Brigid O'Shaughnessy [to Spade]
You're absolutely the wildest, most unpredictable person I've ever known. Do you always carry on so high-handed?
2nd most-quoted character in The Maltese Falcon (1941): in 14 of its 51 quotes
Most scenes with: Sam Spade (11), Joel Cairo (2)
He wouldn't tell me where Corinne was. He said she didn't want to see me. I can't believe that. He promised to bring her to the hotel if she'd come this evening. He said he knew she wouldn't. He promised to come himself if she didn't.
More lines from Brigid O'Shaughnessy
1 quote Brigid O'Shaughnessy Scenes with Brigid O'Shaughnessy
12 scenes
I've no earthly reason to think I can trust you, and, if I do this and get away with it, you'll have something on me that you can use whenever you want to. Since I've got something on you, I couldn't be sure that you wouldn't put a hole in me some day. All those are on one side. Maybe some of them are unimportant - I won't argue about that - but look at the number of them. And what have we got on the other side? All we've got is that maybe you love me and maybe I love you.
Brigid Do they have to know about me, I mean - can't you shield me so that I won't have to answer their questions...I can't tell you now. I will later when I can. You've got to trust me, Mr. Spade. Oh, I'm so alone and afraid. I've got nobody to help me if you won't help me. Be generous, Mr. Spade. You're brave. You're strong. You can spare me some of that courage and strength surely. Help me, Mr. Spade. I need help so badly. I've no right to ask you, I know I haven't, but I do ask you. Help me.
You won't need much of anybody's help. You're good. It's chiefly your eyes, I think, and that throb you get in your voice when you say things like 'Be generous, Mr. Spade.'
Brigid I deserve that. But the lie was in the way I said it. Not at all in what I said. It's my own fault if you can't believe me now.
How bad a spot are you actually in?
Brigid As bad as could be.
Physical danger?
Brigid I'm not heroic. I don't think there's anything worse than death.
Then it's that?
Brigid It's that as surely as we're sitting here - unless you help me.
Who killed Thursby? Your enemies or his?
Brigid I don't know. His, I suppose. I'm afraid, I don't know.
You, uh - you aren't exactly the sort of a person you pretend to be, are ya?
Brigid I'm not sure I know exactly what you mean.
The schoolgirl manner, you know, blushing, stammering, and all that.
Brigid I haven't lived a good life - I've been bad, worse than you could know.
That's good, because if you actually were as innocent as you pretend to be, we'd never get anywhere.
Brigid I won't be innocent.
Good.
Brigid It's more than I can ever offer you if I have to bid for your loyalty.
That's good coming from you. What have you ever given me beside money? Have you ever given me any of your confidence, any of the truth? Haven't you tried to buy my loyalty with money and nothing else?
Brigid What else is there I can buy you with?
[Spade kisses her roughly]
I don't care what your secrets are. But I can't go ahead without more confidence in you than I've got now. You've got to convince me that you know what this is all about, that you aren't just fiddling around, hoping that it will all come out right in the end.
Brigid Can't you trust me a little longer?
Brigid You know I never would have placed myself in this position if I didn't trust you completely.
That again?
Brigid You know that's true, you know.
You don't have to trust me so long as you persuade me to trust you. Don't worry about that now. He'll [Cairo] be along any minute.
Brigid You are a god-send.
Oh, now don't overdo it.
And why, if I may ask another question, are you willing to sell it to me?
Brigid Because I'm afraid. After what happened to Floyd, I'm afraid to touch it except to turn it over to somebody else.
What exactly did happen to Floyd?
Brigid [while knowingly shaking her head and looking down]
'The Fat Man.'
Brigid I am. I've always been a liar.
Don't brag about it. Was there any truth at all in that yarn?
Brigid Some...not very much...Oh, I'm - I'm so tired, so tired of lying and making up lies, not knowing what is a lie and what's the truth.
[The falcon has turned out to be a fake.] [to Brigid]
All right, you've had your little joke, now tell us about it.
Brigid No, Sam! No! That's the one I got from Kemidov, I swear it!
[to Gutman]
You. It's you who bungled it. You and your stupid attempt to buy it! Kemidov found out how valuable it was. No wonder we had such an easy time stealing it! You, you imbecile! You bloated idiot! You stupid fathead, you! [sobbing]
Now give me all of it fast. When you first came to my office, why did you want Thursby shadowed?
Brigid I told you, Sam. I thought he was betraying me and I wanted to find out.
That's a lie...You wanted to get rid of him before Jacobi came with the loot so you wouldn't have to split it with him. Isn't that so? What was your scheme?
Brigid I thought if he knew someone was following him, he'd be frightened into going away.
Miles wasn't clumsy enough to be spotted the first night. You told Thursby he was being followed.
Brigid I told him. I told him. Yes, but please believe me, Sam. I wouldn't have told him if I thought Floyd would kill him.
If you thought he wouldn't kill Miles, you were right, angel. Miles hadn't many brains but he'd had too many years experience as a detective to be caught like that by a man he was shadowing up a blind alley with his gun in his hip and his overcoat buttoned. But he'd have gone up there with you, angel. He was just dumb enough for that! He would have looked you up and down and licked his lips and gone, grinning from ear to ear. And then you could have stood as close to him as you liked in the dark and put a hole through him with a gun you got from Thursby that evening. The police will be here any minute. Now talk!
Brigid Oh, why do you accuse me?
This isn't the time for that school girl act. We're both of us sitting under the gallows. Now, why did you shoot Miles?
Brigid I didn't mean to at first. Really, I didn't. But when I found out that Floyd couldn't be frightened, I...oh, I can't look at you and tell you this... [hiding her head in her hands]
You thought Thursby would tackle Miles, and one or the other of them would go down. If Thursby was killed, you were rid of him. If it was Miles, you'd see that Thursby was caught and set up for it, isn't that right?
Brigid [sobbing]
Something like that.
When you found that Thursby wasn't going to tackle him, you borrowed his gun and did it yourself, right? And when you heard Thursby was shot, you knew Gutman was in town, and you knew you needed another protector, somebody to fill Thursby's boots. So you came back to me.
Brigid Yes. But oh, sweetheart. It wasn't only that. I'd have come back to you sooner or later. From the very first instant I saw you, I knew...
Well, if you get a good break, you'll be out of Tehachapi in 20 years and you can come back to me then. I hope they don't hang you, precious, by that sweet neck...Yes, angel, I'm gonna send you over. The chances are you'll get off with life. That means if you're a good girl, you'll be out in 20 years. I'll be waiting for you. If they hang you, I'll always remember you.
Brigid Don't, Sam. Don't say it even in fun. Ha, ha, ha. Oh, I was frightened for a minute. I really thought...You do such wild and unpredictable things.
Don't be silly. You're taking the fall.
Brigid You've been playing with me. Just pretending you care to trap me like this. You didn't care at all. You don't love me!
I won't play the sap for you!
Brigid Oh you know it's not like that. You can't say that.
Do you ever fight square with me for half an hour at a stretch since I've known you?
Brigid You know down deep in your heart and in spite of anything I've done I love you.
I don't care who loves who!! I won't play the sap for you. I won't walk in Thursby's - and I don't know how many other's - footsteps. You killed Miles and you're going over for it.
Brigid How can you do this to me, Sam? Surely, Mr. Archer wasn't so much to you as... [crying]
Brigid You know whether you love me or not.
Maybe I do. Well, I'll have some rotten nights after I've sent you over, but that will pass. If all I've said doesn't mean anything to you, then forget it and we'll make it just this: I won't because all of me wants to, regardless of consequences, and because you counted on that with me the same as you counted on that with all the others.
