"I bet a bright boy like you could get me through this gate if you wanted to, hm?" "Jeb." "What are you doing?" "I forgot to give you this letter yesterday." "I told you newspaper fellows, nobody gets inside." "That's Mrs. Forrest's orders." "Halt." "Left-wheel." "Eyes-left." "Eyes-front." "I'm sorry, gentlemen." "No rooms without a bath." "No rooms, no baths." " Stick close by, will you?" " Oh, yes, sir." " Still raining out, Bob?" " Slight drizzle." " Hello, Jane." " Hello." "Steve, what in the wor..." "Steven O'Malley." "Oh, Steve." "Let me..." "Come over here, let me take a look at you." "Oh, I can't believe it." "Stevie." "You eat your heart out for a guy for two years, then you don't recognise him." "Careful now." "I might take you seriously." "Coffee?" "Get me a coffee." "Plenty of cream and sugar." "Where I've been, no cream and sugar, no coffee." "It's your eyes." "That's what it is." "You've seen an awful lot over there, haven't you, Stevie?" "That bad?" "Were you in a concentration camp or with the Berlin press bureau?" " I'm still wondering, Jane." " Oh=ho=ho..." " Did it hurt much?" " Did what hurt?" "When Hitler kicked you out?" "Hit..." "Thanks." "Good old Janie." "My, it's nice to see you." " How do I get a room in this joint?" " Didn't you wire?" "Oh, Steven, honestly." "Come on." "Follow grandma." "Mr. Arbuthnot, guess what." " The hot water doesn't run." " No, even worse." "My husband just arrived." "Change the register to read "Mr. and Mrs. O'Malley"." "Come, darling." " Freddie, isn't it wonderful he's back?" " Wonderful, but not this wonderful." " You're kidding about the Mrs. O'Malley." " Of course, dear." " Did you know he was coming here?" " Nobody knows but the boss." "I'll take your room." "You move in with Steve." "The five other men in my room will welcome you." "Great." "Steven, we could get married." "Or use the room in shifts." "My best hours are from 3 to 10." " Mine too." " We better push along." " Let's go." " Guard those with your life, sonny." " How are you?" " Fine, Mr. Ambassador." "I thought they had chopped your head off by now." "I'm glad they didn't." "Oh, just a considerate guy." "He knows when two people want to be alone." "Don't be silly." "He doesn't even know I'm alive." "Better come down, son." "You'll slip." "Come on, son." "Come on down." "Come on." "Steady there." "You mustn't let it get you like that." "If it hadn't been for me, he'd be alive today." " O' Malley." "When did you get back?" " Hello, stranger." " Sam, you had a good one?" " Not so hot." "Never mind, son." "I'll sit this one out." " What are you, a trained seal?" " I haven't got any whiskers." " Or a deadline." " He's a journalist, not a newspaperman." "I'm a prima donna." " Sorry we got separated, Jane." " How do you spell Presley?" "With a "y"?" "Thanks." "What's the matter, Steven?" "No more worlds to conquer?" "No more hot water to scramble out of." "Well, you might fall in love." "No, no, I've dodged that." "I've had luck so far." "Oh=oh, tough guy, aren't you?" "The accident happened at eight o'clock or thereabouts." "The coroner placed the washout between 6.30 and 7." "Don't mind him." "Since he helped with the Lawson murder case, he's taken to crime." "He doesn't believe in honestly broken necks." "The bridge had been weakened by the storm." " Maybe." " You're not on the level." "Could be... anything." "Even suicide." "What's the difference?" "He's gone." "That's the real tragedy." "In Europe, I saw most of the decent things of life change." "But I felt I could look across the Atlantic and see Robert Forrest, firm as a rock." "Standing for things that were decent and honest." "That's why I'm here." "To write the story of his life, so that we'd always have it to lean on in the dark days ahead." "I thought it would be easy until I saw what he meant to all these people." " His wife has something to live up to." " That's why I want to see her." "If you get near her, I'll give you the Pulitzer Prize." "I'll do even more than that." "I'll marry Freddie." "No kidding." "She thought Forrest was something to be locked up in a safety deposit vault." "The Queen of Jericho." "She's built the walls of Jericho around that place." " And you're no Joshua." " Yeah." "Uh." "You've a visitor." " Anything I can do for you?" " Yes." "Mind your own business as far as Mrs. Forrest is concerned." "I heard what you said." "Take a tip from me and keep off her track." "Try to have respect for what she's going through." "Or it'll be my privilege to knock your head off." "He's a big man." "I don't want to have any trouble with him." "Gentlemen." "Gentlemen, excuse me." "Pardon me." "I have a few words I'd like to say to the press." " If you'll go into the parlour." " It's time for some news." " You've been very patient." " Looks like a lead to me." " The fabulous Steven O'Malley?" " My name's O'Malley." "Olive Kerndon." "Mr. Forrest's secretary." "Mr. Forrest admired your writing." "He used to quote you a lot." "Really?" "That's very nice." "Uh..." "I wonder if I could talk to Mrs. Forrest after a day or two." " You're not going back?" " I'd like to see her first." "How do you do?" "The press conference will be in the parlour." "It's been a very great pleasure." "If you'll just come this way." "Just blow your trumpet, Joshua, and the walls of Jericho fall right down." "May I have a glass of water, please?" "These reporters are annoying, aren't they?" "Mr. Midford is Mrs. Forrest's cousin." "Oh." "Oh, indeed." "Poor Mrs. Forrest." "I've wanted to..." "just to hold her hand, but of course, I wouldn't have the lack of taste to bother her." "Or you." " Drunk?" " No." "He was drinking ginger ale." "Oh, poor fellow." "He seems so overcome by the family tragedy that he didn't even go to the funeral." "I wonder why not." "If it had been up to me, I would've opened the estate after the accident." "But..." "But I was acting under Mrs. Forrest's orders." "I've prepared a few biographical notes that may help you." "Maybe in a week or so, Mrs. Forrest might relent." "Robert Brindley of The Tribune?" "Bully job on those labour hearings in Detroit." "No." "I'm afraid even you will have to bow to Mrs. Forrest's unfortunate prejudices." "Of course, she's not herself." " I tried to get in a year ago." " Martin Snow of the Globe Syndicate?" "I remember your obituary of Mr. Forrest was a masterpiece." "Your description of him in the Argonne Offensive." ""That tattered scarecrow youth standing in a sort of ecstasy of faith against all the blazing powers of hell. "" "Do I quote correctly?" "Your description of his men's superstitious belief." ""As long as Robert Forrest remained on his feet, no harm could come to them. "" "Your... your handling of the Forrest legend." ""His simple, homely Lincoln=like quality. "" "Well, gentlemen I think I've known him perhaps more intimately than most of you." "And I can say ecce homo." "That was Robert Forrest." "Now, gentlemen, if you'll excuse me." "You've been very patient." "Some people don't fully appreciate the importance of newspapermen as public servants in a democracy." "Thank you." "Mr. Kerndon." "Oh, Mr. Kerndon." "You will telephone, won't you?" "I'll see what can be done, especially for you, but, frankly," "I haven't much hope." "Goodbye." "Blow harder, Joshua." "Her Ladyship may be a little deaf." " How long to the station?" " 20 minutes." "If you walk fast." "Walk?" "This is a taxi, isn't it?" " It's busy." " About what?" "Business, I guess." " How far is the station?" " Nice brisk walk will do you good." " What are you staying here for?" " My health." "Wonderful walks." "I haven't walked since I was two years old." "I didn't like it then." "Hey, Joshua." "Jericho is that way." "Going somewhere?" " I don't know." "Are you?" " Maybe." "Are you a snooper?" "I don't stand for snoopers." "No." "Kind of a snooper." "War snooper." "Oh, well." "You won't find any war around here." "Come aboard if you want to." "Did you belong to that Forward America Association of Mr. Forrest's?" "They asked me to join." "I guess it's a good notion." "But I'm no joiner." "When I march, I like to march at my own pace." "And if I have to have a fight, I like to pick it." " You said you had no wars." " Not in a manner of speaking." "But there's always good and evil up against each other." "Man's got to take sides sooner or later." "You'll know that one of these days, young fella." "Good afternoon, Mr. Rickards." "I phoned you this morning." "It's no use." "Somebody told me you served under Mr. Forrest in the last war." "Mr. Forrest served under me." "At first." "Oh." "You were his top sergeant?" "I was his captain." "Later I became his gatekeeper." "Get that wound in the Argonne?" "Yes." "Mr. Forrest got a medal for bringing me in." "And you've been with him ever since, eh?" "Yes, Mr. Forrest was very kind." "He believed in charity." "Come back in an hour." "What's the matter, son?" "Anything I can do?" "No." "Might be able to help you." "I cry sometimes myself." "Seen a lot to cry about." "Where?" "France, Poland." "Very few places where you don't have to cry." "We're lucky." "That's what Mr. Forrest..." "used to say on the radio." "And I killed him." "I killed him." "I should've warned him about that mean old bridge." "But Dad wouldn't let me go out in the storm." "I should've told him anyway." "Because..." "Because I was Mr. Forrest's man." "Now I'm nobody." " That isn't true." "You're your own man." "And nobody would say that quicker than Mr. Forrest." "After all, dying isn't very important." "It's the way we live that counts." "Do you think that's it?" "We've got to carry on for Mr. Forrest." "We don't want to be slaves, do we?" "Slaves?" "That's what they're fighting for." "Oh, that was a civil war." "1861=1865." "There aren't any slaves now." "Not here, maybe." "But Europe's full of them." "Might be our turn next." "How?" "There are so many ways it would take me the whole day to try to explain it." "But the general idea is that they try to get us all confused and scared and sore at each other." "And then, before you know it, clamp their handcuffs on us." "Hm." "What, they'd really put chains on me?" "Not on your hands because you'd have to work for them." "The chains would be on your mind and on your tongue." "Well..." "What are we going to do about it?" "We're not going to let them kick us around, are we?" "You and I are free men today because, centuries ago, some unknown guy got the idea he was just as good as the fella bossing him." "And what a fight that started." " Who won?" " Ah, it's not over yet." "We lost a great fighter when Mr. Forrest died." "But he's still watching us." "And he's still yelling at us to carry on." "That's what I'm trying to do." "You see, I'm trying to write his story, so that people will understand that he's watching us." "And so that they'll still hear his voice." "Let me read it, will ya?" "Well, I can't." "I..." "I need some help on it." "And some people won't help me." "Who?" "Mrs. Forrest, for instance." " Who says so?" " She won't see me." "She will when you tell her." "She loved Mr. Forrest." "I can't get into the grounds and she won't answer the telephone." "I know she's there." " You want to see her now?" " Yes." "Come on." "This is my secret way." "You won't tell anybody, will you?" " I promise." " Promise this way." "On my oath as a true soldier for America in the Robert Forrest Boys' Army, I promise." "That's our oath." "On my oath as a true soldier in the Robert Forrest Boys' Army," " I promise." " For America." "For America." "Come on." "Hello?" "I..." "Nobody answered the doorbell." "That's a lie." "I couldn't find it." "I just walked in." "I'm sorry." "I'm very sorry." "Who are you?" " I'm Steven O'Malley." "I'm a writer." " Steven O'Malley is in Germany." "I came back shortly before Mr. Forrest's death." "I've written Mrs. Forrest several notes." "And I'd like to see her." "Not necessarily tonight." "I had visioned an... older man." "I am Christine Forrest." "I had visioned..." "I'm terribly sorry, Mrs. Forrest." "But a friend of your husband's told me you might be glad to see me." "The gatekeeper's boy." "Poor little Jeb." "Yes." "He seems to think that he killed uh because he didn't warn him about the bridge." "Boys loved Mr. Forrest." "I've had letters, sweet letters, heartbreaking letters," "He was the light of their eyes." "It seems that the light has gone out." "No, no, it burns brighter than ever." "It must always burn." "We must see to that." " We?" " Yes." "All of us who were guided by it." "Who drew warmth from the flame." "And you can protect that flame." " I tried to." " Let us help you." "You are not alone." "That's what I've come to tell you." "I tried." "I had wondered if you..." "spoke as you wrote." "I speak as I feel." "I feel very deeply about this." " What do you want from me?" " The life of Robert Forrest." "I can't give it to you." "It's been taken away." " There is so much you could tell me." " Like what?" "The sound of his laugh?" "The touch of his hand?" "I'm sorry." "I'll go now." " Tomorrow perhaps?" " I don't understand you." "I don't see why I should talk to you." "I've seen you five minutes." "I don't know you." "Anything about you." "I wish you would go." "Funny." "I've seen you five minutes, and I feel I know you very well." "I appreciate what you are trying to do for Mr. Forrest." "I... regret that I shall not be able to help you." "Good night, Mr. O'Malley." "Good night, Mrs. Forrest." "Did you send for O'Malley?" "No." "A friend sent him." "But I'm glad he came." "He has a wonderful face." "So honest and frank." "He'd be a valuable friend." " I heard what he asked you." " Then you heard what I answered." "That wasn't very wise." "He won't bother to come back." "If that's what you're worried about." "No." "Having opened the door to him, you can't slam it in his face." "It wouldn't be wise." " It's been done." " You must open it and invite him in." " Why?" " He'll think you're hiding things." "He's eager to write a memorial to your husband's memory." "If you refuse your help, he'll start wondering why." "I think Mr. O'Malley understands that I have no heart for further publicity." "But this is different." "He's not writing a gossip column." " What do you want me to do?" " Help him." "Guide him." "Use him." " The opportunity's passed." " You must make another." "At once." "You realise that you should?" "Perhaps." " May I have Mr. Forrest's keys?" " What do you want with them?" "He said to destroy some sealed envelopes in the event of his death." " What was in them?" " I've no idea, naturally." "Naturally." "That was in the event of my death, too." "He talked to me about those envelopes." "I'll see to them myself." " Wasn't that the cousin?" " He's a little of everything'." "Cousin, gambler, motorbike rider, farmer." "Mostly motorbike rider." "That's why the bank's sellin' his farm from under him next week." "Banks aren't interested in motorbike ridin'." "Didn't Forrest take him in hand?" " Him?" " What's on your mind?" "When Forrest was alive, that fella wasn't allowed inside." "Why not?" "I would think it was because Forrest didn't want him in there." "Your wife was asking for you." " Thank you." "Well, Joshua, how were the walls of Jericho?" "Not so difficult." "You saw her?" "Well, come on, give." "What was she like?" "Hmmm." "You know." "No, frankly, I don't." "Is she what you expected?" "A little younger." "And what was she wearing?" " A sort of a hairdo." " Ha=ha=ha." "Nice." " She possibly had something else on?" " Hm?" "What was she wearing, dope?" "White, I think." "Yes, it was white." " Widows sometimes wear black." " This was white." "Soft, creamy white." "Dress, blouse, suit..." "nightgown?" " Dress." " A dress." "A white dress." " Zipper or buttons?" " Why don't you go back to New York?" "And leave this fascinating place at the height of the season?" "Uh=uh." " Freddie go to bed?" " Yes, we're alone at last." "That's wonderful." "I guess horn=blowing is a pretty fair=sized job, eh, Joshua?" "You look all shot to pieces." " Good night, sugar." " Good night." "Stevie." "You've got a room of your own." "I told Mr. Arbuthnot you snored and I'm getting a divorce." "I must say he seemed very upset about it." "Tell me, Mr. Arbuthnot, do you know Mrs. Forrest personally?" " Mrs. Forrest is a wonderful woman." " Yes, I'm sure." " Have you ever seen her?" " Yes." "Was there a strange, eerie music like something not of this earth?" "Did she float by on a cloud or just rise out of a lake?" "Good evening." " Mrs. Forrest." " Thank you for the message and flowers." "Well, you know how I feel..." "how we all feel about..." "Is there something I can do for you?" "Could you find out whether Mr. O'Malley has come in yet." "I'll call him." " Would you mind waiting in the parlour?" " Not at all." "Thanks." "Come in." " What do you want?" "Hello?" "Hm." "Oh, really?" "She's downstairs?" "Hm." "Tell her to take her boots off." "I'll be right down." " You bore me." "Hello?" "She's..." "I'm very sorry." "Yes, I'll be right down." "What is it?" "Bad news?" " No, just somebody wants to see me." " How friendly." " Do I need a shave?" " Depends who it is." "If it's a man..." " No, it's not a man." " I've got it." "It's a woman." "Your trousers need pressing." "They look as though you'd fallen into something." "You haven't, have you, Stevie?" "You're a clever little snooper, aren't you?" "No." "If I were clever, I'd stop kidding myself and marry Freddie." "Hey!" "Hm." "I hope you'll admit that it's a woman's privilege to change her mind." "Sometimes even her duty." "That's what I began to feel after..." "I sent you away." "You're going to help me?" "Seems to be the only way to show that I appreciate what you're trying to do." "You thought it strange perhaps that I refused before." "No, no, I didn't think it was strange." "I thought..." "Tell me." "Well, I thought you'd been hurt." "I..." "You're sensitive, you're too sensitive to be hurt any more by being made to talk about things you don't want to talk about." "I was right." "You are kind." "You did understand." " Then that's how it was?" " Yes." "That's how it was." "And afterwards..." "Afterwards I began to think you are not the sort of man one opens the door to and then closes it in his face." "You have the right to close the door on anyone you choose." " You make all the excuses for me." " None are necessary." "I'm glad you changed your mind, though." "Well, I've made a beginning." "Here are some pictures which have never been published." "They might interest you." "I took most of them myself just after we were married." "This is interesting." "That's one of the crowds that used to collect outside hotels wherever we went." "I know this place." "It's in Germany, isn't it?" "Yes, I went to school there." "I wanted Robert to see it." "Even there he was known, as well as all over France." "And the crowds loved him." "Crowds always loved him." "Wanted to be near him." "Sometimes, they'd reach out to touch him, curious, as though to find out what he was made of." "Here he is on a horse." "He could ride with the best." "I myself used to wonder what made him so different, so much... stronger than other men." "Did you ever find out?" "Yes." "He willed it." "And whatever he willed, he could do." "Whether it was taking a strange horse over a fence or..." "Or taking a hill in the Argonne." "Yes." "Whatever it was, whatever he willed, he could do." "Uh... these are..." "some notes which I made listening to some impromptu speeches of his, which have never been published." "Well, these are fine." "They're..." "They're fine, but... uh but documents and photographs are not really what I want." "Uh..." "What I want is... uh..." "Yes?" "...the truth." "The..." "The truth as you know it about the man himself." "That's what I'm trying to give you." "And you have, you have." "For a moment, I..." "I thought I saw him." "Crowds surging toward him, the lovers' pilgrimage to your old school." "But he's..." "He's not here." "Perhaps if you just talked and let me listen and later on let me wander through the rooms in which he lived," "I..." "I could get to know the man I want to write about." "Will you come tomorrow afternoon?" " I should be glad to see you." " Thank you." " Good night, Mr. O'Malley." " Good night." "Of course, they are cousins." "Cousins frequently console each other in grief." " Hm?" "What did you say?" "Shhh." "I think I hear Mr. Forrest turning over in his grave." "Good afternoon." "If you want today's papers, we get them tonight." "No, I'm looking for a junior=size football." "Oh." "Oh, yes, right here." "Dollar and a quarter." " Thank you." " Thank you." " Midford Farm?" " Yes, Mrs. Forrest's cousin." "I should've taken that down." "Sale's off." "Young Midford paid mortgage." "Everybody in town's wondering where on earth he got his money." "Cousins frequently pay each other's mortgages." "I... uh like the cut of you, young man." "Thank you." "Might be better if you minded your own business." "Robert Forrest's life is my business from now on." "I would think it was his own." "He's dead." " Dead man can't rightly defend himself." " I'm not attacking him." "Step into places you don't belong and anything can come of it." "Look out!" "Close." " Hi, doc." "My brakes aren't working." " So I see." " Lucky you was here." " Any damage, doctor?" "Oh, minor contusions, slight abrasions." "Nothing serious." " Dr Fielding." "You're the newspaperman?" " That's right." "How's Jeb?" "A little fevered." "It's more mental than anything." " I'll run and see him." " Looks better than ever." "Yeah?" "I'm glad you think so, Orion." "What do I owe you for the improvement?" "Gratis." "Gratis." "Glad to oblige." " Who's sick?" " Young Jeb." "I don't feel so good myself." "Last night, I didn't sleep good at all." "So I ached all up here, all down round here." "And I had a sort of a sore throat." "Tongue's coated, innit?" " Feverish too." "No appetite at all." " Take this in a glass of water." "Now, wait a minute, doc." "I ain't come to you professionally." "Oh, I know." "We just happened to meet and you happened to get talking." "No charge." "Why, thanks, doc." "And..." "Say, my old lady ain't feeling so good, either." "Oh, that's too bad." " Looks pretty hopeless, don't it?" " Yeah." "You're as bad as Mrs. Forrest." "We played three games last night, and I beat her every time." "She play chess?" "Yes." "She's fine when her mind's on it." "But she has her bad days, too." "She come here often?" "No, I go to the big house usually and we have sponge cake and hot chocolate." "But she came here last night because I was sick." "She used to come and see my sister when she was sick, too." "She treats everybody swell." "Check." "Ah, you're too good for me." "You win." "I give up." "Uh..." "What were you going to tell me about your sister and Mrs. Forrest?" "My sister was sick a long time." "She was Mr. Forrest's secretary." "And Mrs. Forrest used to bring her fruit and flowers and things." "That's her picture." "Oh..." "Very pretty." "Where is she now?" " Why, she's in a..." " She went away." "Get married?" "No." "Mrs. Forrest gave me my chess set, too." "Oh, did she really?" "Hello." "May I speak to Mrs. Forrest, please?" "This is..." "Oh, I wouldn't have recognised your voice, Mrs. Forrest." " This is Steven O'Malley." " Steve O'Malley?" "O'Malley?" " Are you a friend of Robert's?" " I don't understand." "Is this Mrs. Forrest?" " Hello?" " You can't speak on that phone." "It hasn't been working since the cloudburst." "I talked to someone who said she was Mrs. Forrest." "That's old Mrs. Forrest." " Old Mrs. Forrest?" " You know, Mr. Forrest's mother." " No, I don't know." " Next time you need the phone, ask me." " Where does she live?" " Up the other side at the big house." " In the grounds here?" " Yes, this is a party line." " Oh, the storm didn't put her line out?" " No." "That was the only one that wasn't." " I could've run to the big house." " Nobody could've gone in that storm." "I could've gone to the bridge and warned him." " He'd be alive today if I had." " Stop worrying yourself sick." "Oh, it's my fault." "I failed him, I failed him." "It's my fault." " You stop that and lie down." " I should've gone without asking you." "Hear that?" "What's the good of talking to him?" " Please lie down." " Come on, Jeb." "You heard your dad." "He's the first in command." "You've got to obey him." "Mr. Forrest and Mrs. Forrest would expect that of you." "Oh, all right." "Atta boy." "I'll play chess with you another day." "Next time, I'm going to beat you." "Bye." "Oh... um..." "Thank you, sir." "I'll get your car for you." "I don't remember ever hearing anything about Robert Forrest's mother." "No, I guess not." "You've seen terrible things." "I've seen terrible men." "Uh..." "I'm trying to explain to you why why I..." "I won't be able to spare you." "I'll have to pry and probe and force my way into places where I don't belong." "I'll have to soak myself in his way of life, which is a way of life entirely strange to me." "Even this house." "I..." "I've never lived as graciously and beautifully as this." "Always sort of bummed around in cold bedrooms and air=raid shelters, and places." "I'm a little lost." "I'm lost, too." "I've got to find my way." "At first, I..." "I thought I'd..." "keep everything just as he left it." "But I..." "I see now that was wrong." "Nothing can stay as we leave it." "All we can hope is that someone who loves us will put away our playthings tenderly." "And our follies and our failures, too." "Yes, and those." " Christine, I came as soon as..." " I was expecting you." "My cousin Geoff Midford." "Steven O'Malley." "We've met." "I promised to knock his head off if he made a nuisance of himself." " Do you want me to throw him out?" " Don't be foolish, Geoff." "Mr. O'Malley is here because I asked him." "All right." "Only, it deprives me of a pleasure." "Here are the recordings of when he was almost nominated for the Presidency." "He must've been very much disappointed." "On the contrary." "He said "If the people want me, I'll be glad to serve. "" "But, secretly, he was delighted to get back to his own business." " And his devoted wife." " And his devoted wife, of course." "Who hated Mr. Forrest?" " Hated Robert Forrest?" " Yeah." "What do you want to go and get a divorce for?" "I've been married 32 years, and never a cloud." "Never a cloud." "A happy marriage is the most beautiful thing in the world." "And, besides, you save $2.50 on that extra room." "Good evening, everybody." "Good evening, dear." "Well, you look as happy as though you discovered a body in a trunk." "Better than that." " For instance?" " O'Malley, the great reporter." "The blower=downer of the walls of Jericho." "Oh, come on, Freddie, tell us." "Robert Forrest isn't really dead." "Oh, he's dead." "But his mother isn't." "Go on." " He had a mother." " So did Whistler." " Yeah, but we knew about her." " And I knew about Forrest's mother." " Have you seen her?" " Not yet." "Deputations from the Forward America union, youth section." "Hello, boys and girls." "I'm from the New York Recorder." "I think there are things you could say our readers would like to know about." " Oh, but..." " We don't feel like talking tonight." " Mrs. Forrest wouldn't see you?" " Don't blame her but..." " We wanted her to have our flowers." " And our expression of sympathy." " He's an artist." " Show it to the lady, Tim." " It's all done by hand." " Well..." "Well, this looks like something from the Morgan Library." "Your movement sprung up overnight." "I've heard experts trying to dope out who did such a fine job of organising." " They're wrong." "It just happened." " Like it was needed." "Yes." "When Forrest spoke in Denver two years ago, he invited young people to write to him with their views." "So some of us did." "His secretary thanked us and suggested we get together." " And you did?" " Sure." "We formed a kind of a club." "In Alabama, our chapter got together the same way, when he said on the radio he liked hearing from those still in school." "We started our chain in Oregon from us writing and him writing back." "You came from all parts of the country to..." "To place a wreath of laurel on his grave." "Which we'll do tomorrow." "He cared about the world, the whole world." " And now he's gone." " And nobody cares." "You'd think she'd care enough to have let us give her some flowers." "And our formal expression of sympathy." "I don't blame you, of course, but but if you could see their faces, I'm sure you'd know what I mean." "Yes, I do know what you mean." "But I can't possibly see them tomorrow." "No, no, it's impossible." "I wish you'd explain to them how sorry I am." "Thank you." "Good night." "Oh, Geoff, I haven't the heart to see those children." "If I could only rest." "Sleep, sleep, and not dream." "My poor dear, I'm asking too much of you." "No." "No, we'll do as we planned." "Get the car." " Is Mrs. Forrest at home?" " She asked to..." "John, who's there?" "It's you, Mr. O'Malley." "Do come in." "I've been trying to prepare the ground for you." "I have here the notes on the branches of Mr. Forrest's Forward America movement." "There is a branch in almost every town and village, devoted tirelessly to the true American spirit." "It represents, how shall I say, a passionate desire for all those who represent true Americanism." "I'll show you the press clippings of his speeches." "They're magnificent." "You'll enjoy them, but, of course, you'll miss his voice." "I have here speeches before chambers of commerce." "This will interest you." "Letters from boys and girls all over America." " I'd rather talk to Mrs. Forrest first." " I'm afraid that's impossible." "These..." "Why is it impossible?" "Really." "The element of time must enter into your calculations." " What does that mean?" " Last night, she left on a little trip." " For how long?" " Several days, I expect." "This will interest you." "Do sit down." "It's a record of their marriage." "A very happy one, eh?" "The answer, in political parlance, would be a rousing affirmative." "Political parlance, huh?" "You dabble around much in politics?" "Politics, no." "My talents don't run along those lines, I'm afraid." "I'll leave you to get to work." "I think you'll find everything you want here." "What about Robert Forrest's mother?" "What about her?" "She has her own establishment on the grounds." " Yes, I know." "I talked to her." " You talked to her?" "Yeah." "Just for a minute on the phone." "I imagine she might be quite helpful." "I'm afraid that's impossible." "Mrs. Forrest is very old and an invalid." " Hello." "Got the medicine for Jeb." " Good." "Come around to the other gate." " How is he?" " He had a bad night." "He's better now." "Let me see." "What seems to be his trouble?" "The longer I live, the more I suspect man having a soul that's at the bottom of most of his bellyaches." "He seems pretty little to have soul trouble." "Bugs have no sporting instinct." "They go for the little fellows." "So it's a bug?" "Well, a fever, anyway." "Hero fever, I call it." "It's very modern." "Ever since we got out of touch with God, we've been pushovers for it." " And the young get it the worst of all." " Indicating Robert Forrest?" "Yes, he was a hero." "And Jeb is a high=strung, sensitive little fellow, like his sister." "Was she a patient of yours?" "Up to a point." "What was wrong with her?" "Well..." "If you know what a nervous breakdown is, I don't, she had it." "Robert Forrest had her sent to a sanatorium." "I suppose he felt partly responsible." " You mean, she was in love with him?" " No." "No." "You don't fall in love with a god." "You just worship." "Wear yourself out." "Oh, not Forrest's fault." "There was only one woman in his life." "Christine Forrest." "But that's what he did to other women." "And everyone else." "Well some of us held out." "Now, if you want to do me a great favour, you'll close your eyes." "Count sheep jumping a fence at least up to 100." "I know." "You just want me to go to sleep." "But I'd do anything you asked." "One two three four five six seven eight nine ten." "Eleven, twelve..." "I brought the medicine for Jeb." "Thank you." "I've disappointed you, haven't I?" "You haven't been much help yet." " Are you angry with me?" " I was mad, yes." "But after I saw you..." "You thought I'd promised to help you, then gone away and left you in the lurch." "I didn't run away." "Whatever happens, life won't stop for you." "There are things that must be done." "Oh, I had no reason to resent anything." "My questions could wait." "Are there..." "many of them?" "Quite a number." "Couldn't you ask Mr. Kerndon?" "I could, but there are some I wouldn't like to ask him." " Afraid he'll know that it's acting?" "I think I hear my car." "After all, it was your idea that I come up here." " Naturally, I wanted to ask questions." " Naturally." " Like about Mr. Forrest's mother." " She can tell you nothing." "Mrs. Forrest is very old." "She's been an invalid for years." " Nobody sees her." " That's what the secretary told me." "But I talked to her." " Just for a second, on the phone." " Really?" "If you'd care to come up to the house, I'll tell you anything you want to know." "We're leaving, Jason." "If Jeb should get restless, his medicine is on the table." "Fine." "He's been Janet all over again." "It scared me." "They're putting the telephone lines underground." " Maybe they won't blame me the next..." " Nobody blames you." "Jeb does." "Despite the fact that I got no answer up at the old lady's house." "They should've warned him." "They were closer." "It does no good to think about that now." "No, I suppose not." "He saved my life." "I'd never thanked him for that." "But I didn't wish him dead, either." "All right." "You can go on now." " You were startled at what Jason said." " Kind of." "Something left over from shell shock." "He was really devoted to Mr. Forrest." "No, thank you." "What is that stone building?" "An old fort?" "Yes, built about 1745." " Without windows against the Indians?" " That's what Robert loved." "Nobody to look in on him." "He called it his "arsenal of ideas"." " Mind if I look in sometime?" " Not at all." "I must find the key." "He always kept it locked." " How do you do?" " Will you look after Mr. O'Malley?" " Yes." "Pleasant trip?" " Very." "Get my dressing case." " How's the biography?" " I've written 3 words in as many days." "It'll go quicker now that Mrs. Forrest is back." " Oh, will you excuse me a moment?" " Yes." "If I'd had the Arsenal key, I could've done everything." " I'll tell you what to do." " You'll tell me?" "Thank you." "His finest speech." "Of course, here you miss his great personality, his picturesque figure emphasising dramatically the simplest statement." "Driving his thoughts into the minds of people." "None could withstand him." "You're not bad yourself." "You really should take up politics as a career." "You're joking." "My job's nearly done." "If you know of a secretarial job in New York..." "Greg, Weir  Perkins ought to have something for a man like you." "What do they do?" "They're an advertising firm." "They manufacture rousing affirmatives." "If you wanted to create a nice feeling in the public mind about someone," "Mrs. Forrest, for example." "Greg, Weir  Perkins would plant articles in the newspapers about what a helpful wife she was, and so forth." "Before long, the public would give her a rousing affirmative." " That's rather clever, isn't it?" " Hm." "Little sad, too." "It's a pity how easily people can be fooled." "Uh..." "What is that stone building over there?" "The Arsenal." "Hasn't been used for anything for years but a storehouse." "Uh..." "Maybe Mrs. Forrest decided to take a little rest." "I think I'll take a stroll." "Long distance?" "New York." "Circle 50598." "Yes." "Kerndon, sir." "No, no, not yet." "There's no need to worry, sir." "She's in there now." "Yes, sir." "I know my duty." "I know what must be done." "Nothing will prevent my doing it." "Did you get restless, Mr. O'Malley?" "I seem always to be apologising for wasting your time." "As we drove by, I remembered something I should have destroyed." " Before the biographer could see it?" " Before anyone could see it." "They were personal letters written to me by Robert early in our marriage." "Whenever he was away, he never failed to write." "You may be robbing the world of great love letters." "They weren't written to the world, they were written to me." "Keep this bandage soaked with liniment, Piggot." "Yes." " That ought to help you, Diana." " Do you think she'll be all right?" "I won't be able to say for a day or two." "We have to be versatile in the country." "Last week, I put a splint on a rabbit." " What's wrong?" " Pulled a tendon." " Bad?" " Likely she'll have to be fired." "What do you mean by galloping her after she cast a shoe?" "She was galloped with the shoe half off." "That's where the trouble came in." " How far did you gallop her?" " I don't remember." "The storm frightened Diana and she bolted." "Was that the night of..." " Yes, the night Robert was killed." " It was a bad day all round." "I wish you'd phoned from Mrs. Forrest's house for the station wagon." "I tried to but the line was out of order." "Were you at her house just before the accident?" " Yes, I came from there." " A sad trick of fate that Diana bolted." "If she hadn't, I could've come by the shortcut and seen the bridge." "Then I should have warned Robert." "I'm more worried about you than I am the mare." "Why don't you take our friend for a ride?" "Do you both good." " He knows a lot about horses." " I'd like to go." "I'll get you some riding things." "Will you get two saddled?" " Yes, ma'am." " Thank you." " Bye." " So long." " No use running away from things." " No." "Robert's death is always on your mind, as it is on mine." "We might as well talk about it." "It's awful that if it hadn't been for Diana, you might've seen..." " That the bridge was dangerous?" " Or that someone helped made it so." "Why should you think that?" "Why should anyone think it?" "There are always little fellows willing and eager to tear a great man down." "You're hinting at someone." "If it's Geoffrey, it's terrible." "I didn't mention his name." "But you knew he and Robert hated each other." " I knew Midford had had his troubles." " You made an accusation." "No, I didn't." "I said that it's not unbelievable to suppose that someone who hated or feared or envied your husband might have given that cloudburst a helping hand." "You asked me to be honest, to tell you what I think." "I tell you I don't like it." "I've hit barriers." "If I tear them down, I don't know what might happen." "To whom?" "To you." "What do you want of me?" "Your trust." "I did trust you." "Even in this short time, I'd come to think of you as a friend." "His friend." "I thought we were working together so that he could go on living long after you and I were forgotten." "That's what you offered me." "What's gone wrong?" " That's what I'm asking you." "Isn't that his mother's house?" "Yes." "The storm won't hold off much longer." "I'd like you take me up there." "I'd like to meet her." "I'm going this way." " I wish to see Mrs. Forrest." " Mrs. Forrest?" " Yes." " She's resting." "You've come the wrong house." "Mrs. Robert Forrest lives 3 or 4 miles from here." " I know." "I just came from there." " Mrs. Forrest sent for you?" " In a way, yes." " There's some mistake, sir." "I'll speak to the housekeeper." "Come in quickly, or they'll tell you I'm resting." "Close the door, please." "There's a draught." "I..." "I hope you'll excuse my not remembering your name." "Steven O'Malley." " Mrs. Forrest, you..." " Enough, Mrs. Taylor." "Mr. O'Malley has come to call on me." " You know..." " I'll ring when I want you." " Mrs. Forrest..." " You understand me?" "Yes, Mrs. Forrest." "Poor Mrs. Taylor." "She doesn't remember sometimes that she's only a servant." " Please, Mr. O'Malley." " Thank you." "Oh, thank you." "You're one of Robert's friends?" "I'm one of his greatest admirers." "How nice." " Robert's dead, you know." " Yes, I know." "We've had quite a bit of rain lately, haven't we?" "Yes." "I understand there was a cloudburst the night of the..." " The other night." " The other night?" "Oh, yes." "You mean the night Robert was murdered." "Are you one of Robert's business associates?" "No." "I'm a..." "I'm a writer." "A writer?" "How interesting." " Do you write plays?" " Well, I have written a couple." "Yes." " They weren't very successful." " You must write a play about my son." "I want someone to write a play about my son." "And tell the truth about his death." "I'll help you." "Thank you." "That's very nice of you." "I'll go now." "I'm sorry I disturbed you." "Oh, no." "Please don't go." "I like you." "Where's Robert?" "Come in, my dear." "We'll leave now." "Come on." "This was your idea." "Stay and satisfy yourself." "Mr. O'Malley is a writer." "I don't suppose he told you he writes for newspapers." "We are going to write a play together, aren't we, Mr. O'Malley?" "Did he tell you that?" "Robert always said you were a very good actress." "Perhaps we could get her to act in our play." "We can talk about that later." "Come on." "Oh, no." "No, don't go." "I so seldom get to see anyone." "Christine doesn't want me to see anyone." "Do you?" "Come on." "Perhaps we could come back and see you some other time." "Are you married, young man?" "Robert oughtn't to have married, either." "I warned him." ""She'll pull you down," I said." "Tell my son I want to see him." "Robert's gone away on a long trip." "Why didn't you let him say goodbye to me?" "He always said goodbye to me." "He'd kiss me and say" ""I'm going to find new worlds, Mother. "" "I knew what that meant." "He was like another great man." "Alexander, he called him." "Just his sort." "You wouldn't let silly women's notions get in your way." "Most women spoil your life." "Pull you down." "That's what I always told my son." "Mr. O'Malley is a stranger." "He doesn't understand." "He ought to know the truth." "What my son had to fight even in his own home." "I like you, young man." "You're not the sniveling, whining puppy type." "Like that Midford that used to cling to Christine's skirts." "Robert hated him, too." "Yes, Robert." "I want Robert." "I want my son." "He's gone away for a long time." "That's Robert." "Setting out for new worlds to conquer." "Let me help you to your chair." "I was a cook." "And I had a son." "Now I've got a bigger house than the people I used to cook for." "That's what my son did for me." "Big people have big houses." "And little people work for them." " Yes, Robert." "I'm listening." "I was listening the other afternoon, but she had the telephone." " Why didn't she warn you, Robert?" " That's not true." "Somebody warned her, even through the thunder." "I heard them say" ""Tell Mr. Forrest the bridge is down. "" "But she didn't tell him." "She didn't tell him." "I left before the storm." "You or Mrs. Taylor got the message." "It was too late." "Was it too late if you'd ridden back the way you always went?" " Over the bridge." " My horse bolted." "Hah." "Men like Robert aren't killed by accident." "They are stabbed in the back." "Where are you, Robert?" "I want..." "I want my..." "I want my son." "See what you've done." "I want my son." "I want my..." "I want my son." "My son." "Will it please your readers to know Robert's mother hated his wife?" "Now you can add an insane mother." "Satisfied?" "No." "In our profession, we cherish an absurd ambition, to tell the truth." " No price too high for a good story?" " None." "I owe that to my readers." "But if it broke their hearts?" "I can't judge that." "I know what my job is." "I've made a mess of it here." "I'm not getting what I came after." "I'm not so sure now that I want to get it." "So I'm quitting." "Somebody who doesn't give a hang about the truth or you should take over." "There's no one whom I could tolerate." " Yet you've tried to mislead me." " I tried to give you what you wanted." "I'm sorry." "I can't believe that." "I can't believe anything any more." "My own senses or my own judgement." "At least we don't need to hurt each other any more than we've done already." "If you don't mind, I'll ride home alone." "Hi." "How did you get in here?" "Influence." "Looking for something?" "No, just a hunch." "That's wonderful, Freddie." "What is it?" " It's the bridge." " What bridge?" "Where?" "Oh, oh, this bridge, huh?" "Question is, was it due for a crack=up or not?" "Ah, don't be silly." "You're wasting your time." "This is not your speed." "You're not saying that because I might be too close to where the body's buried?" "The body is buried where it should be, in a hero's grave." " Why don't you let it rest in peace?" " Are you speaking for yourself?" "Yes, and for anyone else who might be just looking for a good story." "That sounds pretty dull." "Maybe there's a story in a simple, clean, home-loving millionairess." "What about the hero's wife?" "Why don't you leave her in peace, too?" "If her memories will." "Mrs. Forrest, I'd like a word with you, please." "What is it?" "I don't like the look on Mr. O'Malley's face." " Time has come for action." " I've taken action." " I'm doing it." " It can't be done by a woman." "If it had been, this wouldn't have happened." "You're quite right." "I have one request." "I'd like the keys to the filing cabinets in the Arsenal." "No." "There may be things you should've destroyed." " Mrs. Forrest." " I only wish to help." " Just a minute, Mr. O'Malley." "We must preserve the memory of the great man who's gone." "Who was and is the bright flame in so many lives." "Come in, Mr. O'Malley." "I'll call you if I need you, Mr. Kerndon." "Does Kerndon know?" "Know what?" "That you killed your husband." "You found it under the bridge." "The night of the tragedy you came the shortcut, saw the bridge was out." "That's where Diana cast the shoe." "You could've warned him, but you didn't." "You killed him." "How else can I say it?" "No other way." "I say it myself." "I say it over and over again at night." "I lie in bed and say it." "But you don't know." " What don't I know?" " I warned him." " He committed suicide?" " No." " You warned him the bridge was out?" " It wasn't out quite." "But enough." "And you warned him about it?" "I said "Robert, don't go." "It means disaster. "" " Meaning the bridge?" " No." " What?" "Where was he going?" " East." " Kerndon have anything to do with it?" " No." " You and Midford?" " Geoffrey." " Don't lie." "You and Midford." " No, no." " You bought up the farm?" " Yes." " Your husband threw him off." " Yes." "When he left you alone here with Midford, that was the disaster?" "Geoffrey knows nothing about it." "You did it alone." "What a sweet story." "The real story of a great American hero." "Whatever has happened doesn't reflect on him." " He's still a hero." " That's right." "And I must still write the story and tell the truth." "Why?" "Just tell me why." " I warned you." "What will he do?" " What he thinks is right." " He'll tell the world." " That'll reflect on me." "There'll be inquiries." "The police will pry and probe." "Give me the keys." "I'll destroy everything." "No." "Then you should go and do it yourself." "Now." "Jeb." "Jeb." "Jeb!" "Oh, hello, Mr. O'Malley." " Put those bags down." " What's wrong?" " Put them down." " Geoff, Geoff." " Do you mind getting out of here?" " Yes." "Easy, Janet." "This is the important man Christine's told you so much about." " Not Steven O'Malley?" " Yes." "The one and only." " What's he got against you?" " Plenty." "Let's forget about it." "I don't want to fight anybody today." "I'm much too happy." "This is Jeb's sister, Janet, who'll probably keep me in better order after we're married." "After you're mar..." "You..." " Congratulations." " Hello there." "Janet." "Let me look at you." "Why, you're as bright as a new silver dollar." "Thanks for bringing her back to us." "They've loved each other ever since they were kids." "They were to be married." "Then Janet got a job as Mr. Forrest's secretary." "After that, she seemed to forget Midford." "Hero worship." "Same as Jeb." "So Midford started crooking his elbow, and Janet cracked up altogether." "Do you blame me for hating Forrest?" " Mrs. Forrest got her into a sanatorium." " Is that where Mrs. Forrest has been?" "Yes." "At the sanatorium with Geoffrey." "And now they're to be married." "Tell him I'm gonna use his car for a minute." " I thought you'd gone." " Where is Mrs. Forrest?" "I just walked with her to the Arsenal." "It's just there through the trees." " Who are you shielding?" " No one." " If I were, I shouldn't betray them." " You're brave, and tough, too." " You let me believe in your treachery." " I want you to go." "I'm gonna get the truth if I have to tear this place down and him with us." "No." "Somebody else will if I don't." "Don't you see you're in a jam?" "I can help you." "What you've done is terrible, but you aren't." " Yes, I am." " It's too late for me to stop now." "If it had been just you and Midford, that would've been love." "I understand love now." "I can understand what it does to a man, to a woman." "I don't even care why you wanted to get rid of Forrest." "I only care that you won't let me help you." " No." " But you are in trouble, aren't you?" "Yes, I'm in trouble." "You need me, don't you?" " Yes, I need you." " Then what is it?" "Tell me, what is it?" "But you..." "You're in trouble, too." "Don't worry about me." "Someone you believed in you won't believe in any more." "I can believe in you so much you can't help yourself." "You must be what I believe you are." "I've been wanting to talk to you since that that first night you came." "I can't fight you off any longer." "I married a legend." "A legend about a hero." "I didn't know it at first." "I..." "I worshipped Robert." "Perhaps to worship anyone is to destroy them." "Everyone worshipped him." "No, no, the... the the image of him." "The image that had been carefully built up in people's minds." "Deliberately built up, I now believe." "Built up with a terrible purpose." "When I discovered what that purpose was, I had to destroy the image." "No, I..." "I had to destroy the man." "To save the image." "Yes, that was it." "What terrible purpose?" "I..." "I didn't know it was terrible once." "You..." " You heard his mother this afternoon." " His mother's insane." "But he wasn't." "He grew to despise the people who worshipped him." "All of us." "Me too." "He felt we were all beneath him." "I didn't know what had happened." "I..." "I suppose I was a bit like that myself once." "I..." "I believed in a few people." "Leaders, rulers." "But when Robert began to change, I I saw the face of fascism in my own home." "Hatred, arrogance, cruelty." "I saw what German women were facing." "I saw the enemy." "Robert Forrest." "The morning of the accident, I stole his keys." "Came here and opened this." "This is what I found." "The key to Robert Forrest's fascist organisation." "They didn't call it that." "They painted it red, white and blue and called it Americanism." "In here are the funds to see it through." "Fantastic amounts from private individuals who didn't want money any more, but political power." "Knew they couldn't get it by democratic means." "There's a list of their names." "This was the essence of their plan." "Here are some articles ready for release to stir up all the little hatreds of the whole nation against each other." "This was to be used in an anti=Semitic paper, attacking the Jews." "This in The Farmers' Gazette, to stir them up against city dwellers." "Here's one attacking the Catholics." "Anti=Negro." "Anti=labour." "Anti=trade union." "Appeal to the Ku Klux Klan." "Here's a list of newspaper editors who either sought to occupy public office or dictate who should do so." "And when they failed, felt the public was a great, stupid beast." "A list of men who served their country in the last war, were failures in business and longed for the power of rank and the prestige of a uniform." "In there are the names and addresses of the men designated to be America's first storm troopers." "But what was really shocking to me was the complete cynicism of the plan." "Each of these groups was to be used until its usefulness was exhausted." "Hates played against hates." "If one group got too powerful, it would be killed off." "In the end, these people who never knew for what purpose they were being used would be in the same chains, cowed and enslaved." "With Robert Forrest and his power=mad henchmen cracking the whip." "Robert Forrest." "What happened to him?" "He changed." "When I first married him, he was as much part of this country as Lincoln himself." "And I love our country." "Always when I came back from Europe," "I felt what it meant to live in the Land of the Free." "When I married Robert, I felt I was stepping into its history." "He was brave, and noble, and immortal." "And I was so proud." "But he changed, I tell you." "Not all at once, but gradually." "He couldn't have been disappointed." "His life had been only triumph." "The tears could still come into his eyes and the catch in his wonderful voice when he spoke to the people." "Perhaps he loved the people." "Perhaps he loved them but didn't trust them to think for themselves." "Or perhaps he was insatiable and wanted even more power to add to his glory." "I don't know." "But he envied the dictators and thought all governments of and by the people were soon to perish from the earth." "Robert Forrest." "And as he changed, my my love changed, too." "I remember the first day I looked at his face and trembled with fear at the change that I saw in that face." "Hatred, arrogance, cruelty." "Face of a man who no longer believed in God, but only in himself." "And he held me in his arms and I knew that it was no longer a wife that he wanted, but sons." "And his eyes told me that I was a poor creature who couldn't give him sons." "And my... my fear changed to pity." "I thought..." "I thought that he was going like his mother." "That..." "That it was madness." "The things he'd think of, the ideas he'd play with, his frank contempt of democracy, his incredible ambition." "But he wasn't mad." "He wasn't mad." "I was more in danger from my own thoughts than he." "The morning of the accident, I stole his keys." "Came here and opened the cabinet." "Then I knew that he was lost, that he was a traitor to his country." "I didn't know what to do." "I went out riding to try to think." "I rode all afternoon." "The cloudburst came." "I sheltered in the mother's house." "I got the telephone message." "I knew the bridge was out." "I saw it." "I came back that way after the cloudburst." "Suddenly, I knew something had to be done." "Saboteurs were awaiting his instructions and he was on his way to give them." "I stood looking at the bridge." "I said to myself quite calmly," ""He'll come this way and be killed unless I hurry and warn him. "" "But I didn't warn him." "Because it came to me that clean death in the rain was the best thing that could happen to Robert Forrest." ""Send him by the bridge", I prayed." ""Let him be killed that he may not mock those who've trusted him and destroy them as he has destroyed me. "" "Half an hour later, they brought his body home." "Now he's in your hands." "Christine, I want you to do something for me." " You want me to give myself up." " No, no, no." "I want you to help me tell the world the truth about him." "Destroy people's belief in their hero?" "Why?" "He wasn't their hero." "He was their enemy." "And they must know it." "They must know what their enemies over there can do to heroes over here." "But it will destroy them." "Christine, people are not children." "Sometimes, they act like children when they're scared and confused." "But down in their hearts, they know and they're not afraid." "They want the truth and they can take it." "You can't lie to them." "I can't lie to them." "Do what..." "Do what you think is right." "I trust you." "I'll do my best to help you." "Key's on the other side." " Doesn't work." " Wire's been cut." " Who did it?" " Kerndon." "Is this the only way out?" "Yes." "Steve!" "Write the story, Steve." "Tell the truth." "Right!" "Turn off!" "Ah!"