Desire Under the Elms Page #6

telling me you love me.

Just to have a son

to steal 60 acres of dirt for you.

I do love you. I'll prove it to you.

No matter how much I love him.

Don't lie any more. I'm deaf to you.

I'm not seeing you again. Goodbye.

Eben, wait.

I want to tell you...

If I could make it up,

like he'd never come between us,

if I could prove to you

I wasn't scheming to steal anything,

so everything

would be the same between us,

if I could do it,

you'd love me again, wouldn't you?

You'd kiss me,

you'd never leave me, would you?

I guess not.

But you're not God. You can't change it.

Remember you've promised.

Maybe I can take back

one thing that God has done.

I'm gonna dance now.

Pa says there's pretty girls out there.

I'll prove to you.

I'll prove I love you better

than anything else in the world.

Eben!

I did it. I've proved I love you

better than anything.

You can't ever doubt me any more.

- Whatever you've done, it's no good.

- Don't say that.

I need you to kiss me after

what I've done, say you love me.

I've decided I won't tell Pa anything.

He'd just take it out on the baby

and he's not to blame for us.

- He's mine. I'll be back to claim him.

- You don't have to go now.

There's nothing to come between us,

after what I've done.

Why? What have you done?

I killed him.

You killed him?

Yes.

Serves him right.

I've got to do something quick

to make it look like an accident.

When he was drunk...

I can prove by everybody

who was here how drunk he was...

Not him.

That's what I should have done.

I should have killed him instead.

Why didn't you tell me?

Instead? What do you mean?

Not him.

The baby?

Oh, God!

I put a pillow over his face.

- I didn't want to do it.

- No, he was mine.

I loved him, but I loved you more.

You were going away, I'd never

see you again, never kiss you again.

You said you hated me for having him.

You said you hated him

and wished he was dead.

If it wasn't for him, everything

would be the same between us.

I never said that.

I never dreamed you'd...

I'd kill myself before

I hurt one finger of his hand.

Don't look at me like that.

Not after what I've done for you,

for us, so we can be happy again.

I see your game.

The same old sneaking trick.

Wanting to blame me

for the murder you did.

- Eben!

- Don't touch me! You're poison.

How could you murder a baby?

You gave your soul to hell.

You wanted to steal

the last thing you'd left me.

You couldn't stand it.

You killed him for being mine.

I'll tell the sheriff everything.

They'll lock you up.

Then I'll sing "I'm off to California,

fields of gold in the West..."

I'm going for the sheriff.

I never want to see you again.

I love you, Eben, I love you!

I don't care what you do,

if you will only love me again.

I haven't slept so late in 50 years.

Sun must be up an hour.

Must have been

the dancin' and the liquor.

Must be gettin' old.

I hope Eben's out working.

You might have woken me up.

Got breakfast cooked?

Feelin' weak?

Maybe you ought to lie down.

Your son's gonna be needin' you soon.

He'll have an appetite,

the way he's sleepin'.

- He'll never wake up.

- Takes after me this morning.

- He's dead.

- What?

- I killed him.

- Are you drunk? Crazy?

I killed him. Go up and see

if you don't believe me.

Why did you do it? Why?

I asked you, why did you do it?

Why did you kill my son?

Don't touch me! He wasn't yours.

Think I'd have a son by you?

I hate you, always have.

I should have murdered you,

if I'd any sense.

I hate you.

I loved Eben from the start.

It was Eben's son, not yours.

So, that was it.

That's what I felt in this house, skulking

around the corners, while you lied.

And now he's dead. I felt his heart.

Don't cry. Don't.

You've got to be like stone,

like the rock of judgement.

If he was Eben's, I'm glad he's gone.

Maybe I suspected something all along.

I felt there was something unnatural.

You keepin' me away

like I was a stranger.

The house got Ionesome cold.

Drivin' me down to the barn,

to the beasts of the field.

I must have suspected somethin'.

You didn't fool me.

Not altogether, anyway.

I'm too old a bird.

So, you wish you'd murdered me

instead of him, do you?

I'll live to be 100. I'll live to see you hung.

I'll deliver you up

to the judgement of God and the law.

I'll go and get the sheriff now.

You don't have to. Eben's gone for him.

- Eben's gone for the sheriff?

- Yes.

To tell against you?

Well, I'm thankful for him

saving me the trouble.

He should have been my son.

You should have loved me.

I'm a man.

If you'd loved me, I'd have never

told any sheriff, no matter what.

There is more to it

than you could ever understand.

For your sake, I hope there is.

God.

God almighty.

Anna!

- Forgive me.

- Eben.

I love you. Forgive me.

I forgive you all the sins in hell

for saying that.

I got to thinking of you,

of how much I loved you.

I knew then that I still loved you

and that I always would.

I ran across the fields

and through the woods.

- We still might have time to run away.

- I can't.

I have to take my punishment,

pay for my sin.

- Then I'll share it.

- No.

- I gave you the idea. I wished him dead.

- It was me alone.

I'm as guilty as you. We both did wrong,

now it's my murder, too.

I'll tell the sheriff. I'll say we planned it

and he'll believe me.

It'll all seem true to them.

And it is true, I did help you somehow.

I don't want you to suffer.

I've got to pay for my part of this.

Whatever happens, I'll share it with you.

Prison, death, hell, anything.

I won't let you. I can't, Eben.

You can't help yourself.

For once, I've got you beat.

I'm not beat as long as I've got you.

Here you are in this room.

You make a slick pair of murderers.

You both ought to be hung

on the same limb and left there to rot.

A warning to old fools like me

to bear their Ionesomeness alone.

And to young fools like you

to hobble their lust.

It's gonna be Ionesomer now

than ever it was before.

I'm gettin' old and bitter, Lord.

They've come for you.

This way, Jim.

Here they are.

I lied to you this morning.

I helped her. Take me too.

Take 'em both.

That's pretty good for you.

You're harder than

I thought you knew how to be.

Well, I've got to round up the stock.

Goodbye.

Goodbye.

Well, we'd better start.

It's a dandy farm, there's no denyin' that.

Wished it was mine. Come on, Seth.

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