"# I can't give you anything but love, baby" "# That's the only thing I've plenty of, baby" "# Dream a while" "# Scheme a while" "# You're sure to find" "# Happiness, and I guess" "# All the things you've always pined for" "# Gee, I'd like to see you looking swell, baby" "# Diamond cufflinks Woolworth's doesn't sell, baby" "# Till that lucky day you know darn well, baby" "# I can't give you anything but love" "# I can't give you anything but love" "# That's the thing I've plenty of" "# Dream a while" "# Scheme a while" "# You're sure to find" "# Happiness, and I guess" "# All the things you've always pined for" "# Gee, I'd like to see you looking swell, baby" "# Diamond cufflinks Woolworth's doesn't sell, my baby" "# Till that lucky day you know darn well, baby" "# I can't give you anything but love" "# I can't give you anything but love" "# I can't give you anything but love, baby" "# I can't give you anything" "# But love #" "This is my friend Harry Allen." "He's married." "He likes his wife." "It can happen." "I'm sorry, Mr. Allen, were you calling for me?" "Yes, Miss Jones." "Get Mr. Langley on the phone for me." "Yes, sir." "Right away, sir." "Myself?" "I always thought marriage was a mild kind of illness." "Like the flu or chickenpox, to which I was safely immune." "It all began on the 5th of September, 1949, when Harry called to ask me to lunch at the Cloud Room, saying he had something urgent he wished to tell me." "So, what's so damn important?" "To our mutual good health." "Uh-huh." "You're not dying on me or something, old chap, are you?" "No." "Just the opposite." "So?" "Let's grab a table before it gets too crowded." "Do you like Pat, Rich?" "I mean, are you fond of her?" "Of course I like Pat." "She's your wife." "You know I'm fond of her." "Since the day I met her." "Of course." "What are you getting at?" "Well, I'm going to leave Pat." "And I thought I'd better tell you." "I thought you ought to know." "Why, may I ask, are you gonna leave Pat?" "Because I want to be truly happy." "Oh." "That sounds reasonable." "I'm being very reasonable." "Well, what's her name?" "Look, I know you and Pat well enough to figure your marriage is not an unhappy one." "As a matter of fact, as marriages go," "I always thought it was pretty good." "The most successful marriage I've ever known." "Her name is Kay." "It's Kay Nesbitt." "Pat will take it hard." "I know." "I tried telling her." "I couldn't." "I can't stand to see anyone suffer." "You know how I am." "Why don't you have Kay, if you want, as your girlfriend?" "Just to make sure." "What, you mean as a mistress?" "Just to make sure." "I am sure." "I always dreamed of a woman being really in love with me, Richard." "For Pat, love means only one thing." "And what is that?" "Sex." "All the rest of it, the romantic dreams, the self-deception, what you always call "the wish to give and give," Harry, it all boils down to that." "Bed." "Love is sex." "The rest is affection and companionship." "You're wrong." "You're completely and utterly wrong." "Well, you're a romantic and sentimental fool." "If you don't want the truth, you shouldn't ask me questions." "But I do love you, darling." "I do." "Really." "And you know I find you as attractive as that very first night we danced together." "I know you do." "Perhaps I'm not made like other women." "I don't know." "I've tried to be a good wife to you." "From the day we were married, she committed herself, she came to life." "But physically only." "Only physically, Richard." "I know some men crave that sex, but I want more." "We all have to put up with something in life, Harry." "We can't have everything." "You can't possibly understand." "You're with a different woman every other week." "I'm going to have to find a way to leave Pat." "I have to." "I've made up my mind." "Dear, sweet, gentle Kay." "What on earth drew a girl like you to my friend Harry?" "That I could never understand." "Maybe you were lonely." "Maybe you were smitten." "In truth, who can ever explain a woman's desire?" "It's always been a bit of a mystery." "It was the next Sunday that, as habit," "Harry and Pat walked to have lunch with their daughter Becky, her husband Tom and their grandson, little Charlie." "Good afternoon." "Hello." "That awful dog." "That awful woman." "Poor old Mrs. Walsh." "So I said, "What you have is an inability to express your emotions." ""You're frigid in a Freudian sense,"" "which completely confused her, the poor woman." "So I told her that without a very serious analysis, she would never get over it." "We talked about her childhood for an hour." "Harry was already looking forward to his evening with Kay." "He'd made all the proper arrangements." "All his excuses were lined up." "It has always been the privilege of the well-to-do to use their business as camouflage." "Gotta go." "Harry, it's Sunday." "Duty calls, darling." "I need to get a head start on tomorrow's meetings." "So be it." "It is on your own head." "But when evil comes to you..." "I appreciate the television set, darling, I do." "That's all I want to do, Kay." "I want to spoil you, and shower you with gifts, and give and give." "Just to see you smile." "I love that smile." "Harry, you're such a romantic." "That's why I love you." "He had to get out of his marriage." "He had to have Kay." "But how?" "He couldn't stand to shatter Pat's world and make her suffer." "You know, the other week at the cabin," "John O'Brien was telling Newt Baum that he thinks a woman who does a lot for her man can pay a heavy price." "What do you suppose he meant?" "Oh, it's all rather uncomplicated, I'm sure." "He was drinking." "You know John." "What is the price a good wife pays?" "Tell me." "I don't know." "Let's skip it." "You'll upset your stomach." "No, go on." "I'd say he was probably thinking that if a married man" "falls in love with another woman, the dedicated wife is surprised and hurt." "And she remembers him as he was." "Before they married, and she sees him now, as she made him." "A better-finished product altogether." "A product another woman is soon going to enjoy." "You've given this a lot of thought." "I know you don't love me anymore." "No." "I do love you." "Pat." "Pat." "Pat?" "Pat!" "Pat?" "Pat?" "Thanks for coming at this ungodly hour, Doc." "That's all in a day's work." "I thought she was having a heart attack." "Not a bad way to go, coronary thrombosis." "If you ask me, it's the most merciful death of all." "Quick and easy." "But, no, she's fine." "The pain in her chest is most likely caused by an emotional condition." "Are you aware of anything that could disturb her emotionally?" "Anything at all?" "No." "Nothing I can think of." "When it comes to the opposite sex, most men are selfish." "Whereabouts does she live, Harry?" "Fairhaven." "I'm no exception." "She's got a little house with a flower garden down there, and a decent job in town, selling wallpaper." "I wanted Harry's girl." "That's near your weekend cabin." "Yeah, not far." "That's right." "You know, if you come by one weekend to see us at the cabin, you should stop by and say hello to Kay." "Hmm." "There's not much for her to do out there." "When I'm not around, she's just curled up with a book by the fireplace." "She's a reader, you know." "Hmm." "Is she?" "I want you to get to know her, the way you know Pat." "Oh, but she won't want to see me." "I assure you, she'd love to see you." "She'll have nothing to do with someone like me, Harry." "You know how honest-to-goodness women run kicking and screaming, when they see me coming." "Well, stick with me, my friend." "I'll make a good man out of you yet." "It was while Harry was away on business that I visited her first." "As a friend." "Or a friend of a friend." "These look wonderful." "Thank you." "Is this your father?" "Yes, it is." "He died of cancer, the day after Christmas, 1931." "Oh, I'm sorry." "He looks like a kind man." "He was a drunk, actually." "But he was kind, at least to us kids." "Thank you." "You're welcome." "That's my late husband, Ronald." "The men in my life don't seem to live very long." "I'll warn Harry." "Please do." "Ronnie and I moved here right after we were married." "But he went missing right at the beginning of the war." "The Navy declared him officially dead." "February of '47." "It's funny how he kept me hoping." "His body was never found." "I'm sorry." "I only had him for about three years, but I really don't regret a moment." "You're lucky." "Why?" "Do you regret anything?" "Hmm." "Lots." "And much more to come." "But about two years ago," "I pulled myself together." "And then with Harry's help." "My dear, sweet Harry." "Would you care for a real drink?" "Yes, please." "Okay." "I'll take a whiskey." "Straight up." "My mother came to live with me at the beginning of the war." "And taught me to laugh at everything." "A year ago, she died." "Thank you." "So here I am." "Gloomy, lonely Kay." "That's my life, in a nutshell." "What about coming out with me for a dinner?" "We could go into town or someplace nearby." "Come on." "Little change would do you good." "Well, I don't see why not." "Thank you." " Sure." "You know, the trouble with Harry is he's a man who depends on emotions for happiness." "And he's married to a woman who maybe doesn't." "Is that what Harry says?" "No, that's what I think." "Harry's just never had anyone truly in love with him." "Until now." "Yes, until now." "You know, he loves you very much." "Yes." "It must be difficult to be apart." "I hate it." "You know, they say a woman needs to be loved, and that's true." "But it's not the whole truth." "She also needs somebody to love." "Sounds old-fashioned." "But it's true." "I'm sure it is." "I want to look after Harry, just as he wants to look after me." "You're his closest friend." "You know." "He's been hurt and disillusioned." "And I want to heal him." "Like a nurse." "Well, then." "Well, then." "Let's have some pie." "No, I'm fine, thank you." "One pie." "Two forks." "Do you think I'm wrong to want to marry Harry?" "I'm not the judge of your conscience." "I don't know you that well." "I just want him to be happy." "Well, I do, too." "And I can make him happy." "Happier than he's been." "Then it's agreed." "Are you in love with Harry?" "I love him dearly." "Are you in love with him?" "Yes." "Did I sense a breath of hesitation?" "I thought I did." "I wanted to." "Should I come in for one last cup of coffee?" "No." "I'm pooped." "Okay." "Good night, then." "Good night." "Thanks a bunch." "When are you and Stephen getting married?" "September the 3rd is the date we've set." "Then I shall miss the wedding." "I sail on September the 3rd." "Something was happening to me." "Something I had never felt before." "The thought that those colorless lips of Harry's should ever be allowed to press upon Kay's mouth tortured me day and night." "I love you." "Where was he now?" "With his wife, like a good husband should be?" "Or with Kay?" "In her home?" "In her arms?" "In her bed?" "I had to find out." "Pat, how are you?" "Fine, Rich." "Yourself?" "Oh, couldn't be better." "How is the old chap?" "Out of town." "On business." "As usual." "Oh, I didn't know that." "Neither did he." "He plumb forgot." "I tell you, I don't know where he'd be if he didn't have me to organize him." "Can you hear me, Rich?" "Mmm-hmm." "We've had troubles with the line." "Rich?" "Yes." "I hear you fine." "I, um..." "Well, I suppose I'm just a little tired." "You sound as though you need a vacation." "Maybe a quiet weekend at your cabin." "Anytime." "You know your room is always ready." "Well, thank you." "Thank you so much, Pat." "And, well, good night." "Good night, dear." "Pat Allen could never imagine that her husband would lie to her." "So much for women's intuition." "I never believed much in it." "I believe even less now." "How far are you going?" "Couple of miles down the road." "Thanks for stopping, pal." "Mind if I turn up the heat a little?" "It's bitter out there." "Alvin's my name." "Alvin Walters." "Nice meeting you, Alvin." "Care for a smoke?" "No, thank you." "You're out late." "I was with my sister." "My oldest." "You?" "Just visiting a friend." "Whereabouts does your sister live?" "Ferndale." "She died tonight." "I'm sorry to hear that." "Very sorry." "Frankly, pal, I was happy to see her go." "She was barely hanging on for the last seven months." "We all gotta go sometime." "It's not dying that counts, it's how you die." "And she died bad and slow." "Both my parents died in my youth, so I'm no stranger to death." "The last two days were real bad." "Then the poison just burst right into the walls of her stomach, and she was gone." ""A blessed release," she called it, and that's the truth." "It was a blessed release." "Just ended." "She's at peace now, Mildred." "That's all that matters." "She's happy." "And so, with the innocent touch of his wife's hand," "Harry's mind was made up." "He would have to kill her." ""A blessed release."" "It was the only logical way for him to save Pat from suffering." "And he would never doubt it again." "Once the emotions involved in taking a decision to murder have subsided, the greater emotion involved in the crime lies ahead." "Between plan and final action, there's a wide gap." "You know, you've gotta be careful with Altrapeine." "That stuff can be dangerous." "Yes, I know." "I keep it hidden away tightly in my darkroom." "If you got kids around..." "No." "I don't have any children." "Thank you." "I have to ask you to sign for it." "Of course." "Right here at the "x"." "If you don't mind." "Alvin's my name." "Alvin Walters." "So, what kind you got?" "Huh?" "Camera." "Uh..." "All kinds." "Sir?" "You do need to pay." "Uh, pardon me." "How was your trip, darling?" "Nothing unusual." "You're still in your coat." "Are you cold?" "I just wanted to see you first before I settled in for the night." "I missed you, too." "I think we should go to the cabin this weekend." "Spend some time alone." "Harry, we can't." "What about our plans with the Arnoffs?" "Cancel them." "I want to be alone with you." "Okay." "I might go up a little early, then." "Okay." "I'll go get ready for bed." "Good night." "Good night." "I love you." "On Friday afternoon, the 7th of October," "I took the rest of the day off and drove north to the Allen cabin." "I had visited Kay quite a few times by then." "But today I knew Harry would be up there." "I was restless." "I needed to know how much time I had before Harry left Pat." "Before I lost Kay forever." "Jesus Christ!" "John O'Brien." "O'Brien was part of Harry and Pat's group." "An unpublished fiction writer of some talent." "And to his credit, the only one among us who actually fought the Huns." "He lived alone nearby and traveled every so often to town for drinks and inspiration." "Richard?" "Ah!" "John." "Yes, I was just popping in on Pat and Harry for a breath of fresh country air." ""The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold."" "Yes." "Come in this way." "Thanks." "How are you, Richard?" "Yes, very good." "Thank you." "Hello, Pat." "Got a bed for an old friend?" "Of course I have, Rich." "You know that, or you wouldn't be here." "God, it's a lovely evening." "Isn't it?" "Absolutely gorgeous." "Should be fine tomorrow, too, judging by the sunset." "I should buy a house in the country." "You really should." "Yes." "Maybe I will one day." "Would you like a cup of coffee?" "No, thanks." "I can put some on." "Please." "Don't make it especially for me." "I could do with a cup." "And some cookies, if you got them, Pat." "Maybe Richard would prefer a whiskey and soda to warm him up after the drive." "I expect Pat could provide it, Rich." "I think just a cup of coffee will do, thanks." "Sure." "Maybe I should go upstairs, and see if I can freshen up." "It seems I forgot my weekend bag." "I'm sorry." "I'll survive." "Well..." "Now you know, don't you?" "Know what?" "How things stand between Pat and me." "Yes." "Yes, I guess I do." "At least I know how things appear to stand." "But appearance is not everything." "I saw you kissing her if that's what you mean." "That's exactly what I mean." "Yes, well, it's none of my business." "I'm not married to Pat, and I have no need to cause trouble." "Pat's not the first woman to flirt a little when her husband's out of the house." "It's not a flirtation." "As far as I'm concerned," "I've seen nothing." "The fire can play strange tricks." "It's not for me to pass on stories that could be based on a vivid imagination." "I'm very much in love with John." "And he's in love with me." "That's the way it is." "So." "Divorce?" "No." "No divorce." "Not ever?" "I made a bargain with Harry, and I'll keep it." "In sickness and in health." "If I thought he didn't need me so much..." "But I'm all he's got to hang on to, you know?" "He has no one." "I'm very fond of Harry." "And I can't stand the thought of what he might do if I left him." "Do you think he might commit suicide?" "Perhaps not so much that." "He may start drinking." "Maybe." "And his clothes would all go to pot." "He'd be lonely." "He'd get caught up with some floozy who would drag him down and take all his money with her." "What do you think, John?" "I guess Pat knows him best." "Poor guy hasn't had much fun out of life, that's for sure." "Do you want to know my thoughts?" "Please." "He would be lost without you, Pat." "I certainly think he might try to kill the pain in some way." "Drinking, maybe." "Too much at first." "No, thank you." "And the business." "I can't stand to think what that humiliation would do to him." "And think of yourself, Pat." "I'm not at all certain that one can build happiness upon the unhappiness of someone else." "Some could." "But not someone with your burden of conscience." "You're too good." "Thanks for being so honest." "Don't you think, Rich, he might marry again?" "With some nice woman or other." "No, I don't." "I don't think Harry would ever fall in love again." "Pat is his entire world." "And don't forget I've known him since childhood." "Harry arrived late that evening, not long after O'Brien had left." "He was disappointed to learn I was there." "I didn't know why at the time." "I didn't know of his plans for Pat, and that he needed to be alone with her." "I'll put the water on." "I didn't know there was a murderer in the house." "Good evening, Rich." "Good to see you, Harry." "Can you believe this cold weather?" "Yeah, I got it." "Just what I need." "Pharmaceuticals." "That's the future." "I could use a good stock tip if you have one, Harry." "What I could use is a drink." "Harry!" "He just went to sleep and died." "Oh, Pat." "Harry." "Poor old Brutus." "His heart just stopped." "Here you go." "Here you go." "Here you go." "Shh, shh." "At least he didn't have to suffer." "It was a practice run." "And it confirmed everything Harry was capable of." "You'll have to come and stay with Kay and me when we're married." "When are you gonna tell Pat?" "One of these days." "Seeing her standing there," "I was suddenly swept by a wave of the most revolting sentimentality." "I had never imagined that I could be moved to sacrifice my own desires for Kay." "But that is what I now proposed to do." "And it made me feel happy." "I will come clean." "I knew enough to set them all free." "Pat?" "Yes?" "Pat..." "What is it, Rich?" "Please, tell me." "I could go to town and buy a stone with Brutus' name on it, if you'd like." "Yes." "That would be nice." "What do you say, Harry?" "Yeah, if you'd like." "If only Harry had stayed by the grave a minute longer, so much might have been changed." "As it turned out, it was the last time such sentimentality swept over me." "What's the uproar about?" "Are you on fire?" "Come on, throw on some clothes and get cracking." "We're going out to celebrate." "Celebrate what, for heaven's sake?" "Well, we'll decide that in the car." "Come on, country mouse." "Change into something sleek, and let's go." "Let no time be wasted." "This is no night for a beautiful girl like you to be in the house all on her own." "But what's so special about tonight?" "Nothing special about tonight." "Come on, go." "Give me ten minutes?" "Too long." "Seven minutes." "The horses are getting cold outside." "Well, if the coachman wants another drink, he can help himself." "The coachman will!" "# Turn back the clock and let's get together and rock" "# All night long" "# All night long" "# All night long" "Sir, there's only 20 minutes left in the picture." "We don't care." "We really don't." "# Now it don't matter if you got to fight" "# The cops ain't coming out till Sunday night" "# The joint is jumpin', let the good times roll" "# And satisfy your soul" "# All night long" "# All night long" "# All night long" "# Rockin' all night long #" "Would you like to do this again next week?" "There'll be a swell new picture at the Hollywood." "I don't think Harry would mind." "Well..." "I think he might be a little bit jealous." "We can't be together on the town like this." "He might be a bit hurt." "I'm not sure Harry has a right to feel hurt." "What do you mean?" "You know as well as I do, Kay." "I suppose I do." "It's just hard for him to find a way to leave her." "I wouldn't want to be in Harry's shoes." "He's always trying to do things with such perfection." "Well, I don't know about that." "What I do know is you are." "Perfect, that is." "In my eyes." "You know, Kay," "it'll be hard to build your happiness upon the unhappiness of somebody else." "Some people could." "But not people with your burden of conscience." "Not this way." "Would you like to come in for a nightcap?" "Or a nightcap to a nightcap?" "Hmm." "A morning cap?" "Well, just about." "I think even I have my limits." "Okay." "Good night." "Good night." "May I have that cigarette you're smoking?" "What's left of it." "Well, if you want." "Why?" "Because it touched your lips." "Good night." "I'd heard a Texan say it once to a pretty brunette after the liberation of Paris." "It was corny, of course." "But it worked." "And it was from the heart." "October 26th." "Harry Allen is as sane and as cool as you and I." "He was simply convinced that for Pat to fall asleep forever, without fear, and in the bloom of her life, involved no hardship at all." "What was the alternative?" "A life of suffering and loneliness?" "The humiliation of an abandoned wife?" "Harry loved Pat too much to allow that to happen." "You look especially pretty this morning." "Thank you, darling." "Like one of those Sleep All advertisements you see in the magazines." ""Drink a cup of Sleep All and get eight hours of sleep" ""and be a beauty like me."" "I don't think they'd sell much Sleep All if they hired me." "They'd sell plenty of Sleep All with you, Pat." "You're prettier today than you've ever been." "Thank you." "Let's feast this morning." "You know I shouldn't." "Eat, drink and be merry, my dear." "I'll taste everything." "I promise, darling." "That's the paper." "Let me go down and get it for you." "I feel like a queen!" "Care for another slice of toast?" "Yes, please." "Not so much butter on it this time, please." "Been having indigestion again?" "Not too bad." "Just the usual." "But you still take your medicine?" "Religiously, sir." "One spoon before bedtime." "Sometimes around lunch." "It depends." "That's good." "Have another sausage." "No, I shouldn't." "It took a long time to prepare." "Honestly, Harry." "I don't know what we're gonna eat the rest of the week for breakfast." "Harry?" "Harry, have you seen my medicine bottle?" "What's going on in there?" "I'm in the tub." "In the tub?" "What on earth for?" "I forgot to take my bath this morning." "Guess I'm not myself today." "I'll say." "Have you seen my medicine bottle?" "That last sausage really did it." "What, the bottle?" "Yes." "I have it here." "Why do you have it in there?" "Oh, my stomach's bothering me." "Thought I'd steal a dose from you, if you don't mind." "You poor thing." "What a messy day." "Uh..." "Not much of a cook, am I?" "Well, use the toothbrush mug, not the rinsing cup." "The powder makes the glass so hard to polish." "All right, will do." "Here you go." "Thanks." "You're not gonna take it now?" "Not quite yet." "I'm better." "I'll take a dose before lunch, then another before bed." "That should repair the damage." "I'm sorry." "It was a lovely breakfast." "A lovely gesture, darling." "Bye-bye, Harry." "Bye-bye, Pat." "Take care of yourself." "I will." "I'm sorry." "Don't be silly." "Harry." "Harry." "Harry, what do you think?" "Excuse me for a moment." "Operator." "I have been dialing my home over and over." "And I get a strange tone." "We've had this trouble before." "What's the number you're calling?" "42392." "Hold the line." "I'm sorry, caller, that line is out of order." "Well, can't you fix it right away?" "It's very..." "I'll report it to the engineer's department." "Daddy?" "No, Charlie, put your mommy on the phone." "Grandpa, is that you?" "Call your mommy, Charlie." "When are you gonna come and visit me, Grandpa?" "I don't know, sweetie." "You go play." "Mrs. Walsh?" "This is Harry Allen from next door." "Listen, I wonder if you wouldn't mind doing me a favor." "I've been trying to call my wife, but the line's out of order." "You want me to go over and see if she's in?" "Yes." "Yes, that's it." "Hold on a moment." "Shut up!" "Just shut up!" "Mr. Allen?" "Mr. Allen?" "Yes?" "There's no answer at the door." "I could write a note for you if you want, and slip it under." "Oh, that's so kind of you, Mrs. Walsh." "Could you ask her to call me?" "She could use my phone if she wants." "Of course." "Now, thank you, Mrs. Walsh." "Goodbye." "Is everything all right, Mr. Allen?" "Why shouldn't it be?" "I thought you looked a little pale, that's all." "Nonsense." "I'm sorry if I snapped at you, Miss Jones." "I think I might be getting a cold." "You know how I hate to be sick." "Oh..." "I'll give you some of my cold pills, Mr. Allen." "I have some in my desk." "They're wonderful." "Don't bother." "You take a red one in the morning, a green one at lunchtime, and a yellow one before you go to bed." "So it doesn't matter when you start." "I don't think I really need it." "It worked for my sister." "And Milt in shipping." "He swears by them." "I just want you to be well." "Otherwise, Mrs. Allen might catch it." "Mr. Allen's office." "Yes, of course." "Speak of the devil." "Hello?" "Well, hello, Harry." "What's the matter?" "Mrs. Walsh left a note on the door, telling me to call you." "Nothing, really." "Oh, good." "I was worried." "It's not like you to call during the day." "The line was out of order." "Where are you calling from?" "Mrs. Walsh's." "I was washing my hair when she rang the bell before." "I'll call the phone company from here." "And how's your tummy?" "Better, thanks." "I didn't take anything for it." "I'll just take the usual dose tonight before bed." "Oh..." "There's this ghastly dinner tonight with some local manufacturers." "I'll be late." "That's all I wanted to say." "That's okay." "I'll go see that movie at the Arabian." "It probably won't be there much longer." "It's supposed to be good." "Well, don't wait up for me." "Uh..." "You know how these things are." "I'll be in bed by 11:30, as usual." "I promise." "Bye-bye." "Harry, you must be frozen." "Come in." "I've got a fire going." "Would you like a gin and tonic?" "I'd rather have a whiskey and soda, if you can spare it." "Of course I can spare it, Harry." "It's yours, anyway." "You bought it." "Don't keep telling me that the things I give you are mine, darling." "They're ours." "Well, then." "Cheers." "And God bless." "God bless." "Amen." "If there is a God." "Don't you think there might not be?" "This cruel world." "Well, I like to think there's a God." "Otherwise, how could we explain all this hard rain we've been having all of a sudden?" "Harry, are you feeling all right?" "Yes, thank you, darling." "I feel wonderful." "I feel wonderful when I'm with you." "You do look a bit off." "It's a little chill." "It's nothing." "I'm fine now." "Okay." "Well, you shouldn't have come if you have a chill." "Not on a night like this." "And not be here with you?" "No, thank you." "Best take a few aspirins before you go to bed." "What's so funny?" "Dear Kay, I love you so much." "Nothing frightens me when I'm with you." "Why don't I put on some soup for you?" "I'll help you." "There's nothing you can do, really." "There isn't." "It's just soup." "It just needs heating up." "Go and sit." "I'll miss you." "I'll be back in a minute." "Go on, fix yourself another drink." "What's the matter, Kay?" "You're very thoughtful tonight." "Well, I have good cause to be." "Then what's the matter?" "For heaven's sake, tell me." "Don't just sit there." "What's wrong?" "Harry," "I don't want you to get the wrong idea." "The wrong idea?" "What wrong idea could I possibly get?" "Kay, what's wrong?" "Harry, there's no one who means as much to me as you do." "The way you do." "And there never has been since Ron died." "I just can't go through with this thing, dearest." "I've given it a lot of thought." "I don't think it's fair to Pat." "I don't think it's fair to you or me." "Please, Kay, don't do this." "Don't you see she would always be between us?" "Would she?" "I doubt it." "I want to be happy." "With you." "Well, I, for one, cannot take that chance." "I would have liked to have married you, Harry." "But not like this." "We can't build our happiness on the unhappiness of someone else." "Some people could, but not people with our burden of conscience." "What other way is there?" "Harry, this is as hard for me as it is for you." "Then don't let's make a final decision tonight." "I won't feel any different tomorrow." "Let's just see if we could get through to the end of our lives without further damage." "Thank you for your past kindness." "And for tonight's dinner." "Harry, please don't let it end like this." "Like what?" "In bitterness." "Don't let it end like that, either." "You think I'm a monster, don't you?" "I think you might have let me know a bit earlier." "You did the right thing, dear." "It was so quick." "May I..." "May I have back the letters I wrote to you, Kay?" "Now?" "It's easier for both of us if the letters are out of the way." "I can burn them." "I'd rather have them." "Harry, they're all over the place." "Well, burn them tomorrow morning, Kay." "The whole lot." "Without fail." "Please." "Harry." "You..." "Let's pretend that I'm just running down to the store to get a bottle of gin." "Or, better yet, that I was never here." "I've lost everything tonight." "And I'd rather not think about it." "I'll be in bed by 11:30, as usual." "Here you go." "Are you aware you have only one rear light working on this car, sir?" "No, sir, I'm not aware." "Well, don't take my word for it." "Why don't you step out of the car, and check for yourself?" "No, that's all right, I believe you." "Can we just do this quickly?" "Step out of the car, sir." "It's just a bad connection." "Let me see your driver's license." "Well, surely you're not going to give me a summons for this?" "You're not driving without a license?" "No." "No." "Sure I..." "Here." "You in a hurry, sir?" "No." "But I should get back home." "Well, you should've thought of that before you decided to break the law, sir." "But I haven't broken the law." "Everything's in order." "Good, thank you." "You're free to go." "All right." "Thank you." "You're home early." "Are you all right, Harry?" "I must've dozed off." "Oh, dear, what's wrong?" "I want you to know." "Know what?" "How much I need you." "I know, darling." "I've always known that." "Funny, I could swear this bottle was half empty." "I think my mind is going." "We must be getting older." "Yes, we are." "A bit too set in our ways, aren't we?" "Yes." "I love you, Pat." "I love you, too." "Harry?" "Why don't we take a trip somewhere, just the two of us?" "I would like that." "How was the picture?" "Fine." "It was a good picture." "And so Harry and Pat Allen resumed their lives together in that way couples do." "Kay and I waited till the next winter before coming out." "I guess we want to be kind in our own way." "To let the pain subside for Harry." "She's a doll." "You're a lucky man." "I suppose I am." "You are." "Couldn't happen to a nicer fellow." "Aw..." "Thank you, Pat." "How serious is it?" "Oh, it's very serious." "The most serious I've ever been." "There's something really great between us." "So, marriage?" "Yes, marriage." "If she'll have me." "Of course she'll have you, Rich." "How could she not?" "Wait, wait, wait, wait." "A toast." "To Richard and Kay." "To us." "To all of us." "To life!" "It was later that night that Harry told me everything." "It was a funny story, in its way, about a man who tried to poison his wife, and then found he would be lost without her." "Three words." "The drummer boy is on a road." "And so we were married," "Kay and I." "We were meant for each other." "Harry was my best man." "Did we build our happiness upon the unhappiness of others?" "That's for you to judge." "Road." "Road." "Road." "Whoever in this room knows what goes on in the mind of the person who sleeps next to you..." "Road to Morocco!" "...please, raise your hand." "I know you can't." "Not honestly." "Thank you." "I appreciate the drinks." "Good night, pal." "Your turn." "Take care." "Good night." "Thank you." "Good night!" "Harry Allen was the most noble man I'd ever met." "He never once talked to me about his loss." "Come on, boy!" "In fact, I now believe it was a new beginning." "It's funny, isn't it?" "What we do for love."