Heaven Can Wait Page #8

and now she remembers us.

Not a chance, Albert.

That's final.

Well, she's waiting in a carriage...

in front of this very house.

Who?

Martha?

- Martha? Here?

- Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Strable.

Shall I bring her in?

- Well, I don't know what Mrs. Strable thinks.

- Well, I -

- And I don't care.

- I don't care what you think.

- She might just as well come in and stay till after the rain's over.

- All right.

Oh, Martha! Martha!

Hello.

- Hello, Father.

- Hello.

- Hello, Mother.

- Hello, Martha.

- Welcome home, Miss Martha.

- Thank you, Jasper.

- We all missed you.

- Get outta here.

- You talk too much.

- Yes, sir.

Well, I assume there are things

between daughter and parents...

that are better left to the daughter

and to the parents.

If you'll excuse me.

Well, I suppose it was a pretty muddy ride

from the station in all that rain.

Yes, I suppose it was.

Uh, do you want some breakfast?

It's Sunday morning.

We got wheat cakes.

Thank you, Father,

but I'm not hungry.

Well, the place hasn't

changed much, has it?

No, it looks exactly the same.

Maybe now

you'll appreciate your home.

It took you 10 years to find out

that we were right.

- If you'd listened to your mother-

- And your father, things might have been different.

- I think I'd better be going.

- Oh, you're getting touchy, huh?

Well, if anyone has

a right to be angry, it's us.

But we're willing

to let bygones be bygones.

After all, we're not made of stone.

If a daughter comes home and is sorry-

I'm not sorry,

and I don't want your forgiveness.

Then what did you come home for?

I came here because I felt

I wanted to see you.

- If you expect me to get down on my knees -

- Now, now, now, now, forget it.

After all, you were young,

and it probably was all the fault of that -

Please, Father.

I don't want to hear a single unpleasant word

about the last 10 years, or I'll have to go.

Martha.

You look so tired, dear.

- Well, no wonder. After all -

- Can't you keep still?

It's all dead and buried,

and let's forget it.

Come on. Let's go upstairs.

You're going to have a nice, hot bath,

and then you're going to lie down and rest.

Now, how's that? Huh?

So he really got out of that barrel.

Well, what do you think of that?

Jasper!

Jasper!

What's all that noise about?

Just had a talk with Mr. Chuck.

He say somebody said they saw

a couple of prowlers on the grounds.

- Maybe some of them horse thieves.

- Well, tell Chuck to keep after 'em.

- Yes, sir.

- If necessary, shoot 'em.

Yes, sir.

Excuse me, Father, but if you don't mind,

I think I'll go upstairs.

I'm getting pretty tired.

Good night.

- Good night, Martha.

- Good night, Mother.

Good night, dear.

Remember, breakfast at 7:30.

Yes, Mother.

Good night, Albert.

Good night, Martha.

Martha?

Well, Martha, I want you

to have a restful night.

And why not?

Your troubles are actually over.

- I suppose you're right.

- I know I am.

You paid for your mistakes,

and paid dearly.

Now, I don't want anybody to get the impression

that I've been the victim of 10 years of misery.

Nothing of the kind.

On the contrary, I can say

there were moments in my marriage...

which few women have been

lucky enough to have experienced.

- There were times when you were lifted way up to the sky...

- Yes, way up.

only to be dropped way down afterward.

That's not the purpose of marriage.

Marriage isn't a series of thrills.

Marriage is a peaceful, well-balanced

adjustment of two right-thinking people.

I'm afraid that's only too true.

Well, good night, Albert.

Uh, Martha, there's... one other thought

I want you to sleep with.

My feelings for you

have remained unchanged.

That's very kind of you, Albert,

and I'm touched.

Naturally, I'm not the flashy type,

like some people.

I'd say I was rather

on the conservative side.

If I were, for instance, a suit of clothes,

you wouldn't call me a stylish cut.

And I prefer it that way.

But I can safely say

I'm made of solid material.

I'm sewed together carefully

and my lining is good, Martha.

Frankly, I believe I wear well.

I'm... not too hot in the summer...

and I give protection in the winter.

- Need I say more?

- No, Albert.

You've given a complete

and accurate description of yourself.

- Good night.

- Thank you, Martha.

- Miss Martha?

- Yes?

Excuse me.

That horse thief we were looking for-

- Did you catch him?

- Yes, ma'am.

- He's in your room waiting for you.

- In my r-

- You mean -

- Yes, miss. That's him.

Martha, darling, sweetheart -

How could you do a thing like this to me?

Don't you realize what I went through?

- Oh, Henry-

- Running away like that without a word!

Can't you imagine how I suffered?

How could you do this to me?

Oh, Martha, Martha.

Henry, it won't work anymore.

- What's Albert doing here?

- I met him by accident on the train.

- He was very nice to me, and -

- Accident? You expect me to believe that?

Here I am, looking all over the world

for my wife, going insane with despair.

And where do I find her? 2,000 miles away

in a lonely country place with another man.

- I don't see how I can stand any more.

- Henry, it won't work.

Very well.

If it comes to the point where

a woman doubts her husband's sincerity...

there's nothing more to do.

Everything is over.

Good-bye, Martha.

Good-bye, Henry.

Martha, I really mean this.

I'm going.

I know you mean it, Henry.

All right.

Just give me five minutes to pull myself together,

and you'll never see me again. Never, never.

Oh, Henry, I know your every move.

I know your outraged indignation.

I know the poor, weeping little boy.

I know the misunderstood,

strong, silent man...

the wounded lion who's too proud to explain

what happened in the jungle last night.

So, I'm a fake.

- I'm false, I'm cheap.

- Oh, Henry, please -

- I know I've brought you nothing but unhappiness.

- You know that's not true.

- Oh! So we had some good times together.

- Some wonderful times.

Then what do you want? What did I do?

Even a murderer has a right to defend himself.

You can't hang a man without evidence.

- I know.

If I only knew

what particular thing is in your mi -

- Have you seen Aunt Minetta recently?

- Yes, of course.

Oh, well, now everything is clear.

This is something I didn't even want to

mention to you, it's so unimportant.

When she saw me, yes,

I was at the Plaza having tea...

and at the table with me was a very handsome

young woman, but there was nothing to it.

- I would have explained to you myself-

- But you didn't want to make me uncomfortable.

- Even for one second.

- That's right, darling. That's exactly right.

Henry, it won't work. And besides,

Aunt Minetta didn't say one word about you.

- And as for the young lady at the Plaza -

- Darling, I can easily explain that.

Oh, I know you can.

You're a master at that.

All right, all right.

I'm fighting a losing battle.

I don't love you. I never loved you.

I love everybody in New York more than you.

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