Where's Edward? Where's my husband?
Dr. Jeffreys is up at the hospital.
You talked to him on the telephone, remember?
Oh, yes, of course, the flood.
There have been some casualties. There may be more.
I've brought practically my entire dispensary...
All the sulfa, penicillin, enough splints and plaster
to mend 100 broken bones.
Please hurry, Mr. harmer. I can't stand this much longer.
I haven't left my bed for weeks.
Put your bundles down, everybody,
until we can find places for you.
- Sister Helen! - Reverend mother.
You will receive the villagers.
Use that table near the door. Where is Sister Mary?
I don't know, reverend mother. I've been so busy.
Let me have these blankets.
Be sure and list everybody who enters,
and take the names of those who are already here.
We must keep a record of every single person.
There.
You'll be close enough to nudge Mr. Evans if he snores.
Mr. Evans will need more than a nudge.
Oh, Willie, I told you those go in the recreation room.
Nurse Phillips won't have them there.
Nurse Phillips? What is she doing there?
She be fixing it up proper for the ladies
accustomed to privacy.
Who gave her the authority to...
Come along, Willie.
I must say, this time she's right.
This time? Sister Mary is always right.
It's one of the rules of this hospital.
What's the matter now?
Something about the sisters' recreation room and Phillips.
Sister, Sister Mary!
How many? How many for supper?
Nobody knows. Cook all you can, Sister Josephine,
your best onion soup.
It's already on the fire,
but I thought a bit of a stew would be appropriate.
A bit? Cook all the meat we have on hand.
Oh, you mean, no weighin' and no figurin',
just dump it on with plenty of carrots and potatoes?
And anything else that's nourishing.
How splendid. Sancti spiritus, domine.
Corda nostra mundet...
Nurse Phillips, I don't remember giving you permission
- to leave the hospital. - No, you didn't,
but when everything's in a turmoil
one forgets formalities.
There is no turmoil here unless we create it.
Sister Mary, Phillips asked my permission to leave the ward.
Well, that's quite all right, doctor.
I plan this room to be the children's dormitory.
I want them away from the contagion ward.
- The mother superior... - Sister Mary's absolutely right.
This whole thing was my idea.
I'm so worried about my wife.
She'll be here any minute, and she has to be kept quiet.
Of course, doctor.
We'll screen off her bed in the ward.
Oh, never mind, Sister.
I'll have a bed put up in my office.
Please, Dr. Jeffreys, don't be offended.
There's nothing personal in this.
It's just that it's my duty to see that things are done
- in the right way. - I understand.
The right way?
You mean your way,
and that's what's personal about it.
You just have to be right, always right!
Please return to the hospital, nurse.
Very well.
But I'm going to get out of here the first chance I have.
You resent anybody with a will of her own.
Maybe if I were a thieving half-wit like Willie,
you'd approve of me.
You're down on me, you are.
Willie, no!
- Thieving, you say! - Willie!
My hands be clean.
I have no sin on them.
Willie... go to the tower,
ring the bell.
We must warn those who are still below.
We're all a little jumpy tonight.
I'm sure nurse Phillips didn't mean what she said.
I meant every word and more.
What happened? What is it?
I'm fed up. I've had all I can take.
Nurse Phillips is upset.
Let her speak her mind, doctor.
Whatever I say, you'll find an eloquent answer for it.
You always do to defend your pets and fancies.
Well, let me tell you this.
It would do your soul good to be wrong once in a while.
If you weren't so positive about everything,
perhaps your sister would still be alive.
She... she doesn't mean it. Sister.
Doctor?
Mrs. Jeffreys and Mr. harmer have just arrived.
Oh, thank you. Excuse me.
Willie has proved once more that he cannot be trusted.
As soon as conditions are back to normal,
he must be sent away.
Yes, reverend mother.
We are preparing this room for the children.
They should be as far removed from the wards as possible.
They'll be safer here
and they won't disturb the patients.
To be sure...
How well you plan everything.
I hadn't planned on losing Phillips.
In fits of anger, we all say things we don't really mean.
Sister... I want you to know
that I have not betrayed your confidence.
I've no idea how nurse Phillips found out about your sister.
Phillips must have resented me for a long time.
We can't expect to be loved by everyone,
not even our blessed saints were.
We've got to learn to accept the fact
that we are less than angels and make the best of ourselves.
Reverend mother, have I made the best of myself?
Of course you have.
And you came to us later in life than most of the others.
Sometimes I think it was too late.
It's never too late to serve God and the ailing.
Your record is a splendid example of it...
From novice to matron of the hospital
in eight short years.
The echoes of a past life don't die easily.
They will at last.
If I could only be sure that in changing my life
I have succeeded in changing myself.
You must not hold yourself responsible
for what happened to your sister.
I should have let her alone.
If she wanted that man I had no right to interfere.
But he was altogether an unfit person for her.
It was your duty to protect her.
But I can't escape the thought that it was I...
Suicide is such a horrible thing.
Perhaps you should go into retreat for a while.
There's nothing more comforting than a week of silence
and meditation alone with God.
I've tried. I find no comfort, no peace.
It will come to you...
In its own way, in its own time...
In your own heart.
Hot soup.
Hot soup coming through. Hot soup.
Dr. Jeffreys wants me to go apologize, but I won't.
Why should I respect her habit when she doesn't...
With the compliments of Mr. Evans in ward two.
Oh, the Sunday "times." How thoughtful of him.
Not even a flood can stop you from collecting old newspapers.
Well, if I had a thousand,
I'd have a thousand and one uses for them.
- Never... - Discard a newspaper.
- And never... - Throw away a piece of string.
Now there must be a gizzard in here somewheres.
Oh, there you are.
I'm so hungry, I could faint.
Help yourself, nurse.
No, not the one with the gizzard.
That's for the sweet Mr. Evans.
I do like the times.
The pages have such a nice gray effect on my shelves.
We've 72 adults and 25 children so far.
72 and 25.
72 and 25... There's so much noise here.
- 97. - Right you are.
And add it to our regular 85, which makes it...
182.
Yeah, 182, right, exactly.
Sister Mary, you're wanted in the great room.
- Is it urgent? - A man and two women have arrived.
- Sister Helen will put them up. - But they don't want to stay.
They want to borrow some petrol or a car.
Oh.
Well, I guess they'll have time for some hot soup.
There goes Mr. Evans' gizzard.
To bring her to a convent, that's blasphemy.
- I can't... - She always be kind to me.
Sister.
And a first-class customer.
I will not have my baby under the same roof
with that creature.
- Good evening, Mrs. Smithson. - Sister.
Molly.
- Good evening. - Keep out, Sister.
The devil's daughter be in there.
Open the door, please.
Take off your coat. It's soaked.
Can't you let me alone for a second?
You'll get a chill.
Don't you worry about my health.
They won't care if I sneeze.
They'll say "bless you" and go right ahead.
I only want you to be comfortable.
We'll be back on the road soon.
I've brought you some soup.
Did you hear, Pierce, soup,
steaming-hot and nourishing.
I was told there were three of you.
Sergeant Melling's in there with the sister in charge.
Oh, you mean reverend mother.
I hope you like our soup.
Some of us think Sister Josephine
has missed her vocation.
She's our cook as well as matron of our lay-sisters.
I don't want any.
Oh, please have some. It'll warm you.
I'm not cold!
Then let me have your coat.
Leave me alone, please.
Maybe you don't care about getting ill,
- but we do. - Why should you?
Well, for one thing, our wards are overcrowded.
Don't worry, I shan't take up your precious space.
What's keeping him so long? I want to get out of here.
Why are you in such a hurry?
I'm not. They are.
Isn't there anything I can do? Perhaps if you'd explain.
There's nothing you can do.
Sister, there's nothing you can do for her.
Let me have a cigarette.
I suppose smoking isn't permitted.
Usually not, but in these circumstances...
What circumstances?
- You know. - I said what circumstances?
With practically the entire village up here,
we can't be too strict about regulations.
So if you'd like to smoke, please do.
You're not fooling me. You know who I am.
They all do.
You're only being kind to me because you have to be.
It's part of your duty.
That's true.
And if I can't be of any help
it only means that I've failed in my work.
Oh, very clever, Sister,
humble yourself to the sinner,
appeal to his conscience.
It's the trick that never fails.
Well, with me, it does.
You see, I've no conscience left.
And I have no tricks left,
except to ask you once more to take off your coat.
There.
I don't want you to be a failure on my account.
You'd make me an even greater success if you took your soup.
- Let me take your wet shoes. - Get up!
Don't kneel before me! Let me alone!
I don't want you to touch me!
Yes?
When?
Oh, they're all out I'm sure,
though they had sufficient warning.
Hello?
Hello, Sister Ambrosine,
I was talking to the chief engineer at the dyke.
I was cut off.
Will you ring through, please?
What?
Oh.
The Reverend Lady's been good enough
to lend us their ambulance car.
We ought to be in Norwich within the hour.
I'm afraid you can't. Why not, ma'am?
What is it, Sister?
The dike has been abandoned.
They expect it to collapse at any moment.
In that case, I must telephone Norwich
and have them send a launch.
I'm afraid you can't do that either.
The wires are down.
There's no way to communicate with the outside.
But we must be in Norwich before tomorrow.
- She's got to be there. - But it's impossible.
It will be two or three days.
Two or three days?
I couldn't stand it.
Sister, better put the entire staff on emergency duty.
The dike's gone.
They're bringing in casualties.
Why didn't the fools give up the attempt before the...
Valerie.
Valerie...
How did you get here, Valerie?
Valerie Carns, of course.
That's right. Valerie Carns, the murderess.
Valerie Carns, who is on her way to Norwich prison
to be hanged in the morning.
But now it won't be, not tomorrow morning!
They'll just have to wait!
Can you see the notice, "postponed because of rain,"
like a cricket match!
Come on.
Take her to my office and put her on the couch.
I'll get her a sedative.
Don't leave her alone, Pierce, not for a second.
- Sister Mary? - Yes?
My Molly, she feels awful queer.
What's wrong, Mr. Smithson?
Well, if something happens, will you look after her?
You'll be such a comfort to her
when our little Janie be born.
It be the murder woman putting the Mark of Cain
on the child that Molly be carrying.
The flood will be gone and your wife
will be home long before the baby's born.
Would you tell her that yourself, Sister?
- It'd be a great comfort to her. - Of course.
Oh, it's you, Sister Mary.
I'm so glad you're here.
Something tells me my baby will come before the time.
Will you be here to take care of me when it comes?
Yes, of course.
Thank you, Sister.
Thank you.
Mrs. Jeffreys.
- Yes? - Breakfast is ready.
- Is Dr. Jeffreys coming? - In a minute.
He's just finishing in surgery.
- Isabel? - Yes, Edward.
Come, dear, breakfast is on the table.
- Have you seen her? - Whom?
Valerie.
Yes, last night for a moment.
How did you know she was here?
Nurse Phillips told me.
Oh, Valerie's innocent. I swear she is.
Lower your voice,
and for heaven's sake, be sensible.
I can't bear the thought of her being under the same roof
and me sitting here.
Now come on, pull yourself together.
Breakfast is getting cold.
Good morning.
Sit here, Isabel.
Mr. harmer.
Oh, please go ahead, Dr. Jeffreys,
no formalities this morning.
Mmm, smells good, doesn't it?
- Good morning, Mrs. Jeffreys. - Morning, Sister.
Edward, please let me go to see her.
You couldn't see her even if I wanted you to.
She's under arrest. Yes, Sister?
I'd like to go over these charts with you,
but it can wait till you've had your breakfast.
Where are they keeping her?
In the private office of mother superior.
Now just to please me, hmm?
Miss Carns was moved to my office this morning.
We decided it would be better
if she were completely separated from the others.
Yes, public opinion is violently against her.
It's a pity.
Well, you can't really blame them.
After all, she did kill her own brother,
did you know Jason Carns?
Only slightly.
Dr. Jeffreys is the one who really knew him
having been his doctor.
What was actually the matter with him?
A stroke, left him almost completely paralyzed,
the result of chronic alcoholism and an overall dissolute life.
Isabel, Sister Mary will think you don't like their cooking.
Oh, but I do. It's excellent.
All this excitement has been too much for you.
As soon as you've finished, you go back to bed
and I'll give you your sedative.
I don't think I need it today.
I'm not a bit tired.
Let me be the judge of that.
I'll never forget the look in her eyes
when I stepped out of the witness box.
By Jove, I'm famished.
And all I did was tell the truth.
I had to do that.
After all, I filled out the prescription.
She poisoned him? Wasn't that the charge?
Gave him three tablets at one time,
a fatal overdose, would have killed a horse.
I wager she wasn't glad to see you here, doctor.
- I'm afraid not. - Why not?
I was a key witness for the crown.
Yet he did everything he could to save her,
brought up all the extenuating circumstances.
If only Willie hadn't overheard.
Willie, our Willie?
Yes, he used to help out at the Carns' house.
What did he overhear?
It was after a particularly bad night.
Jason was in agonizing pain.
When I got there,
I found Valerie terribly distraught.
She had no idea what she was saying.
She kept repeating, "I wish he were dead.
I wish he were dead."
I'm sorry, dear.
We were all shocked by it, this tragic affair.
And the court took Willie's testimony as evidence?
No, not Willie's, mine,
but I had to admit that he was telling the truth.
The truth is the truth. You were under oath.
I'll leave the charts with you.
Thank you.
Here now, you can't go in there.
I thought I could see miss Carns for a moment.
What about?
I knew her slightly before... Before it happened.
I thought I could comfort her.
There's very little any of us can do for her, ma'am,
short of saving her from the gallows.
The gallows...
Aren't you Dr. Jeffrey's wife?
Yes. You won't mention this to him, will you?
I'm not very well.
He'd be very upset if he knew that I...
- Mum's the word. - Thank you.
You all know what you're to do, Sisters.
We must be firm about people remaining in the rooms
to which we have assigned them.
You'll please report to me immediately
if there's any difficulty.
The day staff will relieve you just before mass.
I better go back.
Wasn't that Mrs. Jeffreys?
Yes, she wanted to see miss Carns.
And you wouldn't allow her?
Do you think I'm too hard on the prisoner?
No, it's not...
With all due respect to your intentions,
don't get involved with miss Carns.
Let me warn you, Sister.
It's not kind to encourage the prisoner
to any form of self-pity.
It only makes it harder for her...
And for us.
Who's playing?
Miss Carns. She's a fine musician.
That's one of the things she's missed the most,
her piano.
Has she been a difficult prisoner?
No more than most, not as much as some.
Of course these last days are the worst
after the home secretary turned down the appeal.
You see, they all have the same idea.
- What's that? - That they're not guilty.
I see.
Oh, I meant to ask Willie to repair this latch for ages.
When did you come in?
Just a few moments ago.
Please go on.
It's not disturbing me, on the contrary.
How is Willie?
Oh, I don't know, unpredictable as always.
And just as frightened.
He didn't look at me once during the trial,
just kept wiping the perspiration off his face.
But I'm not angry with him. He only repeated what he heard.
I shouldn't try to guess. I know so little about music.
Is it Debussy?
No, it's Carns.
You're a composer?
Jason Carns.
Jason, your brother?
Yes, the one I killed.
You don't like it, do you?
- Oh, but I do. - No, you don't.
Poor Jason, all his life he had to contend
with heads shaking in disapproval.
Well, you're all wrong.
Jason's music has great merit
and will not be forgotten.
That's the only thing I still believe in.
Wouldn't you like to change into something more comfortable?
I forgot to bring my wardrobe along,
very careless of me.
Oh, forgive me.
This will keep you warm.
Are you sure you don't mind a murderess sleeping
on your couch?
You didn't kill your brother. I'm sure you didn't.
How very kind of you. That makes two of us.
Even if you had done it,
out of some false sense of mercy,
his death would be on your conscience
and you wouldn't find peace, not for a second.
You had it while you played.
But I've told you, I have no conscience.
I'll never believe that.
I should have played Jason's sonata for the jury.
Perhaps they'd have acquitted me.
I have the deepest conviction...
No, don't talk about divine inspiration.
I wasn't going to.
Then tell me why do you think I'm not guilty?
Tell me.
Perhaps because I know how it feels to be guilty.
All right, suppose you believe in my innocence,
what does that mean to me?
Words, just words, but can you do something about it?
- I can pray for you. - More words.
If you really want me to believe you, do something.
Help me to live through these last few days.
I will.
Bring me the one human being who really cares about me.
His name is Sidney Kingham.
Is he here?
No, in Norwich, only eight short miles away.
You know,
but you know it's impossible to get to Norwich.
You're a nun, a holy woman.
Why don't you perform a miracle?
Don't slurp so loud. Chew with your mouth closed.
Then I'd be choked.
Put the food in your mouth,
not your mouth in the food, Willie.
Aye.
Oh, Willie, miss Carns asked about you.
- Kindly, did she? - Yes.
She's not angry with you. She made a point of that.
She be as kind and sweet as any bird.
Finish your supper and get some sleep.
Tomorrow's another long day ahead of us.
Aye, Sister.
Have you had anything to eat?
Mm-hmm.
I don't know, I must have.
I'm not a bit hungry.
Oh, I'm too tired.
Well, I'm that tired. I haven't the energy to stop.
Peeling potatoes for me is like knitting for others.
It relaxes me.
And in the spring when they're very small,
they feel like beads,
and I say my rosary while I work.
Sure, I must have told you this a hundred times or more.
What did you say?
Something's preying on your mind.
You have that far away look in your eyes.
Is it still that unfortunate girl?
This great flood, it's God's will.
It must be.
It surely is. It was in Noah's day.
It must be his will,
to surround our house with water to let no one in,
and no one out.
Oh, if I could only go to Norwich.
To Norwich?
I'd do anything if I could get there tonight.
Well, that's the first foolish thing
I've heard you say in eight years.
We'll have leek and potato soup tomorrow.
'Night, sisters.
- Oh, good night, Willie. - Good night.
Be here at 6:00 to start the fires.
Aye, sisters.
Oh, I guess they've soaked long enough now.
You forgot the water.
I mean me feet.
Ever since last night,
from the first moment I saw her,
something passed between us.
I know she's no more guilty of murder than... you are.
But you can't be so certain, Sister.
But I am. I am certain.
It's as if I were driven from within to do something.
Sister, I need your help.
My help?
I want to know everything about the trial.
But how would I know?
Those newspapers you're always hoarding.
Find me every scrap dated January.
Is this wise, Sister?
Please, I must do this.
But I might have used those papers.
It's been over a month ago.
- We've got to find them! - Tomorrow.
No, no, tonight.
Here we are, January 14th.
"Carns trial continues. Defendant denies guilt."
Well, that's all there is here.
Let me think. What else did we do in January?
The medicine cupboards, yes.
Listen to this.
Prosecution... "If no one else was in the house",
who then but you could have given your brother
"the three tablets?"
Carns... "I told you 100 times,"
I took one tablet from the file.
I did not substitute the aspirin for the two missing tablets.
"I gave him one tablet, just one tablet."
Shh, not so loud.
This is a picture of Jason carns.
- Do we need that? - No.
Shh, come on.
What's the meaning of this, Isabel?
Where did you get this?
I found it on this table.
I heard a noise...
Sol...
You're lying.
You've been hiding this picture against my orders.
No, Edward. I found it here.
- I came out because... - There was nobody outside.
You're lying to me.
Edward, I told you I would never lie to you again.
Go back to bed, Isabel. Go on.
I think they only changed the papers
under the raspberries and the apple sauce.
November.
Here's one.
"Chemist harmer gives testimony."
Oh, I think we have that from another paper.
Better make sure.
Who's there?
It'd be me, Willie.
Willie, you're dripping wet.
I've come to fetch you, Sister.
What have you been doing, Willie?
You'd be wishing to go to Norwich,
and so you will.
Norwich, tonight?
Willie found a way.
Nobody could but Willie.
The fog be thick and ghost-like,
but don't be afeared, Sister.
The moon be 'elping.
The rain be stopped for good, I'd be thinkin...
There be a dike right under us,
crushed flat by the flooding, it be.
Willie, do you know a man named Sidney Kingham?
Aye, Sister.
He be takin' miss Valerie for long walks.
Do you know where he lives?
Aye.
Last Christmas I took a package to him.
He gave me half a crown.
I bought some sweeties at the bakery.
And on the way back, I got a bellyache.
Good. Oh, I mean,
I'm glad you know where he lives.
That be blackthorn hill,
and down the other side, there be the bog.
Will you stay close behind me, Sister?
Yes.
I'll not go too fast, but you must be careful,
not let no slimy places take your feet and drag you down.
I'm all right, Willie. Let's lose no time.
Willie, did Mr. Kingham come often to visit miss carns?
He couldn't.
Her brother, Mr. Jason, he hated Mr. Kingham.
He did? Why?
He was afeared Mr. Kingham
be taking miss Valerie away from him.
He was a mean one, all right.
'Urting others be his pleasure.
Mr. Jason was a very sick man.
He hurt me,
threw a jug of milk at me, cut my head!
I'd be bleedin' like a pig.
Why did he do that?
He said my hands be pickin' and stealin'.
He'd be lookin' for some letter.
But Willie didn't take it, not then.
But you did take it?
After he cut me with a jug, aye!
Oh, Willie.
He punish Willie for pickin', Willie be pickin',
what did you do with that letter?
I have it.
I be hidin' it in my room.
You've been hid... Do you know what it says?
Nay, I just smell it every night before sleepin'.
When we get back, Willie,
I-I want you to show me that letter.
Aye, Sister.
It smells proper sweet, as lilac in the spring.
What about my beer?
It's after hours.
Oh, now, go along, Mr. Kingham.
You'll not do yourself or anyone else any good,
hanging about here.
Maybe they all drowned.
They were driving through tonight
before the dike caved in.
Maybe she doesn't have to face tomorrow morning.
I'll get you one.
Mr. Kingham.
Willie. How did you get here?
You have to come with me outside.
That's all I be saying.
- Who's out there? - You're to come with me.
Over here.
- Oh, I thought it was... - Mr. Kingham.
I'm Sister Mary Bonaventure
from the convent of Our Lady of Rheims.
What is it you want?
- Miss carns is at the convent. - What?
- How do you know? - I've just come from there.
Through the floods? That's impossible.
Willie showed her the way,
and the sister be not afeared.
The only thing she wants is to see you once more.
It maybe days before they can get out.
But if you could get out, why can't they?
I never thought of that.
I knew how much she needed you.
And Willie found a boat somewhere.
This'll get you into serious trouble, Sister.
It's too late to think about that now.
No, it isn't.
If you go back without me, they need never find out.
Oh, Mr. Kingham...
Either you're an extremely considerate man, or...
Or you don't want to come back with us.
I'm not a considerate man.
Oh, the poor child.
And she told me you're the only person in the world
who cares for her.
I do.
I love her.
We were going to be married.
But that has nothing to do with my believing she's guilty.
I've tried not to believe it.
I've been over the trial,
all the evidence a thousand times.
How do you think it feels
to love someone found guilty of murder?
How do you think I can stand the thought of tomorrow,
or the next day?
It's miss carns, we should consider now.
She has a few hours.
You don't have to tell me that.
And I am considering Valerie.
What if she should find out how I feel about her?
Would I make her last few hours happier,
or more miserable?
Of course I want to see her again.
Every bit as much as she wants to see me.
What if she should see through me?
Will you take the responsibility
for her added suffering?
You're the authority on mercy and charity.
You tell me.
You decide. You tell me what to do.
Come back with us.
Very well, Sister.
Willie, what on earth are you doing?
Crushing the little boat.
They'll be using it to take miss Valerie to be hanged.
Willie is much wiser than anyone would think.
You'd better wait here.
- Who is it? - Sister Mary.
Oh. Just a minute.
What time is it?
I don't know.
Oh, it's you.
I did what you asked. I went to Norwich.
You must have walked on the water.
Willie found a boat.
Sidney!
Sidney.
Sister Mary...
Dear Sister.
- Sergeant, Mary... - You go and have your breakfast.
I'll stay with her.
Oh, Sister Mary.
Is it true that you went to Norwich last night?
Yes, sergeant.
Of course, you notified the authorities that we're here.
No.
No... I didn't have it in mind.
Oh, that's unfortunate.
However, I'll have Willie or whatever his name is
take us to Norwich immediately.
Oh, I'm afraid that's impossible.
Willie destroyed the boat.
Destroyed the boat?
Why didn't you stop him?
She couldn't.
This is Mr. Kingham.
Kingham?
Sidney kingham...
Her fiancé.
So that's why you had to go to Norwich to bring him back.
I'll see the authorities find out about this.
You must do your duty, sergeant.
It's my fault, Sister. I shouldn't have asked you.
I knew what I was doing.
Wait, Sister.
I have a gift for you.
We don't accept gifts.
You did this for an innocent woman,
not a guilty one.
I swear this to you.
It's all I have.
I make you a gift of it...
My innocence.
Ah, deo gratieas.
I'll Cherish that.
I can't believe it, Sidney.
I can't believe that you're really here.
Oh, there are so many things I want to tell you and ask you.
Now I can't remember a single one.
I'm so tired.
Valerie, my love...
I don't...
It's so hard to say anything, I know,
but words aren't important.
I just want to rest my head on your shoulder...
And hold your hand.
Good morning.
Oh, Sister Mary, - yes, nurse.
We've been looking all over for you for hours.
- But I'm afraid it's too late now. - What is it?
- Mrs. Smithson's had her baby. - Oh, no.
The doctor and I had a most difficult time.
But what about the mother and the baby?
I was coming to that.
Mrs. Smithson kept asking for you.
She said you promised to be with her.
The baby's barely breathing, a hopeless case.
You let me Molly down, Sister, you did.
I'm so sorry, Mr. Smithson, but I didn't know...
You had to go and bring that evil woman's lover back.
Her pleasure meant more to you than my wife and baby.
Oh, don't bother, there's nothing you can do.
Our baby will die.
It's my first boy.
Morning, Sister.
Atelectasis?
Both lungs.
We've managed to aspirate some mucous,
but he's still hardly breathing.
Have you used oxygen?
Yes.
We had him in the Incubator until an hour ago.
I'd bronchoscope him if I had the equipment,
is it that bad?
Couldn't be any worse.
Would you like me to take over?
You must be twice as tired as I am.
No, I'm not.
I wish you'd spoken with me before you went to Norwich.
I'm afraid you couldn't have changed my mind.
It'll break your heart if you get yourself involved
in the carns' affair.
Well, call me if there's any sudden change.
In every community civic or religious,
there's always a Judas.
We must remember not to make the mistake
of condemning the pluribus for the sins of the unum.
Mrs. Jeffreys,
you should have seen what happened this morning.
When the villagers saw Sister Mary, they blocked her way.
They brandished their fists at her.
I don't believe it. I know the men of our village.
They'd never raise a finger against a holy woman.
Sister Mary isn't holy. She's sanctimonious.
You hate her very much, don't you?
I hate people with a superiority complex.
That's why I'm going to leave this place.
You won't have to.
I'll wager when the bishop hears about this,
Sister Mary will be transferred in a hurry.
Do you really think so?
Sister Mary be here?
No, and you should know better than
to come in here, filthy as you are!
To everything there is a season.
Stop mumbling, you dunderhead.
What is it you want?
I want to speak to Sister Mary.
You can't.
She's busy in the delivery room.
Will you be kind and tell her Willie has the blue letter
that smells as lilacs in the spring.
Lilacs?
Lilacs are my favorite flower.
I'm afraid we won't have any this spring,
not after this flood.
They be smellin' sweet on the letter,
if Sister Mary let me keep 'em.
What are you talking about?
Gibberish.
You just tell Sister Mary, she knows,
the letter Mr. Jason be looking for.
What Mr. Jason?
- Jason carns. - Aye.
Don't you know Mr. Jason's dead?
Aye. He be proper dead.
Willie, that's no way to talk.
Sister Mary be asking for the letter
when we be crossing the bog.
Well, give it to me. I'll take it to her.
I don't have it. I'd be hidin' it in my room.
What for?
There's only one thief around and that's you!
- Willie! - Don't you dare!
I eave this room.
I'll tell Sister Mary.
Nurse Phillips, I must go and lie down.
Would you send for my husband?
I must talk to him. I must.
Later, Mrs. Jeffreys.
He's still with the Smithson baby.
Come on. Come now.
"Whereupon Willie Pentridge, on his own initiative"
proceeded to destroy the said rowboat,
rendering it impossible for this officer
to deliver his prisoner to the authorities
"at Norwich prison."
Please sign it, Mr. kingham, over the space marked "witness."
But...
Have I misstated any of the facts?
There is more to this than fact, sergeant.
Than I take it, sir, that you refuse.
I'm sorry to have kept you waiting.
Doctor, how's the Smithson baby?
We've put him back in the Incubator.
We'll know in the next few hours.
Sergeant Melling has asked me to sign this report
as a witness.
I think you ought to read it first.
I don't think that's necessary.
I'm certainly it's accurate. Please sign it.
May I read it, sergeant?
Sister Mary and I have worked together for quite some time.
I'm sure you can understand that I want to do all I can
in her behalf.
I have no objections.
I regret very much having to file this report, madam.
But there has been, in effect, an obstruction of justice.
Thank you.
Please don't worry about this, Sister Mary.
I'm convinced they'll drop the charges against you
after Valerie...
I mean, um...
You mean after the execution.
I'm sorry, kingham.
Regardless of official charges, Sister,
I wish you'd used better judgment.
But reverend mother, my heart went out to that poor girl.
The fact remains she is a convicted murderess.
Jason carns deserved what he got.
He was rotten and corrupt,
although having been his doctor
I don't suppose I should say it.
Why shouldn't you?
He was a confirmed drunkard.
He tormented and abused Valerie constantly.
Oh, stop being so certain of her guilt, both of you.
Look at the facts, Sister.
I had prescribed tablets to help him sleep.
Harmer made up a three-week supply,
21 tablets packed singularly into a file,
the day my wife and I left for a holiday.
Before I left, I cautioned Valerie
to give Jason only one each night, no more,
no matter how severe the pain.
Four days later,
Jason was found dead of an overdose.
The coroner ordered an inquiry.
After four days, how many tablets should there have been?
- 17. - There were 17.
Two of the remaining tablets were aspirin.
Even so, that doesn't prove that she put them there.
But Jason couldn't reach the file.
He was paralyzed, and even if he could,
why would he replace the tablets with aspirin?
It doesn't make sense.
Sister, if Jason carns was paralyzed
and Valerie carns was alone in the house with him...
And I told you what she said to me
- the time Willie overheard us. - That she wished him dead.
But you also told me that she didn't really mean it.
- Remember, doctor? - Yes.
I had reason to feel that she didn't.
When he had his second stroke, the one that left him paralyzed,
if she hadn't sent for me in time,
I think he would have died.
So she could have let him die, but didn't.
She could have, couldn't she?
She saved him from dying a natural death
and then turned around and poisoned him.
I don't understand that kind of logic.
Well, it is conceivable that one can come
to the end of one's Patience, you know.
No, no, that wasn't the case with Valerie.
Only the day before Jason died,
I begged her to send him to a nursing home
so that she could be free to marry me,
but she wouldn't hear of it.
You wouldn't say that she'd come to the end
of her Patience, would you?
There's no sense in putting her on trial again.
Academic discussions won't change her fate.
Please keep away from her.
It'll only break your heart.
Sister, please come to my office.
I'm afraid you're getting involved in matters
that do not concern you.
She's innocent, reverend mother.
Never in my whole life,
have I been filled with... With such complete conviction.
You must renounce it.
Renounce it?
You will have no further contact with miss carns.
You will not speak to her again.
You are to avoid seeing her at all.
- But reverend mother... - This girl is prepared for death.
It would be cruel to raise false hope in her heart.
That will be all, Sister.
Sister Mary?
I hear the Smithson baby's a wee bit better.
I'm afraid his condition is still critical.
Now after vespers, you must rest a few hours.
It's a good thing miss carns was moved out of your office.
- She was? - Oh, Willie gave me a letter for you.
Oh, yes, of course. I forgot all about it.
I think I have it. Yes, here it is.
Poor Willie, he could hardly keep his eyes open.
So I told him to have his supper now and go to bed.
I've left my will with my attorney in London.
Please, Valerie, you're only torturing yourself.
I'm not. We all know what's going to happen.
Why not talk about it?
All right, you left your will with your attorney.
I want to change it.
I want to leave half of what I own to the sisters,
the other half shall remain for the promotion of Jason's music.
I'll write it all down,
and you'll take it to London after the...
Sit down, Sidney.
I don't want you to forget me.
But I want you to forget the plans that we made together.
They mustn't keep you from living the life you should have.
Forget that we planned to be married,
forget the house we built sitting by the fire.
Darling, please, I don't want to hear about it.
Well, I do.
I want you to promise me that if you meet a nice girl,
you won't turn away.
You mustn't think that if you fall in love again,
you will betray...
But you're all I ever had!
I'll never look for anybody else.
I don't want you to be my living memorial.
I want you to live a normal life.
I would if you died.
And above all, don't feel badly
because you can't believe that I'm innocent.
Valerie!
How could you say such a thing?
You've tried so hard to hide it,
ever since the coroner's enquiry.
But it's not so.
I've told you many times...
Close your eyes when you lie,
because they give you away.
Did Sister Mary tell you?
Nobody told me.
I'm more observant than you think.
But if you didn't do it,
there's only one other person who could have,
who had a reason to kill Jason... me.
But I didn't do it.
And I didn't do it.
So nobody did it. Maybe it didn't happen.
- Maybe it's all a joke! - Valerie!
Jason's at home waiting for his supper!
We'd better go down. It's getting chilly.
I don't want to go down.
It's not a bit chilly.
It's beautiful up here,
the evening, and fresh air.
I didn't do it, Sidney, I'm innocent and I'm young.
And I'm in love with you. I want to live.
I want to be your wife and live in that house
we were going to build.
I don't want you to touch any other woman but me.
I don't want to die.
My dearest...
My love...
My only love.
Miss carns, something important has come up.
Well, what is it?
This letter, it was written to your brother.
- How did you get it? - From Willie.
Your brother accused him of stealing it
and punished him for it.
So later, when Willie found the letter,
he decided to keep it.
It was his childish way of taking out his resentment.
It was obviously written by a woman.
I wonder if you'd recognize the handwriting.
"Dearest, Jason,"
I hesitated a long time before writing you this letter.
I'm mortally afraid of getting in touch with you,
and yet I must, and this is my only way.
We are suspected.
No, I haven't been questioned
and I haven't made any mistakes, but I feel it.
There is nothing either of us can do
except go on as though we'd never met.
If you're asked, you must deny everything.
Take care of yourself, and please, please get well.
"I'll never change. I couldn't if I wanted to."
There's no signature.
Do you recognize the handwriting?
No.
Have you any idea who it could be?
I haven't.
I knew quite a few of Jason's girlfriends in London,
but I only came to stay with him after his first stroke.
He'd been living here for over a year when it happened.
Let me see the postmark.
It was posted in Norwich.
Norwich?
I haven't the slightest idea.
Well, why didn't Willie produce this letter during the trial?
He was afraid.
And besides, he never read it.
He only kept it because it smelled sweet.
Are you sure your brother never spoke of anybody?
Weren't there any telephone calls or messages?
Sister Mary, you were definitely warned
not to come in contact with the prisoner.
I know, sergeant, I'm sorry.
You keep on interfering with my duties.
You repeatedly violate the law.
I must report you once again to your superior.
Pierce, take the prisoner to her room.
I've been lenient long enough.
From now on, no more personal favors
and no visitors.
Take her away.
Give up, it's too late, Sister.
There's nothing you can do.
Who be in there?
Sit here, Sister.
This is the second time in one day that I must ask you
to account for your inconceivable behavior.
- I think I can explain. - Let me finish, Sister.
Through the years you've been a strong advocate of discipline.
You demand it of all those who work under your supervision,
and yet you openly disobey my orders.
For my disobedience, there's no excuse.
I should have asked your permission
to speak to miss carns.
I had to see her because of this letter.
I felt it might throw a new light on the case.
This only suggests
that Jason carns had a secret romance.
Oh, it does much more than that.
Don't you see?
There's a third person involved
who may have decided to take revenge.
Oh, this is only a guess on your part.
The fact is that through your unsolicited interference,
you've done nothing but harm this unfortunate young woman.
You've harmed her by raising new hopes in her.
You've harmed her by bringing her fiancé here,
and by rekindling her passion and desire to live.
All that I've done,
I've done because I felt compelled to help her.
Yes, you were compelled, not so much to help her,
but to prove once more that you are right.
Oh, surely, you don't think...
This is a side of you I've never known...
This stubborn, fanatic manner
in which you cling to your opinion.
I can't even call it an opinion.
It's just a wild instinct, an idea.
It's not just an idea.
This letter, for one thing.
You were convinced of her innocence long before
you ever knew about this letter.
At least admit that.
I do.
I was convinced of it the first time I saw her,
and every moment I've spent with her since
has only strengthened my faith.
Don't call it faith, Sister.
Call it by its proper name... A premonition,
a wild notion.
How can you be so stubborn?
You keep blaming yourself for your sister's death.
And yet, you're doing the same thing all over again,
forcing your will on others, no matter at what cost.
You're right, reverend mother.
It was just a wild notion.
All my life I've had this relentless drive.
That's why you feel yourself a failure.
You keep trying to do too much.
You forget there's a greater power who guides our lives,
whose ways are not always our ways,
just as you believe that you came here
because the outside world had become empty
and meaningless to you.
- That's right. - But you're wrong, my child.
You did not come here. You were led her by Our Lord.
Remember his words, "you have not chosen me,
I have chosen you," he said,
"and have appointed you that you should go
and bring forth fruit."
If you would only accept that,
how could you help having peace in your heart?
If I could only believe that God wants me here.
- Reverend mother... - Yes?
Willie's been struck down.
- Willie? - Yes.
We found him in his room unconscious
with a terrible wound on his head.
Who could have done such a thing?
Have you called up Dr. Jeffrey's?
Yes, and the poor lad's belongings are all strewn about
as if someone had tried to Rob him.
Well, that doesn't make sense.
Willie has nothing anybody would want.
- Except the letter. - What?
The letter you just read.
What has Willie to do with it?
It goes back to when Willie worked for Jason carns.
He found it.
You know how childlike he is. He kept it.
Don't you see, reverend mother,
someone here in our house must have found out about it
- and tried to steal it. - Nonsense.
Any one of the villagers might have attacked Willie.
They're all outraged with him for helping you
bring back Mr. kingham, for destroying the boat.
- But if there's a chance... - I forbid you to go on with this.
No more of this playing Scotland yard.
You've a hospital full of patients.
They are your only concern, not this.
Sister Mary...
I want you to burn this letter.
No, I can't.
I beg of you for the sake of your own soul.
No, I can't.
Try to forgive me.
Did you get it, Edward?
Get what?
Well, my letter, of course.
The letter I told you about.
I don't recall any mention of a letter.
But I told you.
Willie's hiding it in his room,
the letter I wrote to Jason.
Another one of those dreams that seem so real to you.
I thought you'd got over them?
But this wasn't a dream.
How do you know?
Mr. harmer heard Willie mention it
and nurse Phillips, too.
What makes you so sure that they weren't part of your dream?
It wasn't a dream, ask them.
And let them know how ill you are.
I've told you before, Isabel.
I can only help you if you trust me.
I don't think you'd like me to commit you to a nursing home.
No... no, Edward, don't.
It was a dream, a bad dream.
Only fools and children talk about their dreams
and you're neither.
You're Isabel Jeffreys, my wife.
And I'm your husband...
Your loving husband.
Isabel... Jeffreys...
Your wife.
I wish we had a proper way to show our gratitude, doctor.
It's Sister Mary who deserves most of the credit.
She took over when all of us were ready to give up.
Now don't leave the baby here too long, nurse Calvin.
Dear Sister Mary, and we... we be so cruel to her.
Go, John, give her our thanks and ask her to forgive us.
Sister Mary left instructions that she wasn't to be disturbed.
In the morning, then. You sleep now, Molly.
You'll be needing more strength for the boy.
John, have you heard the news?
The telephone lines are repaired
and they're sending help.
We'll be going back, says the Holy Lady.
Do you hear that, Molly?
You'll be taking your healthy son home tomorrow.
Shepherd's pie and Yorkshire pudding.
I made it especially for you.
Thank you, Sister.
Especially for me.
You make it sound like my last supper.
Now, no, you mustn't think about that.
You mustn't be afraid, child.
Have you heard something? You have, Sister Josephine.
They're coming for me, aren't they?
Please, eat your supper before it gets cold.
There's something the chaplain reads at the last.
I heard it once from a cell next to mine.
"I am the resurrection, and the life, saith the Lord."
"And he that did believeth in me though he were dead,
yet he shall live."
"And he that liveth"
and believeth in me...
"Shall never die."
"Show me the path I must follow for I am lost.
Grant me peace, forgive my sins."
- Who is it? - Kingham.
I must speak to you, Sister.
Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. kingham.
It's terribly important. I beg you, Sister.
I need your help.
The telephone wires have been repaired.
Melling's already called the Norwich police.
They're sending a launch at once.
Then it's all over.
I won't let them kill her.
I'm going to take her away before they come.
We'll get to the coast somehow, and I'll charter a fishing boat.
But that's impossible.
Not if you'll help us.
If you could arrange for miss Pierce
to leave Valerie's room for a few minutes.
That's all I need, just a few minutes,
- not more than five. - No, I can't do that.
And you mustn't.
You'll be caught, you know you will.
Then I'll do it without your help, somehow.
You know nothing about this.
But I do.
Oh, this makes it clear how wrong I've been.
I've done nothing but harm,
and nothing but evil will come of it.
You've lost your courage, your faith.
You know she's innocent. What about the letter?
What about the attack on Willie?
They don't prove anything, not really.
Oh, I thought you were alone.
Good-bye, Sister.
I won't let you go. You'll never get through.
Where are you going, Mr. kingham?
It's about miss carns.
I just brought her supper into her a little while ago.
It just breaks my heart, that beautiful young face
and so brave, so brave about her fate.
Oh, I've been such a fool, all these months I've wasted.
Why couldn't I have believed in her from the beginning?
I thought you should look at these newspapers again.
Some of them you haven't even seen.
Oh, there's nothing there.
I've been over them all a thousand times.
It's no use...
Might as well burn them.
No, never burn a newspaper, throw away a piece of string.
You must read them all. You can't give up.
Did you know, for instance, that Jason carns
was arrested once in London
for thrashing a man he claimed had insulted him?
He was always getting into rows,
but nothing serious ever came of them.
Or that the proprietor of the golden flagon
threw him out one night when he was vicious drunk.
Yes, I read that,
but it had no bearing on his death.
Mr. kingham, will you promise me
that you won't do anything rash?
Did you know Mr. harmer the chemist had two key rings?
Counsel for the defense...
"Why do you keep two sets of keys, Mr. harmer?"
Mr. harmer... "In case one gets lost.
- They're identical keys." - "In identical order.
I'm well known for my preciseness.
"I think it is the first requisite of a good chemist."
You've really studied the testimony.
"You recognize all the keys?"
"Indeed I do."
"Name them."
House, car, garage barn, shop,
"poison cabinet, storeroom."
Wait a minute.
Wait a minute, there's something wrong here.
Something wrong?
Listen, counsel for the defense...
"Will you name the keys on the second ring?"
Mr. harmer... "This is ridiculous.
They're duplicates."
There's nothing wrong in there.
No, the next passage. "If you please, Mr. harmer."
Harmer... "House, car, garage, barn, poison cabinet",
shop, storeroom."
Mr. harmer is a meticulous man.
No, don't you see?
In naming the keys on the first ring he said,
"garage, barn, shop, poison cabinet."
And on the second, "garage, barn, poison cabinet, shop."
Let me see.
You're right.
Well, there now. What did I tell you?
Never burn a newspaper or throw away a piece of string.
Mr. harmer, - what is it?
Will you come with me? It's very urgent.
Mr. kingham, what do you want?
I'll tell you outside. Come on.
Please forgive us, Mr. harmer.
I'm accustomed to being awakened in the middle of the night.
It's one of the crosses, a man in my profession,
must learn to bear.
I told Mr. harmer why we wanted to see him.
It's absurd, Sister. I never make mistakes.
It's one of the few virtues I can boast of,
in all modesty, of course.
But look, Mr. harmer,
read this passage of your testimony.
Silly. I was sure I left my spectacles in my coat pocket.
Oh, I thought I heard voices.
I was just on my way to take another look at Willie.
Sister Mary accuses me of having made a mistake
in my testimony,
and of all things, in naming my keys.
You making a mistake?
That is hard to believe.
Well, if you'll excuse me.
Mr. harmer, it's here in black and white.
I'll read it to you.
I'd rather read it myself,
not that I don't trust you, of course,
but in a serious matter such as this,
I want to make sure.
Fancy that.
This is ridiculous. Somebody's made a mistake.
It might have been the clerk of the court
or the reporter.
But how can you be so sure of yourself?
After 50 years one knows one's virtues
as well as one's faults.
And in 50 years you've never made a mistake?
Even at the risk of seeming a bit of a braggart,
I have not.
But you made a mistake just a few minutes ago.
You're jesting, of course.
You were sure that you'd put your spectacles
in your coat pocket, and they aren't there.
By Jove...
I must look at those keys.
They're in my briefcase, both sets.
It won't take a minute.
Oh, doctor, how's Willie?
I, uh, haven't seen him yet.
On my way over,
I remembered I hadn't given my wife her sedative.
See the keys were impounded by the court.
When I got them back, I never thought to look.
This is key ring number one.
And this is number two.
House, car, garage,
barn... poison cabinet.
You're right. They're not in the proper order.
Someone did tamper with the keys.
Someone took the key to the poison cabinet
and put it back in the wrong place.
Someone tampered with the file I made for Jason carns.
I think this is definite evidence.
But who had access to these keys besides you?
Miss carns is innocent.
I never believed she killed her brother.
- But who could have done it? - Who?
Whoever took the key from the ring
and replaced it incorrectly, I don't know who,
my apprentice, perhaps, or Willie...
He cleans the shop twice a month...
Or any of my professional clientele for that matter.
There are several doctors and visiting nurses
in our district.
They have run of my shop at all hours.
Well, you must tell sergeant Melling about this.
- There's no time to lose. - Of course.
No, Edward, don't.
I've had my sedative. I don't want another.
It's only half a grain, darling,
then you'll be sure to sleep.
No, Edward, don't.
Grain and a half.
I don't want another...
Mrs. Jeffreys, you knew Jason carns.
I'm not allowed to say.
You must tell me. You can save an innocent life.
You don't want Valerie carns to die.
Poor Valerie.
She loved Jason, too.
If only he lived. I wouldn't be here.
You loved him.
You wrote him that letter
because your husband had found out.
Yes, I loved him.
He wanted to take me away from...
No! Please, Mrs. Jeffreys, try to stay awake.
Tell me!
Come, you must tell sergeant Melling.
I'll help you. We must get out of here.
No, no, I don't want to...
No, no, please come with me.
Come, now hold on to me.
Think hard, Mrs. Jeffreys.
Fight your drowsiness. Don't let yourself go.
We were to meet in London,
take the boat from Southampton.
Now stay awake. It's not much further.
In Victoria station in the luggage office.
There's a suitcase full of things he bought for me...
You must tell all that to sergeant Melling.
Such beautiful things he wanted me to wear.
Isabel.
Edward...
You killed Jason. I've always suspected it.
Now I know.
Go back to your room, Isabel.
You killed him because I loved him.
You hated him and he had to die.
Isabel... go back to your room.
Why?
Why did you do it?
He was a hopeless cripple doomed to die.
No, he wasn't.
He was going to get well.
Isabel was going away with him.
There's only one thing to do.
We must go and tell sergeant Melling the truth.
You're right.
There's no way to escape.
I'm tired.
Where are you going?
To see sergeant Melling.
He just went up to the tower to watch for the police launch.
You don't have to come.
You're a sick man, Dr. Jeffreys.
Have you just found it out?
I've known it for a long time.
My love for Isabel is a sickness,
an incurable one.
And you would have let Valerie carns die.
I placed the two aspirins in the file
to divert suspicion from myself.
It happened to fall on her.
As you can see,
I'd stop at nothing to keep Isabel.
Why couldn't you take my warning?
Why did you have to interfere?
Why couldn't you let things alone?
Where's sergeant Melling?
Where is he?
Let me go down.
Let me go down!
You'll never go down, Sister Mary.
- No! - We'll go up to the tower.
- No! - We'll go up where it's quiet, where nobody can hear us.
No. No, you wouldn't.
You wouldn't. They'll know!
Nobody will ever know.
They'll find out.
You came up here to be alone.
You'd been severely reprimanded by mother superior.
You were in great distress.
It was dark. You fell.
You can't!
Try to think, Dr. Jeffreys.
Think of your own soul.
It's not just the law you have to answer to.
There's a higher authority you must face one day.
This is my damnation.
I'll bear it when it comes if I have to...
There must be some feeling in you for Valerie, for me!
I'm sorry about you and Valerie.
Why are you so afraid of death?
Why don't you pray?
Maybe your higher authority will hear you.
Mrs. Jeffreys, what's happened?
Here, let me help you.
Sis-sister Mary.
Oh, the bell, the bell.
Mr. kingham, what's wrong?
Who's ringing the bell?
Have mercy, I beg you, have mercy.
Please...
Mr. Smithson, look after my wife.
She isn't responsible for any of this.
You'd better go back to bed, Willie.
Aye, Sister.
Sister Mary?
You've shown great ingenuity and courage.
I'm sorry to have made it so difficult for you.
Oh, thank you, reverend mother,
but I don't deserve your praise.
It was Sister Josephine who saved miss carns.
Me?
She insisted on my reading the newspapers
after I'd given up hope.
Sure, I only insisted because I happened
to see miss carns unafraid praying to almighty God.
Now I know.
We were chosen by him.
You found the answer, my child.
To be right is an heavenly gift
that is wasted unless it is wrapped in humility.
Deo gratieas.