1. Long Live Walter Jameson
First Aired: 18 March 1960
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2. There is a fifth dimension.
Beyond that which is known to man.
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3. It is a dimension as vast as space.
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4. And as timeless as infinity.
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5. It is the middle ground
between light and shadow...
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6. between science and superstition.
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7. And it lies between
the pit of man's fears...
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8. and the summit of his knowledge.
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9. This is the dimension
of imagination.
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10. It is an area which we call:
The Twilight Zone.
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11. You're looking at act one
of a nightmare.
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12. One not restricted to witching hours
and dark, rain-swept nights.
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13. Professor Walter Jameson,
popular beyond words...
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14. who talks of the past
as if it were the present.
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15. Who conjures up the dead
as if they were alive.
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16. The Union soldiers burned Atlanta.
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17. But they took no pleasure in their
work. They were forced to it.
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18. By a man they hated more than
they could ever hate the rebels.
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19. An ugly, sullen,
unbelievably brutal man...
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20. named William Tecumseh Sherman.
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21. To give you a more comprehensive
idea of this great hero,
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22. Let me read you a few extracts from
The diary of Major Skelton.
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23. The date is Tuesday,
September 11, 1864.
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24. 'The city was ours.
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25. 'There was no need to destroy aught,
Save that which could be of use...
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26. 'But Sherman was drunk with victory.
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27. 'He himself started the awful fires.
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28. 'The fires that destroyed that
great citadel of grace and beauty.'
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29. In the view of this man,
professor Samuel Kittridge...
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30. Walter Jameson has
access to knowledge...
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31. that couldn't come out
of a volume of history.
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32. but rather from a
book on black magic.
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33. Which is to say that this
nightmare begins at noon.
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34. Very vivid, Walter.
You had me on the edge of my seat.
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35. I begin to see why these lectures
of yours are so popular.
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36. Is that why you sat in?
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37. Partially. Tell me something.
Who is this Major Skelton?
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38. Just a lawyer wrapped into a mist.
- Uh, what regiment?
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39. 123rd infantry.
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40. I must say, the story of his
is a fascinating document.
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41. May I see it?
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42. I don't suppose I could borrow it?
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43. I never lend books to
absent-minded professors.
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44. You're right.
- Anything wrong, Sam?
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45. Could you come for dinner tonight?
- Your invitation or Susanna's?
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46. Mine this time. Say, 7:00?
- All right.
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47. Really, darling,
must you always be on time?
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48. Please. Remember, you're a Ph.D.
- Not yet, I'm not.
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49. There's a little matter
of an examination.
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50. A technicality.
Anyway, you're gonna be a housewife.
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51. The devil she is.
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52. I'm giving you my daughter's hand,
not her brain.
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53. She's gonna get that Ph.D...
- If I have to spank her. I know.
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54. Are you the cook again tonight?
- In deed, and why not?
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55. It's time that I tried her cooking.
- Don't worry, you will.
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56. Shall we sit down?
- My lady.
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57. I take it back, Sam.
She'll never be the cook you are.
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58. What are you doing, young lady?
- I'll do the dishes later.
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59. I don't mean the dishes.
I mean books and study. Upstairs.
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60. Besides, Walter and I
have something to discuss.
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61. Are you going to treat me this way?
- Worse.
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62. Who knows.
You may have to support us.
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63. You oughta be ashamed of yourself.
Susanna's almost 30 years old.
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64. And I'm almost 70.
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65. My move, isn't it?
- Yes.
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66. What's that for?
- Look at them. Extraordinary.
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67. They look very much alike
twelve years ago, those two hands.
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68. Time marches on.
- For some of us.
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69. Walter, tell me something, will you?
- Of course.
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70. How old are you?
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71. Forty-four.
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72. I recall that when you applied for
a post on the university staff...
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73. you listed your age as 39.
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74. That was, let me see, 1947...
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75. Which would make you 51.
- Come on, Sam.
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76. All right, I'm 51.
Too old for Susanna? Is that it?
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77. In a sense.
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78. In 1947, I was 58.
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79. I had most of my hair,
all my teeth and hardly a wrinkle.
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80. Look at me now. In 12 short years,
I've turned into an old man.
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81. While you haven't aged at all.
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82. It happens that way sometimes.
- I know, but why?
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83. Don't ask me. You're the chemist.
I teach history.
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84. Yes, and you teach it very well.
You know what the students say?
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85. It's almost as if you'd lived through
the period you were discussing.
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86. I try to make it interesting.
- Fake it, you mean?
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87. You could call it that.
- Yes, that's what I thought.
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88. But that didn't seem like you.
- You're such a precise sort.
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89. What have you got there?
- A photo book of the civil war.
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90. Well, what is it?
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91. You look as if you've seen a ghost.
- Maybe I have.
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92. Walter was your grandfather in
the civil war, by any chance?
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93. No.
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94. Then we have a mystery here.
- How so?
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95. You made me curious about
this Major Skelton today.
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96. I wanted to see what he looked like.
So I went through my Brady pictures.
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97. Not really expecting
to find anything.
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98. These are three of
Sherman's staff officers.
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99. The one seated at the table is
identified as Major Hugh Skelton.
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100. That picture was taken
almost 100 years ago.
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101. You shouldn't have kept that ring.
It's a dead giveaway.
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102. What are you getting at, Sam?
- You know what I'm getting at.
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103. You're joking. Just because I look
like somebody in a photograph.
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104. And wearing the same ring and
have the same mole on your face.
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105. You and I have been
very close for 12 years.
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106. Tell me the truth. You...
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107. You are that man in the photograph,
aren't you?
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108. Yes.
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109. I've suspected a long time.
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110. But it seemed fantastic.
- It is.
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111. Yes.
- How old are you, Walter?
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112. You wouldn't believe me.
- I can believe anything now.
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113. Let's say that I'm old enough to
have known this gentleman personally.
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114. Plato?
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115. But that was over 2,000 years ago.
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116. I knew you wouldn't believe me.
- No, it isn't that, it's...
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117. Two thousand years.
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118. How, Walter? How?
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119. In heaven's name, this is what
man kind has been dreaming of.
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120. Tell me the secret.
- I can't tell you the secret, Sam.
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121. Because I don't know it myself.
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122. I was like you, Sam.
Afraid of death.
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123. And when I thought of all the things
there were to know in a few years...
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124. it seemed senseless.
At night...
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125. I dreamed, as you dream,
of immortality.
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126. Only if a man lived forever, could
there be any point in living at all?
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127. I talked to priests, philosophers.
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128. Then one day I met an alchemist.
Told him these things.
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129. He said that he could grant my wish.
It would cost a great deal of money.
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130. I was desperate, I paid him his money
and submitted to his experiments.
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131. I remember very little about it.
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132. I lay in a coma for many weeks.
When I revived, I was alone.
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133. The alchemist had disappeared.
- Go on.
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134. There's very little more to tell.
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135. I thought that the experiment
had failed...
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136. because I didn't feel
any differently.
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137. But then...
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138. I saw my wife and my children aging.
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139. My friends dying.
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140. This was something that I
hadn't considered, you see?
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141. But surely there's some
answer to that problem.
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142. Is there?
Think about it.
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143. Somehow I can stop you from aging.
Where do you want to stop, at 30?
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144. Then you watch everyone
around you grow old. At 70?
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145. Do you want to live forever the
way you are now? Old, sick?
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146. It's better than dying.
- No, you're wrong, Sam.
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147. I was wrong.
It's...
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148. death that gives
this world its point.
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149. We love a rose because
we know it'll soon be gone.
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150. Who ever loved a stone?
- I'm not a rose or a stone. I'm a man.
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151. Very old and very frightened.
- Of what, death?
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152. You're a fool, Sam. I want to die.
- Then why don't you?
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153. Because I'm a coward.
- You?
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154. I haven't changed. I was a
coward then, I'm a coward now.
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155. I'm tired of living.
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156. In my desk I have a revolver, Sam.
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157. Every night I take it and pray for the
courage to pull the trigger. I can't.
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158. You've survived over 2,000 years
without an accident or being wounded?
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159. Some people are lucky that way.
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160. They go through life without ever
breaking a bone of hospitalization.
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161. I've been close to death.
Many times,
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162. But never close enough.
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163. Thank you.
- For what?
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164. I thought if a man lived forever,
he'd grow wiser.
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165. But that isn't true, is it?
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166. You just go on living.
That's all.
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167. It must be lonely.
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168. I suppose you've been
married several times.
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169. Yes.
- How long with each woman, Walter?
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170. Ten years? Fifteen years?
- I see.
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171. I tried to resign six months ago. You
talked me out of it. Do you remember?
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172. I knew Susanna was falling in love
with me. And I knew what would happen.
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173. A few years of happiness and then...
I tried to warn her.
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174. I did everything to discourage her.
- Except tell her the truth.
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175. She'd have thought I was mad.
- Then why didn't you leave?
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176. Because by then it was too late.
I was in love with her.
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177. I need her.
Everything is against it.
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178. All my reason and experience.
But that doesn't matter now.
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179. It does to me, Walter.
I can't let you marry my daughter.
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180. And why not?
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181. Well, come on.
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182. Your father seems to think
I'm too old for you, darling.
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183. That's the silliest
thing I ever heard of.
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184. Then you'll marry me tonight.
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185. I think you mean it.
- I do.
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186. Go and pack your prettiest things.
I'll pick you up in 15 minutes.
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187. But...
- Go.
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188. I'll tell her.
- She won't believe you. Nobody would.
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189. You won't believe it yourself
by tomorrow morning.
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190. Hello, Tommy.
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191. Who are you?
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192. Don't you recognize me, Tommy?
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193. Look hard.
Look into my eyes.
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194. A long time ago, you called them
the most beautiful you'd ever seen.
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195. I'm afraid you're making a mistake.
- No, Tommy.
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196. My name is Jameson.
Professor Walter Jameson.
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197. Don't pretend.
I know who you are.
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198. And who am I?
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199. You're Tom Bowen, my husband.
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200. Your husband?
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201. My dear woman, perhaps if you'll
tell me who you're looking for.
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202. Stop it. I saw the picture in the
newspaper announcing your engagement.
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203. I had to come to see if it was true.
It is.
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204. I can't explain it. It's happened.
I've grown old, and you haven't.
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205. Now you're going to marry someone else
and leave her, the way you left me.
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206. Oh, Laurette.
Laurette.
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207. I can't let you marry her, Tommy.
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208. You're mine.
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209. Laurette.
- Tommy, it's wrong.
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210. You can't go on hurting people.
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211. What is it?
What's happened?
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212. Walter?
- Hello, Sam.
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213. I thought I heard...
Are you all right?
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214. I don't know.
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215. It doesn't matter.
Either way, you're...
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216. You'll be rid of me.
- What do you mean?
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217. I mean, I've come to my senses.
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218. At last.
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219. Tell Susanna that...
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220. No, stay away.
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221. You're hurt.
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222. I'll call a doctor.
- No.
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223. Your hand.
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224. It's happening.
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225. At last.
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226. Walter, what is it?
What's happening?
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227. Oh, my god.
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228. Nothing lasts forever, thank god.
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229. Dad. Walter.
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230. Go home, Susanna.
- That was a shot. Walter's hurt.
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231. He's gone.
- Where?
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232. I don't know, my dear, I...
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233. His clothes?
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234. Dad?
What is that on the floor?
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235. Dust.
Only dust.
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236. Last stop on a long journey.
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237. As yet another human being returns
to the vast nothing of the beginning.
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238. And into the dust that
is always the end.
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