THE LAND WHOSE KING IS A CHILD
A new school term brings anxiety.
Will our boys have changed?
A good year so far. God blesses our work.
As a whole, the standard is high.
Behaviour is good.
The comfort this school brings
must not allow us to forget that
in spite of an increase of 17 communions on last October,
faith is, as always, our weak spot.
I know what I'm doing.
I want, and until now have had, a healthy college.
Healthy not only morally but also in the mind,
for a Christian cannot compromise high-mindedness.
We are a family,
we must feel at ease.
"Flies...
but one fly, dying in the perfume
will spoil its fine aroma."
Sevrais!
I'm waiting for Souplier, Sir.
Friends from another section are forbidden.
And he's bad company.
Everybody complains.
His teachers, classmates, parents...
He promised to change.
He promised you.
So you did see each other?
Briefly, at my father's funeral.
I'm a boarder now.
Oh, no!
We won't see each other much.
Only on Sundays at 10 o'clock, when school breaks.
When I'm away this is what I miss,
the smell of the school.
Guess what?
You know Maisonfort.
The one we call Warbler.
He said: "Scratch my barnet."
"Your what?" "My hair."
"Why?" "Because it makes me purr."
"You purr?"
"Yes, I purr inside."
His legs are fat.
You're no judge. He has great legs.
Like the Romans had.
No, he's clumsy.
Clumsy!
He's winning the race!
Sevrais, Linsbourg, what about your Greek class?
These ink stains!
Always hot and grubby paws!
Hair never combed, never!
It's my knee that hurts.
It's nothing. Just a graze.
Use your handkerchief.
Is it clean?
Not very.
Ink-stained, of course.
Take mine.
Give it back to me after prep.
But don't tell anyone I lent it to you,
there'd be a fuss.
Wash your knee in the fountain.
He must learn!
It won't happen again, will it?
No, Sir.
Good evening.
Monsieur Prial... someone will call
for this tomorrow, it's the article they want for Te Living God.
I look forward to reading it.
Well, answering the question "Who is God?"
In 9 pages of double spacing...
But metaphysics allow one to say many things...
Good night, Monsieur Prial.
It will be cold tonight.
Your handkerchief, Sir.
Your friendship with Sevrais must end.
But, Sir... no one says anything to the other boys.
Never mind why we occasionally turn a blind eye on...
All right, I'll explain.
As everyone knows, I take an interest in you.
Why should my efforts be spoiled by this boy I hardly know?
I know him by repute!
Sevrais's the best!
The best?
He's intelligent, bright,
they say he's noble-minded, but he's a humbug,
independent, sure of himself.
As for you, you're a trouble.
You met Sevrais in the hall today. Only for a moment, I know!
It was when the day-boys go home.
What did you talk about?
- Nothing. - Naturally.
Twice this year, you were to be expelled,
twice I persuaded the Supêrieur to keep you with us.
My intervening constantly makes me look foolish...
Are you listening?
Yes, Sir.
Repeat what I said.
You said... that I don't pay attention during mass.
I said nothing of the sort.
Please stop fiddling with the things on my desk.
You know I'm badly brought up.
Yes, I know that.
I'm tired of you, Souplier,
terribly tired of you.
You are a pitiful soul.
I wonder if you're worth the trouble.
I promise this time...
I'm tired of your promises too.
Say that I'm with the headmaster
and cannot be disturbed at present.
Where were we?
Yes, I'm tired of your promises.
The other times, I just promised. Now I swear it.
I know only too well...
If you know only too well...
No, you musn't think
your word means nothing.
I think about you a great deal.
Even last June when...
my father was dying
and you faced expulsion,
you were uppermost in my thoughts...
even then.
I told you that, you remember?
You don't?
I don't want to be tactless.
You don't care, do you?
When thinking of you lately
I told myself
I knew you as though you were my own son.
You smile?
No, I'm not.
One of your little smiles.
Something silly made me smile.
What silly thing?
Please, one moment of sincerity.
I smiled because you were doodling.
Yes, I was doodling on my blotting-pad...
thinking of you.
Why are you so good to me?
Because you deserve it.
How is your work going?
I have German homework.
Leave it, and tomorrow I'll help you with your German.
Not doing too well at the choir, are you?
You have a nice voice, yet you spoil even that.
Is it so difficult for you to be polite?
Yes, it's very difficult.
At times, I wonder what you think of me,
how you judge me,
if in that obstinate head, you are in favour or not.
Sir, in favour!
All right, then. Run along to the dormitory!
Here's a note for the master.
Look at the time!
From Monsieur de Pradts.
Go to bed!
There's a note under your pillow.
Sevrais gave it to Denis in Physics,
and Denis gave it to me at supper.
Dear Serge,
I don" mind your being a boarder.
Anyting des'ined 'o be good for you can only be good.
How am I 'o know you better, unders'and you better
and be a good influence, seeing you once a week?
If you're no' kep' in on Sunday,
come 'o 'e Cave and paddle inside.
Do no' read; "Piddle."
I have a cold.
You always have colds.
Do you hide my letters?
In my desk, under my books.
- If De Pradts looks... - He won't!
I wouldn't mind if he did find them.
Hope no one else does, though.
He gave us a talking-to today.
Everyone in my section. And he gave names.
"There will be no more of those friendships."
"Linsbourg-Denis, Sevrais-Souplier..."
All the names, all the incidents.
So what will you do?
I say we go on. And you?
It's forbidden, so I'll go on too.
Just once more before we go.
In line!
Well, what is it?
Sir,
I know you think my influence on Souplier goes against yours.
If my influence is bad, I'm prepared to break with him.
Sit down.
So, you offer to break with Souplier.
If it's to put us at ease, we are not meant to be at ease.
But if you feel it's for the best,
I'll admit that I agree.
Has he talked about me?
What does he think of me?
He speaks well of you.
But tell me, what has he said?
You don't want to say.
How long have you been friends?
Since January 14th.
January 14th.
And we're in April.
I congratulate you.
You fooled us.
No, we didn't. We behaved.
You behaved.
I marvel at your discretion.
Boys can be so discreet.
Just as discreet as women,
if not more so.
I had no other choice.
January 14th.
There must have been something very special about that day,
for you to remember the date so well.
We had a misunderstanding.
He said I didn't care for him.
I told him:
"I do care for you."
And that was all?
Yes, that was all.
One moment.
Come in.
Your surplice, Monsieur I'Abbê.
My wife starched and ironed it,
but the lace is fraying and in her opinion...
It can wait. Thank your wife for her trouble.
We won't be disturbed now.
By the way, who is your confessor here?
I go to a priest in my parish.
That fits with the rest.
Everyone knows that you're the only day-boy in your section.
Free. To act as you please.
To have as few ties as possible.
Except with Souplier, of course.
Any tokens of eternal friendship?
We exchanged our pens.
No pledges?
No romantic words?
He said: "For always."
I said: "For as long as possible."
Since then, meetings,
little gifts, notes.
Notes, you a day-boy, he a boarder.
Long letters from you, notes from him,
always marked "To be burnt",
dated midnight,
at least yours.
Have you seen them?
Do you think yourself original?
Does your mother know?
Just as well.
Parents and the school are two distinct worlds,
do not mix them.
I'd rather you stopped concealing.
You have loyalty,
your presence here proves it.
That being so,
perhaps an alliance would be better... than war.
I may take a gamble on your loyalty
and allow you to go on seeing Souplier,
if I have your word
you'll be beyond reproach.
Sir, I give you my word.
I believe...
in the power of true affection.
Its power is such, it could carry the world away.
God grants us the grace
to love someone.
Thank you, Sir, it's so good of you.
Please note that I may be "good" sometimes,
but that I'm not "a good fellow".
Make subtle differences.
I always do.
Like "behaviour" and "hypocrisy".
Come again, at any time.
If you find a lady here, come straight in.
It will a boy's mother, she'll leave...
Thank you, Sir.
For everything. And also for being what you are.
Oh, what we are...
You pig! Brute!
Sevrais, protect me!
Why didn't you hit him?
They call him Bonbon. He's rat poison!
I have to talk to you.
How he talked about you! He knows all about kids.
The same man that stormed at us last Sunday.
I'm overwhelmed.
What happened?
I don't want to let him down, he wants you to improve.
I've hurt you, it seems.
So I decided I'd change my ways,
and we'd be serious.
I saw De Pradts and told him about this change.
Don't you remember what you told me in the cave?
Yes, I asked you what you would do.
You said: "I'll carry on."
Then I said:
"I'll go on too, because it's forbidden."
I've changed. I've found the good in me.
Now I know the truth,
the truth for you and for me.
All right, if you think it's best.
I'll be to you what you want me to be.
It will be different!
A new life! A comradeship-in-arms, like in the days of chivalry!
What a relief, not to hide, not to lie!
Sevrais and Souplier... I saw them go into the storeroom.
It's quite all right, I'll explain.
We'll talk more on Sunday.
Not Sunday, I'm being kept in.
Not again! Why?
I larked about at Gym. I like larking about at Gym.
Is it really fun to act the fool?
It's fun at my age.
Look, I can't wait a whole week, it's impossible.
Come here tomorrow before prep.
Tell your master you've got choir practice.
The storeroom will be locked.
I have a key. I sell tuck at break,
I'll say I'm checking the tuck money.
You say you want to be a good influence on me,
but you want me to skip prep
and tell lies.
But De Pradts gave us permission.
If I can come, I'll draw a cross on the lavatory door.
Bless us, O Lord, bless this food,
those who prepared it and grant bread to the hungry.
"After Jesus fed the multitude, when the day began to wear away,
he went up alone into a mountain to pray
while his apostles sailed the Lake of Tiberias
to go unto the other side.
Suddenly a storm arose.
The water raged, the wind blew,
and they were sorely afraid.
You men of little faith, said Jesus,
Why did you not trust my love?"
Souplier approved of!
I can't get over it!
You haven't heard?
After that speech against Sevrais-Souplier,
De Pradts now says that this friendship is allowed,
and almost exemplary.
I must say, the Sevrais-Souplier friendship seems most odd.
Yet officially approved of!
The school's best and the school's worst!
De Pradts likes Souplier to act as a whipping-boy.
Then he can be soft-hearted.
De Pradts is a remarkable man.
He and the Supêrieur are both remarkable, but
he's a man of passion.
True, education is a passion.
Especially Souplier's.
It's a bit much!
Wasn't De Pradts to go to Rome?
He refused so that he could stay on here.
How humble of him!
He's so condescending to the masters.
You know what he says!
"We welcome teachers here out of charity."
As for us assistants!
He treats us as he treats the caretaker.
Gentlemen, quiet!
You'll be kept in!
I'm already being kept in.
Well, on the following Sunday too.
Well done! A shrewd move!
- What? - You and De Pradts!
Nothing shrewd, I don't want my influence to upset the Abbê's.
Yet here you are, with official blessing!
The others might resent that.
Listen, about our new friendship, Souplier said:
"If only the others did the same!"
You'd better be on our side!
You really do love him?
Is it so incredible?
Souplier's parents are behind with the fees.
Never pay on time.
It's De Pradts that insisted on free singing lessons.
Now he'll know I love him!
If he knew, he wouldn't grasp it.
If he did, he'd be afraid.
Does your mother know?