House by the River Page #6

But you still have friends in this town.

Let me give a party.

We'll ask everyone you like.

Our real friends. We'll show this town.

It wouldn't do any good.

This town likes its nasty

little, backstairs gossip.

If I stay and...

you keep on seeing me, defending me...

They'll think that we...

I wouldn't put anything past them.

I don't care what they

say or think about me.

Marjorie, my darling.

I'd rather die than cause

you any suffering.

Oh, John. Don't talk like that.

There must be something I can do.

No.

The only thing to do is to go away. I've thought it out very clearly.

John...

The promise me one thing?

Before you do anything...

Before you make any decisions...

let me know.

I promise.

Won't you come in, John?

I'd rather not, Marjorie.

Good night then, and thanks

for seeing me home.

Good night.

Stephen. Stephen, it's about John.

- I'm not interested.

Stephen please, he's desperate!

I'm afraid he's going to harm

himself in some way.

Don't be dramatic.

- He as much as told me so tonight!

He said he'd rather be dead than go

on the way things have been going.

You mean...

Suicide?

- Yes, Stephen.

Please see him. Try to stay with

him as much as you can.

If you hurry you can

catch up with him now.

All right, Marjorie.

If you insist.

Thank you, Stephen.

Oh, I almost forgot.

Mrs Ambrose was over.

She said as long it's Cook's day off

you should let her know if you want to have supper with her.

I'm in no mood for her tonight.

I'll have something here.

Well, you better tell her now,

before she goes to any trouble.

You know how sensitive she is.

Yes, I guess you're right.

Stephen.

Yes, John.

What are you doing here?

- Marjorie was very worried.

She sent me to look for you.

Lucky I found you, isn't it?

What do you mean?

Oh, you might have um...

No.

Suicide would only convince

everyone that they'd been right.

I'm glad you realize that.

What were you thinking

of as you stood there?

Of another night on this river.

You know, John...

In spite of everything that's happened

and everything that's going to happen...

I want you to know that

I've gained something.

Gained something?

Yes, I was always afraid as a child.

I didn't have the courage to do things.

I was afraid of people.

What they might say or think.

Maybe that's why my writing wasn't good.

You were right in that.

But, I'm not afraid anymore and...

I've written something good.

Because it's real.

It took a murder to do that.

Doesn't the end justify the means?

You must be very, very ill, Stephen.

Ill?

Yeah, sick.

Otherwise, you couldn't think as you do.

What's happened to you?

You know, John. I wish I could

really trust you again.

But I can't.

Am I right?

Suppose a policeman were to

come up to us here, right now.

Suppose he were to ask

which of us killed Emily.

What would you do?

I know what you would do.

You would point at me!

Would I?

You stepped right out of Emily's murder

as though you were shedding your skin.

You shifted the blame to me.

Did I?

- Yes.

John...

Which one of us would the

world miss the most?

I mean, if there were a

choice of one of us.

Well, ask the world. I'm gonna

start thinking about myself.

You're very much in love with Marjorie.

I know that. You've always been.

And you've had the opportunity that night

of getting rid of me by going to the police.

Why didn't you take it?

There are things you would

never understand, Stephen.

You're right, John.

I can't understand my own brother expecting

to go on sharing my wife with me.

I'm going to the police, Stephen.

I'm going to tell them the whole

story, including my part in it.

I should have a long time ago.

How many times have I told you

to keep away from my desk?

Stephen!

I hadn't expected that

bit read for some time.

Since you have read it,

tell me what you think about it.

How can you ask me that?

Well, don't you think it's good?

Can't you appreciate its quality

quite apart from its content?

Not when it says that my

husband is a murderer.

I thought I disguised it completely.

But you read between

the lines, didn't you?

John must love you very much

letting everyone think he did it.

Oh no, he loved you very much.

He was old fashioned.

He believed in chivalry.

That's why he kept silent about it.

But you...

I don't think I can expect

you to keep silent about it.

Can I?

Do you intend to go on forever

letting people think he did it?

John disappeared tonight. If something

should have happened to him...

Let's say he drowned

himself in the river.

That would solve everything, wouldn't it?

- Stephen!

Everyone would know that he was driven

to commit suicide by his guilt.

Wouldn't they?

- You're forgetting about me.

Oh, no. I'm not forgetting about you.

John commited suicide tonight

What?

- I saw to it.

Before I'm through with you they'll know

that what John did once, he did again.

Stephen, you're insane.

Am I?

Now don't you realize, Marjorie?

Your reading the manuscript

has solved everything.

But no, I met Emily on the stairs.

She was coming down from her bath.

She'd used your perfume.

She looked rather pretty

and I wanted to kiss her.

She got frightened and screamed.

I had to stop her screaming!

I didn't mean to kill her.

I hardly touched her. But...

I didn't realize how easy it would be.

So very easy.

John.

Emily.

Emily!

Let me go! Emily!

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