443 - March 6, 1968

[bunniefuu]

[narrator] -A séance has been held in the great house at Collinwood,

a séance, which has suspended time and space

and sent one woman on an uncertain

and frightening journey to the past,

back to the year .

When one man has discovered a secret,

which, if he uses it properly,

will give him all the power he wants

over the Collins family.

[knocking]

- Who is it?

-Noah.

- Did you get it?

Did anyone see you?

Was there anybody up at the old house?

- No.

I saw Ben as I was leaving, but he didn't see me.

- Good.

- Nathan-- - You said nothing was wrong.

- On my way back to town, I saw a crowd.

A fisherman found Maude Browning's body

down at the point.

- So?

- So, I want you to give me all the money you owe me.

- You're getting nervous, Noah?

- I just don't know how I let you talk me into it.

- Into what, Noah?

- Into helping you the other night.

- Oh. Come now.

It was very gentlemanly I thought of us

to help Reverend Trask.

We couldn't leave him alone there

with a dead woman in his room.

We had to protect his reputation.

- Just give me my $.

- I'm going to get out of this town.

- You stay here until tomorrow and I'll owe you a hundred.

- I'm through. Money, now.

- No risks.

It's a game of sorts.

A little excitement for the Collins family.

- What kind of excitement?

- Nothing unusual.

Just the Collinsport strangler.

He's going to strike again.

♪♪

[eerie theme music] ♪♪

Yes, the strangler himself or a reasonable facsimile

will be loose again,

only this time, on a private estate.

- I don't care about the bloody strangler.

- Shall I tell you how you fit in?

- Don't bother.

You know, for a guy who look so regular.

You got more deals that a crook wouldn't touch.

You're going to end up

being drummed out of the Navy, I swear.

- Ah, you are, as usual, completely wrong.

I'm going to end up respected,

very, very rich.

You don't have the foresight to see that,

then we ought to stop doing business together.

Now, give me what I sent you for,

the fan, please.

- Cash first.

for helping you get rid of the body

and for this.

- How would you like to consider a permanent position?

- Doing what?

- Well, I'm going to need a helper.

I could pay up what I owe you already

and then give you $ a month.

- Look, I've been to sea. I know what you' make.

You ain't got that kind of money!

- I am about to marry one of the richest girls

New York City has produced,

a Ms. Millicent Collins by name.

- You're either drunk or your dreaming.

Her family won't even speak to you.

Everybody in town knows that.

- But we're going to change all that, aren't we?

Now, give me the fan and we'll get started.

- I've got to have some money first.

- Oh, here. Ten dollars.

- That's not enough.

- That's all I have.

I'd take it if I were you.

Thank you, partner.

Mm, pretty, isn't it?

- Those Collins' must have plenty of money.

I mean, can you imagine walking out of the house

and just leaving everything there?

Furniture, pictures, lamps,

you know, we could go up there some night

- and take everything. - Yeah..

- Why don't you get rid of this stuff around here.

We'll start off bango, with a cartload of it,

and we can get five miles out of town.

You see?

You proved again, my friend, how much you need me.

- All right. What do I have to do?

- Take this up to Collinwood,

front door,

very promptly, a maid will answer.

You leave it for Ms. Millicent Collins.

- Is that all?

- Right now, yes.

- What about later?

- That you'll find out about later.

♪♪

- A fan? Who left it?

- A messenger, milady.

Short, he was.

- Wrong he was.

Because, as everyone knows, I do not use fans,

they cause drafts.

So, you see, he'd made a mistake.

It is not for me.

It is probably for Josette.

- Ms. Collins, Madame Josette is dead.

- I don't need you to tell me that.

- But you said-- - I never liked hearing what I've said,

- so you needn't bother repeating it to me.

Really, you should have known it was not for me.

Most imperceptive of you.

- I thought perhaps it was a - a gift from an admirer.

- Oh, I have none of those.

I do not choose to have admirers.

That would be most common.

It isn't even very pretty.

I've always disliked mother of pearl.

Pearls make me think of oysters.

Oysters make me extremely ill.

In the city at the opera, once see's many such fans

and always in the hands of the most disgraceful--

- Milady, are you all right?

- Yes, yes, do go.

Please.

"Meet me in garden. Eight. B"

Oh, Cousin Barnabas!

You are finally ready to avenge my honor.

You shall not sh**t him without warning, of course,

although that is what he deserves.

I shall simply deliver the g*ns to you

and you will attend to the masculine details of the duel.

Oh, I shall witness it, of course.

I shall watch Lieutenant Forbes so carefully.

If there is time, perhaps,

I shall have a new dress made.

Black, of course. And extremely modest.

- Millicent.

Do put that g*n down. It might go off.

[giggling] - It isn't loaded yet.

- Good.

- Soon.

Soon it will be.

- Then, I had better take it from you

and hope that you are wrong.

- No.

I won't give it to you.

I shall give it to no one except Barnabas.

- Barnabas?

- What did you say?

- It isn't what I said. It's what you did.

Why did you mention Barnabas?

- I don't remember.

- Millicent, you may not want to tell me,

but you do remember.

- Oh, I have the nicest letter from him the other day.

He loves London so.

- Yes, he should.

It's a charming city.

Did he send me his regards?

- Oh, yes.

And he asked me to tell you that England

was everything you said it would be.

Barnabas and I never discussed England, Millicent.

- Oh, you've simply forgotten.

- I have not forgotten.

Barnabas is not in England.

- You know, too?

- Yes. I know that he is dead.

- Then you know nothing at all.

Why do people insist upon telling me

that Barnabas is dead?

- Really, you must all think me quite stupid.

- I was in the house when he died.

- They've told you to lie to me.

- I saw his body. I took Josette from his room.

- I won't listen to you.

- I saw his casket carried from the house.

- But I have seen him.

- When?

- Last week.

Two weeks perhaps.

I lose track of time.

The days are all the same here

and no one ever bothers to tell me what day it is.

And there's nothing to look forward to.

No days to be remembered.

- Millicent, if you think you've seen Barnabas,

it's your imagination.

- No, it was not.

And do not tell me it was a ghost, either.

I know there are no ghosts.

Ghosts do not write notes.

- Let me see the note.

- Oh no.

- I can tell you if it was actually from Barnabas.

When did you get it, Millicent?

- Today. If you must know.

- Who brought it?

- A messenger brought it to that very door.

- The fan, Josette's fan.

- Josette's.

Of course, it is Josette's.

It would be Josette.

- Where did you get it?

- Barnabas sent it to me.

Does it not prove that he's alive?

- You must not meet whoever sent this.

- Oh, you are just like everyone else.

You want to keep Barnabas from me.

- Millicent, there is one thing about you that I -

I've never quite understood,

but I've always found quite admirable.

You seem to have an insatiable desire to be proper.

- You actually thought that?

Oh, oh, how nice of you.

Because there is in life, nothing else to be,

if one wishes to be received anywhere one might want to go.

- But it is not proper for a young lady

to meet a gentleman alone at night, even a cousin.

- Oh.

Oh, you're quite right.

How can I forget?

- If he wants to see you, then he will come to you.

- Oh, I'm sure you must have lost all respect for me.

- If you give up this meeting, I shall regain it quickly.

- You promised that?

- I promise.

- And he will come to me, you think?

- We will see.

You will let me know if he does, won't you?

- Of course, I will.

As soon as he leaves.

You will be my confidant.

- I should like to be.

[knocking]

Now, that it's all settled,

I don't think you should carry the dueling pistols.

- Oh, no, of course.

You're quite right as always, Countess,

they're unbelievably heavy.

- My name is Peter Bradford.

I must see the Countess DuPres.

- What do we have to say to each other, young man?

- I have a letter from Mr. Trask,

a letter which proves that Victoria Winters is innocent.

♪♪

- Why would I be interested in a letter from Trask?

- Because it says that Ms. Winters is innocent.

- Would you excuse me, please?

- Then, you should show it to the proper authorities.

Oh, I see.

You already have and they laughed at you.

- No, they wondered why he had written it to me,

why, if Mr. Trask wanted to force a new trial,

he had not come to them.

- I'm glad to hear they were so logical.

Now, you're wasting my time, Mr. Bradford,

if you'll excuse me.

- Countess, I'll be honest?

- Aren't you always?

- I came here because I thought if you saw the letter,

- if you would the slightest bit affected by it-- - I am not.

- If you even thought there was just a chance

that Ms. Winters was not guilty,

you could help us by telling us,

by telling us about Angelique

because she has to be the witch.

- Oh, does she, indeed?

I make it a point not to talk about servants

when they are with me or after they leave.

I hope, in return, they will not discuss me.

- I don't think you are willing to see an innocent girl die.

Ben Stokes testified that Angelique is the witch.

- His testimony was not accepted by the court.

- It doesn't mean it isn't true.

- He said that Angelique was dead,

yet she appeared in the courtroom.

- And hasn't been seen since. - She's traveling.

- Her position here is very difficult.

- Ben Stokes took me to her grave.

I opened it.

It was empty.

- You put too much faith in Ben.

- You believe in ghosts.

You know that witches return.

- Do not tell me what I know.

That is no way to get my help.

- I apologize, Countess.

Will you answer one question?

- If one will satisfy you.

- What one person benefited from the witchcraft here?

Did Ms. Winters?

- No, of course not.

- Did you?

Your niece, Josette, certainly didn't.

Did any members of the Collins family?

- No.

- But one person,

one person did change her position.

- Angelique.

- She arrived your servant,

she married the Collins' only son.

- This is incredible.

- What did she know about witchcraft?

- Nearly everyone on our island knows something about it.

But I never paid very much attention to her.

I hired her because she was very young

and I felt sorry for her.

Her mother was not, shall we put it, kindly

respectable.

She had a reputation for being a healer.

- She used herbs-- - And potions?

- Yes.

Yes, Angelique was embarrassed by that.

Though she and her mother were very close.

- Mr. Bradford, it is not possible. - Isn't it?

- Your evidence is purely circumstantial.

- So, was the evidence that convicted Ms. Winters.

- Let me see the letter.

Yes, the handwriting seems the same as I remember.

- Do you have a sample of it?

- Yes. Yes, he wrote me a note after my niece died.

But I do not want this to go on any longer.

I cannot stand it, Mr. Bradford.

The same.

- But - but he's left Collinsport.

- So suddenly that he didn't bother to tell the innkeeper.

He had his belongings picked up after he left.

He's supposedly at home in Salem.

Then you must go to Salem

and find out why he wrote this letter.

- I'll leave tonight.

- I will stay here

and hope that Angelique returns.

♪♪

[thunder rumbling]

[thunder rumbling]

- I don't know why I've let you talk me into these things.

- Because you possessed the two perfect qualities.

You're greedy and you're weak.

- I won't do it, that's all.

- Oh?

Shall I go to the police

and tell them how well you knew Maude Browning?

- You got me into that.

- Yes, but I'm respectable, Noah.

You are not.

Here. Here's the mask. I need to run.

But--

There's going to be a storm.

- She'll be here.

- Why do I have to wear this? She doesn't know me.

- She will tomorrow.

You're going to be my assistant, remember?

Shh. Did you hear her?

- Yeah. - Here, use the cane.

- Use it exactly as I told you.

Make sure she sees the wolf's head.

Here, put on the gloves.

- I don't need them. - Yes, you do.

- The strangler wears a large ring.

I couldn't find one like it.

Here she comes.

[thunder rumbling]

- Barnabas!

- Get ready.

- Look. What's she got?

- Cousin Barnabas?!

- She's got a g*n. I'm not going up there.

- Oh, yes, you are.

She couldn't possibly fire it. Now, get going.

Cousin Barnabas, it really is very cruel of you to keep--

Ah!

♪♪

[eerie theme music] ♪♪