Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte Page #2

before that sheriff comes over here.

So you get yourself dressed up

real pretty,

and you come on downstairs

and get your breakfast.

If Luke Standish ever comes out here,

he'll be real sorry.

You hush. That ain't no way

to talk, Miss Charlotte.

Now you come on,

get yourself dressed.

Velma'll go downstairs

and fix you a nice breakfast.

And don't you worry about that sheriff

when he comes out here.

Velma'll get rid of him.

Yes, sir.

Yes, sir.

It's not very often

we have a homicide

and never able to find the

victim's head and hand.

I'm not much concerned about examining

your credentials, Mr. Wills.

I'm happy to go along

with anything you say.

I just have my doubts

about what you can expect to find.

Now, we've had newsmen

coming down here for 35 years and more,

and none any the wiser.

I don't expect to unearth

anything extraordinary.

After all, there's nothing really unusual

about an unclaimed insurance policy.

It's just that I don't want

to upset anybody.

So if you'll go along with my masquerade

of a reporter from

one of our more esoteric crime magazines,

I'd be most awfully grateful to you.

Well, Mr. Wills, since you've come

all the way from London to see us,

I guess we'll just have to oblige you,

esoteric magazines and all.

I'm sorry, Mr. Standish. You'll have

to come out to the Hollis place.

We got real trouble this time.

What a remarkable coincidence.

By the way, Sheriff,

I wonder if you could arrange

for me to meet Jewel Mayhew.

- I guess we'll just have to oblige you.

- Thank you very much.

Velma!

- What?

- The sheriff's comin'.

Get rid of him! Hear?

She's not really crazy.

She just acts that way because

people seem to expect it of her.

You can wait in the car.

You can't see her.

She's sick.

All that dust and all that racket from

your machines has made her real sick.

She's waiting for Dr. Drew

to come and tend to her right now.

That's too bad. There was

a little matter of an unlicensed gun.

I was hoping Miss Hollis

maybe could help me to find it.

Well, I reckon I'll just have to

look for it myself, Miss Cruther.

Morning, Miss Charlotte.

Get out, Luke Standish,

you smirking Judas!

Comin' round with your lying tricks.

You ought to be ashamed of yourself.

Papa gave you the first job

you ever had in this town.

Without him, you wouldn't be sheriff.

I know that,

that's why I'm trying to help you.

Help me?

You had orders to leave this house

long ago.

If I'd been doing my job,

you'd have been long gone by now.

If you are so anxious to help me,

why don't you leave me alone?

And tell everybody

to stop threatening me

with cutting off my water

and electricity.

I can't. What you did today

puts it right out of my hands.

Threatenin' people's one thing,

shootin' at 'em another.

I got orders now to see that

you're gone within ten days.

They can hold up on the blasting and

keep working

on the other side of the river.

But if you aren't out

by the end of next week,

the commissioner'll have you up

for criminal action.

But this is my home!

I haven't any other place to go.

They can build

their damned bridge anywhere.

No, ma'am, they had to build it

to meet up

with the road

on the other side of the river.

There isn't any alternative.

End of next week,

this house is coming down.

When my cousin Miriam comes, she'll know

how to deal with the county commissioner.

- I didn't know you were expecting her.

- Well, I am.

She won't make any difference

as far as the bridge is concerned.

- We'll wait and see.

- I reckon we will.

I ain't gonna take that gun away

from you.

I hope you aren't plannin'

on usin' it again.

Comin' to fetch you out

is the last thing I wanna do.

Then don't!

What do you want to go telling them

stories about Miss Miriam for?

She ain't even answered your letters.

Well, she's comin' anyway.

Be the saddest day of your life,

Missy, if she does come.

Your cousin Miriam

ain't never had but one idea in her head,

and that was lookin' after herself.

She's gotta come.

She's the only kin I got left.

Miriam has just gotta come.

She's the only one who can help me now.

She's just gotta come.

I guess there's been changes to this part

of the country since you was here last.

I imagine there have been.

Things ain't changed much

in this parish,

except from folks gettin'

a lot older than they used to be.

I suppose they are.

There's absolutely no point

in you gettin' so upset,

the way you did this morning.

Anyone who knew you less well than I do

might be forgiven for thinking

you had a persecution complex.

Yes, Dr. Drew.

Charlotte,

they are asking you to leave this house

because they are going to tear it down,

not because of any of the ulterior

motives that you seem to imagine.

- What's that?

- Charlotte, please.

Don't get so jumpy about everything.

It's Miriam!

Miriam isn't expected

till tomorrow evening.

Now, come on, calm down.

Well, ma'am, this is it.

They say places you

knew as a child

always seem smaller

than your memory of them.

It's not true.

Velma.

Velma Cruther.

Shall I take these in, Miss?

Thank you.

Just put them up there.

It's just as I left it.

- How much is that?

- Two dollars and fifty cents, ma'am.

- Keep the change.

- Thank you, ma'am.

- You nearly beat your telegram here.

- I know I'm a day early.

- I hope it won't inconvenience anybody.

- Miriam!

I just can't believe it.

You look marvellous.

What is it that you

can't believe, Drew,

that I'm here

or that I look the way I do?

Come on, Miriam,

don't make fun of an old man.

You know I never was any good

at expressing myself.

That's not so at all, Drew.

You were always very quick

with your compliments.

It was just your intentions...

that were sometimes a little vague.

- You all want this stuff upstairs?

- I'll give you a hand in just a minute.

I suppose you want to see Charlotte?

I think I already have.

- Won't she be coming down?

- I think we'd better go up.

She's a bit upset. There was

a little trouble here this morning...

- Trouble?

- Nothing serious.

You took us by surprise.

We weren't expecting you till tomorrow.

It was a mix-up.

I had to take an earlier plane.

What kind of trouble?

Just plain, blind stubborn.

With her money, she could live anywhere

in the world like a queen.

But as it is I'm afraid

you'll have more

than your hands full getting her

out of this place.

The three of us used

to slide down this banister.

I was always the champion.

We just let you win

because you were the youngest.

An old house is difficult to keep clean.

If you can get anybody out from town

to work in this place,

you're doin' a lot better than I can.

Don't misunderstand me, Velma,

I know how exhausting it must be

having to do all the work out here alone.

There's a lot more bags out there.

Charlotte, it's Miriam.

How good it was getting your letter

asking me to come.

I knew you'd come, I just knew you would.

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