32. - Slaves?
- Yes, Ma'amCopy !req
33. Surely you've heard of slaves?Copy !req
34. That's what we is at ManderlayCopy !req
35. this godforsaken place!Copy !req
36. That's how I got out, when a whippin's in
the offin' they take out a section of the fenceCopy !req
37. Listen, Grace! It's a local matter
and it's not for us to poke our noses inCopy !req
38. why should we not "poke our noses in",
just because it's a local matter?Copy !req
39. It's certainly not our responsibilityCopy !req
40. You think the Negroes wanted
to leave their homes in Africa?Copy !req
41. wasn't it us who
brought them to America?Copy !req
42. we have done them a great wrong, it's our
abuse that has made them what they areCopy !req
43. Untie him!Copy !req
44. Stop!Copy !req
45. 'Fraid not, lady! Slavery was
abolished seventy years agoCopy !req
46. If you won't obey that law of your
own accord, we will compel you to do so!Copy !req
47. Mam! Help me get her inside!Copy !req
48. water for Mam! QuicklyCopy !req
49. Spare me your hypocrisy,
you dumb old slave!Copy !req
50. Get out, leave us alone!Copy !req
51. If you're looking for sympathy,
don't expect any from meCopy !req
52. Listen, I'm very oldCopy !req
53. and unfortunately, dyingCopy !req
54. I should like to ask you for a favorCopy !req
55. If it involves allowing you to go
on exploiting these people like slavesCopy !req
56. I'm sorry, I'll just have to say noCopy !req
57. - No matter how "dying" you are
- Slavery is over now, I can see thatCopy !req
58. It had to come one dayCopy !req
59. All right, I'll probably refuse
you, but you might as well askCopy !req
60. There's a book,
it's under my mattressCopy !req
61. I should like you to
retrieve it and burn it for meCopy !req
62. - It would be best for everyone
- I'm sure you think so!Copy !req
63. But it's my view that anything no matter what, is
best served by being brought out into the openCopy !req
64. I beg you, one woman to anotherCopy !req
65. woman to woman,
makes no difference to meCopy !req
66. the sins of the past are sins I cannot
and do not wish to help you eraseCopy !req
67. And now I must leave you, I believe
my father's men have unlocked the gateCopy !req
68. so now everybody can
come and go as they pleaseCopy !req
69. Please let everyone else
know on the plantationCopy !req
70. that from now on they can all enjoy the same
freedoms as any other citizen of this countryCopy !req
71. And the Constitution can
be found at any courthouseCopy !req
72. And here's a tip for
when you sue the familyCopy !req
73. there's a weighty written evidence
concealed in this very roomCopy !req
74. She's deadCopy !req
75. The old devil!Copy !req
76. Oh, I'm sorry,
I didn't mean it, Missy!Copy !req
77. No, no, if any of us deserves
an apology it's not me!Copy !req
78. I'm afraidCopy !req
79. There's nothing to be afraid of!
we've taken all the family's weapons!Copy !req
80. NoCopy !req
81. I'm afraid of what will happen nowCopy !req
82. I fear we ain't ready for
a completely new way of lifeCopy !req
83. At Manderlay, we
slaves took supper at 7Copy !req
84. when do people take
supper when they are free?Copy !req
85. we don't know these thingsCopy !req
86. Free men eat when they're hungryCopy !req
87. free women, as wellCopy !req
88. Considering the times and the situationCopy !req
89. Grace's words in the dead woman's
room on meal times for free citizensCopy !req
90. might have seemed a trifle over-spiritedCopy !req
91. we should not believe that there
lay any contempt in these wordsCopy !req
92. for the wretched and
starving people of AmericaCopy !req
93. Grace rejoined the gangstersCopy !req
94. who had indeed concluded their disarmament
of the plantation's powers-that-had-beenCopy !req
95. though their findings were meager:
the shot gun, and an old toy pistolCopy !req
96. All right, we can goCopy !req
97. No, let's just wait a moment!Copy !req
98. what are you waiting for?Copy !req
99. For them to come and thank you?Copy !req
100. Or for them to burn
the whole place downCopy !req
101. and dance some tribal dance on
the ruins by the glow of the torchlight?Copy !req
102. You are a bigot, daddy
and you always have beenCopy !req
103. we owe these people we
brought them here, we abused themCopy !req
104. - we made them what they are!
- I admit, I don't do deals with the JapsCopy !req
105. You can't trust them when there's
big money at stake, but a bigot?Copy !req
106. - why don't they come out?
- That's exactly what you said last time!Copy !req
107. - Last time?
- Remember when you were sixCopy !req
108. you thought it was so sad that your
beloved Tweety was all shut up in a cageCopy !req
109. and nobody could persuade
you not to let him outCopy !req
110. Tweety was a proud little birdCopy !req
111. well, his dignified exit didn't
do Tweety a hell of a lot of goodCopy !req
112. we found him the next
morning underneath your windowCopy !req
113. - Frozen to death
- I knowCopy !req
114. he'd been bred as an indoor bird,
he really didn't have a chanceCopy !req
115. And what do you think
those Negroes in there are?Copy !req
116. How many generations do you think those
families made their homes behind that fence?Copy !req
117. I bet you most of them have taken up
employment in their former jobs with the familyCopy !req
118. contracts and allCopy !req
119. Of course now they'll get a few dollars
for their efforts, but they'll soon drink that upCopy !req
120. and maybe they'll borrow
a bit more from their employersCopy !req
121. who have, no doubt, opened a little
store full of colorful wares just for themCopy !req
122. And of course they'll never be able to pay
back the money and they'll be trapped yet againCopy !req
123. what you did was
all very noble, my girl, but...Copy !req
124. when push comes to shove you've just made
everything far worse, just as you did with TweetyCopy !req
125. So all we can do
is hope there's no frostCopy !req
126. what you said about
contracts and loansCopy !req
127. - That's fraud!
- Fraud?Copy !req
128. - See, I've read that freed slaves
- YesCopy !req
129. - Are given a mule and a plot of land
- YesCopy !req
130. - So that they can establish themselves
- YesCopy !req
131. Yep, that's true,
but when it came down to itCopy !req
132. the fellow who owned the mule and
the land had rather keep it all for himselfCopy !req
133. so nothing really ever happened with itCopy !req
134. Anyhow, it may take them a while to
gather the evidence against the plantationCopy !req
135. for when the family goes on trial...Copy !req
136. Trial?Copy !req
137. There are times when you seem
even less with it than your dear mother!Copy !req
138. No, I seem to have
underestimated 'emCopy !req
139. we've at least one man with
a genuine thirst for freedomCopy !req
140. And he's gettin' out,
and he's in a hurryCopy !req
141. Yeah, he's high tailin' it, all rightCopy !req
142. Yeah, it's Gramps!Copy !req
143. Pardon meCopy !req
144. Not a lot of dignity there...
he's scared out of his wits!Copy !req
145. would it be possible to have
a word with the young lady?Copy !req
146. Yes, yesCopy !req
147. Don't mean to inconvenience youCopy !req
148. That's exactly what you're doingCopy !req
149. You're not inconveniencing anyone, this
is a grave day for everyone, I know that!Copy !req
150. I just thought we must have
seemed a might bit ungratefulCopy !req
151. we should like to thank
you properly for what you've doneCopy !req
152. - It'll only take a moment
- Yes of courseCopy !req
153. Ten minutes and then
I'm going, not a second longer!Copy !req
154. Grace was conducted through the wretched
living quarters bestowed upon the slavesCopy !req
155. with their pitiful, leaky cabinsCopy !req
156. Her actions would comprise an unconditional
enrichment of these people's livesCopy !req
157. There was no doubt about that...Copy !req
158. or was there?Copy !req
159. Actually, Grace did not see so
much of the glow she had hoped forCopy !req
160. The glow that could have convinced her that no
one would end up like the little pale yellow canaryCopy !req
161. These were human beings but of the kind on
whom pain had been inflicted, Grace thoughtCopy !req
162. as she was suddenly interrupted
by a strangely exotic accentCopy !req
163. when we were slaves we were not
required to offer thanks for our supperCopy !req
164. and for the water we
drank and the air we breathedCopy !req
165. Nobody needs
to say thank you, but...Copy !req
166. But what?Copy !req
167. You mean there's somethin'
we ought to be thankful for?Copy !req
168. I didn't mean
"but" I meant "and"!Copy !req
169. And, there's no reason to be grateful
for anything as natural as your freedomCopy !req
170. I'm the first to apologize for everything you
and your people have been subjected to...Copy !req
171. See, those gates should have
been unlocked seventy years agoCopy !req
172. Only seventy years agoCopy !req
173. but before that, of course,
they were completely justified?Copy !req
174. NoCopy !req
175. no, no, you misunderstand meCopy !req
176. what can I say?Copy !req
177. You need to say nothing at allCopy !req
178. we've heard of your kindCopy !req
179. A society lady, who spends
her time rescuin' wretched nigrasCopy !req
180. I should like to say thank you! Missy
done give her time and effort to helpin' usCopy !req
181. time I bet she could've spent
on all kinds of different thingsCopy !req
182. 'Cause, t'was perfect justice when God
made some of us slaves and not othersCopy !req
183. A nigra is vile by natureCopy !req
184. Oh, I know it ain't popular to say so!Copy !req
185. And it ain't 'cause
of Burt that I say soCopy !req
186. No, Victoria did not base her perception
exclusively on her experience of her husbandCopy !req
187. though God knows it weighed heavilyCopy !req
188. Burt was a useless eejit whose character
Victoria, regrettably so far in vainCopy !req
189. had done her best to improve by hitting him
with any implement to hand on any given occasionCopy !req
190. no matter how much he had
threatened to take his own lifeCopy !req
191. by throwing himself
into Manderlay's deep wellCopy !req
192. Grace looked at Wilhelm the
old house slave and understood:Copy !req
193. He had not brought her
here for anybody to thank herCopy !req
194. he just wanted her to see them all!Copy !req
195. The unfortunate flock that he very
rightly feared would have few chancesCopy !req
196. beyond the perimeter fenceCopy !req
197. living proof of the devastating
power of oppressionCopy !req
198. Listen up, it's all been put on paperCopy !req
199. we just needed to check the wordin' first,
bein' as these things are legal and bindin'!Copy !req
200. Bingo!Copy !req
201. what are these?Copy !req
202. They're the contracts, Ma'am!Copy !req
203. The family has been so
considerate to offer us all employmentCopy !req
204. Grace was not a lawyer and unqualified to assess
the validity of the contract she held in her handCopy !req
205. But she feared that unfortunately any judge
in the county would deem it fair and properCopy !req
206. it appeared to Grace
that instead of "employee"Copy !req
207. they might just as well have
retained the old term of "slave"Copy !req
208. A body would only sign it if he or she
was utterly ignorant of life in a liberal societyCopy !req
209. or if he or she
really had no choice!Copy !req
210. Folks, I suppose that you're
in urgent need of cash, Mark?Copy !req
211. Cash?Copy !req
212. I once knew this fella' from a little
township nobody'd know the name ofCopy !req
213. so there ain't no grounds
to mention what t'was calledCopy !req
214. he had cash, not piles of itCopy !req
215. we are prepared to lend you some money
as covered by this other piece of paperCopy !req
216. and we also can set up
a little store here, if you likeCopy !req
217. after all, it's a long way to townCopy !req
218. And if you buy enough for all of us,
I betcha liable to get a real nice bulk discountCopy !req
219. and the goods'll be
cheaper than in town!Copy !req
220. Ain't that right, Miss Grace?Copy !req
221. I have no ideaCopy !req
222. Please sign, everybody!Copy !req
223. Sign hereCopy !req
224. All right, let's go!Copy !req
225. - No, turn it off
- Damn it!Copy !req
226. Daddy! You said that I didn't have
the power to help Tweety and you were rightCopy !req
227. I was a child then...Copy !req
228. So, what is it this time?Copy !req
229. This time I have the power to act!Copy !req
230. You said so back in DogvilleCopy !req
231. That your power would be mine, too!Copy !req
232. And that I could use it in my own way!Copy !req
233. That power was
to carry on the family firmCopy !req
234. that I was open to new ideasCopy !req
235. The power you ask for now will undoubtedly be
applied to something that's foolish at best and...Copy !req
236. Daddy! You promised!Copy !req
237. You were a bastard to mother, but when
you promised her something, she got it!Copy !req
238. Ok, you've been
given what I promised youCopy !req
239. Maybe things haven't
been split right down the middleCopy !req
240. but this is as far as I am prepared to go!Copy !req
241. I want nothing to do with your plansCopy !req
242. And you won't be able to get in touch with
me if anything goes wrong and you need meCopy !req
243. as usual, to get you out of trouble,
because fortunately, my dearCopy !req
244. you'll have no idea where I amCopy !req
245. - Daddy, I'd like to take Joseph, as well
- NoCopy !req
246. I need a lawyer
to sort out some paperwork!Copy !req
247. No, no, never, neverCopy !req
248. I'd never let Joseph goCopy !req
249. He's the only man I know who can draw up a
contract so there's only one possible interpretationCopy !req
250. and though I haven't
needed that talent as of yetCopy !req
251. I still might need it one day!Copy !req
252. I'll give you Viggo and Bruno for him!Copy !req
253. Never!Copy !req
254. I've given you my best
associates and you know it!Copy !req
255. Daddy! I was meant
to have been given half!Copy !req
256. - If mother had been alive
- Oh, damn it, Grace!Copy !req
257. So, that very day and into
the early hours Joseph employedCopy !req
258. the celebrated unambiguous phrases
his previous employer and given himCopy !req
259. so wretchedly little
opportunity to practiceCopy !req
260. New contracts needed drawing
up and old ones needed nullifyingCopy !req
261. all with the astonishing goodwill
that parties always evince in the companyCopy !req
262. of rapid-firing machine pistolsCopy !req
263. These are the deeds of gift, you transfer the
property to the former slaves in joint ownershipCopy !req
264. The last document is your contract
of employment by this communityCopy !req
265. Employment? I don't quite
get what you mean by that...Copy !req
266. It'll be without pay and the right
of termination is rather one-sidedlyCopy !req
267. in the hands of the
employer, but neverthelessCopy !req
268. Manual labor... for you
and your family and Mr. Mays!Copy !req
269. Hard laborCopy !req
270. Say something, Bingo!Copy !req
271. My father's back ain't so strong, he climbed
up to reach the chandelier, one Christmas dayCopy !req
272. And he fell off the
banister and struck a tableCopy !req
273. well, that's what happens
when you've got chandeliersCopy !req
274. when I consider that your understanding
of the worth of other human beingsCopy !req
275. has reached the desirable stageCopy !req
276. you and Mr. Mays and
your family will be allowed to goCopy !req
277. Go? And leave our home?Copy !req
278. YesCopy !req
279. and I assure you that even starting from
scratch your prospects will be a lot betterCopy !req
280. than your former
labor's would have been!Copy !req
281. with regards to the
presence of me and my menCopy !req
282. we'll only act as your counselorsCopy !req
283. The guns are merely a precaution in
case of any threats to the new communityCopy !req
284. we intend to stay here, but
only until the first harvest is homeCopy !req
285. after which any of the new
shareholders who wishes to do soCopy !req
286. may cash in his or her
deed of gift and receive a dividendCopy !req
287. All right, will you
collect your deeds, Mark...?Copy !req
288. Nobody was particularly enthusiastic or
confident about these late night legal formalitiesCopy !req
289. But Grace could see beyond thisCopy !req
290. And if she saw little else than
fear and disquiet in all these eyesCopy !req
291. at least she saw
gratitude in one single pairCopy !req
292. namely in Wilhelm's mild, old gazeCopy !req
293. Burt! I got a deed of gift
here that ain't been acceptedCopy !req
294. will Mr. Burt approach forthwith
and take delivery of his deed of gift?Copy !req
295. Mr. Burt? Mr. Burt?Copy !req
296. Burt had actually prepared his
escape from his ferocious wifeCopy !req
297. Despite her lack of faith in his abilitiesCopy !req
298. Burt had succeeded in meeting
a woman through the fenceCopy !req
299. and she had agreed
to help him to abscondCopy !req
300. and there he was waiting at
the agreed place at the agreed timeCopy !req
301. "A helping hand", the woman had saidCopy !req
302. what a peculiar coincidence that
two women should come to the aidCopy !req
303. of the Manderlay
slaves at the same time:Copy !req
304. Grace; and Burt's "helping hand"Copy !req
305. and the similarities between
them were also peculiar:Copy !req
306. young; beautiful; white in male companyCopy !req
307. actually male
company in alarming numbersCopy !req
308. where's the nigger?Copy !req
309. Grace had moved into the freed
among its new shareholdersCopy !req
310. She was there as a guard, no moreCopy !req
311. But no one could stop her
from using this beautiful springCopy !req
312. to make her own little observations
on the people of ManderlayCopy !req
313. In the hope of spotting the burgeoning change
in character that freedom ought to bringCopy !req
314. But unfortunately
she saw little of just that:Copy !req
315. She saw Victoria for the third time, looking down
the well in hope of a glimpse of the body of BurtCopy !req
316. She saw Flora and Elisabeth
swooning for Timothy as everCopy !req
317. She saw the men spending
their time on card gamesCopy !req
318. playing for tufts of blue
cotton under their leaking roofCopy !req
319. And she saw how everybody would ignore
the eager Mark whenever he opened his mouthCopy !req
320. not knowing that he was notorious for never
being able to give an intelligible answer to anythingCopy !req
321. we called him Putting head,
but his real name wasn't Putting headCopy !req
322. Grace saw Victoria beating her
eldest son, for stealing a moldy cookieCopy !req
323. And she saw the unstoppable,
irrevocable hierarchy of the beatingsCopy !req
324. Victoria beating Ed, Ed
beating Milton, and Milton, willieCopy !req
325. who finally vented his frustration
further down the food chain on ClaireCopy !req
326. who far too rarely managed to make
use of the window with the outside handleCopy !req
327. that her loving father Jack had
installed as an emergency entranceCopy !req
328. which also allowed her to fall asleep every
night to her favorite view of the twinkling starsCopy !req
329. Every noontide Grace witnessed
with pity how the former slavesCopy !req
330. were arrayed on the parade
ground with its mysterious numbersCopy !req
331. and marks beneath Mam's balconyCopy !req
332. as if nothing at Manderlay had changedCopy !req
333. However, one of them did not submit
to this all-too-soothing power of habitCopy !req
334. Timothy of courseCopy !req
335. In a flash his exotic pride
almost took Grace's breath awayCopy !req
336. This day Grace walked on past the old "Peach
House" where the whites were now detainedCopy !req
337. put to work on sundry more
or less needless little repairsCopy !req
338. on her way to the
barn housing her gangstersCopy !req
339. So, how's everyone doing?Copy !req
340. I'm afraid the men got nothing to doCopy !req
341. And it's not so good for the moraleCopy !req
342. In situations like that your father
always came up with something!Copy !req
343. I bet he did! But it's
patience that's requiredCopy !req
344. But not this much patience, Niels says,
Niels's grandpa was a cotton growerCopy !req
345. And he says the cotton
should've been sown ages ago!Copy !req
346. The soil doesn't look readyCopy !req
347. Might be because nobody's ploughed it!Copy !req
348. Maybe things are different here
from where your grandpa lives?Copy !req
349. No ma'am, don't reckon soCopy !req
350. well, if it should've been sown, surely
the people here would be the first to knowCopy !req
351. As she did not want to imposeCopy !req
352. Grace's intercourse with the former slaves
had been limited to brief greetings and the likeCopy !req
353. But now it was time for
a talk with some meat to itCopy !req
354. Excuse me, sir? Mark?
May I ask you something?Copy !req
355. It's about planting the cottonCopy !req
356. I've been around for sowin'
and harvestin' and birth and deathCopy !req
357. Right, so when should
the cotton be planted?Copy !req
358. There're strict rules for that...Copy !req
359. you can't mess
around with that sort of thingCopy !req
360. Manderlay's always been renowned
for the precision of its harvestCopy !req
361. the swallows always
migrate right afterwardsCopy !req
362. they settle here for the night
on their way across the marshesCopy !req
363. But the planting?Copy !req
364. It's a science, my dear ladyCopy !req
365. And the weather, what you might've
expected, plays a fear-some roleCopy !req
366. Yes, yes, and when
will it be time this year?Copy !req
367. Not too soon and not too lateCopy !req
368. Yes, but when? Should the
cotton have already been planted?Copy !req
369. I'm not the sorta fella' to pass on
information unless I'm damn sure of itCopy !req
370. less the facts of the matter are
one hundred percent, in other words...Copy !req
371. the facts need be beyond disputeCopy !req
372. Do you know when to plant?Copy !req
373. NoCopy !req
374. I'd better ask Wilhelm,
is he in his cabin?Copy !req
375. This morning he went
down to the bath houseCopy !req
376. he'd gotten a little frayed around
the edges, as they say, it's a funny thingCopy !req
377. I'm sorry... I'll go find him myselfCopy !req
378. Excuse me Wilhelm,
I've come about the fieldsCopy !req
379. The fields should've been ploughed
and harrowed three weeks agoCopy !req
380. and the cotton planted two weeks agoCopy !req
381. But does everybody know that?Copy !req
382. Oh yes, but I reckon they thinkin' somebody
else oughta go out into the fields firstCopy !req
383. In the old days Overseer
Mays would've driven us out thereCopy !req
384. Maybe it's because
nobody really trust you, MissyCopy !req
385. Yeah, but Wilhelm, they could
be doing something else insteadCopy !req
386. repairs to their homesCopy !req
387. they badly need itCopy !req
388. The cabins have
always been a sore spotCopy !req
389. But Mam said we ain't
got no material to fix 'em upCopy !req
390. But we're going to need what we make on the
cotton, how else will people survive on their own?Copy !req
391. YeahCopy !req
392. if folks felt they
was given somethingCopy !req
393. Something brought out
by this, these new timesCopy !req
394. That made their lives better in
a convincing way, right here and nowCopy !req
395. I don't know what
that might be, but...Copy !req
396. But we don't have time for thatCopy !req
397. we've been forced to sow late beforeCopy !req
398. The harvest might be improved if we planted
it a bit late, even says that in Mam's LawCopy !req
399. Mam's Law?Copy !req
400. Oh, yes, Mam's lawCopy !req
401. It's all the rules for running the plantationCopy !req
402. But we weren't allowed to read it,
it was just for Mam and the familyCopy !req
403. Only for Mam and the
family, Grace thought...Copy !req
404. Certainly no more...Copy !req
405. And there on Mam's bed skimming through the old
book well filled with bizarre and vicious regulationsCopy !req
406. she came upon a page
that looked strangely familiar!Copy !req
407. A table with numbers
from one to sevenCopy !req
408. Somewhere Grace had
seen something similar, for sureCopy !req
409. Mam's law revealed it allCopy !req
410. The Manderlay plantation
with its glamorous front mansionCopy !req
411. and pitiful rear where the slaves had
their quarters had been kept in an iron gripCopy !req
412. by these very numbers!Copy !req
413. They represented the psychological
division of the Manderlay slavesCopy !req
414. Sammy was a Group 5:
a Clownin' niggerCopy !req
415. The formidable Victoria was of
course a Number Four: a Hittin' niggerCopy !req
416. No wonder her husband Burt had found
it necessary to accept "a helping hand"Copy !req
417. even if it was another color from his ownCopy !req
418. Wilma and Mark were losin' niggersCopy !req
419. Wilhelm was a Two: a talkin' niggerCopy !req
420. Flora was a weepin'
nigger, et cetera et ceteraCopy !req
421. there were pleasin' niggers
and crazy niggers by the dozenCopy !req
422. The final category, Number One proudy niggers
consisted nowadays of Timothy as expectedCopy !req
423. who was of course
not there, and Elisabeth?Copy !req
424. No, it said seven, not oneCopy !req
425. she was a pleasin' nigger,
also known as a chameleonCopy !req
426. A person of the kind who could transform herself
into exactly the type the beholder wanted to seeCopy !req
427. This was how the slave system had
been kept alive for so long at ManderlayCopy !req
428. Bondage even through psychology!Copy !req
429. As Grace in deep thoughts
gazed across the fields of ManderlayCopy !req
430. she recalled another page in Mam's lawCopy !req
431. dealing exclusively with the weeding of the
paths in the romantic "Old Lady's Garden"Copy !req
432. The name of the narrow band
of woodland that skirted the plantationCopy !req
433. "Trees and tree trunks!" Grace thoughtCopy !req
434. So there were materials
at Manderlay after all!Copy !req
435. Excuse me,
may I ask you all something?Copy !req
436. Isn't it true that somebody
who's even poor and coloredCopy !req
437. can still take the trouble
to maintain their home?Copy !req
438. How dare you?Copy !req
439. Do you think colored folks prefer
holes in their roofs and wallowing in mud?Copy !req
440. well then, all you need
to do is to mend those holes!Copy !req
441. But I told you, there ain't never been the
materials for that kind of thing at ManderlayCopy !req
442. No materials? That's not trueCopy !req
443. when I'm in the fields
I see timber wherever I lookCopy !req
444. just waiting to be turned
into boards for a roofCopy !req
445. or an extension or maybe
even a whole new cabin!Copy !req
446. That be Mam's Garden,
you can't cut that downCopy !req
447. And why can't we cut
down the Old Lady's Garden?Copy !req
448. Have you really spent that many happy hours up
there on your knees weeding her romantic paths?Copy !req
449. That's true, there's loads of timberCopy !req
450. we ain't seen it as anything
but the Old Lady's GardenCopy !req
451. I don't know what you think,
but to me it sounds like a splendid ideaCopy !req
452. And at a stroke these seated, reclining, resting
people had turned into people going full tiltCopy !req
453. walking, running, working peopleCopy !req
454. without anyone having to threaten
them in the slightest with "The Lady's hand"Copy !req
455. as Grace had been
told the great whip was calledCopy !req
456. And Grace had won a kind of victoryCopy !req
457. a small beginning of something
that would one day eraseCopy !req
458. all the negative inherited
behavior patterns at ManderlayCopy !req
459. But, as Grace had suspected, the
appetite for improving the living quartersCopy !req
460. unfortunately exceeded
that for preparing the fieldsCopy !req
461. But a few of the former
slaves had volunteeredCopy !req
462. And with the white
family and Grace herselfCopy !req
463. they made up a sort of gang
to prepare the soil for the seedsCopy !req
464. Under the gaze of a demonstratively hostile
Timothy with his mysterious white handkerchiefCopy !req
465. He wasn't born here?Copy !req
466. He's a MunsiCopy !req
467. It's a line of African royalty,
it's a very proud lineCopy !req
468. He don't drink, either,
or gamble like the others be doingCopy !req
469. with their little blue
tufts of cotton money?Copy !req
470. T'was Mam's LawCopy !req
471. we weren't allowed no real moneyCopy !req
472. Grace knew about the clever
system of currency in Mam's LawCopy !req
473. Not real money you
could use in the outside worldCopy !req
474. The Munsi don't gamble
'cause don't believe in winningsCopy !req
475. They believe you have to be humble to your
crops and only take what's absolutely necessaryCopy !req
476. I've never heard of these Munsi before,
but I do believe I once heard of the Mansi?Copy !req
477. They different, they was
slaves of African kings, they gambleCopy !req
478. they is true mischief, Timothy sayCopy !req
479. - So Timothy has prejudices as well?
- what?Copy !req
480. Oh, nothing, I was just thinking aloudCopy !req
481. Oh, so you've find company, Flora?Copy !req
482. No, no, I was on my way out anywayCopy !req
483. Timothy, let me tell you one thingCopy !req
484. I know you don't like me and
don't trust me, and I can see whyCopy !req
485. Although our ideals differ,
you have a pride within youCopy !req
486. that I believe will one day be
the salvation of everybody at ManderlayCopy !req
487. Let me tell you one thing, too!Copy !req
488. You got fine words, a posse of gangsters and
your white skin, somethin' folks here seem fall forCopy !req
489. But I ain't fooledCopy !req
490. You're not interested in usCopy !req
491. Not as human beingsCopy !req
492. After all, it's tough telling people
apart when they're from another raceCopy !req
493. we whites have committed an
irreparable crime against an entire peopleCopy !req
494. Manderlay is a moral
obligation because we made you!Copy !req
495. Luckily, I'm just a nigger
who don't understand such wordsCopy !req
496. and now, if you'll excuse me,
I've come here for the company of my girlCopy !req
497. and that ain't nothing for you to seeCopy !req
498. black hides meetin'Copy !req
499. and if I were you I'd leave
now before things get too nastyCopy !req
500. Grace regarded Timothy's
hostility as a challengeCopy !req
501. And the very next day she
took a step to dispel his claimCopy !req
502. that as a white she was incapable
of caring for blacks as individualsCopy !req
503. She had had a chat to Venus,
about her somewhat maladjusted son JimCopy !req
504. And Venus had revealed that Jim's behaviour
was merely that of a budding but frustrated artistCopy !req
505. Tell me, have you seen Venus?Copy !req
506. Nobody here wants your charity!Copy !req
507. I have something for Jim!Copy !req
508. I've had a really good look
at his face, since our little chatCopy !req
509. And you're right, it does
possess an artist's sensitivityCopy !req
510. This is far too muchCopy !req
511. No, no, no, go on,
call him! This is for himCopy !req
512. Jim, come on out here
with me and Miss Grace, babyCopy !req
513. These are for you,
because we believe in youCopy !req
514. Now run along,
and paint your fantastic picturesCopy !req
515. and never mind those closed minded folks
who think they know what art is meant to look likeCopy !req
516. give them hell from me Jim!Copy !req
517. Excuse me, but I ain't Jim,
I'm Jack, that's Jim!Copy !req
518. It is tricky, as a matter of fact I've
never been able to tell them apart eitherCopy !req
519. They're both colored
and they both got curly hairCopy !req
520. why look any deeper than that?Copy !req
521. To be honest Grace had never been quite
sure which was Jim and which was JackCopy !req
522. A blunder that would, in her
former life among her fellow whitesCopy !req
523. merely have occasioned a little laughterCopy !req
524. in her life at Manderlay it was disastrousCopy !req
525. But like her father, she did not take
long to transform a defeat into angerCopy !req
526. energy and a counterattackCopy !req
527. This is what has
created all this resistanceCopy !req
528. Even you regard it
as almost sacred, don't you?Copy !req
529. I must admit it's played
a right important part of my lifeCopy !req
530. And that will be my next move!
They should be allowed to see itCopy !req
531. and to understand that it
can't do them any more harmCopy !req
532. I wouldn't advise it, MissyCopy !req
533. Presenting it to them would be like showing
a child the rod with which it's been beatenCopy !req
534. I agree, it must be made public,
but we ain't all ripe for itCopy !req
535. All right, then we shall have to
see about ripening you, and quickly!Copy !req
536. And I'm not talking about the
couple of cozy meetings I've organizedCopy !req
537. to which hardly anybody turned upCopy !req
538. I mean teaching with a timetable,
old fashioned hands on schoolingCopy !req
539. All right, I've got something for you to do at last,
and it even involves bossing people about...Copy !req
540. At noon tomorrow I'm going to give my first
lesson to all of the former slaves of ManderlayCopy !req
541. And it'll be your job to
make sure that they're thereCopy !req
542. No excuse for not showing up!Copy !req
543. And the family?Copy !req
544. No, they're pretty
well teaching themselvesCopy !req
545. Are you listening to me?Copy !req
546. It's 'cause Niels just got a great hand!Copy !req
547. what?Copy !req
548. who are you?Copy !req
549. My name is Doctor HectorCopy !req
550. Do excuse me a moment,
I'll have to pay my way out of this roundCopy !req
551. God knows, I don't believe you possess
any cards of real significanceCopy !req
552. You have a poker player's faceCopy !req
553. You see here my entire enterpriseCopy !req
554. I'd never gained access
to Manderlay beforeCopy !req
555. so when I drove by today,
I saw the gates were openCopy !req
556. I took it as a sign of new timesCopy !req
557. what exactly do you do?Copy !req
558. I entertain, party games,
card games and the likeCopy !req
559. well, nowadays mainly the latterCopy !req
560. You play for money?Copy !req
561. Oh, but I do more than playCopy !req
562. I cheat!Copy !req
563. And you have no objections to
revealing this business secret of yours?Copy !req
564. Oh, to some people, but not to youCopy !req
565. No, you see, if you and I establish
the business relationship I am anticipatingCopy !req
566. you'll be happen
to know exactly what to expectCopy !req
567. And what can I expect?Copy !req
568. Eighty per centCopy !req
569. Now, you certainly know
all the problems that aroseCopy !req
570. when our beloved new
deal was imposed in '65Copy !req
571. the plantation owners had
plenty of land but nobody to work itCopy !req
572. So they contracted
with their former slavesCopy !req
573. But they just didn't have the same hold
on the rascals as they had in the old daysCopy !req
574. Of course, they lend them moneyCopy !req
575. Then quite a few of the nigras
actually saved up and paid off their debtsCopy !req
576. so the plantation owners got worriedCopy !req
577. - I bet they did!
- Oh, yesCopy !req
578. See, that is where my idea came inCopy !req
579. I went from plantation to plantation
with the full backing of the plantation ownersCopy !req
580. to entertain their employees, and they were
sorely in need of diversion, let me tell youCopy !req
581. we just had a little game of cardsCopy !req
582. And if anyone was
close to repaying his debtCopy !req
583. I would take their shirt off their back!Copy !req
584. And I'm prepared to offer you
that very same service today, Mam!Copy !req
585. You are not convincedCopy !req
586. Let me give you another
token of my profound loyaltyCopy !req
587. I have here a letter from
a man by the name of StanleyCopy !req
588. He asked me to smuggle it outCopy !req
589. I thought perhaps you would
like to see it before it is mailedCopy !req
590. Listen, Mr. Hector, let me
just say that I've never met a manCopy !req
591. whom I have instantly despised so wholeheartedly
both for his personality and his occupationCopy !req
592. Does that mean you
are turning down my offer?Copy !req
593. I never want to see you here again!Copy !req
594. All right, well, I am disappointedCopy !req
595. I shall nevertheless bestow
upon you my thought for the dayCopy !req
596. I indulge in word gamesCopy !req
597. I like to give my clients something
to laugh or think about when I leaveCopy !req
598. The best technique for a card
sharp is "dealing from the bottom"Copy !req
599. Look as if you're dealing
from the top of the deckCopy !req
600. but instead you just take the
bottom card, one that you knowCopy !req
601. "Take from the bottom" means
something else entirely in social termsCopy !req
602. but it is what I do,
I "take from the bottom"Copy !req
603. won't be hard to find
me if you change your mindCopy !req
604. The letter was aimed at a Mr. Miller, one of the
truckers who picked up cotton from ManderlayCopy !req
605. and the plantation's only real contact with the
outside world, it was short and to the pointCopy !req
606. "we are being held prisoner by
gangsters and coloreds at Manderlay"Copy !req
607. "inform the police and please
come to our aid with all due dispatch"Copy !req
608. Indignation is a rare
emotion for a gangsterCopy !req
609. but a state of just that was what Grace's
men experienced while they herdedCopy !req
610. the colored people in
for their lesson that dayCopy !req
611. as Grace had reported on Doctor Hector's
cheap trick of "taking from the bottom"Copy !req
612. And it was hardly the sophisticated ambiguity
of the term that had affected them so dramaticallyCopy !req
613. welcome to our lessonCopy !req
614. yes, I call it a lesson as the term "meeting" seems
to have scared some people out of attendingCopy !req
615. I was coming, but I was late!Copy !req
616. Very late, you hadn't made
it by the time we finishedCopy !req
617. In the old days we could hear
the bell from the old clock in the hallCopy !req
618. T'was easier to keep up with time,
but we never hear it no moreCopy !req
619. Probably because nobody winds it upCopy !req
620. But, now for the topic of
this lesson: working togetherCopy !req
621. Only four people from your
wing helped to prepare the fieldsCopy !req
622. and only five helped to plantCopy !req
623. I'm not a shareholder in this enterprise but if I
had been and if I had also been one of the fiveCopy !req
624. I would've felt cheatedCopy !req
625. Democracy means
government by the peopleCopy !req
626. But as it's not practical
for everyone to sit in congressCopy !req
627. a method by which people may
express their views is requiredCopy !req
628. this method is called a ballotCopy !req
629. All right, so let's try it outCopy !req
630. we should choose a problem,
anything anyone can't decide on?Copy !req
631. If I may suggest a small matter?Copy !req
632. please doCopy !req
633. I reckon the little broken rake
is mine, but Flora reckons it's hersCopy !req
634. That's an excellent suggestion,
it's a great exampleCopy !req
635. I assume you all know of this dispute and
all feel able to have an opinion on it, right?Copy !req
636. who does the community
think owns the rake?Copy !req
637. It could turn out to belong
to both parties equallyCopy !req
638. now that would correspond
nicely with the subject of this lesson!Copy !req
639. working together,
sharing together, all right?Copy !req
640. So, who thinks it's Elisabeth's rake?Copy !req
641. Sammy?Copy !req
642. I think it's Elisabeth's rakeCopy !req
643. All right!Copy !req
644. Slowly the point of Grace's edifying
discourse dawned on the majorityCopy !req
645. Most of them thought the rake was
definitely Elisabeth's a few that it was Flora'sCopy !req
646. and nobody that it could be sharedCopy !req
647. I still remain undecided whether
the rake is Elisabeth's or Flora'sCopy !req
648. Right, so, not too surprisingly,
neither party receives Mark's vote!Copy !req
649. From now on a little broken
rake belongs to ElisabethCopy !req
650. That's what ballots are like,
there are winners and there are losersCopy !req
651. But the community has spokenCopy !req
652. And now Grace embarked on a
protracted explanation of Flora's difficultiesCopy !req
653. raking without a rakeCopy !req
654. and that owning things together
could have its advantagesCopy !req
655. To make sure that everyone
understood the democratic principleCopy !req
656. the meeting carried out
another ballot at Jim's suggestionCopy !req
657. I wanna talk about the fact that Sammy
being laughing so loud of his own jokesCopy !req
658. and they ain't funnyCopy !req
659. and I been tryin' to get some sleep, and
I can't get no sleep, cause he laughs so loudCopy !req
660. Maybe perhaps there can a be
a time when he can stop his jokeCopy !req
661. and stop laughing,
so we can get some sleepCopy !req
662. You can't vote on a man's laughter,
you can't vote on a man's laughter surelyCopy !req
663. I'm hearing that it's
at sundown at sundownCopy !req
664. That's what I'm hearing,
so let's do a voteCopy !req
665. All right, so that's settledCopy !req
666. That's democracy?Copy !req
667. Finally Wilhelm proposed that it would
be practical if somebody was responsibleCopy !req
668. for winding up the clock with
its small but penetrating chimesCopy !req
669. And for mysterious reasons the probing
though fairly passive artist, Jim, was appointedCopy !req
670. despite the song and
dance his mother kicked upCopy !req
671. Grace wound up the lesson by announcing
that the topic for the next day would beCopy !req
672. "our anger and how to communicate it"Copy !req
673. Maybe somebody would at
least tell me what the time is?Copy !req
674. Just ask Timothy,
he always know what time it isCopy !req
675. he can tell by
the sun, he always do thatCopy !req
676. Or you can always
ask Wilhelm, he's so oldCopy !req
677. He's from before
the clock ever got hereCopy !req
678. So Wilhelm and Timothy, each made
his own suggestion as to what the time wasCopy !req
679. And they were astonishingly closeCopy !req
680. Wilhelm thought it was eight minutes to,
Timothy thought it was five minutes toCopy !req
681. and Grace rejoiced quietly at this natural
ability that they found so straightforwardCopy !req
682. But rapidly two factions emergedCopy !req
683. one which insisted it was eight minutes toCopy !req
684. and the other would not hear
of anything but five minutes toCopy !req
685. And they were thus able to draw on
the day's learning and put it to the voteCopy !req
686. The result was five
minutes to by a small majorityCopy !req
687. and so it was decided:Copy !req
688. the official time at Manderlay
was five minutes to twoCopy !req
689. Grace's first lesson of the day
took place in relative good humorCopy !req
690. but the second one, the one that
had unfortunately proved unavoidableCopy !req
691. was severer in characterCopy !req
692. Read!Copy !req
693. Daily ration of food
for slaves from category 7Copy !req
694. oh, no, 1 ... is, er...Copy !req
695. Six ounces of solid food, and
they've always been given just thatCopy !req
696. no matter how little
there was in the storesCopy !req
697. That's a lot less than
category seven, for exampleCopy !req
698. why should a proudy "nigger" have
less to eat than an eye-pleasin' one?Copy !req
699. How can the way your head seems to be
arranged have anything to do whatsoeverCopy !req
700. with the amount
people are given to eat?Copy !req
701. I really don't know either,
not precisely, do you, Mr. Mays?Copy !req
702. It could be just to
punish them for their pride!Copy !req
703. No, I just did what it saidCopy !req
704. It mattered a lot to my mother
that we follow these rulesCopy !req
705. I know of many places where everybody
got quite a bit less than 6 ouncesCopy !req
706. and where they began to eat dirtCopy !req
707. It's a kind of custom coloreds
have when food is scarce 'round hereCopy !req
708. but it was forbidden under Mam's LawCopy !req
709. That's not what we're discussing hereCopy !req
710. don't you see what an affront
it is to divide people up like that?Copy !req
711. Folks is differentCopy !req
712. oxen and rabbits don't need
equal shares of fodder neitherCopy !req
713. both parties would
come down with a belly ache!Copy !req
714. Stop! All right, I'm not at all satisfied
with what I've heard here todayCopy !req
715. You're all speaking
up for this foolishnessCopy !req
716. I'm going to have to penalize you, because
so little effort has been made in these lessonsCopy !req
717. That evening Grace thought that her idea
of making the whites make up their facesCopy !req
718. which had seemed so just and edifying
in her flash of anger that afternoonCopy !req
719. was perhaps a tad too
much in the wrong directionCopy !req
720. Even though Philomena herself in
her own childhood would not have dreamtCopy !req
721. of going to the toilet without
the entertainment of her black nannyCopy !req
722. Look at your Uncle Jim, he's
in the bathtub learning how to swimCopy !req
723. Can we clean our faces now?Copy !req
724. Yes, yes, of course!Copy !req
725. Ah well, here comes the dustCopy !req
726. so none of this will matter any moreCopy !req
727. what do you mean?Copy !req
728. There's gonna be a dust stormCopy !req
729. and the plants have
only just begun to growCopy !req
730. it couldn't be worse!Copy !req
731. But Manderlay's fields have
never been harmed by a dust stormCopy !req
732. 'Cause the
windbreak was still in placeCopy !req
733. Grace was not inclined to go into what the former
overseer meant by these mysterious wordsCopy !req
734. And soon she had convinced herself
that they had no meaning at allCopy !req
735. apart from spreading
disquiet and despondencyCopy !req
736. The next day's lesson on the
importance of unleashing one's angerCopy !req
737. met little understanding
from the assemblyCopy !req
738. It was when they wound
up with a series of ballotsCopy !req
739. and the community had rapidly
decided to use Wilma's potatoes for seedCopy !req
740. as she was so old and
did not have to eat that muchCopy !req
741. that they heard the windCopy !req
742. The dust had come at this time
for as long as anybody could rememberCopy !req
743. But every year from time immemorial
it had spared the newly planted cottonCopy !req
744. as the plantation had been cleverly
shielded by a narrow band of treesCopy !req
745. known in common parlance as
"The Old Lady's Garden"Copy !req
746. In the midst of the almost Biblical
darkness that descended on ManderlayCopy !req
747. Grace knew all to well that even
hand in hand with all the races of the worldCopy !req
748. no army of gangsters
could counter thisCopy !req
749. Nature's extravagant
demonstration of powerCopy !req
750. All she could do was watch
as row upon row of the seedlingsCopy !req
751. she had so welcomed disappeared
beneath the devastating dustCopy !req
752. Nobody could do a thingCopy !req
753. but apparently it did not
mean that no one would tryCopy !req
754. for now Grace
discerned a rider out thereCopy !req
755. He was riding like crazyCopy !req
756. As he progressed across the fields, wherever
he spotted a pile of dust beginning to growCopy !req
757. he would break it
up with his horse's hoovesCopy !req
758. whether it would make the slightest dent
in the grand scale of things was hard to tellCopy !req
759. but it was a battleCopy !req
760. no matter how senseless
it might be: heroic and dangerous!Copy !req
761. TimothyCopy !req
762. Come back! Come back!
Timothy, Timothy!Copy !req
763. He's gonna be all right,
he knows these stormsCopy !req
764. Miss Grace, you's head over heels
for him, you's a fool, Miss GraceCopy !req
765. - where did you find him?
- He was behind the houseCopy !req
766. Is he alive?Copy !req
767. I do believe I know what
you mean by that questionCopy !req
768. But what does it mean to be alive?Copy !req
769. I mean is he breathing?Copy !req
770. Forget itCopy !req
771. Is he dead?Copy !req
772. we colored folks can be awfully
hard to kill if we want it that wayCopy !req
773. That very afternoon strong
Timothy was back on his feetCopy !req
774. surveying the buildings
for damage caused by the stormCopy !req
775. The dust had struck a devastating blow:Copy !req
776. Unfortunately, hardest hit were the food
stores in the dilapidated "Peach House"Copy !req
777. which had lost its roofCopy !req
778. Almost all of their
provisions were now inedibleCopy !req
779. On top of that the pneumonia
brought by the dust was inevitableCopy !req
780. The dust had got in everywhereCopy !req
781. particularly where no new boards
could have provided weatherproofingCopy !req
782. namely through the cracked glass in
the window on the stars above Claire's bedCopy !req
783. "Valuables", not to mention cash,
were non-existent at ManderlayCopy !req
784. since the elegant clock miraculously
still ticking merrily away on the mantelpieceCopy !req
785. turned out to be, not SwissCopy !req
786. as Mam believedCopy !req
787. but a copy made quite locally
and worth practically nothingCopy !req
788. "The freed Enterprise
of Manderlay" was bustCopy !req
789. Wilhelm and Grace were therefore under no
illusions that anybody would attend class this dayCopy !req
790. But then, one by one the
Manderlay flock began to appearCopy !req
791. I'm happy you're all hereCopy !req
792. But I don't really have
a lecture for you todayCopy !req
793. I'd just like to sayCopy !req
794. how badly I feel about
this hopeless situationCopy !req
795. But of course words
aren't much use to youCopy !req
796. No, Missy has learnt that much at leastCopy !req
797. But as regards hopelessness,
it is something we do know a bit aboutCopy !req
798. There are a million plants out there beneath
the dust, if we can save but fifty of 'emCopy !req
799. perhaps we can grow a small quantity
of great quality and get a better price for itCopy !req
800. I reckon we should make a moveCopy !req
801. And that is how the greatest disaster
turned into a stroke of luck for GraceCopy !req
802. and how the people, with a common
foe, the dust, as their excuseCopy !req
803. suddenly found themselves working shoulder
to shoulder with their deadliest enemyCopy !req
804. to achieve the common goal
as free, grown-up AmericansCopy !req
805. Stanley and Bertie had
sown the fields with little sticksCopy !req
806. so that people could tell where
to uncover the tender seedlingsCopy !req
807. while Flora ever so
childishly kept teasing GraceCopy !req
808. with her digs at Grace's supposed
romantic feelings towards TimothyCopy !req
809. Good night, old WilmaCopy !req
810. Good night, childCopy !req
811. we can lie down and talk
for a while 'fore we go to sleepCopy !req
812. No, thank you, WilmaCopy !req
813. I'm not weary enough to go to bed yetCopy !req
814. A little walk helpsCopy !req
815. A walk when a body ain't
sleepy is a very good thingCopy !req
816. I do the same myselfCopy !req
817. Good night!Copy !req
818. Good night!Copy !req
819. That everything seemed as moving along on
its own could be nothing but welcomed by GraceCopy !req
820. But her lack of an active part to play
had suddenly left her in a kind of a vacuumCopy !req
821. and allowed other things
inside her to claim attentionCopy !req
822. human things like
instincts and emotionsCopy !req
823. An ominous sense of homelessness
and loneliness struck Grace this eveningCopy !req
824. As she wondered about, Grace suddenly found
herself outside the wooden rear of the bathhouseCopy !req
825. without warning the homelessness transferred
into a strange desire to move up that rusty pipeCopy !req
826. against the flow of dirty water into where
naked bodies were being washed in cheap soapCopy !req
827. Black skinCopy !req
828. male and black manhoodCopy !req
829. what Grace had felt at the bath
house was undignified, shamefulCopy !req
830. Her mind was meant to be
devoted to policy at ManderlayCopy !req
831. a matter in which these thoughts
had no business whatsoeverCopy !req
832. Grace had forced herself to sleep
to rid her thoughts of those black bodiesCopy !req
833. an achievement that was actually
possible thanks to the stubbornnessCopy !req
834. that flourished in Grace's familyCopy !req
835. But the cotton seedling in her
love-starved body did not give upCopy !req
836. It manifested itself as a dreamCopy !req
837. Grace was in southern climesCopy !req
838. There were women in exotic
costumes and men in turbansCopy !req
839. Even in her sleep she hated with a passion
any idea of allowing that her father might be rightCopy !req
840. But it was a harem!Copy !req
841. A group of black slaves appeared,
bearing a huge charger piled with datesCopy !req
842. And in a twinkling Grace lay among
the dates, trembling with pleasureCopy !req
843. as a flock of Bedouin satisfied
her one by one with their noses!Copy !req
844. And it was even more confusing
when Timothy appearedCopy !req
845. and was both the slave bearing wine,
hands shaking, and the Sheik himselfCopy !req
846. whose authoritative hands tested
the size of Grace's most intimate orificesCopy !req
847. I must have oversleptCopy !req
848. I'm sorry, Claire
has had another turn!Copy !req
849. Yeah, she's running a bad fever
again, she had anything to eat?Copy !req
850. Oh, sure, pork
chops and baked chickenCopy !req
851. She's taken a little oatmeal
but it's hard to get it into herCopy !req
852. she had this trouble with her lungs
last year when the dust come, tooCopy !req
853. but there was far more dust this yearCopy !req
854. Honestly Missy, you oughta go back
home to the clean air and larders full of foodCopy !req
855. we're all in this together,
no matter how hard it getsCopy !req
856. And hard it will getCopy !req
857. I've seen what's left around here though
some folks are still fillin' their belliesCopy !req
858. You're right,
we've got to talk about thatCopy !req
859. Come on, it'll be all right, Rose!Copy !req
860. I propose that we
ration what we have leftCopy !req
861. and spread our provisions over a month until
we can harvest more from the vegetable gardensCopy !req
862. And as I hear there are so
very few beans and potatoes leftCopy !req
863. I think we should give them to
Rose who needs them for ClaireCopy !req
864. what's left will be shared
out equally among the rest of us!Copy !req
865. Excuse me, the rest of us?Copy !req
866. - That goes for us too?
- Yes, of course it doesCopy !req
867. we've already eaten things
your father would ever have put up withCopy !req
868. Joseph swears they couldn't
been described as food at allCopy !req
869. legally speakin'!Copy !req
870. Your father used to let us obtain
stuff when the coffers were emptyCopy !req
871. Surely we could steal
something from somewhereCopy !req
872. but I suppose that's
no good either, Miss Grace?Copy !req
873. I'm afraid you're one tough cookieCopy !req
874. Maybe I amCopy !req
875. Sadly the most nourishing
fare the estate could still provideCopy !req
876. had not improved
Claire's condition muchCopy !req
877. but she needed meat,
and Timothy knew itCopy !req
878. and so henceforth they would have to do
without the loyal old donkey on the treadmillCopy !req
879. It was not a good portent of the level
of morale that the gangsters were nowCopy !req
880. trying hard to fix the car
from the ravages of the dustCopy !req
881. But luckily Joseph, a legal expert with the ability
to interpret the most incomprehensible of textsCopy !req
882. had met his match in the
1923 Ford owner's manualCopy !req
883. As time went by the scattered cotton
plants at Manderlay grew side by sideCopy !req
884. with its denizens' hunger now that
the little that was left of the donkey meatCopy !req
885. was reserved for ClaireCopy !req
886. And Grace found herself in the
peculiar situation of joining WilmaCopy !req
887. and the other women in what had been
completely forbidden under Mam's lawCopy !req
888. namely the southern
tradition of eating dirtCopy !req
889. Having given up on the automobile manuals
Joseph had found a quaint turn of phraseCopy !req
890. in the agreement into
which he had originally enteredCopy !req
891. with Grace's father
regarding his employmentCopy !req
892. The wording could with a little good will be
interpreted to mean that certain circumstancesCopy !req
893. obliged an employee to obey
a higher authority than his bossCopy !req
894. the authority in this
case being his stomachCopy !req
895. The good news was that although the
drought had been hard on the fieldsCopy !req
896. Stanley and Timothy had invented
a weapon to deploy against itCopy !req
897. wait, wait, it's coming, it's comingCopy !req
898. But the best news of all was ClaireCopy !req
899. who had miraculously gained so much strength
that she could empty her plate of good foodCopy !req
900. always in the middle of the night when everyone
was asleep and nobody was looking, but even soCopy !req
901. If Grace had thought hunger would
put paid to her forbidden sensual fantasiesCopy !req
902. actually the opposite
was more the case!Copy !req
903. Flora, what's goin' on with the chickens?Copy !req
904. Are they fighting?Copy !req
905. You mean the four
whites after the black?Copy !req
906. You want I should open
the door and have a peek?Copy !req
907. NoCopy !req
908. Mind you, that little black hen real proudCopy !req
909. wouldn't surprise me if them others
took the chance to give her the odd peckCopy !req
910. Now don't you tease me, FloraCopy !req
911. Goodnight thenCopy !req
912. GoodnightCopy !req
913. Flora had teased Grace
before with the little black henCopy !req
914. But they were hurting
it in there! No doubt about it!Copy !req
915. And to make everything
far worse, that heat in her loinsCopy !req
916. seemed to come back in spite of
that poor chicken's cry for helpCopy !req
917. Or even intensified by it?Copy !req
918. Devastated, humiliated and overcome
by fear for her sanity, she fledCopy !req
919. And in a fit of madnessCopy !req
920. or what others would simply call "horniness"
she threw herself onto her bed on her tummyCopy !req
921. and for a moment forgot all about
shame and political correctnessCopy !req
922. and did what she had
not done since her childhoodCopy !req
923. when she had not yet
known it was so infinitely wrong:Copy !req
924. she pressed herself onto the knot she had rapidly
and instinctively formed by bunching her quiltCopy !req
925. whether it was pleasurable
or painful is hard to tellCopy !req
926. but she kept at it,
it was beyond her controlCopy !req
927. with no regard for the sleep of the women
around her or common decency in generalCopy !req
928. the pulsating explosions in her
nether regions took over her worldCopy !req
929. And who knows how it would have concluded
had there not appeared at that very momentCopy !req
930. fortunately for GraceCopy !req
931. a person shaking her back to
a reasonable state of self defenseCopy !req
932. Miss Grace! You gotta
come quick, Miss GraceCopy !req
933. what?Copy !req
934. She's deadCopy !req
935. I took such care of herCopy !req
936. I fed her the good meatCopy !req
937. But she'd been eatin'Copy !req
938. she's dead! DeadCopy !req
939. But she'd been eatin'Copy !req
940. No! She hadn't
been eatin', this 'un had!Copy !req
941. Are ya gonna tell 'em, Wilma?Copy !req
942. I was so hungry, I get so dizzyCopy !req
943. and my legs hurt when I'm hungryCopy !req
944. Our good friend and Claire's beloved Old Wilma
been visiting in the window so while we sleptCopy !req
945. She emptied Claire's
plate every single nightCopy !req
946. T'was as easy as pie, considerin' that there
window could be opened from the outsideCopy !req
947. I've eaten so much dirt in my time,
my teeth can't take it no moreCopy !req
948. She killed our little girlCopy !req
949. Jack, she was sickCopy !req
950. - Miss Grace
- She was sick, JackCopy !req
951. Rose didn't worry to much about feeding her
during the day, 'cause she ate so much at nightCopy !req
952. I want Wilma punished
for killin' my little girlCopy !req
953. I want this matter put to the voteCopy !req
954. I want Wilma punished for killin' my little girl,
I want justice or I'll kill her myself, right nowCopy !req
955. Let me goCopy !req
956. Stop it, Jack!Copy !req
957. - Stop we'll talk about it tomorrow...!
- She killed my little girl!Copy !req
958. Stop itCopy !req
959. And so, the very next evening a
gathering took place under the magnificentCopy !req
960. clear, twinkling,
starry sky of ManderlayCopy !req
961. Now we've heard 'em all, WilhelmCopy !req
962. Wilma showed no mercy to our Claire so no
mercy oughta be shown to her, she must die!Copy !req
963. Jack, killing Old Wilma
won't bring Claire backCopy !req
964. All we want is justice, you've said
so many times, that we're entitled to it!Copy !req
965. I propose that she
be banished from ManderlayCopy !req
966. for stealing food in an emergencyCopy !req
967. she probably won't survive
that anyway, as old as she isCopy !req
968. after all, we don't know if the matter of the
food made any difference at all in Claire's fateCopy !req
969. Wilma can't have
known whether it would kill herCopy !req
970. but she didn't care a bit when it came to
riskin' somebody else's life that of our little girl!Copy !req
971. All Wilma saw was a plate nobody
was touching, she was hungryCopy !req
972. And what do you
think the rest of us was?Copy !req
973. All of us here ate what we had agreed?Copy !req
974. And whatcha think little Claire was?Copy !req
975. we're all hungry, and that
just makes it far, far worse!Copy !req
976. All right, I'd like to ask y'all to
vote on Jack and Rose's motionCopy !req
977. All those who believe that Wilma
deserves to die, raise your hands!Copy !req
978. Thank you, thank y'allCopy !req
979. Stop!Copy !req
980. Grace, I thought we were the
ones who made the decisions hereCopy !req
981. that's what you've always told us?
Or maybe it's only sometimes?Copy !req
982. No, of course not, it's alwaysCopy !req
983. And they's the decisions
you're here to defend, ain't they?Copy !req
984. So let me go across and do it!Copy !req
985. NoCopy !req
986. if anybody is going
to do it, it's going to be meCopy !req
987. it must not be an act of vengeanceCopy !req
988. That's all right by meCopy !req
989. as long as she
suffers as much as ClaireCopy !req
990. That will be up to meCopy !req
991. I'll let you know when it's overCopy !req
992. GraceCopy !req
993. be so kind as to tell meCopy !req
994. what did they decide?Copy !req
995. Am I gonna die?Copy !req
996. No, Wilma, you're not going to dieCopy !req
997. whatcha mean?Copy !req
998. I mean the ballot did not go
Jack's way, you're not gonna die!Copy !req
999. See, they didn't think that Claire
would've eaten the food on her plate anywayCopy !req
1000. and anyhow she'd certainly
have died from pneumonia from the dustCopy !req
1001. Did they really say that?Copy !req
1002. Yes, they really said thatCopy !req
1003. If you knew
how terrible the waitin' was...Copy !req
1004. I'm just so wearyCopy !req
1005. I know, I know you are,
but now you can sleep easyCopy !req
1006. Yes, I canCopy !req
1007. Lie down and get some sleepCopy !req
1008. You are the daughter I might hadCopy !req
1009. Lie downCopy !req
1010. will you stay 'till I sleep?Copy !req
1011. I'll do that, WilmaCopy !req
1012. HereCopy !req
1013. Lie downCopy !req
1014. Wilma?Copy !req
1015. Harvest-time finally did arrive and
the cotton went safe into the sacksCopy !req
1016. Despite the fewer bushes
the harvest was splendidCopy !req
1017. It was as if all the trials and tribulations
had made the cotton extra whiteCopy !req
1018. and the fibers extra strong, and even at
current prices it would bring in a record sumCopy !req
1019. And although nothing
was the way it had ever beenCopy !req
1020. the harvest was as precise
as always at ManderlayCopy !req
1021. The moment the last tuft of cotton
was in the sack, the swallows arrivedCopy !req
1022. dropping from the
skies towards the marshesCopy !req
1023. Everyone observed the sight in awe and for
a moment it was greater than all the wordsCopy !req
1024. and politics in the worldCopy !req
1025. The old gin was as ready as ever, it had
been for a week, greased and stripped downCopy !req
1026. and reassembled by Sammy,
who had teamed up with NielsCopy !req
1027. They worked well in harness, Niels
had never found a joke funny in his lifeCopy !req
1028. so Sammy, the clownin' nigger, had given
up, not unrelieved, trying to entertain himCopy !req
1029. with his somewhat weak materialCopy !req
1030. Miss Grace? Miss Grace?Copy !req
1031. Edward? God, I hardly recognized you!
You've certainly changed the way you dress!Copy !req
1032. Yes, your father thought it was time for a change,
he's on his way into a new area of businessCopy !req
1033. - Is daddy here?
- No, he just sent me on aheadCopy !req
1034. to give you a messageCopy !req
1035. Your father says he will be by a week
Monday at eight o'clock in the eveningCopy !req
1036. He told me to tell you that he will wait in the
car outside the gates for a quarter of an hourCopy !req
1037. and not a second longer,
the way he did in Dogville, he saysCopy !req
1038. and the way he did with
your mother, I think it was...Copy !req
1039. - when he asked her to marry him
- Yes, something like thatCopy !req
1040. But if you want to go with him, you better
be there, 'cause he says he'll just push onCopy !req
1041. I know, I get the messageCopy !req
1042. All right, I'm on my way,
take care, Miss Grace!Copy !req
1043. You too, EdwardCopy !req
1044. Edward! just tell dad
that new times have come to ManderlayCopy !req
1045. But no, Grace had no intention of
going with her father when he arrivedCopy !req
1046. she had her own life to lead now and it suited
her just fine, but she'd be at the gates anyhowCopy !req
1047. She just had to show him what she had
achieved, a new and better ManderlayCopy !req
1048. It was examination day
for Stanley and the familyCopy !req
1049. because even though things
had been going well recentlyCopy !req
1050. when Stanley partook of his
traditional beer with Mr. MillerCopy !req
1051. nobody would be able to prevent him from
revealing what had happened on the plantationCopy !req
1052. and thereby ruin it allCopy !req
1053. Wilhelm had been highly skeptical about
letting the whites talk to the drivers at allCopy !req
1054. but Grace had insisted,
she trusted themCopy !req
1055. Eejit nigger! Are you totally useless?Copy !req
1056. Sorry, Mr. Mays!Copy !req
1057. I'm jokingCopy !req
1058. Stanley Mays and the family passedCopy !req
1059. That very evening Grace
pronounced them graduate AmericansCopy !req
1060. And although they were free
to go they had elected to stayCopy !req
1061. as there was talk of hiring the family
and Stanley Mays on a permanent basisCopy !req
1062. And before anybody knew it the days
had passed and the money was in the bankCopy !req
1063. from where it had been picked
up by proud Timothy on horsebackCopy !req
1064. Niels and Sammy had fixed the car,
wisely without reference to the manualCopy !req
1065. - Thank you, for everything
- Thank youCopy !req
1066. - what are you gonna do now?
- I don't knowCopy !req
1067. You could always
go back to gangsteringCopy !req
1068. where is Mr. Robinsson?Copy !req
1069. He's been down
the cabins shakin' handsCopy !req
1070. Grace was touched by Mr. Robinson's
sudden social interest in the former slavesCopy !req
1071. But it felt right when the car left, it was
time for Grace to say goodbye to powerCopy !req
1072. Brave and strong thy men and womenCopy !req
1073. Better this than corn
and wine, make us worthy God in heavenCopy !req
1074. of this goodly land of ThineCopy !req
1075. Hearts as open as our doorwayCopy !req
1076. Liberal hands and spirits freeCopy !req
1077. Alabama, AlabamaCopy !req
1078. we will aye be true to theeCopy !req
1079. He's watching youCopy !req
1080. - No, he's not!
- He's watching youCopy !req
1081. No he's not!Copy !req
1082. I reckon it have somethin'
to do with them gangsters leavin'Copy !req
1083. See, honey, when you was boss,
he has visitin' your kingdomCopy !req
1084. Now, you're visitin' hisCopy !req
1085. I reckon he wants you nowCopy !req
1086. He should have some dinner,
I'm gonna go get himCopy !req
1087. You gotta come
and get some dinnerCopy !req
1088. Quiet, woman!Copy !req
1089. In Mam's bedroom Grace recalled
Flora's worrying, intimate little detailsCopy !req
1090. Sexual intercourse amongst the Munsi
was determined by ancient traditionsCopy !req
1091. It would not appeal
to Grace, Flora had saidCopy !req
1092. not with Grace's modern ideas
of equality of people and the sexesCopy !req
1093. but Grace seemed to have left
her progressive attitudes at the tableCopy !req
1094. Now actually in the situation she had
dreamed of... it was all more bizarre than eroticCopy !req
1095. anyway Grace decided
to hang on to this opinionCopy !req
1096. Timothy, wake up!Copy !req
1097. Timothy's horse had got out of
the staple when fires had been litCopy !req
1098. around the Manderlay slave
quarters while Grace was asleepCopy !req
1099. what happened?Copy !req
1100. I can't tell you, if you want a clear answer
you gonna have to ask somebody elseCopy !req
1101. - The gangsters took the money!
- what?Copy !req
1102. The gangsters took the money! That's the answer!
And I reckon it's a pretty clear answer, too!Copy !req
1103. It certainly is very clear,
but what makes you think so?Copy !req
1104. when the party ended we all left the
table to go and take a look at the moneyCopy !req
1105. Timothy had hid it behind the red slopeCopy !req
1106. Timothy was meant to be keepin'
an eye on the place, but he wasn't thereCopy !req
1107. And the box had been
pulled up, it was emptyCopy !req
1108. One of the gangsters dug up the money
when he was pretendin' to say goodbyeCopy !req
1109. But he couldn't have done it aloneCopy !req
1110. Someone must've
told 'em where the box wasCopy !req
1111. And Sammy refused to admit it was himCopy !req
1112. although he'd spent
a whole load of time with NielsCopy !req
1113. And then everybody
started yellin' and screamin'Copy !req
1114. and folks is angry and no one's listenin'Copy !req
1115. Stanley Mays and
the family got away I believeCopy !req
1116. although Philomena
and Bertie got cut up real badCopy !req
1117. Elisabeth is dead too,
although that was mostly by accidentCopy !req
1118. It was too soon to send the guns
away, we weren't quite ready yetCopy !req
1119. For once Grace had nothing to sayCopy !req
1120. She could but reproach herself in silence
for her tasteless joke to the gangstersCopy !req
1121. about resorting to their former
occupations if things got tightCopy !req
1122. Wilhelm, I can't rouse TimothyCopy !req
1123. No, I bet you can'tCopy !req
1124. he drank three bottles
of hooch before we ateCopy !req
1125. The Munsi don't drink!Copy !req
1126. Oh, well, maybe they
do on special occasionsCopy !req
1127. well! It certainly
is lively 'round here!Copy !req
1128. Didn't I tell you I didn't
want to see you here again?Copy !req
1129. Yes, but I haven't come to do
a deal, I have come to conclude oneCopy !req
1130. and in the hope of course that
you'll see that I am an honest manCopy !req
1131. Cause, I needn't have
come back to settle up at allCopy !req
1132. This is your 80 per cent, quite
amounts to a tidy bit too, as you can seeCopy !req
1133. It's the money from our harvest?Copy !req
1134. I expect so, it's that time of yearCopy !req
1135. See, I had a little game with a young man who
came to see me and I knew he come from hereCopy !req
1136. so I've made my humble returnCopy !req
1137. Don't you think that you've
just might have been wrong about me?Copy !req
1138. who did you play for all this money?Copy !req
1139. It was a day ago nowCopy !req
1140. See, I would have come sooner but I pass
this black car with some gentlemen in dark coatsCopy !req
1141. they began to follow me, shouting
the whole time, that I was going to dieCopy !req
1142. and that I was a con man who dealt
from the bottom, what an accusation!Copy !req
1143. well it just took me a while
to get away from themCopy !req
1144. who was it?Copy !req
1145. The Nigra fellow and he arrived
on horseback, what was his name?Copy !req
1146. Timothy?Copy !req
1147. Yeah, that was it, Timothy,
yeah, that was his nameCopy !req
1148. He's a Munsi! They don't gamble!Copy !req
1149. well, I know, Munsi don't gamble,
I'm a bit of an expert in this fieldCopy !req
1150. You'll have a devil time
gettin' them to the gamin' table!Copy !req
1151. but he's no Munsi, in fact he's what
I'd call a splendid fella at the card tableCopy !req
1152. and he just stayed bein' splendid
no matter how much he lostCopy !req
1153. But he told everyone he was a MunsiCopy !req
1154. Of course, see, the girls were
wild about the tales that he toldCopy !req
1155. All the Munsi tales, the proud African,
the royal line, all that old-fashioned moralityCopy !req
1156. and the accent of course, and on
account of that the girls was easy to bedCopy !req
1157. There! I'm not even going
to avail myself of your gratitudeCopy !req
1158. That's just the kinda'
fella I am, hey ho!Copy !req
1159. Bless me if I can't come
up with a motto for todayCopy !req
1160. they say the Mansi are
better hung than the MunsiCopy !req
1161. or "The Munsi are so up-stuck
but the Mansi, how they fuck!"Copy !req
1162. well then, I'll be seein' you!Copy !req
1163. we can talk business another dayCopy !req
1164. Grace went straight to the last pages
with the tables of personal detailsCopy !req
1165. on the slaves at ManderlayCopy !req
1166. where was Timothy, now?
Yes, his name had a 1 beside itCopy !req
1167. A proudy slave,
as she'd read earlier or did it?Copy !req
1168. She looked more closely
at the handwritten numberCopy !req
1169. She compared it to the
seven next to Elisabeth's nameCopy !req
1170. The pleasin' nigger
of the chameleon typeCopy !req
1171. an expert in changing character
according to whatever was opportuneCopy !req
1172. and what would titillate and enthrall the
other person, and then Grace could see itCopy !req
1173. Timothy's number
was not a one but a sevenCopy !req
1174. She had only wanted to read it as a oneCopy !req
1175. There was even a note beside Timothy's
"Caution, diabolically clever"Copy !req
1176. Grace had called a final meeting
for everybody at ManderlayCopy !req
1177. for that evening she had decided to leave the
place forever with her father when he arrivedCopy !req
1178. Oh, you're all hereCopy !req
1179. I persuaded the community to
assemble, extraordinarily, for two ballotsCopy !req
1180. whatever they involved, they can scarcely
have anything to do with me any moreCopy !req
1181. Don't be too certain of that, Miss GraceCopy !req
1182. well, I am certain,
I've come to say goodbye!Copy !req
1183. And if you've had two ballots todayCopy !req
1184. well, oddly enough that coincides
with the two presents I have broughtCopy !req
1185. farewell presents,
if you like, the first is this...Copy !req
1186. It's the money from our harvestCopy !req
1187. well, actually it's 80 percent of it, a cardsharp
kept the other 20 per cent as commissionCopy !req
1188. He scammed the money off of somebody
from Manderlay in a game of cardsCopy !req
1189. So the gangsters didn't take it?Copy !req
1190. No, no they didn't
and I won't prolong the tensionCopy !req
1191. it was the treasurer who did itCopy !req
1192. the man charged with
looking after the moneyCopy !req
1193. He was overcome by his eagerness to play,
probably because he isn't a Munsi at allCopy !req
1194. but a Mansi, however
unimportant that may soundCopy !req
1195. which brings me to my second present, this
one, painful to you or not, it has to come outCopy !req
1196. In this book, which I still regard as the most
abominable, contemptible document ever writtenCopy !req
1197. Timothy is listed as a pleasin' niggerCopy !req
1198. a person who can change his appearance
to please the beholder, as he has doneCopy !req
1199. let me find the pageCopy !req
1200. It's on page 104!Copy !req
1201. How do you know? I thought
no slave had ever seen this bookCopy !req
1202. How do you know what's
on page 104 of Mam's Law?Copy !req
1203. 'Cause I wrote it!Copy !req
1204. It's all in my meticulous handCopy !req
1205. Mam and I were very young
when the war suddenly endedCopy !req
1206. and this new statute terrified usCopy !req
1207. Terrified you?Copy !req
1208. we tried to imagine what kind
of world were these slaves let out intoCopy !req
1209. were they ready for it?Copy !req
1210. Or more correctly,
was it ready for them?Copy !req
1211. The legislators promised all kinds
of things but we didn't believe 'emCopy !req
1212. And that was then Mam urged me to
commit to paper the way I thought thingsCopy !req
1213. should be done here if everyone
stayed on at ManderlayCopy !req
1214. But it's the prolongation of slaveryCopy !req
1215. You might call it that, you might
also call it the lesser of two evilsCopy !req
1216. But did the others know
that you wrote this book?Copy !req
1217. Groups 2, 3 and 5, always knewCopy !req
1218. A few members of the other
groups were better off not knowingCopy !req
1219. But everyone knows now, I wrote
Mam's Law for the good of everyone!Copy !req
1220. For the good of everyone!Copy !req
1221. For the good of everyone?Copy !req
1222. How dare you?Copy !req
1223. It's a recipe for oppressionCopy !req
1224. and humiliation from start to finishCopy !req
1225. I think you've been reading it through
the wrong spectacles, Miss GraceCopy !req
1226. if I may take the liberty of saying soCopy !req
1227. And then Wilhelm initiated Grace into the
humane qualities, of the lesser of two evilsCopy !req
1228. Mam's law! How it
guaranteed food and shelterCopy !req
1229. and allowed anybody the privilege
of complaining about their mastersCopy !req
1230. instead of having to blame
themselves for the life of no hopeCopy !req
1231. that they would
surely have to lead in the outside world?Copy !req
1232. How the noonday parade was a blessing
since the parade ground was the only placeCopy !req
1233. with shade at the warmest time of day?Copy !req
1234. How the numbered groups were determined
according to the patterns of behaviorCopy !req
1235. that human beings resort to in order
to survive in an oppressive community?Copy !req
1236. so that life could be made easier for
each of them, since a proudy' niggerCopy !req
1237. not that Manderlay had seen many, if any, of
these, survives by perceiving himself as proudCopy !req
1238. and could be helped by this system to
believe that he was a bit more persecutedCopy !req
1239. and punished than the othersCopy !req
1240. Since a Clowning nigger would
benefit greatly from the laughterCopy !req
1241. that Mam's Law strictly
demanded of its masterCopy !req
1242. just as any other groups
benefited from similar obligationsCopy !req
1243. How cash was forbidden so that
gambling had to be done with cotton moneyCopy !req
1244. to prevent ruination and
misery for the families, etc. Etc.Copy !req
1245. Until Graces head
felt fair ready to explodeCopy !req
1246. Damn it, Wilhelm, they're
not free! That's what matters!Copy !req
1247. I'd call that a philosophical argument, which
neatly brings me to the two ballots I just mentionedCopy !req
1248. was Mam's Law still relevant?Copy !req
1249. And we agreed that unfortunately
it was as relevant now as it ever was...Copy !req
1250. America was not ready to welcome us
Negroes as equals seventy years agoCopy !req
1251. and it still ain't, and the way things are
goin' it won't be in a hundred years from now!Copy !req
1252. So we agreed we'd like to take one step
backwards at Manderlay and reimpose the old law!Copy !req
1253. Excuse me, but I'm goingCopy !req
1254. As for your going, well, I'd better tell you
about the second of our ballotsCopy !req
1255. as you know sadly we lost MamCopy !req
1256. and unfortunately we've good
and well frightened off her descendantsCopy !req
1257. In short: we lack a Mam!Copy !req
1258. No!Copy !req
1259. I needn't tell you that
you received every single voteCopy !req
1260. Never!Copy !req
1261. with all your idealism, I think you'd enjoy being
the guardian of a kind of menagerie for creaturesCopy !req
1262. who have no chance in the wildCopy !req
1263. Just as you thought the notion
of a community would be good for usCopy !req
1264. You were so sure that you permitted
yourself to use force to convince usCopy !req
1265. I'll be sorry if we have to do likewiseCopy !req
1266. what do you mean?
Do you intend to keep me prisoner?Copy !req
1267. Only 'til you understand the
way you wanted us to understandCopy !req
1268. The gate has been
repaired and is closedCopy !req
1269. The fences are in good shape
but of course they ain't particularly highCopy !req
1270. Those fences, come onCopy !req
1271. two men with a rusty
shot gun and a toy pistolCopy !req
1272. How dumb do you really think we are?Copy !req
1273. Too dumb to build a ladder
if we'd really wanted to get away?Copy !req
1274. Grace had spent a great
deal of time on this meetingCopy !req
1275. which from her point of view
didn't seem to be getting anywhereCopy !req
1276. Her father and his car
would be at the gate at eightCopy !req
1277. That was in half an hour,
she had no ladderCopy !req
1278. And she was on her
own and guarded by manyCopy !req
1279. Just how was she
to get out of Manderlay?Copy !req
1280. when was a section
of the fence always down?Copy !req
1281. Grace would have to change her tactics
rapidly if she was to make the rendez-vousCopy !req
1282. All right, I'll do as you wantCopy !req
1283. not from my heart, though
surely none of you could expect thatCopy !req
1284. but as my only option, and you needn't
be scared, I'll obey your beloved lawCopy !req
1285. So we'd better start by
dealing with the present matter:Copy !req
1286. Timothy, a slave from group seven has
committed a theft that almost ruined us allCopy !req
1287. As I've determined that Mam's Law does not
prescribe any punishment for stealing moneyCopy !req
1288. I shall have to be creativeCopy !req
1289. what was it you once said, Flora, something
about planting a bottle of Rhenish wine?Copy !req
1290. I do believe there is a bottle of Rhenish
wine under Timothy's saddle, don't you?Copy !req
1291. So that's what I seen when I went there
yesterday, if it wasn't a bottle of Rhenish wine!Copy !req
1292. There was still ten minutes until her
slavishly punctual father would arrive outsideCopy !req
1293. to wait for his 15 minutes
and not a second longerCopy !req
1294. Just enough time for
a verbal farewell saluteCopy !req
1295. Timothy, you can stop
being proud and silentCopy !req
1296. Cry and shout and beg
for mercy like the Mansi you areCopy !req
1297. the Mansi who you despise so muchCopy !req
1298. And it's that hatred Timothy and
the rest of you bear towards yourselvesCopy !req
1299. that you'll never make me accept, you
are a cheat of the lowest kind, and WilhelmCopy !req
1300. and all of you who follow him, are nothing
but a bunch of traitors to your raceCopy !req
1301. I hope that your fellow Negroes one day
uncover your betrayal and punish you for itCopy !req
1302. You make me sickCopy !req
1303. I'm sure you're quite right, Miss Grace, most
likely it's impossible to revile us niggers enoughCopy !req
1304. but what I don't get is
why it makes you so angry?Copy !req
1305. what do you mean?Copy !req
1306. Aren't you forgetting something?Copy !req
1307. You made us!Copy !req
1308. Probably the only thing that could
have stopped the lady with the whipCopy !req
1309. from carrying on forever was the cheerful
tinkle that announced her father's presenceCopy !req
1310. She needed his support
now, Manderlay, tooCopy !req
1311. really was a place the world
would be better off without...Copy !req
1312. Grace recognized her father's
hand writing, "dear girl", it saidCopy !req
1313. Dear girl, so you
tricked your father yet againCopy !req
1314. I waited the fifteen minutes
first but I am too kind heartedCopy !req
1315. So I popped over to the fence behind the bushes
and peeked inside to check that you were okCopy !req
1316. to my great surprise it really did look
as if you had a good grip on things for onceCopy !req
1317. I am proud of you, my girlCopy !req
1318. I hope we meet up somedayCopy !req
1319. so you can tell me what you actually
meant by "new times at Manderlay"Copy !req
1320. Love, your dumb old dadCopy !req
1321. Ballots could be unrivalled, but determining
the time by public debate was rarely feasibleCopy !req
1322. That was quite apparentCopy !req
1323. Grace had but a few
seconds to choose the directionCopy !req
1324. in which to flee away
from her swarthy pursuersCopy !req
1325. who, as her father had to teasingly
predicted, were carrying torchesCopy !req
1326. Grace was in a hurry
and did not notice BurtCopy !req
1327. the former fugitive with a liberal attitude
to other races, who never did make it farCopy !req
1328. Grace was angry: Manderlay had fossilized in a
picture of this country that was far, far too negativeCopy !req
1329. America was a many-facetted
place, no doubt about itCopy !req
1330. But "not ready" to accept black people?Copy !req
1331. You really could not say that America
had proffered its hand, discreetly perhapsCopy !req
1332. but if anybody refused to see a helping
hand, he really only had himself to blame!Copy !req