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DOCTOR
WHO
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appears. The episode title is displayed over the print.)
THE SEA BEGGAR
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by
JOHN LUCAROTTI
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1. DE COLIGNY'S RESIDENCE
DE LERAN: 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.
DE LERAN: Trust them! Huh! You know how far we can do that! You told him what the girl overheard?
MUSS: Yes.
DE LERAN: What did he say?
MUSS: He refuses to pay any attention to a servant girl's story.
DE LERAN: 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, I must wait until we find out something more,
or for the Catholics to make a move.
DE LERAN: 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.
2. TAVERN
(There is a knock at the tavern door.)
STEVEN: Excuse me. I wonder if... 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?
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... one who was here with me here yesterday morning. Well, he should have met me here last night. Look, he was wearing a... 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 from your
Huguenot friends!
3. DE COLIGNY'S RESIDENCE
MUSS: For goodness sake, Gaston. It's quite likely we drew the wrong
conclusions.
DE LERAN: Look, the girl overheard the men talking about Vassi, and that it would
happen again before the week was out!
MUSS: No she didn't! She heard them mention the name Vassi. And then, just before she ran away, she heard them say it would happen before the week was out.
DE LERAN: Well what's the difference?
MUSS: It's quite likely the name Vassi had nothing to do with the massacre there.
And the it was referring to something else entirely.
DE LERAN: Look, Nicholas, you can't...
(There is a knock at the door and Steven enters.)
STEVEN: Nicholas, I'm sorry to have to bother you again.
MUSS: Don't worry. Antoine, bring another glass.
ANTOINE: Yes, monsieur.
MUSS: You, ah, 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.
DE LERAN: 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.
DE LERAN: Oh, nonsense!
MUSS: Pay no attention to Gaston. Now what can I do to help you?
STEVEN: Well, my friend went to the Port St. 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.
DE LERAN: But, before you go, I think you have a visitor!
MUSS: Who?
DE LERAN: Roger Colbert. Recently appointed temporal secretary to the Abbot of
Amboise during his stay in Paris. (he laughs) I'll wager he's come to fetch the girl.
(The door is opened and Colbert enters.)
DE LERAN: 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 house 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.
DE LERAN: 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 Vassi
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.
DE LERAN: And do they discuss the slaughter at Vassi so glibly?
COLBERT: People can talk of the town without referring to that.
(DE LERAN ushers a servant away.)
COLBERT: But surely, that is the very girl!
DE LERAN: That girl?
COLBERT: Yes, her name is Anne Chaplet. Allow me take her with me.
DE LERAN: Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! You really must be mistaken. That girl is called, um... eh... 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 as DE LERAN laughs.)
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?
DE LERAN: Well, well, well, the Abbot has come himself, and all for the sake of a
servant.
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.
DE LERAN: Ah, one moment!
STEVEN: Yes?
DE LERAN: You say that man is your friend?
STEVEN: Yes!
DE LERAN: And how long have you been working for the Abbot of Amboise?
STEVEN: What?
DE LERAN: 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 D... At least it
looked like the Doctor! But if you're certain...
DE LERAN: 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 St. Martin, we'll go to the shop of Preslin the apothecary, you'll meet the Doctor!
DE LERAN: 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?
(There is shouting.)
MUSS: I think he may be telling the truth. I'll come with you.
DE LERAN: Yeah, so will I.
MUSS: No, stay here. If I don't come back, go to the Admiral.
DE LERAN: Look, you're mad, listen...
MUSS: We have to find out! Come, monsieur. And for your sake, I hope we find your friend.
4. PALACE
TAVANNES: You say the Abbot went to the house himself?
DUBAR: 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. He's... All he's done is to arouse further suspicion.
DUBAR: 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.
DUBAR: 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.
DUBAR: Yes, Marshall. There is another matter. Nicholas Muss is playing host to
a young Englishman.
TAVANNES: At de Coligny's house? Who is he?
DUBAR: I don't know.
TAVANNES: Hmm. Perhaps our fine Admiral is making secret overtures to the English?
DUBAR: 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.
5. PORT ST. MARTIN
MUSS: We've done every street in the Port St. Martin.
STEVEN: Preslin's shop must be around here somewhere. Look!
OLD LADY: Rushing about! Knocking folk down! _____!
MUSS: Sorry, my friend's looking for someone.
OLD LADY: 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.
STEVEN: 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?
OLD LADY: Oh, a long time. Two years about. He was arrested for heresy.
STEVEN: What do you mean? You mean he's in prison?
OLD LADY: Burnt I expect. And if he isn't, he should be.
MUSS: Your story is thinner than before. You say the Doctor is with... 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 Vassi 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. Shall 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.
(Steven manages to give Muss the slip.)
6. ABBOT'S RESIDENCE
DUBAR: 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 Moniere.
DUBAR: Will you never learn? Call the assassin Bondeaux. If the 'Sea Beggar'
should find out Moniere 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.
DUBAR: 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.
DUBAR: Oh, very well. Tell me what you know about the Abbot.
COLBERT: He's been specially appointed by the Cardinal.
DUBAR: 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.
DUBAR: 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.
DUBAR: And that was the only time you's seen him?
COLBERT: Yes.
DUBAR: Tell me, when you saw Nicholas Muss this morning, who else was there?
COLBERT: The Viscount De Leran, and the girl is certainly there, because I saw
her.
DUBAR: She's of no importance now. No one else was with them?
COLBERT: A third man but I didn't know him.
DUBAR: Was he English?
COLBERT: I don't know. He didn't speak.
DUBAR: I want you to find out about him. If he is English, find out who he is
and what his business is in France.
7. DE COLIGNY'S RESIDENCE
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.
DE LERAN: 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.
DE LERAN: How do you know?
ANNE: Because he's kind, monsieur, and gentle.
(Muss enters.)
DE LERAN: Nicholas, you're back! How was the Port St. Martin?
MUSS: Be quiet Gaston! Now listen...
DE LERAN: 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!
DE LERAN: 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.
DE LERAN: Get out of here.
ANNE: But, monsieur...
DE LERAN: Get out!
(Anne leaves.)
DE LERAN: You're too kind to these nothings. Now, tell me what's been
happening.
MUSS: He didn't find the man who was supposed to look like the Abbot. I was
bringing Steven back here when he got away.
DE LERAN: How?
MUSS: We were on our way back when he suddenly tricked me and pushed me into a
passer-by. I was taken by surprise. I went after him but it was hopeless.
DE LERAN: I knew I should have come with you. Still, we know where to find
him.
MUSS: Yes, with the Abbot of Amboise.
8. PALACE
TAVANNES: So my Lord Abbot is not here and you don't know where he is to be
found?
DUBAR: 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.
DUBAR: I'm sorry but we did look everywhere.
TAVANNES: There's a draught in here. Close the shutters. Between you, you will
find the Abbot and you will give him this message for me. Say the decision has been made.
DUBAR: You mean...
TAVANNES: You interrupt me, Simon. Tell him the 'Sea Beggar' dies tomorrow.
DUBAR: Tomorrow? Where?
TAVANNES: He will attend an early council meeting at the Louvre. On his return,
Bondeaux will be waiting for him.
DUBAR: 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?
DUBAR: Yes, Marshall.
TAVANNES: Good.
(Tavannes leaves the room.)
DUBAR: So, the royal command has been given.
COLBERT: What do you mean?
DUBAR: That order didn't come from Marshall Tavannes. It came from the Queen
Mother.
9. DE COLIGNY'S RESIDENCE
ANTOINE: He won't be long, monsieur. If you'll wait here...
STEVEN: Thanks.
DE LERAN: Nicholas, there's... What are you doing?
STEVEN: Where is Nicholas? I have some important news.
DE LERAN: I'm sure you have. And I've got some for you too. Get out of here!
STEVEN: Look, you don't understand.
DE LERAN: What placement are you looking for - a spy?! Some more information for your Abbot?
STEVEN: Listen to me!
DE LERAN: I'd rather listen to a pack of screaming devils!
STEVEN: Gaston! There is...
DE LERAN: Get out of... _____!
(A sword fight ensues.)
DE LERAN: Get our of here.
(Muss enters.)
MUSS: Gaston!
DE LERAN: Get out!
MUSS: Gaston, what are you doing?
DE LERAN: 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?
DE LERAN: That Englishman!
MUSS: Steven?
DE LERAN: Yes, I caught him here!
MUSS: What did he say?
DE LERAN: Say? Nothing.
MUSS: But why did he come back?
DE LERAN: He was spying! I caught him going through your papers.
MUSS: He must have had a message otherwise he'd never have come back.
DE LERAN: I tell you he was going through your papers!
MUSS: Where did he go?
DE LERAN: 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?
DE LERAN: Nothing! Well don't tell me that you still trust him!
MUSS: For pity's sake go back to the Louvre. Go back and protect your Lord of
Navarre. It's almost time for the curfew.
10. STREET
(Anne screams as Steven surprises her in the street.)
ANNE: Oh!
STEVEN: Anne! What are you doing following?
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... 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 St.
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.
11. DE COLIGNY'S RESIDENCE
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.
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next episode in white fades in over the print.)
Next Episode
PRIEST OF DEATH
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Abbot of Amboise
WILLIAM HARTNELL
Steven
PETER PURVES
Marshall Tavannes
ANDRE MORELL
Admiral de Coligny
LEONARD SACHS
Nicholas
DAVID WESTION
Anne
ANNETTE ROBINSON
Gaston
ERIC THOMPSON
Simon
JOHN TILLENGER
Landlord
EDWIN FINN
Roger
CHRISTOPHER TRANCHELL
Servant
REGINALD JESSUP
Old Lady
CYNTHIA ETHERINGTON
Story Editor
DONALD TOSH
Designer
MICHAEL YOUNG
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Producer
JOHN WILES
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Directed by
PADDY RUSSELL
BBC tv
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