lesson to begin. TINA and HAT TIE aren’t with her, and she sits on her own - the atmosphere of the class is very different from MISS STUBBS’ English lessons.The girls are different, more serious, less fun, and the atmosphere is more sombre.The teacher, MRS WILSON, is older, plainer, stricter. She holds some papers.
MRS WILSON
Test results for the Virgil translation. We will start from the bottom . . . Patricia.
JENNY puffs out her cheeks. She’s not last.
Absent. Margaret. 48 per cent. Jenny . . .
JENNY winces.
52 per cent. That would just about scrape a pass in the exam proper. Not good enough for Oxford candidates.
33 INTERIOR/EXTERIOR: JENNY’S HOUSE - DAY
JENNY and her mother are sitting on the sofa, staring into space, clearly upset. On the coffee table in front of them is the test, covered in red ink.
JACK enters, back from work. He’s wearing a suit and carrying a battered briefcase. He looks at them, and then notices the essay on the table.
JACK
It’s her Latin, isn’t it?
MARJORIE
Everyone’s doing their best, Jack.
JACK
But what if everyone’s best isn’t good enough? What do we do then?
JENNY
We don’t go to Oxford. Any of us.
Not even you, Dad.
JACK
Perhaps the whole thing’s a waste of time and money anyway.
MARJORIE
You don’t mean that.
JACK
Well, what’s she going to do with an English degree? If she’s going to spend three years playing that bloody cello and talking in French to a bunch of beatniks, then I’m just throwing good money after bad. I suppose she might meet a nice lawyer. But she could do that at a dinner dance tomorrow.
JENNY
Oh, because that’s the point of an Oxford education, isn’t it, Dad? It’s the expensive alternative to a dinner dance.
MARJORIE
What about private tuition?
JACK
Is anyone listening to me? How much is that going to cost me?
MARJORIE
Five shillings an hour. Maybe a little more for A-level.
JACK
Five bob! We spend five bob here and five bob there, next thing you know it’s our savings down the drain.
MARJORIE
And what else are we spending five bob on? What else are we spending sixpence on?
JACK
Oh, nothing. ( He gestures round the room .) All of this is free. That vase was free.
MARJORIE
It was, actually. It was a present from Auntie Vi.
JACK
That chair was free. The sofa. We don’t have to pay for anything. That’s the beauty of life, Jenny. Everything’s free. Grows on trees. Wonderful, isn’t it? ( He warms to his theme and grows progressively more berserk .) We’ve got a lovely Oxford tree in the garden, lucky for you, so that’s Oxford taken care of. And a whole orchard of school trees, so that’s all free. I’m sure there are some private tuition trees out there. I’ll go and have a look.
He stands up.
MARJORIE
Jack . . .
JACK
No, no, won’t take me a minute. I think I saw some out the front, right next to the pocket money tree. I’ll just nip out and check, see that they’re doing all right. Don’t want anyone climbing over the wall and scrumping, do we? And you never know. Maybe there’ll be a man with deep pockets growing out there. Because God knows we need to find you one.
He leaves the room, apparently to look in the front garden for the mythical trees.
34 EXTERIOR: STREET/COFFEE BAR - DAY
JENNY, HATTIE and TINA are walking back from school.
TINA
You can always go to secretarial college with Hattie.
JENNY
( sarcastic )
Oh, thanks.
HAT TIE
Charming!
JENNY
Oh, God, no.
HATTIE and TINA follow JENNY’S eyes, and they see GRAHAM coming towards them pushing his bike, red-faced, trousers tucked into socks.
GRAHAM
Hello.
JENNY
Hello, Graham.
GRAHAM
I haven’t seen you in ages . . . It went a bit wrong, didn’t it? The tea-party, I mean. Was it because of the year off thing?
JENNY
No. I just have so much work to do if I’m going to get the grades I need.
TINA
Yes. She doesn’t have
MRS WILSON
Test results for the Virgil translation. We will start from the bottom . . . Patricia.
JENNY puffs out her cheeks. She’s not last.
Absent. Margaret. 48 per cent. Jenny . . .
JENNY winces.
52 per cent. That would just about scrape a pass in the exam proper. Not good enough for Oxford candidates.
33 INTERIOR/EXTERIOR: JENNY’S HOUSE - DAY
JENNY and her mother are sitting on the sofa, staring into space, clearly upset. On the coffee table in front of them is the test, covered in red ink.
JACK enters, back from work. He’s wearing a suit and carrying a battered briefcase. He looks at them, and then notices the essay on the table.
JACK
It’s her Latin, isn’t it?
MARJORIE
Everyone’s doing their best, Jack.
JACK
But what if everyone’s best isn’t good enough? What do we do then?
JENNY
We don’t go to Oxford. Any of us.
Not even you, Dad.
JACK
Perhaps the whole thing’s a waste of time and money anyway.
MARJORIE
You don’t mean that.
JACK
Well, what’s she going to do with an English degree? If she’s going to spend three years playing that bloody cello and talking in French to a bunch of beatniks, then I’m just throwing good money after bad. I suppose she might meet a nice lawyer. But she could do that at a dinner dance tomorrow.
JENNY
Oh, because that’s the point of an Oxford education, isn’t it, Dad? It’s the expensive alternative to a dinner dance.
MARJORIE
What about private tuition?
JACK
Is anyone listening to me? How much is that going to cost me?
MARJORIE
Five shillings an hour. Maybe a little more for A-level.
JACK
Five bob! We spend five bob here and five bob there, next thing you know it’s our savings down the drain.
MARJORIE
And what else are we spending five bob on? What else are we spending sixpence on?
JACK
Oh, nothing. ( He gestures round the room .) All of this is free. That vase was free.
MARJORIE
It was, actually. It was a present from Auntie Vi.
JACK
That chair was free. The sofa. We don’t have to pay for anything. That’s the beauty of life, Jenny. Everything’s free. Grows on trees. Wonderful, isn’t it? ( He warms to his theme and grows progressively more berserk .) We’ve got a lovely Oxford tree in the garden, lucky for you, so that’s Oxford taken care of. And a whole orchard of school trees, so that’s all free. I’m sure there are some private tuition trees out there. I’ll go and have a look.
He stands up.
MARJORIE
Jack . . .
JACK
No, no, won’t take me a minute. I think I saw some out the front, right next to the pocket money tree. I’ll just nip out and check, see that they’re doing all right. Don’t want anyone climbing over the wall and scrumping, do we? And you never know. Maybe there’ll be a man with deep pockets growing out there. Because God knows we need to find you one.
He leaves the room, apparently to look in the front garden for the mythical trees.
34 EXTERIOR: STREET/COFFEE BAR - DAY
JENNY, HATTIE and TINA are walking back from school.
TINA
You can always go to secretarial college with Hattie.
JENNY
( sarcastic )
Oh, thanks.
HAT TIE
Charming!
JENNY
Oh, God, no.
HATTIE and TINA follow JENNY’S eyes, and they see GRAHAM coming towards them pushing his bike, red-faced, trousers tucked into socks.
GRAHAM
Hello.
JENNY
Hello, Graham.
GRAHAM
I haven’t seen you in ages . . . It went a bit wrong, didn’t it? The tea-party, I mean. Was it because of the year off thing?
JENNY
No. I just have so much work to do if I’m going to get the grades I need.
TINA
Yes. She doesn’t have
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