The Flying Nun (1967–1970): Season 2, Episode 11 - To Fly or Not to Fly - full transcript
There are two upcoming important events: the novices are approaching their rededication ceremony, and the Reverend Mother is attending a conference in Chicago. With the latter, she can take one travel companion, and all the sisters do extra things for the Reverend Mother in hopes that that will sway the Reverend Mother's decision in her favor. Sister Bertrille is especially hopeful as she went to school there, and desperately wants to see it again. The Reverend Mother even believes that she would be the appropriate choice, however as Chicago is the Windy City, it is too much of a risk for Sister Bertrille to go. She is sad enough about that, but it makes her realize that she needs to be able to control her flying more so than she is able, especially with the upcoming rededication ceremony with the Mother General in attendance. Consulting an aeronautical engineer, she learns that all she needs to do is to gain five pounds to ground herself. So she embarks on an eating binge. Having only gained three and a half pounds by the day of the Mother General's arrival, Sister Bertrille has to use other techniques for the extra weight: lead boots. After the Reverend Mother sees the boots, she demands that Sister Bertrille find another way. Sisters Jacqueline and Teresa rig a string pulley system to her, and everything is working fine during the ceremony, despite it being a blustery day, except the string is too short due to a miscalculation on Sister Teresa's part. But ultimately, Reverend Mother comes to the rescue. The Reverend Mother reiterates that Sister Bertrille has a special gift that must not be questioned, but rather cherished and used wisely and discretely.
(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.
You 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.
(AL 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,
and 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.
REV. 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 so
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. Oh, 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.
But 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, too.
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.
REV. 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.
Oh, 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.
REV. 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, you see, 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.
REV. 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 Senor Ramirez.
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.
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.
You 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.
(AL 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,
and 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.
REV. 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 so
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. Oh, 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.
But 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, too.
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.
REV. 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.
Oh, 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.
REV. 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, you see, 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.
REV. 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 Senor Ramirez.
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.