Holiday Page #9

Wouldn't you think she'd be woman enough

to hang on?

Yes, if she loves him.

Julia has never in her life

loved anyone but Johnny.

- Perhaps herself.

- That's not true.

Even in this, it's of him she's thinking,

she may be mistaken, but it is of him.

You don't know how a girl in love feels.

- We're sorry, Linda, really.

- No, you're not. You're...

What's the matter with me anyway?

Even if I told you what was the matter

with you, you wouldn't admit it.

- I don't know what you're talking about.

- Pay no attention to her.

If you did anything else

then you wouldn't be what you are.

Which to my professorial mind

is head of the class.

- I love you two.

- And so do we love you.

In our rough, uncouth way, of course.

- Johnny is seeing your sister this afternoon.

- Yes?

He's asking her

to sail with us and with him tonight.

- What do you think she'll say?

- Yes.

What if she doesn't? What happens then?

What's Johnny to do?

What would you want him to do?

That may be he.

Nicholas Porter?

The name is Potter,

but don't let it bother you.

Thanks.

Julia will sail, she must, she's got to.

Good-bye.

Julia.

Hello, dear. You'll be late

for the Todds' dinner, won't you?

You had luncheon with Johnny.

He wants you to sail tonight.

- You've seen him?

- The Potters told me.

You must sail with him.

- The Potters? Who are the Potters?

- Stop it, Julia.

- Stop what?

- Pretending you don't care.

You're taking my little difficulty

more seriously than I am.

Don't let Johnny go off tonight

and make a hash of both your lives.

You can't let him sail alone.

He's no more sailing than you are.

Does Father know

you aren't going to the Todds' dinner?

Why do you want to shut me out

in the cold like this?

I wasn't aware that I was.

Won't you just talk to me?

Please, Julia.

If there's been any shutting out done,

it's you who've done it.

Me?

Johnny and I have had a difference

and you're siding with him, aren't you?

But he's right.

- He's right for you as well as for himself.

- I think that's for me to decide.

- Not Father?

- Father has nothing to do with it.

He happens to agree with me

where you don't.

But...

But we've always agreed before, always.

No. I think quite often I've given in,

in order to avoid scenes and upsets and...

Is that true, Julia?

You've always been the stronger character.

At least people have always thought so.

You've made the decisions

and had the ideas.

And you've been resenting me.

I can't believe it.

It's nothing to get into a stew about.

I didn't say I resented you.

You've been an immense help often.

When it comes to determining my future and

the future of the man I'm going to marry...

Your future, Julia?

What do you want, just security?

Sit back smugly in your bank vault

among the worthies of the world?

One thing I don't want is to start

this endless discussion all over again.

You've only 20 minutes in which to dress.

Linda, did you hear me?

Father, I think you're both giving Johnny

the rottenest kind of a deal.

- In what way?

- In every way.

- You're not thinking of what's best for him.

- On the contrary.

The young man's outlook

has merely become somewhat confused.

- You'll straighten it out for him.

- We shall try.

But why hasn't he the right

to live part of his life as he wants to?

Linda, I should like to understand

what he and you are aiming at...

...but I confess, I cannot.

I consider his whole attitude un-American.

- Are you serious?

- Entirely.

Then he is

and he won't go to Heaven when he dies.

He can't believe a life devoted to piling up

money is all it's cracked up to be.

Strange, isn't it, when he has us right

before his eyes for such a shining example?

I listened most attentively the other day

to our young dreamer...

...and I still must confess

that the talk of the two of you...

...seems to me of the 17-year-old variety.

I'm glad if it is. We're grand at 17.

It's after that, that sickness sets in.

Well, I feel very well myself.

You both think he'll come around.

Compromise, anyway.

You'll get fooled.

He won't give way one inch.

- Stubborn?

- No, right and knows he's right.

What's the matter, kid?

I can't believe it, Ned.

Johnny's clearing out.

He's sailing tonight

and Julia won't lift a finger to stop him.

I don't understand her.

Most people, including Johnny and

yourself, make a big mistake about Julia.

They're taken in by her looks.

At bottom she's a very dull girl

and the life she pictures for herself...

...is the life she belongs in.

You've just never hit it off, that's all.

- Ned.

- What?

You remember

what we talked about on New Year's Eve?

Sure, I remember.

- Tell me something.

- Sure.

Does it stand out all over me?

Why?

Nick and Susan, this afternoon.

I think they got it.

Anyone who loves you would, Linda.

That's awful. I'm so ashamed.

I'm not, though.

Why should you be?

Pardon me, Miss Linda.

- Yes, Henry.

- Mr. Case is downstairs.

Have him come up, will you, Henry?

And, Henry, tell Miss Julia.

He'll be up in a minute.

Are you sure you want to get over him?

No, I'm not and that's what scares me most.

I feel alive and I love it.

I feel at last something's happening to me.

But it can't get anywhere

so it's like living on that stuff.

- I've got to get over it.

- Because it seems so hopeless, is that it?

Seems? What do you mean?

Don't you know?

Let me tell you something.

You're twice as attractive

as Julia ever thought of being.

You've got twice the looks,

twice the mind and 10 times the quality.

You could charm a bird off a tree

if you would and why not?

If you were in her way

she'd ride you down like a rabbit.

How could you, Ned,

knowing the way she loves him?

- How could you?

- All right, Linda.

Tell him hello for me, will you?

- Hello, Linda.

- Hello, Johnny.

I sent for Julia.

I feel as if I'd been away quite a while.

Yeah.

- I went to Placid.

- I see.

It was...

- It was horrible there.

- I can imagine.

- I'm going to take that job at the bank.

- I see.

Only for a while, only for a couple of years.

Just until I can get it through to her that...

It was what she asked and after all,

a couple of years isn't a lifetime.

- Is it?

- Of course not.

- I think everything will be all right, Johnny.

- Sure.

I can see the way they feel about it.

I could hardly expect them

to do a complete, sudden about-face but...

But, hang it, why can't they see

what I'm getting at?

Perhaps eventually they will.

That's what I'm counting on.

Linda...

...you agree there's only one thing for me

to do now, don't you?

Compromise?

Yes.

Yes.

You think that's right, don't you?

- I don't think it matters a bit what I think.

- It does though, Linda.

You think it's right, don't you?

Say you think it's right.

Johnny, when two people love each other

as much as you do...

...anything that keeps them apart

must be wrong.

- Good evening.

- Good evening, sir.

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