563 - August 21, 1968

[bunniefuu]

♪ [eerie music]

- Sometimes Collinwood senses peace when nightfall comes,

but peace is not the only spirit to exist this night on the vast

estate where, in a far-off corner, other spirits,

even now, react to disturbing news,

and what they do is sure to affect the lives of all who

live in the great house itself.

- You look very happy.

- Shouldn't I be?

- No, you should not.

I just talked to the hospital.

Tom Jennings is beginning to come out of his coma.

- Have I time to go to him now?

- No.

We will wait until tomorrow morning,

and then I will arrive at the hospital as a concerned

visitor.

- What if he says something to someone?

- The ravings of a newly conscious man.

- You're taking quite a chance.

What if they won't let you see him?

- That would be a shame, for him, as well as for me.

In that case, of course, I would let you take care of it.

Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?

- Yes.

- Tomorrow will be a most crucial day

for Mr. Jennings, a cl*max his doctors are not expecting.

♪ [dramatic music]

♪ [theme music]

Excuse me.

- Where are you going?

- In to see Mr. Jennings.

- Are you a relative?

- No, I'm his lawyer.

- Sorry. [chuckles]

- But I must see him.

Now I-- I know you have very strict orders,

and I understand, but it is absolutely imperative that I

speak-- - Mr. Blaire?

- Oh, hello, Maggie.

- Well, how nice of you to stop by and ask about Tom.

- They won't let me in. - Really?

Is he serious?

- No, he's improving.

- Oh, thank goodness.

May I put these flowers in his room?

- Of course, Maggie.

- Thank you.

[dinging]

[sighs]

[chuckles]

- I don't understand.

You let Ms. Evans in.

- She has permission from the doctor.

- Tom?

Tom?

Tom, it's Maggie.

- Maggie.

- Joe and I have been here every day.

We're so glad that you're getting better.

- Maggie?

- Yes.

Joe's working, but he'll stop by tonight.

Is there anything you want him to bring you?

- No.

- You're going to be all right now, Tom.

We're both so relieved that you're going to be all right.

- Maggie.

- What-- what is it, Tom?

- Coffin.

- What? - Room.

Room.

The coffin.

- Coffin?

Tom, you've had a nightmare.

- No.

At the house, in the room.

The-- the coffin.

- It's time to go.

- Well, must I leave now?

- I'm sorry.

He should get a little rest.

- No, don't go!

At the house there is a coffin.

Get Joe! Get Joe!

- I-- I will, Tom.

I promise.

I will.

Yes.

Now, you rest, Tom.

Just rest.

- I, uh-- I waited for you.

I hope you don't mind.

- No, I--

I'm glad you did.

- You know, Maggie, I'm sure this

must be a very fine hospital.

They are so preoccupied with their patients

that a visitor can't get any information at all.

Is Tom Jennings out of his coma?

- Yes.

- Well, then he's going to be all right.

That's wonderful.

I-- Well, has something new developed?

I-- I don't mean to be overly curious,

but his accident did happen after he had left my house,

and I--

I do feel I owe him a certain responsibility.

- He's just not himself.

- What?

- You never knew Tom, did you? - Well, no.

Only that one day.

- He was always so happy.

I don't think he even had a-- a gloomy thought,

and now suddenly he's talking about coffins.

- Coffins?

- Well, he must think he's going to die.

That has to be it.

He kept saying, "That room.

That room.

A coffin."

He just keep repeating it over and over.

I told him he'd had a nightmare.

- Well, you don't actually think that he saw a coffin,

do you, Maggie?

- Well, perhaps he did.

Perhaps it's some terrible memory.

He'll tell Joe tonight.

- He-- he'll what?

- He and Joe are very close.

They're cousins.

- Oh, I didn't know that.

- They tell each other everything.

- Well, in that case, Maggie, you

shouldn't worry about anything.

Your Joe will take care of everything.

I am positive of that.

♪ [dramatic music]

[wind howling]

[slow rock music]

- You're late.

- I'm not even going to answer that.

- Maggie, look, I'm sorry about last night.

- Well, you should be!

You didn't even call!

I waited and waited.

I was so mad that--

well, I was so mad that I'm still mad.

I wasn't going to come here, but--

- Oh, come on, Maggie.

- Well, I wasn't, but I wanted to tell you about Tom.

- Look, all I can say about last night is that I'm sorry.

- Is that all?

And that's an explanation?

Oh, forget it.

I'm not going to become one of those women that

nags men into making excuses.

- Look, Maggie, I fell asleep.

That's all.

I-- I laid down after work and I fell asleep.

When I woke up, it was o'clock in the morning.

I didn't call you.

I thought you'd be asleep too.

- Well, I wasn't.

Well, how could I be? I was worried sick.

I tried to call you.

- I guess I didn't hear the phone.

- Obviously.

What's wrong? - What?

- What were you thinking?

- It's just-- it's getting dark.

- Well, yes.

Is that what you were thinking?

- You said you've been to see Tom?

- Yes.

- He's out of the coma, huh?

- I promised him that you'd come to visit him tonight.

Joe?

What do you expect to see out the window?

- Nothing. What would I-- what would I see?

It's just-- it's just that it's gotten dark so quickly.

- Yes, it usually does this time of the day.

I-- Joe, let me in on it.

What's bothering you?

- Nothing's bothering me!

Nothing!

[creaking]

- [THINKING] Joe?

Joe?

Where are you, Joe?

[bell clangs]

- All right. Nothing's bothering you.

- Aren't you gonna finish your drink?

- Do you want to leave?

- No.

Uh-uh.

- Well, I didn't just get here, and we've got lots of time

before visiting hours at the hospital.

Are you listening to me?

- Yeah, sure.

- Well, what did I just say?

- You said you'd spent lots of time at the hospital.

- No, I didn't.

Well, if you're not going to listen--

- Oh, come on, Maggie, please!

It's hard enough as it is.

- What's hard enough?

What aren't you telling me?

- Wherever you are, Joe, listen to me.

Come to me.

I need you so, Joe, as much as you need me.

Come now.

Come to me, Joe.

Come to the house by the sea.

- I used to think that I--

I knew every expression on your face,

that I could tell what you were thinking almost

before you thought it.

I guess I was wrong.

- I've got to go, Maggie.

- Well, where?

- Sorry, I can't explain.

- But you've got to!

- The hospital. That's it.

I'm going to the hospital.

- They won't let you see him now.

- Maggie, I'm sorry.

I've got to go.

- But Joe!

[upbeat rock music]

- I have already completed the diagnosis of your problem.

It's a lover's quarrel.

Oh, but I just saw your fiance storm out of here.

May I offer you a shoulder to cry on?

- I'm not crying, but thank you.

- Well, then a--

a confidant?

- I wouldn't know what to say.

- Well, I do.

I shall sit here and charm all your problems away.

Would you like that?

- Yes.

Yes, I would.

♪ [suspenseful music]

♪ [upbeat rock music]

[bell clangs]

- Another drink. [giggling]

Come on. - Oh, I-- I really shouldn't.

- Why not?

- Well, I don't drink that much.

- Precisely why you should.

This evening, we should do everything we don't do often.

Break all the rules.

If you hate to swim after dark, we'll swim.

If you're always home by midnight,

we'll stay out until dawn.

[laughing]

- You really are a funny man.

- Well, actually, I'm trying to take advantage of you,

you know?

- I don't believe you. - You will.

You'll see.

[laughs]

I like women who have a sense of themselves.

- I don't know that I do.

- Of course you do.

Otherwise, you would have gone after your fiance when he left.

- I'm not sure that I ever wanted to have

that much of a sense of myself.

Oh, I'm taking everything too seriously, mostly myself.

- I like serious women.

But you do, uh, feel guilty about sitting here with me,

don't you?

- No.

- Well, you will, after we've had dinner.

- Oh.

Are we gonna do that too?

- This evening's not at all what you thought it would be, is it?

- No, it isn't.

- Do you mind?

- I guess I should.

- If I were a magician, I should wave my magic wand

and you would be carefree and smiling.

[both laugh]

- You are a magician in a way, aren't you?

- In a way, yes.

- Well, I'd love to have dinner with you,

and I'm not going to feel guilty about it at all.

I'm tired of staying home and waiting.

Let's have some fun.

[door opens and closes]

- I don't understand why I come here.

- You will.

- I should be at the hospital with Maggie.

I-- I have to visit my-- my cousin Tom.

What's wrong with me?

- You'll see Tom tonight.

- Not if I stay here.

- Both of us will visit your cousin.

- Why?

Why should you see him?

You know about Tom, don't you?

You did this to him, didn't you?

Didn't you?

Oh.

♪ [dramatic music]

[dogs howling]

Well, you're feeling better, though, aren't you?

I'm glad about that.

We were pretty worried about you.

- Maggie, when she was here this afternoon,

she said you were both coming tonight.

- Well, she couldn't.

She, uh-- she wanted to, but she couldn't.

- Well, I'm glad.

I-- I wanted to talk to you.

Joe-- Joe, I want you to go to the police.

- Why would I do that?

- You have got to tell them I am not the kind of person that

tells lies.

I'm the kind of person that tells the truth.

Will-- will you tell them that?

- Yes.

What about?

- Listen.

I don't know, because it does sound strange and funny.

Things like this don't happen, but it did.

It happened to me.

- What?

Go on and tell me.

- Well, that-- that-- that guy Blair, that's when it started.

And I saw that coffin.

You don't believe me, do you?

- I know Nicholas Blair very well.

There's no coffin there.

- Oh, Joe, if you don't believe that,

you won't believe any of it.

There is a coffin.

A room downstairs.

Joe, you gotta help me.

- Tell me the rest of it, Tom.

- I left the house.

I was walking through the woods trying to get back to town.

It was dark.

When I first remembered this I thought I had a nightmare,

but it wasn't.

It really happened.

- What happened?

- This-- this beautiful girl.

- What did she looks like?

Can you describe her?

- Oh, I'll never forgot her.

Blonde, strange eyes.

I never heard her.

Some-- some sound, noise, like-- like wings or a bird.

And I turned around, and there she

was just standing there looking at me sort of--

sort of funny.

- What happened then?

- She came toward me and had her arms outstretched.

I-- I just couldn't move.

I couldn't move.

She did this to me.

She did this to me.

Oh, you don't believe me, do you?

- I believe you.

- You do?

Oh, Joe, thank God.

Will you go to the police?

Will you tell them that you believe me?

What is it?

Joe, you're not just telling me you believe me?

- No.

- You will go?

- Yes, I'll go.

- Oh, thank you, Joe.

- I'll come see you tomorrow. - Thank you.

- For what? - For this.

I've been lying here worrying about how they'd

think I was nuts and all.

Oh, but if you think I'm not crazy, it's--

What are you doing?

- Don't you think it's hot in here?

Well, no, not really.

It's--

- It is hot.

Look, you must be pretty tired.

Why don't you try and get some sleep?

- Yeah.

Yeah, I am.

I sure am.

It's-- it's a load off my mind, Joe.

It-- it sure is.

- I know.

Good night.

[ticking]

[dogs howling]

[groans]

[chittering]

♪ [suspenseful music]

♪ [theme music]