Magnificent Obsession Page #3

- Thank you.

We'll have to be very firm

about visitors, for her sake.

Yesterday afternoon there were eight.

This morning it's beginning again.

Apparently Dad had helped

them meet some crisis.

- Money?

- No, not always. Sometimes just advice.

But when you try to pin them down as

to how they became indebted to Dad,

they stammer and dodge, as though they

belonged with him to some secret society.

It's strange.

Dr Phillips insisted

that it be kept secret.

But now that he's dead, I suppose

I can talk about it, don't you?

Certainly.

It came to $4,000 all together,

and I want to pay you back.

Why didn't you return

it to Dr Phillips?

Oh, my dear, I tried so many

times, but he wouldn't take it.

He'd become excited and say,

"You haven't told anyone?"

I'd say, "Of course not.

You told us not to."

Then he'd say, "That's right, Mrs Eden.

Any help I give you is just between us."

- And he wouldn't let you repay it?

- He said he couldn't because...

he'd already used it all up.

And then he'd say to invest it.

"Invest in what?" I'd say.

And he'd say, "Any poor devil."

Wasn't that strange?

Mrs Eden, what did he mean

when he said "used it all up"?

I've tried to think so many times.

Don't you know, Mrs Phillips?

No. It's very odd. In four letters this

week, there's exactly the same expression.

But it is a debt, and I

want to take care of it.

You don't owe me

anything, Mrs Eden.

If Dr Phillips couldn't accept

this, then neither can I.

Well... if that's what you

want, Mrs Phillips, but...

You keep it and use it...

for any poor devil.

All right.

He was a very remarkable

man, wasn't he?

Yes, he was.

Perhaps more remarkable

than any of us knew.

- Hello, darling. How are you?

- Much better now that you're here.

- How's Helen feeling?

- Oh, you know.

- Oh, golly, Tom. I've missed you.

- I've missed you too.

Hello, Tom. Thank you for

coming all this way.

Helen. I wish I'd been able to come

up Sunday, but I've been swamped.

I wanted to talk to both

of you about the estate.

The estate? I hadn't

even thought of it.

Neither had I. I should have

been a better attorney.

I've made a complete survey

of Wayne's finances, and I...

- I doubt you'll have any money at all.

- Not even insurance?

Wayne had a $100,000 policy,

but he borrowed the maximum on it.

- The rest might pay the taxes and debts.

- But what happened, Tom?

But some of Dad's fees...

the Talleyrand operation...

When Wayne removed the neoplasm from

the Talleyrand boy, he received $25,000.

It was all withdrawn within seven weeks

in four cheques, all made out to "cash".

The account's full of cash withdrawals.

Where did all this money go, Helen?

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