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your husband called at my office

for the diagnosis of your case...

I'd say about ten days ago.

I discussed your condition with him

thoroughly at that time.

It was then that I told him...

From all accounts,

your wife's illness...

seems to date far back

into her early childhood.

There were at times comparatively

long periods of good health.

- Is that true?

- Yes, I suppose so.

You mean you knew nothing of your

wife's illness when you married her?

No.

How soon after your marriage

did it first manifest itself?

Well, I...

I don't remember the date exactly.

I should say it was a couple

of years after we were married.

You see, Doctor, we were living

with her father then...

in Chicago at Lake Forest.

Marie, will you get me

Mrs. Stevenson's bag?

Look, honey,

about lunch today, I...

I'd like to have

Mrs. Stevenson's bag.

- Yes, madam.

- How much do you want?

How much do I...

I'm sorry to disappoint you, dear,

but it isn't what you think.

I wrote Ferguson's telephone number

in your notebook last night.

- Yes? And?

- I was just going to tell you...

I have a date for lunch

with him today.

You're having lunch with me today.

It's Friday.

I know, dear,

but I won't be able to make it.

This date with Ferguson's

rather important.

More important than me,

I suppose?

It isn't that. It's just that

I had a talk with him last night...

and he asked me to drop by.

- It's about a job.

- A job? You have a job.

Madam, is this the suit

you're going to wear?

Marie, I'd like to speak

to Mrs. Stevenson alone.

- But madam is late already.

- Will you get out, please?

What I mean to say, dear...

and I've been meaning

to say it for weeks, is that...

I don't belong to

your father's organization.

Sure, I married his daughter.

So I'm a vice president now.

I have a nice office, my name

on the door, even a secretary.

But what do I do? Nothing.

What do you want to do,

run the place after six months?

But at least I'd like to hope that

someday I'd get a chance to try.

But working for your father

is like running in a dream.

No matter how hard you try,

you know you'll never get anywhere.

- Nonsense. Dad despises deadwood.

- Sure.

Only I happen to be his son-in-law.

I'm not blind, Leona.

As long as I'm married to you,

he'll never give me a real chance.

You're making mountains

out of molehills.

I'm trying to be honest with you.

I don't wanna just graft off

your charity the rest of my life.

I want a chance...

a chance on my own.

Only you're not getting the chance.

I won't have you traipsing around.

Just because Dad doesn't

go falling all over himself...

you're not going to throw away

a million-dollar business...

for an idle whim.

It happens to be

my business too, you know.

And to think my own husband

turns up his nose at it.

Now, will you ring for Marie,

please? I'm late already.

And call Ferguson and tell him

you changed your mind. Hurry up.

But I didn't change my mind, Leona.

- You mean you're still going?

- Yes.

I'm sure one day you'll see

it'll be better for both of us.

Henry, wait!

No, you're not going,

not as long as you're my husband.

Leona. Come on.

Don't be silly.

- Give me that key.

- You can't do this to me!

Nobody's ever done it!

Nobody! Nobody!

Would you please stop it

and give me that key?

Please, if you love me at all,

don't do this.

Henry, I beg you.

I promise you, I'll talk to Dad.

I'll do anything, anything you want,

only don't leave me!

- Don't go away!

- Give me that key.

No, I won't!

I won't! I won't!

Don't leave me!

You're hurting me!

Henry, please, I love you.

Henry, don't, I beg you.

Good evening, Wilkins.

Good evening, sir.

- Mrs. Stevenson upstairs?

- Yes, sir. She's upstairs.

What is this?

Anybody sick?

I beg your pardon, sir?

Henry, come here.

I want to talk to you.

What's the matter?

It isn't Leona, I hope.

It is. She had an attack today...

a heart attack.

- She almost died.

- A heart attack?

Come in. There's something

I wanna discuss with you.

You two have any words

this morning?

Yes, but what's that got to do

with Leona's heart?

Weren't you supposed

to have lunch together today?

I'm asking you, why didn't you

have lunch with my daughter today?

- I had to see somebody else.

- She didn't object to it, eh?

Yes, as a matter of fact,

we had an argument over it.

- A rather private one.

- About what?

Look, if you don't mind,

I'd like to see my wife.

You'll see her

when she's ready to see you.

Now, wait a minute, Mr. Cotterell.

What's this all about?

Sit down, Stevenson.

Leona's had a heart condition

since she was a little girl.

Her mother died of it

the day she was born.

Leona can't stand being treated

the way you did this morning.

She hasn't before, and she's not

going to be now by you or anyone.

What happens if once in a while her

husband has an opinion of his own?

I don't give a hoot

about your opinions. Have them.

Think anything you'll like.

But while you're in this house...

you do what my daughter

tells you to do.

I don't think this is the time

for this kind of a discussion...

but as long as you insist,

I might as well tell you.

The argument I had with Leona

was about a very important decision.

- Oh, nonsense.

- A decision I made...

as much for the sake

of my wife's future as for mine.

And now, if you'll excuse me.

It was for the sake of her future

that you had lunch with Ferguson?

Well, did you get the job?

No, I didn't.

You think you're so bright.

Bill Ferguson sells me two million

dollars worth of dyes every year.

Who do you think he's going

to care more about, you or me?

- So that's what's happened.

- Now, let's see.

Who else in Chicago would you

like to have lunch with...

about a job?

Go ahead. I'm open to suggestions.

Face up to it, Stevenson.

You haven't a chance. Just as long

as you're my son-in-law...

you're working for Cotterell's

and nobody else.

Come on, Stevenson.

Stop being a kid.

If you really cared for Leona

the way I do...

you'd have done

the same thing in my place.

Besides, you haven't done

so badly for yourself.

Even if you think you have, it's

a whole lot better than Grassville.

Now, you'd better go

and see Leona.

She's asking for you.

Maybe I shouldn't have

given in like that, Doctor.

Maybe that was the moment

to pull out.

Yes, things

might have been different.

But somehow, I couldn't.

Probably, the old man wasn't

altogether wrong about me.

No, I couldn't go back

to Grassville anymore.

I suppose from that day on

I began to... to compromise...

always with the one hope in the back

of my mind that somehow, someday...

I'd win out on my own.

How long did this attack

of Mrs. Stevenson's last?

She got well pretty quickly.

For a while, everything

seemed to straighten out.

I was given a new office,

even a new title.

But it wasn't long before

we were back where we started.

- She suffered another attack?

- Yes, several.

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