In a Lonely Place Page #2

What? Change your mind?

You asked me here to tell you

the story of Alathea Bruce.

Althea.

If that was just a pretence

to lure me--

- You want to go now?

- Well, no. Not unless--

I changed because I like to be

comfortable when I work.

Oh. Well.

I'll have a ginger ale with a twist of

lemon. That's known as a horse's neck.

- How do you want me to tell the story?

- Just how you'd tell your Aunt Cora.

Well, it's about this woman,

Alathea Bruce. She's very rich.

She owns this big mansion

on Long Island.

She's got sailboats and cars and jewels

and everything. And she's a widow.

Lucky Althea.

She's got many men in her life, and they

take her to lots of different clubs.

- But they don't send Alathea.

- Althea.

One day she looks out and sees

a new lifeguard outside her window...

...and it's very beautifully described.

He looks like a bronzed Apollo.

- I hope it's gonna be in Technicolor.

- I'll suggest that to the producer.

Alathea sends her butler to ask

the lifeguard to have breakfast.

But instead, they have whiskey sours.

It's a very risky scene.

- Did I tell you about her husband?

- You told me he was dead.

I mean about the way he died.

He fell out of a boat while sailing,

and there's an investigation going on.

Did she kill him?

That's kind of left open.

She falls in love with Channing...

...who's not really a lifeguard but is

studying to be a bachelorterologist.

You know, they look into the microbes.

She tells him she didn't do it.

- Who didn't do what?

- Kill Lester!

Lester's her husband, I presume?

- Are you sure you haven't read it?

- No, and I don't think I'm going to.

Go ahead.

Then come the dreamy weeks.

Go on. I can hear you.

They're always together.

She wants him to marry her,

but what Channing's after is bacteria.

Bacterogolist.

She throws herself into

her lawyer's arms....

All you have to do is

follow the book.

--and that does the trick.

He won't speak to her.

She tries everything,

and I do mean everything.

Then she gets desperate.

She wants him so terribly...

...and since there's no other way,

one stormy day she swims way out...

...and she starts to scream:

" Help, help, help, help!"

Honey, I have neighbours!

Channing won't swim after her

because he thinks it's a trick.

Alathea goes on screaming, and suddenly

he realizes she's in danger.

He swims out so fast

he hardly even touches the water.

But by the time he gets there,

she's gone.

She's joined her husband

Lester in the sea.

- lt's a powerful story.

- What you call an epic.

What did I tell you?

There are lots of things

I didn't even mention.

Thank you.

- What time is it?

- lt's 12:
30.

Oh, is that all?

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