Nightmare

Janet. Where are you, Janet?

Janet, you've come to help me, my darling,

haven't you?

Come, darling. You know where I am.

Janet, I'm waiting.

Janet!

Where are you?

I'm waiting.

That's right, my darling. In here.

That's right, my darling, in here.

Here I am, Janet. Please help me.

Help me, my darling. Help me!

Help me!

Help me, Janet!

Now they've got us both, haven't they?

That's how it should be. Isn't it?

We're both mad, aren't we? We're both mad!

No! We're both mad!

No! I'm not mad!

No! I'm not mad!

No! I'm not mad!

Get back to bed, girls. Janet.

Janet, what was all that about?

I had a dream and...

The same one? I...

Janet, come along. Come back and lie down.

You must try and get to sleep.

Come on.

Good night.

Come on!

I've been looking for you everywhere.

Why weren't you with the others? I'm not very popular.

I disturb their sleep. You disturb mine.

You're different. It's part of your job.

My job is to teach. Now, will you please put off that radio?

What did Mrs. Hatcher want to see you about?

She wants you to see a doctor. No.

Why? She can't make me, can she?

She might send you home if you don't. I'd rather go home.

But you like it here. I don't want to see a doctor.

Not the sort she'd send me to, anyway.

Does Henry know? Who's Henry?

My guardian. Henry Baxter. He's a lawyer.

I expect Mrs. Hatcher will telephone him.

She'll have to if I'm going home.

He knows about me. He'll understand.

What is there to understand?

Everything. Doctors and...

Henry will come and fetch me.

Time you were asleep, girls.

Good night.

Comfortable? What am I doing in here?

Mrs. Hatcher thought it would be better for the other girls.

You'll be going home tomorrow.

Did she speak to Henry? Yes, she did.

Mr. Baxter won't be able to meet you, I'm afraid.

Why not? I don't know.

Anyway, it'll be all right.

I shall be going home with you.

Why? It's a long journey.

Mrs. Hatcher thought you might like the company.

What about you?

I like the idea. It'll make a nice change.

All right, now.

Good night.

I wonder why Henry couldn't meet us.

He's probably waiting for you at home.

Is Mr. Baxter at home, John? Mr. Baxter? I don't think so, Miss Janet.

It is nice to see you again, John.

It's nice to see you again, Miss Janet.

I hope everything's all right. Why?

Home in the middle of the term. I thought perhaps you weren't well.

I'm perfectly well, thank you.

How long does it take? About half an hour.

How is everything at High Towers, John? Fine, Miss Janet, just fine.

John's a very old friend, aren't you? I like to think so, miss.

John and Mrs. Gibbs. How is Mrs. Gibbs?

Just the same, Miss Janet, just the same.

The country is beautiful around here.

Slow down, John.

What is that place? Stop, John.

It's better not, Miss Janet.

Do as I say. Please, Miss Janet. You know you...

I'm sure that John knows best, Janet. It doesn't concern you.

Everything concerns me until I deliver you safely home.

Mrs. Gibbs! It's lovely to see you again. Lovely.

And you're looking fine, just fine. Is Henry here? Mr. Baxter?

No, he's not here, dear. Why not?

Mr. Baxter, why should he be?

Yes, he should. He should have met me from the station.

Perhaps he'll come later. I was so looking forward to seeing him.

Is my room ready? Yes, I've got a nice fire. Now, come on.

What about Mary? This is Miss Lewis. She teaches at my school.

How do you do? How do you do?

I've put Miss Lewis in the Blue Room.

Why? What's wrong with the guest room?

I'm afraid that's my fault. Who are you?

I put myself in the guest room. But I can always change.

Who are you? My name is Grace Maddox.

Yes. Mr. Baxter asked her to come down.

He thought you might like someone with you.

Why?

He thought perhaps you might get lonely.

It sounds like a good idea.

Yes, it does. Do you mind having the Blue Room? It's awfully nice.

It's my favorite color. Good, I'll show you the way then.

No, you show her, Mrs. Gibbs.

Grace, you come with me.

I've got a letter for you, miss. A letter? For me?

Yes. It arrived this morning.

A letter for me?

What was in the letter?

He said he was sorry not to be here to meet you...

but he'll try and get down one day next week.

He sent me some flowers.

You saw them, didn't you? Yes, they were beautiful.

What else did it say? Nothing.

Just thanking me for bringing you home. That's just like him.

He's very kind.

It's such a pity you won't be meeting him. Another time perhaps.

It's time you were getting up to bed. I'm not at school any longer.

Sorry, force of habit. I'm going anyway.

It's been a busy day. Good night, Grace. Good night.

I'm so glad Henry sent you to keep me company.

I'm glad, too. Good night, Mary.

Grace.

Do you ride? Yes, a little.

Good. We'll go out tomorrow then. Good night.

Good night. Would you like some more coffee?

No, thank you. There was something else in the letter.

Mr. Baxter asked me to tell you all I know of Janet.

What do you want to know?

She's not well, is she?

You're not just a companion, are you? No, I'm a nurse.

Does Janet know? No.

I shouldn't tell her if I were you. I'm not going to.

She seems to have a fear of doctors. It may extend to nurses.

Yes, it probably does.

Mr. Baxter felt that so long as she was going to have a companion...

it may as well be somebody who could be of some help in an emergency.

It sounds like a good idea.

Do you know Mr. Baxter well? No. I've never met him.

His wife engaged me.

I think I'll just look in on Janet. Then I'll go to bed.

Mrs. Gibbs will get you anything you need. Thank you.

Good night. Good night.

You want something, miss? No, thank you. I'm going to bed now.

Good night then, miss. Good night.

Can I clear away this? Yes, of course.

Nice of you to bring Janet home. I enjoyed the trip.

She's all right, isn't she? She's not any worse?

Worse?

Poor darling thing. I don't know how she puts up with it, I really don't.

What do you mean? This terrible thing that's torturing her.

Never a moment's rest from it, day or night. What thing, Mrs. Gibbs?

You don't know? No, I don't.

I'm sorry, miss, I... Please, Mrs. Gibbs. I'm very fond of Janet.

She's fond of you, too. She told me last time she was home.

I'm sorry, miss. I thought you knew about her mother and father.

Only that they were dead. They're not.

Leastways, her mother isn't. Her mother's still alive?

If you can call it that. She's locked up in an asylum.

You must have seen the place this afternoon.

How terrible.

Not so terrible as what her mother did that put her there.

What was that?

It was six years ago. Six years ago this month.

Janet was 11 then, such a happy child.

She was always laughing and joking. We had such fun in those days.

This was a happy house. Janet, her mother, and father.

What happened? It was Janet's birthday.

She and I had been out for a walk after lunch.

Her mother hadn't been well and was staying in bed.

So we'd arranged a little tea party

which we were going to have up in her mother's room.

We got back, I think it was about 3:00.

Janet had found some wild flowers that she had picked for her mother.

I'm going to take these up to Mummy. Take your coat off first.

No, afterwards.

She was 11, miss, 11 years old.

Can you imagine what a thing like that could do to the mind of a child?

No.

They found her mother insane.

Perhaps it would have been better if she hadn't been.

Perhaps it'd have been better if it had been a cold-blooded killing...

by a sane and normal person.

Why do you say that?

Janet had a nervous breakdown after that. She was in hospital for weeks.

And when she came out, she started to worry.

That's what's been troubling her this last couple of years.

The terrible worry that she might have inherited something from her mother.

That she might be insane, too. That's not very likely, is it?

I don't know, miss. These things can happen, I've heard.

Not very often. Perhaps not, but...

has it occurred to you that the terrible worry that it might happen...

could be sufficient to drive a person out of their mind?

Who's there?

It's you, miss. I came down to get a book.

I thought everyone was in bed. Sorry if I startled you.

That's all right, miss. I'll just finish putting out the lights.