Keeper of the Flame Page #4

he could do.

Um, these are some notes

which I made listening...

...to some impromptu speeches of his,

which have never been published.

Well, these are fine, they're...

They're fine...

...but documents and photographs

are not really what I want.

What I want is, uh...

Yes?

The truth.

The truth, as you know it,

about the man himself.

Well, that's what I'm trying to give you.

And you have, you have.

For a moment, I thought I saw him...

...the crowd surging toward him,

the lovers' pilgrimage to your old school.

But he's not here.

Perhaps if you just talked

and let me listen...

...and later on, let me wander

through the rooms in which he lived...

...I could get to know the man

I want to write about.

Will you come tomorrow afternoon?

I shall be glad to see you.

Thank you.

Good night, Mr. O'Malley.

- Good night.

Of course they're cousins.

Cousins frequently console each other

in grief.

Hmm? What did you say?

Shh.

I think I hear Mr. Forrest

turning over in his grave.

Good afternoon.

If you're looking for papers,

we don't get them till tonight.

- No, I'm looking for a junior-sized football.

- Oh, yeah.

Let me see.

Oh. Oh, yes, right here.

Dollar and a quarter.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

Midford Farm.

Yes, Mrs. Forrest's cousin.

I should have taken that down.

Sale's off. Young Midford paid mortgage.

Everybody in town's wondering

where on Earth he got his money.

Cousins frequently pay

each other's mortgages.

- I, uh, like the cut of you, young man.

- Thank you.

Like you better

if you minded your own business.

Robert Forrest's life is my business

from now on.

I would think it was his own.

He's dead.

Dead man can't rightly defend himself.

Oh, I'm not attacking him.

Step into places you don't belong,

you never know what'll come of it.

Look out!

Close.

Hi, doc.

My brakes ain't working very good.

- So I see.

- Lucky you was here.

- I might have run into something.

- Any damage, doctor?

Oh, minor contusions

and slight abrasions.

Nothing serious.

I'm Dr. Fielding.

You're the newspaperman.

That's right, doctor. How's Jeb?

A little fever.

- It's more mental than anything.

- I'll run in and see him.

Looks better than ever.

Yeah? Well, I'm glad you think so, Orion.

What do I owe you for the improvement?

Gratis. Gratis. Glad to oblige.

- Who's sick?

- Young Jeb.

Well, I don't feel so good myself.

Last night I didn't sleep good at all.

Sort of ached all up here

and all down around here...

...and I have sort of a sore throat.

Tongue's coated, ain't it?

- Feverish too. No appetite at all.

- Well, take this in a glass of water tonight.

Now, wait a minute, doc.

I ain't coming to you professionally.

Oh, I know it, Orion.

We happened to meet and you happened

to get talking. There'll be no charge.

Why, thanks, doc.

And say...

...my old lady ain't feeling

so good either.

No? Well, that's too bad.

- Looks pretty hopeless, don't it?

- Yeah.

You're as bad as Mrs. Forrest.

We played three games last night

and I beat her every time.

She play chess too?

Yes, and she's fine when she's got her

mind on it, but she has her bad days too.

Does she come here often?

No, I go to the big house, usually, and we

have sponge cake and hot chocolate.

She came here last night

because I was sick.

She used to come and see my sister

when she was sick too.

She treats everybody swell.

Check.

Ah, you're too good for me.

You win. I give up.

Um, what were you gonna tell me

about your sister and Mrs. Forrest?

Well, I said my sister was sick a long time.

She was Mr. Forrest's secretary...

...and Mrs. Forrest used to come

and bring her fruit and flowers and things.

That's her picture.

Oh.

Very pretty.

Where is she now?

Why, she's in a...

She went away.

Oh, to get married?

No.

Mrs. Forrest gave me my chess set too.

Oh, did she really?

Hello.

May I speak to Mrs. Forrest, please?

This is...

Oh, I wouldn't have recognized your voice,

Mrs. Forrest.

This is Steven O'Malley.

Steve O'Malley?

O'Malley?

Are you a friend of Robert's?

I don't understand.

Is this Mrs. Forrest I'm speaking to?

- Hello, Mrs. Forrest.

- You can't speak on that phone.

It hasn't been working

since the cloudburst.

I just talked to someone

who said she was Mrs. Forrest.

That's old Mrs. Forrest.

Old Mrs. Forrest?

You know, Mr. Forrest's mother.

No, I don't know.

Next time you wanna use phone, ask me.

- Where does Mr. Forrest's mother live?

- Up the other side of the big house.

- On the grounds here?

- Yes, this is a party line.

Oh, the storm didn't put her line

out of order?

No, that was the only one that wasn't.

I could have ran to the big house.

You stop that.

Nobody could have gone out in that storm.

I could've gone to the bridge, warned him.

I could've stopped him from going over.

He'd be alive today if I had!

Stop worrying yourself sick, son.

- It's my fault. I failed him. I failed him.

It's my fault.

You stop that and lie down.

I should have gone without asking you.

Hear that?

What's the good of talking to him?

Please lie down.

Come on, now, Jeb.

You heard what your dad said.

Remember, he's the first in command.

You've got to obey him.

Mr. Forrest and Mrs. Forrest

would expect that of you.

Oh, all right.

Attaboy.

I'll come back and play chess with you

another day. Next time, I'll beat you.

- Bye.

- Bye.

Um, uh...

Thank you, sir.

I'll get your car for you.

I don't remember ever hearing anything

about Robert Forrest's mother.

No, I guess not.

You've seen terrible things.

I've seen terrible men.

Uh... I'm trying to explain to you...

...why I, uh, won't be able to spare you.

I'll have to pry and probe and force my way

into places where I don't belong.

And I'll have to soak myself

in his way of life.

Which is a way of life

that's entirely strange to me.

Even this house. L...

I've never lived as graciously

and beautifully as this.

I've always sort of bummed around

in hall bedrooms...

...and air-raid shelters and places.

I'm a little lost.

I'm lost too.

I've got to find my way.

At first I thought I'd keep everything

just as he left it...

...but I see now that was wrong.

Nothing can stay as we leave it.

All we can hope is that someone who loves

us will put away our playthings tenderly.

And our follies and our failures too.

Yes, and those.

- Christine, I came as soon as I dared...

I was expecting you.

This is my cousin, Geoff Midford.

Steven O'Malley.

We've met.

I promised to knock his head off if I caught

him making a nuisance of himself.

- Do you want me to throw him out?

- Don't be foolish, Geoff.

Mr. O'Malley's here because I asked him.

All right, only it deprives me

of a pleasure.

Here are the recordings

of the convention...

...at which he was almost nominated

for the presidency.

He must have been

very much disappointed.

On the contrary, his attitude was, "If the

people want me, I'll be glad to serve. "

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