The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962) s01e10 Episode Script

1
Good evening
fellow yacht owners.
This is not champagne. You
can see my tastes are much too
simple for that. This is not
intended for a christening.
It is my ship to
shore communication.
I realize that my yacht
may seem rather old
fashioned to luxury
minded people, but I find
the relationship between a man and a
gasoline engine too coldly impersonal.
My engine is far more
economical and very quiet too,
except for an occasional
scream and the clanking of chains.
It is also quite speedy.
This is the accelerator. So
much for the simple pleasures.
We are presenting a story
tonight called Day of Reckoning.
It follows in
precisely one minute.
Sorry partner, I lost this one for us.
Don't feel bad. My brother and his wife
have developed mental telepathy into a high
art. Harold, she's accusing us of cheating.
Sibling rivalry. You
witnessed the crime, Judge.
Are we guilty or innocent?
Not enough evidence.
Wouldn't you like to sit in, Paul? I'm sure
your sister would be better off without me.
No, thanks.
Felicity,
who is the man?
What's his name? I have a right to know.
Please, Paul, let's
not go over it all again.
I told you I can't go on.
I simply want a divorce.
You've always said before
there wasn't anybody.
There never was.
But this time there is, isn't there?
You can't deny it.
I'm not denying it.
I want his name.
You'll know eventually.
Oh, not to have it now.
Why? Because you know you wouldn't get your
divorce if I knew his name, is that it?
I didn't say that.
You don't have to.
Paul, when there was nobody
you always thought there was.
You always behaved as if there was.
You made it impossible long
ago for me to go on loving you.
What difference now does
it make if there is someone?
I can fight the divorce.
That won't get me back.
Felicity, darling, please.
Please, give him up.
No, I can't.
I won't.
You're not going to him.
You can't stop me, Paul.
Felicity!
Wouldn't Felicity like to sit in?
I'm being taken to the cleaners.
No, I, uh, have to.
Doesn't she want one of you
men to take over the steering?
No, she doesn't.
Well, I wish she'd come and watch the game.
I'm playing brilliantly.
Felicity never thought I
was much of a bridge player.
You never were, darling.
Let that be a lesson to you, Trent.
Don't get married.
Flattery stops at the alder.
Oh!
She must have run us aground.
Passengers will quietly
move to the lifeboats.
Women and children last.
Felicity, what's up?
We'd better take a look.
Felicity!
Felicity!
Out here!
Out here? That's impossible!
Felicity! Felicity!
Felicity!
Felicity!
She must have fallen overboard.
She can't swim.
Judge, would you take that
searchlight and go forward?
I'll see if I can back her up.
The bank will double back on our course.
Hold steady, everybody.
Trent, there's a flashlight there.
Don't worry, dear.
She'll probably manage to reach the bank.
Anything up there,
Judge?
No, nothing.
Al has made some coffee.
No, thanks.
Any sign?
What are we going to do?
I think we should head back to the house.
I know you want us to keep searching,
Paul, but we'll need more help.
We'll have to call the police.
My men are searching the lake now.
We should have some results by morning.
That is very encouraging.
We're doing our best, Mr. Sampson.
If you folks don't mind, I'd like to
ask a few questions.
Can't they wait, Sheriff? This is hardly the time.
He's only doing his job, Carolyn.
This is what happened, Sheriff.
After dinner this evening, Felicity suggested
that we take out the cruiser.
Judge Wilcox here happened to stop
by, and we invited him to come along.
Well, anyway, we were playing
bridge, and Felicity was at the controls.
And that's the last we saw of her.
She must have fallen overboard.
That seems kind of
strange, doesn't it?
Is Mrs. Sampson just losing
her balance like that?
Was she drinking by any chance?
She'd had a few martinis.
How many would you say?
I don't really know.
She wasn't drunk, if that's
what you're implying, Sheriff.
Now, I don't believe I know you, sir.
This is Trent Parker. He's been our
house guest here for the past few weeks.
Trent Parker? Well, I know the name.
I'm a golfer. I played here
in the tournament last spring.
That's where I met the Sampson's.
Yes, of course.
Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Parker.
Sheriff, my brother's very tired.
Why don't you come back in the morning?
Well, I was going to ask Mr. Sampson
to go out on a cruiser with me.
There are a few things I'd
like to clarify for my report.
At this hour? Not really, Sheriff.
It's all right, Carolyn.
May as well get it over with.
Dave, would you mind coming along with us?
No, of course not.
Carolyn, I will be at home if you need it.
Thanks, Alex.
Is this where you ran
aground?
Approximately.
Have you found anything?
No luck at all, sir.
I'd like to try to reconstruct
the accident, if you don't mind.
How can you, Sheriff?
Well, I can try. The coroner is
bound to ask a lot of questions.
I'd like to have some of the answers.
Now, let me see if I've got it straight.
All the people were in the
cabin except Mrs. Sampson.
She was at the controls? No, no.
We were on autopilot. She
was sitting right here on the rail.
Now, you came out. Any particular reason?
To see if she might like another drink.
Did she?
No, so I went back inside.
And after that, she fell overboard.
It's funny nobody heard her cry out.
Remember, Sheriff, the engine was
running and the radio was playing.
That's true.
Well, let's try a little experiment.
Frazier?
Yes, sir.
I want you to sit on the railing.
Mr. Sampson will come out of
the cabin, talk to you, go back in.
After a while, fall overboard,
give a shot and swim to shore.
Am I close, sir?
Well, you can get down to your shorts.
Can you swim? Yes, sir.
All right.
Head it out and
put it on autopilot.
Now, Mr. Sampson, if you'd be good
enough to duplicate your actions
Look, is this really necessary?
I'm afraid so, Judge.
It's a few hours ago.
The others are playing cards.
Where were you,
Judge? About here.
All right.
Now, Mr. Sampson, you think your
wife might like a refill, so you go out.
Pardon me, Judge.
And the radio is playing.
You can come in now, Mr. Sampson.
Mr. Sampson.
I came back in here and
watched the bridge game.
Hey!
Never mind that. I'll have one of my men
clean it up before we dock.
Excuse me.
Fraser, are you okay?
Yes, sir.
That's strange, isn't it?
We heard the cry even
though the radio was playing.
That's because we were waiting for it.
Last night, everyone was
concentrating on the game.
Yeah, even so, you'd think someone
would have heard her cry out.
Unless
Unless what?
Unless Mrs. Sampson didn't cry out at all.
Why wouldn't she?
There's always the
possibility she took her own life.
Don't be absurd.
Felicity had everything to live for.
Besides, if she wanted to
commit suicide, why do it this way?
I'm sure there are easier methods.
Yeah, I suppose so.
Well, we'd better head back.
I'm sorry I'd have had to put you
through this again, Mr. Sampson.
Paul?
Did they find anything?
Nothing yet.
Perhaps we'll hear in the morning.
I drove into town to get my things.
I didn't want you to be alone.
The house seems so empty.
I keep expecting to hear a voice.
Carolyn?
Yes, dear?
Carolyn, I've got to tell you something.
I must share it with someone.
What is it?
Felicity was leaving me.
Leaving you?
She told me last night.
Why? Did you have a quarrel or something?
No, no, no, nothing like that.
She was leaving me for another man.
I don't believe it.
Neither did I, at first.
Who was it?
She didn't tell me, but I think I know.
Paul, today Would you excuse
me? I was just going to get a nightcap.
Can I get you something?
No, thanks.
Trent?
He's been staying here
for weeks, hasn't he?
He's been giving her golf
lessons every day, alone.
It's incredible.
I'm not sure.
Not yet.
But I'm going to find out.
Paul, what difference can it make now?
Look, try to get some sleep.
We'll talk about it in the morning.
All right?
Good night.
Paul?
Maybe there's still a
chance Felicity isn't dead.
I know it seems almost
too much to hope for,
but after all, they haven't
found her body yet.
Maybe she did manage to reach the shore.
Maybe she's still alive.
I don't know.
I don't understand how Mrs.
Sampson fell overboard.
How does anyone fall
overboard? She slipped.
She lost her balance.
In that case, she would have
fallen into the boat, not out of.
Maybe she fainted.
That's a possibility.
I called a doctor to check
on her, but he's out of town.
Was she subject to
fainting spells, by the way?
Not that I know of.
Now, another thing.
When we examined the deceased's
body, we noticed a bruise on her forehead.
What are you suggesting? That she
was struck before she fell?
No, not at all.
I just wondered
where it came from.
I can explain that, Sheriff.
Felicity and I took a walk yesterday.
There was a low branch in its structure.
Nothing serious, but
enough to raise a bruise.
I see.
Did any of you notice
that bruise last night?
I don't like the tone of that question.
You act as if we might
have something to hide.
Not at all, Mrs. Sampson.
I'm just trying to put the pieces together.
You can't play checkers without a board.
I wasn't aware we were
playing games, Sheriff.
Apparently, you won't accept the
fact that this is a simple accident.
The only thing left is murder.
And since I was with Felicity before she
died, it seems I'm the obvious candidate.
Please, Mr. Sampson, there's
no reason to talk like that.
I haven't accused anybody.
Not directly?
Not even indirectly.
Well, then I apologize for
misunderstanding you, Sheriff.
My wife had an accident and was drowned,
but you won't take that at face value.
You keep on asking questions.
What sort of accident? How did she fall?
Why did she fall?
I think those are reasonable
questions under the circumstances.
And as far as accusing you of anything,
the thought never entered my head.
Are you sure?
Of course I'm sure.
Well, think about it now, Sheriff.
I could have killed her.
It is possible, isn't it?
Well, anything's possible.
Well, this is more than possible.
It's probable.
I was alone with her.
No one else was out there.
I could have pushed
her over the side.
Couldn't I? Couldn't I, Sheriff?
This is ridiculous.
Paul didn't go near her.
Why do you say that, Judge?
Because I could see them
clearly from where I was standing.
They were in my line
of vision the whole time.
And nothing happened? Nothing.
He didn't touch her.
I wish you'd said
something about this before.
I didn't think it was important.
After all, no one had made any
accusations until a minute ago.
I haven't accused anybody, even
though Mr. Sampson seems to think so.
I've got to be going.
The inquest will be
tomorrow morning, ten o'clock.
I'll see you out, Sheriff.
We should be going too, Dad.
Thanks, Dave.
For what?
For telling that lie.
You couldn't see us at all.
Well, he seemed to be looking for
some explanation for the accident.
He was being a nuisance,
so I thought I'd head him off.
I appreciate it, but you
weren't taking a chance.
Not really. I wasn't under oath.
Besides, what difference does it make?
You certainly didn't
kill Felicity, did you?
No.
So no harm done.
I'll see you at the inquest.
She was quite excited the
day I bought those for her.
She always used to look
forward to her lesson with you.
So did I. We had some good times together.
I'm sure you did.
Look, am I in the way?
I mean, do you want to work?
I don't find it exactly
easy to work right now.
Well, they say it's good therapy.
Keeps the mind occupied.
Is that what you'd like me to do?
Design a new office building?
Just a suggestion.
What are you so anxious for me to forget?
I beg your pardon?
Let's stop pretending. I know.
What are you talking about?
About you and Felicity.
What about us?
You knew she was leaving me, didn't you?
Now, Paul, you've gone
through a terrible experience.
She was going away with you.
Now, wait a minute. That's ridiculous.
Where did you get such an idea?
No, it's not ridiculous.
She told me herself.
I admired your wife. I
liked her very much as
a friend, but that's
as far as it ever went.
Oh, I'm sure it was easy enough for you.
It's always easy for the other man.
He can present himself
in the best possible
light, make promises
he never intends to keep.
You have no responsibilities, no roots.
I suppose she'd like that, too.
Cheap romanticism.
Paul, did Felicity say she
was leaving you for me?
No, she never mentioned your name. Of
course, she wanted to keep you out of this.
But who else could it have been?
You were in love with her, weren't you?
You were waiting for the chance to
take her away from me, weren't you?
Only it didn't work.
And now Felicity's dead.
But she didn't say I was the man, did she?
You just guessed I was.
I knew you were.
The only thing I have to figure
out now is the best way to kill you.
Oh, hey, Paul, I'll take your word
that she was going to leave you.
It seems incredible,
but it must be the truth.
And I can see why, in a way,
you thought I was the one.
But you're wrong, Paul.
You're really wrong.
Am I?
I've never wanted to take her from you.
Even if I had wanted
to, I'd know I never could.
Besides, I
It happens I'm engaged to be married.
You're lying.
No, it's the truth.
A girl in Boston. I met her last year.
She's from Back Bay.
Her parents don't exactly
approve of her marrying
a golf pro, as it is.
But I wouldn't risk having an
affair with your wife. You're crazy.
How do I know you're telling the truth?
You can call her. I'll give you her number.
Trent, I'm sorry.
That's all right.
I should have known it wasn't you.
I just couldn't think of anyone else.
Paul, are you sure it is true?
You've had a terrible time.
I'm not imagining it, if
that's what you mean.
I
I don't suppose you'd
want to talk about it.
I'd like to talk about it to you.
As a matter of fact,
it'd be a relief, in a way.
You know
Felicity never really loved me.
She as much as admitted it.
I think she just wanted to
be in love for once in her life.
She felt she was missing something.
That's the good. I can't explain it.
Either you understand or you don't.
I do. I do.
All the same, I think I'd
better pack up and leave.
It'll be easier all around.
Trent You won't mention
this to anyone, will you?
About Felicity leaving, I mean?
Of course not.
It's none of my business.
Thanks.
Was it an autopsy performed, Sheriff?
Yes, sir.
And the result?
Mrs. Sampson met death by drowning.
Following a fall from the
cabin cruiser? Yes, sir.
It appears so.
Appears, Sheriff?
I just don't understand
how she fell, that's all.
You've given us the impression
that she lost her balance.
Yes, I think so. I just don't know how.
Sheriff, I'm not quite
sure what you're implying.
Are you suggesting that there was something
irregular in Mrs. Sampson's death?
Your Honor, I'd like
to dismiss Sheriff
Jordan for the moment
and call a new witness.
Very well. You may step down.
Raise your right hand.
Dr. Feider.
What's he doing here?
I don't know.
Would you state your name and
occupation, please?
Felix Ryder, M.D.
Dr. Ryder, Bailiff tells
me that you have some
pertinent information
concerning this inquest.
Yes.
How did you come by this
information?
Professionally.
I was Felicity Sampson's physician.
Why didn't you contact
us earlier? I couldn't.
I was away on a fishing trip.
Just got back this morning.
Would you tell us the nature
of your information?
Be glad to.
When I came home today,
my wife said that Felicity, Mrs.
Sampson, had had an accident.
Said a lot of people all over
town were buzzing about it.
Seems that Sheriff Jordan couldn't
figure out how she fell off the boat.
Well, I knew I could clear that
up, so I came right down here.
Mrs. Sampson came to me about
two weeks ago for a check-up.
She complained of pains in the chest.
So I gave her a complete
examination and ran a series of tests.
What did you discover?
She was suffering from a serious
type of progressive mycosis.
Is that a dangerous
kind of disease, doctor?
In this case, yes.
I didn't have her entire history.
But from what I could gather, she'd
had a primary infection as a child.
This type of disease
has a way of recurring.
Would it be fatal?
In time, yes.
She had possibly two or three years.
In view of the fact
that she fell overboard,
would you say that dizziness might
be one of the symptoms of the disease?
Yes.
Arising from the respiratory
difficulties, of course.
I'll be glad to let the
court see my records.
Thank you, doctor.
Now, did you tell Mrs. Sampson
about your findings?
Yes, I did.
She asked me not to mention
it to her husband or family.
I've held that confidence until now.
Any reason for breaking it?
Well, just what I said before,
to clear up any rumors about her accident.
Mrs. Sampson probably had a dizzy spell,
lost her balance, and fell over the side.
Thank you, doctor.
You've been extremely helpful.
I have nothing more.
Well, in that case, I think we can adjourn.
That clears the air.
No question of the verdict now.
Accidental death.
This concludes the first half
of the Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
Now for our main attraction.
The following montage of images and cacophony
of sounds is called a station break,
and I'm sure you will find it an
exciting and colorful experience.
Observe.
Welcome back.
Before we continue with
the Alfred Hitchcock Hour,
the beloved sponsor's minute.
Don't forget, Paul.
If there's anything
we can do, just call us.
Why don't you take a trip somewhere?
The change might do you good.
Yes, sir.
Well, give it some thought.
Think, Paul?
Huh?
I don't suppose you'll feel
much like eating tonight.
Let me know if you want anything special.
All right.
I made you a double.
It'll be nice having someone
to look after for a change.
What do you think of Harold's suggestion?
What suggestion?
Taking a trip.
We could close the house and go to Europe.
The Far East or South America.
Do you good?
I can make all the arrangements.
Try to remember.
Didn't Felicity say anything at
all about what Dr. Ryder told her?
Didn't she give you some small hint?
You've asked me that
three times already, Paul.
She didn't say anything at all.
No hints, nothing.
You must believe me.
But why?
Dr. Ryder.
He could have been the man.
Do you think he was lying,
trying to cover up? Paul, please.
Did she say there
was another man?
She wanted a divorce, so there
must have been another man.
Why couldn't it have been Dr.
Ryder? Paul, he gave
the coroner his records.
My dear, you can't go on
mourning for the rest of your life.
Try not to think about it so much.
Believe me, you'll get over it eventually.
One day you'll be happy again.
Carolyn, it's no use.
Of course it is. I know.
Don't you understand? I killed her.
Don't say things like that.
It's natural you should feel guilty.
You feel you should have
stayed with her on the boat.
But Paul, there's no way you
could have known she was ill.
Didn't you hear what I said?
I murdered Felicity.
I pushed her over the side.
That's not true. It can't be.
It is true.
It wasn't planned. I didn't mean to do it.
I'd only gave him one
or two, but I did, Carolyn.
It was sudden.
Like slashing the head off a flower.
The second later, you wonder why
on earth he ever did such a thing.
This has all been too much for you, Paul.
I've told you that before.
You've been under such a strain.
I'm tired of being pitied.
Everybody's pitying me. The grieving
husband. I can't take it anymore.
But you are grieving.
You don't believe me, do you?
You think it's all in my mind.
I didn't say that.
But you're thinking it.
Well, what do you expect?
You're my brother.
I know you better than I know myself.
You're not a murderer.
You know why you don't believe
me, because you don't want to.
Because it might interfere with your plans.
I haven't any plans.
Oh, yes, you have.
The plans you've been
making ever since Felicity died.
Coming here to live, taking care of me.
You've got a happy picture
of us growing old together.
I'm sorry, but it's the truth.
Paul.
Can't we talk about this tomorrow?
Tomorrow won't make any difference.
This isn't going to go away.
It's something I've got to face.
Promise me you won't mention
what you told me to anyone else.
I can't make any promises.
At least for now.
All right.
Good morning. I understand I'm
being put under the microscope.
Hi, Paul.
That's Dr. Pretense
Carolyn told you, didn't she?
Well, yes, she did mention
something about your problem.
Problem? Is that what she called it?
I should think you'd have
more imagination, Carolyn.
Or is murder just a household crisis these
days, like the maid or the silverware?
Paul, please, dear.
Yes, stop it, Paul. This is serious.
Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that.
I'm sure you do, Alice.
What do you think?
I think you should have kept
this whole thing to yourself.
What?
Why tell anybody? What good does it do?
Even if you're telling the truth.
- Alice.
Well, maybe he is. How do we know?
Don't be a fool.
I just don't know what he
expects us to do about it.
I don't expect you to do anything about it.
You go around talking this way.
Who are you going to tell next?
I'd better tell somebody who'll believe me.
Oh, yes, by all means.
Go around telling everyone.
The postman, the gardener, the
What should I do? Forget about it?
Yes. For our sake.
Your sake?
Whatever you've done,
you've no right to drag us into it.
Don't you realize that we have
a reputation in this community?
What about my children?
And Harold's business?
Alice, I'm sorry.
I don't want to involve any of you.
But you would.
There would be a scandal.
What would it accomplish?
I murdered Felicity.
I took her life.
And none of you believe me.
None of you wants to believe me.
Of course we believe you.
If you say you did it,
that's good enough for us.
Stop trying to humor me.
I'm perfectly sane.
Then think of the consequences.
We don't want a scandal.
It's funny. If Felicity were here,
she'd find all of this highly amusing.
Each of you have your own
reason for keeping me quiet, so
I'm afraid I'll have to forget about
you and do what I think is best.
What does that mean?
I don't know yet.
Where are you going, Paul?
I'm going to get dressed and go to town.
Any objections?
I'll give you a lift.
Harold, the watchdog.
No, no, no. I'm going that way.
All right.
I guess I might as well
get used to wearing a leash.
Say, Paul, uh, why
don't we stop by Dr.Ryder's?
What for?
Well, with everything that's happened,
I imagine you could do with a checkup.
Physical or mental?
Physical, of course.
I feel fine.
Say, uh, Harold, I need some cigarettes.
I wonder if you could stop
by that drugstore now, please.
Oh, hello, Mr. Sampson.
Sheriff.
Excuse my Sunday suit. I'm giving
my safety lecture to the stool kids.
And I'm, uh, I'm supposed to
be there in about ten minutes.
Well, this won't take long.
Well, have a seat.
Thank you, sir.
Now, what's on your mind?
Well, I, uh, I came by to
tell you that you were right.
Oh, about what?
About my wife's death.
It wasn't an accident. I killed her.
Would you repeat that?
I murdered my wife.
You said something about my being right.
Well, you were suspicious of me,
weren't you? It was fairly obvious.
Suspicious of you? No.
Thought never entered my head.
There's no reason to be polite.
I'm not being polite.
I'm just telling you a fact.
I didn't at any time connect
you with your wife's death.
And I don't now.
Sheriff, will you listen to me?
I pushed my wife over the side.
I lost my head.
She was leaving me for another man.
Who?
Well, I, I don't know.
I see.
No, no, you don't see at all.
What's wrong with you?
A few days ago you thought there was
something suspicious about the accident.
Yes, I did.
Frankly, I thought you'd all been drinking
and nobody knew what had happened.
That or a possible suicide.
Dr. Ryder proved me wrong.
I'm sorry your wife's dead.
You have my sympathy.
But if you think I'm
going to make an official
report of this conversation,
you're mistaken.
Are you afraid of, Sheriff,
my family's influence?
That's got nothing to do with it.
Maybe there's another reason.
You'd look like a
fool if I confessed.
People might think you didn't
conduct a thorough investigation.
Mr. Sampson, I resent that.
I think you'd better go home.
Your family's probably
worried about you.
You don't believe a word I've said.
No, I don't. And even if I did, it
wouldn't make any difference.
The law cannot punish a man for a crime
unless there is proof that he committed it.
And a man cannot convict himself
unless there is reasonable proof.
But I've admitted it!
It doesn't make any difference.
You don't have any proof.
You said your wife was leaving you for
another man, but you can't produce him.
You said you pushed
her over the side, but
Judge Wilcox says that
you didn't go near her.
He was lying to protect me.
Judge Wilcox was
lying? Come on, Mr.
Sampson. You
keep talking like that,
they're going to lock you
up in another kind of place.
Ask him yourself.
Look, this is a waste of time and
I'm supposed to be giving a lecture.
Sheriff, would you sooner I
went to the district attorney?
Let's go by the judge's house.
Hello, Paul. Sheriff.
Judge, do you mind if we
come in for a minute? Not at all.
If you promise to overlook the
dust, my housekeeper's on vacation.
You're wearing your official look, Sheriff.
Force of habit, I'm afraid.
Judge, do you mind if I ask
you a question? - Certainly.
Dave, I want you to tell me
Mr. Sampson, please, I'll handle this.
Judge, when I was
investigating Mrs.
Sampson's death, you
volunteered a statement.
You said that all the time Mr. Sampson
was out of the cabin, you could see him.
That's right.
Well, I'd like to know
if that statement is true.
Tell him, Dave.
Of course it was true.
No, no, no. Tell him the truth.
Mr. Sampson, please, I
ask you to stay out of this.
If that's anything
but the truth, Judge,
you can do your friend
a great deal of harm.
Dave, don't try to protect me.
I'm not trying to protect you.
I happened to be watching you in
Felicity and you didn't go near her.
Well, that's good enough for me.
You mean you're going
to forget all about this?
Yes, sir, and I would
suggest that you do the same.
Thank you for your time, Judge.
Mr. Sampson, I have to be going.
Can I drop you someplace?
No.
Here, you look like you could use this.
Carolyn called you, didn't she?
Yes.
How much did she tell you?
Just about everything.
Paul, did you kill Felicity?
Yes.
Why?
She was leaving me for another man.
I know. I was the man.
What?
That surprises you, doesn't it?
I don't believe it.
My sister put you up to this.
This is some kind of a trick.
No, Paul.
But you hardly knew each other.
We met in town by
accident a few months ago.
I took her to lunch and then to dinner
when you were away on a business trip.
It got to be a habit.
You? I still don't believe it.
Why?
Because you think I'd be too old for her?
For the city didn't think so.
At first she wasn't going
to ask you for a divorce.
And after she'd been to see Dr.
Ryder, she decided that we were
entitled to the time that was left.
It was what she wanted.
With any consolation to
you, I loved her very much.
You think I care about that?
No, you never care about
anything except yourself.
How do you think I felt the
night that Felicity was drowned?
I loved her but I couldn't
show my feelings.
I was supposed to have lost
only a friend or the wife of a friend.
I wanted to jump in that lake after her.
But I didn't.
I stayed in the launch
and operated that light.
But she was down there
somewhere under the water.
The person I loved most in the world.
There's one thing you
haven't taken into account.
I love Felicity too.
I loved her for years and I was losing her.
So you destroyed what you couldn't have.
After the accident I felt sorry for you.
I felt sorry for both of us.
Then Caroline told me what you were saying.
I knew it was the truth.
Why didn't you tell the sheriff?
That would have been too easy.
You want to be caught.
It's the only way you
can relieve your guilt.
But no one believes you except me.
You're not on the bench now.
You've got no right to pass judgment.
You destroyed Felicity.
I'm going to see to it that
you destroy yourself too.
You'll do a far better job
than anyone else could.
You've got the rest of your life to
live with the memory of what you did.
There's nothing you can do about it.
Nothing.
If you say you killed Felicity,
people will think you're insane.
They'll never believe you.
Never.
Somebody will. I'll find somebody.
Go home, Paul.
Paul?
Would you come here a minute, dear?
We'd like to talk to you.
What is it?
We've heard from the
sheriff and Judge Wilcox.
You've heard from a fool and a liar.
Paul, dear, we just can't have you
walking around spreading these stories.
You need rest and help.
Mr. Sampson, this is Dr. Campbell.
He's a psychiatrist at
the Fairfield Institute.
Get him out of here.
Paul, Dr. Campbell would
like you to go with him.
The Institute is only a hundred miles away.
You can stay there until you feel better.
I'm not going anywhere.
I'm perfectly sane.
I don't need a psychiatrist.
Do you want to stay now?
Get out of here, all of you.
Mr. Sampson, I'm afraid you have no choice.
I don't.
We'll see about that.
Your sister and I have
signed the committal papers.
Don't worry, dear.
It's just a formality.
And if you cooperate with us,
Mr. Sampson, things will be so much easier.
It's going to be all right, Paul.
You'll see.
And we'll visit you.
We'll all visit you.
I have a joyous footnote to the grim
scene which you have just observed.
Eventually our story had a happy ending.
Judge Wilcox later admitted
he had been fibbing, and
the world knew that Paul
had been guilty of murder.
So he was finally granted his wish.
To his great relief, he was taken out
of Fairfield and suitably disposed of.
I have the feeling that I have
done quite enough for one day.
However, I commend
you to the following
commercial and the
sampling of next week's play.