The Children's Hour Page #6

- Mary!

Yes, you did, too.

You told us about what you saw.

I remember...

It was the day that Helen

Burton's bracelet...

I never did!

The day Helen Burton's

bracelet was stolen.

And no one knew who did it.

Don't you remember?

Helen said that if her

mother found out who did it

she would call the police,

and have the thief put in jail.

Rosalie, there's no need to cry.

You must help us by

telling the truth.

Grandma.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

I told Mary! What

Mary said was true!

I said it! I said it! I said it!

It's cold in here.

Yes.

What time is it?

I don't know.

I was hoping it was

time for my bath.

Take it early today.

I couldn't do that.

I look forward all

day to that bath.

Makes me feel important to know

there's one thing I have to do.

Kind of a date with something.

Let's go out.

Take a walk.

What if we see somebody?

What if we do?

Come on.

We'll go tomorrow.

No, we won't.

There's our friend.

I knocked on the kitchen

door, but nobody answered.

You said that last week.

All right. Thank you. Good-bye.

Stop it!

I've got eight fingers, see?

And two heads! I'm a freak!

Martha, what are we

doing here like this?

It's as if we're in a nightmare

and can't seem to wake up.

You'll be getting married soon.

Everything will be all right then.

It'll be a good day

and a happy one for me, too.

What's wrong?

There's nothing wrong.

It's just that I don't know

what I'm thinking anymore.

That about sums up my

official duty, Dr. Cardin.

I don't have to tell you how much

we've valued having you here.

You also know this

hospital is kept going

by people who are meddlesome

as well as generous.

- Thanks for the speech.

- Joe!

Everybody here knows that

you're not guilty of anything.

It's a matter of association.

I feel sure that if you were

to sever your relationship

with these two young women...

I'm sorry.

Good-bye.

I don't believe it.

And here I am!

Hello! Hello! Hello!

May I come in?

My old chair.

It's very good to see you both.

How is everything?

Everything's fine.

How are you?

A little tired.

- It's been a long trip.

- Of course.

Is there anything I can get you?

You know, I would like a cup

of tea, but don't you bother.

It's no bother, no bother at all.

Why, Martha...

You know, I think...

Where have you been?

- Now, there's your temper again.

- Answer me!

I've been on tour, you knew that.

Mostly one-night stands,

although we did have one

ghastly week in Detroit.

But the theater's changed.

There's no question of it.

They simply will not accept

a serious play on the road.

Isn't that interesting?

Is it a trend? Will it pass?

I don't know. I really

just don't know.

I was interviewed in San Francisco

and, I said, quite frankly...

I said that perhaps a whole

culture is changing.

It's possible, you know.

You think so? A whole culture.

My, we'd be so interested

to hear about it.

- Why didn't you answer our telegrams?

- I told you, I was moving around.

How did you manage to

get out of the summons?

What difference does it

all make now, anyway?

Karen is quite right. Let's

let bygones be bygones.

Why did you refuse to come

back here and testify for us?

I didn't refuse. I was on tour.

That's a moral obligation.

I couldn't just leave.

The curtain must go up.

For goodness sakes,

let's not go on like this.

- My trunk's at the station.

- Things have changed here, Mrs. Mortar.

I don't suppose you've

heard about it...

Although it's been in every

newspaper in the country.

How we lost a suit for slander

against a woman named Tilford

who accused us of having

had what the judge called,

"Sinful sexual knowledge

of one another",

based on remarks made by one

Lily Mortar against her niece.

But, my dear...

A large part of the defense's

case rested on the telling fact

that Mrs. Mortar would

not appear in court

to confirm, explain,

or deny those remarks.

She had a moral obligation

to the theater.

It wouldn't have done any good

for us all to get mixed up in

this unpleasant notoriety.

But I do see it your way.

And now that I'm here,

I'm going to stand shoulder

to shoulder with you.

There's an 8:
00 train. Get on it.

All my grown life, I've been

something for you to pick dry.

Now get out and don't come back.

How can you talk to me like that?

Because I hate you.

I've always hated you.

God will punish you for that.

He's doing all right.

I'll wait upstairs

until train time.

You'll be sorry one day for

what you've said to me.

Look who's here. A few

weeks late, aren't you?

So it's you. I call that loyal.

A lot of men wouldn't

still be here.

- You're a very lucky girl, Karen.

- Get out of here!

Why did she come back?

She's broke.

Stop it.

She's not worth all that.

We'll give her some money

and get rid of her.

- Why'd you do that?

- Do what?

Turn away from me.

I didn't turn away from you.

I was putting out a cigarette.

Karen.

We sit around here much

longer, we'll all go mad.

So we're not going to sit around.

- I sold my place this morning to Foster.

- You can't do that!

We're getting married this week.

You have two days to pack

and close the place.

- Thursday we'll be in the car...

- You can't leave here. I won't let you...

It's all done. I found a good

place that needs a doctor.

It's farm country. It'll

be tough at first.

But we'll live cheaply. There will

be plenty for all three of us.

Joe, I'm not going with you.

But thank you, from the

bottom of my heart.

You're coming with us.

We want you to come.

It's going to be good,

starting fresh in a new place.

You don't want to go.

No. I don't want to go.

This was my place,

where I wanted to be.

And you don't want to go. You

wanted to stay here, too.

We can't stay, so to hell with it. We're

going to a place where we can live.

Joe's right.

But I'm not going with you. It's

better for all of us if I don't go.

Stop talking nonsense.

You're coming with us.

Later on, you can leave if you want to,

when you have something to leave for.

All right?

All right.

I think I'll cook us a dinner.

A departure dinner, whatever

that is. Something fancy.

I've done this to you.

I've taken away

everything you wanted.

Stop talking that way.

There are a lot of people in

this world who have bad trouble.

We happen to be three

of those people.

We could sit around the rest of our

lives and live on that trouble

and we'd get to where

we'd have nothing else,

because we wanted nothing else.

We're going to put the

whole business behind us.

There'll be no more talk about what

could have been or should have been.

I'm sorry.

I'll be all right as soon

as we get out of here.

Joe, I want a baby.

I want to have a baby.

Maybe in a year or so. We

won't have enough money now.

But I don't want to wait a year. You

said you wanted children right away.

Why have you changed?

We can't go on like this!

Everything I say is made

to mean something else.

Yes, every word has a new meaning.

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