Original subtitles

[barking]

[Jacqueline] Sister Bertrille had a natural interest

in all things that fly.

That includes, birds, bees and kites.

What's the matter? Won't it fly?

Here, let me see if I can help.

Go over there. I'll just take this thing right like this,

and right up, yeah, and then, here we go, and...

In other words, if Sister Bertrille is around,

don't use the expression, "Go fly a kite."

[Jacqueline] At Convent San Tanco,

a very important event was approaching.

And Reverend Mother summoned the novices to her office.

I stood beside her as she said...

Sister Novices,

in four weeks we participate in the rededication ceremony.

I suggest that you make very certain

in your own minds and hearts

that you have no reservations.

Of course, if you wish counsel,

we are here to help you,

always,

but I leave it to each of you

to deliberate in your own way.

All right, that will be all.

Sister Ana deliberated through long hours in prayer.

Sister Teresa deliberated with long hours

of spiritual reading.

And Sister Bertrille deliberated long hours

and decided it was a nice day for flying.

What brought Sister Bertrille face to face

with the reservations she felt about

the rededication ceremony

wasn't deliberation.

It was a telegram Reverend Mother received

inviting her to the hemispheric council

of our order in Chicago.

Chicago?

The order will pay all the traveling expenses for me,

and for one companion.

[all chattering]

It'll be a marvelous trip for you, Reverend Mother.

And for your companion,

whoever she may be.

Oh, wasn't this floor mopped last night after vespers?

Oh, yes, but a whole night's gone by

and dust has settled, ants with muddy feet,

I know how much a clean floor pleases you, Reverend Mother.

Well, you're certainly to be commended.

Thank you.

[door opens]

Oh, excuse me.

I was just going to mop this dirty floor.

I know how a clean floor pleases you, Reverend Mother,

and we want you to be pleased.

After all, cleanliness is next to Godliness, is it not?

It has its place, yes.

I do hope the flooring lasts until I leave for Chicago.

What a lovely surprise. Popovers.

I know how much you like popovers.

[sighs]

Oh, but you, you shouldn't have gone to all this trouble.

It's no trouble.

For you, I'm going to fix them every day

until you leave for Chicago

with that lucky Sister you're taking with you.

Yes. Maybe it'll be you, Sister Teresa.

Me? Oh, no, not me.

No. Why would Reverend Mother want to take me?

Just because in my whole life

I have never been off this island.

Oh, it would be wonderful if you could go.

Chicago's a fantastic place.

Take it from me, a person who knows every foot of it.

In fact, when I went to school there,

I went to school there,

I thought of taking a part-time job as a guide.

Pass the popovers, please.

Yes, of course.

Popover?

Sister Ana, I will need at least four typewritten copies

of last year's reports to take with me.

I have already done them, Reverend Mother.

They're in your briefcase.

I made six copies.

Um, what I said before, you know,

about never being off the island, that's not true.

[Reverend Mother] No? [Teresa] No.

I once took a long swim in the ocean.

Of course, one can get by with a map or a guidebook,

providing they don't have someone with them

who really knows Chicago.

Yes, of course.

One can get very lost in a strange place.

Of course, I have never been

far enough away from home to get lost.

[stuttering] They're delicious, Sister Teresa.

Just delicious.

Sister Bertrille,

from the moment that I received word about the meeting

in Chicago...

Please, sit down.

It seemed that you were the logical person to accompany me.

Oh, thank you, Reverend Mother.

The fact that you went to school there qualifies you uniquely.

Oh, Chicago is such a great place.

Why, there's the Loop, and Merchandise Mart,

and good old State Street.

Unfortunately, it is out of the question.

Out of the question?

But why, Reverend Mother?

Sister Bertrille,

I believe that Chicago has a nickname.

Oh, a nickname. Oh, sure it's the windy...

Windy City.

I see. You're afraid that with strong winds

off the lake that I'll embarrass you by...

[whistling]

We cannot take the risk.

I'm sorry, Sister Bertrille.

Thank you anyway, Reverend Mother.

Give my regards to good old State Street.

I am sorry, Sister Bertrille.

[Carlos] [sighing] Lovely.

Beautiful.

Well, now this is what I call mission impossible.

[knocking on door]

Yes?

Hi. No.

No what? Just plain no.

No anything. No everything.

No is my answer to whatever it is you are here to ask me to do.

Besides, I'm very busy.

Oh, what are you doing?

Cleaning house? Yeah, a little.

And besides, I didn't come here to ask you to do anything.

[scoffs]

Oh, she's nice.

She signed it sincerely.

I'm not saving any sincerelys, or devotedlys.

Only with all my love, and passionatelys.

Your friend.

That doesn't sound like much of a commitment.

No, you don't think so, huh?

Carlos, I have a problem.

Uh-huh!

It doesn't concern you.

Any problem you have concerns me sooner or later.

Who's this?

"Stay as sweet as you are."

Carlos, you know how much I wanted to go

to Chicago with the Reverend Mother?

She looks so familiar.

And I was the one she would've taken if I just didn't fly.

Trinidad. No.

Bimini. She took Sister Ana instead.

I got a postcard from them the other day.

They're having a wonderful time.

She's my sister. How did she get in here?

Missing the trip isn't bad enough, but we're having

the rededication ceremony in a few weeks.

That's why she looks familiar. How did she get in here?

Carlos, you're not listening to me.

Of course I'm not, in self-defense.

The Mother General is coming and I've just got to stop flying,

at least temporarily. Oh, you do?

Yes. Well, it was your friend, you know,

the aeronautical engineer who told me

why I fly in the first place.

Lift plus thrust versus drag. Remember?

Yeah, I remember. He's still under a doctor's care.

Carlos, this is very important to me.

Now, you go to the airport all the time.

You must know somebody who can help me.

Somebody with a strong constitution.

Yeah, I do know another engineer.

I take you to see him, if you promise me one thing.

Yes. Don't let him know

that you are the thing that flies. I promise.

Okay.

Now, whether I say yes or I say no, I say yes, all right?

Your aircraft flies when you don't want it to?

Often.

Who's the manufacturer?

It's one of a kind.

Oh, it's an experimental model.

When can you get it down to the airfield?

Well, she's kind of tied up right now.

Can't you just advise her without seeing the aircraft?

Maybe.

What's the wing spread?

About five feet.

Fuselage?

Standard.

[George] Weight of the craft?

Uh, 90 pounds.

Oh, well, then we're talking about a model?

Yes. Yes. I guess you could say that.

Would you mind sketching it for me please, Sister?

Yeah. Well, I'm not very good at this.

I just want to see the proportions.

Twenty-two, twenty-two, twenty-two...

Sort of.

This actually flies?

All right, there's your problem.

She lacks stability and control.

Is there anything I can do?

It resolves itself into lift and drag components.

Now what you'll have to do, Sister,

is increase your drag coefficient.

Well, how would I do that?

Just add five pounds and your worries are over.

You mean all I have to do is gain five pounds?

Gain?

Add five. Thank you very much, Mr. Bragan.

[Jacqueline] That very evening Sister Bertrille launched

her crash feeding program.

I did it.

You're off to a good start.

Your favorite dessert, chocolate mousse.

Now come on, come on.

There, come on now.

Yes.

Here's one for Sister Teresa.

There.

And here.

Ah.

One for Sister Jacqueline.

[chuckling]

And one for Reverend Mother.

After three days, we checked her progress.

One pound.

Oh, that's not bad, for a start.

I've lost a pound.

What?

In the midst of the campaign,

Reverend Mother and Sister Ana returned from Chicago.

Oh, Sister Ana?

Yes, Mother.

Where is Sister Bertrille?

Is she ill? Oh, no, Reverend Mother.

She's trying to alter her drag coefficient.

After two weeks of dedicated stuffing,

one morning when Sister Bertrille

stepped on the scale...

Three-and-a-half pounds.

I gained three-and-a-half pounds.

That's marvelous.

Didn't the man at the airport say you'd have to gain five?

Oh, well, I'll test it anyway. I'll think heavy.

Heavy, heavy, heavy.

[Jacqueline] Sister Bertrille had added to her drag,

[screams]

but her control had gone haywire.

The day on which the novices would participate

in the rededication ceremony was fast approaching.

Oh, Sister Jacqueline,

be sure to have the gardener trim the shrubbery there,

and I think perhaps we could touch up the paint a little.

Reverend Mother, perhaps this year

an indoor ceremony would be nice for a change.

Well, we can't sacrifice a 200-year-old tradition

simply because one novice is unstable.

Besides, how would I explain

such an innovation to the Mother General?

No, we will just have to pray for a calm day.

[Reverend Mother] Sister Bertrille?

[stammering] Sister Bertrille, where did you get that dog?

Reverend Mother, this is Bruno.

He's very friendly.

He makes a fantastic anchorman.

See what I mean?

As long as I hang on to Bruno, I can't fly.

Yes, but, Sister Bertrille, would you not agree

that this is a rather limited solution to your problem?

I mean, there are many situations

into which one cannot take such a dog.

In fact, most situations.

[barking]

I tell you, it won't work.

You better not even try them.

Of course I'm gonna try them. They have to work.

The Mother General's arriving this afternoon

and the ceremony's tomorrow.

Well, can't you lift your feet at all?

Of course I can.

Easily. Nothing to it.

But when the Mother General sees you walking that way...

What way?

Carlos, I guarantee you, they won't notice a thing.

[exclaiming]

Sister Bertrille, perhaps you had better wait

for Mother General inside.

Don't worry, Reverend Mother. I think I found the answer.

Welcome, Mother General, to Convent San Tanco.

It is a great pleasure to be here,

and on such a happy occasion.

And these are the novices.

What a splendid looking group.

And how fortunate they are

to have spent their novitiate in this environment,

steeped in tradition

and sheltered from the buffeting winds

of our contemporary uncertainties.

Oh, fortunate. Fortunate.

In my work,

I see so many young people

pulled this way and that,

reaching out for something.

Oh, anything to hold onto.

And it is so reassuring

to see a group

so stable, so well adapted,

and this isn't only a compliment to San Tanco,

but also to your steadying influence, Reverend Mother.

[Reverend Mother] Thank you.

Mother General, the novices will join us for tea.

Sister Bertrille, will you please

bring Mother General's luggage?

Oh, the garden is so lovely here. I often think...

[sneezing]

Just a touch of hay fever.

Oh, I've dropped my handkerchief.

Oh, allow me to...

Sister Bertrille?

Oh, there it is.

Thank you.

What is your name?

Sister Bertrille.

Mother General,

Sister Jacqueline will take you in to tea.

Yes. I just want to have a word

with Sister Bertrille.

Sister Bertrille, may I see your feet?

Well.

It's my first day in them, Reverend Mother.

And your last.

Actually, they're very useful... Remove them.

Immediately. Immediately.

Well, that does it.

Prevailing northeasterly winds from 10 to 15 miles an hour.

15 miles an hour?

With gusts up to 25 miles an hour.

While the other novices are rededicating themselves,

I'll be somewhere off over the Atlantic.

Oh, I've got to do something.

But what?

Oh, we are at the end of our rope.

Rope?

That's it. That's the answer. What was the question?

Never mind. I've got to get a yardstick. Stay here.

Be right back.

[Reverend Mother] Friends of San Tanco,

Sisters, this is a very solemn occasion for all of us.

These five novices have come to rededicate themselves

and to further pledge their hearts and their lives

to the work of our order.

Here to consecrate the event

is our beloved Mother General.

As I call each of your names,

you will approach the dais, accept Mother General's

greeting and kneel.

Sister Elizabeth.

Sister Delfina.

Sister Joan Marie.

Sister Ana.

Sister Bertrille.

Sister Bertrille?

You made the lines too short.

How many times does 16 go into 96?

16?

16 inches to the foot, no?

No.

It seems she can't move.

Poor dear.

She's frightened. I've often seen it.

Should we let go?

She'll fly up if we do.

Perhaps you could help her.

Yes.

Welcome, dear Sister Bertrille.

Dear sister novices,

with this rededication to your vocation,

may each of you be brought to a deeper realization,

our complete dependence on each other.

Amen.

Amen.

Reverend Mother, how can I ever thank you

for what you did for me today?

By never mentioning it again.

Well, I hope by the time I take my final vows

I can find some answer.

Sister Bertrille. Yes?

I have given this matter a great deal of thought

and I do not feel

that you should question your special talent.

You don't?

It is a God-given talent.

Yes. However,

I hope you will use it wisely and discreetly.

There is a time to fly...

Reverend Mother? And a time not to fly.

I have just had such an enjoyable conversation

with Se�orRamirez.

Oh, he speaks so highly of all the sisters,

especially Sister Bertrille.

Sister Bertrille?

Wasn't Sister Bertrille standing right here a moment ago?

Yes, she was, Mother General.

But perhaps she did not wish to intrude

and, uh, just, uh, drifted away.

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