The little minister
Every spring in the Caddam Woods near Thrums, in Scotland, a troup of gypsies settles:
Every spring again to the fright of the pious villagers.
Betty Compson as the mysterious Babbie.
In the god-fearing Thrums unrest is brewing, for a wage cut has brought the weaver population to poverty.
Sanders Webster, himself already an old man, earned with arduous work the dry bread for his mother.
Old Nanny Webster, his mother.
"Nanny, Nanny, from which hand do you want to get something from me?"
"Tea! Have you really come by that honestly, girl?"
"It's terrible to be so poor, that even the gypsies pity us!"
Tammas Whammond, first elder of the Thrums church.
Snecky Hobart, another elder.
Hendry Munn, sacristan.
"Mother, I'm hungry!"
Gavin Dishart, the new minister of the Thrum church.
Apart from the minister, doctor Mc Queen is one of the most seen men in Thrums.
"You've heared that the factory owners, supported by lord Rintoul, have suddenly
cut the wages. I deem our weavers capable of fighting for their right if need be."
"One of the factory owners already acted very shamelessly. There's been a disturbance then..."
"Has the police arrested no-one?"
"No. But we can expect any day, that they come here."
"There comes the police!"
Andrew Mealmaker, on Sundays a pious elder, during the week the proudest rebel among the weavers.
"Will you feed our families if we have ourselves taken to prison?"
"With everything I own! In compassion and shame for your violence and crime!"
"They knew exactly the names of our leaders. Who gave them that away?"
"That's that gypsy girl who always prowls around us!"
"I've never seen her, but I was told, she does a lot of good."
"A pretext! All gypsys are thieves and spies."
"Let's chase them out of the Cammam Woods for once and for all!"
"No violence! I will go to them and warn them."
"He's a bit young though. To be walking alone between all those pretty gypsy girls."
Captain Richard Halliwell, commander of the dragoons.
The castle Rintoul, where through the ages, the lords of Thrum had lived.
The earl of Rintoul.
"There's been another riot in Thrums."
"It's so lovely, Felice, to walk around free as a gypsy girl!"
"Lord Rintoul, there will be no order in Thrums before it's been brought in by the soldiers."
In Thrums too they want to be prepared for the soldier's arrival.
"How many horns do we have?"
"Four isn't too much: The guards need one each."
"Go to your stations: As soon as you see a soldier, you blow your horn three times.
"Now the gypsy girl is lady Barbara again."
"If possible, Halliwell, don't use soldiers preferably."
"It's your duty to maintain authority in this region."
"Why don't you use your power to bring the wages up again?"
"Babbie, don't speak along about affairs you know nothing about."
"I believe that you're making an immortal fool of yourself, father."
"Dear child, if you ever see that your father makes a fool of himself,
I promise you on my word as Rintoul that the wages will go up again."
"There's one exit that we cannot guard, that's Miller's Arch."
"The minister hasn't returned yet from the Caddam Woods!"
"I think that Sunday he will preach about "women"!"
"Blow your horn: There come the redcoats!"
"I'm glad that you've come! I can't blow this here horn?"
"Why do you want to blow horn now?"
"Have you never heard those wonderful echos in the valley yet?"
"Won't you teach me that blowing of the horn?"
"They're already gathering! They've understood your signal!"
"Andrew Mealmaker, send these people home. Before blood is spilled!"
"Put down your weapons!"
"If you resist, women and children will be shot down!"
"You've let yourselves be caught, like mice in a trap!"
"That gypsy, that abetstress, wants to incite you to fight! Go all home and trust on providence."
"We are surrounded!"
"Listen! Miller Arch isn't guarded!"
"Do not trust her! It is a trap!"
"If you don't believe me: Here is the horn with which I've warned you!"
"The leaders can escape by Miller's Arch!"
"The others must hold the soldiers here so long until the men are in safety!"
"You're too late: the boys that you came for, are already in safety."
"The ringleaders have escaped, sir. A gypsy girl arranged that plan."
"No woman may leave the village before we've found that gypsy lass!"
"You may not pass before that gypsy girl has been arrested."
"It was a dreadul night, hubby. How tired you will be!"
"You're right, reverend. You'd better take your wife home."
"My wife? But sergeant..."
"Of course darling! I am simply proud of you!"
"My husband does all that's in his power to maintain the legal authority... But oh, that terrible gypsy girl..."
"But sergeant..."
"Yes hubby... say it!"
When a few days later peace had returned to the ranks...
"You are everything that a woman should not be!"
"Nanny says it's because of the way in which I was raised!"
"Babbie, please don't tease me, when I'm trying to be serious."
"Do you really think that I am a bad girl?"
"You're a gypsy!"
"I loved that boy as a son... but he's an unfaithful shepherd."
"It's sad work for the council of elders, to have to fire such a boy."
"I have a warrant for the arrest of the gypsy girl... She blew the horn and warned the weavers."
"I am the man you seek... I blew the horn!"
"The warrant speaks of a gypsy girl... Only lord Rintoul can change that."
"Then see that lord Rintoul changes this warrant."
"I've come to tell here that not the gypsy girl, but I gave the horn signal that night."
"I'm sorry for your wife, mr. Dishart."
"I have no wife."
"But the women, who went past the guard as your spouse?
"That was the gypsy."
"I've come to bring berries for the gentlemen, sir."
"Don't you know that this is Rintoul Castle... The home of the man who issued the arrest warrant against you?
"You don't have to be afraid... I've told tem that I gave the horn signal."
"You've said that to save me!"
"I've said that because it is the truth."
"I believe that you've said it, because you love me."
"I am also afraid, that I've done it because of that."
"Babbie, I love you!"
"But... You wouldn't dare to marry a gypsy?"
"I would dare everything, Babbie, to make you mistress at the vicarage."
"You will feel strange at first... In such a big house!"
"I'll buy a real silk dress for you... White, with flowers on it."
"I insist that the minister be arrested."
"In the king's name I request you to issue this warrant, lord Rintoul."
"You will not sign that warrant!"
"Babbie, you go too far, child. What concern is that of yours?"
"He has asked me to become his wife."
"What! A village minister who proposes for the hand of lady Barbara Rintoul? Such an insolence!"
"I'm sorry for you father... I've decided to marry him."
"Do you know, lady Barbara, that he has introduced the gypsy girl as his wife?"
"I wish she were his wife!"
"She IS his wife... He called her so before two witnesses and in Scotland that means a lawful marriage."
"Arrest that gypsy girl and bring her to the vicarage."
"Tell the witnesses to follow lord Rintoul and me to the vicarage."
"There's a special meeting concerning our minister, who through his conduct has cast a stain on the cloth of god's servant..."
"You said, mr. Dishart..."
"I didn't say anything, Thammas."
"Read the charge, Hendry."
"No charges necessary... I already confess."
"The gypsy girl couldn't blow... then I've done it for her."
"...firstly, that he, said Gavin Dishart, sat with said gypsy girl upon the wall
of Nanny Webster's garden, with a space, not as big as the width of a small bible, between them."
"...and that said Jeanne, maid of said Gavin, declared under oath
that said Gavin desecrated his bible, by drying a rose in it."
"...and that said Jeanne has seen that said Gavin sat with said rose in his hand,
so that she reasonably supposed, that his thoughts were far away from his sacred calling."
"There come the soldiers!"
"No violence, please! They seek ME!"
"I ask an explanation milord, why you come to disturb a meeting of the elders."
"Your meeting comes very handy for me. For I wanted to put a few things before you concerning our little minister."
"He introduced her, to save her, to these two witnesses as his wife."
"In Scotland that means a legal marriage. Your little minister is married to a gypsy woman!"
"The gypsies have moved out. I believe that the girl is gone too."
"They've got the gypsy girl!"
"Allow me, mr. Dishart, that I introduce you to your wife!"
"Babbie!"
"Lady Barbara!"
"Lady Barbara, what is the meaning of this?"
"It means that I adore playing a gypsy and marrying... and getting arrested and such."
"You will not take advantage of this, mr. Dishart...?"
"Perhaps he doesn't take advantage... but here are three old men,
who have an interest... The boy and the girl are married and that's it!"
"Remember your promise, father! As soon as you'd do something ridiculous... Tell them right away about their wages..."
"...ik will also see, that the wages are raised again; above the old standard."
"There will be joy tonight in Thrums."
"And...?|
"Now we are married, do you understand?"
"Babbie, god has been good to us..."
"I thought so too, Gavin..."