"You unlock this door with the key of imagination." "Beyond it is another dimension- a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind." "You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas." "You've just crossed over into the twilight zone." "I thought you made an appointment." "I did." "Oh, come on, alan." "You're not in that much of a hurry, are you?" "Yes." "Oh." "Well, in that case, you tell them." "You tell them they're keeping the head of the mcclellan enterprises waiting." "Tell them." "All right, all right." "Do you want to forget the whole thing?" "No, i don't want to forget the whole thing." "I just want to get this foolishness over with." "Can i have one?" "Why, thank you." "Come on." "Hello." "Hello." "May i help you?" "My name is ransome." "I believe my wife made an appointment with you." "Oh, yes." "I am mr." "Spiereto." "Now, exactly where do we intend to go?" "We intend to go to london." "Splendid." "Of course, you've been." "No." "Well, it's a charming place, utterly charming." "Of course, you picked a rather bad time of the year... excuse me, mr." "Spiereto, but we're kind of rushed, and i'd appreciate it... well, we all are." "Now... have you decided on an airline?" "No." "Well, then, if i may, i'd like to suggest... oh, we're not going by plane." "I beg your pardon?" "I say we're not going by plane." "Oh, but you must." "That is, unless you're planning this for some time in the future." "No, no, we're leaving right away." "Then i'm afraid a ship is out of the question." "You see, this is the off season, and all the ships have been booked;" "they're taken off their regular schedules." "All of them?" "All the acceptable ones, yes." "I hope you won't mind my saying this, mrs." "Ransome, but you know, airplanes are perfectly safe nowadays." "Why, i realize a few people experience a certain..." "trepidation, shall we say, but there's absolutely no reason... you don't have to tell me about airplanes." "I used to be a stewardess." "It just happens that we don't want to fly." "Eileen, for heaven's sake, if it's the only way, it's the only way." "Could i see a list of the boats thatarerunning?" "As you wish." "Alan, you promised." "I know i promised." "It really is very important." "Now, we agreed on that, right?" "I'm afraid... theseare the only passenger-carrying vessels leaving for england in the next 30 days." "Themintrelis a freighter but i understand the accommodations are quite adequate." "Oh, excuse me." "What about this one?" "Thelady anne?" "Oh, i don't think so." "Why not?" "Well, for one thing, it's very nearly the oldest boat in the water and it's certainly the slowest." "13 days to le havre, another half day to southampton... ifthere are favorable winds." "Well, forget it." "Oh, no, no, wait a minute." "It leaves on thursday." "That's less than a week." "Please, mrs." "Ransome, forget it, take your husband's advice." "Thelady anneis an antique, a relic." "Look we can relax when we get there if that's what you want." "Don't make such a big deal out of it." "Well, itis a big deal to me, a very big deal." "Give us two tickets." "For this?" "Yeah, that's, that's right, thelady anne." "Very well." "A few extra days won't matter, will they?" "No." "I don't have anything better to do." "Portrait of a honeymoon couple getting ready for a journey with a difference:" "These newlyweds have been married for six years and they're not taking this honeymoon to start their life but rather to save it." "Or so eileen ransome thinks." "She doesn't know why she insisted on a ship for this voyage except that it would give them some time and she'd never been on one before, certainly never one like thelady anne." "The tickets read "new york to southampton", but this old liner is going somewhere else." "The twilight zone." "Oh, alan, alan, it's beautiful." "It's urgent that schwimmer get these reports tonight or, at the latest, early tomorrow morning before the office opens." "I'll call you when i get to london." "What?" "Well, it's beautiful." "Uh-uh, not it, madam, she." "This ship happens to be a lady." "Oh, of course." "Well, she's beautiful." "I'd say she's beautiful." "From the descriptions, we'd expected a cross between a kayak and theflying dutchman." "You two seeing somebody off?" "No, we're passengers." "What's that?" "What?" "What-what did you say?" "We're passengers." "Oh, i hardly think so." "I don't think that... this is, this is thelady anne." "There must be a mistake." "Toby, please, i haven't kept you waiting long enough to raise your temper." "Come along." "Be quiet, millie." "You look at your tickets, and you'll find there's been an error." "I repeat, this is thelady anne." "And i repeat, we're passengers." "Let me have a look at your tickets." "Show me your tickets." "Why should i do that?" "I beg your pardon." "I'm sorry." "Call it curiosity." "Please, please, let me have a look at them." "Go on." "All right." "Thank you." ""Mr. And mrs." "Alan ransome," is that what it says?" ""New york, southampton."" ""Two one-way..."" "toby, toby, you're not gonna reading the small print." "These seem to be in order, millie." "Thank you." "I'm glad to know that." "No, but i tell you, there's a mistake." "There's a mistake." "This is what you might call a private party, a private..." "an excursion." "A mistake." "A terrible mistake." "Millie, millie, come along, come along." "I guess that means welcome aboard in british." "Well, don't let him get your back up." "You'll be twice as cranky when you're his age." "You can still turn back, you know." "Just think of being cooped up with me for 14 days." "I made a promise, i'm going to go through with it." "Isn't that good enough?" "Sure, sure, sure." "At leasttry to enjoy yourself." "One moment, please." "Your names?" "Ransome." "You want to see our tickets, too?" "No, sir, that's quite all right." "Thank you." "State room 24 is down that flight of stairs there and to your left." "You're not going to let him do this?" "I'm afraid it's out of my hands, sir." "Come on, come on." "Let's check the room, see if they got the luggage in." "We're due to take off in ten minutes." "Take off?" "Leave, sail." "Depart." "Depart, depart." "I don't believe it." "Oh, alan!" "Alan, isn't it marvelous?" "Oh, alan, the bed!" "Oh, isn't it wonderful?" "Oh, and stairs!" "Look, you have to go up and down to get in." "This is probably the most ridiculous room in the whole world." "Probably?" "Probably?" "!" "It is!" "And you like it, huh?" "Oh, yes, yes, i like it!" "Don't you?" "No kidding." "Can we even take this for two whole weeks?" "I mean... alan, alan, the whistle!" "Come on, come on, let's go up on deck." "Why?" "Why?" "Because that's what people do." "Haven't you ever seen any movies?" "Here they are." "Those are the ones i mean- they're coming with us." "Nonsense." "It's obviously a silly blunder." "I tell you, i've seen their tickets." "All right, keep calm." "There's plenty of time." "I want to see it from the top deck." "You young people are probably unaware of the fact that this is a sort of, uh, private cruise." "Yes." "Quite... there must be a slip-up somewhere." "Oh, no." "There hasn't been any slip-up." "This is our ship and we're sailing to europe on it." "Her." "Oh, her." "There you are, you see." "Oh, dear." "This is very bad news indeed." "Oh, really?" "This may sound odd to you, but, really, we want to help you." "Exactly." "You see, there are certain things you don't know about the ship." "Now, what does that mean?" "Well, for instance, it isn't generally known... no, no, no, careful, careful." "No, no, no." "No, no, my dear gentleman, i must tell them." "The ship is over 50 years old." "Oh, we knew that." "Oh, well, then, uh, possibly one or two things you don't know because you haven't looked." "She's falling apart." "Even the chairs... they wouldn't bear the weight of a baby." "And the staircase, the staircase- look at it- likely to collapse any moment." "And the food- you won't be able to eat it." "It'll poison you, you get to main." "So you can see how impractical the whole idea is, can't you?" "Uh-huh." "Uh, there's just one thing." "Huh?" "If this is such an awfully dangerous boat, what are you two doing on it?" "Uh, uh... oh, well, we're old and eccentric." "We're... young and eccentric." "We like impractical things." "And besides, we think that this is an absolutely darling little boat." "That's the last warning." "They'll be taking the gangplank down any moment." "You'll get seasick, you know." "No stabilizers." "She rolls like an old washing machine." "Well, it sounds like fun!" "For pete's sake, will you two gentlemen... just a moment, please." "Now, what's that for?" "I'm prepared to pay you double the amount of your tickets if you'll abandon your plans." "Well?" "Not a chance." "All right, then i'll triple the amount." "No." "Mrs. Ransome, you're driving me to extremes." "However, if you leave thelady annenow, i'll give you the equivalent of 5,000 american dollars." "And i'll match that." "Making it a total of 10,000." "Well, now you gentlemen are talking my language." "Shall we make it an even 100,000?" "Good gracious, we don't have that sort of money." "Sorry, no deal." "Oh, no, no, please reconsider." "You don't understand." "Now look, my dear sir, ever since we picked this tub, people have been trying their best to discourage us." "I don't know why and i don't care." "But if you're worried that the brash americans are going to try to crash your cozy little tea party, forget it." "No, laddie, it isn't that at all." "Forget it." "And leave us alone." "You thought i'd take the money, didn't you?" "I honestly didn't know." "Oh, look, alan!" "We're off to a great start." "Well... we tried." "We should have tried harder." "We should have kept them off this ship." "Alan?" "Alan?" "Oh, alan." "What are you doing up so early, hmm?" "It's almost 11:00." "So...?" "Good morning." "Good morning." "All right." "You're not getting nervous already, are you?" "No." "Come on, alan, let's not let two cranky old men spoil our honeymoon." "How many?" "Hmm?" "Get dressed." "Fire drill's in 15 minutes." "Oh, alan, i wish you would tell me what this is all about." "I feel as though i'm climbing the scaffold on my way to my execut... all right, pay attention, please." "Call for fire drill practice." "Oh, alan." "Now, see to it that your straps are firmly pulled across the chest and tied." "And that the jackets fit snugly across your body." "Alan, you don't suppose that everybody... everybody." "I checked this morning." "I didn't see a person under 75." "Oh, that's silly." "It must just be the first class section." "There's only one section, it's all first class." "Do you mean that... that they're the only... now, then... in the event that the balloon should go up, the alarm will sound." "In a calm and orderly fashion, you will don your belts- over there, please- and assemble here, "b" deck, where you will await further instructions." "Groups will be divided up in the following manner:" "Group "a," mr." "And mrs." "Hunter small, mr." "And mrs." "Mckenzie, mr." "And mrs." "Scott esprey... now, remember, dear, getting there is half the fun." "Looks like we're on time for the orgy." "Shh." "This isn't a boat, it's a floating rest home." "Alan." "Bartender." "Could you fix us up with a couple of double martinis, very dry?" "Could i have one?" "Alan?" "Hmm?" "I'm sorry." "I didn't know it was going to be like... like this." "Yeah." "No, i really mean it." "I am sorry." "Listen, you know, it really doesn't make that much difference." "I mean, we really didn't want to meet anyone anyway." "What we really wanted... stop saying "we," will you?" "If you'd listened to me, we'd be in london right now." "Yeah, and you'd be at a business conference." "No." "Yes." "Thank you." "Thank you." "And you would be there the next day and the day after." "Oh, alan, that's what this trip is all about." "Don't you see that?" "Look, i know you've been unhappy." "But do you think i enjoy working 28 hours a day?" "Well, it comes to the same thing, doesn't it?" "We never see each other, we never talk, we never... look, i told you before right after i put this deal across, i'm going to start taking it easy." "Oh, sure, sure." "That's what you said two years ago." "And you put the deal across and it didn't make any difference because there are always more deals and there will always be more deals because that's all that matters to you anymore, isn't it?" "Isn't it?" "!" "Could i have another drink, please?" "You're supposed to sip those things, not guzzle them down." "I'll tell you something, i am so tired of begging for a little bit of your time." "You're not interested in me anyway." "You are interested in success." "You have to fight to get to the top, and then you have to fight to stay there." "And you just fight, fight, fight." "Stop making a scene." "Why?" "Does it take your mind off mergers and board meetings?" "No, it takes my mind off the fact that i was supposed to be taking a trip and having a good time." "Oh, come on, alan, you took me on this trip because i asked to be taken, that's all." "Otherwise, you would have gone alone." "Now, isn't that right?" "I want you to admit that." "Isn't that right?" "Isn't that the truth?" "I cannot talk to you when you act like this." "I cannot talk to you." "You don't care about me anymore." "Oh, i was really stupid to think that, uh, that a few days alone was going to make any difference." "Oh, you are a flaming success now." "Alan ransome, the successful financier." "And i am your nagging wife who doesn't understand." "Oh, what's the matter, alan?" "Don't get nervous." "You think they're going to catch on?" "They'll be like everyone else." "They'll think that we're a happily married couple just made for each... just shut up, just shut up!" "Oh, yes, sir, yes, sir, yes, sir!" "Well... you can stop worrying because when this tub finally gets there... you can relax... because i'm going to leave." "That might be a good idea." "Well, it is." "It is a good idea." "And then you'll have all your business deals to keep you warm and you won't have any silly woman picking at you." "Now, won't that be marvelous, huh?" "Yes." "Yes, it will be." "Mr. Ransome... excuse me." "What for this time?" "Oh, millie... oh, mrs." "Ransome, i didn't see you." "We were wondering whether you cared to join us for a cup of tea this afternoon and a chat, perhaps." "No, uh, i don't think so." "Yes, yes, of course, we'd be delighted." "It's at 4:00, isn't it?" "Yes, 4:00 at the imperial lounge." "All right, we'll see you then." "Good, good." "Come along, millie." "Why did you do that?" "Because you and i have nothing more to say to each other, and you said it yourself, we're gonna be stuck together for a whole week, so we might as well call a truce and make the best of it." "Okay?" "Okay." ""Housey housey."" "Sounds funsy-wunsy, doesn't it?" "Oh, here they are, millie." "Come on, mr." "And mrs." "Ransome." "Tea's ready, the kettle's boiling." "Come and sit down." "Thank you." "So glad you could make it." "It's nice of you to have tea with us." "Well, it's our pleasure." "I don't know if you've really met my wife, have you?" "Millie, mr." "And mrs." "Ransome." "Hello." "Hello." "I'll have another cup of tea, old girl, if i may." "Nasty day, i'm afraid." "Now, then, the reason why we asked you to have a cup of tea with us apart, of course, from having the pleasure of your company was because... millie- mrs." "Mckenzie- thought we'd been a little inhospitable, a little standoffish, rude, rude... so, i expect i ought to apologize." "Do you, mr." "Mckenzie?" "I beg your pardon, do i...?" "Apologize?" "Yes, of course, most sincerely." "Now, another thing- great news, great news." "Very important, since we've been talking it over millie and old burgess and the rest of us and we've come to the conclusion that you won't have to leave the ship after all." "Oh, we won't have... oh, say, that is good news." "We were afraid we'd have to swim back and that had us sick with worry." "Oh, my dear fel..." "he thought he'd got to swim." "Oh, we'd never allow that." "Of course we wouldn't." "But we were a little bit embarrassed, you know, because it never entered our heads that any stranger- outsider- would want to travel on thelady anne." "You see, primarily she's a cruise ship, and last time she picked up a new passenger was, according to captain protheroe... have you met the captain?" "According to him, the last time they picked up a new passenger was the summer of '48." "So, you see... well, no need to fuss, is there?" "Because everything's settled now." "What's all settled?" "What my husband is trying to say is that you won't have to die, after all." "Twilight zonewill continue after station identification." "What did you say?" "I said you won't have to die after all." "Of boredom, millie means." "Don't you, dear?" "Oh!" "Yes, of course." "Yes." "I'm afraid we haven't been very good company so far." "Well, no." "No, frankly..." "frankly, you haven't." "Oh, please forgive us." "You see, the fact is that old millie and i have spent many fine hours on this old scow." "Hours one can't forget easily." "When we heard they were going to retire her, we joined her for her last two-way sailing." "It's true of the others." "That's why there's so many old parties on board." "Oh." "Well, we didn't understand." "And they still don't understand." "Some more tea?" "It's very refreshing." "Yes, thank you." "One thing hasn't changed:" "It's still the best cup of tea in the world." "What about all the others?" "Well, as i said same reason as ourselves, really." "Sentiment, you know." "Of course they know." "Why should they choose thelady anne?" "Blessed if i know." "Well, it isn't really such a different story." "Sentiment." "There are different kinds of sentiment." "Partly, it was because alan i haven't really been alone in six years." "Excuse me." "I'm going to get us a drink." "Good idea." "Scotch all around?" "No, not for me, thank you." "Excuse me." "He's embarrassed, isn't he?" "I'm doing that to him all the time lately." "You said that you two hadn't been alone." "No, no, uh... alan is a very busy man." "Anyway, when he told me he was going to england on business, i made him promise to take me, whichever way i decided to go." "But why did you choose thelady anne?" "Well, uh, i guess it was time, really." "You know, more time to be alone together." "I don't know." "It just seemed... special." "Oh, my dear, she is special." "Much more special than you and your husband could ever imagine." "Well, for one thing, toby and i sailed on her when we got married." "That was, um, 52 years ago." "53, as a matter of fact." "Oh, you should have seen her then- splendid specimen, she was." "The ship i mean, not old... oh, toby, really." "I thought you told me it was an old rust bucket." "Not it, dear." "She, she, she." "Did i say that?" "I should have been struck by lightning for such a fearful lie." "Do you know thelady anne was the fairest boat that ever crossed the seas?" "Queen of the fleet, she was." "Is, old boy." "Is." "No other ship can touch her." "I beg your pardon." "Quite right." "Oh, this is old ian burgess." "You haven't met him properly." "Mrs. Ransome." "How do you do?" "Well, don't stand there like a ninny." "Sit yourself down." "Please go on." "You were telling me how special she is." ""She," she said." "Did you hear?" "Good show." "Congratulations." "She was the only one, mrs." "Ransome." "She specialized..." "oh, no existedfor honeymooners." "Her cargo:" "Young people in love." "Yes." "Your presence... oh, here he is." "Come and sit around here." "Can you manage?" "Mm-hmm." "Your presence on board is so ironic." "No, that's not the word." "Not ironic." "What's the word?" "Sweet." "No, that isn't it." "Doesn't matter." "The fact is this ship was a regular floating wedding barge." "No one on board except young married couples full of juice, and the moon in their eyes." "Oh, dear me, you'd have laughed." "It was funny to see them pretending they'd been married for years, acting as if they were grown up, and all the time nervous as kittens." "Remember, burgess?" "Of course i do." "But all the nervousness vanished once thelady anne had given them enough time to know each other." "She was such a wise lady." "She understood these things." "Everything was done for young people." "I expect, to the others, the ship seemed a bit ridiculous." "Love has its own particular point of view." "It sees everything larger than life." "Nothing is too ornate, too fanciful, too dramatic." "Love demands the theatrical." "And then transfigures it." "It turns the grotesque into the lovely, as a child does." "With it, we can see what we wish to see in other people." "Without it, we can't see anything at all." "We can search forever and never find." "How a shipping company ever had that particular point of view i cannot imagine." "But they turned thelady anne into an enchanted gondola and took that moment of happiness and made it live for two unspeakably wonderful weeks." "They get the drift, millie." "No need to go all sticky on us." "I feel sticky." "Yes, we all love this ship." "When we heard she was going to be retired, we thought it only right to join her on her last journey." "Most people are here for the same reason." "Major jones is just behind me- the bald man- with his wife." "He was an engineer and a very good one, in his day." "And the couple on the left there- the whiteaways- charming couple." "They were married on the ship 41 years ago tomorrow." "Oh." "The chap sitting over there alone is otto champion, the writer." "Surely you've heard about him?" "We used to call him otto of roses." "Such a one with the ladies." "You wouldn't think so to look at the old chap now, would you?" "He's a widower." "His wife died in '28 uh, no, '29." "'29, that's right." "The day trigo won the derby." "What are you talking about?" "She died in '33, the year hyperion won the derby." "Oh, anyway, it was round about that time." "Good heavens, look." "There's old lord bristol." "He can hardly walk." "Is he alone?" "Decent sort of fellow." "Yes, i'm afraid he is." "Yes." "What about you, mr." "Burgess?" "The same." "She's lovely." "We intended to do this trip together but, uh... oh, no, my dear." "Please." "I'm so sorry." "No, i'm sorry." "We'll be together again soon." "I'm sorry." "It's all right, my dear." "Nothing matters if you're in love." "You are in love, aren't you?" "Yes... of course." "Well, that's all that matters." "Are you better now, dear?" "Yes, yes, i'm... i'm sorry." "It's quite all right." "I cry myself sometimes, don't i, toby?" "Sometimes?" "All the time." "Oh, no." "Well, i don't." "It depresses me." "I say, why don't you two go get some fresh air?" "It'll do you good." "Thank you so much." "Now what's going on?" "Hmm?" "The, uh, sun." "Well, what about it?" "It's, uh... behind us." "So... it's behind us." "Well, it was over there yesterday." "That means we're heading north." "So we're heading north." "We should be heading east." "Blame it on me." "I'm responsible for everything else." "Why not this?" "I don't know what i'm doing on this crazy boat." "Really, eileen, this is ridiculous." "Eileen?" "Where are you, eileen?" "Eileen?" "Eileen?" "Oh, for pete's sake." "Oh, i'm sorry." "Something wrong?" "Have you seen eileen?" "I can't find her." "No." "Haven't you?" "No." "We were... we were standing over here and, uh, uh, she... she was right behind me, and i... you don't think anything happened to her?" "I doubt it." "It's not easy to fall overboard." "She may be looking for you even now." "Have you seen her?" "Sorry, sir, but i wouldn't worry if i were you." "Where's the captain?" "I want to have this ship searched." "Captain protheroe is extremely busy, sir." "I've already taken the liberty of alerting the crew." "Have you tried the library?" "Eileen!" "Eileen!" "Have you found her?" "Beg pardon, sir?" "My wife." "Have you found her?" "You were searching." "No, sir." "Not turned up yet?" "In that case, why not... why not let's go and have a drink, eh?" "Come along, my boy." "Two whiskeys, please." "Better make 'em large ones." "Thank you." "Now, then... ah!" "She's gone." "No, she hasn't really." "It just seems like that." "But you've missed her." "That's all, my boy." "A toast... to thelady anne." "The finest and loveliest ship that ever sailed the seas." "Thelady anne." "It's a pity what's going to happen." "It isn't a pity." "It's a crime!" "A crime perpetrated by stupid men in bow ties." "Now, now, easy, burgess." "Nothing to get overheated about." "Nothing?" "Are you so... so feebleminded that you can't see the truth?" "Don't you realize why they're going to scrap thelady anne?" "Outlived her usefulness, i suppose." "Oh, nonsense." "She's the finest ship afloat." "You deny it?" "Certainly not." "Oh." "She may be a little slow, perhaps, but... 13 or 14 days ought to be quite fast enough for anyone in their right minds." "That's just it." "People aren't in their right minds anymore." "They sacrifice leisure for speed." "And speed's the only thing that matters." "Come, quick, hurry, hurry, hurry." "Fast, faster, faster." "Get it over with." "Why the rush?" "Don't get so querulous, old man." "It's bad for you." "I am not querulous." "I am merely trying to point out the true reason for this disgraceful decision." "Which is?" "A plot... obviously of communistic origin." "They're going to condemn thelady anne because she represents a way of life." "The old way." "She has grace, manners, tradition." "And now they're going to scrap her." "Oh, i say!" "Somebody turn him off." "Nothing is sacred anymore." "The beasts are at the gates, but we're too old to fight, so we have to stand around like pathetic statues, with our medals tarnished and our swords broken, while the vandals turn our castles into sideshows" "and stick up nasty little advertisements for soap all along the roadside." "And now they're going to scrap thelady anne." "But i warn you, how are we going to stop them from scrapping the whole world?" "Poor old boy." "You mustn't blame him." "He'd planned to make this trip with his wife." "And then, a few weeks ago, she had to go and die on him, poor old boy." "Well, we'll have the party tomorrow night." "Yes." "He may feel better then." "Another drink, mr." "Ransome?" "No?" "All right." "Drinking alone?" "Where have you been?" "I've been looking all over for you." "I've been here, alan." "But i look... oh, alan." "Alan, you must be drunk." "No." "I'm not drunk." "Where did this come from?" "Mrs. Mckenzie gave it to me." "She wore it on her honeymoon." "Do you like it?" "It's beautiful." "And you're beautiful." "Oh, alan alan, what happened?" "I don't know what happened." "But i'm going to try very hard not to forget it." "See that?" "What have you got there, dear?" "Don't you remember?" "They're your letters." "I've had them how long a time?" "What are you going to do with them, eh?" "Bury them." "I don't need them anymore." "It won't be very long now." "Here they are." "Come along, mr." "And mrs." "Ransome." "Champagne's getting warm." "You know my wife, don't you?" "That's the captain." "Have you met captain protheroe?" "No." "There he is, mr." "And mrs." "Ransome." "Sit down." "Make yourselves comfortable." "I'm very happy to meet you." "We're happy to meet you, sir." "You've had a pleasant voyage?" "Oh, yes, sir." "We're... we're grateful to have been part of it." "Indeed?" "Well, that's very nice." "I suppose you've packed your things?" "Hmm?" "They don't know yet." "Oh?" "Well... i suppose it's all the same." "Don't know what, sir?" "Oh, nothing." "We thought it would be better this way, captain." "You know, your presence aboard has been rather- how shall i say?" " symbolic." "Us ending, as it were, and you beginning." "Our captain's quite a romantic, isn't he?" "Extraordinary man." "Well, if you'll excuse me, i have some business to attend to." "You'll be back?" "Very shortly." "Yes." "Well, look at me." "That's cute." "I see thelady anne has worked her magic on you." "Oh, yes." "She andyou- all of you." "I can't tell you how grateful we are." "See, we'd forgotten so many things." "As mr." "Burgess said, people don't know how to relax." "Rush, rush, rush." "I guess i was rushing." "I forgot the most important things in my life." "But i won't lose sight of them again." "I say, let's drink to that, shall we?" "Yes, here we are." "Cheers." "Thank you." "What's that?" "What's what?" "The engines." "They've stopped." "Some slight difficulty." "Nothing, nothing, nothing." "Mrs. Ransome, may i have the pleasure of this dance?" "Oh, i was hoping you'd ask me." "Thank you." "Mrs. Mckenzie i'm not very good, but, uh... delighted, mr." "Ransome." "Good old millie." "Got your hands full." "Not so much of the "old," dear." "Had enough of it, did you?" "Thank you." "I see they haven't got them fixed." "What fixed?" "The engines." "Oh?" "No." "Your things have been gathered together." "What things?" "Why, your luggage." "Really, mckenzie, i'd have thought you'd have told them by now." "Yes... well, we're all having such a fine time i didn't want to spoil the fun." "Excuse me, but what are you talking about?" "Why should we gather our things together?" "Because, my friends, we're putting you off the ship." "You're what?" "Putting you off the ship." "What do you mean?" "Just that." "Why?" "Are we in trouble?" "No, no... well, then why?" "There's no time for explanations." "If mr." "Mckenzie had done as he promised, they wouldn't even be necessary." "Skip the explanation." "They'll understand eventually." "Maybe, but we're not going anywhere until we understand why." "I'm afraid you haven't any choice." "Follow me, please." "No." "Unless this is some sort of gag." "Oh, it is, isn't it?" "I mean, you don't just put passengers off a ship in mid-ocean." "He's kidding, isn't he?" "Follow the captain, please." "We'll come along with you." "A bit of the way, anyhow." "Better bring your coat, millie." "My boy, mustn't worry too much." "Your exact position's been radioed." "Even now, help's on the way." "Your luggage is in the boat, you see." "Biscuits, flares... and some champagne, i saw to that." "Coats and provisions are in the boat." "Oh, and it sends out an automatic signal." "Really... everything you need." "Except a reason." "I'm sorry." "It's time we were off." "Into the boat, please." "But why?" "Is it something we've done?" "No, not a bit of it." "Then for heaven's sake, why?" "Tell us." "You can't just put someone off a ship in the middle of the ocean without a reason." "There's a reason, my boy." "We like you people." "We thought you liked us." "They do." "Lower away!" "Better put on those coats." "You'll get cold." "Wrap up warm." "Yes, wrap up warm." "Good-bye!" "Bye-bye!" "Stiff upper lip!" "Keep it up!" "Cheers!" "Cold?" "I've never felt so warm in my whole life." "Thelady anne never reached port." "After they were picked up by a cutter a few hours later, as captain protheroe had promised, the ransomes searched the newspapers for news, but there wasn't any news." "Thelady anne, with all her crew and all her passengers, vanished without a trace." "But the ransomes knew what had happened." "They knew that the ship had sailed off to a better port- a place called the twilight zone."