Original subtitles

The top of Widow's Hill is a strange and lonely place.

And the great hulk of Collinwood sits like a sleeping monster on its crest.

I know I should leave.

And yet I can't.

Not as long as I feel the answers I've been looking for might be here.

Here in the darkness and the dust of hidden years.

Surrounded by the ghosts of the past.

and the fears of the present, I've decided to search, and hope, and

wait.

David?

David, are you down here?

What are you doing down here?

I was looking for... Who are you? Now, just a minute. I wasn't... I asked you a

question, miss, and you better answer me.

Who are you and what are you doing down here in the basement of this house?

I wasn't... I wasn't snooping around. I want the truth, miss.

Please, you're hurting me.

You want to hurt Mrs. Stoddard, don't you? No.

Ah, you people.

Fooling around down here... Matthew, what are you doing?

Oh, Mrs. Stoddard, this crazy man... Matthew, what's happening down here?

I tried to explain... Just a minute, Miss Winters.

Matthew? She was snooping around here, ma 'am. Who is this man, Mr. Stoddard?

Matthew works for me.

What was she doing?

Well, ma 'am, I was upstairs getting ready to clean out the fireplaces and I

heard this noise down in the basement.

I was looking for David.

Go on.

So I figured I'd better come and see what was the trouble.

I got to the head of the stairs.

There she was, trying to get in that room.

I thought David might have been hiding in there.

It's only a storeroom, Miss Winters, and it's locked, always.

No one can get in there.

She sure looked as if she were trying.

And knowing how you feel about people snooping around strangers... Miss

is not a stranger, Matthews. She'll be living with us from now on.

Doing what, ma 'am?

I think you'd better go upstairs and finish your work, Matthew.

Yes, ma 'am.

What's the matter with that man? Why does he act like that?

Because he found you someplace you weren't supposed to be.

But I was looking for David.

Why in the basement?

I wanted to get started with the lessons and I couldn't find him anywhere.

I'm positive he wouldn't come down here.

Well, I looked everywhere else, and then I thought I heard a noise down here.

Miss Winters, would you mind waiting for me in the drawing room?

There are a few things I think we ought to discuss.

Of course.

I'll be up in a few minutes.

You might check David's room again.

David, why won't you look at me?

I thought you and I were friends.

Why were you hiding down here?

I wanted to.

But you know you're not supposed to come down to the basement.

You're going to hit me, aren't you?

Of course not.

That's what my father would do.

Not while you live in this house, he won't.

He's your brother. That makes it his house, too, doesn't it?

It's very complicated.

The thing is, I don't like people roaming around down here, and you know

Well, you might knock something over and hurt yourself.

And I wouldn't want that to happen.

She would.

Who? Why did you have to bring her up here anyway?

Miss Winters?

Were you really hiding from her?

Is that why you came down here?

You wouldn't understand.

Miss Winters is a very nice person, David.

She wants to hurt me.

That's ridiculous.

I knew you would say that.

But it is ridiculous. She has absolutely no reason to hurt you.

She wants to spy on me and find out things.

David, I want you to stop this. I want you to stop at this instant.

She was snooping around down here, just like Matthew said.

I don't believe that.

Well, it's true.

David.

Matthew Morgan.

Winters. Victoria Winters.

I hope we can be friends.

What's so sacred about the basement?

Mrs. Stoddard don't want nobody poking around down in that basement.

What'll you be doing around here, anyway?

Taking care of David mostly, tutoring him, and helping out wherever I can.

You're going to stay?

Any reason why I shouldn't?

Matthew.

You're very fond of Mrs. Stoddard, aren't you?

Yeah. You've known her for a long time.

Yeah.

And her husband, did you know him?

Why should you be asking about him?

Well, I'd heard the story of how he'd left her 18 years ago and how she'd

up here on the hill ever since.

And I'd wondered what kind of a man he was.

I mean, if she's been waiting for him all these years, hoping he'll come back,

well, he must have been quite a man.

I don't know nothing about him, but I do know that Mrs. Starr is a great lady,

and don't you forget it.

I think she's very nice.

Come to the window.

Out there behind them trees where you can't see it is my house.

She gave it to me.

Gave it.

For as long as I live, that's what kind of a woman she is.

That's wonderful.

And she'd give me this job, too.

The rest of my life, she said, do you know what I was doing before?

sweeping out the floors of the cannery and wondering whether I'd be spending

rest of my days in that stink.

Then she offered me this house and a job, and I've been here ever since.

Eighteen years, and I've never been inside that cannery again.

Have you always been the only one working here?

No.

They used to have a lot of servants around here, but they were all gone, all

them. The maids, the chauffeur and the gardeners.

Every one of them. Why did they leave?

She fired them.

Every last one of them.

That was just before I come here.

That was the last day her husband left.

But why did she do that?

Miss, I live out there.

I do the heavy work around the place, I take care of the gardens, and I mind my

business.

I hope you can do the same.

I knew it was here somewhere.

Pretty dusty, too.

Ought to be.

Been here over 20 years.

Have a look at it. The Rover Boys. I think you'll like it.

I have a whole crate full of them. I'll have Matthew take them up to your room.

What is it about?

Adventure stories.

They belonged to your father when he was your age.

I don't want... David.

Can't I go upstairs now?

If you want to.

David.

Your father loves you. You know that.

What makes you think that?

He told me.

Aunt Elizabeth, why does she have to stay?

David, won't you tell me why you're so afraid of Miss Winters?

You wouldn't understand.

That's what you said before.

Why don't you try me?

Why doesn't my mother come back?

Your mother's not well.

You know that.

I'll bet as long as Miss Winters is here, she'll never come back.

Is that what you think, David?

That Miss Winters will keep you away from your mother?

I'm going upstairs now. Wait a minute, David.

Just listen to me.

Miss Winters, the last thing Miss Winters would want is to keep a child

from its parents.

And do you know why?

Because she knows what it's like to be without a mother and father.

She was brought up in an orphanage, David.

And she was a very lonely, lonely child.

How do you know?

I know.

Those were the days. Hi, Carolyn. The ships that built this house.

I might write a book about it someday.

Have you seen my mother?

Last I saw, she was in the basement.

You didn't get a chance to talk to her yet, did you? About what?

About what she said.

Vicki, what's the use of my having bright ideas if you don't do anything

them? The money, you mean.

Well, I can't come right out and say it.

Why not?

Mrs. Dottard, 18 years ago, money started coming to the orphanage for me.

No one knows who said it or why.

And I just found out it was just about the time Carolyn's father disappeared.

there any connection?

Just like that.

Easy. And ridiculous.

No more ridiculous than you're coming all the way up here to take care of a

kooky kid.

You took one big step, Vicki.

You might as well take two.

Oh, hi, Mother. I was just looking for you. I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Miss

Winters, but I was having a long talk with David.

You found him.

In the basement.

Were you about to go somewhere?

That sounds like a signal meaning get lost.

Well, if you don't mind, dear, I'd like to talk to Miss Winters.

Hello? It's your chance, Vicki.

Grab it.

Oh, hold on a moment, Joe.

It's Joe Haskell for you. Why don't you take it from the hall?

Okay.

Oh, by the way, I was about to drive into town.

Do either of you want anything?

No, thank you.

Vicki? No, thanks.

Well, remember, if you do want anything, you have to do something about it.

See you.

Well now, Miss Winters, I think we have a great many things to discuss.

Sanjo, why can't you tell me now?

Well, sure, if it's important.

Oh, she's fine.

Having a little conference at the moment.

When I brought you here, the main purpose, as you know, is to help with

I know that.

But it won't work if he's afraid of you.

There's no reason.

There is in his mind.

So it's up to all of us.

Especially you.

To convince him that he's wrong.

He's had a very difficult life.

His mother is away and will probably be away for some time.

That's why David and his father came here to live. He was, is, very attached

his mother.

And for some reason he sees you as a threat.

I told him you knew what it was like to be separated from parents.

Yes. Mrs. Stoddard, I've been meaning to ask you about that.

How much do you really know about me?

I don't understand.

Well, I don't know anything about myself.

All I know is the name on the slip of paper that was pinned to a cardboard box

and the foundling home where that box was left.

It's not much of a past, is it, Mrs. Stoddard?

I suppose not.

Her name is Victoria.

I cannot take care of her.

That's what the note said.

And someone left it there, Mrs. Doddard, and someone also sent $50 every month

to help pay for my care.

I see.

Do you know who it was?

No.

All I know is that the money started coming just about 18 years ago.

Why are you telling me all this, Miss Winters?

I suppose because so much seems to have happened here.

Just 18 years ago.

That's true.

A great deal happened.

A very great deal.

You're asking a good many questions, Miss Winters.

Not really.

Everyone in town seems to know about Carolyn's father.

I suppose they do.

And they love to talk, don't they?

All of them.

Well, he left me 18 years ago, Miss Winters.

But I can assure you there's no connection between that and your... How

put it? Your monthly allowance.

Then why am I here?

I thought that was clear.

To take care of David.

I mean, why me?

I was in the foundling home in New York and I suddenly got a letter from you

offering me this job.

I've already explained that.

My brother knew someone in the home.

You were recommended.

He was told that you were very good with children.

Do you know who told him that?

Does it matter?

Yes. I'd like to send a note of thanks.

I really don't think that will be necessary.

Why? Because there is no such person?

I don't like your tone, Miss Winters, nor do I like this interrogation.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude.

But it's so important to me.

Perhaps it is.

But so is a simple matter of trust.

I am telling you I know absolutely nothing about you, Miss Winters, except

fact that someone in the Hammond foundling home recommended you highly to

brother.

Those are the facts and I'll have to ask you to accept them Now if you'll excuse

me, I have a number of other things to do

Hello,

I'd like to place a collect call to New York City the hammer unfoundling home.

Never mind.

Yelling for help?

No.

Carolyn, can you still give me that ride downtown?

The privacy of a phone booth.

No, I just want to pick up a few things. I'd like to help you, Vicki, but I'm

not going.

Oh, that call from Joe.

He wants to see Mother and me. He's coming out here in about an hour.

Well, is there any other way I can get downtown?

Well, there should be a bus going by in about a half an hour, but it's a long

walk down.

Well, thanks.

Vicki?

How'd you make out with my mother?

I don't know.

Yet.

Vicki, just a minute.

I haven't got much time. You know how to drive?

Sure.

You might as well save yourself some walking.

But watch the curbs going down the hill. They sneak up on you. I'll be careful.

Happy hunting.

Is someone just coming in?

No, Mother, it was just one of our ghosts.

Starting to rattle around a bit.

Dark Shadows has been a Dan Curtis production.