Return Of The Thin Man Part 4

Aunt Katherine: "How are you, Nicholas?"

As Nick hears his name, he starts. Katherine turns back toward the roomful of people: "Come right in."

Helen comes up to Nora, who turns to greet her.

Nora: "h.e.l.lo, Cousin Helen."

Helen, giving her a peck: "How are you, you poor child?"

Nick gives Cousin Helen a swift look as he hears the commiserating tone of her voice. But Aunt Katherine has him in tow, and he follows her.

Aunt Katherine, speaking to the whole family: "This is Nora's husband."

Nick looks from one to the other of the people. They are doing their best to appear pleasant, but the result is not very cordial. Aunt Katherine turns back to him: "I think you know everyone."

Nick: "I seem to remember the old faces."

Nora quickly takes Nick's arm and pilots him toward another group.

Nick, under his breath to her as they go: "What's up? They're all so polite."

Nora smiles and takes him to Charlotte and William.

Nora: "This is Aunt Charlotte, and Uncle Willie."

Nick acknowledges the introduction with the same sickly sweet smile that they give him.

Nora: "And now for Aunt Hattie."

From behind them, Charlotte's voice is heard: "Poor Nora is so brave."

Again Nick hears the commiserating "poor" Nora. He whispers to Nora: "What's this *poor Nora' business?"

Nora: "That's because I'm married to you."

Then, as they reach Aunt Hattie: "Aunt Hattie, you remember my husband?"

Nick: "How are you?"

Aunt Hattie: "Don't mumble, young man. Don't mumble."

Nick, a little louder: "How are you?"

Still Aunt Hattie doesn't hear.

Nora: "She's deaf as a post."

Nick: "You're telling me!"

Aunt Hattie, holding out her receiving box of the audio phone: "What did he say?"

Nick, taking the box, and speaking into it as if it were a microphone: "When you hear the chime, it will be exactly . . ."

But Nora gives him a slight boot from behind. Nick turns sharply toward her. Nora catches sight of Selma in the doorway.

Nora, with a note of relief at seeing a friend: "Selma!"

Selma has managed to regain some of her composure. Nora comes quickly to her, kissing her warmly.

Selma, on the point of breaking again: "Oh Nora . . . Nora. It's so good to see you."

Nora, affectionately: "How are you, Selma?"

Nick approaches, and Selma turns to him.

Selma: "h.e.l.lo, Nick."

Nick: "h.e.l.lo."

Selma: "It's sweet of you to come."

Nick, who's really enjoying himself by now: "I wouldn't have missed it for a million dollars."

Nora: "What's the trouble, Selma? Tell me."

But Aunt Katherine comes up quickly, putting a firm hand on Selma's arm: "We'll postpone any discussion until after dinner."

She turns to speak to the rest: "Shall we go in now?"

She holds out her hand to the General: "Thomas?"

The General comes quickly to her side, and gives her his arm.

Nick, to Selma: "Where's Robert?"

Selma is about to speak, but Aunt Katherine hastily intervenes.

Aunt Katherine: "Robert telephoned that he was unavoidably detained. So we'll start without him."

Selma gives her a bitter look and turns away. Nick notices the look between the two.

"We haven't quite enough men to go around, so, Lucius, will you take Hattie and Charlotte? Willie, you take Helen and Ethel? Burton, will you take Nora? And Nicholas, will you take Aunt Lucy?"

Aunt Katherine walks toward the hallway, on the General's arm. Nick goes toward Aunt Lucy, as Burton comes up to Nora. He offers his arm to her.

Nora: "How are you, Cousin Burton?"

Burton: "I'm very well, thank you."

He makes a sudden violent face, as his tic starts in.

Nora: "That's fine."

Unconsciously, she imitates his tic. She realizes with horror what she has done, and turns and starts off quickly without him.

Nick offers his arm to Aunt Lucy. She looks up at him as she takes it, resenting having him as a partner.

Aunt Lucy: "Maybe you didn't know it, but I'm eighty-three years old."

Nick: "Eighty-three?"

Aunt Lucy: "Yes."

Nick: "Well, well. You don't look a day over a hundred."

Aunt Lucy: "That's what they all say."

In the drawing room after dinner, Hattie, Charlotte, Helen, and Emily are sitting back in their comfortable chairs, surfeited with food and very drowsy. Aunt Lucy is frankly asleep. Aunt Katherine has the coffee table in front of her and is sipping her coffee, her eyes on Selma, who is at the piano, playing mechanically. Nora wanders over to the piano, her coffee cup in hand, leans over, and speaks softly to Selma: "What was it you wanted to tell me?"

Selma stops her playing and is about to answer, when Aunt Katherine calls sharply: "Nora, will you come here?"

Nora: "In a minute, Aunt Katherine." Then turning quickly back to Selma: "What was it?"

Selma: "Robert has disappeared."

Nora: "Disappeared!"

Aunt Katherine: "Selma, go on playing!"

Selma, looking over at her aunt desperately: "I can't play anymore, Aunt Katherine."

Aunt Katherine: "Nonsense. Go on."

Selma tries to control herself for a second and then she suddenly smashes down on the keyboard with both hands: "I can't! I can't!"

Selma puts her hands to her face and runs from the room to the library beyond, while Aunt Katherine rises to her feet and the other women look wide-eyed and alarmed. Nora says: "Let me talk to her," and goes out after Selma.

In the library, Selma is sobbing on a sofa. Nora sits down beside her, puts her arms around her, says: "Don't, dear. Nick'll find Robert for you. I'm sure he's just-"

Selma sits up, pushing Nora's arms away, crying hysterically: "Sometimes I hate you and Nick. You're so happy together, and here Robert and I haven't been married half as long and I'm so miserable. I wish he'd never come back. I wish he were dead. I don't really love him. I never did, really. I was a fool to have married him instead of David." She puts her head on Nora's shoulder and begins to sob again.

Nora strokes Selma's hair, says: "Well, then, dear, divorce him. Don't let Aunt Katherine keep you from that. If you-"

Selma raises her head again, says: "But I'm such a fool. This is the first time he's gone off like this without a word-without even telling me lies about where he's going-but there have always been other women and I've always known it. But I've let him twist me around his little finger and made myself believe his lies even when I knew they were lies and-he doesn't love me. He married me for my money. Yet he does horrible things to me and then when I see him I let him smooth everything over and I want to think we love each other and everything will turn out all right. And it won't, it won't. It's all lies and I'm a fool. Oh, why didn't I marry David?" She bursts into tears again.

Meanwhile Aunt Katherine has come into the library and shut the door. Now she says coldly: "You are a fool, Selma, but you might have the decency not to scream so the servants will find out exactly what kind of fool you are."

"Aunt Katherine!" Nora protests. "Selma's not well. She-"

Aunt Katherine interrupts her, nodding her head grimly: "I know she's not well. I know better than anyone else-except Dr. Kammer-how far from being well she really is." Selma flinches. Aunt Katherine says to Nora: "Will you ask Nicholas to come in?" Nora hesitates as if about to say something, then goes out. Aunt Katherine says to Selma: "Fix yourself up. You look like Ophelia." Selma flinches again and begins to fix her hair, dress, etc.

The men of the Forrest family stretched out in their chairs, sound asleep. Their waistcoats are open to allow the tremendous meal they have just consumed to settle. There are two good snorers, William and the General, one on either side of Nick. The snoring, like conversation, appears to be going back and forth.

Nick is seated at the dinner table, leaning forward with animated attention. There are empty places on either side of him where the women had been sitting.

Nick: "No, really! Well, you amaze me! Could you explain that further?"

William lets out a sonorous snore.

Nick: "I wouldn't go so far as to say that."

The General, on the other side, is vying with William in his snorts. Nick turns toward his unconscious figure.

Nick: "What is it?"

As William snores again, Nick turns to him with a restraining gesture: "Just a minute."

He turns back to the General, who snorts again. Nick speaks to him, as if amazed at his statement: "Really!"

He turns to Burton, who is also sound asleep across the table: "Are you going to let that pa.s.s unchallenged? You must have something to say to that!"

Burton's snore tops all of the others, as he turns uneasily in his chair.

Nick: "That's the boy. I knew you had it in you."

Nora: "Nick! Nick!"

Nick looks around at her, rising as he hears her.

Nora: "Come here-come here!"

Nick turns and addresses the four unconscious figures with great courtesy.

Nick: "If you gentlemen will forgive me?"

He starts to turn to go to Nora, and then stops to pick up a stiff bunch of flowers from the center of the table and sticks it on the chest of the General, next to him. He turns and joins Nora.

Nick: "I don't know when I've had a more stimulating evening!"

Nick and Nora walk through the hallway. She is holding his arm and seems worried. She says: "Aunt Katherine wants to see you."

Nick: "What have I done now?"

Nora: "Do you know why Robert wasn't here tonight?"

Nick: "Because he's smart."

Nora: "I'm not fooling. He's disappeared."