All language subtitles for Cranford S02E01 Xmas Special (2009) [HDTV.XviD-BiA] UK-English

Now,

is there anyone under the bed?

I am very much afraid
we may have burglars.

We must ascertain that we are safe!

12 noon! We must make
haste and change our caps!

Calling hours have commenced.

Now come along, Tilly, we must
bid farewell to Dr. Morgan.

Miss Matty, you don't
have to take her with you!

My dear, she will be
fractious within the hour

and you are occupied enough.

Say goodbye to your Mama.

Mama, mama, mama.

- Look! Mrs. Forrester and Bessie.
- Miss Matty.

Good day to you.

- Good day!
- Good day.

To you too.

Afternoon, Miss Matty.

Reverend.

I spy Mrs. Jamieson!

You can show her your new pinafore!

Why must you play nursemaid
to your servant's child?

By the time that girl is grown,

she will not know if her place is
in the kitchen or in the parlour!

At present, Tilly's place is
with the person least employed.

Dear Martha and I are busy turn by turn.

You are scarcely occupied at all,
now you have closed your tea shop.

You have done Cranford an abominable disfavour.
Johnson's prices are already on the rise!

Align it further back!

- Good afternoon, Miss Matty!
- Mr. Johnson.

Hey.

Miss Matty!

Miss Matty! Miss Matty!

Halt the baby-cart
and proceed no further!

But I am on my way
to Dr. Morgan's house!

To bid farewell to him and his wife...

I find myself charged with
vile and pressing news.

The navvies were at
the George last night.

The navvies came into town?

There was an altercation,
regarding the price of ale.

I am very much afraid we
must speak with Captain Brown.

This is Cranford!

Are the culprits still at large?

No! They have gone skulking
back to the railway works,

whilst leaving a great pool of...

... effluvia.

Hard by the taproom door!

You must not wheel the child near there.

We must forewarn Miss Tomkinson!

She appears charged with the twins.

Butcher's offspring are all
the same, Miss Tomkinson!

They are fed on too much kidney,
it makes their black bile rise.

I am not their parent!

They are my sister's stepchildren and

I must feed them as directed.

Does dear Caroline
continue in good health?

Her silhouette is advancing rapidly.

I felt obliged to write
to Dr. Harrison, at Bury.

He advised rest and a
bandage...on the abdomen.

Captain Brown!

Apprentice is almost
done fixing the sign.

And I don't doubt he's made
a splendid job of it, Jem.

I can wait, sir. Bill you all of a
piece, when we've built the luggage shed.

Take it now, it's best
that we are straight.

The company has cancelled plans
for supernumerary buildings.

It's not likely that
they'll be required,

now that the line must end
a full five miles from town.

You encouraged me to be hopeful!

I've taken on another
lad, bought a bigger wagon.

The railway company has done its utmost.

But Lady Ludlow insists that
she will keep her land intact.

You said you could skirt
around her boundaries!

Forge another route to Cranford all together.

We had hopes of a bridge,
crossing Missenden Moss.

But we have today had word
from our surveying engineer.

Brunel himself could not
bridge such a tranche of swamp.

Peter dear, I hope you will write
to me, when you are safely arrived.

Miss Pole has heard unsavoury
reports of Liverpool!

Especially the docks, where
you must go to greet the ship.

Fear not, little Matty.

No blackguard shall steal my purse,
nor, sister, shall I be press-ganged.

I have a pistol in my carpet bag, wrapped
in the nightcap you supplied in case of cold.

It relieves me that you are prepared.

And it will be novel to see
your Indian goods brought home.

The tiger-skin rug will look
quite splendid in the parlour.

I shall pose it as though
poised to nip our toes.

I do agree it was wise to close my shop.

We now require the income
less than we need the space.

It was a jolly enterprise,
while it had its day.

And the fact you made a profit
takes my fancy very much.

I have put away every penny.

I should not like to see it squandered.

And I thought you'd purchase a pink
bonnet and run off to Droitwich Spa.

Do not linger long in Liverpool.

It sounds a dreadful place.

I feel the burden of his
loss so very much on Sundays.

For after I weep here, I
must rise and go into church,

and worship the God who has
arranged our fortunes so!

Mother. People are looking at us.

Let us lay down our
tribute to your father.

The man has been buried 14 months!

Why is she not wearing mauve?

Mr. Johnson's bombazines
are very keenly priced.

Perhaps she does not care
to be thought... brisk.

There is nothing brisk in
demonstrating fortitude.

- We are many of us widowed! It is
- Peggy I feel so very sorry for.

She is of an age to be in company

and yet we see her only at church.

I fear she has no friends.

# And like an ever rolling stream

# Bears all its sons away

# They fly forgotten as a dream

# Dies at the opening day

# Oh, God, our help in ages past

# Our hope for years to come

# Be thou our guard while troubles last

# And our eternal home. #

It was but two yards
distant from the altar!

And the altar cloth!

Which was worked in crewel
stitch by Miss Matty's mother!

- Well...
- Ammoniac stains are utterly intractable.

An apothecary would
have had to be consulted.

I am so sorry to interrupt
you, ladies! And sir.

Master William Buxton!

No I think we should not
call him "Master" now,

he is so much broader
than when we saw him last!

My dog escaped the
house almost an hour ago,

and I have been searching
for him ever since.

I cannot vouch for his whereabouts now.

I can, however, reveal
where he has been!

Miss Matty, look who
has come back to us!

- William, my dear!
- Miss Matty!

We had so hoped to see
you return to Cranford!

We did hear tidings of your dear
mother, and were sincerely grieved.

Father has been longing for our home, and
I came ahead of him to open up the house.

Napoleon!

- Stay! Napoleon!
- How can it be

expected to behave, with such a name!

Napoleon! You are out of order!

Bad dog!

Stay!

Bad dog! Bad dog!

- I'm so sorry.
- It doesn't matter.

The vase is still intact.

But the flowers are spoiled!

He is a dog. It was not deliberate.

Peggy should have refused the
Rector's offer of fresh blooms.

Lord knows we have little, but
our garden is replete with roses.

It was a friendly act,
Mother, not a charitable one.

I am glad we agreed to it.

I had no intention
of dragging my carcass

all the way home and then going
back again just to fill that vase.

Besides, I must finish
a book-keeping exercise,

and I need a cup of tea.

I shall be in my room.

The water in the pail had a
brackish taste this morning.

You might go to the
spring, and draw some fresh.

My dear Miss Matty!

I could not be more
delighted by your presence.

Unless that is, you had
called upon us sooner.

Do you not recollect
our custom, Mr. Buxton?

In Cranford, we do not make
calls until the third day!

William!

William!

Miss Matty! I did not know
we were expecting guests!

Put that animal outside, where
I ordered it to be restrained.

Now get upstairs and
attend to your linen!

Sir. Miss Matty.

Come along.

You must forgive me.

Since my wife passed away, I
find myself quite short of temper.

Mrs. Buxton is much missed, I'm certain.

And William, too, is
doubtless shaken by her loss.

You comprehend the
cross I bear, I think.

How long is it since
Miss Deborah left us?

It is two years...and several days.

You must come into the drawing
room, I shall arrange for some tea.

Tea? I should adore a cup of tea.

Erminia, it is past noon.

I thought it was later.

I shall go into the morning room.

Then it will not matter
that my hair's not dressed.

You recollect Erminia Whyte?

My wife was her godmother.
She loved her very well.

She was always a very attractive child.

She became my ward after
her parents passed away.

She has been at school in Brussels.

Being turned into a lady.

I do believe that is a waltz.

Have you heard of waltzing?

It is not a form of dance we
have experienced in Cranford.

We had hoped the seaside air
might restore my wife to health.

But it could not do so.

Afterwards, William thumbed his nose at Plato,
and abandoned Cambridge without matriculation.

Now says he will be
an engineer or nothing.

An engineer?

I will not allow it.

The railway has not
proved to be of worth.

It has made no mark on
our town, Mr. Buxton.

Good.

Perhaps William might care to
assist you at the salt mine.

He has never shown the slightest
interest in the salt mine.

And I cannot berate him for
it, for it's never attracted me!

I have decided William
shall go into politics.

- Politics!
- He will have to forge new connections.

He and Erminia are excellent
companions, but well,

we are all inclined to mope, and
they lack society in Cranford.

Each already speaks of
leaving, seeking pastures new.

Would you permit me to suggest a remedy?

But we do not know the Buxtons.

They were away when we arrived.

Are they respectable people?

There are none more so in all Cranford!

Mr. Buxton grew up expecting
to plough his own fields,

and there is no disgrace
in simple honest toil.

But a seam of salt was found upon
his acreage, and by the age of 30

he had bought The Glebe and
married a silversmith's daughter.

Dear Mrs. Buxton was so very charming.

A most vivacious hostess
and a fine mother to her son.

We are acquainted with the son.

We met him at the churchyard.

William Buxton was schooled at Eton.

They drill their dogs differently there!

Mrs. Bell, you must not
fear a raucous entertainment.

Mr. Buxton has lived very
quietly since he lost his wife,

and the luncheon will
be a restrained affair.

I have never heard of anybody
asking guests for luncheon.

What is luncheon?

Peggy, we will have less interjection
and more replenishing of cups.

Luncheon is cooked repast
in the middle of the day.

Any way, mother,

if Mr. Buxton owns that saltworks,
Lord knows how much he's worth,

and if he wants to entertain us, I don't
intend to throw his kindness in his face.

I wonder how we must attire ourselves?

Ought I to retrieve my
lace out of its tissue?

I have a very neat piece of
needlepoint. It was made by hand.

But I do not care to
expose it to the light.

I was relieved to be excused
an invitation to the Buxtons.

The harvest has been
abundant. It is a relief to me.

There were frosts in April,
and it was feared the buds...

might be spoiled.

- My lady, Sir Charles.
- Thank you.

The flavour is extremely fine.

I think we had this
variety in my own orchards.

Before they were razed to
make way for the railway.

I think, my lady, we should send for your carriage.
You have stood a sufficient length of time.

Please see that a crateful
is delivered to the almshouse.

My lady.

On the 21st of the
month, Signor Brunoni,

Grand Magician of Arabia and
Wizard to the King of Delhi!

I have always wished
to see a magic show.

There is no such thing as magic,
just slipknots and a looking glass.

But they will gnash their
teeth at this in Missenden!

They who have had the acrobats,
and the Prodigious Bull!

Do you suppose he will
be of dusky aspect?

He is depicted in a turban.

Perhaps we should seek to
attire ourselves likewise?

It is a recital, not a costume party!

We should still make an
effort with our toilette.

It is a compliment, that one who
has played before the Lama of Tibet

cares to appear on a platform
in the courtyard of the George.

The Lama of Tibet!

What a creature that must be.

I took the liberty of ordering
young sir's tails from London.

He must not start school with the
aura of the provinces about him.

There is a new cut in vogue, with the lapel
pared back to show the waistcoat to advantage.

We have a wide selection of the latter,
including worsted, paisley and brocade.

It's Mr. Carter's money.

I keep thinking "What
would Mr. Carter do?"

Mr. Carter was your benefactor.

He would say that you
should have the best!

Forgive me, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, but
I knew the gentleman of whom you speak,

and I can assure you he would
not sanction paisley or brocade.

We will fare quite well enough with
two, plain-cut, and in the twill.

My guests may be shown in.

My lady.

Well, Master Gregson.

The time has come for
you to commence at school.

I hope there are tucks
in those fine new clothes,

so they may be adjusted as you grow!

Miss Galindo saw to that.

And how have you fared, in
your study of the Classics?

Has the Rector prepared you well?

Quod si deficiant vires,
audacia certe, laus erit.

Even if strength fails, boldness
at least will merit praise.

- Do sit, my dear.
- Your clock's wrong.

It is a trifle sent by my son,
Lord Septimus, from Naples.

Every once in a while,
the ticking skips a beat,

but it was a gift,

and so it pleases me.

Is it her heart that's ailing?

Her heart could go on
for another hundred years.

The malignancy is in her bones.

You must write to her son.

You must tell him to come home.

I have tried,

but he has not responded.

I shall try again.

What a good little gardener!

The flowers become so very thirsty
standing in the dry soil all day.

There, my dear.

That was very well done!

Wait and see how bright they'll grow!

I shouldn't have put
money in the business.

I should have used
it to get us our home.

If you had, would we
be happier than this?

You shouldn't want so much.

You're flying in the face of God.

Come in.

Miss Matty. I've brought you the
quarter's payment, for our lodging.

Of course, dear.

You must put it on
Deborah's desk, as usual.

I'm sorry, Miss Matty. But
the money's not complete.

I'm owed a guinea for a funeral
and 14 shillings by a weaver.

I mended his hand loom,
but he cannot pay me.

There is so little weaving
done in Cranford now!

The town's begun to wither at the root.

It's not what we pictured.

Let us not tell Martha.

She has a deal to occupy her mind.

We will all make shift together,
until your fortunes turn.

She isn't here!

She said they'd come!

I should have slept the night at home.

I've got to give them the money!

You mustn't delay the coach.

Mam! Where are the others?

The stove went out!

I left them at home, with the
bellows and the tinder box...

Here's your rent for this quarter.

We got you a present.

It's a pen wiper.

For your pens.

I couldn't work your
initials so I put an X X.

That means kisses, when
you put it in a letter.

- Goodbye!
- Goodbye, son. Good luck.

You should feel very proud of him.

I've never had one fly the nest before.

But that's a mother's lot.

Push them along the branch a
little bit, and then they're gone.

Peggy,

you must sit as upright as you can.

I will cough, thus: ahem!

If I see your posture lapsing.

In fact, I will cough each
time you do anything amiss.

I hope there's wine.

There should be a
decent Madeira, at least.

Those four cottages
belong to Mr. Buxton.

They must bring in a
pretty penny each quarter.

Peggy, do you pay me
any attention at all?

I was looking at the wall.

- There are so many shades of grey.
- Shades of grey?

Lady Ludlow.

You will excuse me... if I do not rise.

I suffered an unsatisfactory
night's repose.

There are tidings in this letter that will
refresh you better than a week of sleep.

Septimus has been in London,
conferring with his tailor,

and is already on the road to Cheshire.

He wrote to you?

I imagine he thought to surprise me.

I am glad he did not.

I will have my powder brought.

And the irons to curl my hair.

Mother wanted me to take on
Holy Orders, like my father.

But surely the training
is very long and tedious?

And all for a curacy worth £70 a year!

I should much rather be an attorney.
There are hundreds if not thousands

to be made, and all done in office
hours, for very little trouble.

The law of England is a
splendid course of study.

That, or the Classics, are
the only things worthwhile.

I believe there is a
bridge into the future,

and it's not made of dead men's
words, but of iron, coal and steel.

I have thought I might
write to Mr. Brunel

and see if he will let
me assist him in his work.

Has this man not got a
fine contempt for money?

He is not impressed by it,
if that is what you mean.

I never find the
slightest joy in figures.

For all I know, the
saltworks made me, what,

sevenpence last year!

Ahem!

You should engage an agent, sir. I
have studied for just such a role.

- Where did you go to school?
- He was tutored at home by his father.

And then took lessons through
a correspondence college.

I am sure that that is
just the thing to do,

now that the post is so efficient.

Won't you have some fruit?

I'm very fond of oranges.

But perhaps I'll have some grapes.

Shuttlecock, shuttlecock, tell me true,
how many years do I have to live through?

One, two, three, four.

Oh, dear. I shall be dead
before I am three and twenty.

Still, better than 50 years in Cranford!

Erminia, we agreed we
would play battledore!

Come along. If we do not, they
will think themselves the victors.

Signor Brunoni has
performed before a Rajah,

which is quite the same
as a bishop overseas!

I do not consider magic
a wholesome entertainment.

I shan't give Peggy
permission to attend.

My dear Mrs. Bell, permit
the young to be diverted.

If they step beyond their bounds,

I shall supply Miss Matty with a
stick and send her to suppress them.

Life at Eton rendered
William very savage.

You two are not playing
like the fair sex should.

Peggy in particular is
striving far too hard!

She is naturally quick!

As, might I add, am I.

Must we feign incompetence,
just to spare your pride?

Look, Peggy! It's landed in a bush.

How shall we manage without
a man to fetch it for us?

Go on, Edward, get it.

You had best fetch it, I think,
lest you inflame her further.

We will see who gets the
greater sport from this!

Mine!

Send that one back to me!

Oh, my dear Peggy!

Miss Bell!

Miss Bell.

I fear she is injured.

She is only winded, I believe.

Let me hand you up, Miss Bell.

I am well. I have not broken any bones.

Oh, your poor silk!

Never mind. At least
it is not a new one.

It is her best!

It must be stitched forthwith,
before the seams fray further!

I do not think that I
have any thread in brown.

I have thread of every shade at home.
You can walk with me to my house.

Lady Ludlow.

Lady Ludlow, it would be a small
matter for a chair to be brought down.

I think not.

I will stand.

Until my son arrives.

Mama!

This dress was my mother's
before it was mine.

The cut is out of date.

I do not think it necessary
at all to chase the fashion.

I do not like to be noticed.

I'm more likely to stand out in a
shabby gown than I am in a neat one.

Do not stir yourself, Martha,
I am assured of my way!

Miss Matty...

Peggy Bell, you are
displaying your stays!

She has torn her dress.

And it required fine stitching.

Well, you will rend every garment you
possess when I give you this intelligence.

Lady Ludlow is at the last.

That is lamentable news!

Reverend Hutton is alerted
and has harnessed up his trap.

It is already poised by the rectory gate
and the pony eating oats out of a nose-bag.

You will be glad you
did not buy a turban now!

Already they are saying the
magician will be cancelled!

Cranford must prepare for
a most melancholy chapter.

Miss Matty?

Miss Matty!

Can you come to the kitchen, please?

I've just started the kneading!

The baking'll be a
right performance now.

I ought to have foreseen it!

Peggy, make yourself decent, hasten
to my house and tell Bertha to come.

She will require her Holland apron
and a pair of kitchen sleeves.

Now I advise the
preparation of a warming pan.

How fortunate it is that you came by!

And before the day is out, Jem
will need his undertaker's coat.

- It's here.
- For he will be summoned to Hanbury Hall.

I'll take it to his workshop.

And tell him I don't want
him home until I'm done.

Don't fret, it's a
day's work, that's all.

My dear,

I think if you...

... offer me your hand...

... I should like to hold it.

And next we shall make a leopard,

which is a big, bold beast...

... with spots upon him,

like your Sunday muslin.

Miss Matty. You are
not to come any further.

- Do you hear me?
- Oh, my dear...

I think, Miss Matty,

if you can fetch a doctor...

that would be the proper thing to do.

Yes, my dear. I'll go directly.

She is ready.

We did all that we could.

But there is not a doctor now
within ten miles of Cranford.

We sent for the barber-surgeon,

from the railway works.

But his talent was all for the...

letting of blood.

She was so very white and quiet.

She did not complain of pain.

I held her hands in mine, to warm them.

But they were already as cold as glass.

Miss Matty.

I think we should take care
that Tilly eats some breakfast.

That cannot be the time.

I say that several times a day,
when the twins are in my care.

But children thrive where a
regular pattern is maintained.

Martha was wary of
feeding her the crust.

She used to butter her
the soft part of the crumb.

Giacomo. I'm getting dreadfully
bored of all this vomiting.

It is the springs of that carriage!

I had no choice of conveyance.

Had my mother arranged
for my collection,

all would have been ease and comfort.

Get back in.

You have detained us long enough.

Not even a dog to greet us.

I have never, in my whole life,
known this house to sleep...

No.

Oh, no.

The coiffure is very finely wrought.

Is that your doing, Laurentia?

No, it is the work of her maid, Whitlow.

My mother has been served well.

Better perhaps by her retainers
than she has been by her son.

We used to play in here,
with a hoop and stick.

I could bowl it from one
end of the hall to the other.

My mother saw me once and clapped.

And then it slammed into
the pillar, and broke.

Do you remember that?

Yes, I do. It was my hoop and stick.

I confess it touches me,
to see my home unaltered.

It is as though no hopes were dashed,

no errors ever made.

And from the carriage window,
Cheshire looked so very green.

Good day to you, Miss Bell!

I come charged with an errand.

We are in want of company this teatime.

I brought along a second horse,
to speed the journey back.

Oh, what a thoughtful gesture!

Peggy, run upstairs and fetch
your brother his top boots.

Have you brought another crop?

I am afraid you will not be
comfortable, unless you wear a skirt.

Miss Bell. Erminia longs to see you

and asked that her
pony be saddled to suit.

Mr. Bell.

Father thought you might
enjoy The Chronicle.

My father liked your brother very much.

I am glad of that.

And you have quite
captured Erminia's fancy.

I think she plans to talk to
you of frocks and waltzing.

I have heard of waltzing.

My mother says it is
a most indecent thing.

Forgive me. I fear you are distracted.

Please do not think me
rude if I do not chatter!

I don't expect you to chatter.

But I am concerned that
you do not like the horse.

It is not the horse.

It is how I am seated.

When I was growing up, we
never had a side-saddle.

We had no neighbours either,
and no fear that I might be seen.

You are bolder than I took you for.

We must change the saddle
back before we get to town,

so I can make a decent
entry into Cranford.

Dare you to try and catch us!

Septimus, you will not
be thought precipitate

if you agree to proceed.

Time is of the essence if
you wish to name your price.

I used to marvel at her
in the Blenheim sapphires.

They brought out the glow of her gaze.

I sold my land to the railway company.

I don't apologise for it.

I am richer than I was before,

and England better served.

I will serve my country
by cherishing its customs.

I will go to church and hunt the fox,

and tend my orchards and my roses.

And every August, I
will give a garden party.

Septimus, have you
read your mother's will?

You're her executor, can't
you tell it me from memory?

I cannot be poring over documents,

I have promised Giacomo
a stroll along the ha-ha.

You are aware, I am sure,

that Lady Ludlow's devotion
to her duty was extreme.

I intend to erect a
statue in her memory.

I shall not spare a penny of expense.

Two years ago, she was driven to take
out a mortgage on the Hanbury estate.

A mortgage?

Why in the name of God should
she take out a mortgage?

You needed money for
your house at Lake Lugano.

The farms were doing badly, and she
lacked the means to make payments.

Her then land agent, Mr. Carter,
advised against it. But...

she proceeded, nonetheless.

Mr. Carter died, most unexpectedly.

He willed his private fortune
to a boy, Harry Gregson,

on condition that Master Gregson lend the money
to your mother for the duration of her lifetime,

for the express purpose of
paying the mortgage in full.

Well. I shall put up a
statue to Mr. Carter, too.

What do you mean I have pay it back?!

Mr. Carter's wishes are legally binding.

I know every detail of that
will, I was witness to it!

You can quite dispense
with your milliner's shop,

you will be setting
up in Doctors' Commons!

Septimus, much of Lady Ludlow's income
was consumed by your need at home in Italy.

It was not some geographic fancy!

My health was frail, and
dependant on the heat!

I seek only to suggest that you might rent
out your villa, in order to meet payments.

The villa is not finished. I need
funds to have the roof remade.

Pay att... Pay attention, Miss Bell!

Erminia will put you
through your paces next!

But I cannot play! I
have never had a lesson.

Oh, go on!

This piano expects rough treatment.

These two have been
tormenting it for years.

Take a leaf from William's book!

Learn a single tune,

and provided you vary your tempo,

you may trot it out at
every social gathering,

wringing tears or smiles
from your audience in turn.

Bravo!

When I was a young man I only
knew one song, Barbara Allen.

# In Scarlet town where I was born

# There lived a fair maid dwelling... #

I sang it so fearfully badly
nobody ever requested an encore.

Come along, Peggy.

Now...

Perfection!

You have a rival, Billy-boy!

She will be playing before
all Cranford by this Christmas.

Perhaps you could
teach her Barbara Allen.

Then we might perform a duet.

My dear sister! I present to you, most
humbly, the trophies of a lifetime!

I did not think they
would be so numerous.

Oh, this is but a fraction of
the goods I had shipped home.

The dancing damsels I
left beside the quay.

Make haste, I smell rain!

I am not seeking to obstruct,

only to ascertain there
will be no risk to Tilly!

Surrender the carpet beater.
I am no stranger to the snake.

I have twice seen vipers in the
wild, and I did not wince or flinch.

Miss Pole, you are a template to us all.

Pray do not bring it down so hard!

They are such poor dumb creatures, and I have
heard it said that they are blind and deaf!

I am certain any serpent
is dislodged by now.

It is the notion of
spiders that perturbs me.

They are inclined to
hide, and curl up small!

Spiders? Spiders are not, I
think, a creature from the Indies!

In Delhi, I saw specimens
bigger than my fist.

My wrist is weary.

You do yourself no credit, sir, leaving
all investigation to the fair sex.

Peter, dear.

I am very much afraid
that I must speak with you.

Do not trip upon the tiger!

Peter!

The bird has dropped lime
on Deborah's armchair!

Well, I have cushions aplenty,

they can be deployed
to conceal the staining.

It has been our custom to
leave that seat quite empty!

You chide me, Matty.

I would never chide
you. This is your home.

But there is no room here for a savage,

winged creature when we
have an infant in our care!

Its... deposits are unsavoury.

It may corrode her health.

I determined some while since that,

once my goods were restored to me,

it would be my particular pleasure to bestow
a gift upon each of my favourite neighbours.

You are quite without thought
for yourself, Mr. Jenkyns!

This is the perfect
environment for Poll.

I will visit often.

Mrs. Forrester, reach for The
Chronicle and spread it on the floor.

There's a piece about the Princess
Royal on the topmost sheet.

We should not want to see that soiled.

Then turn it about! Mr. Peel is on the
reverse, we care not what falls on him!

You have not been
overlooked, Mrs. Forrester.

I hope that you will accept
this, with my compliments.

He was a jaunty beast in life.

Tell me you will love him.

I am very fond of all dumb creatures.

Hold fast to the broom,
you foolish girl! And...

And keep it confined to the kitchen.

I swear that parrot
is the equal of a man.

Then you should treat him as such...
not permit him to wander without bounds!

It is an unkindness, he
will not know his place!

You cannot trounce me as an aviarist.

I kept a linnet as a child
and it lived a twelvemonth.

Good afternoon, Erminia.
What are you about?

I have new shoes, in glace kid,
and they are not broken in at all.

I must trudge about until
they cease to pain me.

Then you must trudge
to Johnson's with us.

We are to order a cage!

La cage!

But you cannot get any cage
worth purchasing in Johnson's!

You must write to Paris.

They have all the most
superior models there.

"Pourriez-vous...

"assez gentil

"pour envoyer...

"une cage..."

I want it delivered to my door.

And kindly instruct them
that I do not care for wicker.

It is apt to split when
it is nipped or teased.

"Les cages" in France are
always made from brass or steel.

They are designed to be robust!

I am relieved to hear it.

Mr. Jenkyns desires great
care taken of his treasure.

Mary! My dear!

Miss Matty!

I have so longed to see you.

Did you travel on the mail coach?

My stepmother could
not spare her carriage.

I could not wait another hour.

I was so distressed to hear of Martha.

You must need help with Tilly.

The poor child is asleep upstairs.

There have been some alterations
since you were with us last.

My own situation has
not remained unchanged.

I have news that I
fancy will please you.

Mary dear!

You are engaged to be married?

I am, Miss Matty.

That is such very joyful news to hear!

And after your
disappointment in the spring.

That is no matter.

We can both be glad that I have found
such happiness with Mr. Turnbull.

Mr. Turnbull!

Is that the gentleman of
whom you wrote last month?

Yes. It is.

His family owns a soap
manufactory, in Manchester.

He sounds the best and
steadiest of gentlemen!

I will have the boy brought here.

We will send a carriage from the stable,

we'll have some cold beef
and a cake put on the seat.

The school will have starved his belly,

as surely as it stuffs his head.

I don't recall my mother
ever thought of that.

Good afternoon, Bertha.

Miss Pole's lending me to Miss Matty,

twelve till half three, six days
a week. And an hour on Sundays.

Miss Matty says Miss Pole
is being very generous.

Miss Smith, do you truly not want these?

I have never cared much for clothes.

And now I am engaged, I am
to have a whole new trousseau.

They are too fine for me.

They are not fine, only pretty.

And you are a very pretty girl!

My dear, you look quite delightful!

This trim is in a shade
that would suit you.

It will bring out the
colour of your eyes.

Every young girl has her
own most pleasing feature.

Mrs. Forrester's hair was
the palest shade of gold,

something like the petals of a jonquil.

And Miss Pole had a figure
that provoked no little comment.

What was yours?

I was told it was my complexion.

Who is that?

His name was Mr. Holbrook.

I met him at a dance
in the Assembly Rooms.

They are closed down now.

And you did not marry?

Love without marriage
is still a sacred thing.

And unlike wedlock, it
is not dissolved by death.

Come now.

Let us try you in the green.

I have learned Mr.
Carter's will by heart, sir.

I know the education
he wanted me to have,

and the school he intended me to found.

And when I come of age,
I'll do it to the letter.

If I reimburse you at once, the money
will rot in the bank for seven years.

Meanwhile, you are ensconced
at a peerless seat of learning,

whilst the youth of
Cranford remain illiterate.

I will change that one day.

I put it to you that
you can change it now.

Provided you abandon this
claim to the £20,000.

I have claimed nothing, sir.

Mr. Carter chose to name me in his will.

The law in England is not a
prescription but a process.

It can be challenged and changed
to suit the shifting of a course.

This is a banker's draft.

£5,000?

Yours.

With immediate effect.

Enough, first, to build a schoolhouse.

And then pay the wages of
the teachers in perpetuity.

I see.

I hope so.

Harry, if you insist I
pay you all that is asked,

I will be obliged to
sell the whole estate.

Every servant, every groundsman
will have to be dismissed.

Every tenant farmer, every
ploughman, every cowherd.

All will lose their
homes and livelihood.

The knowledge would torture my mother.

And I believe it would
torture Mr. Carter, too.

Because it can all be stopped,

if you accept this in
full and final settlement.

Our bond would be a gentleman's bond.

We need only shake each other's hand.

Am I a gentleman now?

You are a gentleman if
you do what is correct.

You're all right. I'll walk.

Which hand is it in?

Mam! It's Harry!

Hey, Harry!

Mam!

I never thought we'd be seeing you!

Are you on your holidays?

Sort of.

And I'm not going back
to school until I have to.

Captain Brown?

I called at the yard...
found it all shut up.

I am glad to see you
tending to such tasks.

When a man's made a widower,

a child can be the rope that
saves him drowning in his grief.

Your daughter's gone to
India. You must miss her.

She is her husband's companion now.

And in the evenings,
Charles Dickens is my friend.

Jem,

I have a job that would suit you well,

if you can execute it straight away.

Cranford's fortunes are on the rise.

There has been news of great import

and Mr. Johnson and I are
planning a presentation.

Your boy is very busy
with the whitewash!

Is there to be an alteration of display?

Indeed there is, Miss Pole.

We will close for two days
whilst we attend to it.

Two days?

Very well. I require
a piece of cuttlefish.

- Powdered, ground, or dried whole bone?
- A whole bone, please.

It is for my Polly, to sharpen his beak.

We are entirely out of cuttlefish.

I recommend you order some from Paris.

Which quite reminds me.
This was misdelivered.

It's from Galerie Ortalon, Rue de la
Paix. And there was a postal charge.

I see Mrs. Forrester's
calling on Miss Pole.

Indeed.

Are you sure we have
affixed the bands correctly?

If we have, it is not to
the credit of the pamphlet...

a most insequential set of diagrams,

doubtless put together by a man.

But it has no bottom to it!

Where is he to rest his claws?

Once he's accustomed to the novelty,

he will hop up and down

this succession of hoops and
make a very fetching sight!

Your carpet will not
be a fetching sight,

embellished all over
with feathers and...

worse.

Bertha!

I require a yard of calico.

Johnson's is shut.

Then go to Miss Galindo, and
throw yourself upon her mercy!

It is an impertinence, dispatching
an article that is not complete.

It's all of a piece with
French women and French wine.

Not to be trusted...

out to stretch the nerves!

I am not dismayed by continental goods.

I once had a French roll in Chester.

It was not pleasant but
I swallowed every crumb.

Please, Miss Pole. I think
you might be making a mistake.

My cousin's a ladies' maid in Leeds.

- And she says that her mistress...
- Leeds?

I care not what happens
in the provinces.

This cage was imported from Paris.

I'm only out to tell you
what's been said to me!

Mindless tattle is a very arrant fault.

Pins, Mrs. Forrester!

News of your engagement
has brought such pleasure.

You have been sent compliments and
flowers by the whole of our acquaintance.

I suppose you are writing
to dear Mr. Turnbull?

I did that this morning. He had me
pledge that I would do so every day.

I am working on something else entirely.

You do not object that I
must light a second candle?

No, not in the least.

I am sure there is not
sufficient light in one

for you to pen your letter and for
Peter to look at his engravings.

Jem went to the yard today
and brought work home with him.

I know not what it is.

It is good that the
man is freshly occupied.

I dare say he has lit a candle too.

What's this then?

Do you know whose house this is?

Yes, you do.

It's your home.

It's where Tilly lives. In Cranford.

Impress it well into the
wood, so that it is secure.

And now, Mrs. Forrester, the cage!

Hang it upon the hook.

Hurry up, you foolish girl.

I still think you'll regret this.

I don't care if I'm whipped.

- My dear Miss Pole.
- Mr. Jenkyns.

It is a commodious article, is it not?

It would seem Polly-Cockatoo

- has taken to it splendidly.
- Good afternoon, Miss Pole.

Is that your purchase
from Galerie Ortalon?

Indeed it is, Mrs. Johnson.

I sent to Paris for it.

You could have ordered it through
us, we've just got the pattern book.

Unless I am mistaken,

that's the "Montpellier
marron sous-jupe".

Brass finish, in petite.

Sous-jupe?

Excuse me, Mr. Jenkyns.

It's Francaise. For underskirt.

Bertha!

Miss Bell!

Erminia sent me with the trap,

to spare you the walk to
the meeting at Johnson's.

Edward said I'd find you by the spring.

It is my private place.

It is not secret, but neither
he nor mother ever come here.

This brook must run all
the way to Missenden Moss.

I suspect it feeds the swamp there.

Is it true that it's the Moss
that stops the railway's way?

That, and the barricade of old money.

I suppose you mean the Hanbury estate.

I sometimes wonder what
will become of England.

When it's not confounded by geography,

it's imprisoned by its old ways.

But why should that be?

There are people enough who
wish to see things changed.

I count myself among them.

But if I follow the path
that my father has laid down,

it'll be years before
I'll have the power to act.

I may be more than 30!

And by then I might
be as hidebound as he.

No, you won't.

I wish I were so certain.

You have energy and education.

They are not gifts that spoil,

just because you are
obliged to bide your time.

Come.

Put on your bonnet and let us go.

It is new to me and the ribbons
keep slipping my fingers!

I think you should strive
for a double knot first.

And then, draw the bow
a little to one side.

That is just how Erminia does it.

30 miles an hour!

I think we are all assembled.

Gather round. Please, gather round.

- Oh, Miss Pole!
- What do you think can be intended?

Ladies and gentlemen.

You are all, I think, aware that

the railway work at Hanbury
Halt has been completed.

There was no fanfare at its opening,

for it is not the railway
that we wished for.

It stops a full five miles away

because it was not possible
to bring it into town.

- Good!
- And we are extremely glad of it.

But there have been
pleasing developments of late

and Captain Brown is here to
apprise you of the details.

We have not been insensible to
public concern about the railway.

Innovation can provoke unease.

Nevertheless, when Lord
Ludlow assumed his seat,

he saw the merit of the railway scheme.

He has now agreed to sell Hanbury
Park, the house and all its land,

boldly delineated on this map,

to the Grand Junction Railway Company.

Work will commence
before the month is out.

The course that the railway line
will take is clearly marked in red.

Leaving Hanbury Halt, it will cut
directly across the pasture lands

at Home Farm and Tinden
Edge, skirting Tinden Woods,

across the river. And here...

... directly into Cranford itself.

Now you can see the route progress
to a new and splendid station,

at the head of King Street, just 100
yards from the entrance to this shop!

Er, the tannery will
have to be pulled down

and these four cottages at Tinden Edge.

Otherwise, little
demolition will be required.

For example, here we have
Princess Street, quite untouched.

And you will recognise
Miss Matty Jenkyns' house,

beautifully rendered by Mr. Jem Hearne.

Sir! Excuse me.

Sir, you are guilty of an oversight.

Your plans do not account for
those nine acres at Tinden Edge.

They do indeed fall in
the bounds of Hanbury Park,

but their history is complex.

They are mine, as are the
cottages that stand on them.

I will not see them tumbled.

I will not betray my tenants
or the good people of this town.

Well said, sir.

Without my cooperation,

the railway's plans are void.

Cranford exists in perfect balance.

There is no need for alteration.

There is every need for alteration.

Consider your own business.

You cannot match modern
standards of speed or efficiency.

You're still transporting salt by barge

when you could have it winging
all over the north of England,

playing its part in
chemical manufacture.

The railway is just a mania!

We've secured our fortune.

It regulates itself. There
is no need for interference.

Progress is not interference, Father.

You are fossiled in your
ways, you are like salt itself,

locked in a seam, so it
would take a pick to move you!

Had you proceeded with this, Harry,

you would have been robbed of £15,000!

Lord Septimus said I
only had to shake hands

and that would make a
gentleman's agreement.

And I did.

You shook hands?

I thought people would be helped.

But he sold the estate.

He lied, Miss Galindo,

and I never thought a
gentleman would do that.

When did you decide to sell?

We are returning to Italy.

Giacomo's health has
entirely broken down.

You wear a very truculent expression.

I know it from childhood.
You seek to unsettle me.

I only seek to ensure that
a dead man is respected.

And that the boy he cared
for is respected too.

When did you decide to sell?

As soon as I saw the
ledgers for the farms.

Before you asked Harry
to give you his share?

That is correct.

Though I signed nothing
until after Harry's visit.

Captain Brown brought the
documents later on that day.

I am surprised you gave
your signature at all.

Would not a gentleman's
agreement have sufficed?

Oh, for pity's sake!

I fancied I'd pay him a compliment.

Acknowledge the station to
which he has been raised.

Harry is 14!

I will see he is
furnished with a lawyer.

If you drive this into court, it
will cost you every penny you have.

Your handshake had no meaning
and never will have worth.

Your handshake is a bastard
thing for you are not a gentleman!

Do I have to go back? Can
I not stay here awhile?

Your schooling is Mr.
Carter's gift to you.

It means as much, and more,
than any quantity of money.

- And you should relish every day of it.
- I know that.

And I do try to.

Now come. You must go
back to your studies.

You can write to me and
tell me all your news.

Miss Matty.

I was wondering if I might beg a word.

Of course, my dear.

You must come in and warm
yourself beside the fire.

I am almost cast off.

I've been knitting a new cover
for Tilly's India rubber ball.

We wore the last one to a
thread, we played with it so much.

Miss Matty, I'm sorry but
I'm going to have to pack up.

Pack up what, dear?

All I have.

That is to say, all I have left.

Please tell me that I
mistake your meaning.

If the railway's not
coming, then I can't stay.

I'm a joiner, a maker of things.

I need a place that's going to
flourish, so that I can flourish too.

You will always be employed.

Cranford will always need your skills.

It'll need its coffins making.

Jem, you are undone by your distress!

You must consider Tilly.

Miss Matty, I've got family in Bolton.

My sister can take care of her
while I set up, find us both a home.

I beg you, Jem, do not act in haste
when your bereavement is so fresh.

I can see my future, clear as
if it were laid out on a table.

And if I stay here,
there's nothing there.

I have given your papa the
strictest of instructions.

The seeds are to be dried and
wrapped in paper for the winter.

And you shall have a
fine sunny row of them,

by the time the year comes round.

Miss Matty,

Jem is ready now.

Come here.

Keep her warm.

I have brought you a little hot milk.

There is some honey in the spoon.

I suppose we must go back
to the setting of trays

and getting out the silver tongs,

now that we do not have
a child to stretch us.

You did wonderfully well to
keep your composure before her.

Oh, Mary!

I thought it should be a good
thing if the railway did not come.

Deborah's views on the
subject were quite implacable.

I am sure she would lament
Jem Hearne's departure.

She took pride in the town and would be
vexed to see a splendid craftsman lost.

You sound so very certain.

It pains me to own it,

but I do not hear her
voice as clearly as I did.

Do you consider me
foolish, Captain Brown,

to be so changed in my
opinion of the railway?

No.

Only wise to perceive that
there is a different way.

That is, I think, a response that
dear Deborah would appreciate.

I made an oversight, Miss Matty,

and now much hangs in the balance.

Let us try to set it straight.

If we do not, Cranford will
know darker days than this.

I think I have a notion as
to how I should commence.

My sister was fond of
a maxim from the Bible...

"Examine all things,

"hold fast to what is good."

"Deborah was a woman of
quite vigorous opinion,

"and set the pattern
for our small society.

"Her abhorrence of the
railway was very widely known,

"and we all supposed that
it was nothing but a menace.

"However change, or its
refusal, is not within our gift.

"The young grow apace
about us all the time.

"They desire progress,

"they are turned to face the sun.

"And if we stunt them,

"they will seek a richer soil.

"For whom, then, will we be
preserving our traditions?

"Captain Brown and I have
arranged a short private excursion.

"You are all invited,
and I urge you to accept.

"In facing our fears,

"we may concede we are mistaken.

"Equally, we may stand fast.

"I only beg that we
should ascertain the facts,

"that we should examine all things."

Oh, Mary.

Do I do the proper thing?

I fear my plea has failed.

There is no sign of my friends.

Nor, indeed, of Mr. Buxton.

But are we all to go in first class?

It cannot be exclusive
if it is so very full.

Well, the third-class carriage
is really quite commodious.

I care not where I ride,

but when I am in a carriage

I must not sit with my
back against the horse.

There is no sign of Mr. Buxton.
At what time must we depart?

Captain Brown, is it correct
that the scenery moves at speed?

At 30 miles an hour, there is indeed
the impression of some shifting.

We have heard we must not look,
lest we fray the optic nerve.

I should not venture to ply
your lorgnette, Mrs. Jamieson.

If anyone feels unwell, Mrs. Jamieson
has brought the smelling bottle.

It is only for emergencies!

Room for two more in first class.

- There will be a multitude of smuts.
- Erminia, come and sit by me.

There have been boots on this floor.

- One more!
- I suppose, sir, that that should be me.

- Ladies.
- Mr. Buxton.

Miss Bell.

Mrs. Jamieson, have
you the smelling salts?

How faint does she feel?

They are in my reticule, and

cannot be deployed unless
the phial is crushed!

Do not go to any trouble, I beg you.

I am quite myself...

... now that the motion is concluding.

Is there no opportunity
to reprise the ride?

Peggy Bell.

Yes?

I love you. Will you please be my wife?

How have the travellers fared?

- Acceptable.
- Splendid!

It appears that none of
us has died of fright,

or is maimed by the
violence of the motion.

Pray do not think you
must make a swift response.

My dear Miss Matty,

it seems to me that your instigation of
this venture took considerable courage,

and that I should strive to
match your vigour with my own.

I will agree to the purchase of my land.

I cannot permit my prejudice to
stand in the way of the railway.

Thank you!

Come, sir, let's attend to business.

Mr. Buxton.

Captain Brown.

And so it appears our fate is sealed.

Yes.

And now they slink off to
the seclusion of some office,

assuming all the while that every vestige
of power is invested in their own sex.

Why do you believe it is not?

Men might have built the railway.

Men might have schemed
and manipulated maps.

But it was we who were brave
enough to test its mettle.

Mmm, the advent of the railway
is a triumph of female fortitude.

Though we needed Miss
Matty to urge us to be bold.

No, no, please.

Let us take credit
for this all together.

- Yes.
- Yes. Yes.

Oh, she's good for a
cup of tea in Cranford,

but you need a cultivated wife.

From Friday of this week, I
shall be hostess to Lady Glenmire!

What does happen to all
the gentlemen in Cranford?

A wedding? Oh, whom can it be?

Look in your reticule.

Are we to be evicted?

- Yes.
- Mam?!

Harry has run away from school.

Miss Matty?

Whatever are you about?

Sign your name here,
please, then we can proceed.

What have I brought about?

But Mr. Buxton, if
they love each other...

Love? What do you know of love?

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk