The Upturned Glass Page #5

I shouldn't have

taken it on otherwise.

Phillip's an awful nuisance.

Poor little Ann.

Don't waste your

sympathy on her.

What time is this

dentist appointment?

Why are you so interested?

I was just thinking that you'll

be free while she's there.

So?

If I were free at the

same time we might meet.

That's quite a thought.

Kate was

completely unsuspecting

when he made anappointment to meet

herfor tea at the Savoy at 4 o'clock.

He never had any intention

ofkeeping thisappointment.

He had to see Ann, and he had

tofind a way ofseeing her alone.

My aunt told me to come and waitfor her

here when I've finished with the dentist.

Come in, will you?

She's having tea somewhere.

She's going to pick

me up afterwards.

Will you wait in here?

I know this room.

Hello, Ann.

Hello.

Did the dentist

give you a bad time?

I was told to wait

herefor Aunt Kate.

Is it alright?

I was expecting you.

Your hair is growing nicely.

Oh, it's awful.

Ann, isn't it about time

you and I had a talk?

What about?

About you.

Do you like the idea of

going away to school?

I don't mind.

Do you like your Aunt Kate?

Yes.

Are you sure about that?

Yes!

Don't you trust me?

Yes.

Not very much.

I don't know why you're

asking me all these questions.

I want to help you.

A long time ago you trusted me

with something very important.

What was that?

Your life, Ann.

Don't you remember?

Yes.

Why did you say at the inquest

that there was no one with your

mother the last time you saw her?

Because there wasn't.

That's not true though, is it?

Oh, I don't know what

you want me to say.

Your Aunt Kate was

with her, wasn't she?

Oh, leave me alone, please.

What happened between Kate and

your mother before the accident?

It wasn't an accident.

It was just the same

as if I'd pushed her.

You.

It was my fault.

How could it have been?

I know it was.

I sided against Mommy.

I don't care what

happens to me anymore.

What did you do, Ann?

You must tell me.

I can't.

You must. It's important.

She made me promise not to.

She said they'll send me

to prison if they find out.

Kate said that?

Yes.

Well, she had no

right to say it.

No one can send you to

prison if you tell the truth.

What happened, Ann?

You've got to tell me.

I went to Mommy's

room to say goodnight.

I'd been playing in the

garden since teatime.

I knew AuntKate

was withMommy,

and as I reached the

top ofthe stairs,

AuntKate was coming

out ofMommy's room.

She was angry, and she talked

in a very quiet voice to me.

She said she had something

very important to tell me.

Then she started.

She said the most horrible things

aboutMommy, aboutMommy and some man.

There was going to be

a divorce, she said,

and I'd have to give

evidenceagainstMommy.

I'd have to tell them in court for Daddy's

sake all the awful thingsMommy had done.

I supposeMommy must have been

listening all the time

because suddenly she told Aunt

Kate to get out ofthe house,

but she wouldn 't go.

Mommy told me to come to her

room with her, but I wouldn 't.

I don 't know why.

I was afraid, I suppose, and I

believed what AuntKate had said.

I believed it then.

It was only afterwards I

saw how wicked she was.

I heardMommy slam the door to

her room when she went back in.

I never saw heragain.

It was all my faultfor

believing Aunt Kate.

No, Ann, it wasn't your fault.

Oh, what in the world

happened to you?

I'm afraid I couldn't make it.

I can see that.

Where have you been?

I got held up.

Well, you could have telephoned me.

I waited for you over an hour.

As it happens I had more

important things to do.

I don't know who

you think you are.

I'm not in the habit of

payingfor my own tea.

Come along, Ann.

I want to talk

to you, Michael.

It's very late.

It won't take long.

What do you want to say?

We can't talk down here.

I realized it was very silly of me to

be so annoyed with you this afternoon.

I suppose you were working

and couldn't help it.

Is that what you came to say?

Yes.

Alright, you've said it now. Goodnight.

You're still angry with me.

Please don't be.

Let'sforget about

it and be friends.

I don't want to see

you again, Kate.

Oh, Michael, just because

of this afternoon?

That has nothing

to do with it.

You can't just drop me

like this. It isn't fair.

It'll be better

for you if I do.

How can you say that?

You'refond of me, aren't you?

Anyway, I'm veryfond of you.

Go home, Kate.

It's silly to punish us both just

because you're angry with me.

Michael, you're not just

trying to end things with me

out of a misplaced

chivalry, are you?

Misplaced chivalry

- what do you mean?

It just occurred to me that you might

think you were being unfair to go on,

knowing that you're not free.

Oh, I see.

You mean I'm trying to drop you rather

than involve you with a married man;

is that it?

Well, isn't it?

I'm asking you

for the last time.

Go home before it's too late.

Michael,

I don't care about

a lot of silly conventions.

I want to be with you

under any circumstances.

Do you, Kate?

Very well, you shall be.

She had madeup

his mindfor him.

That was the endforKate.

He now began to make his plans for the

revenge he'd thought offor so long.

He arrangedfor his junior

to take over his patients

and established at the hospital

that there was a possibility

that he might not be available

for the comingfortnight.

He wanted to be prepared

for every emergency.

Ifsomething should go wrong and prevent

him carrying out his plan at once,

he didn 't

want his absence to be noticed.

He left himselfwith only one appointment

before his meeting withKateHoward.

This was a routine job

ofan educational nature,

which he did irregular

and holds as a sideline.

While he was engaged on it,

his mind was working out the

practical problems which

would be involved with

this plan he hadformulated.

It was a Friday night.

That was going to make

things easierfor him.

He'd arranged to pick her up at a

lonely part of the embankment.

On his suggestion, she told her friends

that she was going awayfor a few weeks.

As they drove out of London she

was full of the usual chatter,

never suspectingfor a moment

his real feelings towards her.

Until they'd actually

arrived at Emma's house

she had no idea where

he was taking her.

The house wasfor sale.

He wanted to see it.

She accepted this explanation.

He knew that no one would answer the bell

because he remembered the gardener telling him

that he always went over to his

sister's place on Friday nights.

The window was still broken as

he'd never it on his last visit.

Shefollowed him upstairs

to Emma's room

and over to the window out

of which Emma had fallen.

He drew the curtains,

threw open the window.

Then he told her that he was

the man Emma had loved

and that he'dfound out that she

was responsible for Emma's death,

and now she was going to die

the same way Emma had died.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes