The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve Original Airdate: 5 Feb, 1966

 The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve

Original Airdate: 5 Feb, 1966

(Transcriber's note - this story only exists in audio form.)

Episode One - War of God

[Outside the Tardis]

(The peace of a hot August day is disturbed as the Tardis makes an unusually discreet landing near the Rue de Bethisy.)

DOCTOR: Highly satisfactory.

STEVEN: If anyone opens that gate they'll find the Tardis.

DOCTOR: Oh nonsense, my boy. It's perfectly safe in there. Yes, France. Yes, most certainly.

STEVEN: Well how do you know that?

DOCTOR: Hmm!

(The Doctor points to a sign reading Rue de Bethisy.)

STEVEN: Date? Any idea of the date, Doctor?

DOCTOR: Well, by the look of those houses I would say medieval. Although I suppose it might be as late as the 17th century. I

STEVEN: Look out!

(A man comes into sight, walking purposefully to one of the nearby houses. He knocks on the door, and it is opened.)

GASTON: Nicholas Muss is expecting me.

MAN: Ah yes. Of course.

(The man goes inside.)

DOCTOR: Did you see that? We've landed in the middle of the 16th century. Yes, and that was the very time.

STEVEN: What are you talking about?

DOCTOR: Yes. That strange brotherhood of apothecaries. Way ahead of their time. Now, what was the name of that man that lived in Paris? Er, Pre, Preslin! Preslin! That's the man. Yes. The most advanced man of them all. I must try to get to see him.

[de Coligny's house]

GASTON: You're too cautious, Nicholas. The Catholics know of only one way to settle our differences.

MUSS: Times are difficult enough for us here, without you provoking further quarrels.

GASTON: I? Oh, come, be fair. Paris hates our kind. It would do anything it can to provoke us.

MUSS: You must control your temper, Gaston. It is imperative that we keep the peace at this time.

[Outside the Tardis]

STEVEN: We're in Paris.

DOCTOR: Quite so, dear boy. Well, now, don't let us dawdle. We must go in and change.

STEVEN: Well, have you got the right clothes?

DOCTOR: You'd be surprised what I've got in my wardrobe. But I want to turn over a few old papers. Yes, come along, there's no time to lose. Come along. Come along, come along!

[Tavern]

GASTON: Now. Now, is everybody's mug filled?

ALL: Yes.

GASTON: Then drink to Henri of Navarre, our Protestant prince.

ALL: Henri of Navarre!

DUVALL: And to his bride, our Catholic princess.

(Someone splutters into his drink.)

GASTON: Landlord!

LANDLORD: Yes, sir?

GASTON: Have you got no decent wine? Where are the Burgundies? Or even the German wines?

LANDLORD: Sir, we have the best Bordeaux on the market.

GASTON: A thin Catholic brew.

MUSS: Gaston, no!

DUVALL: For a freethinking German, Monsieur Muss, you have some sense. Viscount, you have insulted her Highness the Princess.

GASTON: Simon Dubar, what a surprise. No doubt you visit this tavern because the air is clearer of rigid Catholic dogma?

DUVALL: You have not answered me.

GASTON: Answered you? I wasn't aware you'd asked me a question.

DUVALL: The insult to Princess Marguerite.

MUSS: It was an accident. He choked.

DUVALL: Well, then, Drink again to her.

MUSS: Yes. We both will. To the Princess.

(Some business that causes laughter in the tavern. Simon Duvall, Catholic aide to the Abbot of Amboise, takes the landlord aside.)

DUVALL: Most of them are in the service of the Admiral de Coligny?

LANDLORD: I have to serve them, sir. I hate these Huguenots as much as the next man, but I have to live.

DUVALL: Certainly you must serve them, but watch and listen. Report to me anything you hear or see.

LANDLORD: Certainly, anything, sir. Here in Paris we know what is right. Though people like myself with a living to earn?

DUVALL: Of course. But watch your business.

GASTON: Duvall, leaving us so soon? Can't you stomach the wine here?

DUVALL: I have business elsewhere. After all, my dear Viscount, a tavern is a place where a gentleman may refresh himself, while simpler people amuse him with their badinage.

(The Doctor and Steven enter.)

DOCTOR: It won't be of the least interest to you, dear boy. Landlord! Wine.

STEVEN: Look, I'm not going to sit in the Tardis whilst you gallivant around Paris.

DOCTOR: I shall do nothing of the sort. I am going to visit Preslin. He lives on the other side of Paris, somewhere near Port Saint Martin, I believe. Thank you. I just want to sit down and have a talk with him about his work. Are you interested in germinology?

STEVEN: I don't know. What is it?

DOCTOR: Well, there you are, you see. And you know nothing about the period do you? You'd only be found out for the man that you are.

STEVEN: Look, I'll be careful. I'm perfectly capable of of looking after myself. I'll just walk around Paris and see the sights.

DOCTOR: Well, in that case I shan't visit Preslin.

STEVEN: Oh don't be silly. You can't wait to talk to him. Come on, you go. I'll be all right.

DOCTOR: Well.

STEVEN: You'll never forgive yourself if you don't.

DOCTOR: But you promise me you won't get into trouble?

STEVEN: Yes, of course.

DOCTOR: Well try not to talk to anyone. And come back here this evening and we'll go off to the Tardis together.

STEVEN: Yes, all right. Now, you go and find your Monsieur Preslin.

DOCTOR: Quite, quite. You'll need that.

(He throws Steven some coins.)

STEVEN: Oh, thanks.

DOCTOR: And don't cut yourself with that sword.

(The Doctor turns to leave, and bumps into someone in the doorway.)

DOCTOR: Oh, I beg your pardon, sir.

(The man turns on his heel and leaves. Steven observes this, and feeling that something is wrong, makes to follow him but is spotted by the landlord.)

LANDLORD: Here, you! It is customary, sir, to pay for the wine consumed.

STEVEN: Oh, oh, yes, of course. Here, take this.

LANDLORD: The wine is two sous. I cannot change this.

STEVEN: That's all I have.

LANDLORD: I cannot change gold.

MUSS: Can I help you? You're a stranger here.

STEVEN: Yes. This man won't change my money.

LANDLORD: I ask for two sous and he gives me an ecu. I cannot change ecu coin.

MUSS: Here.

LANDLORD: Thank you, sir.

MUSS: Is that Parisian hospitality?

LANDLORD: What do you mean, sir?

MUSS: The gentleman's ecu.

LANDLORD: A thousand apologies. I wasn't thinking.

STEVEN: Oh. Thank you. I'm afraid I don't understand your money.

MUSS: Not at all.

STEVEN: Excuse me.

MUSS: Yes?

STEVEN: Can you tell me the way to the Port Saint Martin?

MUSS: Certainly, but as a stranger to Paris I think you'll have difficulty finding it.

STEVEN: Yes. Well, I've got to try. You see I must find a man called Preslin.

MUSS: I'm sorry. I don't know the name. Is anything wrong?

STEVEN: Well, I don't know. You see the friend who was with me has gone there. When he left here it looked as though he was followed.

MUSS: The old man?

STEVEN: Yes. You see, he's gone to find an apothecary there.

MUSS: Is he sick?

STEVEN: Oh, no, no, no. He's a scientist. He's gone to talk to him about his idea.

MUSS: A dangerous thing to do in days like these.

STEVEN: Oh, well, perhaps it doesn't matter. He'll be able to take care of himself. He usually does.

MUSS: In that case you needn't worry.

STEVEN: No.

MUSS: I don't think you're sure. Look, come and drink some wine with us and later I'll take you to the Port Saint Martin.

STEVEN: Oh, no, thank you. But, well, I don't want to intrude. I mean

MUSS: Nonsense, come and join us. Later, we'll make sure your friend is safe.

STEVEN: Well, thank you. I'm afraid I've never been in Paris before.

MUSS: Allow us to be your guides.

[Preslin's shop]

(Inside the shop owned by Charles Preslin, a man is gathering supplies and placing them carefully in a large bag. He seems nervous , in a hurry to complete his task and get out. There is a knock at the door. The man looks up in alarm and makes no move to answer the door. The caller knocks again. The door is unlocked and the Doctor enters uninvited.)

PRESLIN: What do you want?

DOCTOR: I am looking for Charles Preslin.

PRESLIN: He doesn't live here.

DOCTOR: Oh, but this is his shop?

PRESLIN: It was. He's gone.

DOCTOR: Where?

PRESLIN: He's left Paris.

DOCTOR: Oh dear, dear, dear. Now isn't that a pity. And I did so want to talk to him about his work.

PRESLIN: Make more trouble for him?

DOCTOR: Trouble? Not at all. I'm a scientist too. I merely wish to discuss his work with him.

PRESLIN: He was merely a mixer of herbs and unguents.

DOCTOR: Yes, perhaps to you, but he was a man who searched deeply in nature. I didn't think he was a faint heart.

PRESLIN: No, but cautious.

DOCTOR: I see. Yes. He also discovered, small creatures which, if attacking humanity, could cause a very serious illness.

PRESLIN: You're not French.

DOCTOR: No.

PRESLIN: Yet you know of Preslin?

DOCTOR: Yes. In science, news travels. Yes. And there's a man in Germany at the moment, who's working on optics, trying to make a machine which will enable Preslin to see these small creatures. He calls them germs.

PRESLIN: Is it so? Are they really doing this?

DOCTOR: Yes. So now, doesn't this encourage you to continue with your theories, Monsieur Preslin?

PRESLIN: Yes, I, I am Charles Preslin. Forgive me, but in these days one has to be careful.

DOCTOR: Of course, of course, my dear fellow. But I'm extremely curious about your work, Monsieur Preslin.

[Tavern]

MUSS: Don't mind Gaston, Steven. He's like this with any stranger. In fact, he'd cross-question his own shadow.

GASTON: Don't mock me, Nicholas. I'm in France to protect my master, Henri of Navarre, just as you are to protect de Coligny.

MUSS: You're too suspicious. Steven's been travelling abroad. He knows nothing about what's been happening here. Do you?

STEVEN: No, no. I really do know very little.

GASTON: Yes, but as you come from England you must be for the Huguenot. What you call a Protestant.

STEVEN: Oh, yes, yes.

GASTON: There, you see? It's just that I'm interested in our friend. Now tell us where you've been travelling.

STEVEN: Well, I've been, I've been in Egypt.

GASTON: In Egypt?

STEVEN: Yes. Look, I've taken up far too much of your time. Perhaps you'd be good enough to tell me the way to the Port Saint Martin?

MUSS: I'll come with you and show you the city.

STEVEN: Thank you, but I really should try and find my friend.

GASTON: Wise man. Nicholas here only knows the most boring places.

MUSS: At least let me point out the start of your journey.

STEVEN: Yes, thank you.

[Paris]

(In another part of the city, a young servant girl, Anne Chaplet, bursts from the door of a fine house. She's clearly terrified and runs frantically, pursued by a squad of guards determined to catch her and take her back to the house. Tearing helter-skelter through the crowded streets, Anne still cannot shake off her pursuers.)

[Outside the Tavern]

MUSS: When you get there, ask again. Anyone will tell you.

STEVEN: I think I can find it now. Thank you, Nicholas.

MUSS: A pleasure.

(At that moment Anne, still running for her life, dashes into the street and bumps into Steven. Terrified, she dodges past him and inside the tavern with the guards close behind her.)

[Tavern]

CAPTAIN: Let us pass, sir!

GASTON: And what do you want?

CAPTAIN: The girl who came in here.

GASTON: My Lord Cardinal's guard aren't you? What does he want with a wench?

CAPTAIN: She's a servant. She ran away. I have orders to bring her back.

GASTON: She doesn't appear to care for the Cardinal's service. I suggest you let her go.

CAPTAIN: She is chosen for the staff of the house of the Abbot of Amboise.

GASTON: Clearly, she likes that no more.

CAPTAIN: Let me pass! My Lord Abbot shall hear of this when he arrives.

GASTON: Yes I'm sure he will. Tell him to take this story to our Cardinal in Rome. No doubt he'll like it also.

(The Captain leaves the tavern.)

GASTON: There now. I thought he might be roused. What a pity. Hey, come, Mister Englishman. Join us again. It's clearly not safe for you to walk alone.

STEVEN: Yes, but what about the girl? Where is she?

GASTON: She's just a servant. A chance to bait a Catholic. Forget her. Come, come, come.

[Preslin's shop]

DOCTOR: But, who is this Abbot?

PRESLIN: The Abbot of Amboise. He hates us all.

DOCTOR: Yes, I suppose just now all churchmen are rather suspicious of your work. But surely you can carry on without his knowledge?

PRESLIN: Oh, you don't know the man. The Abbot of Amboise is the Cardinal of Lorraine's right hand. With the Cardinal in Rome, the Abbot has decided to come to Paris. We shall be hunted down. That man is far more dangerous than the Cardinal.

DOCTOR: I suppose there's no point in going to see him?

PRESLIN: None, unless you want to be thrown in prison for heresy.

DOCTOR: Hmm, I wonder.

[Tavern]

STEVEN: The girl was clearly frightened out of her wits. We should find her.

GASTON: Nonsense. She's probably gone back to her own people.

STEVEN: But don't you want to know why she was frightened?

GASTON: No.

MUSS: Many things frighten people in Paris these days.

GASTON: Hey, hey, hey, you, girl. Come here. Come on. Now then. My friend here, whom you ran into, wants to know why you're frightened. Come on, girl.

STEVEN: For goodness sake, you're frightening her even more.

MUSS: It's all right. Just tell us what it is you fear.

ANNE: Nothing, sir.

STEVEN: Yes, but you were running away. Why?

GASTON: Louis, call back the guards.

ANNE: No!

GASTON: Then answer us! Why were you frightened?

ANNE: Just something I overheard, sir.

GASTON: What?

ANNE: Well, you see, I come from Vassy. And when they said it might happen again.

GASTON: What's that?

ANNE: They said it would happen again, and my father died there.

GASTON: Vassy?

MUSS: Calm down, Gaston.

GASTON: What did you hear?

ANNE: I was just passing the room and I heard them mention Vassy.

GASTON: What did they say?

ANNE: Something about it happening before the week was past.

GASTON: Who spoke?

ANNE: The Captain who followed me inside and another man.

GASTON: Now tell us exactly what you heard.

ANNE: Just, just the word that made me stop, sir. My father died at Vassy and

GASTON: Yes, yes, I know, but

STEVEN: What are you all talking about?

MUSS: Ten years ago at Vassy, a small town some miles south of Paris, a hundred Huguenots were slaughtered by the Catholics.

STEVEN: Why?

GASTON: Because they were Huguenot.

MUSS: Listen, girl. What do they call you?

ANNE: Anne.

MUSS: Anne, think back. Remember every single word the Captain and the other man said.

ANNE: But I told you.

GASTON: Then tell us again.

[Abbot's residence]

DUVALL: Fool! To allow the meddlesome Viscount de Leran to stop you!

CAPTAIN: There were too many of them. They'd have killed us before we even found the girl.

COLBERT: The girl is just a servant. She couldn't have understood us.

DUVALL: If she should remember what you said and should repeat it, she could put our friend on his guard.

COLBERT: We didn't speak of him.

DUVALL: Then what did you say to frighten the girl?

CAPTAIN: Nothing.

DUVALL: Servants don't run away from a house in fear for nothing.

CAPTAIN: I think we mentioned Vassy and the celebrations here in Paris, but nothing that anyone could've made head or tail of.

DUVALL: She made something of it! Vassy. That might have been it. That word alone is enough to put every Huguenot in Paris on his guard.

COLBERT: I will go and look for her.

DUVALL: You will not. You will wait here and report this to the Abbot. It was your mistake. I'm sure he'll want to congratulate you himself.

COLBERT: But. Very well.

DUVALL: And you. Find out if she has any relations in Paris. If she has, seek them out and find if she's fled there. That girl must be found.

[Tavern]

GASTON: She can't help us any more. You can go.

MUSS: No, wait. If the Catholics find her, they can easily discover what she's told us. We must keep her out of sight.

GASTON: And just what do you propose to do with her?

MUSS: She can work in the Admiral's kitchen. They won't find her there. Go to the house of the Admiral de Coligny. Tell them that Nicholas Muss sent you.

ANNE: Where's that, sir?

GASTON: Oh, no one is more ignorant than the common people of Paris. The Admiral of France lives on the corner of Rue de Bethisy and the Rue de la Brousette.

ANNE: Thank you, sir.

STEVEN: But what do they mean, these things she overheard?

GASTON: A threat to Navarre. I must warn him. I'll see you later, Nicolas.

MUSS: I'm afraid you've arrived in Paris at a most unfortunate time.

STEVEN: I wish I understood what was going on.

MUSS: My English friend, it's really quite simple. Henri of Navarre is a Huguenot, a Protestant prince. Yesterday he married Marguerite of France, a Catholic. The marriage was arranged by the Queen Mother in the hope that it would heal the religious wound that's tearing France in two. But in the light of what that girl overheard, it looks as if the Catholics are plotting against Navarre's life. Do you understand?

STEVEN: Yes. Yes, I think I do.

MUSS: And now, I must leave you. I must see the Admiral at once. Forgive me that I cannot show you Paris.

STEVEN: Oh, I shall be all right. Besides, my friend should be returning soon.

MUSS: Pleasant journey. Goodbye.

STEVEN: Goodbye.

[Preslin's shop]

(Preslin receives another visitor, a young boy.)

PRESLIN: You showed the old man the way? Good. I only hope he succeeds. You were not seen? Let's hope not. You've done well.

(The boy leaves.)

PRESLIN: Good luck, old man. Good luck.

[Tavern]

(Steven has spent several hours alone at the tavern and is growing increasingly impatient and anxious. He paces about restlessly, unable to shake the feeling that something has happened to the doctor, yet powerless to do anything but wait. Then Simon Duvall returns to the inn and seeks out the landlord to question him.)

DUVALL: Where's the girl?

LANDLORD: The girl?

DUVALL: The girl who fled in here this morning. What's happened to her?

LANDLORD: I don't know. I was down in the cellar and when I came up, there she was being questioned by the Huguenots.

DUVALL: The Viscount de Laran and Nicholas Muss?

LANDLORD: Yes, and another man.

DUVALL: Who?

LANDLORD: He's still here. Over there.

DUVALL: Who is he?

LANDLORD: I don't know. A stranger. English, I think.

DUVALL: Go on.

LANDLORD: The Viscount left hurriedly once they'd finished with the girl.

DUVALL: And where is she now?

LANDLORD: Sir, it is difficult to hear everything. I must watch over the whole tavern.

DUVALL: Haven't I paid you enough?

LANDLORD: Oh come, sir.

DUVALL: What happened to the girl?

LANDLORD: She, I remember. She was sent to the house of Admiral de Coligny.

DUVALL: I see. Thank you, my friend. Good evening. A stranger to this city?

STEVEN: Yes.

DUVALL: I thought you must be. Most wise people are at home by this time. It's almost time for the curfew.

STEVEN: The curfew?

DUVALL: Yes, an unfortunate necessity which even the marriage of Protestant Henri to our great King's sister hasn't been able to rectify.

STEVEN: Look, I'm sorry, but I don't understand. I'm on my way back to England. I really know very little of what's been going on here.

DUVALL: I trust you've found yourself somewhere comfortable to stay while you're here. Apartments are hard to find at this time, Paris being so full for the celebrations.

STEVEN: I shall be all right. I'm leaving tonight. I'm just waiting for a friend.

DUVALL: I hope he comes soon, otherwise you won't be able to leave.

STEVEN: I expect we'll be all right, thanks.

DUVALL: Good. He's waiting for a friend. Watch and see who it is.

STEVEN: Nicholas!

MUSS: Steven! Steven, you're still here. Where's your friend?

STEVEN: I don't know. He said he'd meet here tonight. He hasn't arrived yet.

MUSS: But it's time for the curfew. Where will you stay if he doesn't come?

STEVEN: I don't know. I'm sure he will come.

(A bell tolls.)

MUSS: There's the curfew now. You must come with me. You can always come back here in the morning. Landlord?

LANDLORD: Yes sir?

MUSS: If an old man arrives asking for the Englishman, tell him he's lodging with the Admiral de Coligny, and will return here in the morning.

LANDLORD: Yes, sir. Certainly, sir.

STEVEN: Look, this is very kind of you but I'm sure he will come.

MUSS: Not now. He must be delayed somewhere. There's nothing we can do tonight.

STEVEN: No, I suppose you're right. He's probably got sidetracked. He often does. All right, thank you. I will accept your offer.

MUSS: Then come.

DUVALL: English. I wonder what they're up to? I shall want a full report in the morning on all that happens.

[Abbot's apartments]

(At the apartments of the Abbot of Amboise)

COLBERT: And that is what happened. If it hadn't been for the Viscount de Laran the Captain would almost certainly have caught her. It was pure mischance.

(The Abbot bangs his staff impatiently on the floor.)

COLBERT: I'm sure she couldn't have made any sense of what we said. Simon Duvall has gone to the inn where she escaped and the Captain has gone to find an aunt of hers. I'm certain that it's only a matter of time. In fact one of them may be bringing her back here now.

(Duvall enters.)

DUVALL: Forgive me, Father Abbot, but the missing girl is at the house of Admiral de Coligny.

(The Abbot turns.)

ABBOT: Fetch her tomorrow. Bring her to me.

(The Abbot is the spitting image of the Doctor)

Episode Two - The Sea Beggar

[de Coligny's house]

GASTON: I tell you, Nicholas, he refuses to take any precautions. Our noble lord, Henri of Navarre, will not believe that the Catholics are plotting to kill him.

MUSS: Is that so surprising? He's married to the King's sister! He must put on a show of trusting the Catholics.

GASTON: Trust them? Ha! You know how far we can do that. You told him what that girl overheard?

MUSS: Yes.

GASTON: What did he say?

MUSS: He refuses to pay any attention to a servant girl's story.

GASTON: But we must convince them. Nicholas, you are the man's secretary. Now speak to de Coligny again, now tell him

MUSS: I've done what I can. Now we must wait until we find out something more, or for the Catholics to make a move.

GASTON: Their move is likely to be a knife in Navarre's back. What happened to that Englishman, Steven?

MUSS: He's gone back to the tavern to find his friend.

[Tavern]

(There is a thumping on the closed door.)

STEVEN: Excuse me. I wonder if? (the door is opened) Landlord, has anyone asked for me?

LANDLORD: What's that? Oh, it's you, Monsieur.

STEVEN: The friend I was waiting for last night, have you seen him?

LANDLORD: Not today.

STEVEN: But didn't he return last night and leave a message?

(The landlord closes the door again after Steven enters.)

LANDLORD: I haven't seen your friend since you left with him at the curfew last night.

STEVEN: Not that friend, I'm looking for the old man, the one who was here with me here yesterday morning. Well, he should have met me here last night. Look, he was wearing a large travelling cloak and carrying a silver-top cane.

LANDLORD: No one's been here. We're closed.

STEVEN: Not last night or this morning?

LANDLORD: No, and I've got work to do. If you need help go and ask it of your Huguenot friends.

[de Coligny's house]

MUSS: For goodness sake, Gaston. It's quite likely we drew the wrong conclusions.

GASTON: Look, the girl overheard the men talking about Vassy, and it would happen again before the week was out.

MUSS: No, she didn't. She heard them mention the name Vassy. And then, just before she ran away, she heard them say it would happen before the week was out.

GASTON: What's the difference?

MUSS: It's quite likely the name Vassy had nothing to do with the massacre there. And the it was referring to something else entirely.

GASTON: Look, Nicholas, you can't

(Steven is shown in by a servant.)

STEVEN: Nicholas, I'm sorry to have to bother you again.

MUSS: Don't worry. Antoine, bring another glass.

ANTOINE: Yes, Monsieur.

(Antoine leaves.)

MUSS: You didn't find your friend?

STEVEN: Well, no, I even went to the Tard, the place where we're to leave from. There wasn't any sign of him.

GASTON: Well if he's fallen foul of the Catholics who roam about the streets, heaven help him.

MUSS: Many of our followers are just as bad.

GASTON: Oh, nonsense.

MUSS: Pay no attention to Gaston. Now what can I do to help you?

STEVEN: Well, my friend went to the Port Saint Martin as you know. I must try to find him there, but I'm afraid I can't remember your directions.

MUSS: I'll come with you.

STEVEN: Thanks.

GASTON: But before you go, I think you have a visitor.

MUSS: Who?

GASTON: Roger Colbert. Recently appointed temporal secretary to the Abbot of Amboise during his stay in Paris. I'll wager he's come to fetch the girl.

(Gaston opens the door to the new arrival.)

GASTON: An unexpected visit, Monsieur Colbert.

COLBERT: Nicholas Muss?

MUSS: Yes?

COLBERT: Forgive me for calling on you like this, but I believe that yesterday you were put to some inconvenience by a servant from the household of the Abbot of Amboise.

MUSS: Inconvenience?

COLBERT: I understand she overheard someone say something and was frightened by it. She ran away and I hear that you kindly gave her refuge in the Admiral's kitchens.

GASTON: And what could the Abbot say that would frighten a servant so?

COLBERT: The Abbot was not then in residence. She heard someone speak of Vassy and I believe that she was there when that unfortunate business took place. She was frightened, I suspect, by her own memory, rather than by anything she heard.

GASTON: And do they discuss the slaughter at Vassy so glibly?

COLBERT: People can talk of the town without referring to that.

(A servant enters.)

GASTON: Out, out, out, out, out.

(The servant leaves.)

COLBERT: But surely, that is the very girl.

GASTON: That girl?

COLBERT: Yes, her name is Anne Chaplet. Allow me take her with me.

GASTON: Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You really must be mistaken. That girl is called, um, er, um, Genevieve, and she's been working here ever since the Admiral came to Paris.

COLBERT: I see. Forgive me for troubling you.

(Colbert leaves.)

STEVEN: That is the same man who followed my friend from the tavern.

MUSS: You're sure?

STEVEN: I'm positive.

MUSS: But what could the Abbot of Amboise want with your friend?

GASTON: Well, well, well, the Abbot has come himself, and all for the sake of a servant.

(Nicolas and Steven join Gaston at the window, from where they can observe Roger Colbert talking to the Abbot in the street below. After a moment, the Abbot turns and his face is clearly visible.)

STEVEN: But, but that's the Doctor. That's the Doctor talking to Roger Colbert. I must go to him. Thank you for all your help.

GASTON: One moment!

STEVEN: Yes?

GASTON: You say that man is your friend?

STEVEN: Yes.

GASTON: And how long have you been working for the Abbot of Amboise?

STEVEN: What?

GASTON: The man talking to Colbert is the Abbot of Amboise. In what capacity do you serve him?

STEVEN: What are you talking about? Well, that man's the Doc. At least. He's gone. It looked like the Doctor, but if you're certain

GASTON: The certainty is that I don't like Catholic spies!

STEVEN: I'm no spy. Listen to me. I thought that man was the Doctor. If you say it was the Abbot of Amboise, then I must be mistaken.

MUSS: Perhaps.

STEVEN: Look, Nicholas, I can prove that the Doctor looks like the Abbot. Show me the way to the Port Saint Martin. We'll go to the shop of Preslin the apothecary, and you'll meet the Doctor.

GASTON: And walk straight into a Catholic trap!

STEVEN: It's no trap! Nicholas, if I were a spy would I be such a fool as to betray myself like this?

GASTON: Nicholas, it's no

MUSS: I think he may be telling the truth. I'll come with you.

GASTON: Yes, so will I.

MUSS: No, stay here. If I don't come back, go to the Admiral.

GASTON: Look, you're mad. Listen.

MUSS: We have to find out! Come, Monsieur. And for your sake I hope we find your friend.

[The Louvre]

(In an anteroom, Marshall Gaspar Tavannes and Simon Duvall are discussing the latest turn of events.)

TAVANNES: You say the Abbot went to the house himself?

DUVALL: Yes, Marshall, he felt it was imperative to get the girl back.

TAVANNES: The Abbot's a fool. The girl's not important. She must have told the Huguenots all that she knows. all that she overheard. If they'd made anything of it they'd have acted by now. All he's done is to arouse further suspicion.

DUVALL: He's an astute man in some ways. After all, without him we wouldn't have got the help of Monsieur Bondeaux.

TAVANNES: Bondeaux has yet to prove himself. Other assassins might do as well.

DUVALL: His Eminence the Cardinal trusts the Abbot.

TAVANNES: Yes, I'm not sure that I do. There's something odd about all this. Watch him closely, Simon. Make a note of everything he says or does, and report it to me.

DUVALL: Yes, Marshall. There is another matter. Nicholas Muss is playing host to a young Englishman.

TAVANNES: At de Coligny's house? Who is he?

DUVALL: I don't know.

TAVANNES: Hmm. Perhaps our fine Admiral is making secret overtures to the English?

DUVALL: It seems that he's a stranger to France.

TAVANNES: All the more reason why Elizabeth of England should send him. Find out more about this Englishman. Go now, and stay close to the Abbot. And Simon, tell him I shall bring word later concerning the Sea Beggar.

DE COLIGNY: Interested in the Dutch at last, Marshall Tavannes?

TAVANNES: Ah, Admiral De Coligny. I didn't hear you come in.

DE COLIGNY: I hope you are looking into the plight of the unfortunate Dutch. The sea beggars as you call them. My fight with Spain is a just one.

TAVANNES: So you frequently tell us in council.

DE COLIGNY: Your only quarrel with the Dutch is that they are Protestant and not Catholic.

TAVANNES: That could also be the reason why you support them. But rest assured, Admiral, we are examining their claim for France's aid.

DE COLIGNY: That is something I suppose.

TAVANNES: Tell me, have you any news from that other ally of yours, England?

DE COLIGNY: No. Why should I?

TAVANNES: Strange. I'd heard that you have an Englishman staying with you.

DE COLIGNY: There was a lost stranger who lodged at my house last night. I believe he was English.

TAVANNES: And he brought you no word?

DE COLIGNY: You are an extraordinary man, Tavannes. You see shadows where there is no sun.

TAVANNES: Perhaps. Forgive me, I have an audience with the Queen Mother.

DE COLIGNY: Don't let me detain you.

[Port Saint Martin]

MUSS: We've been up and down every street in the Port Saint Martin.

STEVEN: Preslin's shop must be around here somewhere. Look!

(Steven rushes across the street, bumping into an old woman.)

STEVEN: Sorry.

(Steven knocks on a door.)

WOMAN: Rushing about knocking folks down, You young gentlemen have no sense

MUSS: Sorry, my friend's looking for someone.

WOMAN: Well, that's no reason to go pushing me over. And you can stop making all that noise. You're disturbing the whole neighbourhood. Nobody lives there.

MUSS: What? Monsieur Preslin doesn't use his shop?

OLD LADY: Does it look like it? Nothing lives there except the rats.

STEVEN: And where is Preslin now?

MUSS: How long since he's lived here?

WOMAN: Oh, a long time. Two years about. He was arrested for heresy.

STEVEN: What? Do you mean, you mean he's in prison?

WOMAN: Burnt I expect. And if he isn't, he should be.

MUSS: Your story is thinner than before. You say the Doctor is with Preslin, who is by all accounts dead.

STEVEN: She only said he might be.

MUSS: And what about the Doctor?

STEVEN: I don't know.

MUSS: I think I do. Your friend is the Abbot of Amboise.

STEVEN: No. At least, I don't see how he can be. Unless

MUSS: What?

STEVEN: It is just possible that the Doctor is pretending to be the Abbot.

MUSS: For what reason?

STEVEN: Wait until I find the Abbot.

MUSS: So that you can get further instructions?

STEVEN: Nicholas, please believe me. I know nothing about Vassy or the Catholics or half of what you talk about. If the Doctor is pretending to be the Abbot then it's for a very good reason. Please let me go to him. Should I find out there is a plot of some kind, I'll come back and tell you.

MUSS: No, you'll come back with me now. There are others who should decide before I do.

(Taking Steven firmly by the arm to ensure his cooperation, Nicholas guides him back the way they have come. But at the corner of the road, Steven sees his chance and twists round, sending Nicolas crashing into a passer-by. Then he pelts away down the street.

[Abbot's apartments]

DUVALL: Where is the Abbot? He knew I might bring word. I've been waiting here for over half an hour.

COLBERT: He may be with Maurevert.

DUVALL: Will you never learn? Call the assassin Bondeaux. If the Sea Beggar should find out Maurevert is in Paris he'd be put on his guard at once. Why do you think we've chosen code names so very carefully?

COLBERT: I'm sorry.

DUVALL: You've already been responsible for one mistake. There must be no more.

COLBERT: I parted with the Abbot at de Coligny's house. He did not tell me where he was going.

DUVALL: Oh, very well. Tell me what you know about the Abbot.

COLBERT: He's been specially appointed by the Cardinal.

DUVALL: I don't mean that. How long have you known him?

COLBERT: I only met him yesterday, but he's worked for His Eminence the Cardinal of Lorraine for many years and has done him many services.

DUVALL: You saw him for the first time yesterday?

COLBERT: No, I met him for the first time. I saw him once at an encyclical meeting held by the Cardinal.

DUVALL: And that was the only time you've seen him?

COLBERT: Yes.

DUVALL: Tell me. When you saw Nicholas Muss this morning, who else was there?

COLBERT: The Viscount de Laran, and the girl is certainly there, because I saw her.

DUVALL: She's of no importance now. No one else was with them?

COLBERT: A third man, but I didn't know him.

DUVALL: Was he English?

COLBERT: I don't know. He didn't speak.

DUVALL: I want you to find out about him. If he is English, find out who he is and what his business is in France.

[de Coligny's house]

ANNE: Like I said, Monsieur, I never seen him before in my life. I just ran into him when the Abbot's guards were after me and I thought he was one of them.

MUSS: Why?

ANNE: Well, because I was frightened and and when he held out his arms as if to stop me, and I thought he was one of them, but he isn't.

MUSS: How do you know?

ANNE: Because he's kind, Monsieur, and gentle.

(Gaston enters.)

GASTON: Nicholas, you're back. How was the Port Saint Martin?

MUSS: Be quiet Gaston! Now listen.

GASTON: Well, there's a welcome. I've got good news. Henri of Navarre has decided to increase his guard.

MUSS: And I have bad news. Steven's escaped. He must've been sent here by the Catholics.

ANNE: That's not true!

GASTON: What's that?

ANNE: Forgive me, Monsieur, but, well I'm sure he's a stranger here. He knows nothing about anything or or what's going on in Paris. Why, he don't even know about the royal wedding.

GASTON: Get out of here.

ANNE: But, Monsieur

GASTON: Get out!

(Anne leaves.)

GASTON: You're too kind to these nothings. Now, tell me what's been happening.

MUSS: We didn't find the man who's supposed to look like the Abbot. I was bringing Steven back here when he got away.

GASTON: How?

MUSS: We were on our way back when he suddenly tripped me and pushed me into a passer-by. I was taken by surprise. I went after him but it was hopeless.

GASTON: I knew I should have come with you. Still, we know where to find him.

MUSS: Yes, with the Abbot of Amboise.

[Outside the Abbot's apartments]

(By early evening, Steven has found his way to the apartments where the Abbot of Amboise is lodging. He is determined to find out what is going on, and is certain that the answers lie in the house with the man he believes to be the Doctor in disguise. Lurking in the shadows, Steven cautiously approaches the house. Two guards in the Abbot's livery pass close by and he's forced to hide. When they've gone, Steven spots a lighted window. Making sure the coast is clear, he climbs up and peers over the sill. In the room he can see Marshall Tavannes with Simon Duvall and Roger Colbert. There is no sign of the Abbot of Amboise. Steven decides to listen for a while. Perhaps he can overhear something of use.)

[Abbot's apartments]

TAVANNES: So my Lord Abbot is not here and you don't know where he is to be found?

COLBERT: I'm afraid not, Marshall.

TAVANNES: After my instructions to you earlier today I would have hoped that I could put more faith in you.

COLBERT: I'm sorry but we did look everywhere.

TAVANNES: There's a draught in here. Close those shutters.

(Steven ducks back hurriedly as Roger closes the shutters, narrowly avoiding discovery.)

TAVANNES: Between you, you will find the Abbot and you will give him this message for me. Say the decision has been made.

DUVALL: You mean

TAVANNES: You interrupt me, Simon. Tell him the Sea Beggar dies tomorrow.

COLBERT: Tomorrow? Where?

TAVANNES: He will attend an early council meeting at the Louvre. On his return, Bondeaux will be waiting for him.

COLBERT: Do you wish that the Abbot instructs Bondeaux?

TAVANNES: No. Bondeaux already has his orders. You may tell the Abbot that also, when you find him. Is that clear?

COLBERT: Yes, Marshall.

TAVANNES: Good.

(Tavannes leaves.)

DUVALL: So, the royal command has been given.

COLBERT: What do you mean?

DUVALL: That order didn't come from Marshall Tavannes. It came from the Queen Mother.

(At the sound of approaching guards, Steven jumps down from the window and hurries away.)

[de Coligny's house]

(Steven is shown to Nicholas' quarters.)

ANTOINE: He won't be long, Monsieur, if you'll wait in here.

STEVEN: Thanks.

(Antoine leaves. After a few moments the door opens)

GASTON: Nicholas, there's. What are you doing?

STEVEN: Listen, where is Nicholas? I have some important news.

GASTON: I'm sure you have. And I've got some for you too. Get out of here!

STEVEN: Look, you don't understand.

GASTON: What placement are you looking for, a spy? Some more information for your Abbot?

STEVEN: Listen to me!

GASTON: I'd rather listen to a pack of screaming devils!

STEVEN: Gaston! There is a

GASTON: Get out of!

STEVEN: For goodness sake.

(Gaston pulls a sword on Steven, who to his alarm is forced to draw his own sword in an attempt to defend himself. Gaston lunges forward to attack, and Steven's blocking parry succeeds only by a fluke. Gaston continues to advance, his eyes burning with rage, but Steven retreats rapidly. He's no desire to get into a fight. At last Gaston realises that Steven will not fight him. Changing tactics, disgusted with the Englishman, Gaston disarms him with ease. Steven's sword clatters to the floor.)

GASTON: Get out of here.

STEVEN: Gaston

GASTON: Get out!

(Steven leaves and Gaston kicks the furniture in rage.)

MUSS: Gaston, what are you doing?

GASTON: Oh, you're having a very bad effect on me, my friend. I just spared that wretch's life.

MUSS: What are you talking about?

GASTON: That Englishman.

MUSS: Steven?

GASTON: Yes, I caught him here.

MUSS: What did he say?

GASTON: Say? Nothing.

MUSS: But why did he come back?

GASTON: He was spying. I caught him going through your papers.

MUSS: He must have had a message otherwise he'd never have come back.

GASTON: I tell you he was going through your papers.

MUSS: Where did he go?

GASTON: How should I know? Probably back to that animal from Amboise.

MUSS: Steven said he'd come back here if he found out something important. Did he say anything?

GASTON: Nothing! Well don't tell me you still trust him!

MUSS: Oh, for pity's sake go back to the Louvre. Go back and protect your Lord of Navarre. It's almost time for the curfew.

[Street]

(Steven finds himself alone in Paris once more. For a while he wanders the streets aimlessly, trying to work out what his next move should be. He cannot risk returning to the house of de Coligny until he's certain Nicolas is at home, and even then he cannot be sure that Gaston will not have poisoned Nicholas against him. Despite this, Steven know that it is vital he tells the Huguenots what he's learnt about the plot to murder the Sea Beggar. As darkness falls he realises that he has no alternative but to return to the house. The curfew is due and he needs shelter for the night. He must hope that Nicholas will be prepared to listen to him. Steven is retracing his route back to the house when he senses that he's being followed. Steven hurries down a flight of steps then lies in wait in the shadows for his quarry to reach him. The bells are tolling.)

ANNE: Oh!

STEVEN: Anne, what are you doing following me?

ANNE: I'm sorry, Monsieur, I didn't mean any harm.

STEVEN: What are you doing here? The curfew's ringing. Go back to the house.

ANNE: No. I can't go back there now. They'll know where to find me. I want to come with you.

STEVEN: But you can't, I mean, and why?

ANNE: You were kind to me. You're the first one that ever was. Please, don't send me back there.

STEVEN: I can't take you with me. I've nowhere to go myself.

ANNE: Well, I know Paris, I'll help you find somewhere.

STEVEN: Well, I. Yes. Anne, do you know who the Sea Beggar is?

ANNE: What?

STEVEN: Who is the Sea Beggar?

ANNE: I don't know, Monsieur. Why?

STEVEN: He's going to be killed tomorrow. All right then, if you insist on coming with me, do you know where we can spend tonight?

ANNE: We can't go to my aunt's. They'll be looking for me there. There must be lots of places in Paris where no one would think of finding me.

STEVEN: Yes, of course, Preslin's shop. Do you know how to get to the Port Saint Martin?

ANNE: Of course.

STEVEN: Take me there. I've only been there once. I don't think I can find it on my own.

ANNE: I'll show you.

[de Coligny's house]

MUSS: Admiral.

DE COLIGNY: You're working late.

MUSS: I thought you were asleep.

DE COLIGNY: Nonsense. I've been with the King.

MUSS: Do you wish to give me some notes?

DE COLIGNY: No, not tonight. I think I've persuaded him.

MUSS: You've got the King to agree to war with Spain?

DE COLIGNY: It's possible. If he doesn't change his mind by the morning, we are to join with the Dutch. Do you know, Nicholas, after I'd explained the situation to him, he turned to me and he said, if we do ally ourselves with the Dutch, you, de Coligny, will go down to history as the Sea Beggar. The Sea Beggar. It's a title I'd be proud of.

Episode Three - Priest of Death

[Preslin's shop]

(Anne is searching for something to eat, and disturbs Steven as he sleeps.)

STEVEN: Oh, it's only you. What's the time?

ANNE: Oh, I'm sorry, Monsieur. I didn't mean to wake you, I, I

STEVEN: Never mind. What time is it?

ANNE: It's dawn, Monsieur. The tocsin's rung. Curfew's over.

STEVEN: And the Sea Beggar dies today.

ANNE: Are we going to leave Paris now?

STEVEN: No. No, I'm sorry, Anne, but I must go back to the Abbot's house.

ANNE: No! Monsieur, no!

STEVEN: I must! Now my friend should be there by now. He may know who the Sea Beggar is.

ANNE: If you go back there, they'll arrest you.

STEVEN: No, they won't. The Doctor should be able to stop them.

ANNE: They'll recognise you before you can find him. The Captain of the Guard and Monsieur Colbert.

STEVEN: Hmm. Perhaps if I disguise. See if we can find some other clothes.

(They rummage through a chest of clothes.)

STEVEN: Yes, well, this should do.

ANNE: Ugh, but it's so dirty, Monsieur.

STEVEN: Yes, well, never mind. Now, if I can find that hat.

ANNE: Monsieur?

STEVEN: Oh, good girl. Yes, well, I don't think the Captain'll recognise me in this.

[Council Chamber]

(In the Council Chamber at the Louvre, King Charles is in consultation with his advisors, de Coligny, Toligny and Marshall Tavannes.)

DE COLIGNY: If we ally ourselves to the Dutch in their conflict with Spain, the common cause will unify the country, and prevent further civil strife.

TAVANNES: Oh, surely the marriage between Henri of Navarre and His Majesty's sister have already put an end to the disturbances?

DE COLIGNY: For how long? As I have pointed out frequently in this chamber, it would take but one small incident and the whole of Paris could be in uproar.

TAVANNES: Incidents occur daily, yet still the city does not rise.

DE COLIGNY: If we allied ourselves with the Dutch even those incidents would not take place.

CHARLES: My Admiral has a good point there. Pray accept it, Marshall, and let us finish with this tedious business.

TAVANNES: Your Majesty, France cannot afford this war.

CHARLES: So we are told frequently by our mother.

TAVANNES: The recent conflicts inside the country have brought us almost to ruin. There is no money to pay for the forces that would be needed to wage war with Spain.

TOLIGNY: But is it not so that under the treaty signed at Loire, the English will come to our assistance?

CHARLES: Not you as well, my little Councillor? The Admiral and the Marshall quarrel well enough without assistance.

TOLIGNY: I apologise, Sire. I had hoped to end the deadlock between them.

CHARLES: It was good to hear a different voice. So, Elizabeth of England has agreed to help us?

TAVANNES: Does anyone here trust her? She breaks more promises than she keeps.

DE COLIGNY: She has no love for Spain.

TAVANNES: She has yet to come out into the open and say so. However, if Your Majesty is so eager to fight this war, perhaps we could raise the money by leasing the Alpine hunting grounds to Italy?

CHARLES: Do you mock me, Marshall?

TAVANNES: Of course not, Sire, but the war will have to be paid for. Some sacrifices will have to be made.

CHARLES: We will give away nothing of our land.

TOLIGNY: Besides, the bears there are French. They might not like to be sold.

CHARLES: Ha! True. Next winter you will accompany us on our hunt.

DE COLIGNY: Your Majesty, there is enough money in France to finance the war.

CHARLES: Enough of this war. I am bored with Spain.

DE COLIGNY: But I beg to advise Your Majesty

CHARLES: No, Admiral, please talk of it some other time. War is so tedious. Move to matters closer to us.

DE COLIGNY: If the King refuses to make war, may it please God that another war will not be forced on him, which it will not be easy to renounce.

[Preslin's shop]

ANNE: No, Monsieur. I won't stay here alone.

STEVEN: Then you must come with me.

ANNE: But they'll arrest me at the Abbot's house.

STEVEN: They won't. Now look, I'm almost certain that my friend is pretending to be the Abbot. Now he'll make sure that no harm comes to you.

ANNE: Oh, but Monsieur

STEVEN: Now you must trust me. I'll take care of you.

ANNE: You've been very kind to me, Monsieur, but, well, I'm afraid to go back to that house.

STEVEN: Look, I'll be with you. Besides, you won't stay here, so where will you go?

ANNE: Well, all right. I'll come with you.

STEVEN: Look, if anything happens on the way to the Abbot, if I'm recognised then we'll have to run. Now you must come back here, do you understand?

ANNE: But supposing they catch me?

STEVEN: No, they won't. I'll be the one they chase. Now if you come back here I'll know where to find you, and I can join you as soon as possible.

ANNE: All right.

STEVEN: Good girl. Come on.

[Council Chamber]

DE COLIGNY: How much longer are the Huguenots to suffer these frequent violations of their rights?

TAVANNES: The treaty drawn up by the Queen Mother to conclude the religious difficulties of the country was generous in the extreme to the free thinkers.

DE COLIGNY: Words were spoken. Signatures were exchanged. But they did not prevent many acts against the Huguenots.

TAVANNES: Do you question the promises of the Queen Mother, Admiral?

DE COLIGNY: It is easy to promise.

TAVANNES: You speak treason!

CHARLES: Enough! Why is it not possible for our councillors to talk without quarrelling?

DE COLIGNY: Sire, it is imperative that the religious differences of the country be fully discussed.

CHARLES: Admiral, grant me but a few days more in which to amuse myself and then I promise you, as King, that I shall make you happy and all those of your religion.

DE COLIGNY: Kings are recognised only by the power they wield. The Queen Mother seems to claim this power. Take care, Your Majesty, that it does not prove detrimental to yourself, and to France.

TAVANNES: Your Majesty

CHARLES: Tavannes, no more.

CATHERINE: Marshall.

(Taking their leave, Marshall Tavannes escorts the Queen Mother, Catherine de Medici, from the council chamber.)

CHARLES: This meeting is over. Since my noble mother's seen fit to depart, let us do likewise. We need to get on the Feast of Saint Bartholomew, so until the day after tomorrow, let us enjoy ourselves.

TOLIGNY: Was that wise? To insult the Queen will only make her work harder against you.

DE COLIGNY: It was time her power was challenged.

TOLIGNY: The King still fears his mother. Surely this may damage all for which you've worked so hard?

DE COLIGNY: Let us hope not.

CHARLES: Ha, ha! Admiral, come with us. We are going to play tennis.

DE COLIGNY: Your Majesty, I must beg to be excused. I have work which must be done.

CHARLES: Oh, my dear Admiral, we are pleased with you. Since now our mother will not speak to us for the rest of today, you will come with us. I have a new racquet I want you to see. Come.

[Abbot's apartments]

PRIEST: You will have to wait in here. The Abbot cannot be disturbed.

STEVEN: Yes, but I must speak to him. It's most important.

PRIEST: You do not understand, young man. The Abbot is saying his office.

STEVEN: His what?

PRIEST: His office. We cannot disturb him while he is at prayer.

STEVEN: Well, how long's he going to be?

PRIEST: You must curb your impatience, young man. If you will tell me what your business is, then perhaps I can help you.

STEVEN: I have a message for the Abbot, concerning a man who is to die today.

PRIEST: If it is a case for the last sacraments, then there is no need to trouble the Abbot. I, myself, will come with you.

STEVEN: Well, no. I mean, I mean, it's very kind of you but

PRIEST: Is there something more?

STEVEN: Well, yes. And I can only discuss it with the Abbot.

(The Abbot enters.)

ABBOT: What is this?

PRIEST: My Lord Abbot.

STEVEN: Oh, Doctor!

ABBOT: Silence! Who is this man, and why does he disturb my peace?

PRIEST: It appears he comes from a dying man.

ABBOT: Well?

STEVEN: I've brought back the servant who ran away.

ANNE: Monsieur!

ABBOT: You have done well, my son. Father, you may leave us. I will settle this matter.

PRIEST: Very well, my Lord Abbot.

STEVEN: I felt you would be safer here, as Bondeaux waits for the Sea Beggar.

(Tavannes enters.)

TAVANNES: Lord Abbot, a word with you.

ABBOT: The young man has returned the girl to us, Marshall.

TAVANNES: What girl?

ABBOT: The one who lodged with the Sea Beggar.

TAVANNES: Oh, she is of no importance. I must speak with you alone.

ABBOT: Very well. Take the girl and wait outside. I'll tend you later.

(We move away from the conversation and the words become more indistinct.)

TAVANNES: Is Bondeaux prepared?

ABBOT: Of course. I never fail. Neither do my servants.

TAVANNES: Is Bondeaux prepared to go to the Place Saint Germain?

ANNE: Listen!

ABBOT: Bondeaux has been prepared for the last two hours.

STEVEN: Quick, we've got to tell Nicholas.

(We return to the Abbot's conversation.)

ABBOT: Is the Sea Beggar on his way home?

TAVANNES: I don't know. The King delayed him after the council and he had seen fit to insult the Queen Mother and His Majesty was naturally pleased with him.

ABBOT: de Coligny will allow no one to take him away from his work. I think we can take it he is on his way by now.

COLBERT: The girl. The servant who ran away

ABBOT: Colbert! How dare you interrupt us!

COLBERT: But she is with the Englishman from the Admiral's house. I've just seen them.

TAVANNES: What?

COLBERT: The Englishman with the girl. He's the one who was with the Huguenots.

TAVANNES: Who did he say he was?

ABBOT: I never asked him.

TAVANNES: Fetch them back.

COLBERT: I've sent the guards after them. He was taking her out the side door.

TAVANNES: My Lord Abbot, what mistake have you perpetrated now?

ABBOT: He could not hear what was being said. I sent him out of the room. In any case, it is too late for him to warn the Admiral.

TAVANNES: For your sake it had better be.

[de Coligny's house]

(Nicholas sits brooding in his room at de Coligny's house. He's certain that Steven was trying to get some kind of message to him, whatever Gaston may believe. Then, to his amazement, Nicholas spots the Englishman in the street below.)

STEVEN [OC]: Will you get out of my way!

MUSS: Come in, Steven!

ANTOINE: But Monsieur, I cannot allow

STEVEN: Nicholas! Quickly, it's the Admiral.

ANTOINE: Monsieur, I am sorry

MUSS: Be quiet! What's wrong?

STEVEN: The plot!

MUSS: The Catholics?

STEVEN: Yes! It's the Admiral they're going to kill!

MUSS: de Coligny?

STEVEN: Today! Now!

MUSS: But how?

STEVEN: I don't know, but you've got to warn him.

MUSS: He's at the Louvre. There's a council meeting.

STEVEN: No, it's over. They're going to kill him on the way back.

MUSS: Where?

STEVEN: The Rue Saint, Saint Germain?

MUSS: The Place Saint Germain?

STEVEN: Yes!

MUSS: Stay here!

[Street]

(The Rue de Foss Saint Germain is deserted at this time of day. The perfect site for an assassination attempt. In an attic room overlooking the street, the assassin, Maurevert, codename Bondeaux is preparing for the task ahead of him. He opens a case and takes from it an arquebus, a hand-held rifle of the latest design. Setting the arquebus on the tripod-like stand, Bondeaux trains the weapon on the street, and smiles. From his vantage point here he cannot fail to hit his target. At the end of the street, the Admiral de Coligny appears, returning home after the council meeting at the Louvre. He walks slowly, engrossed in a report he's reading. A group of courtiers follow him at a distance, talking quietly amongst themselves so as not to disturb him. Toligny is amongst them. Bondeaux fixes his sights on de Coligny and slowly squeezes the trigger. But a gust of wind snatches a page of the report from the Admiral's hand and he instinctively stoops to retrieve it just as Bondeaux fires the arquebus. de Coligny falls to the ground.)

MUSS: Admiral! Admiral!

DE COLIGNY: See how honest men are treated in France? The shot came from that window.

MUSS: Search the house! We must get him to a surgeon!

(The falling page saved de Coligny's life. The bullet only wounded him. As others hunt for Bondeaux, Nicholas and Toligny help the Admiral to his feet. But de Coligny is proud and shrugs off their supporting hands. Unsteady on his feet, bleeding profusely, he walks away unaided.)

[Abbot's apartments]

TAVANNES: We should have heard by now.

ABBOT: The King may have delayed him further.

TAVANNES: Due to your stupidity the Englishman has had a chance to warn him.

ABBOT: I said he did not hear anything.

TAVANNES: Then why did he run off?

ABBOT: I don't know.

TAVANNES: If this should go wrong, you are to blame, and you will be the one to answer for it.

ABBOT: The Cardinal

TAVANNES: Is in Rome and cannot help you now.

ABBOT: If de Coligny is delayed by the King, then the news of his death will be delayed also. Bondeaux is an excellent marksman. You know that. There is only one thing for us to do, and that is to wait. Meantime, I will retire to my room.

TAVANNES: You will not. You will wait here with me.

(Reluctantly the Abbot obeys Marshall Tavannes and returns to his chair in silence. A moment later, the door bursts open and Roger Colbert rushes in.)

COLBERT: Father Abbot.

TAVANNES: Well?

COLBERT: The attempt has failed.

ABBOT: I see. Was Bondeaux caught?

COLBERT: He rode away. But the Admiral was only wounded, not killed.

TAVANNES: So, the Sea Beggar lives. You have failed! Call the guards! It is strange, Father Abbot, that since you came everything which had been so carefully planned has gone wrong.

(Colbert returns with the guards.)

TAVANNES: This man is a traitor to the Queen. Kill him. You heard my order, kill him!

(The guards advance on the Abbot.)

[Council chamber]

CATHERINE: Monsieur De Toligny, I am waiting.

TOLIGNY: I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but the news I have must be given first to the King.

CHARLES: Now what's the matter? Why must I always be interrupted? And I was winning.

TOLIGNY: Your pardon, Sire, but I bring news of the greatest importance.

CHARLES: Well, what is it?

TOLIGNY: Admiral de Coligny has been severely wounded.

CHARLES: What?

TOLIGNY: Someone tried to shoot him.

CHARLES: Will I never have any peace!

TOLIGNY: Your Majesty, the Admiral is badly hurt.

CHARLES: What happened?

TOLIGNY: The assassins were waiting in the Rue de Place Saint Germain. As we came down the street they fired at him.

CHARLES: Were they caught?

TOLIGNY: No, Sire. We searched the house and found the weapon, but the men had gone.

CHARLES: Well, they must be found. An inquiry. Call the council. The Admiral's assassins must be caught and punished! Call the council!

[de Coligny's house]

DE COLIGNY: Oh, my head.

MUSS: My little father. I will see you avenged.

DE COLIGNY: Take me to my own room. Help me up.

MUSS: No, Admiral, wait for the surgeon. He'll be here soon.

DE COLIGNY: Why did they do it?

ANTOINE: Monsieur, are you sure we should not take him to his own room?

MUSS: No, he's lost too much blood. Go and wait for the surgeon. Bring him straight in.

ANTOINE: Yes, Monsieur.

STEVEN: Nicholas, I'm sorry. I tried to tell Gaston, he wouldn't listen to me.

MUSS: I know, he told me.

STEVEN: I knew that the Sea Beggar was going to be killed. Until this morning I didn't know who that was.

MUSS: I could've told you. How did you find out?

STEVEN: Oh, when I ran away from you yesterday, I went to the Abbot's house. Well, the Doctor wasn't there, but I overheard some men talking about the Sea Beggar.

MUSS: Who were they?

STEVEN: Oh, I don't know. But, well, one of them was the same man who came to see the Abbot this morning.

MUSS: So the Abbot is behind this.

STEVEN: No! The Abbot is the Doctor. Now that I've seen him I'm certain of it. He's just pretending to be the Abbot, that's all.

MUSS: Now listen, Steven.

TOLIGNY: How is he?

MUSS: He's very weak.

TOLIGNY: The King has called for an inquiry but it won't do any good.

MUSS: What do you mean?

TOLIGNY: As I left the Louvre I heard that some of our men have taken the law into their own hands.

MUSS: How?

TOLIGNY: The Abbot of Amboise was murdered just outside his own house.

STEVEN: What?

TOLIGNY: The Abbot is dead and they're blaming it on the Huguenots.

STEVEN: But, he wasn't the Abbot!

TOLIGNY: The King has summoned the council. I must return to the Louvre. Take care of him, Nicholas.

MUSS: Of course.

[Council chamber]

CHARLES: And, Marshall, since you claim to know nothing of this attempted assassination, I have a special charge for you. You will be responsible for the Admiral's safety. Empty the street of Catholics, station your men around his house, and mark me well, if anything further happens to him, you pay with your head.

TOLIGNY: We do not need the Marshall's protection, Sire. To drive Catholics from their homes will only make them hate us even more.

TAVANNES: Is that possible? Your concern for your friends does you credit, Sire.

CHARLES: I gave you an order! See it is done!

TOLIGNY: But Sire.

CHARLES: Not another word from either side! I've had enough of your bickering. Leave me, all of you.

(The council withdraws, leaving the King alone. The Queen Mother quietly enters the chamber.)

CATHERINE: You summoned the council?

CHARLES: I gave orders I was to be left alone.

CATHERINE: Without my knowledge or consent?

CHARLES: I asked to be left alone, mother.

CATHERINE: The threat over your friend, the Admiral. You are the King.

CHARLES: Yes, I am the King, and to be obeyed! Now keep out of my sight unless you care to end your days in a convent.

CATHERINE: I would wish you have the courage, my son.

CHARLES: I have but to give the order.

CATHERINE: Summon your guards, have me arrested. But you had better have a good reason for the council and for the people.

CHARLES: The attempted assassination of my Admiral, by you and Tavannes. Do you deny it, Madame?

CATHERINE: No.

CHARLES: Have a care. I mean what I say. I shall send Tavannes to the block!

CATHERINE: You would execute the Marshall of France for doing his duty?

CHARLES: Duty? He's an assassin!

CATHERINE: He tried to rid you of a dangerous enemy.

CHARLES: de Coligny is my friend. You, Madame, are my enemy.

CATHERINE: If ever I were to be.

CHARLES: May God help you.

(The Queen Mother throws a list of names onto the table.)

CATHERINE: Look at these before you decide who are your enemies. You think the Huguenots would stop at killing me? They want your blood too.

CHARLES: So you keep telling me every day of my life. Why? I protect them. They're all my subjects. What have they to gain?

CATHERINE: Until now, nothing.

CHARLES: And now?

CATHERINE: We have a Protestant prince in Paris, Henri of Navarre. You think they give a fig for your protection, now that one of their own is within grasp of the throne?

[Street]

(Outside, a crowd has gathered around the body of the Abbot of Amboise.)

MAN: The Huguenots must have done it!

WOMAN: The free thinkers!

MAN: They shouldn't be allowed to come here! They done it!

2ND WOMAN: It's a wicked thing.

MAN: The Huguenots will stop at nothing! They even kill our priests.

2ND MAN: Nothing is sacred to the Huguenots!

MAN: Something will have to be done! The Huguenots must be banned from entering towns!

2ND MAN: Kill the Huguenots! They will kill these poor defenceless priests elsewhere! No! Lock them up!

COLBERT: You are certain that no one saw the body brought here?

GUARD: Positive. Just look at them. They all believe the Huguenots killed him.

COLBERT: Good.

STEVEN: Doctor, what happened? What have they done?

WOMAN: The Huguenots murdered him!

STEVEN: No!

MAN: They did. We saw them!

WOMAN: There were fifteen of them!

MAN: They struck him down! But he'll be revenged!

COLBERT: Hold that man! He's responsible!

MAN: After him, guards! Catch him!

(Leaving the corpse of the old man sprawled in the gutter, the crowd turns on Steven. He is forced, literally, to run for his life.)

Episode Four - Bell of Doom

[Preslin's shop]

(Anne has spent the night alone in Preslin's shop. Now, as morning gives way to afternoon, she despairs of ever seeing Steven again. Then there is a knocking at the door.)

STEVEN [OC]: Anne! Anne, you there? Anne!

(Anne opens the door.)

ANNE: Oh, Monsieur! I'd given you up for lost when you didn't come back last night. I thought the guards must have caught you.

STEVEN: Yes, they nearly did. I managed to shake them off. I'm sorry, Anne. The curfew rang before I could get back last night. The guards were still looking for me this morning. That's why I've been so long.

ANNE: Did you see Monsieur Muss and give him your message?

STEVEN: Oh, yes. The warning was too late.

ANNE: What will you do now? Go back to your friend, the Doctor.

STEVEN: I can't. He's dead.

ANNE: Monsieur!

STEVEN: I saw his body lying in the street by the Abbot's house. Before I could do anything Roger Colbert saw me and sent the guards after me again. Heaven knows what I do now.

ANNE: Return to England?

STEVEN: I can't. I've got to find the key to the Tardis.

ANNE: What Monsieur?

STEVEN: Ah. The Doctor has a special key. Without it I can't leave.

ANNE: Well, do you know where it is?

STEVEN: No. If the Doctor had it with him then I'm lost. I didn't have time to look for it. My only hope is that it's still with his own clothes.

ANNE: You mean at the Abbot's house?

STEVEN: Oh, no, no. He would have had to change before he went there. The only other place I think he's been to is this shop.

ANNE: Oh, but we've already searched here, Monsieur, looking for clothes here.

STEVEN: And we must do it again! Please help me. Open every cupboard, every box. I must find that key.

ANNE: Right, Monsieur.

[Tavannes' study]

(Marshall Tavannes is in his study talking to Simon.)

TAVANNES: It may hinder the inquiry into the attempted assassination of de Coligny.

DUVALL: Surely the King is insisting that de Coligny is avenged?

TAVANNES: He is. But by blaming the death of the Abbot on the Huguenots we may be able to cover our tracks.

DUVALL: Will the King pay any attention to the Abbot's death?

TAVANNES: I don't know. Fortunately the Admiral himself is helping us. He doesn't want the inquiry yet so that may give us a little time.

DUVALL: Therefore the Englishman must be caught.

TAVANNES: And killed. He must not be allowed to get back to the Abbot's house.

DUVALL: The men are searching Paris for him.

TAVANNES: He must be found tonight. Tomorrow is Saint Bartholomew's Day and it'll be all too easy for him to evade us in the revelry.

(A messenger arrives with a note for Tavannes.)

TAVANNES: The Queen Mother. She commands me to go to her. No doubt she has thought of some further scheme to protect her good name. Wait for me here, Simon. I may have more instructions for you when I get back.

[Preslin's shop]

(Evening falls. Steven and Anne have wrecked Preslin's shop in their search for the Tardis key. There are clothes strewn about and boxes overturned, their contents littered across the floor. Steven is beginning to get desperate.)

STEVEN: Well?

ANNE: Nothing, Monsieur. There's no sign of your friend's clothes anywhere.

STEVEN: They must be here.

ANNE: All I found was this.

STEVEN: But, but this is his stick!

ANNE: Your friend's?

STEVEN: Yes. Well, his clothes must be here somewhere! Where did you find it?

ANNE: In the back, Monsieur. But there are no clothes there.

STEVEN: You sure?

ANNE: Yes. I've searched everywhere!

STEVEN: Then why the stick? He couldn't have pretended to be the Abbot dressed as he was, so he must have changed somewhere. But where?

ANNE: Perhaps he went away somewhere with the apothecary who used to live here?

STEVEN: What, with Preslin? No, he couldn't.

ANNE: Why not?

STEVEN: Because Preslin is either dead or in prison.

DOCTOR: He is not.

STEVEN: Doctor!

[de Coligny's house]

(Gaston, Toligny and Nicholas are standing vigil by de Coligny's sick bed.)

GASTON: The Catholics will not rest until you are dead!

DE COLIGNY: You are too impetuous, Viscount.

TOLIGNY: The King is determined to prevent a further attempt. Why else do you think he's put so heavy a guard on this house?

GASTON: A Catholic guard under a Catholic commander! The Admiral could hardly be in the care of a greater enemy.

TOLIGNY: He is under the protection of the King.

GASTON: And the Queen Mother.

MUSS: Gaston, you are tiring the Admiral, and doing yourself an injustice. You had better return to the Louvre.

GASTON: Nicholas, no! If you were to leave Paris it would be better for you and for us.

MUSS: The surgeon said the Admiral must not be moved.

GASTON: Then may God protect you.

(Gaston leaves.)

DE COLIGNY: I hope Henri of Navarre realises how dangerous it is to have such a hothead in his service.

TOLIGNY: He must be wrong. The commander wouldn't dare to disobey the King after what has happened.

MUSS: Let's hope so. Is there anything you need, Admiral?

DE COLIGNY: Stay with me.

MUSS: Of course.

TOLIGNY: You must be grateful that the wounds are not poisoned, so that there is no fear of you dying.

DE COLIGNY: I do not fear death. I only hope we have nothing to fear from my staying alive.

[Preslin's shop]

DOCTOR: Oh, my dear boy, had you stayed at the tavern all this mix-up could have been avoided.

STEVEN: I did stay at the tavern, you didn't turn up!

DOCTOR: Yes, well, I was unavoidably delayed. Never mind that now. Come along, we must go. Come along.

ANNE: Oh, you cannot now, Monsieur. The curfew's rung.

DOCTOR: What? Oh, that wretched curfew is the start of so much trouble.

ANNE: It'll be easy to leave Paris in the morning, Monsieur. Tomorrow's Saint Bartholomew's Day and everyone will be celebrating.

STEVEN: Huh! With all the trouble that's going on I can't see what they've got to celebrate.

DOCTOR: I told you not to get involved.

STEVEN: Look, I tried not to, but the Abbot did look like you, and if I hadn't found out about Admiral de Coligny being the 'Sea Beggar' then

DOCTOR: What's that?

STEVEN: I tried to tell you before. Admiral de Coligny is one of the Huguenot leaders. The Catholics tried to shoot him.

DOCTOR: Did you say tomorrow was Saint Bartholomew's Day, child?

ANNE: Yes, Monsieur.

DOCTOR: What year is this, my boy?

STEVEN: Oh, I don't know. What difference does it make?

DOCTOR: What date is it, child?

ANNE: Date, Monsieur? August the twenty-third as

DOCTOR: Yes, yes, yes, I know that. The year, the year, hmm?

ANNE: Fifteen seventy two, Monsieur. But surely you know that?

DOCTOR: Go home, Anne. You must leave here at once.

ANNE: No! I've got nowhere to go!

DOCTOR: Where were you working?

ANNE: At the Abbot's house.

DOCTOR: You go back there.

ANNE: I can't! They'll kill me!

DOCTOR: You must leave this shop, child.

STEVEN: Doctor, what's happening?

DOCTOR: Oh, please don't interfere. Now, my dear, there must be somewhere you can stay in Paris.

ANNE: No, there's only my aunt's place, and they'll kill me there.

DOCTOR: Oh, nonsense. Tonight you will be quite safe. Now you go carefully through the streets.

ANNE: Well, what about the curfew?

DOCTOR: Well, you've been out in the curfew before, haven't you?

ANNE: Yes, but the guards

DOCTOR: Then you know how to avoid the patrols. You go back to your aunt. You'll be quite safe. And you take my advice and stay indoors tomorrow. Now do you understand? It's too dangerous for you to stay here. Now off you go, child. Come along, off, off, off.

STEVEN: Look, Doctor, I don't think you understand

DOCTOR: Ah, sh sh sh sh sh sh sh.

ANNE: Goodbye, Monsieur Steven. Safe journey.

STEVEN: Doctor, I don't think she should go.

DOCTOR: Now off you go, my child. Off you go.

(Anne leaves.)

STEVEN: Goodbye. Look, are you sure she'll be all right? The guards are waiting for her.

DOCTOR: My dear Steven, the Catholics will have other things on their minds tonight. She will be quite safe. Now then, you and I must leave Paris at once. Come!

STEVEN: Look, Doctor, what is going on?

DOCTOR: There is no time for me to explain. Come along, boy. Come along!

[Tavannes' study]

(Someone quietly enters the room.)

TAVANNES: Simon?

CATHERINE: No, Marshall.

TAVANNES: Madame. I apologise, I thought that

CATHERINE: Never mind. I have it here, the order signed by the King. Our plans for tomorrow can go ahead.

TAVANNES: Thank God.

CATHERINE: God had very little to do with it. What is this?

TAVANNES: The list, Madame. When those Huguenots are killed we need have no further fear of a Protestant France.

CATHERINE: We have no need of lists, Marshall. The good people of Paris know their enemies. They will take care of them.

TAVANNES: The good people? Madame, if you rouse the mob the innocent will perish with the guilty.

CATHERINE: Innocent? Heresy can have no innocents. France will breath of pure air after tomorrow.

TAVANNES: And Navarre, Madame, your son-in-law? Is he to be slaughtered with the others?

CATHERINE: Tomorrow Henri of Navarre will pay for his pretensions to the Crown.

TAVANNES: Madame, we must not kill Navarre.

CATHERINE: Must not?

TAVANNES: Protestant Europe will merely shed a pious tear over the death of a few thousand Huguenots. The death of a prince will launch a Holy War.

CATHERINE: If one Huguenot life escapes me tomorrow, we may both regret this act of mercy.

TAVANNES: Not mercy, Madame. Policy.

CATHERINE: Very well, Marshall. Then you must get him out of Paris. After tomorrow, even I could not save him.

TAVANNES: I will see to it, Madame.

CATHERINE: And Marshall, close the gates of the city now.

(The Queen Mother leaves, and Simon enters the study.)

DUVALL: Well, my lord?

TAVANNES: The order has been given. You may begin.

DUVALL: My men are ready. Where's the list?

TAVANNES: There is no list.

DUVALL: But I thought?

TAVANNES: We are to unleash the wolves of Paris. None are to be spared.

DUVALL: Even better, my lord.

TAVANNES: Is it? I wonder. And Simon, when you have passed on the order I have a special charge for you.

DUVALL: My lord?

TAVANNES: Henri of Navarre.

DUVALL: I am to have the honour?

TAVANNES: Yes, but not of killing him. You will escort him out of Paris.

DUVALL: But my lord!

TAVANNES: You not hear me? You will be responsible for his safety. You will have to leave tomorrow's work to others. Now get out.

(Duvall leaves.)

TAVANNES: At dawn tomorrow this city will weep tears of blood.

[Street]

(The Doctor and Steven have stolen through the streets of Paris, but their way back to the Tardis is blocked by the guards standing outside de Coligny's house.)

GUARD 1: Oh, it's nearly dawn.

GUARD 2: How many more nights have we got to watch over this Huguenot's house?

GUARD 1: Till the King decrees otherwise.

GUARD 2: But why does it have to be us?

DOCTOR: Yes, we shall have to get past them to get back to the Tardis.

STEVEN: Can we make a run for it?

DOCTOR: Oh no, no. It's far too dangerous.

STEVEN: What do we do?

DOCTOR: For the moment we just wait.

GUARD 2: I won't be sorry to see the night over. Hello, what's this?

(A troop arrives.)

GUARD 1: More orders, I expect.

OFFICER: You're relieved. Go back to your quarters.

GUARD 1: Relieved, sir? It's not due for an hour or more.

OFFICER: Don't argue. Go quickly!

STEVEN: Look, if we don't go soon it'll be light.

DOCTOR: I know, I know. Just keep quiet.

(The curfew bell begins to sound.)

DOCTOR: There's the tocsin! The curfew's been lifted.

(Steven and the Doctor leave their hiding place and rush to the Tardis as the soldiers begin hammering on de Coligny's door.)

OFFICER: Open up! In the King's name! Open this door!

(The Tardis leaves Paris as the carnage and the slaughter begins.)

[Tardis]

STEVEN: Surely there was something we could have done?

DOCTOR: No, nothing. Nothing. In any case, I cannot change the course of history, you know that. The massacre continued for several days in Paris and then spread itself to other parts of France. Oh, what a senseless waste. What a terrible page of the past.

STEVEN: Did they all die?

DOCTOR: Yes, most of them. About ten thousand in Paris alone.

STEVEN: The Admiral?

DOCTOR: Yes.

STEVEN: Nicholas? You had to leave Anne Chaplet there to die.

DOCTOR: Anne Chaplet?

STEVEN: The girl! The girl who was with me! If you'd brought her with us she needn't have died. But no, you had to leave her there to be slaughtered.

DOCTOR: Well, it is possible of course she didn't die, and I was right to leave her.

STEVEN: Possible? Look, how possible? That girl was already hunted by the Catholic guards. If they killed ten thousand how did they spare her? You don't know, do you? You can't say for certain that you weren't responsible for that girl's death.

DOCTOR: I was not responsible.

STEVEN: Oh, no. You just sent her back to her aunt's house where the guards were waiting to catch her. I tell you this much, Doctor, wherever this machine of yours lands next I'm getting off. If your researches have so little regard for human life then I want no part of it.

DOCTOR: We've landed. Your mind is made up?

(The Tardis doors open.)

STEVEN: Goodbye.

DOCTOR: My dear Steven, history sometimes gives us a terrible shock, and that is because we don't quite fully understand. Why should we? After all, we're all too small to realise its final pattern. Therefore don't try and judge it from where you stand. I was right to do as I did. Yes, that I firmly believe.

(Steven leaves the Tardis without another word.)

DOCTOR: Even after all this time he cannot understand. I dare not change the course of history. Well, at least I taught him to take some precautions. He did remember to look at the scanner before he opened the doors. Now they're all gone. All gone. None of them could understand. Not even my little Susan, or Vicki. And as for Barbara and Chatterton. Chesterton. They were all too impatient to get back to their own time. And now, Steven. Perhaps I should go home, back to my own planet. But I can't. I can't.

(The Tardis has landed on Wimbledon Common in 1966. A young girl is running for help. She spots the police box at the roadside and dashes inside.)

DOCTOR: Who are you?

DODO: Where's the telephone?

DOCTOR: What did you say?

DODO: The telephone. I've got to ring up.

DOCTOR: Oh, pull yourself together, child. I think you've made a mistake.

DODO: Who are you? Are you the police?

DOCTOR: Oh, good gracious. Of course not.

DODO: Well, this is a police box. It says so outside.

DOCTOR: Yes, yes. I know. But, er, it isn't, if you know what I mean. Now run along and find another police box. In any case, child, what do you want to do with the police?

DODO: There's been an accident. A little boy's been hurt and I've got to phone the police.

DOCTOR: Oh, well, I'm afraid I can't help you. No, you must run along and phone the police somewhere else. And the same time phone for an ambulance.

DODO: Wait a minute, if this isn't a police box, what is it? And who are you?

DOCTOR: Well, my dear, I'm a doctor of science, and this machine is for travelling through time and relative dimensions in space. Now you

DODO: Come again?

DOCTOR: Oh, never mind, my dear, never mind. Run along.

DODO: There's something odd going on here.

DOCTOR: Oh please, child.

STEVEN: Doctor, quick! You've got to take off.

DOCTOR: Oh, so you've come back, my boy!

STEVEN: Yes, yes, I've come back. We can't go into that now. There are two policemen coming over the common towards the Tardis.

DOCTOR: Policemen? Coming here? Good gracious me! They'll want to use the telephone or something like it.

(The Tardis doors close and they dematerialise.)

STEVEN: Oh, that was close.

DOCTOR: Well, tell me, young man, what made you change your mind?

STEVEN: How did you get in here?

DODO: On me feet, same as you did.

STEVEN: Look, do you realise what's happening? We've taken off! We could land anywhere!

DODO: We really travelling? Where to?

STEVEN: But we're travelling in time and space. We're not on Earth any more. We could land anywhere, in any age.

DODO: Tell us another one.

STEVEN: Doctor, how could you?

DOCTOR: What else could I do, dear boy? You don't want a couple of policemen aboard the Tardis do you? You know, you're the most inconsistent young man? Just now you were telling me off for not having that Chaplet girl aboard!

STEVEN: Ah, that was different! This is no joyride you know. You may never get home again.

DODO: I don't care.

STEVEN: What about your parents?

DODO: I haven't got any. I live with me great aunt, and she won't care if she never sees me again.

DOCTOR: There now, you see? All this fuss about nothing. But don't you think she looks rather like my grandchild Susan?

STEVEN: You forget, I've never met your granddaughter.

DOCTOR: Oh, no, no, no, no, of course not, no. Yes, but she does you know. What is your name, child?

DODO: Dodo.

DOCTOR: What?

DODO: It's Dorothea, really. Dorothea Chaplet.

STEVEN: Chaplet? Yes, but you're not French, are you?

DODO: Don't be daft. Me granddad was, though.

STEVEN: Doctor, it's not possible is it? Chaplet? Anne's great, great

DOCTOR: Yes, yes, it is possible, my boy. Very possible. Welcome aboard the Tardis, Miss Dorothea Chaplet.

DODO: Dodo!

DOCTOR: Oh, my dear! My dear!

Next Episode - The Steel Sky

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