Undercurrent Page #6

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- Oh, George?

- Yes, ma'am?

Could we have dinner

in front of the fire?

Yes, ma'am. I'll put a table right here.

That'll be nice.

And if Mr. Alan comes home early,

why, tell him I'm out by the stables.

Come on, Bate. Come on.

All right, have it your own way.

Snob.

Hello.

You've got a sweet face.

What's your name?

Maggie, I'll bring you a carrot

the next time I come down.

Hello, old fella.

Better get away from that stallion.

You better get away.

He's dangerous, isn't he?

He's a devil horse, that's what.

Nothing but a devil can ride him.

I saw him break that horse.

I saw that animal trying to throw him.

I saw him beat him with his whip...

...until he was black in the face as

that critter's hide. And he was swearing!

"I'll ride you or kill you!"

There ain't no horse he can't ride,

so he said.

I seen him. Yes, ma'am!

I'm waiting. I'm watching.

He's coming back some night.

And the moon am dark,

and get on that horse...

...and lay the whip to him! And that

black thing is gonna rear up like:

- There'll be nothing...

- Hey, Ben.

They'll be going down. You better get...

I told you to keep away.

You're not supposed to be in here.

Now, get out and stay out.

Now, come on. Go ahead. Go on!

I hope he didn't scare you, ma'am.

But he's plumb out his head.

Oh, no. He didn't scare me, George.

That's Mr. Michael's horse, isn't it?

He was a great horseman, wasn't he?

Mrs. Foster told me.

Yes, ma'am, he was.

I think we better go home, George.

Oh, and I think I will have

that cup of tea now, George.

- Yes, ma'am.

- Hi!

- Who are you?

- Telegram for Garroway.

Oh, you startled me.

I'm Mrs. Garroway. Thanks.

Hi, George.

- George?

- Yes, ma'am?

- I like my tea very strong.

- Yes, ma'am.

All right, George, you take it.

Hello, darling.

Alan, what is it? What's the matter?

- Who was playing that? Who was it?

- Well, I was playing the piano.

You? Why did you play that piece?

Answer me. What made you play it?

I don't know. I play it often.

Dink taught me.

Why? What's the matter?

Your father.

- Your father taught you that piece?

- Yes. Alan, what is it?

Yeah. Yes, he... He plays. I'd forgotten.

That's a... That's a piece that

anyone might play, mightn't they?

Of course they might.

Alan, you're shaking.

You're ice-cold. Tell me what's wrong.

My mother died sitting at this piano,

playing that piece.

You see, Middleburg

isn't all happy memories for me.

I wish I could've known your mother.

She must've been a wonderful person.

She had to be to be your mother.

Finding out that she loved that piece

makes me know her.

It was my father's favorite too.

Funny.

Your mother played it, and you heard it

when you were little, so did I.

That's a bond between us.

One we didn't know about, isn't it?

Yes.

- Having dinner in here?

- Poor darling.

I'll go clean up a bit.

I fixed the cocktails.

You want me to shake them?

Oh, no, let me do it, George. I'd like to.

Mrs. Garroway must've been

a wonderful woman, George.

Yes, ma'am. She was.

She was an invalid for a great number

of years, wasn't she?

Yes, ma'am. She laid up in her bed...

...never complaining, always smiling.

This piano must've been a great comfort

to her when she did get up.

- Piano?

- I know what it means to an invalid...

...to be able to play.

My mother did a little.

Mrs. Garroway never played no piano.

She always said

she only knew two things:

Her flowers and her boys.

Mrs. Garroway never played the piano?

No, ma'am. Mrs. Garroway

never played no piano, no time.

But she died sitting at that piano,

didn't she?

No, ma'am. She died upstairs in bed.

- Bring dinner anytime it's ready, George.

- Yes, sir.

Cocktails. We can use these,

huh, darling?

George's cocktails are the best.

Almost good enough for you.

To us, darling.

To us.

You're awfully quiet tonight. Too quiet.

Are you tired of Middleburg already?

I am kind of quiet, aren't I?

Well, I'm tired, but not of Middleburg.

I did an awful lot of rambling around

this afternoon.

- A wire came for you.

- Yes, I saw it. It's from Warmsley.

It looks as though we might have to go

to San Francisco on Thursday.

You don't seem

very enthusiastic.

No, I was thinking.

I was thinking they can get at you

if they want to.

Yes, if they want to.

I'd better get to a telephone

and send Warmsley an answer.

Want to ride along, darling?

- Oh, I'm so tired.

- All right. You stay here and rest.

I'll hurry.

- What is it, George?

- Nothing, ma'am.

What were you afraid of?

You knew I was here.

No. I heard the front door,

and I thought you went out.

Then who did you think it was?

Who did you think it was?

Who could it be?

Who used to sit at that piano?

- Oh, please, ma'am.

- Yes.

- Nobody.

- That's not true. You were frightened.

- Who did you think it was?

- Please...

- Michael?

- No, ma'am.

You did think it was Michael.

- I ain't seen him in years.

- He did play that piece, didn't he?

Oh, Miss Garroway, please don't tell

Mr. Alan I was talking about him.

About Michael?

Don't worry, George.

You weren't talking about him, I was.

I won't tell Mr. Alan.

How he must hate him.

He's tried to take every sign of him

out of this house.

Erase him completely.

No pictures, nothing.

Won't even talk about him.

That's why he didn't tell me the truth.

George?

- Yes, ma'am?

- George, we...

We must help him.

Mr. Alan has been terribly hurt.

We've got to find a way to help him.

Yes, Miss Garroway.

- Mr. Garroway. How do you do, sir?

- Jean.

This way, please.

I feel guilty.

Do you always get what you want?

What a wonderful-Iooking girl.

Do you know her?

Yes.

- Alan.

- Sylvia. This is my wife, Ann.

Sylvia Burton.

An old San Francisco friend of mine.

You make it sound like old Frisco Sal

or something.

So nice to meet you.

Isn't this a mob scene?

- It certainly is.

- Here I go, it seems.

So nice to have run into you.

Goodbye.

- Goodbye.

- Excuse me.

- Well, who is she?

- Who?

- That girl, Miss Burton.

- Sylvia? Old friend.

Just an old friend?

Well, sort of.

- Jealous?

- You bet. She's lovely.

Far too lovely for an old friend.

You've got it all over her in every way.

Sylvia's... Sylvia's changed a lot.

She's got a look of having been around.

Since you learned how to dress,

she can't touch you.

People wouldn't notice her

with you in the room.

You're wonderful.

You're the perfect husband.

Catty about every other woman.

- Good evening.

- Hello, Warmsley.

- Mrs. Garroway.

- Mr. Warmsley.

Pull up a chair.

- May I?

- Certainly.

Sorry to intrude,

but my plane just got in.

Things are really popping in Seattle.

The best thing would be

for you to get there soon.

- What's wrong with Henderson?

- He does what he can.

- But without real authority, there...

- He has as much authority as you have.

Not quite.

I really think it would be best for you

to have a look. I've brought some papers.

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