"I know it's kind of short notice but, um, I was kind of wondering if maybe you'd like to go to the dance with me." "I thought you were gonna go with Joleen Eisley." "Yeah, so did I, but she decided to go with someone else." "So I'm your second choice." "Miss Mamie, are you in some kind of trouble?" "Is there anything I can do to help?" "I haven't wanted to face it but I'm afraid I'm going blind." " Miss Mamie, are you in there?" " I can't be interrupted, Mary Ellen." "Miss Mamie, you have an appointment with the doctor." "I'm sorry, John, I can't go and I won't go." "Not now and not ever." "Esther." "We didn't know you had returned." " Yes." " Can we come in?" "How nice." "Please do." "JOHN:" "Said you wanted a nurse, so...." "[CAR ENGINE STARTS]" "JOHN-BOY:" "On Walton's Mountain, we treasured our neighbors." "Everyone knew everyone else and we shared together in the joys and the sorrows of the people around us." "We were all deeply alarmed when we learned that Miss Mamie Baldwin had developed an affliction one that might forever confine her within her home." "The recipe is finished, and not a moment too soon, I suspect." "I do believe this room is going to be more than adequate, sister." "We should be able to accommodate a sizable number of guests." "I do wish you'd stop dancing long enough to tell me what it is this room is supposed to accommodate." "A lovely surprise, sister." "While you were in the recipe room, the teacher stopped by." "She was looking for a suitable location for the annual spring dance and I offered to let them use our house." "Emily!" "This room is intended for dining, not for dancing." "I'm astonished that you didn't consult with me." "Why, sister, I thought having the dance would make you very happy." "Imagine, having this house overflowing with young people and music." "Emily, sometimes I think your mind is beginning to wander." "Mamie, that was very uncharitable of you." "Oh!" "Look what you made me do." "You made me spill it." "I'm sorry, sister." "Please forgive me." "I don't seem to be able to do anything lately without upsetting you." "[DOOR KNOCKS]" "That must be John." "Let him in." "It's been a long time since I've seen you smile, sister." " I thought you were your father." " No, I'm still me." "Oh, I'm so glad." "Daddy couldn't make it today, he got an emergency call from Camp Rockfish." "You'll have to be our official taster then, won't you?" "Sister, look who's here." "John, how good of you to come." "Why, sister, it's Jason." "Oh, so it is." " Hello, Miss Mamie." " Jason." " Please sit down." " Thank you." "Tell us how the war is going." "Well, Miss Mamie, I hear we're making some progress over in Italy." "Jason, if you're ever required to go there yourself, you must see Florence." "It's truly the great artistic center of the world." "EMILY:" "Papa took us there when we were very young." "Oh, the statue of David, by Michelangelo, was a truly inspiring sight." "Sister." " Jason." " Thank you." " A toast." " To victory." "May it come quickly." " And stay long." " I'll drink to that." "Something seems amiss, sister." "It does seem to lack a certain je ne sais quoi." "MAMIE:" "What did you do to it?" " I didn't do anything to it." "You made this run yourself." "Perhaps you read the recipe wrong." "I'll be in the garden." "Come on, eat up." "Is it serious, son?" "It's hard to tell, Daddy, but she sure was acting strange." "MARY ELLEN:" "Usually she's a little less strange than Miss Emily." "Maybe she's been sampling a little too much of the recipe." "Try some of those crabapples, they're delicious." "I wonder where this child could be." "Hi, everybody, I'm sorry I'm late." "JIM-BOB:" "Serenading Steve Prince again, Elizabeth?" "I don't know what you're talking about." "Everybody knows you want him to ask you to the Spring Dance." "Elizabeth's got a boyfriend!" "Elizabeth's got a boyfriend!" "Jeffrey, now you hush up, right now or you'll be washing dishes while I listen to The Great Gilderlseeve tonight." " Who are you taking, Jim-Bob?" " I've got my eye on a few prospects." "You could take me out if you want." "There you go, son." "Sounds like a good offer to me." " Somebody pass the bread, please." " It's right in front of you." "[CHUCKLING]" "[CHATTERING]" "JOHN:" "Here you go, Elizabeth." "I'll cut you a piece." "Hello, Elizabeth." "That child gets prettier every day." " Hello, Elizabeth." " Hi." "Could you mail this for me?" "I'll be happy to." "Ohh." "Another letter to John-Boy." " I'll put the postage on it." " Thank you." "Elizabeth, it's so sweet of you to write John-Boy so often." "Corabeth, do you know anything about boys?" "Well, I'm hardly the one to ask." "All my experiences with men have brought me nothing but heartache." "Oh, Mr. Godsey excepted, of course." "I'll tell you one thing about boys, Elizabeth." "They're afraid of girls." "I always thought it was the other way around." "Oh, Elizabeth, you're too pretty to be worrying about boys let them worry about you." " Well, I guess I ought to be going." "IKE:" "Bye, Elizabeth." "Corabeth, I think I'm going to look at some dress material." " Excuse me, Elizabeth." " Hi, Steve." "Good morning, Mrs. Godsey, Mr. Godsey." "Hi, fellows, what can I do for you?" "STEVE:" "We need a reel of 10-pound test line." "Ahh." "Sounds to me like you're going after that big catfish again, huh?" "DREW:" "Yeah, that's right, but this year we're going to catch it." "Ha, ha, ha." "Yeah, you will if he's still in Drucilla's Pond." "That fish has been there as long as I can remember." "My daddy hooked him last year, but he got away." " Well, see you later, Mr. Godsey." " Bye-bye." "IKE:" "Hey, boys aren't you forgetting something?" "The 25 cents for the line." " Oh!" " Excuse me." " Goodbye, Mr. Godsey." " Good luck on the catfish." "STEVE:" "Bye-bye, Elizabeth." "Nice boys." "Elizabeth, you said you wanted some dress fabric." " I have just the thing for you." " No, thank you, Corabeth." "Well, now, that is very peculiar." "John?" "Well, Miss Emily." "I haven't seen you behind a wheel since the afternoon you drove into Drucilla's Pond." "Well, yes." "Sister's been insisting that I do the driving lately." "How is Miss Mamie?" "To be perfectly honest, I'm not quite sure." "[BIRD FLUTTERING]" "Oh!" "Did you see that?" "Oh!" "I believe it is a Red-eyed Vireo." "No, looks more like a White-breasted Nuthatch to me." "You know, I saw a robin yesterday." "Spring is coming in full force." "Miss Emily, is there something wrong?" "It's sister." "She refuses to go bird-watching with me." "Jason did say she looked troubled." "Oh, she's been troubled for a month." "She gets headaches, she refuses to go out, even for a short walk." "She can't pick up a tea tray or pour a cup of coffee." "And last night I listened at her door and she was weeping." " Have you asked her what the problem is?" " Oh, yes." "And her answer is always the same." "She says she's fine, and she wishes I would stop intruding on her." "I'm sorry to hear that." "Is there something I can do?" "You've always been such a good friend, John." "I thought perhaps if you were to have a talk with Mamie she would confide in you whatever it is that's troubling her." "Yes, I'd be glad to." " Sister?" " Emily, where have you been?" " We have a visitor." "John Walton." " John!" " How nice of you to come." " Miss Mamie." " Sit down, please." " Thank you." "I've been kind of worried about you lately." "I haven't seen you around." "Oh, I'm getting old." "And I do so enjoy a quiet day by the fire." "Miss Emily tells me you haven't been to church in over a month." "Oh, sister." "I do so wish you wouldn't reveal information of a personal nature even to good friends." "I'm sorry, Mamie." "JOHN:" "Miss Mamie are you in some kind of trouble?" "Is there anything I can do to help?" "No, John." "There's nothing you can do to help." "I haven't wanted to face it but I'm afraid I'm going blind." "It was very kind of you to bring us, John." "Any time you need help, you just ask, Miss Emily." "Thank you." "If there's something really wrong with sister we might be needing the services of a good nurse." "Perhaps Mary Ellen could move in with us." "Well, if she can't, I'm sure we can find somebody who will." " You can come in now." " Thank you." "Sister, are you all right?" "I'm afraid Miss Baldwin has cataracts." "Oh, my!" "What's cataracts?" "It's a cloudiness in the eye caused by the deterioration of the protein in the lens." "It's like looking through a very foggy window." "Once it advances to a certain stage, blindness is almost complete." "The doctor says I need surgery." "CANFIELD:" "It's a relatively simple operation, and usually quite safe." "But I want you to know that whenever we're dealing with the human eye any kind of surgery is extremely delicate." "Emily, I'm terrified." "Our papa died on the operating table, don't you know." "CANFIELD:" "This is not a life-threatening operation." "The only risk is the possibility that the surgery may not be successful." "At least you have a chance of getting your sight back." "I'd like to schedule the operation for Friday morning." "Doctor Canfield, my sister and I will have to discuss this." "I'll tell my nurse to go ahead and schedule the operation on my calendar." "If you have any problems, give me a call." "JOHN:" "Thank you, doctor." "I know it's frightening, but at least it's worth taking the chance." " Papa wouldn't agree." " No, he certainly wouldn't." "Elizabeth, what on earth are you doing?" "Making plans." ""Plan 1." "Show Steve that I depend on him." "A, by asking his help on a homework problem and B, by convincing him to carry my books home for me." "If part A of plan 1 fails, go directly to plan 2."" "Elizabeth, what is this, the scientific approach to romance?" " Don't tell Jim-Bob." " Oh, I wouldn't dream of it mainly because he'd start making plans of his own." ""How to Get Rid of My Sisters." "Plan 1." "Lead Erin into the forest."" "Well, do you think it's going to work?" "I don't know." "I always thought romance was just supposed to spark or something." "Maybe for you." "Let me show you how it works." "All right." "Plan 1 shows Steve that I depend on him, right?" "Mm-hm." "By asking his help on homework and having him carry my books for me." " Right." " Then if that doesn't work, go to plan 2." "Mm-hm." "ELIZABETH:" "And this shows Steve that I can function in a man's world." " I do this by fishing and playing baseball." " Okay." "Mm-hm." "If that doesn't work, plan 3." "Now, this is the direct approach." " You're going to ask him to the dance?" " No, I just hint a lot." "What if he doesn't do anything?" " Well, then, I go to plan 4." " Which is?" " I give up." " Oh!" "Hmm." "Well, Elizabeth, why don't you tell me if this works because if it does, I could use a chart or two of my own." " Two?" " Why not?" "You can't store all your eggs in one basket." "How are you feeling, sister?" "I just wanted to look at Papa's portrait." "I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to see it." "When I'm troubled I like to come here and look at his face." "I always seem to feel so much better for having communed with him." "Papa was always so strong." "He loved us." "He really loved us, Emily and he always seemed to know what was best for us." "When he died I thought my life had ended." "Without your strength I don't know how I could have endured those trying days." "And I was strong only because of you, sister." "If you hadn't been there, I shudder to think what would have happened to me." "We stood together then, and we'll stand together now." "Oh, yes, we must." "In spite of what John and Dr. Canfield and all the others have to say about it." " And we will." " Yes." "Don't you think you should go to bed now, sister?" "In a moment." "[CHATTERING]" "DREW:" "Hi." " Oh, Steve, hurry up." " I'm hurrying." " Hi, Steve." " Oh, hi." "Do you understand all the stuff about quadratic equations?" " Yeah." "It's not that hard." " I didn't do very well on my homework." "I was wondering if you could give me a hand." "Drew and I were going to go fishing this afternoon, right?" "DREW:" "I'm going to Joleen's house, see if she wants to go to the dance with me." "Oh, yeah, I guess it was tomorrow we were going to go fishing." "DREW:" "No, it wasn't till Friday." "Oh, I just remembered, we're having Reverend Bradshaw..." " ...over for dinner tonight." " Well, how about in the morning?" "Why don't you ask the teacher for some help?" "Sure." " See you later, Elizabeth." " Bye-bye, Drew." "I thought you got all A's on that homework." "Mind your business, Serena." "JOHN:" "Hello!" "I hope they're ready." "We have to have Miss Mamie checked in, in half an hour." "Miss Emily!" " Hello, John, Mary Ellen." "JOHN:" "Miss Emily." "Is Miss Mamie ready?" "Well, not exactly." "She's supposed to be at the hospital today for the operation." "Mary Ellen, I'm afraid she's changed her mind." " May we come in?" " Yes, of course." "Sister is busy preparing a new supply of the recipe." "She can't possibly be disturbed right now." "She doesn't have any choice." "The recipe's going to have to wait." "Very well, John." "How odd." "It appears to be locked." " Miss Mamie, are you in there?" " I can't be interrupted, Mary Ellen." "It's the recipe, don't you know." "Miss Mamie, you have an appointment with the doctor." "I'm sorry, John." "I can't go and I won't go." "Not now and not ever." "JOHN:" "Yes, yes, I understand." "Yes, doctor." "I'm sorry this happened too." "I'll tell her." "Thank you." "He's not very happy about it said we'll have to make arrangements to set it up later." "No, I'm sure sister won't agree to that." "The recipe is finished." "Consumed in quantities, it has the most exhilarating effect." "Heh, heh." "Oh, it has the most amazing medicinal powers." "Miss Mamie, you had an appointment with Dr. Canfield this morning." "He was waiting at the hospital for you." "Oh, I'm sorry." "I hope he was not imposed upon." "Miss Mamie, you have a serious eye problem." "Dr. Canfield is qualified to treat it." "I think you should make another appointment." "But I have no further need of medical treatment." "Sister's doing just fine now." "How many fingers?" "I have no time for games, Mary Ellen." "Neither do we." "What's going on around here?" "Why are you fighting this operation?" "Well, aside from the fact that I am very much better sister and I have an oath to uphold." "Papa made us promise to take care of one another." "And so sister and I vowed that we would never allow ourselves to submit to surgery of any kind." "How could we possibly keep our promise to Papa if we risked our lives on the operating table?" "People don't die from cataract surgery." " That's what they told Papa." " He had a lesion removed." "A simple operation, so they said." "And four hours later he was dead." "So I will not break my oath." "JOHN:" "Not even if it costs you your eyesight?" "Not even if it costs me my life." "MARY ELLEN:" "Do you have any idea how many blind people there are who'd give anything if they could be operated on and have their sight restored?" "You know, Mamie's a lot like Pa was." "No matter how bad he was hurt, the last thing he wanted to see was a doctor." "According to him, doctors made the cure worse than the fever." "Miss Emily's only making things worse." "She believes everything Miss Mamie does about doctors and operations and she'll do whatever she can to make sure they don't break their oath." "Miss Emily said something about needing a full-time nurse when we were in the doctor's office." "It's going to take somebody living with them to make them to change their minds." "Between my nursing rounds and John Curtis, I don't have enough time for them." "I've got somebody in mind." "She's not a nurse." "She'd probably do more good than anybody we know." "I don't see why we just didn't go fishing at Hardware Creek." "Because I have woman's intuition." "I just happen to know that the fish are going to be biting here." "What happens when a big one comes close, does your heart start to beat faster?" "Trust me, I know we're going to catch a fish." "It's too shallow here." "Hey, Jim-Bob!" "Hi, Steve." "You knew he was coming, didn't you?" "[WHISPERS] Not another word!" " You still after that catfish?" " Sure am." " Who's that with you?" "JIM-BOB:" "Elizabeth." "You mean, she's fishing too?" "You're gonna need better bait than this if you want to catch Steve." "Why don't you talk louder, so the whole world can hear you?" "[IN NORMAL VOICE] I sure like fishing, unlike most girls." "JIM-BOB:" "I do too." "Sure we shouldn't talk louder?" "Maybe he didn't hear us." "I think I'm going to fish somewhere else." " I think I caught something." " Hang on, Elizabeth." " I think I've got a submarine!" " Hang on, Elizabeth." "I'll get the net." "JIM-BOB:" "Oh, that's a big fish." "That's my catfish!" "I've been after that fish for three years, and who gets it?" "A dumb girl!" "Wait till Daddy sees this!" "Elizabeth, what are you doing?" "Come on, this fish is more important than that dance." "Daddy's back!" "Come on, they're here!" "ESTHER:" "Hello." " Hello, Grandma." "Welcome home." "JIM-BOB:" "Nice to have you back, Grandma." "[LAUGHING]" "Grown, isn't he?" "Oh, my!" "We joined up, Grandma." "Welcome home, Grandma." "I have someone I want you to meet." "Grandma, this is your first great-granddaughter, Virginia." "Oh, my." "Baby." "[CHUCKLES]" "Ma, I want you to meet Rose." "Esther." "Do you mind if I call you Esther?" "These are my grandchildren." "This is Serena and Jeffrey." "You know, we held supper for you two, I hope you're both starving to death." "We're going to have your blueberry pie, Esther." "I was finally able to track down a recipe for it." "You'd be a wealthy woman if you'd been willing to give up a few of your secrets." "Ma, let's eat." "JIM-BOB:" "Sounds good to me." "[CHATTERING]" "May I come in, Ma?" "Feels kind of strange, doesn't it?" "Having a house full of new people." "No." "I felt the same way when Liv first brought them here." "Took some time, but I've changed my mind." "Ma, we needed them." "Especially with you and Liv gone." "Besides, Rose and the kids had nowhere else to go." "[MOUTHS] I know." "Ma, I love you." "This is your home." "It'll always be here for you." "I wish we had a couple more days together before I had to take you over to the Baldwins." "Yeah." "Ma." " Hi, Jim-Bob." " Steve." "ERIN:" "Are you coming in, Elizabeth?" " No, I'm gonna wait out here." "JIM-BOB:" "Good luck." " Steve?" " Hi, Elizabeth." "Been fishing lately?" "You caught the only fish worth catching in the whole county." "I didn't mean to." "It was an accident." "I threw it back." "You shouldn't have done that." "You should have had it mounted." " Steve." " What, Elizabeth?" " I finally figured out quadratic equations." " That's good." " Have you heard about the dance?" " Of course I've heard about the dance." " Do you like to dance?" " Depends on who I'm dancing with." "Now, listen, I'm waiting for somebody, Elizabeth." " Are you going?" " Where?" " To the dance." " Yeah." "There you are." "I thought I was gonna have to come in and get you." " Hi, Elizabeth." " Hi, Norma." " Ready?" " Mm-hm." "That's too bad, Elizabeth." "Men are such jerks!" " Elizabeth, don't you want a ride home?" " I'd rather be alone." "[DOOR KNOCKS]" "EMILY:" "Coming." "Esther." "We didn't know you had returned." " Yes." " Can we come in?" "How nice." "Please do." "JOHN:" "Said you wanted a nurse, so...." "EMILY:" "Oh, that was before." " Who is it, Emily?" " Hello, Miss Mamie." " Oh, John." "How nice of you to drop by." "JOHN:" "I brought you a visitor all the way from Buckingham County." " Esther?" " Yes, it's me." "Maybe we should take Esther's things to the guest room." "[KNOCKS]" "Daydreaming?" "You could call it that." "You have a friend downstairs waiting for you, a guy named Drew." "I really don't feel like seeing him." "Would you go downstairs if his name was Steve Prince?" "I don't have to worry about it because it's not going to happen." "You see, as soon as I start to like a guy, he pretends I don't exist." "Elizabeth, we've all been through that." "Jason, Mary Ellen, Erin and myself." "Why don't I just stop falling in love then?" "I don't want to feel like this again." "Nobody does but it's a risk you've got to take if you want to get close to another person." "I wish I could wake up tomorrow morning and be your age and happily married." "To your surprise, you will be, soon enough." "But, right now, Drew is downstairs hoping to talk to you." "And there's nothing like a good friend to mend a broken heart." "Take it from someone who knows." "Now come on." " Hi, Elizabeth." " Hi, Drew." "Um..." "Elizabeth, I was wondering...." "I know it's kind of short notice but I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go to the dance with me." "I thought you were gonna go with Joleen Eisley." "Yeah, so did I, but she decided to go with someone else." "So I'm your second choice." "Well, I'm your second choice too, you know." "I mean...." "You wanted to go to the dance with Steve, but I figure you and me we can have just as much fun even if we're not with the person we wanted to be with in the first place." "Well, it's better than staying home." "Well, we've always been friends." "Look, you want to go, or not?" "Sure." "Great." "Then I'll see you tonight, huh?" "Great." "Hey, thanks a lot." "I'll see you later." "Bye-bye, Elizabeth." "Bye-bye." "It's good of you to be so concerned, Esther but sister and I are getting along quite well on our own, as you can see." "Just as we always have since Papa departed." "But I am glad that you're going to stay for a few days more for sister's sake than my own." "Esther's here for your sake, sister, not mine." "I hope you're not going to try to talk me into surgery because I will not have some charlatan put a knife to my eyes." "We are very much against charlatans and their knives, don't you know." " Other people have handicaps, Esther." " So why can't sister?" "No hope." "Hope." "Hope." "Where is Corabeth?" "She should be here right now to help with the preparations." "[MUSIC PLAYING AND PEOPLE CHATTERING]" "Oh, my." "Isn't it romantic?" "My, oh, my." "Just like the grand balls Papa used to host." "Yes, it is grand, sister, but it's been an exhausting day and I really haven't the energy left to carry out my duties as a chaperone." "Surely, sister, you're not too tired to enjoy the dancing and music." " Yes, I'm afraid so, sister." "I'm afraid so." " Grandma." " I want you to meet Drew." " Hello, Mrs. Walton." "Nice to meet you." "ELIZABETH:" "Are you having fun?" " Oh, yes." "I'll see you later." "Good day." "Elizabeth." "I seem to be spending all my evening telling you two to dance further apart." "Now, you're dancing entirely too close for comfort." " I'm very comfortable, Corabeth." " Yeah, me too." "Ouch!" "Steve!" "I'm sorry." "I guess I just wasn't meant to be a dancer." " You sure weren't." " Norma!" "[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]" " You want to sit this one out?" " All right." "Let's go outside." "Esther." "Did you see that?" "Elizabeth and Drew went out on the patio alone together." "Whatever for?" "There's not a soul out there." "That's my point." "Well...." "I shall just sit here and count the seconds until they return." "It's kind of nice to get some fresh air, don't you think?" "Do you think we should be out here alone?" "Sure, why not?" "Well, how about because my grandmother's inside and Corabeth is watching us like a hawk?" "I think they're afraid we're gonna fall in love or something." " Would that be so awful?" " I don't think so." "Hey, you like those fast dances?" "Well, not as much the slow ones." " Do you want to dance?" " All right." " I think I shall retire." " Oh, sister, the party has just begun." "For me it has ended." "Good night, Esther." "Say good night to Corabeth." "I shall take you to your room." "No, no, I'm all right." "You're a lot easier to talk to than Joleen, and you're a good dancer." "Thank you." "You're a good dancer too." "I couldn't believe how upset Norma was at the way Steve was dancing." "Steve who?" " Well, here we are." " Home." "Yeah?" "Do you want to go to a movie tomorrow night?" "Yeah, I'd love to." "What time?" " 6:30?" " All right." "Well..." " ..." "I suppose I better be getting inside." " You want me to get the door for you?" "Well, you don't have to." "I mean, I can do it myself." "I've been opening doors for a long time." " Bye-bye, Elizabeth." " Bye-bye." "[PLAYING PIANO]" "[ESTHER SPEAKS INCOHERENTLY]" " Do you like this one?" " Yeah." "Oh, yes." " Eyes." "Eyes." " It's a scarf." " Eyes." " Eyes." "You want me to put this around my eyes?" " Yes." " Ohh!" "What fun!" "Blind Man's Bluff." "It's always been my favorite sport, don't you know." "There." "There I am, all tied up." "Oh!" "Oh!" "Now, Esther, not too fast." "I tend to get dizzy, don't you know." "Esther, I'm frightened." "Esther." "Help me." "Help me." "Esther, you want...." "Sister." "[SHATTERING SOUND]" "Oh!" "It's sister." "Sister, are you hurt?" "I was dusting." "I didn't see it." "John Quincy Adams gave this to Papa's grandfather." "Poor sister." "Sister." "I'm getting old, sister." "Too old to even do my own dusting." "No, you're not." "I wonder what will go once my eyesight fails." "My hearing perhaps?" "I'll always be here to take care of you, sister." "No, no, no." "But, Esther, surely she can't look after herself." "It's true, sister." "I shall be a burden to you." "ESTHER:" "See." "I love the color of these roses." "It saddens me to think that I may not be able to see them much longer." "But you've learned to live with your handicap, Esther I shall just have to learn to live with mine." "[BIRD TWITTERING]" " A whippoorwill, sister." " Where?" "Can you see it?" "EMILY:" "I believe it's the other side of the wall." " Where everything shall be soon." " Try." "Try." "But all my life I've so depended upon my sight." " Now, to have it taken from me, I...." " Don't give up." "Papa's been dead for over 20 years, sister." "Perhaps it's time we did try." "Would you want me to break our oath?" "Papa made us promise to take care of one another." "I wouldn't be keeping that promise if I stood by and let you go blind when there's help right at hand." "But we vowed never to undergo surgery, because that's the way Papa died." "If Papa had died while planting roses would we have vowed never to plant another rose bush?" "If Papa had been struck down while looking at the stars would we have pledged never again to look at the heavens?" "Well, I suppose we did say a great many things then that we didn't really mean." "Papa shouldn't have died that day." "But then, perhaps I shouldn't be blind, either." "Oh, sister." "Thank you." "JOHN-BOY:" "After Miss Mamie consented to the operation grandmother returned to Buckingham County to take care of her sister Angie." "When Miss Mamie's eyesight was restored she later said that she had stood at her father's portrait and had seen a look of approval that she had never known to be there." "JIM-BOB:" "Elizabeth, when you say good night, does Drew kiss you?" "Elizabeth?" "ELIZABETH:" "No, Jim-Bob." "JIM-BOB:" "Oh, come on." "ELIZABETH:" "Drew kisses me before he says good night." "JIM-BOB:" "Does he close his eyes when he kisses?" "ELIZABETH:" "I don't know." "JIM-BOB:" "Why not?" "ELIZABETH:" "Because I close mine." "JIM-BOB:" "Elizabeth?" " What?" "[JIM-BOB MAKES KISSING SOUND]" "JIM-BOB:" "Good night, Elizabeth." "[ENGLISH" " US" " SDH]"