"♪ When I am laid" "♪ Am laid in earth" "♪ May my wrongs create-N ♪" "I don't believe it!" "No pulse, no..." "A little after midnight, the old caretaker was awakened by a terrible sound." "Whimpering pitifully." "The sound came again, faintly, only this time he was sure it was human." "The graveyard was silent, except for the steady padding of his feet as he went around the tombstones." ""He/lo!" "ls someone there?" "Someone?"" "There was nothing, no-one." "As he stood there, scratching his head, feeling something of a damn fool, he happened to look down." "And there at his feet, someone had been buried that very afternoon." "The grave had been disturbed, the soil was upset and the cross lay on its side." ""Respect," he muttered, sure now that he was the butt of a practical joke so he smoothed out the soil and set the cross back upright, at the head of the grave." "And then he went back to his bed." "But outside, in the graveyard, in the wind there was still a faint wisp of sound." "Almost like a song." "I'm alive, still alive." "Alive." "God!" "Marvelous story." "Marvelous." "I think that was the worst shocker we've had in years." "Damn near scared the pants off me, I tell you." "Yes, well, I don't know about you, but I could do with another brandy." " Hear, hear!" " Maybe a big cigar." "I've got to go to bed." " So early?" " I haven't been sleeping well lately." "Besides, it's late." "It's getting cold." " And Milly will be waiting up to..." " Pour some hot chocolate down me." "Well, I'll drive you home, Doc." "You know, mark my words, ten years from now, 80% of the young men of this country will be wearing ties only to weddings." "And to funerals too, perhaps." "I'd feel is if I was naked." "Well, it's time we all went home." "Come on, Doc." "You look terrible." "Are you sleeping all right?" " Dammit to hell!" " Well, are you'?" "Gentlemen, before you go..." "I would like to propose a toast." "To us!" "Chowder Society!" " The Chowder Society." " The Chowder Society." " The Chowder Society." " The Chowder Society." " Who are you?" " Sleeping." " Who are you?" " Woke me." "Tell me." "David." "Who are you?" "You know." "I know?" "I am you." "No." "Cold." "What are you?" "Donny?" "Come home, Donny." "There's been a terrible accident in New York." "Your brother is dead, son." "Come home right away." "Now arriving at Gate Three from New York, Hartford and Springfield." "Now arriving at Gate Three from New York..." "Be careful now." "...and Springfield." "Hello, Dad." "Is this all you have?" "I'm fine." " Passengers holding tickets..." " Look at you." "I'm OK, Dad." "Your gate is Four." "Break out the snowmobiles, boys and girls." "Two inches of that lovely white stuff already on the ground and a massive cold front heading our way." "Talking about it might help." "Right." "How's the writing coming?" "I've had other things on my mind." "And the teaching?" "I didn't finish out the term." "Oh, Don." "So what do you think happened to him, Dad'?" "It was an accident." "Is that what you told everybody?" "What?" "That he fell?" "That's what they said." "I don't give a damn what anybody said." "I know something happened to him in New York." "You're shouting." "Jesus Christ, Dad!" "I'm telling you something happened." " I think he may have been murdered!" " Stop it!" "I knew the girl he was going to marry." "I slept with her, Dad." "Do you hear me?" "I slept with her." "You come here looking like God knows what, your brother not even in his grave yet..." "Dad..." "And you start carrying on about having sex with his fiancee." "Dad!" "Isn't it about time you straightened out?" "Somehow." "Dad shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me..." " Thou preparest a table..." " David!" "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life..." "David." "It's Don." "Oh." "I didn't know where I was for a moment." "You were having a bad dream." "Oh, was I ever." "I think I'll turn in." "You know, I..." "I..." "You're all I have left now, you know." "Maybe..." "Maybe if the weather lets up, you and I can go fishing one day." "I'd like that." "Me too." "Stay around a few days and help your old man out with a few things." "Whatever you say." "Sure." "Don't forget to lock up, will you, girl?" "Wake up!" " Wake up!" " NO;" "Ricky, for God's sake!" "Stella." "Thank God." "Here." "You poor darling." "Better?" "Do you want to tell me about it?" "No, no, no." "Oh." "Those gruesome stories you tell each other, it's a wonder you can sleep at all." "What are you old fools up to?" "Black magic." "Oh, that." "Dad?" "Dad?" "Dad, you OK?" "Fine, fine." "You sure?" "It was just..." "Just a dream." "Morning, Mr Mayor." "Everything OK?" "Wife and I were sorry about your loss." "Terrible thing." "David!" "David!" "David! David!" "David!" "What the hell is he...?" "Ned?" "Ned!" "Holy shit!" "Thank God you're back." "Everyone's been calling about poor Mayor Wanderley." "He's a ninny!" "So are the two of you if you keep believing such twaddle." "He saw him." "Edward was doing something on that bridge." "I can't imagine what, but something." "I have another idea..." "We've got to help the boy." "You talk as if he was 12 years old." "I'm sure Edward left him well provided for." "Why don't you tell him how grateful he should be?" "Take it easy now." "To know a man over 5O years, you'd think you knew what he was capable of." "You're not doing your blood pressure any good." "My blood?" "Mr James, it's Joel Brenner over at the Urbanite." "Wants to know if you'll write something about the Mayor for the paper." "Ricky, you take care of it." "What shall I say?" "My God!" "He went off the bridge." "Say whatever you damn please." "I can't believe it." " Come on, you'd better..." " I can't believe it!" "Come on." "You'd better go home now." " You..." "You..." " I'll call you later." "You knew him as well as I did, Ricky." "He couldn't." "I don't believe it." "Not now, Ricky." "Yes, now." "My God, Sears." "Somethings happening." "I can tell." "Something terrible." "You can be very persistent." "Persistent without being a bully." "That's a very nice quality, Ricky." "Don't try to bamboozle me." "It's a few bad dreams." "And the monthly spook story." " Now, come on, let's get to work." " You're dissembling." "It's beneath you." "All right." "What would you advise?" "I don't know." "We've got to do something." "Hello." "What are you doing here?" "Answer me." "I won't hurt you." "Answer the man, Fenny." "Hello, Mr Hawthorne." "What are you doing here?" "What do you want?" "We want to play." "Isn't that so, little brother?" "You can't stay here." "You're breaking the law." "Is that so?" "You're trespassing here, illegally." "No." "No, we're not." "We know the owner." " There is no owner." " Sure, there is." "We've spoken to her." "Who?" "Our friend." "Our new friend." " No-one lives here." " Someone lived here." "Someone fantastic." "Huh?" "You've lived in this town all your life, and you don't know?" "What?" "He knows, doesn't he, Penny?" " No!" " Maybe he'd like to play, Fenny." "Maybe it's time he joined our little game." "You're going to be seeing some unusual and interesting things before we're through, Ricky." "You might say you're going to be having the time of your life." "You know, Ricky, you're not going to know if you're reaping or sowing." "You won't know up from down, and Ricky..." "We're going to tear the soul of this pathetic town and crush its bare bones between our teeth." "Fenny did good, didn't he, lady?" "Excellent." "You liked that, didn't you?" "I loved it." "Now, I'll tell you what we're going to do next." "That's him." "Gregory Bate." "Are you sure, Mr Hawthorne?" "Positive." "The evidence, taken as a whole, leads me to only one possible conclusion." "That Edward Charles Wanderley, his mind in a state of confusion, took his own life." "Get them out of that house today." "Do you hear me?" "I'm sure everybody has by now." "Don't smart-ass me." "Just get them out of there." "Sears James, I don't suppose there's any man alive who ever got in the last word with you." "I should hope to hell not." "Mr Hawthorne..." "Meet me at the Village Pump in half an hour." "It's just like Mr Hawthorne said, Wait." "Bate is crazy." ""Extremely unstable," it says here." "He and the boy escaped from a state mental hospital about a month ago." "And Walt..." "He was a member of some kind of occult order back in California." "Geez!" "What a pair." "Mm..." "Walt." "What about this occult business?" "Do you think there's anything to it?" "I ain't no Freud." "Damn funny world!" "Getting to be a damn funny world." "The strangest things pop into my head." "I was just thinking that sidewalks have changed the world." " One of my earliest recollections is..." " Mr Hawthorne..." "Call me Ricky." "Everybody does." "Getting back to sidewalks." " Your father and I used to..." " Mr Hawthorne..." "You didn't ask me here to talk about sidewalks, did you?" "Sears would brain me for saying this." "But I think we're in danger - all of us." "Milburn, the Chowder Society." "Especially the Chowder Society." "Who is this?" "Never gonna find nothing." "Only a pair of loonies." "Cockamamie!" "Someone's idea of a joke." "Agh!" "The Lord is my shepherd." "I shall not want." "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures." " He restoreth my s..." " How did you get in here?" "Such a tragedy." "I'm so very sorry." "What kind of welcome is that, Don?" "Someone's died here." "What do you want?" "How do you know my name?" "To look..." "To touch." "Who are you?" "My name is Gregory Bate." "Although I've been known by other names, in other places." "Get out!" "Are you afraid, Don?" "Will you be afraid when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death'?" "You're crazy." "Great treats are in store for you and your old friends." "Imagine." " Just imagine." " Get the hell out!" "We're full of surprises, aren't we, Fenny?" " Egh!" " Good boy." "We do have something special for Don, don't we?" "It's a little present from our benefactor." "Where did you get that?" "Every winter, ice on the power lines..." "You should see yourselves." "You look like three owls." "Leave the candles, Milly." "You're giving each other the willies with these meetings." " He's found a picture of her." " Who?" " Don." " That's not possible." " I thought we..." " I'm afraid Edward kept one." "What have you told him?" "Nothing." "I wanted to." "I like the boy." "The circle has held this long." "Maybe he can help us." "Change is change for the worse." "Spoken like a true lawyer." "We can feel things watching us and following us and we dismiss them as fantasies." "We have nightmares and try to forget them." "Now that Edward's gone, I fear..." "I very much fear that more of us are going to die." "I think he's right." "I told him you weren't to be disturbed." "That'll be all, Milly." "Milly..." "Well, then, I'll just leave you gentlemen to your private business." "Well, young man do you have something to say to us?" "I want to buy my way into the Chowder Society." "Buy?" "What did you say?" "With a story." "Isn't that the price of admission?" " I'm sorry, Mr Hawthorne." " Ricky." "But it's worse than you know." "At least two people have already died." "My brother was the first." "I think this is a ghost story." "I had landed a a year's teaching job at a small liberal arts college just north of Orlando, Florida." "Pretty unromantic stuff, really." "Just a couple of sections of an undergraduate course in American Literature." "I was seeing..." "I was son' of seeing this other instructor called Helen Kayon." "Mr Wanderley." "Who's that?" "The dean's new secretary, just started today." "How did she know who I was?" "Must be those blue eyes of yours." "Right!" " Call me tonight." " All right." ""And the first thing she does is seduce him." ""The first thing he does is to be seduced." ""And the second thing they do is hug their sin in secret" ""and gloat over it." ""And try to understand it."" ""Which is the myth of New England."" "Between now and the next time we meet," "I'd like you to think about what D H Lawrence meant when he wrote that." "You have a question, Mr Solt?" "Yeah, the part about seduction." "Yes?" "Could you be a little more specific?" "Next time." "So you're working late, eh?" "Mr Wanderley." "Now, that's not really fair, is it?" "You know my name and I don't know yours." "Alma." "Alma Mobley." " Shall I tell the dean...?" " Oh, no, not right away." "He's..." "I really stopped by to see you." "I wondered, if you're not busy tonight, if you're not doing anything special, maybe you'd like to join me for dinner." "I mean..." "Oh, Wanderley, you must have been reading my mind." "You've been doing exemplary work, Donald." "Thank you." "I don't know what your plans are, but I was thinking maybe we should extend your stay here another year." "Close your eyes." "Make a wish." "Whoo!" "If you want to make love to me, you'd better hurry." "Do you like it?" "It's beautiful." "I'm frightened of thunder." "I guess I'd better stay here tonight." "Yes." "Ah!" "I want you!" "I want another kiss." "We're going to be late." "I don't know anything about you, you know." "There's nothing much to know." "I'm just an old-fashioned girl." "I'll say." "Come on, tell me." "Not now." "Well, where are you from?" "You're English, right?" "So h0w'd you wind up down here?" "None of that matters." "I want to know about you." "Tell me where you live." "Ah..." "It's just a couple of rooms." "No, no." "Where you grew up." "Milburn?" "Well, it's just a grave of a town in New England." "Nothing's changed there in about 200 years." "It sounds lovely." "It's not." "It's boring." "Will you take me there sometime?" " Yeah." " Promise?" "Yeah, I promise." "Now..." "I want you, now." "Here?" "Here." "Or never again." "This door is not to be locked at any time." "It's Miss Meredith." "Open this door this instant." "Do you hear me? Don't stop, don't stop." "You're not wearing any..." "Urn..." "Which is illegal." "Did you leave...?" "Would you both like to order now?" "Come on, tell me." "I've told you everything about me." "No secrets." "All right." "No." "There's no-one else in your life?" "Just you." "Well!" "But there was someone?" "A long time ago." "You were in love with him?" "It wasn't anything like you're thinking." "Just..." "Just tell me then." "Tell me that it doesn't..." "Have anything to do with you?" "It wasn't a great love." "No." "Good." "Because I'm going to be, and I don't want there to be anyone else." "Just me." "Now, let me tell you where I'm going to take you next weekend." "You haven't done any work in weeks." "I don't care." "I'm a bad influence." "Yes, you are bad." "You're terrible." "What is it, Alma?" "Water." "Let's elope." "We could...go to the Greek Islands." "Crete." "Don, I'd love that." " But..." " But what?" "I'd rather go to Milburn." "No, not Milburn." "You're kidding, right?" "Don't you want to show me off to your home town?" "I want to meet your family." "Well, my mother died a long time ago." "But your father - he's still alive." "My father and I don't get along all that well." "Surely this is different." "This is our wedding." "What's your brother like?" "He's more like my father, I guess." "Successful, ambitious." "More of a hunter." "You don't really want to get married in Milburn, do you?" "I want to get married in the town where you grew up." "The same church." "I want to walk down the aisle in my white dress and veil, and I want everyone to be there." "Your father, his friends, the whole town." "All of Milburn." "I will take you places where you have never been." "I will show you things that you've never seen." "Alma?" "And I will see the life run out of you." "Are you all right?" "Alma?" "Do you remember?" "The first night you were here?" "It was raining then." "What is it?" "Let's talk tomorrow." "Now." "I don't want to get married for a while." "When?" "I don't know." "Maybe not at all." "You have to." "I'm sorry." "You don't know anything!" "No." "Alma!" "Alma, listen..." "Can I help you, Mr Wanderley?" "Where is she?" "Miss Mobley did not turn up for work this morning." "Nor did she phone to say that she would be absent." "The dean is most upset." "You're lax, you're lazy, you're slipshod." "You disappear for days on end without saying a word to anyone." "Disappointed." "I thought you made a good start." "Alma?" "That's it there?" " Who is it?" " Your brother on 3-2." "OK." "Hi, Donny." "Hi, David." "I've been thinking about you." "I'm glad you ca//ed." "Dave, I gotta talk to you." "Yeah, I gotta talk to you." "I got some amazing news." "What?" "Robert Redford bought your life story?" "No, I'm serious." "Um..." "I just don't know how to tell you." "All right, well, why don't you try starting at the top'?" "About a month ago, I was up on Columbus Avenue on business and somebody called out your name." "Uh-huh." "I turned around and there's this great looking girl." "And she thinks I'm you, right?" "Well, I hope you got around to telling her." "Yes, I got around to telling her." "What's her name, Dave?" "Donny..." "She is not the person you think she is." "Shit!" "She's worried you have the wrong idea about her." "Everything about her is wrong." "Get away from her, Dave." "She's dangerous." "I can understand you being upset." "If Alma had walked out on me to marry you, I'd sure as hell resent you." "I don't resent anything." "Oh, come off it!" "If you can't admit you resent me..." "Shut the hell up and listen to me, Dave." "Look at her." "All right?" "She is not real." "And you know?" "You know like when you touch her?" "She's cold." "I don't think we're talking about the same woman." "When they broke down the door to David's apartment, no-one was there." "She'd simply vanished." "There had never been an Alma Mobley." "I can vouch for their merit." "Havana?" "What about my story?" "Well, it was quite a tale, young man." "It happened." "Just the way I told you." "Why is she here?" "She must have heard you." "I know you're scared." "I'm scared too." "I'm lucky to have escaped whatever sent David out that window." "But I think..." "If we help each other..." "Sounds like Knute Rockne before a big game." "Doesn't he, Ricky?" "That's Alma Mobley." "I don't believe you." "I knew this was going to happen." "Coincidence." "I don't think so." "Neither do I." "No." "I'm an old man, and often I'm rude." "We'll all be very grateful for any help you can give us." "I knew it!" "I just knew it!" "Last time I saw Alma... she was wearing this." "Where d'y0u get it?" "Little present from Gregory Bate." "This had to happen." " It just had to." " That's enough!" "Oh, no!" "No!" "We must talk about it." "Please, let me tell you about my nightmares." "' No!" "~ Milly!" "Please, let's not stop." "Oh, my friends, my dear, dear friends." " Easy, John." " No, please." "Please, let me talk about it." "Get out!" "All of you." "All this talk of graves and ghouls." " Please, listen to me." " Out!" "No!" "Listen to me, please!" "Please!" "Listen!" "♪ Remember me" "J" But, ah!" "♪ Forget my fate. ♪" "I'm not going in there!" "No, I'm not!" "Not going in there!" "No!" "Yeah, maybe." "No, I'm not going in." "No!" "No!" "It's just as I told you." "No pulse at all." "No pulse at all." "She's dead." "Like I said." "No!" "John!" "Can't move." "You're dead." "John, it's me..." "No pulse." "Milly." "No." "No!" "No!" "I'll be down in just a minute, miss." "Milly?" "Rise and shine, now." "Ah!" "Is it late?" "11.30." " Oh." " You needed the rest." "Come on, now." "Got you a nice cup of tea." "Though you hardly deserve it after last night." "What do you mean?" "You know very well." "You attacked me." "I what?" "You stared at me as if you'd never seen me before." "On, Milly." "Forgive me." "Too many of those darn stories." "Too much of that high and mighty Mr Sears James." "Oh, dear God, I'm tired." "Tell me." "You can trust me." " Bad dreams again." " Yes, it's all over." "Daylight now." "John?" "I can't remember." "She moved." " Yes, she moved." " Who moved?" "She couldn't." "Couldn't have." "She..." "There's no pulse." "She's dead." "For God's sake, John." "Who?" "She was..." " No, it's just the jim-jams." " No!" "Tell me." "No, go on, stop fussing." "You're a stubborn old mule, John Jaffrey." "But I love you." "Drink your tea." "Bossy!" "Oh, I almost forgot." "There's a patient in the waiting room." " I don't see patients." " That's what I told her." "Now, don't worry about a blessed thing." "I'm sorry, but the doctor isn't seeing..." "Milly!" "Milly!" "Milly!" "Where is it?" "Here, sit down." "What've you done with it?" "Let me look." "I was in here before and..." "That woman." "It must have been..." "Galli." "She said her name was something Galli." "Odd sort of clothes." "Am..." "Ambulance." "Get an ambulance." " Mi/burn County." " Emergency." "Why can't they hurry?" "Think I'll take a bite out of you." "Eva!" "Hello?" "Milly?" "This is Ricky." "This is the worst story we know." "The worst thing that ever happened to us." "The most dreadful thing." "We thought we could keep it a secret." "Should have known better." "Guilt." "After all this time." "We thought it had nothing to do with any of our problems." "And now John's dead too." " If I had..." " Ah, don't blame yourself." "I used to malign him terribly, but..." "Eva Galli." "There, I've said it." "Yeah." "Well, what happened to her?" "That's obvious, isn't it?" "We killed her." "The two of you?" "All of us." "The Chowder Society." "In the spring of 50 years ago." "It was the start of it all." "The beginning." "Must have money." "She's rich." " Where is she from?" " Europe, I gather." "Eva Galli." "She's...an angel." "Eva." "Make way." "Good afternoon, Miss Galli." "Ed Wanderley." "How do you do?" " Miss Galli." " May I help you, Miss Galli?" "I'm Sears James." "Hello." " We were just on our way..." " Miss Galli..." "Miss Galli, take my arm." "One more year of med school and I'll come back home." "Milburn needs another good GP." "Bravo!" "What about you, Ricky?" "Oh, gosh, Miss Galli, I..." "I..." "Ricky, is Miss Galli the best you can do?" "Oh..." "Eva." "What was the question?" "Your plans after graduation." "Oh, well..." "My father's got his heart set on taking me into the firm." " So..." " Hawthorne and Hawthorne for ever." "And why not?" "What's wrong with that?" "Don't take any guff from him, Ricky." "Old pencil stubs, out-of-date law books." "And you, Edward?" "Hm?" "Are you going to stay here too?" "What?" "In this town?" "Not on your life." "Ned's going to be a famous politician." "State Senator, maybe." "Then I'd like to be President." "Ah!" "The Chowder Society." "Look at you standing here." "This is a dance." "Edward?" "Don't worry, I won't eat you." "Thinks she's too good for us." "I don't think she's so...so much." "Shut up, Nettie." "Ricky, move around to the other side." "In front of Sears." "D W Griffith." "John, take a step to your right." "Stop!" "Stay there." "Don't move, anybody." "John!" "Eva, say you'll stay with us for ever." "I've only rented the house for the summer." "Why don't you buy it?" "You have lots of money." "Good, good." "Keep still, everybody." "Ooh!" "Come on!" "Six, seven..." "She has to stay, doesn't she, Ned?" "And..." "Ned!" "Ned!" "Here we go." "Where are you going?" "For a walk." "I'll come too." ""All day till evening I watched the rain" ""Beat wearily upon the window pane" ""I was not sorrowful, but only tired" ""Of everything that I ever desired" ""Her lips, her eyes, all day became to me..."" "You're being very bad." "I want you." "Hey, Ned!" " Watch that oar, will you?" " Watch where you're going." "You don't mind, do you, fellas?" "Ned?" "Do you want to try again?" " Ned." " What?" "It's not the end of the world." "♪ The blue of her eyes" "♪ And the gold of her hair" "♪ Are a blend of the western sky" "♪ And the moonlight beams" "♪ On the girl of my dreams" "J" She's the sweetheart" "♪ Of Sigma Chi. ♪" "Well!" "About time!" "Ricky?" "Would you drive me home, please?" "Yes, ma'am." "You're drunk." "Goddamn right, I'm drunk." "So are you." "A toast." "Oh!" "Stand up!" "Stand up." "Ricky, come on." "To the mysteries of women." " To women." " To women!" "All women are mysteries to me." "So tell us, Ned..." "Yes!" "Come on!" " What?" " Please!" "My dear friends." "Don't hold out." "No secrets, remember?" "What was it like?" "It was awesome!" "' Oh!" "' Really?" "You have no idea." "She's a goddess." " A goddamn goddess." " I knew it!" "I knew it." "♪ ...on the girl of my dreams" "J" She's the sweetheart" "♪ Of Sigma Chi. ♪" "Shhhh!" "Shhh!" "Sh!" "Sh!" "Sh!" "Sh!" "May..." "Maybe nobody's home." "Course she's home." "Her lights are on." "You're such a little old man." "Ring the bell, Ned." "No, no, wait." " Shut up." " It's too late." "Too late'?" "For what?" "Hello, Ned." "Eva." "You've brought everyone, I see." "Hi, Eva." " Eva." " Eva." "Well, are you just going to stand here?" "Or are you all coming inside?" "All right, John." "Let somebody else have a chance." "John." "I'm dancing with the goddess." "I think it's time this Romeo was in bed." "Oh, no, no." "Come on, it's early." "What about my dance?" "You heard the lady." "Let's go." "You just want her all to yourself, don't you, Ned?" "I suppose you're going to spend the night." "Don't think so." "No." "No?" "Why not?" "Sears...please." "No." "I want my dance." "Get your things." "Get your things." " Let's go." " Where are we going?" "Come on, we gotta go." "Come on!" "Wait!" "You'll get your dance." "You all Will." "Oh, wait, please." "Miss Galli, I can't dance." "We're leaving." "Eva." "Aren't you having fun, Neddy?" " I've had enough." " I haven't." "I think I'll take a bite out of you." "Who's next?" "Please." "Eva." "Dance with me, you little toad." "Slut!" "Poor Neddy." "Did you tell them all about it?" "Did you?" "'On." "You're pathetic." " Shall I tell you the truth of...?" " No!" "Eva?" "Eva, wake up!" "Wake up!" "Eva!" "Eva!" "She's dead." "She can't be." "Are you sure?" "There's no pulse." " I murdered her." " No." "No, it was an accident." "We'd better call the police." "I'm going to jail." "Scandal." "I'm a murderer." "Goddamn murderer." "Look, we're all in this together." " Let's call the police." " No." " What?" " No." "No, we've got to hide the body." "Hide it where it will never be found." "Oh, Jesus!" "Sears." "Shut up!" "Do we really have to do this?" "We have no choice." " You know what you're doing, Ned?" " Yes." "Oh, Jesus!" " She moved!" " Oh, my God!" "She's dead." "I tell you, she's dead." "No!" "No!" "Eva!" "Eva!" "Eva!" "Eva!" "No!" "Eva!" "Eva!" "Eva!" "We never talked about it again." "Not even with each other." "Told ourselves it was a trick of the light." "Put it behind us." "Back to work, school." "Got on with the rest of our lives." "Wasn't she missed?" "The town assumed she'd got tired of it and moved on." "There was a bit of talk, but it died down." "You could almost feel the sigh of relief that she'd gone." "You mean nobody ever showed up asking about her?" "It was as if she had never been here." "As if it had never happened." "As if we had dreamed the whole affair." "What about the car?" "Still at the bottom of the Dedham Pond." "And you stayed here?" "You never left." "We couldn't, not for long anyway." "What else could we have done?" "Ruined four more lives?" "We could have gone to the police and taken our chances." "Instead we did this obscene thing." "You think it's Eva?" "And that somehow or other she's come back to us, huh?" "Yeah." "So do I." "I think maybe...in growing old, maybe the forces, or whatever the hell you want to call them, have increased." "And these stories and these nightmares." " Maybe the guilt." " Is that what killed Edward?" "And my brother, and Dr Jaffrey." "I think Gregory Bate and the boy... are helping her." "I want to go to her house." "I hope you'll come with me." "I will." "And where do you think you're going?" "Out." "You'll do no such thing." "You'll march right back upstairs before you catch pneumonia." "But I have to go out." "Where?" "You infuriate me with your secrets." "I've been married to you for 32 years and I'm no closer to you than the day we were married." "I'll tell you in the spring." "I'm going to take you to the South of France." "To Antibes, St Tropez, anywhere you want to go." "And I'm going to tell you the story of my life." "I never thought I'd set foot in this house again." "If only we'd been 30 instead of 20." "What fools we were!" "I don't think anybody's here." "She's here." "I'm sure of it." "You want to try upstairs?" "Nothing will come of this." "You want to stay downstairs, Mr James?" "Not on your life." "It's hard to believe that all of this was so beautiful then." "The rooms downstairs and her room up here." "Just beautiful." "So was Alma's." "Agh!" "Ow!" "All right, that's enough." "We'll all go." "He can't be moved." "Please, Sears, we'll stay together." "Ricky, don't argue with me." "I'm too old, too tired and too frightened." "Sears!" "I'll be back with help as soon as I can." "I could never make him do anything he didn't want to do." "You OK?" "Yeah." "All clear so far." "Can you hear me?" "Yeah." "Ricky?" "Ricky?" "Find anything?" "Just an empty room." "You OK?" "Yeah." "I was just thinking..." "What?" "About the sidewalks again?" "No, you scamp." "It's Sears." "I'm worried about him." "A lot of people think I take too much guff from him." "But I don't mind that." "It's sort of permanent junior partnership stuff, you know." "What can I do?" "I've been married to the guy sure as I've been married to Stella all these years." "He'll be OK." "I wonder." "Agh!" "Dance with me, you little toad." "Maybe he just got stuck in the snow." "He'd have come back if he was all right." "I don't like it." "We'll end it, Ricky." "We'll lay her to rest." "An old man and a pup, huh?" "We are the Chowder Society now." "Sears was right." "You sound like Knute Rockne." "Have to get you to a doctor." "Be right back." "Thank goodness you came along." "Lucky for both of us, Ricky." "Don't struggle or I'll kill you right now, you hear me?" " You'll be quiet?" " Yeah." "There's a good little rabbit." "Why are you doing this?" "Would you like to live for ever, Ricky?" "That's what she promised us." "Imagine the peace of lying down with your hands across your chest." "You go to hell." "Imagine her waiting for you all these years." "Imagine her sleeping under ice and snow." "Waiting." "The pond." "Would you like to be immortal?" "Even if you must die first?" "Good lord!" "She's in the pond." "Alive." "Still alive." "She tricked you." "You won't live for ever." " Live longer than you." " Oh, no, you won't!" "You're out of your skull." "You know that, Mr Hawthorne?" "We've got to hurry." "We've got to help the boy." "Aren't you even going to say hello?" "Oh, Don, you disappoint me." "I thought you'd be dying to see me." "Y...y...you're not here." "You're not here." "Talk sense, Don." "You can see me, can't you?" "You can hear me." "I'm here." "Get away from me!" "Faster." "Poor Don." "Haven't you been longing for me?" "Waiting for me." "I've come for you." "You're dead." "And you will be too, dead and wet and cold." "Don't you want to make love to me?" "Don't you want to know what you've touched?" "I will take you places where you've never been." "I will show you things that you have never seen." "No!" "And I will see the life run out of you."