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It was almost midnight
when Edward entered Mandalay railway station.
He was wearing a groom's suit,
holding a bunch of tropical flowers,
and was utterly drunk.
He dreamt all night long
as the train traveled to Rangoon,
the capital of Burma.
It was dawn in Rangoon,
and the heavy air announced a tropical storm.
Although Edward couldn't remember what he had dreamt,
the anguish of the dream accompanied him to the port.
PRESENTS
A CO-PRODUCTION WITH
WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF
A CO-PRODUCTION WITH
EM CO-PRODUÇÃO COM
WITH THE SUPPORT OF
A FILM BY MIGUEL GOMES
Edward hadn't seen his fiancée Molly
for seven years.
He tried to remember her face,
but couldn't.
He would have liked to disappear through one of the countless holes
that were multiplying along the pier's planking.
He imagined himself floating gently
in the muddy river stream.
The ship from London was already visible in the distance.
"Arrivals: London, 11.20. Departures: Singapore..."
After discarding the flowers,
Edward sneaked aboard the ship to Singapore.
It was January 4th 1917.
Edward!
What a surprise to see you here, old turtle!
Hello, Reginald.
What brings you to Singapore?
The Rangoon steamer brought me.
You're all dressed up.
How are you, old man? You look like you're constipated.
How is my beautiful cousin doing?
Fine, I believe.
This is Edward Abbot,
the most illustrious representative of the British crown in Burma!
Also the fiancé of my dear cousin Molly for over seven years,
without the corollary of an engagement ever materializing.
So when is the wedding, you rascal?
You look strange, Edward!
Is that right?
Good morning, Mr Singleton.
Yesterday you forgot to pay for your drinks.
A lapse.
Mr Abbot, here's the tailor at your service.
Your shirts and trousers can be ready within 24 hours,
and the suit in three or four days. Is that amenable?
- Perfect. - Good.
The clothes will be delivered to your room.
What the hell! Haven't you brought any clothes from Burma?
I fell asleep without packing my suitcase.
I came to sort out some deadly boring administrative matters.
Tell me all about these administrative matters.
A telegram, Mr Abbot.
Eighteen Singapore Slings?
ARRIVING - STOP - M
You're a spy, Edward!
I believe you have my measurements now.
- Are you? - Give me a break, Reginald.
Where is the furthest I can reach from Bukit Timah station today?
The Bangkok express leaves in an hour.
Leaving again?
I don't know what you're mixed up in, but I'm proud to be your friend.
I'm so happy to know you're engaged to my cousin.
Let me hug you.
You can count on my discretion.
God save the King!
See you soon, Reginald.
Edward let himself be carried away
by the jungle's night sounds.
He had a violent erection.
He also felt he was stinking, and needed a bath.
He closed his eyes and began to dream.
Edward woke up startled.
He found himself in the most awkward situation.
What a beautiful morning.
The birds fell silent as someone announced
that a new train would arrive soon.
Edward entered a village.
The inhabitants were not very talkative.
I've lived a thousand years,
yet I'm still a virgin.
These fellows are sleeping and snoring.
What a lack of manners!
What a disgrace!
What a contrast to this lovely couple.
Anyway, today is a good day to have a husband.
So, the giantess takes the prince into the peaks.
She sneaks with such determination into the woods
that, quickly and hidden from view,
she soon withdraws into her gilded cave.
Edward hired a guide.
His name was Umar.
He knew the jungle well,
and was able to take Edward safely to Bangkok.
Umar was accompanied by his three wives.
Hello? Hello?
Boy, what a mess!
Why would any man want to marry three women anyway?
Jolly boating weather
And a hay harvest breeze
Blade on the feather
Shade off the trees
Swing swing together
With your bodies between your knees
Swing swing together
With your bodies between your knees
Rugby may be more clever
Harrow may make more row
But we'll row for ever
Steady from stroke to bow
And nothing in life shall sever
The chain that is round us now
Having just arrived in Bangkok,
Edward met a Welshman he knew,
a British attaché at the embassy.
His name was Godfrey, a very loud fellow.
Godfrey greeted his friend effusively.
He thought Edward had come from Burma to attend the prince's birthday.
Godfrey was with other members of the British diplomatic corps in Asia.
Bobby, who'd come from Beijing, Mrs Hughes, from Hong Kong,
Johnson and all the Ceylon staff,
Archie from Tokyo, and even Fat Turtle,
who spread syphilis all over the continent.
They dragged Edward to the palace
while singing an old rowing song at the top of their lungs.
Edward didn't utter a word.
He was as white as a sheet and shaking.
I really appreciate that you've taken the trouble
to come to this occasion.
Thank you. It means a lot to me.
Edward!
Rice growing and exports are enjoying an unprecedented boom.
Taxes on these activities have been channelled
into improving the provincial administration.
You're different from the others. Where have you come from?
From Mandalay, in Upper Burma. And before that, from London.
Very beautiful cities, which I've heard about,
and which one day I'll have the pleasure of knowing.
I'm still very young.
I wish you all the best for your reign.
Thank you for your kindness,
although you're greeting me as if it's my coronation.
It's only my birthday, and I'm very happy about that.
Is there a way out of the palace?
Yes. Across the room, at the end of the corridor.
I wish you luck.
The same to you. I hope the rest of the day goes well.
Edward headed for French territory as a stowaway on a fishing boat.
He crossed the gulf to Saigon.
Inside the cramped hold he lost track of time.
He was feverish,
soaked in sweat.
He would fall asleep and wake up shivering.
The prospect of imminent death
seemed to him to be fitting in the circumstances.
He was delirious, but serene.
Edward walked aimlessly
around the streets of Saigon.
He entered a dingy hostel.
The owners talked for a long time, but eventually let him in.
It was the Lunar New Year, and Edward was very sick.
He received a new telegram.
ALREADY IN SAIGON - STOP - M
What are they saying?
They wanted to kick you out.
They don't want you to die tonight.
It's New Year.
And what did you say to them?
You won't die tonight, or in the coming days.
They're wishing you a Happy New Year.
Between his convalescence in Saigon
and the bohemian lifestyle Edward adopted in Manila,
a few weeks had elapsed.
There didn't seem to be any particular reason for this change in behavior.
Edward increasingly slept during the day,
and lived mainly at night.
He drank a lot.
He would win and lose money gambling.
He would get into fights with sailors, and befriend the night owls
who enlivened the early morning in Manila bay.
His stint in Manila was a succession of hangovers and euphoric highs.
He was occasionally swamped by a wave of melancholy.
He would get emotional.
I did it my way
For what is a man
What has he got?
If not himself
Then he has naught
To say the things
He truly feels
And not the words
Of one who kneels
The record shows
I took the blows
And did it my way
Thank you so much.
On a night of utter folly,
Edward boarded an American warship
in the company of some sailors and four Filipina prostitutes.
He awoke as the ship was sailing to Japan.
The captain took a shine to the intruders.
They drank and sang for three days.
They were then put ashore in great secrecy in Osaka.
Edward sat down beside the Japanese
aligned at the counter.
They slurped their noodles in unison.
A soldier appeared,
asking the Western customers for their passports.
Edward wasted no time,
and took off.
With the Komuso monks, Edward felt he was keeping a low profile.
They wandered from town to town, begging.
You haven't even asked us where we're going now.
Don't you care about your destination?
I'll go wherever you take me.
My dear sir,
strange as it may seem, I feel at home!
When the monks decided to head north,
to a temple in the mountains,
Edward stayed with them.
But he was unable to sleep in the temple.
He heard voices, heard footsteps,
and heard whispers,
telling him about horrors in a language he didn't know.
A shadow does not obscure. It reveals.
The Japanese know this.
They don't run from the shadow, they look for it.
The shadows I refer to are of a different order.
I don't like phenomena that I can't explain.
I like the healthy observance of natural laws.
And where did you learn about the laws of nature, Mr Abbot?
Maybe you don't know them that well.
Damn it, Keita!
I see the shadows of invisible people.
It's enough to put any normal person's nerves on edge.
Maybe you see shadows because your nerves are on edge.
Keita, your conversation is starting to tire me.
If you walk around with a basket on your head,
you should be more restrained about judging others!
Climb the mountain.
Watch the monkeys.
Walk under the treetops.
Abandon yourself to the world, Mr Abbot.
You'll see how generous it is to you.
Does correspondence ever reach this monastery?
- Is there a post office in the village? - A post office?
We know who you are,
and how you entered our country, Mr Abbot.
Perhaps you can enlighten us about what you have come here to do.
I'm drawn to this life.
What did you come to Japan for?
Nothing.
I ended up here by accident.
What is your connection to the U.S. Navy?
I'm running from a woman who's following me.
Not even the most cowardly of Western men
would sneak into Japan
to run away from a woman.
What you say is pathetic.
Who do you work for, Sir?
Did you draw that?
Yes.
Mr Abbot,
I don't understand you.
But we don't want you here.
Tomorrow we will escort you to the ship leaving for Shanghai.
Edward didn't have to wait an hour
before receiving a new telegram.
ARRIVING - STOP - MISS YOU SO MUCH - STOP - M
Edward smiled.
He left the hotel, booked a ticket at the theater,
bought new clothes and had his hair cut.
The show didn't arouse his interest.
He thought about Molly, and her face came very clearly to him.
Back in the hotel, he stood in front of the mirror and drew a self-portrait.
He wasn't faithful to his reflection. He drew himself ugly and decrepit.
He went to the lobby, and asked when the boat going upriver would leave.
It was the last boat to go up the Yangtze
before the long months when this journey became impossible.
He paid his bill, and left his self-portrait at reception,
asking that it be given to the lady who would come looking for him.
A Chinese family
was playing mahjong on the boat deck.
Edward thought he understood the rules.
He took the place of an old man, and made some preposterous moves.
The old man laughed.
Edward was very serious, totally focused.
He was pleased.
Edward left the river at Chongqing.
He hired some coolies to take him into the mountains.
The coolies were surly types,
but he found them experienced and trustworthy.
If they kept a good pace, they'd arrive in under two weeks.
They would have to cross a vast bamboo forest.
Edward thought it would be a wonderful journey.
Edward would've understood
if he spoke Mandarin:
"She's a bride going from her parents' house
"to the house of her husband-to-be."
She was dramatizing the heartache
of leaving her parents' house to start anew.
During the night the coolies robbed Edward and fled.
Edward woke up with only the clothes he had on and his sketchbook.
Nothing else.
Perhaps he was walking in circles.
When the sun went down,
Edward felt he would never find a way out.
He slept deeply.
Edward was taken to Horace Seagrave's house,
in the small village of Wangyu.
It was a large but decrepit house,
with a few ruined pieces of furniture and broken windows.
Seagrave was the consul in Chengdu,
but he rarely set foot in the consulate.
When Edward awoke,
Seagrave was playing a strange stringed instrument,
a guqin.
The consul introduced himself and explained
that in this village the tune was called "Endless Passion,"
but that the next village called it "Infinite Sadness."
Wangyu was surrounded by a bamboo forest.
On clear days you could see the mountains of Tibet.
Edward, Seagrave, and his old Tibetan maid
left behind Wangyu's alleys and entered the forest,
carrying a picnic basket.
They're lovely beasts, don't you think?
There.
There! Are you blind? Can't you see the panda?
Will you take an opium pipe?
The old woman prepares it excellently.
Thank you.
But I don't have the courage for it.
The end of the empire is inevitable.
It's a matter of years, maybe months.
We will leave without having understood a thing.
The white man is totally unable to understand Oriental culture.
It transcends him.
But I don't see myself returning to London.
I couldn't stand it for more than three days.
But the prospect of continuing in my duties here
is very painful to me.
I hate my job but I love this country, Mr Abbot.
I know people who smoke over forty pipes a day.
That's too much. They're doomed.
I rarely smoke more than seven or eight per day.
In the last few days...
in recent months...
I've been receiving telegrams from a friend.
Or, rather, from my fiancée.
Molly.
She came from London to marry me.
But I lost my nerve and ran away.
I traveled to Singapore.
I've been running away from her like a coward.
She's been following me,
guessing my route,
sending me telegrams...
The stubbornest woman in the world!
She's a very determined girl.
She's incredible, Molly is!
It's a mystery to me how someone can be so tenacious.
I imagine it'd be difficult to find anyone else like that, like Molly.
But I haven't heard anything from her for a while.
I have no idea what's become of Molly.
I hope she's all right.
Molly.
This story of yours is one of the saddest I've ever heard.
"Dear Molly, unexpected business has forced me to leave Rangoon.
"It's an unpleasant setback beyond my control.
"You should return to London on the next ship.
"I'm so sorry. Much love, Edward."
Molly entered the Port Authority building,
and asked to see the passengers' registrations for that same day.
She found out that Edward had boarded a ship to Singapore
only minutes earlier.
She bought a passage
on the Singapore ship leaving the following day.
She also asked to send a telegram, but hesitated.
Where should she send it?
"To the Raffles Hotel, of course!" a middle-aged Indian man told her
as he cleared a camera from customs.
His name was T H Kapoor,
and he was a camera operator for the Warwick Trading Company.
Everything Molly saw in Rangoon seemed amazing to her.
She hardly noticed the time ticking by.
She stopped thinking about Edward,
and by late afternoon she was feeling exhausted but happy.
In the evening Molly went to the club.
She sat at a table and had some fish soup.
It was hot, sour and delicious.
Molly devoured it greedily.
Molly laughed uncontrollably at the elephant dance.
She was laughing so hard that everyone was looking at her.
Welcome, Miss Singleton.
Please meet Mr and Mrs Cooper.
Mr Cooper is vice president of the Rubber Growers Association.
Facing Mrs Cooper are Major Brown
and his daughter, Miss Lucy.
Mr Sanders, opposite you,
is a successful cattle trader,
who comes from one of those American regions
with a proven track record for cattle breeding.
Finally, I introduce you to a Neapolitan artist,
Signor Farnese,
a talented operatic tenor touring the region.
He is destined for a bright future.
Miss Singleton has just arrived from London.
My dear lady, you must be suffering terribly from the heat.
I like the heat.
And I thought Rangoon was great!
So much the better.
Rangoon makes a certain impression in the early days.
Then you feel, especially the ladies, the inconveniences of the climate.
And of the natives.
They're controllable, Mrs Cooper.
Nothing can be done about the weather.
There's a stink that produces asthma.
There's been progress in recent years.
Poppycock!
And speaking of stink, Captain,
I must say that the smell of the gases from Mr Sanders' cows
is extremely unpleasant,
and it rises disgustingly to our cabin.
Nothing your husband isn't used to.
This man is revolting! Donald, do something!
Miss Singleton, tell us why you came.
For the Grand Tour? Rangoon, Singapore, Bangkok, Saigon...
I came to get married.
My fiancé is an official in Mandalay.
We've been engaged for seven years.
But he ran away.
He abandoned me on the pier and embarked for Singapore.
I'm going after him,
to see if I can grab him by the throat.
You're quite the joker, aren't you?
In fact, he left me a message,
saying that he had urgent professional commitments,
and that I should go back to London.
Absolutely not!
I'll hunt him down, whatever it takes.
My dear girl, have you considered the possibility
that what you're describing so nonchalantly could be seen as...
a human disgrace?
Don't you think that your fiancé may be telling you
that he has no desire to marry you?
No.
How can you be so sure?
Because I know Edward.
I trust him.
My dear,
men are a tragedy.
Pig!
Come on, Donald!
We want to return to Rangoon immediately!
Have the decency to supervise the operation
from the engine room!
But, Mrs Cooper... the engine room...
Excuse me.
She's being a real bitch today.
But, frankly, you were out of line.
Yes?
Miss Singleton...
I will speak to you frankly and bluntly.
I believe there's something rare in you.
Your unshakable certainty in your fiancé's moral rectitude,
when all indications are to the contrary,
advises me against launching this approach.
However, it is your blind faith
that leads me to tell you that we were made for each other.
Are you mad?
I too see quite clearly how to do things and judge others.
Nothing shakes my conviction.
Until today I had never met a like-minded woman.
Miss Singleton...
right now you are in no condition
to consider my proposal,
but I still want to tell you
that I would like to marry you.
You odious man!
Creep!
Hello there, Reggie!
Cousin? What the hell are you doing here?
I came to get married, cousin.
But Edward embarked to come here just before I arrived in Rangoon.
Uh, give me my glasses.
Reginald Singleton, where are your manners?
He said he had to travel for professional reasons.
He advised me to return to London, the fool!
I advise you to do the same.
Reggie!
Molly Singleton, listen to me.
We both have the idea that Edward's job is quiet and boring,
an administrative posting in a remote Burmese city.
But you know what?
We might have a false perception of things.
Maybe Edward is too busy.
Furthermore, he may need to be alone in order to do his job.
The last thing he needs now is a woman chasing him.
Even if he loves you dearly.
Okay, Reggie, what you're saying is absurd.
Tell me what you know or I'll have you committed.
Damn it, Molly! You can't know everything.
It's a pity you came here for nothing, but...
go back to London!
For your sake and for Edward's too.
A Singapore Sling!
Reggie, you're going to tell me what's going on with Edward!
Sit down.
I saw Edward... Don't interrupt me!
He was evasive about what he was doing in Singapore,
but he gave enough clues for me to come to the obvious conclusion.
I believe your future husband is involved in top-secret activities
for the good of England.
Oh, dear Reggie, you're still a fantasist.
Uncle Eli's inheritance has done you harm.
You have too much time for bar-room ravings.
And you're as pigheaded as ever.
Wake up, Molly!
Do you think that spies announce that they're spies?
Reggie, where's Edward?
You have to help me.
I swear I won't stand in his way, but I need to talk to him.
I think I'm in my right, for heaven's sake!
Molly.
Could Edward have decided he doesn't want to get married?
Reginald Singleton, how dare you?
How could you think that Edward could behave so cowardly?
You know him. You introduced us.
"Coward"...
is too strong a word.
Marriage must be a really scary thing for any healthy man,
now that I think about it.
He wouldn't be capable of such wickedness.
I perfectly understand
that a man may dread a moment that could ruin his life.
Where's Edward?
Was Edward on that train?
How terrible!
Check all my luggage to Bangkok!
In her prayers, summoning spirits and angels,
the princess with the giant lady now battles.
My prince!
The giantess is dead.
Really? Why did you kill her?
It was an accident, it wasn't my intention.
Let's continue our journey.
I pity the giantess, such a sad life. Let's go.
Are you looking for someone, girl?
You'll hardly find him here.
They all got on the next train.
I know how unpleasant it is to be on such a crowded train,
but it hardly justifies breaking down in tears.
Living through the last 30 hours was much worse, I assure you.
I'd certainly have preferred to have spent them alone.
Humanity is a tragedy.
My fiancé was on this train,
but I can't find him anywhere.
Don't worry, girl.
No one was badly hurt in the derailment.
Although certain people deserved it.
If your fiancé isn't here, then he found other means to go on his way.
I'd have done the same if I could have.
My name's Molly Singleton.
I recently arrived from London.
I came to get married.
I'm Elizabeth Smith, but everyone knows me as Lady Dragon.
Because of my smoking, I assume.
Fortunately, I never got married.
I find men--
Well, women are--
Be quiet, you--
These Chinese are--
I ran away from London, and I have no intention of going back.
Not that this is much better most of the time.
But still...
Edward is stationed in Burma.
I went through Rangoon and loved it.
I'm very excited about the idea of living in Asia.
Yes?
And if you find that you don't like it after all, you can always move away.
You have character.
Do you find everything unpleasant?
No, girl.
I like flowers.
Siam has some of the most beautiful flowers in the world.
Bougainvillea.
Heliconia... Heliconia rostrata.
Mimosa and impatiens.
Etlingera.
One of the most beautiful is the porcelain rose.
Or torch ginger.
Canna indica, better known as Indian shot.
That venerated flower, the orchid.
Frangipani, of the Plumeria genus.
And, of course, the lotus.
I was asked to supervise the floral arrangements
for the prince's birthday party in Bangkok.
I'm late because of the incompetence of the Siamese railways.
Molly followed Lady Dragon to the prince's palace in Bangkok,
but she soon lost sight of her.
A competition was being held in the courtyard,
involving teams of British, German, French, and Japanese contestants.
The participants wore masks,
and were tied to each other by the ankles.
The Siamese just watched the games, laughing in amazement.
As the British team had lost a member,
Molly's arrival was heartily welcomed.
They asked her to enter the race.
As she was being tied to her teammates,
Molly asked insistently about Edward.
Just before the starting signal, someone answered:
"You mean Edward, that old ape from Mandalay?
"I saw that jolly monkey leaving less than half an hour ago!"
Molly scouted Bangkok for two days and two nights.
She found no signs of Edward's presence in the city.
She wasn't discouraged.
She went to inquire in the port
and found out that Edward had travelled to Saigon aboard a fishing boat.
Molly wasted no time and bought a ticket for a ship
of the company Les Messageries Fluviales de Cochinchine.
When she arrived at the Saigon post office,
her heart was racing.
You want to send a telegram
to every hotel and hostel in Saigon?
Yes.
Sorry, Madame,
but the recipient is a Western gentleman, correct?
There are only two hotels in the city where Westerners stay.
It would be very unusual to...
To all of them, I said!
Certainly.
Get out of the way!
Timothy Sanders' house was in the Mekong Delta.
At first Molly didn't go near the river
or see the house's owner.
She'd walk from the bedroom to the salon,
and after that short distance she would be out of breath.
One day Sanders paid her a visit.
You have been very generous.
I'll never be able to repay you.
I probably owe you my life.
I know I'm in no condition to continue my journey.
But this doesn't change my mind about what I came here to do.
Miss Singleton...
I have no intention of accepting your proposal.
It wasn't the first time you've had such an attack, right?
No.
Did you see a doctor before leaving London?
Weren't you told that it's serious?
Yes.
Look...
the doctor was very clear about the need for complete rest.
He said you're lucky to be alive.
Your convalescence will be long,
but you'll never hear me make that proposal again.
You have my word.
Here you will have all the conditions needed for rest.
Please let me know if you need anything.
As long as you need it,
this house is yours.
And I'm your guest. If you don't want to see me, you won't.
Mr Sanders...
I'm constantly traveling.
Tonight I'll be in the city, in Saigon.
I just came to see how you were, and if you needed anything.
Maybe I should try to find your fiancé and inform him of your condition.
No.
He mustn't know.
You're very beautiful. Mr Sanders likes you a lot.
But I do not like him.
Oh! He'll make a very good husband.
Did he say we're getting married?
No, but it's obvious.
Otherwise he wouldn't treat you like this.
What's your name?
Ngoc, Miss.
Listen, Ngoc,
I'm engaged to another man.
Oh! I like men a lot too.
But if someone like Mr Sanders wanted to marry me,
I wouldn't think twice.
He's very rich and likes you very much.
He asked me to take you for a walk in the garden when you feel better.
In a few weeks there'll be even more flowers
and huge fruit on the trees.
It looks beautiful.
Then, when you have more strength,
we can go see the river. And the market.
As soon as I'm back on my feet I'll be leaving.
You're very funny.
It's time for the "little souls," Miss Molly.
They always arrive at this hour. Come and see.
The souls of the dead of this house. They're very dear.
I like them very much.
Time went by.
The garden changed.
A wave of sensuality engulfed the world.
Molly regained her energy.
She'd whistle like the birds.
She'd utter words in Vietnamese that she'd never learnt.
She'd wake up wet from dreams she couldn't recall.
I don't know where Ngoc is.
I'd like to teach her to dance.
Where's everyone going?
Do you want me to make them come back?
That would be absurd, wouldn't it?
Back home they organize cricket fights around this time.
Men and women sing the Quan Ho for days on end.
Things of love!
And during the harvest festival
all the boys in the village seem more attractive.
Ngoc...
you like everything.
But, especially, everyone.
Not everyone.
Several... many.
I have a lot of love to give.
Giving only to one would be selfish.
Miss Molly?
How is your love?
Is he handsome?
To me... yes, of course.
Silly!
Does he have fair hair?
Dark.
Well...
maybe he's going bald by now.
I haven't seen him in so long.
Ngoc,
why did you leave your family and your village?
Oh, Miss Molly!
I consulted the Bà Dong.
She told me I should come south to find a good life.
So I did.
Who is she?
The priestess of the three worlds.
The spirits speak through her.
They advise us on what is best for us.
There are many Bà Dong in the north.
Here too?
There are some. But fewer.
Ngoc,
will you take me to one?
Molly asked the Bà Dongif she'd ever be cured.
Her reply brought tears to Ngoc's eyes.
Molly would die soon.
After another pronouncement by the Bà Dong, Ngoc got angry.
She accused the Bà Dongof not being clear.
"Now she's saying, Miss Molly, that there's a spirit at your side,
"that protects you from danger."
Molly was pale but not crying.
She asked the Bà Dongto talk about Edward.
The Bà Dong explained that Molly had not one but two men.
"One is rich and likes you very much.
"The other is in China, in a big city by the river."
Molly started to cry.
"Dear Mr Sanders,
"the time has come for me to continue my journey.
"It is an untimely departure, with no goodbye,
"which you certainly do not deserve.
"I apologize to you.
"PS: I've taken Ngoc with me."
At the hotel in Shanghai,
Molly was given Edward's decrepit self-portrait.
Seeing Molly's distress, the receptionist explained
that the subject was in much better shape.
Molly inquired about Edward's movements.
"He went upriver," the receptionist said,
adding that it was no use for Molly to follow him.
"No boat will go upriver in the next four months because of the currents."
Molly burst out:
"Nothing is impossible, my dear sir!"
Someone's coming.
It's a pastor.
Good evening.
It's surprising and pleasant
to find a Western lady in these remote parts.
I'm Reverend Carpenter.
Molly Singleton.
- Are you going downriver? - Up.
Really? I thought it was impossible at this time of year.
Almost impossible.
I see.
Impressive!
"I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed,
"ye shall move this mountain, and nothing shall be impossible to you."
Matthew 17:20.
And what is the reason for such an unusual trip?
I'm going to meet my fiancé.
And where is he?
I don't know.
Oh,
very interesting.
And you?
I'm going to Chengdu.
It's a long journey by land.
Maybe I lack your faith to get there any faster.
Or simply the means to travel this way.
Isn't it dangerous?
The road is too, isn't it?
I was about to ask you if you'd like to come with us.
Shorten your journey.
You seem very determined.
I'd entrusted my soul to the Lord,
but now that I've met you, I transfer the responsibility to you.
What will you do in Chengdu?
Talk to the bishop.
I wrote him a letter announcing that I'm renouncing my diocese.
I want to go back to Yorkshire,
to read the newspaper, to eat toast with blueberry jam...
It may seem a little futile as a life project,
but I'm convinced that it won't be any less useless than what I do here.
It's not for me to judge you, but...
I find it very disheartening to hear you speak like that.
It must be very sad to abandon the convictions of a lifetime.
Not at all, my girl.
It's very liberating.
The crew made preparations during the night
to accommodate the reverend and his donkey in the sampan.
The donkey, however, never got to embark.
Before dawn it broke its tethers and ran away.
The journey went steadily, but the crew was showing signs of exhaustion.
Molly seemed indifferent to this.
She was in a hurry.
She hardly slept and had nightmares.
She coughed a lot and was getting paler every day.
The dullness of the river banks
was broken by the unexpected vision of a giant Buddha.
Reverend Carpenter was silent,
but looked moved by this apparition.
Molly thought that all was not lost for the pastor.
She smiled at him.
Tell me, Reverend, are you sure about what you'll to say to the bishop?
Aren't you afraid you'll regret it?
I'm slow, my child.
It took three years from thinking about the letter to acting on it.
So, if I regret it, it won't be for a while.
But life is full of surprises,
unexpected comings and goings.
It's true.
He says they'll tie up here.
It's night and the next section is full of currents.
It's bad for ten miles.
We've wasted too much time.
Ask him if they can pull the boat at night.
- So? Can they go on? - Not at night.
It's very dangerous. They need to go into the water often.
Into the water...
Tell him we must continue! I say so!
Reverend, if you want, we can stop to let you get off.
If you keep going, I'll go with you.
But maybe we should go on in the morning.
We'll go on now. Tell him, Ngoc!
- But, Miss Molly... - Do you want to get out, Ngoc?
God willing, everything will be fine.
There are riots in the region. It's too dangerous to stay here.
We must go on.
That's solved, then!
That stretch of river never gave up the bodies.
The bodies of the boatmen and Reverend Carpenter never washed ashore.
Molly didn't drown because Ngoc rescued her.
In the morning, cold and shivering, Ngoc couldn't stop sobbing.
Molly put up with the sobbing as long as she could.
But she finally lost patience.
She grabbed her violently and pushed her away from the bank.
They walked in silence through the forest.
They entered a tiny village.
In the center of the village
some men had been sentenced to death and were shackled to a post.
They were in Western attire.
They were accused of robbing a Westerner
whom they had probably murdered.
Molly and Ngoc were informed that they'd be executed that day.
"So much the better!" Molly said.
Molly left the village, followed by Ngoc.
Both were exhausted,
but Molly had fallen into a trance that was all her own.
She didn't even blink.
She walked slowly, in silence.
She only spoke once.
She asked Ngoc:
"Sing, Ngoc.
"So I know you're walking beside me even if the fog thickens further."
Ngoc started to sing, but Molly was no longer listening.
She stopped walking.
She closed her eyes.
When Molly was found, she was frozen.
She was blue.
She had been dead for several hours.
FOR MAUREEN
It was almost midnight
when Edward entered Mandalay railway station.
He was wearing a groom's suit,
holding a bunch of tropical flowers,
and was utterly drunk.
When Molly was found, she was frozen.
She was blue.
She had been dead for several hours.