Shadow of a Doubt Page #7

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- How many hours did you sleep?

If you could tell me

the exact minute you went to sleep,

the exact minute you woke up,

if you woke up in between

and how long you stayed awake

each time you woke up,

then I could tell you exactly -

You won't sleep tonight.

Nobody who sleeps all day can.

I slept all right, and I kept dreaming,

perfect nightmares

about you, Uncle Charlie.

Nightmares about me?

You were on a train,

running away from something

and when I saw you on the train,

I felt terribly happy.

How could you feel happy

seeing Uncle Charlie on a train?

I don't want to see him on a train.

I hope he stays here forever.

Well, he has to leave sometime.

We have to face the facts.

I like people who face facts.

Well, we're not going

to face any such facts as those.

Oh, Ann,

would you like to see the funnies?

I'm too old for funnies. I read two books

a week. I took a sacred oath I would.

Besides, no one's allowed to read

at the table. It isn't polite.

Don't correct your elders!

She's right, Emmy.

I'm forgetting my manners.

Joe, I'm going to blame this paper on you.

Roger, go to the icebox and bring me

a big, red bottle you'll find there.

You can throw the paper away.

Dad's read it, you've read it.

We don't need to play any

games with it tonight.

Ann, you can help

Charlie carry the vegetables.

I saw that bottle

when I was getting dinner.

St Paul said, "Take a little wine

for thy stomach's sake. "

Wine for dinner sounds so gay!

Remember they had the champagne

when the oldest Jones girl got married?

This is sparkling burgundy.

One sip and I'll be calling it

"sparkling burgledy. "

Maybe I'd better not take any.

Oh... imported.

Imported Frankie and his tweeds?

And his loaded cane.

His loaded everything!

Roger, go get four

of the small glasses with stems.

Charles, I promised Mrs Greene of our

club that you'd talk to the ladies.

What am I going to talk about?

Travel or current events?

Oh, not current events.

We get current events.

Who'll my audience be?

Oh, women like myself.

Busy with our homes, most of us.

Women keep busy in towns like this.

In the cities it's different.

Middle-aged widows, husbands dead,

husbands who ' ve spent their lives

making fortunes, working and working,

and then they die and leave their money

to their wives, their silly wives.

And what do the wives do,

these useless women?

You see them in the best hotels

every day by the thousands,

drinking the money, eating the money,

losing the money at bridge,

playing all day and all night,

smelling of money.

Proud of their jewellery,

but of nothing else.

Horrible, faded, fat, greedy women.

But they're alive! They're human beings.

Are they? Are they, Charlie?

Are they human,

or are they fat, wheezing animals? Hm?

And what happens to animals when

they get too fat and too old?

Well, I seem to be making

my speech right here.

Don't talk about women like that

in front of my club! You'll be lynched.

That nice Mrs Potter's going to be there.

She was asking me about you.

The Greenes are bringing her here to

the party I'm having for you afterwards.

Joe, it's Herbert.

He always comes when we're eating.

Good evening, Mrs Newton.

- Good evening, Mr Oakley.

- Good evening.

Well, Herb, how's your mother?

Oh, she's just middling.

- Had your dinner?

- Oh, I had mine an hour ago.

You folks are getting pretty stylish.

Having dinner later every evening.

Ha ha!

- Joe.

- Huh?

- Joe, I-I picked some mushrooms.

- You don't say?

Mushrooms mean anything to you, Joe?

I eat 'em on my steak when I'm out

and the meat's not good enough as it is.

If I brought you some mushrooms,

would you eat 'em?

Suppose I would. Why?

Then I've got it. The worst I'd be

accused of would be manslaughter.

Doubt if I'd get that.

Accidental death, pure and simple.

A basket of good mushrooms and...

two or three poisonous ones.

No, no. Innocent party might

get the poisonous ones.

I thought of something better

when I was shaving.

A bath tub. Pull the legs out

from under you, hold you down.

Oh, what's the matter with you two?

Do you always have to

talk about killing people?

We're not talking about killing people.

Herb's talking about killing me,

and I'm talking about killing him.

It's your father's way of relaxing.

Can't he find some other way to relax?

Can't we have a little peace and quiet

without dragging in poisons all the time?

Charlie!

She doesn ' t make sense talking like that.

I'm worried about her.

Roger, bring her back.

I'll go. You stay and finish dinner.

I'll catch up with her.

What's wrong with her?

- Excuse me, Mr Norton.

- You're always running around at night.

- Where were you hurrying to last night?

- Just doing an errand.

- Is this your uncle I've heard about?

- Yes.

- Uncle Charlie, Mr Norton.

- Glad to know you. What's the name?

Oakley. Charles Oakley. Nice to meet you.

Better keep your eye on your niece.

I'll have to give her a ticket for speeding.

- City ordinance about running.

- Hear that, Charlie?

Don't want to break the law.

I'll take care of her.

- Good night.

- Good night.

What's the matter, Charlie?

What's wrong?

- I want to talk to you.

- You're hurting my arm again.

- Come in here with me.

- I can't. I don't go to places like this.

Go on in.

- Why'd you bring me here?

- What does it matter where we are?

Hello, Charlie. Hello.

Hello, Louise.

Uncle Charlie, Louise Finch.

- This is my uncle.

- I was in Charlie's class in school.

I sure was surprised to see you come in.

I never thought I'd see you here.

I been here two weeks.

Lost my job over at Kern's.

I've been in half the restaurants in town.

What'll you have, Charlie?

- Nothing, thank you.

- A ginger ale for her, a brandy for me.

- Well, Charlie?

- Well?

Think you know something, don't you?

That young fellow told you something.

Jack?

Why should he know anything about you?

Charlie, something's come between us.

I don't want that to happen.

Why, we're old friends.

More than that. We're like twins.

- You said so yourself.

- Don't touch me, Uncle Charlie.

What did that boy tell you?

He's got nothing to do with it. I hope

he never knows anything about you.

Charlie,

you're a pretty understanding sort of girl.

If you've heard

some little things about me,

I guess you're a woman of the world

enough to overlook them.

You're the head of your family, Charlie.

Anyone can see that.

I'm not so old. I've been chasing

around the globe since I was sixteen.

I guess I've done

some pretty foolish things,

made some pretty foolish mistakes.

Nothing serious, just... foolish.

Oh, Charlie, now,

don't start imagining things.

How could you do such things?

You're my uncle,

my mother's brother.

We thought you were

the most wonderful man in the world.

- The most wonderful and the best.

- Charlie, what do you know?

I'm sorry I was so long.

We're awful busy.

Whose is it? Ain't it beautiful?

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