Christine McKenna credited as playing...
Christina Parsons
- [Christina has arrived at Flambards to live there; she is not being made to feel welcome.]
- Mark Russell: Good evening.
- Christina Parsons: Good evening.
- Mark Russell: Forgive the rudeness, but am I supposed to know who you are?
- Christina Parsons: I'm Christina.
- Mark Russell: Oh yes, good God, you're coming to live here or something, aren't you?
- Christina Parsons: Those were my instructions, yes.
- [Mark takes a swig from a hip flask]
- Christina Parsons: You must be Mark.
- Mark Russell: Correct. Little brother William's upstairs - being put together again.
- [Mark looks at Christina's clothes]
- Mark Russell: I get the impression you've dressed for dinner.
- Christina Parsons: More or less, yes. That's what I've always been taught to do.
- Mark Russell: Well just one thing - you'll probably have to get it ready yourself. You any good... with food?
- Christina Parsons: Yes I'm very good, but you'll have to show me where the kitchen is.
- Mark Russell: Oh, I didn't realise *I'd* have to do anything.
- Christina Parsons: I thought I'd take some food up to William.
- Mark Russell: [sarcastically] That's an original idea.
- Uncle Russell: What a funny girl you are, Christina.
- [to the doctor]
- Uncle Russell: Her mother was the same - used to think for herself. Very strange.
- [Uncle Russell burned the book on aeronautics that Mr Dermot sent to William, and ordered him to read books on hunting instead. William has just thrown the hunting books out of the window in retaliation - to test the aerodynamics of a book!]
- Uncle Russell: [shouting] You did what?
- William Russell: [calmly] I threw them out of the window.
- Uncle Russell: [shouting] You threw them out of the window?
- William Russell: Yes. An eye for an eye, a book for a book.
- Uncle Russell: Come here, William.
- William Russell: No I will *not* come here.
- Uncle Russell: [snarls] By God you will do as I tell you!
- Christina Parsons: [to William] I think we should leave.
- Uncle Russell: Running away? Is that what you are doing?
- William Russell: Yes, I suppose so.
- Uncle Russell: Absolutely typical. Can't take your punishment like a man. Mark! Mark, where the devil are you?
- Christina Parsons: He's out hunting.
- Uncle Russell: Go on then, run away. I suppose you'll run off to see that aeroplane friend of yours. What's his name?
- William Russell: That's *my* secret.
- Uncle Russell: Well who does he think he is, anyway?
- William Russell: I'll tell you who he is. He's the man I go to for all the things you normally get from your father. *He's* my father - that's who he is. Come on Christina.
- [speechless with rage, Uncle Russell glares at William and Christina as they walk out of the room]
- [Mark bursts through the door and staggers drunkenly over to William's bed]
- Mark Russell: [slurs] Just popped in to say good night.
- William Russell: Good night then.
- Mark Russell: Good night.
- [Mark walks over to Christina and glares down at her arrogantly]
- Christina Parsons: Good *night*!
- [Mark laughs arrogantly as he walks out of the room]
- Mark Russell: You miserable lot.
- [Mark has now gone]
- William Russell: Wilt thou, Christina Parsons, take that man to be thy lawful wedded husband?
- Christina Parsons: No, I will *not*!
- Christina Parsons: Dick?
- Dick Wright: Yes, Miss Christina?
- Christina Parsons: What happens at Flambards at Christmastime?
- Dick Wright: Flambards? Nothing.
- Uncle Russell: [to Mark] What are they asking?
- Mark Russell: Four hundred and fifty for two of them.
- Uncle Russell: [to Christina] What do you think?
- Christina Parsons: Seems an awful lot of money.
- Uncle Russell: To hell with the money! What do you think of the horse?
- [He motions her toward the horse, and Christina joins Dick]
- Christina Parsons: What do you think, Dick?
- Dick Wright: He's a good lady's horse, Miss Christina.
- Christina Parsons: He's a bit ugly.
- Dick Wright: He'll stop when you tell him. That's what matters.
- Mark Russell: [to his father] She'll do whatever Dick says.
- Uncle Russell: [to Mark] Really?
- [to Christina]
- Uncle Russell: Well?
- Christina Parsons: He's a bit ugly, but I think I could get to like him.
- Mark Russell: But, what about the horse, Christina?
- Christina Parsons: You're back early.
- William Russell: I wanted to be sure you were all right. I saw you.
- Christina Parsons: I'm sorry, William.
- William Russell: You may have washed the blood off, but it still shows, Christina.
- Christina Parsons: William, I need two horses.
- William Russell: Nobody needs two horses.
- Christina Parsons: I need two horses so as I can can go hunting all day, and not have to come home halfway through because Sweetbriar's exhausted.
- William Russell: A change of horses?
- Christina Parsons: Yes.
- William Russell: Christina, there are people living in England who haven't got a change of clothing... children without one pair of boots, never mind a change... families close to starvation. Give them a horse, they'd slaughter it for food.
- Christina Parsons: That's awful.
- William Russell: Well, sometimes, the truth is awful. Look, put that down before you break it. And, pass me the glue.
- Christina Parsons: Please.
- William Russell: Please.
- Christina Parsons: You know that place you go to every day? The secret place that nobody knows except you... and me.
- Christina Parsons: [responding to his glare] Because I see you going and coming back.
- William Russell: Mister Dermott's.
- Christina Parsons: Mister Dermott's! Will you take me there as an anniversary present?
- William Russell: No, it's private. Strictly private.
- Christina Parsons: This Mister Dermott- is he a radical? Is that the word?
- William Russell: Oh, it depends what you mean.
- Christina Parsons: Did he tell you about the people with no food and clothing and boots? The starving millions- who'd like to eat my new horse?
- William Russell: We discuss things like that. Designing and building aeroplanes- that's radical. It challenges the future. Anything that challenges the future is radical. Anything that just repeats what's always happened before...
- Christina Parsons: Like horses and hunting...
- William Russell: Yes, like horses and hunting. Well, that's not very radical at all. It's medieval.
- Christina Parsons: Medieval. I like being medieval.
- William Russell: They used to burn witches. Everybody enjoyed that, except the witches. Great fun.
- Christina Parsons: The more you explain, the less I understand.
- William Russell: Look, it's nineteen hundred and ten. Things are changing. The twentieth century, it's called.
- Christina Parsons: Great discoveries, is that what you mean?
- William Russell: Yes, you might even discover that you don't really need two horses. You might even find that you can look after them yourself, without having someone to wait on you hand and foot.
- Christina Parsons: That's ridiculous.
- William Russell: Well, ask Dick.
- Christina Parsons: What's it got to do with Dick?
- William Russell: Everything, cousin. Everything.