From the Terrace Page #9

for a brief moment.

And I loved his sadness...

his loneliness...

his searching.

Please don't.

Well, I'll make it easier.

I'm leaving here.

I'm going back

to New York tonight.

In three weeks,

I accomplished all I set out to...

more than I intended.

Will we be writing to each other?

What do you think?

No.

Of course not.

Welcome back.

I ordered for both of us.

Fine.

I haven't studied your report...

but I did glance through it briefly.

Its thoroughness convinced me...

that I've no reason

to be displeased with you...

for coming back so soon.

You did what was

expected of you.

I'm glad you agreed about Benziger.

Fine man.

However, that's not

what I wanted to talk about.

We don't want to be disturbed.

I'll get right to the point.

Have you seen your wife...

or did you come here directly...

from Mountain City?

Mary? No.

I got home last night.

She was still out on Long Island...

and she hadn't returned

when I left this morning.

May I assume you're aware...

of trouble in your home?

Would you care to be more specific?

Well, now, you see...

our Mr. Hasbrouck...

who, as you know,

has nothing...

but the highest

regard for you...

happens to live

in Westport, Connecticut.

So it was inevitable...

he should hear about

your wife's presence...

at the home of a neighbor...

Mr. And Mrs. Joseph Cash.

Cash? I don't know them.

No, you don't.

But Dr. James Roper does...

and it was there...

that he spent last weekend

with your wife...

after the Princeton-Yale

football game.

You have my word...

or Mr. Hasbrouck's word...

that that particular

host and hostess...

make a practice of having...

a houseful of guests

every weekend...

the attraction being

that there'll be no checking...

on who sleeps in which room.

Aren't you jumping to conclusions?

I can assure you...

that Mr. Hasbrouck

made quite certain...

your wife's affair

was an open secret...

before he invited

Eugene St. John to lunch.

Eugene St. John?

Their talk was most informal.

St. John agreed...

to take no action right now...

but he promised to speak

to his daughter...

when you decided

it was necessary or advisable...

and that is where

the matter stands.

That's not where

the matter stands...

where I'm concerned.

It's none of this firm's business...

what my wife does.

I'm surprised Mr. St. John

didn't tell Percy Hasbrouck...

to go to the devil.

He probably realized...

what's good for your future...

is good for his daughter's.

If there's anything...

he, I, or anyone can do...

to save your marriage...

he's for it.

What if I don't want

to save my marriage?

Then we've failed.

Then you have failed, Eaton.

Divorce is a damnable thing.

It violates good order.

It's a threat to good order.

Isn't it just possible...

that infidelity might be

grounds for a divorce?

There are no grounds for divorce.

If you want my personal theology...

infidelity is the lesser sin.

I'd do anything in my power...

to prevent a divorce.

Including condoning infidelity?

I consider your word

"condone" disrespectful.

I condone none of it.

The problem of infidelity...

is between husband

and wife and God.

The problem of divorce...

concerns the whole of civilization.

What is marriage?

An exchange of vows, a contract.

It is my duty to myself...

and to any man working for me...

to demand that he honor

all his contracts.

When you came here...

you found out we always

honor our word...

even if it means taking a loss.

This is the first

opportunity you've had...

of putting yourself to our test.

And if I don't meet your test?

You've worked hard and well, Eaton.

You have a fine,

hard-earned record with us.

You can't afford

to throw that away.

I can afford to do as I please.

And I say with all due respect...

that you can afford

nothing of the kind.

I wasn't going to tell you this.

I didn't want it to form

part of your decision...

but I like you, Eaton...

and I don't want to lose you.

Only you and I will know...

that I mentioned it

at this early date.

Mentioned what?

The roll-top desk.

The partnership.

I've had discussions with the board...

and it's only a question of time...

and much less now

than you might suppose.

Stay where you are, son.

You've a lot of thinking to do.

But don't do it all now.

You've had a bad time.

Well, you're back.

Was the trip successful?

Yeah.

Are you back for good...

or is this just a visit?

For good.

Finished up sooner

than you expected?

Mm-hmm.

Sooner than you expected, too.

Now that I'm back...

you'll have to start

behaving yourself.

Did you say start?

I know all about you

and Roper at the Cashes'.

I could subpoena everybody

that was up there...

and divorce you

in New York state.

But you won't...

because Mr. MacHardie

wouldn't like that.

You think you're pretty

clever, but you're not.

You flaunted your affair publicly.

I don't like a wife

thumbing her nose at me.

And I don't like...

having a husband

who isn't a husband.

What do you think you're doing?

What does it look like?

What do you expect me to do,

enter a convent?

I'm sure you'll

find yourself a woman...

if you haven't already.

You just better be careful.

You'd better be able...

to explain every minute

of your time.

Or you'll do what?

I'll put you where

you're afraid of landing...

in the tabloids,

page one, two, or three.

Take your choice!

I know why you're

doing this to me!

It's not our marriage...

you're trying to hold together.

It's your own sick dream...

of 5 million before you're 40!

Be the big man...

bigger than your father!

[Sobbing]

Mr. Eaton...

will you go directly into

the partners' room, please?

Mr. Duffy...

please go directly

into the partners' room.

Ah, Creighton, come in.

Alfred,

come in and sit down.

Now, we've been having a go...

at the Nassau Aeronautical

Corporation proposal...

and we've been

taking under consideration...

Nassau's request...

that we underwrite

a common-stock issue...

to finance a plant expansion.

Nassau obviously wants to expand...

because they expect

to land a sizable contract...

to manufacture their new

E1 -FX plane for the navy...

and it behooves us

to look into this E1 -FX...

to see how good an aircraft it is...

before we commit

MacHardie and Company...

to getting involved.

Sir...

isn't the United States Navy's interest...

in the planes...

sufficient endorsement for us?

Ordinarily it should be...

but in this case...

my sixth sense tells me...

that we ought at least to conduct...

a routine investigation of the E1 -FX...

before underwriting the venture...

particularly as we have on our team...

a man so well qualified to do it.

Alfred, you're not only

a personal friend...

of Alexander Porter...

but you were

associated with NAC...

in the days before

it rose to prominence...

in the aircraft

manufacturing field.

Some people seem to think...

my departure from Nassau...

marked the beginning of its rise.

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