Girl in the News

- Be this all, Miss Blaker?

- I suppose so.

Very good, Ma'am.

I'm going now. I came to say goodbye.

Oh, how very kind and considerate.

I hope the effort hasn't exhausted you.

Then you always were so conscientious.

Quite the model nurse, in fact!

I try, but... what's the use?

Alright, don't let me detain you.

Be a tragedy if you missed your train

Bye.

Anne. Anne!

- Yes?

- Come here!

You musn't go yet. Not yet!

Oh, I've been wicked. Wicked!

- Oh, what is it?

- You know I goaded you into leaving here

Quite deliberately, you know that?

And when you went I hated you.

Wanted to hurt you!

Wanted to make you suffer!

So I took some things of mine. You know

that old bracelet and my silver ring?

Well I put them in your trunk!

And the moment you were gone I was going

to tell the police

things were missing so that they'd have

searched your trunk at the station.

Oh yes! I'm a charming character.

- I don't understand! I've never...

- No, you've been wonderfully good.

It's me. When I see how I've been

changing these last few weeks

I'm frightened. All the time I know I'm

being spiteful and malicious

but I just can't stop myself!

If I could only sleep, Anne, I might be

different.

But I lie here night after night,

thinking the same thing

over and over and over and over again.

It's wearing me out!

And yesterday you refused to let me have

my sleeping tablets!

Don't go, Anne. Don't leave me!

- You know I don't mean it!

- Yes, I know.

- Then you'll stay?

- Yes, of course I'll stay.

Then I'll forget all about it. I'll try

and be different, I promise I will.

- I'll make you a cup of tea.

- You're so good to me, Anne.

Couldn't you let me have my sleeping

tablets now?

- I'll give you one tonight.

- Tonight. One's no good anyhow!

- Well, you know what the doctor said.

- Oh, he's got an obsession about hearts

- There's nothing the matter with mine

- I know, but... orders are orders!

Well I tell you I must have it!

There, now I'm starting again already

I'm sorry.

- Never mind.

- I'm sorry.

Oh Anne! I've been thinking about that

trunk, you must ask the station

- to send it back, my dear.

- Oh, it can wait, can't it?

No I think you ought to telephone Doc, I

won't be happy till it's safe.

You can run over to Mrs Pollett's while

the kettle's boiling.

- You'll be alright?

- Course!

- No, thank you.

- Well, I'm going to.

I'm going to have a lemon.

Members of the jury, the prisoner

at the bar, Anne Graham,

stands indicted with wilful murder of

Gertrude Mary Blaker,

Claw Hill in this county

of the 10th of April 1939

Your duty therefore is to hearken to the

evidence, and true verdict to deliver

whether she be guilty, or not guilty.

Having quarreled with her patient,

the prisoner packs her trunk,

and no doubt feeling that the old lady's

many little kindnesses towards her

merit some slight return

merit some slight return,

she considerately relieves her of the

burden of one or two little trinkets

and packs them too.

Then, suddenly, the prisoner changes

her mind.

She will stay after all!

Members of the jury, you will ask

yourselves - why?

When did you last see Miss Blaker alive?

Miss Blaker sent for me three weeks

before her death.

She wished to amend her will, in order

to leave the accused a bequest.

- And did the accused know about this?

- I don't know.

She was in the next room when it was

discussed.

She- She never told me. I never knew

anything about it.

And I found the key in the prisoner's

handbag, that fitted the medicine chest

- in the deceased's bedroom.

- Is that the key?

It is, my lord.

I came to the conclusion that death was

due to an overdose of Somenol,

- administered several hours before.

- Now, doctor,

you told us that your patient was

bedridden for nearly eighteen months

Would you say it would be possible, for

a woman in her condition

to leave her bed unassisted?

In my opinion, no.

In my opinion old Miss Blaker wasn't

murdered.

My nephew keeps a greengrocer's shop

at Claw Hill so he knows all about it

And he will have it Nurse Graham never

did it.

Lost a lot of customers through arguing

the point, he did.

You see it's not often we get a murder

case down here.

Caused quite a furore in the district,

did it, sir.

They say the case may be over

this afternoon.

Do you think this Nurse Graham will

get off, sir?

I don't know, I'm sure I haven't

followed it.

Oh, thought perhaps you were in

Alminster for the Assizes.

- No.

- Oh, just passing through?

- Mm-hm

- If you're in a commercial line

we've a tidy few commercials

Why don't you look what you're doing,

instead of jabbering about?!

- I'll put some of this on it

- No, it's alright, I'll just pay you.

It's these glasses sir, I think I need

a new pair.

- Yes, why don't you get some?

- I'm going to, next early closing

- I am sorry, sir

- Alright, goodbye

Thank you, I do apologise

But the evidence against her is purely

circumstantial! The doctor has given it

as his opinion, that the dead woman

couldn't have left her bed.

But it was only an opinion! He couldn't

swear that it wasn't possible!

Closing speech for the defence.

If the prisoner were guilty, if she

were guilty I say, what would it imply?

That this girl hears that she's to

receive a trifling legacy,

when a helpless old woman dies. And so,

within a few hours murders her

coldly and deliberately? Members of the

jury, you cannot have it both ways!

Either the prisoner is innocent, or

she's a danger to society!

A homicidal maniac, obsessed by the

idea of gain!

Now you've seen her, you heard her in

the witness box.

Did she for one moment give you

that impression?

Boy! Paper!

- What happened?

- Not guilty.

- Humphries, drop me off at the flat,

will you? - Yes, sir.

- So Stephen got the girl off, eh?

- Yes, jury were only out 20 minutes.

- Came back at 4:30.

- Talking of the 4:30, what won it?

Emm, Chased Harriet. Harper and

Destiny second and third.

Just my luck, as usual.

Not in the first three.

- What did you bet?

- Livewire.

- Short-circuited.

- Ha, ha, ha.

- Oy, oy.

- Sorry, look after Charlie, Smith.

- Alright.

- Aren't you coming with us, Mr Mather?

No, I've got a celebration to attend to.

Smith'll kiss you goodnight.

It won't be the same without you,

Mr Mather!

- That you, Bill?

- Uh-huh.

- Well, I see that girl got off.

- Did she?

- Yes, someone's been very clever.

- Just goes to show.

- Well, congratulations!

- Yes, light up, everybody

I tell you this has given you the

chance you've been waiting for?!

I was lucky to get it. If Hanson hadn't

gone down with flu...

The path to success is paved with other

people's influenza.

- You took your chance like a Marshall

Hall! - I wouldn't say that.

You ought to be able to start up a nice

business.

"Gallows cheated at reasonable rates!"

I'm not sure about cheated, in this case.

Why, don't you think she did it?

There was a doubt. I managed to get

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