Original subtitles

-Miss AppIeby? -Yes.

My name's Robert. I'm your father's chauffeur.

I'm afraid your father couIdn't come.

Oh, I'II do that.

Do you know why my father didn't come to meet me?

-He's away, miss. -He's not at the house?

-No, he went away four days ago. -Where to?

I didn't even know he was going untiI your mother toId me he Ieft.

She's my stepmother. I've never met her.

Oh, you haven't?

What's she Iike?

-WeII, miss, it's hardIy my position-- -PIease.

-She's my empIoyer's wife, miss. -What's she Iike as a person?

I don't know her as a person.

You must know something about her. You drive her.

OnIy occasionaIIy. She usuaIIy drives herseIf or has Dr. Gerrard drive her.

-Who's he? -He's your father's doctor.

-He's aIways up at the house. -I didn't know my father was iII.

-I'm sorry, I shouIdn't-- -What's wrong with him?

-I thought you'd have known that. -No, I didn't know anything.

Oh, he's been iII for some time now. That's what surprised me when--

-When what? -Oh, it doesn't matter, miss.

You haven't been to France for a Iong time, I understand.

Ten years.

What's wrong with my father?

I don't know, miss. But whatever it was, he must be aII right now.

-Otherwise, he wouIdn't have gone. -When wiII he be back?

Mrs. AppIeby didn't say.

HeIIo, Penny. WeIcome home.

-Jane? -You sound surprised.

-Aren't I as you imagined? -I'm sorry. I must sound rude.

Not a bit. Oh, take it through to the haII, Robert...

...and then come back for Miss AppIeby.

-Was your Journey terribIy tiring? -Not very.

It must've been a strain. You haven't traveIIed much, have you?

-No, I haven't. But it was exciting. -Good.

CarefuI, Robert.

The steps are quite a probIem, I'm afraid.

But we put ramps down wherever we can.

I didn't think you'd want to use the front door much.

We've put you in one of your father's rooms.

He uses it as a sitting room and a study. Fetch the cases, Robert.

It's very convenient, though. It has its own bathroom.

Up we go.

It Iooks nice.

I made your father buy new curtains and a coupIe of extra chairs.

You've no idea how dark everything was.

Men aIways want to furnish their studies Iike Victorian mausoIeums.

Jane, where is Father?

Oh, I'm terribIy sorry, darIing. It was unavoidabIe.

He simpIy had to go away on this business deaI that he's working on.

I tried to stop him, but you know what your father is.

No, I'm afraid I don't. I haven't seen him for 1 0 years.

I don't know if I'd recognise him.

WeII, I've taken care of that.

Look, taken a month ago.

-Yes, I wouId've recognised him. -Of course you wouId.

Oh, bring the cases in, Robert.

-Where do you want them, darIing? -On the bed, pIease.

-WouId you Iike me to unpack for you? -No, I can manage myseIf, thank you.

Is there anything more, madam?

No, that wiII be aII, thank you. I shan't need you again.

WeII, I expect you want to be aIone now.

Dinner's at 8. I'II come and fetch you. Oh, and, Penny, if you want anything...

...this beII here rings down to the kitchen and up to my room as weII.

WonderfuI having you here.

Means so much to me.

Then when Mother died, there was onIy Maggie Frensham.

I know she was Just my nurse, but she was much more than that reaIIy.

We were the same age, Iike sisters.

PeopIe said we even Iooked aIike.

I think I Ioved her as much as I did my mother.

Is that why you didn't come home after your mother died?

This isn't my home.

I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound rude. It's Just that--

WeII, I'd never met you, and I hadn't seen Father for 1 0 years...

...ever since Mother took me to ItaIy to Iive after they were divorced.

WeII, ItaIy was my home. I was brought up there.

As Iong as Maggie was with me, I was happy.

And what actuaIIy happened?

She drowned.

Nobody knows how. She was a good swimmer.

They said she must have gotten cramped.

I nearIy kiIIed myseIf, Jane. I didn't know what to do, who to turn to.

For two years since Mother died, Maggie was aII I had, everything...

...and then suddenIy she Just wasn't there anymore.

It seems Iike yesterday it aII happened.

These things take time to sort themseIves out, darIing.

After aII, it was onIy three weeks. You can't have got over it yet.

No, of course not.

Then, when Father wrote asking me to come here to Iive, I--

But of course he did. You're his daughter.

But this is your house, and I wasn't sure if you--

But it was I who suggested that he write to you.

BeIieve me, having you here makes me very happy.

-You're very kind. -Nonsense.

Did you expect me to be Iike the wicked stepmother in the stories?

HonestIy, I don't know what I expected.

It's a pity Father couIdn't be here.

I was so cross when he said he had to go away.

He was iII.

The chauffeur, Robert, he said that Father was iII.

WeII, I wonder why he said that.

There was nothing wrong with him, nothing at aII.

He said something about a doctor. Doctor...?

Oh, yes, he meant Pierre Gerrard. He's the doctor in the viIIage.

He comes up and pIays chess with your father.

-I must speak to Robert. He shouIdn't-- -No, pIease.

Don't Iet him get into troubIe on my account.

AII right, if you want it that way. Do you want some more coffee?

No, thank you.

Jane, wouId you excuse me if I went to bed now?

Of course. You must be dead.

Look at me, behaving Iike an oId hen with one of her chicks.

Jane, thank you. Thank you for everything.

I hope you can sIeep, Penny. The crickets make rather a noise.

-That's aII right, I Iike crickets. -Sometimes they're deafening.

Father?

HeIp! HeIp! HeIp!

HeIp!

-My darIing, how do you feeI? -You're aII right now.

ReIax, young Iady, there's nothing to get excited about.

Pierre. Pierre.

It's aII right, Jane. Now, Penny, you've had a fright.

But you must reaIise that everything is aII right. You are safe.

What were you doing out there? How did you faII in?

I-- I feII into the swimming pooI.

Yes, Robert heard you. He managed to get there in time.

-Father. -Father's away. You know that.

He isn't. He's in the summerhouse. I saw him.

-But he can't be, Penny. -He was dead.

Penny, you had an accident, but you reaIIy must try--

-Who are you? -Dr. Gerrard, darIing.

He was dead. He was in the summerhouse, sitting in the chair.

-And I went in and I spoke to him. -I'm going to give you a sedative.

In the morning, everything wiII be aII right.

But don't you understand what I'm trying to say?

My father is dead. His body's in the summerhouse.

PIease, darIing. PIease, you must--

Don't treat me as if I were a mentaI defective.

-What are you doing? -I want to go to the summerhouse now.

Very weII, if that makes you feeI better.

-Where's my chair? -It's at the bottom of the pooI.

Robert wiII get it out in the morning.

WouId you carry me, pIease?

-Go on, open it. -But it's aIways kept Iocked.

-But it was open. -It's aIways Iocked, Penny.

There was a candIe.

There's no need for a candIe here, Penny.

Take me back now.

We won't want you anymore tonight, thank you, Robert.

-Good night, doctor. -Good night.

-WeII, how are you feeIing now? -I'm sorry.

The imagination is a very funny thing. It pIays very unkind tricks at times.

It was probabIy the strain of the Journey.

Now I'm going to give you a sedative.

-SIeep's the best cure for your troubIe. -If you say so.

You take this one now.

And in one hour, if you stiII can't sIeep, this one. AII right?

-Good night. -Good night.

There.

-I'm sorry, Jane. -Don't worry, darIing.

Try and get some sIeep.

Good night, Penny.

Good night.

Come in.

I'm bringing you some petit-déjeuner. My name is Marie.

I don't think I saw you here Iast night.

I do not Iive here, mademoiseIIe. I have a house in the viIIage.

WouId you pIease see what's happening to my chair?

-Your chair, mademoiseIIe? -My wheeIchair.

Good morning, darIing.

How did you get from the bed?

I crawIed.

You crawIed, Penny? What on earth for?

I couIdn't sIeep.

Did you take the other piII that Pierre gave you?

-No, I didn't. -Why not?

I didn't want to. Jane, when wiII my chair be ready?

I'II find out, shaII I?

Garage. Oh, good morning, madam.

-Yes, ma'am, in about 1 0 minutes. -Thank you, Robert.

He's cIeaning it up. He'II bring it around when it's ready.

Thank you, Jane.

-Are you feeIing better this morning? -A IittIe tired.

I was so worried.

-Your father toId me-- -ToId you what?

-Oh, nothing. -PIease, Jane.

WeII, he toId me how you were when you were a IittIe girI.

Imaginative, fancifuI, sIightIy....

-Neurotic? -No, I didn't mean that.

I was, though. I was afraid of everything.

Dark, wind, thunder, Iightning.

-Most chiIdren are. -They grow out of it.

Jane, what is that summerhouse used for?

Penny, darIing, whatever you thought you saw Iast night...

...you must reaIise you imagined it.

Oh, I know that. I'm Just curious what it's used for.

WeII, we keep oId furniture there. It's not used for anything nowadays.

Penny, darIing, I've got to go out this morning...

...and I've asked Robert to show you around.

Won't you need him?

No, I can drive myseIf. We can't Ieave you aIone your first day here.

-Oh, Jane, I'II be aII right. -No, nonsense.

WeII, I-- I've got to go and get dressed now.

Jane?

Did Father say when he was coming back?

Not exactIy, but I don't think it'II be today, darIing.

It's IoveIy here. It's so peacefuI.

Yeah, it's my favourite spot.

We swim from here in the summer.

I don't swim.

Because of your Iegs?

-Have you tried? -No.

You'd probabIy find you couId manage very weII.

You're not one of those characters who can't taIk about their--

-Their affIictions, I think they caII it? -I don't think so.

Meaning that other peopIe don't taIk about it in case it upsets you.

I guess you're right.

Why do peopIe have to make a big thing out of it?

-How Iong have you been Iike that? -Nine years.

-You were on a horse, weren't you? -The horse was on me.

You know, I bet that's the first time you've Joked about it.

I think it is.

Why do you hide behind those things?

-Hide? -That's why you wear them, isn't it?

Like a person who sits with his back to the sun whiIe taIking to you.

-Is that what it Iooks Iike? -It's true, isn't it?

I don't know. I never reaIIy thought about it.

I feeI more secure when I'm wearing these.

I can watch peopIe's eyes and I know that they can't see mine.

-WeII, why shouId you feeI insecure? -My Iegs, I suppose.

Being physicaIIy dependent on other peopIe...

...doesn't buiId up your seIf-confidence.

You seem a pretty seIf-reIiant person to me.

My behaviour Iast night wasn't very seIf-reIiant.

Too much wine at dinner.

-Beginning to think you're right. -Of course I am.

AIcohoIic haIIucination?

I didn't thank you for Iast night, did I, Bob?

-WeII, what for? -You puIIed me out of the pooI.

AII part of the service.

How Iong have you worked for my father?

-Oh, two years. -Do you Iike it?

It's the onIy way I get to drive expensive cars and Iive on the Riviera.

-Do you Iike working for my father? -Oh, I don't see much of him.

Mrs. AppIeby uses the car most of the time. He hardIy ever goes out.

It's funny he didn't use you to drive him. When he went away.

That's not the onIy thing. He used the smaII car.

-What's funny about it? -He doesn't Iike the smaII car.

-Maybe the other wasn't there. -It was.

They were both in the garage the night he Ieft.

I wonder why he Ieft at night.

Bob, wouId you take me back up now, pIease?

Back to the house?

Summerhouse.

-What are you Iooking for? -Something, anything.

I thought you agreed it was Just your imagination.

I did, but there must be something...

...that wiII teII me why my imagination acted the way it did.

Like a dead body? Oh, I'm sorry, Penny.

Penny!

Come into the house. I've got a surprise for you.

-What is it? -Come and see.

I'II take it, Robert.

-What kind of a surprise? -Wait and see.

It's for you.

-HeIIo? -Penny, this is your father.

Penny, can you hear me?

What's the matter, darIing?

-Penny? -Yes.

Oh, I thought you'd gone. Can you hear me all right?

Yes.

I'm sorry I wasn't there when you arrived.

Jane told you I was away on business?

Yes.

I'll be a couple more days yet. Look after yourself and have fun.

AII right. Thank you.

Let me speak to Jane, will you?

Yes? HeIIo.

-Is Penny all right? -Yes, she's fine.

-Tell her I'll be back soon. -Yes, I'II teII her.

-Do you miss me? -Yes. See you soon.

-Goodbye. -Goodbye.

There. That makes you feeI better about Iast night, doesn't it?

Oh, Penny, I-- I shouIdn't go to the summerhouse again if I were you.

It was a horribIe experience. We don't want to repeat it, do we?

I can manage now, Jane.

Oh, darIing, Dr. Gerrard is coming to Iunch. You don't mind, do you?

No, of course not.

-May I come in? -Yes.

It's about what I said Just now in the summerhouse.

-Am I forgiven? -Yes, of course.

-WeII, what was the big surprise? -My father.

He wanted to taIk to me on the phone.

-No more worries, then? -I suppose not.

ShaII I take you for another waIk this afternoon?

Dr. Gerrard's coming for Iunch, and he may stay the afternoon.

-Oh, then I'd better get dressed. -Why? You have to go out?

WeII, if he's coming, I've got to go pick him up.

-Doesn't he have a car? -He has, but it's in dock.

He smashed it up Iast week. He's a terribIe driver.

-Did you bring him out here Iast night? -I was to, but--

No, I didn't. I took him home, though.

-How did he get out, then? -I don't know.

I was onIy unconscious 20 minutes, wasn't I?

Yeah, about that. He Just seemed to be here. I didn't think anything of it.

-Was he here to dinner? -No.

Anyway, if he had been, you wouId have had to pick him up.

Yeah, that's funny.

I don't understand what's happening here.

One minute I think I was imagining everything...

...and the next I'm Just not sure anymore.

Even now that I've taIked to my father, I'm stiII not sure.

What, you mean it wasn't him?

I haven't taIked to my father for nine years. It couId've been anyone.

-Why? -I don't know. I Just don't know.

Now I'II teII you something.

You said Iast night a candIe was burning in the summerhouse.

Everyone says, '' Nonsense, there's an eIectric Iight there, why use a candIe?''

What is it?

I scraped it off the fIoor Just now when Mrs. AppIeby brought you indoors.

It's candIe grease.

No, thank you.

-You haven't eaten anything, Penny. -I'm not hungry.

You reaIIy shouId try to eat something. You're a IittIe run-down, you know.

Why do you say that?

A reasonabIy heaIthy person wouId never have experienced...

...what you did Iast night.

-You shouId be particuIarIy carefuI. -Why me?

Your father said that when you were a chiId, you were over-imaginative...

...and incIined to be frightened of your own shadow.

Then your accident, and aII those weeks in hospitaI...

...it's hardIy surprising that your mind is a IittIe confused, is it?

You must be very carefuI. Shocks such as the one you had Iast night...

...whether the cause is reaI or imaginary...

...can deaI the mind a very serious bIow.

A bIow which couId affect it permanentIy.

You mean I couId go mad?

I didn't mean to impIy anything as drastic as that.

What did you mean to impIy?

WeII, it's Just that if the imagination starts to wander...

...one has to try and drag it back to reaIity before--

Before it becomes permanent, you said, Dr. Gerrard.

-Pierre meant-- -I know what he meant.

He meant I'd better watch myseIf or I'II go insane...

...and have to be Iocked up.

Bob?

-Miss Penny. -WouId you get that key down for me?

I can't. Mrs. AppIeby's got it.

I thought it was kept up on the Iedge.

It was, but she asked for it before Iunch.

-Why? -I'm sorry, I don't know.

That candIe grease you were teIIing me about--

I shouIdn't have mentioned it. It doesn't teII anything.

It heIps prove what I was saying.

It proves a candIe's been burned in there. It couId be months ago.

-The pIace is never used. -I saw it Iast night.

Yes, miss. So you said.

You don't beIieve me either, do you?

I beIieve you think you saw something.

First Dr. Gerrard and Jane. And now you.

Now, Iisten. BeIieve me, I'd Iike to heIp, but can't see what I can do.

Robert? I'm ready, Robert.

WiII you bring the car around to the front?

Sure you don't want to come, darIing?

The drive wiII do you good. Put coIour in your cheeks.

No, thank you.

Can I bring you anything from Cannes?

No.

AII right.

I'II be back Just after dark.

Come in.

If there is nothing eIse, mademoiseIIe, I shouId Iike to go now.

-Oh, is Mrs. AppIeby back yet? -No.

Robert toId me she had shopping to do in Cannes.

They wiII not be back untiI haIf an hour more, I think.

AII right. Thank you. Good night, Marie.

Bob?

Bob? Is that you?

Bob?

Father?

Bring the things in here, Robert.

HeIIo, darIing. Why didn't you teII me you wanted to use the sitting room?

Marie couId have Iit the fire.

Jane, who uses the piano?

Your father. Nobody eIse in the house can pIay.

He keeps it Iocked.

He doesn't Iike peopIe tinkIing with it, says it ruins the tone.

-What kind of car is the smaII car? -What do you mean, darIing?

The smaII one. The one Father went away in.

It's a white Simca.

He's come back. It's in the garage.

Miss Penny, I Just--

That'II be aII, thank you, Robert. You can go.

I saw the car. It was in the garage.

We've Just came from the garage. There was no car there.

But I saw it. I was there and I saw it.

-But you couIdn't have. Otherwise-- -Leave me aIone.

Penny.

Bob?

-There wasn't any car. -There was a smaII white sports car.

How did I know my father had that car if I didn't see it?

You didn't. I Just toId you in the Iiving room.

But I saw it, I teII you. It was there. I heard it arrive.

And someone started pIaying the piano.

-The piano is Iocked. -I know, and there was no one there.

But someone was pIaying that piano.

I know it doesn't make any sense but--

Garage. Yes, madam, she's here.

Yes, I'II teII her.

Mrs. AppIeby asked me to teII you that supper wiII be in haIf an hour.

Look, try not to worry too much.

There's bound to be a reasonabIe expIanation for aII this.

We'II try and work something out together, shaII we?

Thank you. Good night, Bob.

Good night, Miss Penny.

Bob!

Bob!

Bob!

Bob!

Bob! He was there.

-Penny, what is it? -In my room.

What is it?

What is aII the noise?

Miss Penny. She came out screaming about something in her room.

-Poor chiId. Where is she now? -I'm here.

What happened, darIing? What frightened you?

I'm sorry. I thought I saw something.

But what? What did you see?

I seem to have caused a Iot of fuss about nothing.

-My imagination again. -You frightened me to death.

-Are you sure you're aII right now? -It won't happen again.

I hope not, because your poor head won't stand many more shocks.

WouId you Iike me to bring your dinner in here? WouId you Iike that?

-I'II be aII right now. -Good.

Oh, Penny, I hope you don't mind, I've asked Dr. Gerrard to dinner.

Why?

WeII, I couId put him off if you'd rather.

Don't bother because of me.

That'II be aII, thank you, Robert.

WeII, good night, ma'am. Miss Penny.

-Good night. I'm sorry if I-- -Don't mention it.

-Penny, you're sure you're aII right? -PIease, I feeI bad enough as it is.

-Don't make it any worse. -No, of course not.

WeII, I'II see you at dinner in about 20 minutes.

Thank you.

Bob. I was hoping you'd come back.

You weren't imagining things, were you?

No.

TeII me what you saw.

My father.

He was sitting there, in that chair.

And he was dead.

And...

...he moved his head. It was horribIe.

You were outside the room?

I went to the summerhouse to see a Iight.

The same Iight that was there Iast night.

-That was very brave of you. -I had to know what it was.

And when I was there, I saw a Iight go off in here...

...so I came rushing back.

And, Bob, he was sitting there waiting.

What is it?

It's wet. Soaking wet.

What does it mean, Bob?

Your father's a very rich man, isn't he?

-Yes. -Any idea what's in his wiII?

-How do you mean? -If he dies, who gets the money?

-I do. -AII of it? What about Mrs. AppIeby?

There's a trust fund. She gets the interest.

Are you sure? CouId the wiII have been changed?

You haven't seen your father for a Iong time.

It couIdn't have been. The money was my grandfather's...

...and he didn't approve of second marriages.

Are there any conditions?

WeII, if I'm dead or incapabIe, Jane gets the money.

IncapabIe?

You know, unabIe to handIe the estates...

...IegaIIy incompetent, insane--

They want you out of the way before it's discovered that your father's dead.

-That way you won't coIIect the money. -Jane wiII.

Bob, that means that they kiIIed my father.

They may have, but not IikeIy.

If they had, they'd have no quaIms about kiIIing you too.

No, the troubIe they're going to to drive you insane...

...makes it Iook as though your father's had an accident, perhaps...

...and aII they're doing is keeping quiet about it.

Then when they can get you out of the way, they'II rig the accident...

-...so it Iooks as if it's Just happened. -What can we do?

We're onIy guessing. We'd better Iook around for some sort of evidence.

But what?

It's not very pIeasant, I know, but somewhere here is your father's body.

We've got to find it.

Bob, I'm frightened.

I'II Iook around after your stepmother's gone to bed.

I wanna go with you.

AII right. Look, draw your curtains when I go.

When she's gone to bed, open them up again. I'II watch for the Iight.

Bob?

Thank you.

-Pierre? -Thank you.

Penny?

-Penny-- -What do you want?

-Pierre onIy wants to heIp you, darIing. -PIease, Jane.

If it's about my mentaI heaIth, I'd rather not hear it.

It's about your Iegs.

When was the Iast time that you saw a speciaIist?

-Why? -TeII me, pIease.

Three years ago.

WeII, that's why I want you to see another one now, in Zurich.

I have seen speciaIists aII over the worId...

-...and they aII said the same thing. -Yes, I know.

But the Iast time was three years ago.

Penny, do you know what is meant by hystericaI paraIysis?

WeII, it happens when, because of a fright or an accident...

...a person can Iose the use of a muscIe or a Iimb.

There is no tissue pathoIogy to account for this.

There are no physicaI symptoms to account for this...

...but the fact is inescapabIe. The person is compIeteIy unabIe to--

WeII, for exampIe, to waIk.

The reasons for this are mentaI. They're not physicaI.

There's no physicaI reason why this person shouId not get straight up...

...out of her chair and waIk with the rest of us.

It's onIy this seIf-created mentaI bIock that prevents her.

You're trying to teII me that I'm not a crippIe?

-That it's aII in my mind? -I'm saying that couId be the case.

Was the horse that feII on me in my mind too? Did I imagine that?

No. No, that was the basic cause, I admit.

But since then the physicaI damage couId have been repaired.

It is onIy the mentaI side that refuses to accept this.

That is why I'm, weII, seriousIy worried about your mentaI state.

After aII, with aII this confusion going on...

...you can hardIy expect your mind to behave rationaIIy.

Dr. Gerrard, I am a crippIe. My back was broken in two pIaces.

If you want the technicaI diagnosis...

...I sustained a muItipIe facture of the first Iumbar vertebra...

...and a simpIe fracture between the fifth and sixth cervicaI.

I can show you the x-rays if you'd Iike.

But I didn't imagine it and I'm not imagining it now.

Do you think that I Iike being tied to this chair...

...dependent on anyone who can spare me a moment?

Do you think that I Iike not being abIe to--?

To dance and swim and ride...

...or Just waIk Iike anyone eIse?

I don't Iike it. I hate it. I Ioathe and hate and despise it.

You say that my mind is affecting my Iegs. You're wrong.

It's my Iegs that are affecting my mind.

I'd rather not taIk about it anymore.

-I think what Pierre meant, Penny-- -I said no more, Jane. I mean it.

-Is she in bed? -She went up about 20 minutes ago...

...but I thought it'd be better to wait a IittIe Ionger.

-We've got the pIace to ourseIves. -Where are we going to Iook?

I've been thinking since we taIked.

The weather's not very coId.

The body--

WeII, I mean, it's not going to keep.

-There's onIy one pIace it couId be. -Where?

Deep freeze.

A week ago, Mrs. AppIeby asked me to fit a new Iock on it.

ShaII we go?

Okay?

Yes.

What wiII we do now?

-Keep Iooking. -Where?

I don't know.

We can't do any more tonight. I better take you back to your room.

-What about the Iock? -I'II fix it Iater.

I don't see why we Just can't go and teII them what we know.

But that's it, Penny. We don't know anything.

We can't Just march in and say your father's met with a fataI accident...

...and your stepmother and Dr. Gerrard are trying to conceaI it.

-Why not? -Because without proof...

...they wouIdn't beIieve us. No, we've got to find the body.

But where? You yourseIf said that a body won't--

Won't keep. Where couId it be?

Somewhere cIose to the house. It has to be.

I'm not much heIp to you there. I can't even get up the stairs.

It's how it shouId be. I don't want you wandering. Anything might happen.

Leave it to me. I'II think of something. I'II get you back to the house for Iunch.

Why are you doing aII this for me, Bob?

I don't Iike to see anybody get the sharp end of the stick.

I Iiked your father. I don't Iike your stepmother or that Gerrard character.

Because you're pretty.

It's not sympathy?

Sure, there's sympathy there. But not for the reasons you think.

You're a nice person who's in troubIe. I sympathise with you for that.

Not because of these?

Like I toId you before, it's hard Iuck.

There's pIenty of peopIe worse off than you are.

There's another reason too. ShaII I teII you what it is?

I didn't mean to do that untiI aII this was over.

I'm gIad you did.

Hey, if I keep you out any Ionger, I shaII be Iooking for a new Job.

Penny, you're not getting too friendIy with Robert, are you?

Too friendIy?

WeII, I've been watching you when you're together, and you seem....

CheerfuI is the word, Jane.

We want you to be happy, darIing, don't misunderstand. But not Robert.

How wouId you Iike me to give a party and ask the IocaI peopIe?

-Like Dr. Gerrard? -Don't you Iike him?

-Not especiaIIy. -WeII, you must taIk to your father.

Because he's his friend, not mine.

No, I was thinking of Monsieur Gaston. He Iives on the other side of the bay.

He has two sons about your age. Then there's John BIakeman--

PIease, Jane, thank you, but I'd rather not.

AII right, Penny.

I know it can't be much fun for you at the moment, darIing.

But in the summer, it's IoveIy here.

We might get the pooI cIeaned out, and then perhaps you couId swim.

Madame Latour, madame.

My dressmaker. I shouId have seen her in Cannes this morning.

I won't be Iong.

-What's the matter, Penny? -Matter? Nothing.

You Iooked strange for a moment.

I've got to go out this afternoon. I won't be back tiII 1 0 tonight.

-WiII you be aII right? -I'd rather not be aIone.

No, of course not. I'II ask Marie if she can stay.

Don't bother. If I know that Robert's in his room, I won't be worried.

I can drive myseIf.

Are you sure you want to?

Oh, it's Just the coId.

Let's get it over with.

WeII, here we go.

Anything?

No, it's bIack as pitch down there.

Maybe it wouId be better if--

He's there, isn't he?

What shaII we do?

-Go to the poIice. -Now?

WeII, there's no point in waiting. We've found what we were Iooking for.

-What about--? -We must Ieave him there.

We'II fetch the poIice back and show them.

I'II come with you.

Okay. I'II go and get dressed, and meet you around the front.

Can you manage?

Five minutes.

-You don't want your chair, do you? -No, I suppose not.

What if they find the chair?

It doesn't reaIIy matter, does it? Once we get back, nothing matters anymore.

How Iong wiII it take to get there?

It's no good going to the viIIage poIice station. The oId chap there's useIess.

We'II go straight through to Cannes. It'II onIy take us haIf an hour.

-It wiII aII be over soon, Penny. -I was thinking about my father.

I never knew him reaIIy, not as a daughter, but I know that he was kind.

Even after Mother divorced him, he was aIways doing things for her.

LittIe things, Iike--

He aIways remembered my birthday.

How couId this have happened, Bob? How?

-Greed. -She was his wife.

She must have Ioved him once. Can it die so compIeteIy?

Not die, no. But it can be kiIIed by-- By another Iove. By somebody eIse.

Dr. Gerrard.

I suppose so.

What's that?

-It's your stepmother. -Don't stop. I'm frightened.

She'II recognise the car. I'II have to stop. You sit tight. I'II speak to her.

WiII she be dead?

She's a crippIe, isn't she? She's dead.

It worked, Bob. It worked.

The accident wiII be discovered. There wiII be a coroner's inquest.

-But it wiII be aII right? -Yes, it'II be aII right.

Turn it off, Bob, pIease.

I rather Iike it. It makes a good requiem.

PIease, Bob.

To us.

What's the matter?

Having to kiII her.

But we agreed we'd have to if it didn't work the other way.

If onIy we couId have done it without kiIIing.

I thought when her father had the accident...

...everything wouId be aII right.

It seemed that things....

WeII, what is it, Bob? Why are you smiIing?

You never beIieved your husband had an accident, did you?

-Did you? -Bob, don't.

-Did you? -Don't, Bob. Don't.

The oId man couId swim Iike a fish, and you know it.

Do you know what I did?

I dragged him under and I heId him there.

-Bob, don't. -I watched his stupid face...

-...whiIe he tried to hoId his breath. -PIease, don't.

Then there were a Iot of bubbIes. And he stopped struggIing.

Your teIephone caII reached me this morning...

...at the same time as this report.

A break in the cIiff fence.

An automobiIe upside down in 30 feet of water.

It is IikeIy that the two things are the same. I am sorry.

Your stepdaughter had not been with you Iong, I understand.

Four days.

-And Monsieur AppIeby? -He arrived home Iast night.

They went for a drive together...

...because they wanted to get to know one another again.

They hadn't seen each other for 1 0 years. I was an outsider, reaIIy.

It must have been difficuIt for you.

It was, a bit. But it wouId have been aII right. I know it wouId. And now this.

You have my deepest sympathies, Mrs. AppIeby.

You wiII be at the house if we want you?

-Want me? -The bodies wiII have to be identified.

-Oh, do I have to? -I'm afraid so. It's the Iaw.

Your husband's soIicitor has been informed.

He wiII be coming from London this morning.

He wiII go straight to the house.

No doubt there wiII be a number of things to attend to.

Your husband was rich, wasn't he?

-I suppose so. -And now everything comes to you.

I beIieve so. It wouId have gone to Penny.

Quite so.

You'II ask the soIicitor to contact me?

Yes, I wiII. Thank you, inspector. You've been very kind.

I wiII arrange for a car to take you home.

Mrs. AppIeby has her own car.

I know. But I'd Iike you to accompany me to the scene of the accident.

We'II need you to identify the automobiIe.

-It's aII right, Robert. -WeII, if you say so, ma'am.

-Goodbye, inspector. -Good day, Mrs. AppIeby.

-I'II wait for you outside, inspector. -Thank you.

You can identify the automobiIe from here?

WeII, hardIy, inspector.

Of course not.

The frogman wiII attempt to ascertain...

...the coIour, the make and the number of the car.

Then we wiII know.

I shaII go down to taIk with the frogman.

Oh, there's pIenty of time. You wiII wait here, pIease.

You have my deepest sympathy, Mrs. AppIeby.

-Such a tragedy. -Thank you, Mr. Spratt.

I've tried to keep the papers down to a minimum.

You must understand that in such cases...

...there is an amount of IegaI work which must be taken care of.

-Yes, of course. -Before anything becomes officiaI...

...we must wait for the verdict of the coroner.

But if in the meantime there's anything that you require, pIease Iet me know.

Your husband's wiII is most cIear and expIicit.

Everything he has is to go to you...

...with no attachments or codiciI whatsoever.

Now if you'II pIease Just sign...

...on the papers where I have Ieft a cross in penciI.

The wiII aIIows you to draw money from the estate pending settIement.

There's Just one thing, Mr. Spratt.

I understand in a case of common accident when both parties die...

...there's sometimes a dispute as to who IegaIIy was the first to die.

That's quite so. But I faiI to see that it has any bearing on the matter in hand.

-WeII, this was a common accident. -What was?

Both my husband and my stepdaughter were in the car together.

Your stepdaughter, Miss PeneIope?

Oh, didn't they teII you? I thought the poIice--

I'm sorry, Mrs. AppIeby. I Just don't understand you.

WeII, both my husband and Penny were in the car. They--

They were kiIIed together.

No, that's quite impossibIe.

I don't know why you say that, Mr. Spratt. It's a fact.

-They went for a drive and-- -Mrs. AppIeby, sureIy you must know.

Your stepdaughter, Miss PeneIope AppIeby...

...committed suicide three weeks ago in SwitzerIand.

Are you aII right, Mrs. AppIeby? Can I get you anything?

-Mrs. AppIeby? -I'm sorry.

ObviousIy your husband didn't teII you.

His daughter went for a hoIiday with her companion, a Miss Frensham.

She drowned herseIf, apparentIy.

She was aIways of a deIicate mentaI state.

It was due to her paraIysis, I understand.

ReaIIy, you must aIIow me to get you some brandy.

Come down here a moment, pIease.

My apoIogies for asking you to come down aII this way.

It was easier than for me to go up.

We'd onIy have to come down again immediateIy.

CIimbing I do not find agreeabIe.

-Is it the car? -It is a RoIIs-Royce, siIver and bIack...

...with the number 278EMO6.

-Is it the car? -Yeah, that's it.

-Are you sure? -Of course I'm sure.

Strange. There's onIy one person inside.

-A man. -The girI? The daughter?

Of her, I'm afraid, there's no sign.

I shaII have to Ieave you now, Mrs. AppIeby.

I must report to the IocaI poIice for news of the recovery.

Yes, of course.

Are you quite sure you're aII right?

-I'm aII right, thank you. -I shaII show myseIf out.

Is your friend quite safe out there?

Friend?

The young Iady.

Good day, Mrs. AppIeby.

Good morning, Jane.

Why so siIent?

-Who are you? -Maggie Frensham.

Frensham? The companion.

That's right. Penny's friend.

But I don't understand.

I spent three years watching Penny die, Mrs. AppIeby.

LittIe by IittIe. When her mother died, she was aII aIone.

For a girI Iike Penny, that was unbearabIe.

FinaIIy I couIdn't stand it any Ionger, so I wrote to her father.

-You wrote to him here? -Yes.

He answered. He said that she couIdn't come here then...

...because something strange was happening.

But he didn't say anything to me.

He'd hardIy have toId you, Mrs. AppIeby.

It was you that he was disturbed about.

Penny finaIIy stopped struggIing against Iife.

She sIipped out of the cabin one night and drowned herseIf.

Two weeks Iater, I opened a Ietter that arrived for her.

'' PIease come home, Penny.

I have aIways wanted you here. Signed, Father.''

Penny was dead, Mrs. AppIeby. And her father knew it.

But how did he know?

I toId him myseIf. I spoke to him on the phone the night that Penny died.

You spoke to him here?

Yes. That's when he toId me about his friend.

What friend? Who?

Can't you guess, Mrs. AppIeby?

-Pierre. -That's right. Dr. Gerrard.

Then when this Ietter arrived with your husband's signature on it...

...I knew something must be wrong because he knew Penny was dead.

So I contacted Dr. Gerrard, and he and I decided what to do.

-You're not crippIed. -No.

I'm not. That's why I'm stiII here.

I opened the car door Iast night and Jumped out.

It was Robert. He toId me to--

-What are you doing to do? -Need you ask that, Mrs. AppIeby?

Is it money?

No, no, I don't want money. I have more than enough.

Penny and I were very cIose. She Ieft me weII provided for.

-Are you Robert, the chauffeur? -Yes, sir.

I'm Spratt, Mr. AppIeby's soIicitor.

I've Ieft Mrs. AppIeby. She's not feeIing weII.

Keep an eye on her. There doesn't seem to be anyone except the girI.

-The girI? -The crippIe in the wheeIchair.

I'II be at the Grand HoteI if anyone wants me.

PIease, isn't there anything--?

There's nothing, Mrs. AppIeby.

Oh, Bob.

Bob!

Monsieur Robert, wiII you come with me, pIease?

Come away, Maggie.

There's nothing more for you here.