"Down at the bottom of this hill is Corinth, not very different from a lot of other towns you know." "The folks that live here - well, we're people like yourselves." "This statue facing the square is General Melville Quincey." "1845 to 1910." "The Quinceys were our most important family once until, like a lot of others, they lost their money in the Depression." "They lived down this street," "Lettie, Hester and their brother, Harry." "They were the last of the Quinceys." "This is the Warren Mill." "Most of the town works here." "Now, don't let it frighten you, even if it does look like a prison." "Harry Quincey worked here from nine to five." "Day in, day out." "Good morning." " Good morning, Helen." " Wanna see something?" "It's dazzling." "It's a genuine blue-white, 1/5 of a carat." "I'm engaged to Biff Wagner." "To that child?" "Why, he's nearly twenty." "Oh, yes, so he is." "Well, now, if you'll excuse me, I'll just finish my patterns." "Don't hurry." "I hear Mr. Warren got in this morning." "Brought out his New York fashion expert to go through the plan." "Now maybe we'll have puppy dogs and palm-tree patterns and snazzy colors." "Snazzy?" "That means stuff with in a zing in it, Uncle Harry." " Must you always call me 'Uncle' Harry?" " I keep forgetting." "I don't mind when the small fry do it, but when a whole generation goes up around me and still calls me 'uncle', I feel that I'm coming apart at the joints." "Why, you're not old at all, Uncle Harry." " I mean Harry." " Thank you." "You won't forget to congratulate Biff at lunchtime, will you?" "No, I won't, if you'll just let me finish my patterns." "Okay." "And here, Deborah, is where we design our new patterns." "There's really not much of a trick to it." "We just sort of repeat our old patterns with a few little changes here and there." "We turned out ten million yards of this one last year." "Oh!" "I hope I didn't make you spoil your rosebud." "Oh, that's all right." "A little Chinese white will fix that." " I'm Deborah Brown with the New York office." " How do you do?" "Oh, this is Harry." "He sort of keeps track of our patterns here." "Harry Melville Quincey." "The Melville's after that Civil War general in the town square." " I didn't see the general." " Only the birds do these days." "Well, shall we take a look at the dying vats?" "Oh, and I wanna show you the new roading shed, too." "We bring the freight cars right into the plant now." "Wait a minute, John." "I'd like to ask Mr. Quincey how he gets the inspiration for these patterns." "Oh, well." "That's, uh..." "That's really quite simple." "Now, uh..." "Take a pattern like this, for example." "Well, I start off and I draw a line." "Then I draw another line." "Then another." "And so on, so on, so on." "That's all there is to it, actually." "Oh, good afternoon, Mr. Quincey." "And how's Lettie?" "Oh, she's much better." "Thank you, Mrs. Nelson." " Oh, that's good." "And Hester?" " She's fine." "Thanks, Mrs. Follinsbee." " Good afternoon." " Goodbye." "I'd hate to pay that Lettie's doctors' bills." "There's always something or other the matter with her." " You're late, Harry." " As the poet said," "Home is where you go, and they have to let you in." " What's happened, Hester?" " It's that girl." "Acting as if it were her own kitchen." "I've been fighting with her all afternoon trying to get my pie out of my own stove." "Well, it's Nona's job running the kitchen." "How's Lettie?" "How would she be?" "Playing Robinson Crusoe on her chaiselongue as usual, as if it was a desert island." "Well, the doctor said she should look after herself." "Four years ago!" "Not a peep out of her heart since." "If it was her heart..." " May I come in?" " Please do, darling Harry." "Phew, it's hot in here." "Why don't you open a window and let some air in?" "Plants need the heat." "You'll turn into one yourself if you don't watch out." "Ugh." "There's nothing the matter with me." "I saw Dr. Adams today." "He said you were doing splendidly." "It's nothing, really." "Just my foolish heart." " Did you have a nice day?" " I reached my 6,000th rosebud." "Poor Harry." "I wish you didn't have to work in that dreadful old factory." "This time of year we used to go to Maine." " Do you remember?" " Oh, the mill's all right." " Will you get up for dinner?" " Yes, of course." " Feel strong enough?" " Yes, I must get up." "My fella Hugo wants to take me to a picture show." "I'll wash if someone dries." " Let Hugo dry." " Being a milkman, he hates water." "The toast's like leather, Nonie." " They had a fine picture last week." " I hate those pictures about Indians." "Joe, he could see two or three of those a day." "That's about all Joe, your dear dead husband, ever did." "That and go to the club for ale." "Dr. Adams made Joe drink ale." "There's vitamins in ale." "Where's my gooseberry pie?" "Gooseberries aren't good for Mr. Harry." "Much too much acid." " Oh, come now..." " But you remember last year..." " Mr. Harry knows what's best for himself." " I've been looking forward to my pie all day." "Standing on my feet all afternoon, baking." "Never any thanks from anyone." "It's like turning off a radio when Hester stops talking." "It's not that I don't want Mr. Harry to have gooseberry pie." "Even if it isn't good for him." "But Miss Hester is always sneaking into the kitchen and cooking, and I don't like it." "She bakes awfully good pies, though." "Here you are, Harry." "It's fine, juicy berries." " Soggy, you mean." " Oh, Nona." "I can't have it, Mr. Harry." "You shouldn't eat soggy pie." "And all that acid." "You're just doing this to turn my brother against me." " You're all against me." " Oh, Hester, don't dramatize so." "You!" "What kind of a sister are you?" "Not even lifting a finger to defend me from the servant." "Huh-huh." "You'll do very well for yourself." "And besides, if Nona left, we'd be in a fix." "I'm only trying to keep some standard of comfort for Harry in his own house." "Aren't you the thoughtful sister?" "No-one else but you must buy his clothes and do his room and keep him comfortable." "I'm only doing my duty to my brother." "And if you can't, you go into that green, dark den of yours until Harry comes home and makes you come out." "You're just a spoiled, selfish woman, you..." "Maybe, dear, you'd be better off living somewhere else." "You'd only excite yourself into a nervous breakdown here." "Nobody cares for me." "All the time I put in planning the meals and doing the housework while you just sit among those horrible plants and read poetry!" "Hester, please." "Please." "Hello?" "Who?" "Mrs. Brooks." "Oh, yes, I'll tell her." "Mrs. Brooks says she can make it for bridge after all." "She found a sitter for the baby." "Oh, dear." "And I've already told Dr. Adams not to come." "I could play if you need a fourth." "Well, as a matter of fact, I can't make it." "I forgot it is one of your bridge evenings, Lettie." "Oh." "Are you working tonight?" "I'm going out." "Oh." "Is there anything wrong with Harry going out?" "Nobody suggested there was." "I'm showing someone the town." "Someone?" " Miss Brown, from our New York office." " A girl?" "A Miss Brown would be a girl, Hester." "That'll be nice for you, Harry." "Where do you intend to take this Miss Brown?" "Oh, I don't know." "I haven't given it very much thought." "Well, don't forget the house George Washington slept in on Elm Street." "Visitors always enjoy that." "Now, that's a good idea, Lettie." "I'll do that." "Washington's house..." "Come on, Nellie, hit that ball!" "Deborah!" "Oh, Deborah!" "Come on down here!" "I wish we could have a soda or something, Deborah." "But you know, Joan has to get to bed early so she can go to school in the morning." "It was nice of you to bring me home, John." "I love softball anyhow." "Wonderful team, the Warren Tigers." "They played like clockwork tonight, didn't they?" "I wanna play with them when I grow up." " Well, good night." " Good night." "Wait a minute!" "Harry's stuck." "Oh, I forgot you were there, Harry." "Oh, I'm all right." " Good night." " Good night." "It was nice of you to take me, Harry." "At times I wondered who was taking whom." " What time is it?" " It's late." "It's almost ten." "And you call that late?" "Why, in New York, life is just beginning." "The barman at 21 is opening his second bottle of kimmel, the dance band at the Rainbow Room is unpacking its instruments, and the last taxi driver has just avoided picking you up." "And you say it's late?" "Well, I'm afraid I can't offer you very much in the way of nightlife in this town." "Not even the George Washington house you mentioned?" "Not this late." "Even ghosts turn in early in Corinth." "I don't feel like sleeping just yet." "Didn't notice you had a sky here." "It's the same one you had in New York." "Oh, there's no sky in New York." "The bright lights killed it off." "I haven't seen a big fat star in ten years." "Well, we can offer you quite a few of those here." "There's Mars up there, that big fat fella." "And over there is Venus." "Venus." "It's like meeting an old friend." "My father used to show me Venus when I was a little girl." "My father didn't approve stargazing." "Dad used to say they were polished every night before being hung." "I wanted to do that someday." "Be a star polisher?" "Some of my best childhood friends wanted to be star polishers." "Well, I must confess I had some such plans myself." "Which one is Saturn?" "There it is." "Up there." "Where are the rings?" "Well, you can't see them with the naked eye." "Harry." "You're beginning to sound indecent." "Well, I only meant that you have to have quite a powerful telescope to see the rings." " They were very clear last night." " Oh, you have a telescope?" "Yes, a nine-inch one." "I built it myself." "Are the rings clear tonight, you think?" "I don't know." "We'll have to wait quite a while before it rises high enough." "And it still might be hazy then." "We could go try, couldn't we?" "All right." " Where are we?" " Just above our old carriage house." "Poppa only kept a Model T." "We gave up our horse in 1924." "Horses are nice people." "What was his name?" "Roger." "But Lettie was allergic to horses." " Lettie." "Is that your older sister?" " No, the younger one." "Oh." "Hm, quite a contraption." "Yes." "Yes, it took five years building that." "I didn't have anything else to do." "Do you mean to tell me there's no good fishing around here?" "We used to go to Maine for that." "I'm afraid it's still early for Saturn." "Oh, I don't mind waiting." "When she rises, I'll have to turn the light out." " You will?" " Yes." "Why?" "Oh, the reflected light dims the image." "Oh, I see." " Harry?" " Yes?" "Yours?" "Oh." "Yes." " Now, don't say it." " Say what?" "That I should keep on with my work and that I show promise." "It also shows..." "May I?" "It also shows you don't leave the rosebuds behind in the office." "Listen, I've painted so many rosebuds I see them in my soup." "No, it's... it's good." "But I'd like to see you tear into something, rush into painting." "Just go ahead and slash it on." "Try it someday." "Lettie!" " Wake up, Lettie." " I'm not asleep." " What is it, Hester?" " I just had to come." "Lettie, Harry's got a girl in his room." " What?" " In the carriage house." "There's nothing wrong in there." "I didn't say there was anything wrong in it." "I just thought you'd want to know." "It's not of our affair, Hester." "Harry's old enough to lead his own life, and so, I'm sure, is Miss Brown." "I didn't mean anything." "It's just that people talk so." " Oh, Hester, go back to bed." " Oh." " Good night." " Good night." "I could never do that." "I'd never have the courage." "Besides, who in Corinth would appreciate it?" " Does it matter?" " Well, I suppose not." "You look as if it did." "It would matter if you were a Quincey." "Or it would've mattered before the mill came." "Oh, now, don't give me that old family-and-I-never-had-a-chance routine." "It's up to you, Harry." "Rosebuds or... or that." "You don't understand the family set-up." "You see, my sisters are dependent on me." "Rosebuds mean bread and butter to this house." "Well, uh, it's time for Saturn, I think." "Do you want to take a peek?" "Just step on that, it's about the right height for you." "Is this where you turn out the light?" "Oh, I will." "Yeah, in a minute." "Poor Harry." "After all these weeks he's known her, he never even had the courage to suggest her coming to tea." "If she's a friend of Harry's, she must be a charming girl." "You know, the whole town's talking." "Mrs. Nelson, I met her at Follinsbee's market, she says that Miss Brown is very beautiful." "Light the tea lamp, will you?" " Mrs. Nelson says..." " Hester!" "I detest common gossip in the public streets." "Nothing ever happens here." "It's not often I like to talk to someone." "And the people you choose to talk to are but vulgar gossips." "Besides, isn't it Harry's personal affair?" " I was only saying..." " Oh, leave the cake alone." "Look!" "There they are." "Oh, she is pretty." "Without an umbrella." "Poor Harry." "I'll go." " It's fun walking in the rain." " Makes you hungry." "Hello." "You're Miss Brown." "Of course." "What a lovely suit." "I hope it didn't get wet." "Uh, this is my sister, Lettie." " How do you do?" " Hello." "We don't see fashions like that in Corinth." "Thank you." "We finally got around to George Washington's house." "Harry, I think you better change your shoes." "Harry catches cold so easily." "Oh, nonsense." "I haven't had a cold in three years." "I'm sorry your visit was spoiled by the rain." "Oh, New England landscapes were made to look at in the mist." "Would you like to tidy up?" "Oh." "This is my sister, Hester." " How do you do?" " Hello." "Hester, would you take Miss Brown to my room and show her where my things are?" "Please, make yourself feel absolutely at home." "This way, Miss Brown." " She's charming, your Miss Brown." " Not bad for an out-of-towner." "Hello, Weary." "She dresses well, doesn't she?" "How is little Weary getting on with us?" "Did he eat anything today?" "Nona tried to feed him, but he didn't seem to want anything." "Poor Weary." "Miss Brown lives in New York, doesn't she?" "Yes." "You know, I sometimes wonder if poor Weary will ever get better." "That holds out no hope." "Perhaps it'll be better if we put him away." "What's that?" "After all, it's only for the poor dog's own good." "Oh, yes." "Rolling around in agony in a lethal chamber." "Weary would like that, wouldn't he?" "Oh, no." "Needn't be done like that." "What was that stuff the Robbins' used on that old cat of theirs?" "Rexodin or something." " What was it, Harry?" " I don't remember." "Oh yes, I know." "Maybe we should have some in the house in case you do decide..." "Oh, look, Lettie, I..." "Let's not talk about it now, eh?" "I just don't like the idea of it." "Wait and see how poor Weary gets on." " What's this about Weary?" " Nothing at all, Hester." "Won't you come and sit down?" "New England weather, I'm afraid, is so unlivable for visitors." " Oh, I'm no longer a mere visitor." " No longer a visitor, Miss Brown?" "That's right." "Deborah is moving her office here." "Mr. Warren insists she can design the next season's styles right from the mill." " Mr. Warren must think a lot of you." " Yes." "Well, we'll try to make your stay in Corinth as pleasant as we can, won't we, Harry?" "May I have your cup?" "You must miss the city." "New York must be heavenly." "All those big, fancy shops and..." " Do you like it strong?" " No, not too strong, please." "Don't you think that Harry's painting is improving?" "I didn't know you were painting again, Harry." "Oh, well, it's nothing much." "I..." " Three lumps for me, please, Harry." " Hester, really." "You must watch your weight." " Tell me about the new paintings." " I'm just puttering about." "Could I have some walnut cake?" " You shouldn't, Mr. Harry, it's store cake." " It is not." "I made it myself." "What's the difference?" "We haven't had any walnut cake in years." "Hester, you should have passed the sandwiches to Miss Brown first." "Please have some, Miss Brown." "They're our own watercress." "Thank you." " Do you diet, Miss Brown?" " No." " Neither do I." " No, I just work hard." "And you better call me Deborah." "'Miss Brown' sounds a little like the boss's secretary in a magazine serial." " Our boss doesn't think so." " Oh?" "Maybe Miss..." "Maybe Deborah would like a drink." "She never drinks anything until five." " What about a glass of sham?" " No, the tea alone is fine, thanks." "Oh, Harry." "You go and look in the cellar." "There must be a bottle left." "Of course." "This is an event." " Oh, really." "I don't wanna be a nuisance." " It's no trouble at all." "Oh!" "That must be Weary." "Excuse me." "Please don't touch him." "He's a very old dog and he's not pleasant at all." "Oh, I don't mind." "I love dogs." "Hello, Weary, old boy." "He was such a frisky puppy." "Joe and Weary's grandfather used to walk a lot." "Joe is Hester's late husband." "Must you always remind me that Joe has passed over?" "Joe loved dogs." "Hester, don't you have a picture of Joe and Weary together?" "Well, I believe there's one in my trunk." "Why don't you get it and show it to Miss Brown?" "Oh, look at all the bother I'm causing." "Please don't, Hester." "It isn't any bother at all." " Would you like some more tea?" " No, thanks." "Harry seems to be very fond of Weary." "Talks a lot about him." "He's sorry for him." "Harry's sorry for everything." "I like that about Harry." "Huh." "You don't have to defend my own brother to me, you know?" "I'm sure I don't." "Harry's trouble is that he's never grown up." "Anyone can impose on him." "Oh, we're always having to get him out of little... difficulties." "That doesn't help him much to grow up, does it?" "We feel we know what's best for Harry." "Deborah?" "I hope you won't misunderstand if I... if I give you a little advice." "I shan't misunderstand, Lettie." "We Quinceys have lived a great many years in Corinth, and our name is rather well-known here." "It's ridiculous, of course, but..." "but there it is." "And so we have to be rather careful how we conduct ourselves." " If you know what a small town is." " Yes, I do." "I picked one to be born in." "Well, then." "Now, please don't think I intend anything personal by this." "The people here are set in their ways and rather narrow-minded." "And a newcomer among us has to be especially careful." "Now, don't think that this is my point of view, but people do talk." "And if, for instance, Harry were to be observed leaving your hotel late at night, it might be misinterpreted." "Mightn't it?" "Yes." "I suppose it might." "Well, then, that's settled." "I'm so glad we had this little talk." "You're such a sensible girl." "I'm sure we're going to be very good friends now that we understand each other." "We understand each other." "But if Harry wishes to stop by my hotel at any time, I'll always be glad to see him." "It's all right, Hester." "He was a very old dog." "Everything you love dies, sooner or later." "Hugo can't be on time even for a funeral." "Once all Quinceys were buried privately on their own acres." "Weary will be the last Quincey to be buried on his own land." "You mustn't say those terrible things, Harry." "He was a nice dog... when he kept out of the kitchen." " What are they doing?" " They're burying a deader." " A real deader?" " No, only their dog." " He's dead, ain't he?" " Uh-huh." " I'll have those for you in a moment." " That won't finish our season's styles." "Do you realize that it's been three months since I first walked into this office?" "It doesn't seem like it, does it, darling?" " John Warren's leaving for Europe in two weeks." " Oh, is he?" "He goes every year, lucky stiff." "He's staying six months this time." "Wants to find a good school for Joan in Switzerland." "Oh, he does, eh?" "He's asked me to come along and approve the school." "What colossal nerve." "I ought to punch him in the nose." "And I think I'm going." " Are you serious?" " Why not?" "I've never been to Europe, and this might be a very pleasant way to see it." " But, Deborah..." " I see nothing wrong in the idea." "Well, I can't see how you can even consider it!" "Oh." "Are you thinking of Corinth's moral attitude?" "I'm not a Quincey, you know." "No, but you don't travel with a man who's in love with you." "It just isn't done!" "I think it might be a very interesting experiment." "Oh, very." "Besides, I'm not so sure John's in love with me." "John's the sort of man who puts everything in writing." "Oh, people don't shout their feelings all over the place." "I tell you he's in love with you!" " There's no need to get so upset about it." " I don't like it, that's all." "Cavorting all over Europe with a middle-aged playboy..." "John's not a playboy." "You're always talking about John, John, John!" " Do you call him darling, too?" " Why shouldn't I darling him?" "I thought when you called me darling, there was something special about it." "Darling Harry, let's stick to the idea of the trip, shall we?" " Leaving for today?" " Doesn't seem to be much point in staying." "Well..." "Goodbye then, Harry." "Deborah." "You... you can't go away." "You mustn't go." "Ever." " Lettie?" " I'm here, Harry darling." " Oh, Nona?" " Yes, Mr. Harry?" "If there's any of that sherry left, will you bring it into the green room?" "Yes, sir." "Well, Lettie, you've certainly done wonders with these plants." "I'm beginning to think they're not worth the trouble." "The first yellow tea roses of the season in Corinth." "Harry, you're so kind, but you shouldn't spend your money on me." "I thought you were always so fond of yellow roses." "Yes, dear." "Ah." "Thank you, Nona." "Here we are, Lettie." "The last of grandfather's cellar." " Sherry?" "So early in the evening?" " Let's celebrate, Lettie." "I really got nothing to celebrate." "However..." "That's the spirit." "You know, Lettie, I bet there's the makings of a fine drunkard in you." "Oh, really." "You know, I have the most wonderful news for you." "Have you?" " Dr. Adams was here today." " Oh, was he?" "Well." "You might at least ask why he was here." "Oh, I'm sorry, I..." "I guess I'm just too full of my own happiness." "Lettie?" "I'm going to be married." "It just happened, you know?" "Deborah and I were talking, and we... suddenly decided to get married." "Well?" "Wish us luck." "Of course I do, Harry." "You know I've always had your happiness at heart." "And if that's what you want, here's to it." "Oh, how nice!" "Sherry before dinner!" " Just a little celebration, Hester." " Harry and Deborah are getting married." "No!" "I expected it." "And I was thinking it's about time, too." "I came to the same conclusion myself." "Here you are, Hester." " Aren't you pleased?" " Yes, of course." "Now that Harry is going to raise a family, are we going to move out?" "Or are they going to move in?" "I think I have just what you want, Miss Quincey." "You know the Robin Brook place, out past Mill Run?" "We went there for his daughter's wedding, remember, Lettie?" "And just when the vicar read the service, a big fat rat ran across the room." "Heh." "Good, stout timbers in that house." "Yes." "And the mist in that hollow is enough to kill anything except the fish in the mill pond." "No, Mr. Jessup, I'm afraid that won't do." "Well, uh..." "I have the little fieldstone soapbox out King's Road." "Next door to that dreadful Nelson woman who gossips all day?" "No, thank you." "Well, perhaps you'd better let me drop a list of everything I have." "That would be fine." " Goodbye, Mr. Jessup." " Goodbye." "You call us soon." "We must find a place right away." " Oh, we'll find something in no time." " Thank you." "Yes, Mr. Jessup, we saw the house yesterday." "That's quite impossible." "I wouldn't ask a frog to live there." "What garden?" "It's nothing but solid rock." "You know I can't live without my roses." "Well, tell him to look for something else." "Mr. Jessup, we'll just have to go on looking." "No, not this afternoon." "I'm too tired after yesterday." "Mh-hm." "Tomorrow, perhaps." "Uh, I don't suppose you'd be interested in one of these?" " Oh, Ben." " They're very handy, you know?" "Well, ladies." "Now, could I interest you in some of my special ice cream?" "Non-fattening." "If you give up all the meat and potatoes." "Ben, I wish you didn't have your fountain so near the drugs." "Well, ladies, we haven't poisoned an ice-cream eater since Christmas." "Just when is Harry going to get married?" "Everybody in town's asking me, knowing I know you so well," " and I just don't know what to say." " I don't know what to say myself." "Oh, that Lettie." "She just sits in her green room, moaning." "The weather's too warm for house-hunting." "Nothing good enough for her, I hear." "You ask me, Harry's looking very piqued and worn." "This ain't doing him any good." "Waited six months already, hasn't he?" " I don't want this repeated, but..." " Me repeating anything?" "Well, I don't think Lettie has any intention of moving out." "It wouldn't surprise me at all if she wasn't going to try to stop Harry getting married." "Well!" "That's a pretty kettle of fish." "Shall we have another cone?" "My, you ate that fast." "Isn't it cold?" "I'm being fitted for a new set." "In Concord." "Don't feel a thing." " Go on." "Have another." " Let's." "She's beaten you, Harry." "Beaten both of us." "But Deborah, I'm sure she tries." "It'll all work out." "She'll find something soon." "That's what we've been thinking for nearly a half a year." "Yes, it's been awfully unfair to you." "I'm sorry." "Darling, it hasn't been easy for you, either." "Deborah, I want to tell you something." "It's rather hard for me to say, but I..." "I must say it." "It's... been..." "It's been piling up in my mind." "You don't have to say it, darling." "When I'm with you, I..." "I can't think of anything but you." "Being with you is so much fun, it's..." "It's seeing things differently." "When I go back to the house, I know what you mean, I... get back into the old groove, and I don't like it, I... wanna run away and..." "and come to you." "I can't say things very well." "But I owe everything to you." "Somehow I feel that... that I've changed" "and I'm going to be happy." "Oh, Harry." "When are you going to realize that it isn't as easy as all that?" "You must know by now that Lettie has no intention of giving you up!" "Not as long as she lives." "Harry." " Aren't you going to talk to me?" " Well?" "I had a dreadful time house-hunting." "I must've walked from here to Boston and back." " And?" " No luck." "Absolutely nothing." "Now, really, Lettie." "There must be some houses left in this town." "Don't be angry with me." "They're all quite unsuitable." "Quite." "I'm absolutely dead." "I shall take a look around myself on Saturday afternoon." " Where's that agent's list?" " In the little drawer." "But it's useless." "Everything is broken, damp, decaying, and smells." "What's this?" "What?" "Oh." "I got that after our talk about Weary." "There was no need for it." "We all knew the dog was dying." "Well, what's wrong with Major Cordon's house?" "You always liked it!" "It almost sounds as if you're trying to get rid of us." "I'm only trying to do what's best for all of us." "Why, Lettie." " I hope you don't mind." " Of course not." "It's not much of a place to receive company." "Hotels are cold and comfortless places at best." "I expect you're surprised to see me." " Would you like some coffee?" " No, thank you." "The fact is, I'm worried about Harry." "He seems so upset." "I've so wanted to give you both the house, but so far," " I haven't been able to find anything." " Oh?" "So I thought the best thing would be if you and I got together and... ironed things out." " Harry and I feel we've already done that." " Yes." "But I think I've got a better suggestion." "Deborah, dear." "I know you don't mind a little discomfort for just a little while, and I'm sure our guestroom could be quite charming." "That's out of the question." "I do so want you and Harry to start your married life in the house." "Aren't we placing too much importance on the house?" "It's very comfortable and then quite easy to run, but of course Hester and I wouldn't expect you to do any of that." "Just until we find a little place of our own." "No, Lettie." "The whole idea's impossible." "Deborah." "I don't like to ask favors, and it isn't very easy for me to say certain things." "Must we talk like this?" "I want you to postpone your marriage." "It's for Harry's own good." "The whole thing is too much for him at present." "I don't think Harry agrees with you." "Neither do I." "Why must you take it like this?" "You know, life hasn't been very easy for Harry and me." "First, losing all our money in the Depression, left with nothing but that big old house." "They were terrible years, and I don't know what we should have done if we hadn't had each other." "That's why I never married." "I felt I couldn't leave him if he needed me." "Since then, things have been a little better." "We haven't had much, but..." "but we've been very happy." "Very." "Didn't you ever expect Harry to get married?" "No." "I never did." "Men usually do, you know?" "It's about time you realize that Harry is like other men." "Oh, but he's so much better." "So different." "Surely, you've seen that." "I've seen a great many things." "Harry is older than you." "And he's set in his ways." "The ordinary, modern world will ruin him." "You may not like the new Harry he becomes." "His world is inside him, and it's rare and beautiful and lonely, and you spoil it." "You spoil it!" "Will you please go?" "And now let us rise and sing hymn number 125." "'Abide with me, fast falls the even tide," "'The darkness deepens, Lord, with me abide'." "Your brother's sick?" "Concord, Hartford, Boston, Grand Central Station, New York City." "I called Gertie long-distance last night and told her to pack a toothbrush and get out of the flat." "It's on 53rd St., darling, small place, not very fashionable." " You won't mind, will you?" " I don't think I'll mind." "I told Gertie I was coming home a bride." "I wanna be carried over my own threshold by a strong man." "Are you strong, darling?" "I hope we don't have any trouble finding Judge Rawlins in Boston." " His father married all the Quinceys." " Now, what do you think of that?" "Here I offer you my flat, my library of detective stories, the best needle shower in New York, and all you think of is a judge." "What about your bags?" "Are they at the station?" "Harry, maybe you better just kiss me and keep on kissing me to forget all about the bags and the town and the house and just remember we're going away together." "We're leaving Corinth for good." "Everything's all settled." "You're never going back to that house again." "Everything's settled." "Church is letting out." "Maybe we better be walking back." "Not afraid for to shock the Sunday walkers?" "I'm feeling pretty shockproof today." "Do you know who's in the ambulance, Uncle Harry?" " Who?" " Your sister, Lettie." "She was took bad at the hymn singing." "One of her attacks." "They sent for Dr. Adams." "Dr. Adams will bring her around, I'm sure." "Harry." "We're leaving for Boston in half an hour." "I don't see how we can, now." "We were gonna be married tonight, remember?" "Yes, I know, darling, but now there's Lettie." "There's always Lettie." "That's why we're making that train." " But she may be very ill." " She may be, and she may not be." "But you're not going back to that house again." "I can't very well leave town until I know that she's out of danger." "You do understand that, don't you?" "I understand that we were planning to be married." "We're going to?" " Well, of course, darling." " Oh, Harry." "We go today, or we don't go at all, ever." "And I'm not being unreasonable." "Because if you go to Lettie now, you'll go again and again and again to the house when I'll need you." "She'll always see to that." " Now, Deborah." " Oh, Harry." "I've made up my mind." "It's... it's me or Lettie, you've got to decide now." "You are being unreasonable." " Am I?" "Oh, Harry, don't you know what will happen if you go back there now?" " But she's sick, don't you understand?" " I wonder." "Well, she is sick, and I just can't go." "Is that your answer?" "You've decided between us?" "This isn't a question of deciding!" "I know now where I stand when it comes to picking between us." "Go to her, stay with her, go back to what you were, paint a million rosebuds, you've made your choice!" "I'm leaving." "Dr. Adams said it's time you tried to get out of bed." "There's no hurry." "Three weeks even in this bed is not my idea of spending a summer." " Did you see my brother today?" " I haven't seen him since morning." " He went out early." " Lettie!" "What do you think I heard at Follinsbee's market?" "Well?" "Deborah Brown and John Warren were married this morning in New York City." " Married?" " And they left for a honeymoon in Europe." "Europe?" "Why Europe when we still have Niagara Falls?" "It certainly is a surprise to me." "Poor Harry." "I think I'll get up today!" "The doctor's been saying you could for weeks." "Nona, I'll be down for supper." "Make something special, I'm hungry." " Well, Mr. Harry won't be." " And bring me my brown shoes, please." "She was the only girl he ever really loved." " The only one." " Nonsense." "And anyway, men don't take these things the way women do." "How would you know?" "Have you ever been in love?" "It's my first day out of bed." "I'm afraid I'm a little too weak, after all." "I better go back to my room." "Huh." "My legs feel as if they didn't belong to me." "Hester and Nona had to help me out of bed." "Well?" "How's everything?" "Anything new in town?" " So you have heard?" " Oh, Harry." "I'm so terribly sorry it happened this way." " I'd rather not discuss it." " Please, Harry!" "I wanted to warn you." "I always thought it would end like this." "Only it was your affair, and so..." "so I didn't interfere." "You liar!" "You rotten liar!" "I heard everything." " So you didn't interfere much?" "Oh, no." " Get out of this room!" " You planned it!" "You planned it all this way!" " How dare you?" "And now you're telling lies about how you just sat back doing nothing!" " Stop babbling!" " You broke up that marriage as you planned!" "You never intended to find a house." "But Deborah saw through you, didn't she?" "She was going to take Harry away from you, so you went to bed and faked the illness, like you fake everything." " Fake!" "Fake!" "Fake!" " All right." "What if I did try to protect Harry?" "Wasn't it for his own good?" "Harry darling." "You do understand why I did it, why I had to do it?" "That girl wasn't for you." "You at your age, marrying some young girl from who knows where, what family, what background?" "You wouldn't have been happy." "You know that now." "Harry, you know that everything I did for you, everything that I've always done for you, has been for the best." "Hasn't it?" "You'll never have to do anything for me again." "Harry!" "You!" "Who asked you to open your flabby mouth?" "You never asked me anything!" "You decided the girl wasn't good enough for Harry." "You decided to break up the marriage and have Harry for yourself." " Did you ever ask me about anything?" " Ask you?" "You never asked me when you decided to tie Harry here to your sick-bed" " until it was too late." " Hester, I'm warning you!" "After all, he's my brother, too!" "Don't act as if I were trying to keep him to myself!" "Well, aren't you?" "You always try to shut me out of everything!" "You are insane." "You don't have to lie to me, you know, I'm not Harry!" "You called me a liar for the last time." "Now get out!" "Oh, no!" "I'm not finished yet." "I've been saving up things for years, and I'm going to tell them to you now." "I hate you." "I've always hated you." "Ever since I was a child." " I can't stand the sight of you!" " I won't leave here." "For as long as I live." "I don't care whether you're dead or alive." "For the last time, get out!" "Holy Jesus, Mr. Harry, I don't like what's going on." "Well, you know how they talk." "Just don't pay any attention to it." "I don't like it." "Miss Lettie talking like that to Miss Hester." "Well, they're always going on like that." "Would you mind getting me my pipe cleaners out of the desk?" "Oh, yes." "What's this, Mr. Harry?" " What's what?" " This." "It's marked 'Poison'." "What's it for?" "I don't know." "I've never seen it before." "Oh, it's Miss Lettie's writing." " Have..." "Haven't you ever seen it before?" " Me?" "No." "Well, let's take a look." "Ben's Drugstore." "March the 20th." "My, it was bought months ago." "Are you sure you've never see it before?" "No, I don't like things like that about the house." "Well, maybe Miss Lettie bought it for some household use." " Possibly for her plants." " Oh, maybe." "I'll ask her about it sometime." "And look, um..." "Tonight is my Wednesday night out." "I'm going to the club." "Would you mind telling them when they get through bickering?" "Bickering?" "I don't like that kind of bickering." "More like fighting to me." "Oh, say, it's good to have old Harry back, tickling the ivories for us." "He's in great from tonight." "Gentlemen, it's great to be back on the concert stage again." "Just like old times, knocking off the songs." "Yes, sir, we sure thought that girl had Harry hooked." " Uh, Harry..." " Oh, that's all right, Joe." "If everybody in this town got married, who'd there be to sing in your back room?" "I never thought of that." "But still, I can't see why anybody would take that man," "Mr. Warren, when they can have a good hot-lick player like our friend Harry." " He's got something there." " Ah, there she is!" " Fine, fine!" "Lookee here!" " And steaming hot!" "You know why I eat this here clam chowder myself, and I own the joint!" "Hey, Annie." "You drop down by the store, and I'll give you a little something for your weight." " My boyfriend likes it just where it is." " Wise man, Annie." "And besides, my mother always told me to be careful of sporty druggists." "Always ask mother." " Would you care for something, Mr. Quincey?" " No, thanks, Annie." "I'm fine, just fine." " How long have you been baking this, Joe?" " It's very good." "It smells very good, Joe." "Tastes good, too." "Hey, Joe, there's a clam here in you clam chowder." "Perhaps you're going to find a pearl in it, if you're lucky." "Get outta here." "Remember how old Weary used to howl out this chorus?" "You miss old Weary, don't you?" "People who love dogs shouldn't own them." "They don't live long enough." "Ain't that the truth." " They grow old, and you see them suffer." " Yeah." "Sure breaks you up." "And then people say that you shouldn't let them stay in pain." "That's what Lettie said." " She talked to you about Weary?" " Sure." "That stuff she bought to put him away was absolutely painless." " What are you talking about?" " That poison, for the dog." "Weary wasn't poisoned, he died of old age." "Now, listen, I sold her the stuff myself." "Well, Lettie didn't tell me anything about it." "Well, I even wrote it down someplace." "I'm gonna look it up for ya." "Old Sure Death, I call it." "It's my own mixture." "One pinch, and you'll wake up being measured for a heart." "It's not like Lettie to do it without telling me." "However..." "Lettie?" "Yes, Harry?" "Why don't you come up?" "May I?" "Why aren't you in bed?" "I couldn't sleep until I talked to you." "Why, you shouldn't be out at this hour, your first day out of bed." "I wanted to explain." "Oh." "Oh, I..." "I'm afraid I rather lost control of myself this afternoon, Lettie." "I'm sorry." "I'm so glad you aren't angry with me anymore." "We were all dreadful this afternoon." "Well, forget it." "But while we still got to go on living together, we weren't being the Quinceys." "The sensible Quinceys." "Oh, Harry." "I do hope we shall be sensible from now on." " Like old times?" " Like old times." "Reading, talking, surrounded by our own things, in our own house." "After all, we are the only two people in Corinth with the same understanding of books and art and..." "Do you think we can pick up our life where we left it off?" "If... if you want to." "You know, Lettie, when you look up at the stars, you feel awfully small." "Our problems seem so petty against all that space on space out there." "We're mere drops of nothing compared to a sun that has a 100 million miles for a backyard." "So why do we torture ourselves trying to discover what's good and what's evil?" "What's right and what's wrong?" "So unimportant." "Yes, Harry." "We understand each other." "Yes, we do." "Now, you better go into the house before you catch cold." "Would you like to drink a cup of cocoa with me?" "Nona has it ready." "Yes." "Yes, of course." "Now, watch your step." "Do you remember when you fell once, on your 16th birthday?" "Oh, don't talk about it." "I nearly broke my neck." " You're catching cold." " It's chilly." "How is Hester?" "Let's look at the stars." "Which one is Saturn?" "You know, I do think you should forgive Hester." "I'm sure she didn't t mean any harm in what she said." "Very well." "We'll make up." "Do you remember how you always made us make up when we were children?" " Like when you pushed her into the brook?" " Ha ha ha." "She looked so silly and damp with water pouring out of her sleeves." " It's been ready a long time." " Thank you." " That'll be all, Nona." "Good night." " Good night." " It's good to be alone for a change." " Yes." "This is a friendly old house." "It doesn't creak like most of 'em." "Now you're trying to frighten me like you used to when Papa sent us to bed early." "I'm cold." "You pour." "I'll be back." "I brought some more hot milk." "The cocoa's a little thick." " This... this will help it." " Oh, thank you, Nona." "That's fine." "Mr. Harry, I, um..." "I want to ask you something." "Yeah, well, not now, Nona." "Some other time." "I..." "I'm feeling rather tired." "I'm meeting Hugo later." " He wants to go into business for himself." " Well, I'm sure he'll be very successful." "But Mr. Harry, he wants me to take out my savings to buy some cows and go into the milk business for himself." "Of course, people will always drink milk." " I hope." " Yes, I'm sure they will." "Now, uh, don't keep Hugo waiting." "Twenty years I've been wanting to marry that man." "Now he wants to marry me." "And I don't want to." "Holy Toledo, me beans!" "I've given them too much flame!" "Oh, they'll be burned." "Burned to death." "Hester says to say good night." "She'll have her cocoa upstairs." "This is nice, isn't it?" "People don't understand how pleasant and comfortable living in a small town can be." "I'll pour some for Hester and take it up to her." "My, it's sweet." "Wonder who that could be at this hour." "I'll go." "Hello?" "Who?" "It's for you, Harry." "Sounds like Ben, and he's a..." "he's a bit drunk, if you ask me." " Too much ale, I suppose." " I'll take this up to Hester." "Oh." "I nearly spilled it." "Hello, Ben?" "Look, I can't make sense of what you're saying." "Speak louder." "Oh, you're at the drugstore?" "It's in your book?" "Oh, she did buy it?" "Well, look, uh..." "You, uh... better go to bed and get some sleep." "You sound a bit drunk, Ben." "What did Ben want?" "Oh, there's still a scene at the club." "They wanted me back at the piano." " Oh." "Hester says thanks for the cocoa." " Did you two make up?" "Yes." "I forgave her." "Harry darling, you look so tired." " Yes, I..." "I am a little." " You need a change." " We've all been cooped up here too much." " Yes." "Three women in one house." "It would strain any man's nerves." " Yes, it's been a strain on all of us." " Yes." "Well, we can forget it now." "Harry, I've been thinking." "Why don't we go away someplace?" "Maine, for instance." "Fishing." "Yes, why not?" "I believe our rods are still up in the carriage house someplace." "Oh, it would be fun." "We could rent one of those wonderful little logged cabins." "You remember those streams?" "Trout as big as cod." "Wh... wh... what about Hester?" "Oh, Hester'll be happier here at home, puttering about." "Come here." "Do you remember the first trout I caught?" "It looks like Mrs. Nelson with her mouth open." "And there's our old boat." "I wonder if we could get the same boat again." " I suppose so." " Oh, Harry." "When can we leave?" " What's happened to Hester?" " Oh, Hester's so clumsy." "Oh!" "Oh!" "She must be ill." "She's dead." "It wasn't meant for Hester, was it?" "What's happened?" "Miss Hester!" "So you did it." "You said you want to get rid of her, and you did." "How could you?" "Your own flesh and blood!" "Your own sister!" " Are you mad?" "Go and get Dr. Adams." " Oh, I didn't know you had it in you." "Poor Miss Hester!" "Operator." "Adams, Dr. Adams!" "Redmond Street!" "Hurry!" "Hurry!" "Nona seems to have gone out of her mind." "I wonder if the jury will think so." "Harry!" "I'm sorry, Lettie." "But that's the way things are." "Ah, yes." "The witnesses from Corinth." "I kept the big table for you again." "Well, what'll you have?" "After all, it's on the county." "They're paying all the expenses." "Steak." "That all right with everybody?" "Why not?" "We're as good tax payers as the jury." "That's it." "Steak, with all the trimmings." " Medium rare, everybody?" " Fine." "Yes." "Leave it to me." "I'll have 'em on the fire right away." "Jury's got no sense making all this delay." "Why, it's open and shut." "You were wonderful, Nona, when you put it to her on the witness stand." "Spoke right out, identified the bottle, and remembered all those things." "Hugo, he really hacked out the gallows for her when he said that about Lettie always forcing Hester onto them diets and drugs." "And not letting her order herself any butter and cream." "That Lettie." "Thought herself too good for the town." "Threatening her own sister the way she did." "Why, Hester's told me a hundred times of the things Lettie said she'd do to her." "You remember that day in your market, Mr. Follinsbee?" "Well, I didn't take it seriously." "That lawyer sure made me repeat it often enough." " Where's Hugo, Nona?" " I've sent him to the barber." "He ain't shaved in three days." "No respect for the law, that's Hugo." "Don't you ever mix things up in the drugstore?" "Not me!" "Well, you saw how I brought my prescription books in and showed them." "I know where every gram of drugs in Corinth is right this minute." " Won't you join us, Harry?" " Uh, no, thank you, doctor." " Uh, any word?" " No, the, uh... the jury's still out." " I..." "I can't understand it." " Oh." "Thank you." "This isn't easy on poor Harry." "I sure hated to get up on that stand and talk about him leaving the house night after night when we used to sit on the porch and hear those sisters fighting." "That man's an angel." "He refused to say a word against his sister when he stood on the stand." "They just brought in the verdict, Mr. Quincey." "Oh, Tim!" "Joe!" "Bring that hamper up here!" "We'll have everything outta here in an hour." "Now, let me see." "I think we'd better start from over here." "Oh!" "Nice mirror, Dresden china." "Very old." "I'll bet my wife would go for that." "I'll list everything for you." "4 1/2. 6,50. 8,50." "Right over there, boys." "I'll check as you pack." "Be sure and pack tight." "Got a lot of stuff up here." "What've we got, boys?" "Shoes, six pair of blacks, dollar a pair." "Two pair of whites, 50 cents." "Two sets of evening slippers, worn, no price." "One, two, three, four gowns." "25 dollars." "No, make it 22,50." "One, two, three, four dresses." "15 dollars." "Well, that might fit Mrs. Slavin, but I guess not." "Figure's not like it used to be when we first got married." "Wouldn't even fit Betty, she's as fat as her mother." "I'll find somebody for it someday." "One brocade spread, 10 dollars." "Three dozen handkerchiefs, one dollar and a half a dozen." "Hats, hats, hats." "Funny what women will accumulate and never get rid of." "Now, let's see what we have in here." "Well..." " One, two..." " Now, wait a minute, Mr. Slavin." "Anything you want for yourself, Mr. Quincey, just yell out." " I've decided not to sell." " Huh?" "Just let's leave everything the way it is and, uh..." "Maybe later sometime." "Leave it?" "But I've brought a truck and two packers up here all the way from Concord!" "Yes, I know, I know." "But the truck costs money, and those men get two dollars an hour." "I'll pay for their time." "But you don't understand." "There's my work and my time" "I was figuring on 2,200 for this house, twenty percent for me..." "I'll send you a check for whatever you would have made." "Now, will you please leave?" "I tell you what I'll do." "I'll give you a thousand dollars cash for this stuff," " leave off my cut." "How's that?" " I'm not selling." " But look at all the ti..." " Get out!" "Okay." "Come on, boys." "Mr. Quincey isn't selling." "I, Harry Melville Quincey, born April the 18th, 1906, in the town of Corinth, New Hampshire, being in full possession of all the faculties of my mind, make this confession..." "Really, Mr. Quincey, I don't know what to make of all this." "Just read this last paragraph, please." "Very well, but it's most irregular even to see you at this time." "All very praiseworthy." "Even magnificent." "But frankly, I don't believe one word of it, Mr. Quincey." "Neither will anyone else." "But it's true." "This business of changing cups and the wrong victim, it's all so confused." "Besides, what possible motive could you have for committing such a crime?" "I hated her." "I wanted to be free of her." "And now you want to save her." "Doesn't make sense." "No, Mr. Quincey." "You asked to see her, but I don't see any reason for that now." "But if she confirms everything that I've written here, will you believe it then?" "Yes." "If that should happen, I will immediately inform the governor." "Well, that's all I ask." "But why upset your sister with any idea of a last-minute reprieve?" "To do such a thing would be very cruel, inhuman." "So please, Mr. Quincey, don't mention anything to her which might build up false hopes." "Come in." " Will you wait outside?" " Yes, sir." "Hello, Lettie." "How are you, Harry?" " Please sit down." " Thank you." "It's good to see a fire again." "I've always loved an open fire and a big, comfortable armchair like this one." "In fact, I was going to ask you." "May I have an armchair in my room tonight?" "It is true, isn't it, that one may have whatever one wishes on one's last night?" "Yes, yes, of course." "Miss Quincey, your brother has something he wishes to say to you." "So I'm going to leave you two alone." "Don't forget what I told you." " Lettie, I know what you must be thinking..." " Don't worry about me, Harry." "It's all over very quickly." "But you won't have to go through with it." "I think they put some kind of a hood over one's face." "Lettie, please listen to what I have to say." "Harry, try to control yourself." "After all, you're not going to be hanged." "Well, neither are you, Lettie." "You're not going to die." "I died months ago." "Tomorrow will be just routine." "What are you going to do tomorrow?" "I hope you won't be one of those horrible creatures who stand outside gaping." "I think they'll run up a black flag or something." "But Lettie, you know I did it." "I came here to give myself up." "Dear Harry." "Always so imaginative." "Do you remember when you were a child?" "You used to have nightmares." "And I used to comfort you and tell you that it was all in your mind." "Lettie, I can't go on living like this." "What are you going to do about the house?" "I should sell it if I were you." "Oh, of course you may have a little trouble there." "Give a house bad name and hang it, as they say." "Will you please read this?" "Everything's written down there just as..." "just as it happened." "Don't be foolish, Harry." "Everyone knows how fond you were of Hester." "You could never be cruel to anyone, let alone kill them." " I didn't know what I was doing that night!" " Of course not." "I remember when you were a child, you broke your best toy." "A little wagon." "It was an accident." "But you blamed Hester and me." "And you had our ice cream while we had to stand in the corner." "Will you stop talking like that?" "I don't wanna blame anyone." "Or collect their ice cream?" "You never mean any harm, Harry." "Accidents just seem to happen to you all the time." "I just wanted to be free, that's all." "Free." "Then everything has turned out beautifully, hasn't it?" "You are free!" "Ever since we were children, I've wanted to do something for you, to give you something." "Something worthy of your talent and your imagination." "But Lettie, I'm not thinking of myself, only of you." "Seems strange, doesn't it, that I should choose this peculiar moment" " to give you this peculiar present." " What present?" "Your future, my dear." "Your future." "You'll not be good company for yourself all the long years that stretch ahead when you can't think... or sleep..." "or eat... or read." "Poor Harry." "All through?" "Yes." "All through." "I know you'll ignore my brother's attempt to prove he killed Hester." "It's quite ridiculous, of course." "All the same, Harry, it was splendid of you to make the gesture." "Splendid." "Thank you." "It was so exactly what I would have expected of him." "I'm sorry, Harry." "But you see..." "That's the way things are." "Deborah!" "But..." "I thought you were married." "I almost was." "Ring, license, minister, tickets to Europe." "At the last moment, I couldn't go through with it." "Oh, darling, somehow you kept getting in the way." "Oh, Deborah, you don't know how happy I am to see you." " I can hardly believe that you're here." " But I am." "Do you still have those railroad tickets?" "Yes, and there's a milk train leaving at midnight." "If we hurry, we can just about make it." "But Harry, isn't there anything here you wanna take?" "Nothing but you, darling." "I saw your light on, Harry, and I wondered..." "Deborah!" "Hester!" " Are you all right?" " Of course, I'm all right." "What's the matter with you?" "And what's Deborah doing here?" "Harry and I are going away together, Hester." "But you..." "Oh, but that's bigamy!" "No, darling." "I didn't marry John." "You...?" "Oh." "I'm so happy." "Oh, dear." "If you're going, hurry away right now." "Goodbye, Hester." "We'll write to you." "But Harry!" "Harry." "What do I tell Lettie?" "Oh, uh..." "Tell her that I'm sorry, but that's the way things are."