 Suspense radio's outstanding theater of thrills bring you an hour a full 60 minutes of suspense Directed by Anton M. Lida and produced by Robert Montgomery Tonight two great suspense dramas John Collier's wet Saturday and WF Harvey's August heat Performed by two distinguished casts of radio actors two complete stories joined in one hour of suspense This is Robert Montgomery with a forecast a weather forecast if you doubt my Qualifications as a meteorologist. I don't blame you. I have none But I do have more specific information than the chap in Walt Mason's poem the statesman Perhaps you remember the statesman throws his shoulders back and straightens out his tie and says my friends Unless it rains the weather will be dry Yes, I can do much better than that even with the same elements rain and dry weather I can improve on that forecast For the next hour I predict rain Followed by a sudden hot spell further and you can check me on this I predict that the rain will fall in the first half of the hour and that the second half will be given over exclusively to heat I Guess you could say I predict weather in two acts Unusual weather to a unique combination of wet Saturday and August heat Each of these dramas is set in England each is complete in itself and each is conditioned by its own weather and by its own suspense Because these plays exemplify two classic studies in radio suspense drama We have selected established radio stars to interpret them Dennis Hoey as mr. Princey in wet Saturday and Barry Kroger as James Clarence with and croft in August heat with supporting casts of distinguished radio players Next week when we present the suspense version of the screen drama night must fall We shall feature a cast of motion picture actors as Danny I will be joined by Dame May Whitty in her original role of mrs. Brampton together with Heather Angel and Richard Nay, but now to the first half of our show and my prediction for rain With the performance of Dennis Hoey as mr. Princey and with John Collier's English classic wet Saturday We again hope to keep you in Suspense on this rainy afternoon We should like you to meet the Princey family and their visitor They are of course at home Mrs. Princey daughter mellison George the son and air sprawled on a couch and finally mr. Princey biting on a dry pipe Their living room is dull and overstuffed Rain beats at the windows. They are any middle-class family at home on a wet day except for one small item as You sit with them in the living room. You can see through the door to the Sun porch a pair of man's feet Encased in black boots They look like the feet of a curate There is a tenseness in the room The air is charged with excitement But the feet are very still don't keep staring at them Listen to me all of you Don't you see they'd hang her. That's what they do. They'd hang her Or fully catastrophic a supposedly sweet gentle intelligent girl Respected loved by the whole village doing a thing like this think of the publicity of the disgrace You think I'm going to resign from the bench the vestry sell out living some foggy hotel abroad. Oh, no Anymore and you have been Be quiet Be so bad if it were you George everybody in the village knows you're not responsible George Get off that couch sit up on your spine Might be a little use here if you could think oh, but I say governor. This isn't my As long as I can remember George, you've been a trial and a tribulation You've got a standard my dear keep that hysterical note out of your voice. Do you hear We Talking about the weather Now George George If you fell down the old world say striking his head several times what about him, huh? I really don't know governor what about don't be an ass. I'm asking you to think You'd have had to hit the side several times 30 or 40 feet And at all the correct angles We'll have to go over it all again Millicent we must go Face facts made it with him lying there still use pretending it's a pity they might Oh stop that shaking stop it here. You must stop it. You must keep your voice quiet medicine We are talking of the weather Now We will proceed Should have thought of that Millie I'm not moving up set up Jordan stop shuffling your feet now Millicent Look at me Answer me truthfully You hear Answer me you were on the croaky court. Yes You Who knew you were in love with this wretched? Oh the whole village knows they've been sniggering about at the pub for three years shut up George Millicent we continue You were on the croaky court. Yes, you were putting the croaky set in its box Yes, it was starting to rain I was carrying the balls in the mallets into the Sun porch the box was there You heard someone into the garden gate and come across the yard. Yes. Could you see who it was? Not at first. I was going into the Sun porch I threw down all the mallets, but the red one and turned around it was with us. Yes, so you called him Yes, loudly Did you call him loudly? Could anyone have heard? No father. I'm sure not. I Didn't really call him. I just spoke his name He saw me when I went to the door. He just waved his hand and came over. How can I find out whether there was anyone about? Whether he could have been saying I'm sure not father. I'm I'm quite sure right So you went on to the Sun porch. Yes, it was raining hot then What did he say? He said Hello Millie and excuse is coming in the back way, but it's set out to walk over to Leiston Yes, and he said passing the park He's seen the house and suddenly thought of me and he thought he'd just look in for a minute Get something he wanted to tell me He said he was so happy and he wanted me to share it It heard from the bishop that he was to have a vicarage and it wasn't only that it meant that he could marry and And he began to stutter and get all confused and of course I thought he meant me Don't tell me what you thought tell me exactly what he said and nothing else Stop crying it's a luxury you can no longer afford. Tell me what happened He said No He said it it wasn't me. It's Ella bragged and davis Sorry and all that And then he went to go and then I went mad He turned his back I had the red mallet of the croquet set in my hand. I've forgotten to drop it when he came in. I I I went Did you shout or scream I mean as you hit him? No, no, I'm sure I didn't did he come on speak up No father and then I threw it down. I came straight in here. I went to look for mother That's all my poor friend. You're sure no one else was about. No. No one. No leave the child alone Oh, not such a child, mate Oh, Lily. I had no idea Keep quiet I'm thinking You'll see george. He probably told people he was going to leiston Certainly no one knows he came here But he didn't decide until he crossed the park. He might have been attacked in the woods You must consider every detail Accurate with his head battered in Accurate with his head battered in who um Who would want to kill with us? Who'd kill with us? When I would With pleasure How to do Mrs. Brinsley? Captain Smollett Captain Smollett Well, well, oh sit down pray. Mustn't get up for me, Mrs. Brinsley. You are the menacing My word just being neighborly on a bad day I wanted to ask you about those darglia buds, Brinsley Took a shortcut on account of the rain and walked right in knew you wouldn't mind He hurt you father. Dear, we can all have our little jokes. Don't pretend to be shot Have this way Smollett this chair facing the fireplace sit down mother Just uh, just breaking the curtains on the sun porch, dear If it looks so gloomy out there might as well shut the rain out Hey, we were just talking about a little theoretical pass and killing Smollett Young people these days like thrillers Pass on a side justifiable pass on a side Um, have you heard about Ella Bragdon Davis? I shall be most properly laughed at Why? Um, where should you be laughed at Smollett? Oh Had a shot in that direction myself Ha ha She half said yes to him. Haven't you heard? She told most people Now to look as though I got turned down for a white rat and a dog collar too bad Oh well Fortune of war Yes as fortune of war Odd how it happens isn't it Sit down Smollett mother Millison console captain Smollett with your best night conversation George and I have something to look at outside just reading a bad very bad. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on Just make yourself at home Smollett make yourself at home Uh a cigarette captain Smollett. Oh, thank you. Thank you Last you did not are going out. It's uh, something about the old well Just off the sun porch door, you know This terrible sudden weather seemed to have loosened some of the stones too bad dash too bad As far as the tennis and croquette I mean a day like this Doesn't it? Yes, it does. She was practicing out in the croquet quite earlier, but uh Do pull your chair near the fire captain. It was so damp. We thought it would be cozy to light it Thank you. I'm quite comfortable. I I hope you don't feel too bad about Ella bragged and davis. Well Can't always win in our Can't understand though what you women see in these bloodless clerics. Oh, I always thought mr. Withers was Is a very charming man. Oh, yeah, it's quite agreeing But why should anyone want to marry him? You wouldn't want to marry him. Would you mini not now? That is I I you oh, no, no, of course not Smollett And say oh good lord then you do come in on a fellow sudden there Yes, I did. Oh don't mind this old double barrel shotgun. I've been working on it Smollett, um May I have your attention for a minute? There's something on the sun porch. I like to show you I am yes That's of course small it George and I went out to see if we could shoot some rats Which have been driven out of the old well with the high water Free they might get into the house from now now You must listen to me very carefully Very carefully for you will be shot by accident um I'm saying Oh, what's gotten into Well, you heard me ask as you came in who would kill withers You also heard Millicent make a comment an unguarded comment. Well What are they very little Unless you were to hear that withers had met a violent in this afternoon And that my dear Smollett is What you are going to hear what? whether then uh, yes Well, um Who killed him? Millicent Good Lord Yes, it's a mess And of course you would have remembered and um Guest Maybe Yes Yes, I suppose I shouldn't Therefore you constitute a problem. That's what um Why did she kill him if one of those disgusting things, you know pityable too She deluded herself that he was in love with her good heavens Mini Yes, of course I see him He told her about the davis girl Ella brandon davis I understand I know wish as you will comprehend that you should be proved either a lunatic or a murderous I could hardly go on living here after that besides i'm I'm rather fond of mini Right on the other hand You know about it. Yes, I see that um Makes me a problem. Mm-hmm you're um Wondering if I could keep my mouth shut If I promised I'm wondering if I could believe you but um If I promised if things went smoothly. Yes But not if there was any sort of suspicion any questioning You would be afraid of being an accessory Uh, I don't know I do What are we going to do? Well I can't see anything else you would um Never be full enough to do me in Can't get rid of two corpses. You know, I regard that as a better risk than the other Could be an accident, you know or you and withers could both disappear There are possibilities in that oh see here you can't I can But there may be a way out There is small it You gave it to me yourself. All right I did You said you would kill withers You have a motive. Oh look here. I was joking small it. I can't trust you You must trust me Else I will kill you now in the next minute I mean that You can choose between dying and living Oh gone There's the old well just outside the sun's porch door That's what I'm going to put withers. No one outside knows he's come up here this afternoon No one will ever look in there for him unless you tell them now You must give me evidence That you have murdered withers. I murdered him Why do you want that so that I should be dead sure that you will never open your lips on the subject? I see What evidence gorge hit him in the face sure Captain you should be more careful. Look what your teeth did to my knuckle again gorge. Okay I'm sorry small it but There must be traces of a struggle between you and withers Then it will not be altogether safe for you to go to the police George get the crook a mallet take your handkerchief to it. There it is on the uh some porch There captain as your weapon as I told you small it Now you'll just grasp the end that mashed withers head I shall shoot you if you don't yes, but good lord you can't That's it Now I deposit it but the side of the house outside out of the rain of course Oh, wait uh, george First you'd better pull a few hairs out of his head and put them under the nails of withers right Sorry to mess up your hair captain Shut up small it Small it you may turn round Withers is just there on the sun porch draw back the curtain. Good lord. Yes messy Now you small it You've just got to drag him through the door And dump him in the old well just beyond the door. Okay. I won't touch. I All right stand aside out of range. You're at any place where I want this shot to go only one place Oh Wait a minute. I That's better. Small it much better Go on now go ahead You have to take him outside by the shoulders Keep quiet george Go on small it go on. You've seen a dead man before drag him Drag him I'll just hold the gun here to make sure everything goes all right Come away from the window, dear. Don't look Captain small it oh your father is a very resourceful man I'm sure what he's doing is the captain. I I can't oh you must Dear father There's enough trouble around here without your blubbering. Don't you call me blubbering george princey? Everything is Remember no one knows that with us came here Everyone thinks he walked over to leisden. That's five miles of country to search. They'll never look in our well Do you see how safe it is? Uh, I guess uh good heavens man. You're dripping wet. Why didn't you slip on your raincoat? Tea ready my dear in just a minute dear Oh Exactly what you need small it a cup of tea best thing in the world of water for cold Sit down won't you sit down? Oh, don't mind getting the chair wet. Thank you. Uh, cigarette help yourself I stick to my pipe Funny how you get attached to them. My wife always says Oh, yes, Bridget, uh put the tray in front of me here here on the table I say captain you've cut your leg Uh, I just knocked it. Oh wow. Oh dreadful. Here Bridget here. Give the captain this cup. Uh, no, thank you I Think I'll be running along if you don't mind why captain small it without any tea if you don't mind mrs. Prince air if I could just have my raincoat. Oh, I'll get it for you. This is very distressing small it Very as well. I'll be all right present. I'm sure You ask I have let me have Thank you Young man there Better go out the front way small it walk his drive. Let me hold the door for you dear And don't worry old fellow Don't worry at all No, I won't Nothing serious. I imagine a little rest and you'll be as right as rain By the way medicine you're not looking any too. We're not well at all I'm sure it was the croquet court Being outdoors and weather like this is is simply foolhardy The major's right mithy. You saw what happened to captain smaller Come along dear. I shall give you a hot foot bath and put you to bed A couple of days in bed Get plenty of rest me listen and don't worry about a thing. That's the best cure I guess I'll have a little rest too governor. It's a fine afternoon from there. Indeed it is sir. Indeed it is Well, enjoy yourselves. See you later Now see you all later Your number please. Oh, uh, would you give me the police station police station right away, sir? No Please Oh, hello sergeant. This is princy of abbots road. I believe you know me indeed. I do mr. Princey Um sergeant a rather horrible thing has just occurred Quite extraordinary Murder in fact I'm afraid it looks rather bad for Well, uh for a close friend of ours. Unfortunately, we saw him do it. I uh I think you'd better send someone over right away. Our man should be there right about now mr. Princey Uh I beg your pardon. I say our man should be there now Constable martin has his post right below your ass there. I just rang him. Uh seems captain smollett was with him Captain Smollett he reported some rather queer goings on at your place, but I certainly didn't understand it was murder Now, uh, just don't touch anything mr. Princey and don't worry. Don't worry at all No I won't sergeant Thank you. Where are you going right here and stop shouting? We have some visitors governor. Yes, I can see that Well, constable, uh Good afternoon, mr. Princey and smollett. I say what a remarkable fellow you are coming back like this here here to reenact the crime Only the one against me princey The one against the curate I'll leave to you people Extraordinary sense of humor, mr. Princey I just had a look at what's in your well Not a pretty sight there not pretty at all. Yes, constable captain smollett was thorough if nothing else You saw him when he did it sir out in the bank. Oh quite. We were just returning from a walk Smollett evidently had been laying for the curate hiding out there in those bushes by the road I imagine he was never inside this house. No never never And you say captain I say that while I was inside this house a guest of the family I was coerced into dragging the curate's body outside and dumping it into the world Well, there we are. No not entirely constable I'll just remove my raincoat and um Demonstrate how damp I got my clothes when I went outside without it Oh, that's interesting, isn't it? It's quite Undoubtedly removed his coat at some point between here and your post I might as well tell you that his weapon a red croquet mallet is out by the side of the house I shouldn't be at all surprised, but You might find his fingerprints all over it all over the end of the mallet constable the end that mashed wither's head But the end I'd have to grasp in order to do the mashing Kavana, uh, that's a decent try smollett, but it won't work There's be there must be other evidences constable You undoubtedly find them when you examine the body he means my hair under withers fingernails Well, son, you know, I happen to notice something when young jorbs there open the door for them If you look carefully I believe you'll find a few of my precious hairs under his nails too. No water you try to suggest Constable this is not a waste of time So far as violence struggle between smollett and withers is concerned Smollett's face speaks for itself quite eloquently, I believe. Oh, yes, but no more eloquently than your son's knuckle As you see constable look here A fresh abrasion He did that on my teeth Or um, did a what I say or did he You know, he might have done that on wither's teeth I see what you mean, but I didn't cover it. He said that I keep still you nitwit We think As a matter of fact, George The more I think of it the more I'm convinced it was your voice. I heard quite a vigorous quarrel Something about the um cure of jolting your sister. Don't be ridiculous. Smollett very well, prince If he didn't do it Who did that's what I'd like to know. How about it mr. Princey that? That is a sticker, all right George my boy It looks like you're elected Elected what do you mean? I didn't do why I never keep your mouth shut. I want I'm not going to take the blame for her Millie did it. She did it with that mallet. I saw her do it prove that Well, yes her fingerprints on the mallet on the handle why George Don't you remember when you made me touch the mallet when you picked it up with your handkerchief George I'm sure you wiped that handle clean Oh, well I could hardly expect you to remember that if you um Can't even remember killing the carrot Governor I told you to keep still george. I'm thinking Governor, you're not going to stand there and let him say As long as I can remember george you've been a trial and a tribulation to me Oh You shouldn't have done it george. You really shouldn't have done it Now let's all have a cup of tea nothing like it in weather like this So ends wet saturday the first of two half hour stories combining dramatic weather And dramatic suspense Our thanks to denis hoey for an excellent performance And to harold medford who adapted john collier's story True to our prediction. We will return in a moment with august heat A second study in suspense This is cbs the columbia broadcasting system And now back to our hollywood soundstage and to our producer mr. robert montgomery The rains of wet saturday are gone In their stead a blazing sun burns down on the damp earth of the english countryside Steaming the atmosphere with a heat that's humid and smothering Like a tight outer garment Like a shroud which cannot be loosed and cast aside such a heat weighs upon your entire being and saps from you the last strength of hope and freedom This is the setting for the companion piece to our first drama wet saturday This then is august heat The second of two suspense dramas complete in this hour And now with the performance of berik roger as james clarence within croft And the reappearance of denis hoye as the man And with wf harvey's august heat We promise a narrative well calculated to keep you in Suspense Fennestown road Clapham august 20 what i believe To be the most Remarkable day In my life Till Fresh as clearly As possible let me say at the outset that my name is james clarence within croft You must remember that in order to have the full implication of my story James clarence within croft I'm 35 years old in perfect health never having known a day's illness By profession I'm an artist Not a very successful one, but I earn enough money by my black and white work to satisfy my necessary ones My only near relative sister died five years ago So that there is no one in particular to whom I address this manuscript Only you Who might by chance Read it someday For because of the peculiar circumstance about which you will soon hear I have the strong premonition that I shall never live to tell anyone about it I breakfasted this morning at nine at the usual time It was no different from any other morning and after glancing through the morning paper I lighted my pipe and I proceeded to let my mind wonder In the hope that I might chance upon some subject for my pencil The room though door and window were open was oppressively hot And I just made up my mind that the coolest and most comfortable place in the neighborhood would be the deep end of the public swimming bath when I was suddenly shaken A feeling swept over me such as I'd never experienced before I attempted to rise to my feet It's not how it seemed as though I'd suddenly been fastened to my chair I handed it out in an effort to brace myself and then Before I knew what I was doing My pencil was in my hand and I began to draw It was as though someone had taken my hand and was moving it across the paper swiftly in bold strokes and then I seemed to take over My hand under its own power began to draw So intent was I on the sketch Which began to appear before me I soon forgot the oppressive heat The roughness of the table Everything was forgotten This frantic feeling The sketch must be finished As soon as possible. No idea how long I worked Until I heard the clock of st. Jude's in the distance. It was four o'clock And I had started just after breakfast Now for the first time since I'd begun I actually seemed to see what I'd been sketching I was surprised The final result was I felt sure the best thing I had ever done It showed a criminal in the dark immediately after the judge had pronounced sentence The man was fat enormously fat The flesh hung and rolled about his chin They creased his huge stumpy neck He was clean shaven Perhaps I should say a few days before he must have been clean shaven And he was almost bald He stood there before the judge His short clumsy fingers clasping the rail Looking straight in front of him The feeling that his expression conveyed Was not so much one of horror It's of utter absolute There seemed nothing in the man strong enough to sustain that mountain of flesh And then I saw that the sketch was not complete For the man's other hand Seemed to be clutching an instrument of some kind or weapon But had not been completed I had made this sketch Yet I had no recollection of what I'd intended the man to carry in his other hand Put my pencil again And I attempted to fill in the fuzzy outline It was useless It was as though my fingers had suddenly turned to lead I sat down I felt the moisture slowly forming on my forehead And I was conscious of the oppressive heat again And then I knew that there would be no finishing of the sketch At any rate not for the moment So I rolled up the sketch And without quite knowing why I placed it in my pocket In spite of my peculiar inspiration I was filled with the rare sense of happiness Which the knowledge of a good thing well done gives I believe that I set out with the idea of calling upon Trenton For I remember walking along Litton Street And turning to the right along Gilchrist Road The bottom of the hill where the men were at work on the new tram lines From there onward I have only the vaguest recollection of where I went Through parks along crowded streets Always fully conscious of the awful heat Came up from the dusty asphalt pavement as an almost palpable wave And I remember too The hollow sound of my footsteps as I moved along Although walking aimlessly I somehow knew that there was a goal Uh something to which I was drawn I longed for the thunder promised by the great banks of copper colored clouds that hung low over the western sky I must have walked five or six miles I really no idea how far I walked When a small boy roused me from my reverie Oh 20 minutes to seven Yes When he left me I began to take stock of my bearings I found myself standing before a gate It led into a yard bordered by a strip of thirsty earth There were flowers Purple stock and scarlet uranium And great numbers of bees droned over them I stood looking down at them a moment Then for some reason I looked up Over the entrance to the place There was a board with the inscription Charles Atkinson monumental mason worker In english and italian marble From the yard itself came a cherry whistle The noise of hammer blows And the cold sound of steel meeting stone A sudden impulse made me enter And I went in the direction of the noise There was a man sitting with his back towards me He was busy at work on a slab of curiously veined marble He was not conscious of my presence as I stood there watching him for some time Then without turning His hammer stopped in midair as he was about to bring it down on his chisel He looked up and then he held his position a moment before turning But I knew that he was aware of my presence And when he turned I saw his face It was Although I had never seen him before It was the face of the man I'd been drawing It was the face of the man whose sketch was in my pocket He sat there on his low stool huge in elephantine The sweat pouring from his scalp not speaking Then he took a red silk handkerchief and he mopped his bra Although this face that looked up at me was the same as my sketch The expression was absolutely different And suddenly the puzzled expression left his face And he smiled as if we were old friends And he walked over and he took my hand Good day, sir Good day, uh, I'm sorry to intrude Not at all Everything's hot and glaring outside This seems as an oasis in the wilderness No, I don't know about the oasis, but it certainly is hot Take a seat, sir He pointed to the end of the gravestone on which he was at work And I sat down Very hot That's a beautiful piece of stone you've got hold of there Yeah, you know, wait, it is The surface here is as fine as anything you could wish But there's a big flaw at the back though I don't expect you to ever notice it I shouldn't think so Nah, I could never really make a good job of a bit of marvel like this Be all right in the summer right now I wouldn't mind a blasted eat But wait till the winter comes Winter? Yes, there's nothing like a bit of frost to find out the weak points in stone And gravestone, you see Oh, I see Then what's this one for? You'd hardly believe me if I was to tell you it's for exhibition But it's the truth Artists have exhibitions so do grocers and butchers Well, we as them do All the latest little headstones, you know He went on to talk of marbles Which sort of marble best withstood wind and rain And which were easiest to work Then of his garden and new sort of carnation he'd bought At the end of every other minute he would drop his tools Wipe his shining head He's not responsible for what he does in this heat I said little for I felt uneasy There was something unnatural, uncanny in all of this The feeling that I'd experienced it all before Exactly as I was experiencing it now The oppressive heat The fragrance of the purple stalk in the air The conversation about the marble The flowers Everything as though I'd experienced it before And yet I knew that I'd never even been in this section of the town before I tried to persuade myself that at least I'd seen him before That his face unknown to me had found a place in some out of the way corner of my memory But I knew that I was practicing little more than a plausible piece of self-deception As I sat there quietly watching him He looked up at me And he said What do you think of that? He said it with an air of evident pride of a job well done I could sense that he was experiencing the same feeling I had experienced when I'd finished my sketch Then he got up with a sigh of relief What ain't it? I was seated in such a position that I was unable to see his work And for some reason I didn't move Suddenly he began to read what he'd carved on the tombstone He spoke deliberately and with a flat voice In the midst of life we are in death Born January 18th 1912 I looked up with a start This man had read my exact birth date He passed away very suddenly on August 20th 1947 That's today I usually use the present date on these exhibition stands But you usually put a name on them too? Yes Sacred to the memory of James Clarence Wivencroft The sound of birds and crickets seemed loud in my ears As we stood there looking at each other Saying nothing And then he mopped his brow again I was finally able to speak Well, where did you see that name? Oh, I didn't see it anywhere I just wanted some name and I put down the first one that came into me yet It's a strange coincidence But it happens to be mine It's your name Your James Clarence Wivencroft Yes Whoa, and the dates? I can only answer for the birth date It's correct It's a run-go I made a sketch this morning Of you Of me? What, you've never seen me before? No Oh I took my sketch from my pocket and I showed it to him As he looked the expression on his face altered Until it became more and more like that of the man I had drawn It was only the day before yesterday And I told Mariah there was no such things as ghosts Neither of us had seen a ghost But I knew what he meant Then I spoke to him You probably heard my name someplace Yes, you must have seen me somewhere and forgotten, yes Yes Well, you were, uh, uh, clackton on C, uh, last, uh, July? No, I've never been to clackton in my life Then we were silent for some time again And we stood there looking at one another And at the two dates on the gravestone And the birth one was right And the other was today Coming shy to have some supper His wife was a strange little woman Who was pallid with the look of those who lived their lives indoors Her husband introduced me as a friend of his who was an artist And informed her that I was staying to supper I spoke making some comment that I hoped I would not be an intrusion And she looked up at me, she said You have a pleasing voice, Mr. Widencroft And you're welcome in my own I'm sorry Charles has not brought you here before A little was said during the meal And after the sardines and watercress had been removed She walked over to a cupboard And she took down a thin black book And as she handed it to me, she spoke Would you read aloud, Mr. Widencroft? Puzzled, I looked down at the book which she'd opened and placed before me It was a very tiny book The Prophet, it was called By an author unknown to me with this strange eastern name Khalil Gibran And my eyes fell across the page And suddenly I was reading aloud as she'd asked me to Then Al-Mitra spoke saying We would ask now of death And he said You would know the secret of death But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life The owl whose nightbound eyes are blind unto the day Cannot unveil the mystery of light If you would indeed behold the spirit of death Open your heart wide unto the body of life For life and death are one Even as the river and the sea are one In the depth of your hopes and desires Lies your silent knowledge of the beyond And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow Your heart dreams of spring Trust the dreams For in them is hidden the gate to eternity Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd When he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honor Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling That he shall wear the mark of the king Yet, is he not more mindful of his trembling For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind And to melt into the sun And what is it to cease breathing But to free the breath from its restless tides That it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered Only when you drink from the river of silence Shall you indeed sing And when you have reached the mountaintop Then you shall begin to climb And when the earth shall claim your limbs Then shall you truly dance Mr. Atkinson had gone But his wife stood before me And as she took the book, she spoke Oh, thank you Then I went outside And I found Atkinson sitting on the gravestone and smoking He looked up at me The man's not responsible for what he might do in this each She never asked anyone to read aloud before And then we talked about the sketch again He looked at it The likeness is me, all right On trial You must excuse my asking But do you know of anything you've done For which you could be put on trial Dear, I've done nothing Not yet He got up, fetched a can from the porch And he began to water the flowers Twice a day regular in the odd weather And then he sometimes gets the better of the delicate ones And ferns good, or they could never stand it Where do you live? I told him my address He would take an hour's quick walk to get back home And then he stopped watering And he faced me squarely It's like this We look at the matter straight If you go on tonight You take your chance of accidents A cart may run over you And there's always banana skins and orange peels To say nothing of falling ladders He spoke of the improbability With an intense seriousness That would have been laughable six hours before But I did not laugh The best thing we can do is for you to stay here till 12 o'clock And it'll be tomorrow, you see We'll go upstairs and smoke It may be cool out in shard To my surprise, I agreed Our sitting in a long, low room Beneath Kinson Has sent his wife to bed He himself is busy Sharpening some tools at a little oil stone Smoking one of my cigars The wife, the wife And as I look at my sketch before me I suddenly see the fuzzy outline of what the man in the picture holds in his hands While I had not been able to sketch it before I am able to do so now It is a chisel It is stained with dark liquid The sketch is completed now The air seems charged with thunder And I hear it in the distance It is ominous But it carries the hope of rain Perhaps this damnable heat will be broken soon And the day will soon be over It is close to 12 In seconds The day will be over I am writing this at a shaky table Before the open window The leg is cracked And Atkinson, who seems a handyman With his tools Is going to mend it As soon as he has finished putting An edge on his chisel It is over I shall hold the heat This heat is enough to send a man-man This is Robert Montgomery again With thanks to Barry Kroger And Dennis Hoey for superb performances In August heat And to Mel Dinelli who adopted WF Harvey's story Our appreciation and our applause too Goes to the cast of both plays Who made our weather experiments so very successful Next week we'll turn a full hour's attention again To the English scene And to Emlyn Williams' great play Night must fall You'll meet Mrs. Bramson, Olivia Grain And Hubert Lorre And you'll meet Danny Danny with the quick smile Happy, cheerful Danny Whose appearance is as pleasant as the melody That's always with him Mighty like a rose That's Danny Yes, that's Danny Next week with Dame May Whitty, Heather Angel Richard May and myself And with night must fall We'll again hope to keep you in suspense Good night Mr. Montgomery may currently be seen In the Universal International Production Ride the Pink Horse Wet Saturday by John Collier Was adapted for suspense by Harold Medford August Heat by WF Harvey Was adapted for suspense by Mel Dinelli Both were directed by Anton M. Lieder And produced by Robert Montgomery Lud Gloskin is our musical director and conductor And Lucien Morrowek composes the original scores Next week here Night must fall Starring Robert Montgomery with Dame May Whitty Heather Angel and Richard May On radio's outstanding theater of thrills One hour of Suspense Dame, you won't want to miss That's Report Card The next production of the famed CBS Documentary Unit Overcrowded schools Out of date equipment And a shortage of trained teachers All of these are contributing to a breakdown In American education For a dramatic report Here Report Card Wednesday March 24th Over many of these stations This is CBS Where 99 million people gather every week The Columbia Broadcasting System