Possessed Page #4

I didn't know you were here.

Come on out in the hall.

Carol, darling, I didn't expect you so soon.

You shouldn't be in here.

Why are all the people in there?

Where's Mother?

Wynn, please run along up to your room.

Carol will be up in a few minutes.

- All right, Daddy.

- That's a good boy.

- You didn't tell him, did you?

- No.

It's awful you had to come home

at a time like this.

When I phoned I didn't intend

you to bring Wynn.

He said suicide. Why?

I thought it was an accident.

I know suicide was mentioned,

but this is an inquest.

They have to consider everything,

every possibility.

But why should they talk about suicide?

Was Mother unhappy enough to kill herself?

You know your mother was unhappy.

It was part of her illness.

- But, Father...

- Don't let's talk about it now.

I'm in the middle of this, please help me.

Go to your room and in a little while I'll

come up and we'll have a talk.

Will you do this for me, darling?

Oh, Daddy!

I know, darling.

Mr. Graham.

The coroner wants to see you.

Is that you, Miss Howell?

Miss Howell, is that you?

Miss Graham, I thought

I heard somebody call me.

Yes, I did. Is it over?

The inquest? Yes.

- What was the verdict?

- Accidental death.

- It wasn't an accident, I know better.

- You shouldn't think such things, really.

Miss Howell, my mother mentioned

you in her letters.

I know quite a lot about you,

probably more than you'd want me to.

What could she possibly say about me?

The last letter was written

just before the accident.

It was mostly about my father,

but she mentioned you.

How attractive you were to him.

How much he liked you.

I know your mother thought that,

but it's not true.

- My mother never lied to me.

- It isn't a question of lying or not.

Your mother was very ill, much more

than you were ever told.

- That made her imagine all kinds of things.

- There's no point in discussing it.

It's over now.

I'm home, you're leaving.

But your father has asked me to stay

and take care of Wynn.

I don't want you here, is that plain enough?

Yes, that's very plain.

If you're trying to discharge me, don't you

think you should ask your father about it?

Yes, you'd like that, wouldn't you?

You're very confident of what he would say.

- You're being a very silly girl.

- Am I?

I know how much my father likes you,

too much to let you go.

You've planned it that way.

That's so ridiculous I won't even

bother to deny it.

There are things about your mother

you should know.

Don't talk about my mother.

No matter how hard you scheme,

you'll never take her place.

I won't let you, Miss Howell.

If it hadn't been for you,

my mother would still be alive.

She killed herself because of you.

Carol.

I think you owe Miss Howell an apology.

You've made an extremely

offensive suggestion.

- You will apologize.

- No, please don't, Mr. Graham.

Both my children have been

taught good manners.

I prefer they don't forget them.

Carol, things haven't been pleasant

here for some time.

I'd looked forward to your coming home.

I hoped you'd make things easier for all of us.

Please don't disappoint me.

You don't need me, Father.

Miss Howell has taken my place.

Just as she took Mother's place.

Oh, no.

In the circumstances,

you'd better go back to school.

Yes, Father.

Mr. Graham, it isn't her fault.

I don't want you to defend me, Miss Howell.

As long as you're in my father's house,

I'd rather be somewhere else.

Carol, your father needs you.

- I wish this hadn't happened.

- So do I.

Frightened you today, did it?

You remember, the medicine

made you feel better.

Beginning to feel it?

That's fine.

Yesterday, you told me

about Mrs. Graham dying.

What happened after that?

Washington.

Yes, you went there with Mr. Graham

and his son, Wynn, I gather.

Something happened there that upset

you very much. Made you ill.

Yes.

Made me ill, like I am now.

You don't forget things like that.

Now, why don't you tell me about it.

After the funeral, we moved

back to Washington.

I didn't want to.

I wasn't really needed.

Mr. Graham asked me to.

And I thought...

I knew I'd never see David again

if I went away.

So I stayed in Washington,

with the Grahams...

taking care of Wynn.

Months went by.

I'll race you to the top of the stairs.

- I'll beat you there.

- Come on.

- Are you ready?

- Yes.

- Ready, set...

- Wynn, is that you?

Daddy's home!

Hello, Son.

Daddy, I raced Miss Howell

to the door and I won.

Good for you. Wynn,

this is an old friend of mine...

Mr. Sutton.

- How do you do?

- Glad to see you again, Wynn.

The last time I saw you,

you weren't shaving yet.

It's mathematically impossible

to try a joke on a child this age.

I don't remember you.

I'm sorry to hear that, I always try

to leave a lasting impression.

What are these?

Those are the plans of a cracking

plant Mr. Sutton's building for me.

- You remember, you saw one once.

- Yes.

Miss Howell, come in.

- I hope we're not disturbing you.

- Not at all.

I brought my homework and David Sutton.

Hello, David, how are you?

No use lying to you, Louise,

you're a nurse. I'm fine.

- You?

- I'm fine, too.

- Good. Dean, you?

- Not a complaint. Not a symptom.

This is absolutely the healthiest

circle I've ever moved in.

I keep forgetting that you

two know each other.

Oh, yes, David and I are very old friends.

- If you're talking business, I'Il...

- No, we're all finished.

As a matter of fact,

I was about to propose a drink.

- Second the motion.

- Would you join us?

No, thank you. I don't think

Wynn would approve.

But I'll mix them for you.

Wynn, go upstairs and get ready for dinner.

Yes, Miss Howell.

Daddy, you promised me

you'd read me a story.

- Whenever you're ready.

- All right, I'm ready.

Dean, I have your okay to go ahead

with this pumping station?

Yes. All right.

You're the only man

who ever worked for me...

who could get me to do what he wanted

and make it seem like a favor to me.

David, you take water in yours,

if I remember correctly?

Yes, please.

I ran a 1,000 barrels of heavy crude...

- The lighter stuff will go faster.

- I don't know, it's cold ground.

That oil comes up as stiff a

s an evening shirt.

We'll do what we can with it.

- Was there much deposit in the test load?

- Here you are.

- Oh, thanks.

- Good.

Jackson put a go-devil through with it,

there was hardly any sludge at all.

Here's to oil, down with atomic energy.

Beginning to think the atom

was opened by mistake.

Are you going to be here long?

A few weeks, perhaps a month.

Depends on the boss.

You'd only be here a day,

if I have anything to say about it.

- You've been away, haven't you?

- Yes, up and away. Canada.

Really? I didn't know.

Did you like Canada?

Canadians are wonderful people.

It's just that they're spread so far apart...

at least where I was.

This is my first taste of

civilization in a long time.

I think it'll last.

- You sound as though it were lonely.

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