Suspense The Black Shawl Date: Jul 27 1944

CAST:
ANNOUNCER
THE MAN IN BLACK
1ST MAN (1 line)
2ND MAN (1 line)

SUSAN APPLEBY, young woman
MRS. MASTERS, old woman
ROB, Susan's boyfriend
GIRL (2 lines)
MAN (2 lines)
JOHN, who gibbers, moans, and grunts
ADAMS, police constable

MUSIC: THEME ... THEN IN BG-- ANNOUNCER: Roma Wines present-- MAN IN BLACK: --SUSPENSE! ANNOUNCER: Roma Wines, made in California for enjoyment throughout the world. SOUND: GLASSES CLINK 1ST MAN: Salud! 2ND MAN: To your health, Señor! SOUND: GLASSES CLINK ANNOUNCER: Roma Wines toast the world. The wine for your table is Roma Wine, made in California for enjoyment throughout the world. MUSIC: UP FOR THEME ... IN BG-- MAN IN BLACK: This is the Man in Black here for the Roma Wine Company of Fresno, California to introduce this weekly half hour of - SUSPENSE. Tonight from Hollywood, Roma Wines bring you as stars Dame May Whitty and Miss Maureen O'Sullivan. And so with the performances of these two distinguished leading ladies in the play called "The Black Shawl," we again hope to keep you in -- SUSPENSE! MUSIC: THEME UP AND OUT ... THEN UNEASY, IN BG SUSAN: (NARRATES) Listen to me, please. Listen carefully and tell me if I'm right. I say I'm about to be murdered. I'm not certain. No one's even threatened me. But I say I am going to be murdered. This is just a plain ordinary-looking kitchen that I'm sitting in. But for me, I know it is a death house. [X] If it were only three days ago and I could live them all over again-- [Y] Oh, if it only were! The fair was being held in town, and everyone was gay, and Robert was late as usual, but I didn't care. MUSIC: SLOWLY CHANGES TO A MORE UPBEAT AND CHEERFUL PIPER BAND ABOVE AT [X] ... FILLS A PAUSE, THEN IN BG-- SOUND: ABOVE AT [Y], FADE IN FAIRGROUND CROWD, NOISY AND JOSTLING ... CONTINUES IN BG-- SUSAN: (WHISTLES THE MELODY TO "DRINK TO ME ONLY WITH THINE EYES", CUTS OFF WITH--) GIRL: (APPROACHES) Susan! Not waiting for Rob again, are ye? SUSAN: (LIGHTLY) Have you seen me when I haven't been? GIRL: (MERRILY) And him a lawyer for the watch factory. Somebody ought to teach him how to tell time. SOUND: THE SMALL GROUP LAUGHS SUSAN: (LAUGHS, THEN WHISTLES "DRINK TO ME" BRIEFLY BEHIND--) MAN: Hey, how about a dance, Sue? One short one, before that boyfriend of yours comes 'round to steal ye away? SUSAN: Oh, thanks, George, but I'd rather wait. If he's not quick about it, he'll find nothing left to steal except the bench. MAN: (AMUSED, MOVING OFF) Heh! All right. But let me know if you're interested in a change of habit. SUSAN: (CHUCKLES, THEN RESUMES WHISTLING "DRINK TO ME ONLY WITH THINE EYES" ... CUTS OFF WITH--) MRS. M: (IN CLOSE) Hello, there. SUSAN: (MILDLY STARTLED) Oh! Hello. MRS. M: I've been watching you sitting there, and I wondered whom you were waiting for. SUSAN: Oh, just a friend. MRS. M: I see. I don't wish to seem inquisitive, please don't misunderstand. It's only that your face struck me as being unusually bright and alive -- as well as being uncommonly pretty. SUSAN: Thank you. MRS. M: Now, you see, I have an eye for faces. My son was a sculptor. He worked almost entirely with heads, and my job was choosing them. It's all very foolish, I'll admit, more so since he ... departed some time ago. SUSAN: (SYMPATHETICALLY) Oh, I am sorry. MRS. M: Thank you. But that's precisely why I was watching you. (QUICKLY) Of course I know nothing about you, any more than you do of me, but-- By the way, what's your name? SUSAN: Susan Appleby. MRS. M: Mine is Elizabeth Masters. SUSAN: How do you do? MRS. M: I live just the other side of town. SUSAN: Oh. MRS. M: Let me come to the point, Susan. I admire your looks, and I like the way you act and speak. SUSAN: (CHUCKLES MODESTLY) MUSIC: PIPER BAND FINISHES PLAYING BEHIND-- MRS. M: I'm not a young woman, and I'm lonely. (SADLY) I have been ever since I lost my son. I need a companion, someone who can stay with me, and help me, too. And you resemble closely my very first companion, my best remembered one. SUSAN: Oh, but I-- MRS. M: I'll pay you well. Thirty pounds a month. (CHUCKLES) Your chief occupation will be to brew me some tea and talk to me. Are you interested? SUSAN: Well, I have been seeking that sort of a position, but I-- MRS. M: Splendid! You need look no longer. SUSAN: But you know nothing about me! MRS. M: I know that I like you, and that I want you to accept my offer. I'll return here at this same time tomorrow evening. If you do want the position, please be here. And believe me, I hope you are here. Good night, Susan. SUSAN: (STILL STARTLED) Good night. MRS. M: (MOVING OFF) See you tomorrow. At eight. SUSAN: All right. (CALLS AFTER HER) I'll be here! (RESUMES WHISTLING "DRINK TO ME ONLY WITH THINE EYES") ROB: (AFTER A MOMENT, JOINS HER IN WHISTLING, THEN BOTH STOP, ROB FINISHES THE MELODY WITH--) Da dum! (LAUGHS) What do you mean, you'll be here? SUSAN: (GOOD-NATURED) Oh, Rob, you frightened me! (CHUCKLES) ROB: (LIGHTLY) Well, you were whistling our tune, so I thought you were expecting me. What do you think you're doing, making dates with strange women? And believe me, she is a strange woman. SUSAN: Mrs. Masters? Oh, no. She's nice. And, Rob, she offered me a position. ROB: Oh? Doing what? SUSAN: As a companion -- just what I wanted, and at thirty pounds a month, darling! ROB: No small sum, that. Too bad you can't manage it. SUSAN: But I'm thinking seriously of it, Rob. ROB: Well, stop then. I don't want you ever to have one serious thought about anything. SUSAN: Now, Rob, I'm going to take it. ROB: What do you know about the old hen? SUSAN: Nothing yet. ROB: Sue? Did you look at the way she dressed? SUSAN: Hm? ROB: Black, from shoes to shawl! Why, the shawl's so large and black, you'd hardly know she had a face. SUSAN: She seemed charming. ROB: Mm, she might well be, but-- (CHUCKLES, LIGHTLY) I'm not so bad myself. SUSAN: (CHUCKLES) Aw! ROB: (MORE SERIOUS) And I want you for a companion, too. Let's push the wedding date ahead, darling. Make it any time you will. SUSAN: Oh, now, we've gone through this so many times, and you know it can't be done. But with the way you're coming along, and with thirty pounds a month additional-- Why, Rob, in no time at all we'll have all we need! ROB: You're an awfully stubborn fellow, darling. SUSAN: Oh, you know I'm right. ROB: How many evenings off will she allow you? SUSAN: We didn't get that far. ROB: Well, where's the place at, then? SUSAN: (BEAT) Well, isn't that strange? She left so quickly I never had a chance to ask. ROB: (UNHAPPY) Call it off, Sue. I-- SUSAN: But why, Rob? ROB: Well, I don't like it. You know nothing about her. Not even where she lives. SUSAN: But I told you, I hardly spoke to her. Tomorrow I'll know everything. MUSIC: CHEERFUL PIPER BAND RESUMES BEHIND-- ROB: (BEAT, RELUCTANTLY) All right, my darling, you win. But let me hear from you as soon as you're set, dear. SUSAN: Of course I will. Everything's going to be fine. ROB: I'm silly. Sure it will. (CHUCKLES, LOVINGLY) Hello, darling! SUSAN: (LOVINGLY) Hello, darling. ROB: Everything will be fine. For us! MUSIC: UP FOR A TAG THAT QUOTES "DRINK TO ME" ... CHANGES TO A GRIM 'SUSPENSE' ACCENT ... THEN BEHIND THE MAN IN BLACK-- MAN IN BLACK: Tonight, for SUSPENSE, Roma Wines are bringing you as stars Dame May Whitty and Maureen O'Sullivan, whom you have heard in the prologue to "The Black Shawl" by R. R. Lewis -- tonight's study in SUSPENSE. MUSIC: UP AND OUT ANNOUNCER: Far from the scene we have just left, far to the south across the equator, is another scene I ask you to visit with me. It is just before the dinner hour on the beautiful roof terrace café of the Hotel Metropolitano of Guayaquil, Ecuador. MUSIC: STRINGS ... GENTLE LATIN DINNER MUSIC BEHIND ANNOUNCER-- ANNOUNCER: We are finishing our appetizers; an excellent sherry -- and lifting your glass, you remark to our host that you envy him such wine. He laughs. "You are very kind," he says, "but it is your own California you must praise for this splendid wine. For you see, it is Roma California Sherry." Yes, in many far countries where discerning tastes have found Roma Wines, it is a luxury, imported and treasured. MUSIC: OUT ANNOUNCER: For Roma Wines are in every sense fine wines, from the rich vineyard country of California, products of age-old winemaking skill, aided by modern quality controls and tests. And here in the United States, Roma Wines cost mere pennies a glassful, because here there is no import duty, no overseas shipping cost. Such enjoyable flavor and constant quality -- such low cost, such high wine values -- have made Roma by far America's largest-selling wines, enjoyed by millions, with meals, when entertaining, anytime. To enjoy these delights yourself, ask for R-O-M-A, Roma Wine. Made in California, for enjoyment throughout the world. MUSIC: THEME, THEN IN BG-- MAN IN BLACK: And now it is with pleasure that we bring back to our sound stage Maureen O'Sullivan as Susan and Dame May Whitty as Mrs. Masters in "The Black Shawl," a tale well calculated to keep you in-- MUSIC: KNIFE CHORD MAN IN BLACK: -- SUSPENSE! MUSIC: STORMY INTRODUCTION ... THEN IN BG-- SUSAN: (NARRATES) And so I was there waiting -- as Mrs. Masters had instructed me -- the following night. We got into her car and she drove us off. (SOUND: CAR ENGINE) It only seemed a mile or two from town, but we twisted and turned so many times that in the dark I became completely confused as to my whereabouts. Then finally, we stopped. SOUND: CAR ENGINE COMES TO A STOP AND SHUTS OFF ... NOCTURNAL BACKGROUND (CRICKETS CHIRPING, ET CETERA) ... CAR DOORS OPEN AND SHUT, STEPS ON GRAVEL MRS. M: There it is, straight ahead down the path. Miss Appleby, welcome to Masters Hall. MUSIC: UP FOR AN ACCENT/BRIDGE ... THEN OUT BEHIND-- SOUND: SUSAN'S FOOTSTEPS WALK THROUGH HOUSE ... THEN IN AGREEMENT WITH FOLLOWING-- MRS. M: (CALLS, FROM OFF) I'm in the parlor, Miss Appleby. Won't you join me in a cup of tea? SUSAN: Oh, thank you, Mrs. Masters. I'd be very grateful if I might. I love my room. MRS. M: (CLOSER) Good. Sit down over there opposite me, won't you? SUSAN: I certainly will. The fire's as inviting as the tea. SOUND: SUSAN SITS ... TEA PREPARED AND POURED ... CLINK! OF TEAPOT, CUPS, SAUCERS, AND UTENSILS IN AGREEMENT WITH FOLLOWING-- MRS. M: I've always had one burning whenever I'm home. I get cold so easily. SUSAN: Oh. MRS. M: That's why I always wear this shawl around me. Sugar? SUSAN: Thank you. No lemon or milk, thanks. MRS. M: Now, Susan, tell me about yourself. Everything. All you've done. All you see in the future for you. SUSAN: Oh, there's very little to tell. I've always lived here in town. I expect I always shall remain here. MRS. M: After your marriage, you mean. I presume you've such intentions. SUSAN: (AMUSED) I expect so. MRS. M: It is the only thing that matters, isn't it? Having someone to care for. SUSAN: Yes. MRS. M: I know. Before my son left me, I desired nothing. The scope of his talent was the world we lived in, and beautiful it was. I suppose love is like talent in that respect. It, too, creates a smaller world within the large one we inhabit, and makes you want it never to disappear. SUSAN: Did his talents receive recognition? MRS. M: To a limited degree. Everyone saw in his work the promise of a truly great sculptor. (SADLY) The promise never bore fruit, because he hadn't enough time. Winter came far too early in his life. SUSAN: How old was he? MRS. M: I lost him ... before he was twenty-one. SUSAN: Oh, Mrs. Masters, that's terrible. So great a waste. MRS. M: That's it. You realize it, too -- the waste. To lose a useless thing, that can be forgiven. Or if the loss can't be helped, there's nothing we can say. But-- But to cast away genius -- to kill it before it's reached its full expression -- that no one can forgive. (TEARFUL) No one can forget. (SOBS) SUSAN: Oh, now, now, please, Mrs. Masters. We have no control over such matters. They're God's will. MRS. M: Of course. Thank you, dear. You're very sweet. I wish you more success in the world of your love. I'm sure you'll have more. SUSAN: That's kind of you. MRS. M: (CHUCKLES, LIGHTLY) Another good man ruined. SUSAN: (CHUCKLES) I should be insulted. MRS. M: (CHUCKLES) Ruined by a woman. SUSAN: (LAUGHS) MRS. M: (CHUCKLES) That's it. Smile, laugh. Life can be so short. Remember my boy. Enjoy life while you may. MUSIC: SNEAKS IN ABOVE ... UP FOR UNEASY BRIDGE ... THEN BEHIND SUSAN-- SUSAN: (NARRATES) I slept well that first night and did not awaken until almost nine. When I realized how late it was, I dressed quickly and ran downstairs. Mrs. Masters had left a note on the kitchen table telling me she'd gone shopping, and I was to take my breakfast and then wait for her. I looked around to see if I might do something, but everything was in perfect order. (SOUND: SUSAN'S FOOTSTEPS THROUGH THE HOUSE) I looked for a phone, thinking I'd call Rob, but I could find none in the kitchen or the centre hall. Finally, I thought I'd take a look at the outside; get a bit of fresh air. I went to the front door and tried it. (SOUND: RATTLE OF LOCKED DOOR) It was locked. I turned the bolt and pulled. (SOUND: BOLT TURNED, THEN RATTLE OF LOCKED DOOR) The door was still locked. I couldn't understand. Then suddenly I realized the door was locked from the outside! MUSIC: UP FOR AN ACCENT ... THEN SWIRLING NERVOUSLY BEHIND SUSAN-- SOUND: SUSAN'S HURRIED FOOTSTEPS IN AGREEMENT WITH FOLLOWING-- SUSAN: (NARRATES) I ran to the kitchen, not afraid, but surprised. Then something struck me that I hadn't noticed before. All the kitchen windows were barred. (MUSIC: OUT) I made a quick dash for the kitchen door. SOUND: SUSAN'S HURRIED FOOTSTEPS TO KITCHEN DOOR ... RATTLE OF LOCKED KITCHEN DOOR SUSAN: (STARTLED GASP) SOUND: BOLT TURNS ... KITCHEN DOOR OPENS ... MRS. M'S STEPS IN MRS. M: Why, Susan! Good morning. Did you have a good night's rest? SUSAN: (EXHALES WITH RELIEF) Oh. Yes, I did, thank you. MRS. M: Fine. But you're trembling. Is there a chill in the house? You really should stay away from the doors. SOUND: MRS. M CLOSES THE KITCHEN DOOR, TURNS THE BOLT SUSAN: I know, but I wanted a breath of air. The front door was locked. MRS. M: Was it? SUSAN: Yes. MRS. M: I must have done it automatically. You see, I've lived alone for so long, and it's natural for a person who lives alone to lock all doors behind them when they go out. SUSAN: (STILL UNEASY) Why are the windows barred? MRS. M: That goes back to the time my son did his work here. We had so much of it lying carelessly about all over the house. So much of value. Anyone might easily have climbed through the windows. SUSAN: Of course. Oh, it's silly of me. For a moment, though, I felt so much like a-- Like a prisoner behind those bars. MRS. M: (AMUSED, LIGHTLY) An unusual experience for you, I take it? SUSAN: (CHUCKLES) A very unusual one. MRS. M: Now you're smiling again. That's fine! My boy always liked to see a smile on a woman's face. Without one, he always said they reminded him of... death. (BEAT, FLATLY) Yes. Death. MUSIC: GRIM ... SNEAKS IN ABOVE ... THEN UP FOR SOMBER BRIDGE SOUND: SCRIBBLE OF PEN ON PAPER ... THEN PEN PUT DOWN SUSAN: (NARRATES) Next day, I wrote to Rob. SOUND: RUSTLE OF PAPER PICKED UP FROM DESK SUSAN: (READS QUICKLY) "Please come to see me now, Rob, if you can. Everything's all right; don't worry about me, but come to me. It's unbelievable, but I must tell you that I still don't know the address here. I cannot tell you how to find it, but someone must know Mrs. Masters and can tell you where she lives. I want to send this off to you now, so I'll close. I can't tell you, darling, how great is my need to see you, and my love for you. Sue." MUSIC: ACCENT SOUND: INNER DOOR OPENS ... SUSAN'S STEPS IN SUSAN: Mrs. Masters? MRS. M: Why, yes, Susan, what is it? SUSAN: Uh, where can I post a letter? MRS. M: Let me have whatever you want sent, and I'll drop it in the box when I go shopping tomorrow. SUSAN: Oh, I don't want to bother you. I'll take it down myself. MRS. M: No bother at all. There's nowhere else to post a letter, and I pass the box every day. SUSAN: Oh, but I - I'd much rather-- MRS. M: (INTERRUPTS, INSISTENT) It's settled. Let me have it. It'll be sent early tomorrow. SOUND: SUSAN'S RELUCTANT STEPS TO MRS. M SUSAN: Of course. Here you are. MRS. M: Thank you. And, Susan, I dropped my shawl. Would you mind? SUSAN: Oh, not at all. SOUND: SUSAN BENDS AND PICKS UP SHAWL MRS. M: Exquisite, isn't it? Will you join me in a cup of tea? SUSAN: No, thank you. SOUND: SLIGHT RATTLE OF TEA TRAY, TEAPOT, CUP, ET CETERA, IN AGREEMENT WITH FOLLOWING-- SUSAN: Mrs. Masters, this morning I said I was silly for feeling like a prisoner in your home, but the feeling is still there. MRS. M: What have I done or said that might create any such impression? SUSAN: That's not the question I'm trying to answer. I just feel it. The answer I don't know is, what do you want with me? SOUND: DISTANT THUMP! OF A BUST FALLING ON THE FLOOR ... FROM UPSTAIRS SUSAN: What was that? SOUND: TEA CUP SET DOWN ... MRS. M RISES, HURRIED STEPS TO STAIRS BEHIND-- MRS. M: (SHARPLY) Wait right here. I'll be down shortly. SUSAN: Where are you going? MRS. M: (MOVING OFF) Upstairs. But you wait down here. Do you understand? SOUND: MRS. M'S HURRIED STEPS UP THE STAIRS SUSAN: (QUIETLY, TO HERSELF) No. No! No, I won't stay down here! I'm frightened! I'm coming up, too! SOUND: WE FOLLOW SUSAN'S HURRIED STEPS UP STAIRS AND DOWN A HALL, TOWARD JOHN'S INARTICULATE TEARFUL MOANING AND GIBBERING, WHICH GROWS CLOSER ... THEN CONTINUES IN BG-- MRS. M: (FADING IN, COMFORTING) No, dear. Don't worry about the bust. It hasn't broken at all. No, darling. There's not a scratch on it. Dear, dear, please don't cry. SOUND: BOTH SUSAN'S STEPS AND JOHN'S GIBBERING OUT ABRUPTLY WITH-- SUSAN: (STARTLED GASP!) MRS. M: (SHARPLY) Susan! I told you to stay downstairs. What'd you come up for? SUSAN: (SPEECHLESS) Why-- JOHN: (GIBBERS) MRS. M: (IMPERIOUSLY) All right. You know now. JOHN: (GIBBERS) MRS. M: (A STATELY INTRODUCTION) Miss Appleby, this is John Masters, my son. JOHN: (GIBBERS UNINTELLIGIBLY) MUSIC: TYMPANI ROLL INTO AN OMINOUS ACCENT ... THEN BEHIND SUSAN, OUT AT [X]-- SUSAN: (NARRATES) That night at dinner, there were three of us. I couldn't bear to look at him -- the twisted face, the dull, glazed eyes -- whimpering, grunting, unable even to speak a single intelligible word. And when I saw the two together -- she with the horrible black shawl draped around her -- I knew for certain that in her own way she was as mad as her son. And I knew more surely than ever how great was my own danger. Late that night I packed my bag silently and swiftly. Then I waited. It was well past midnight before I dared open my door and look out. The house was completely dark, upstairs and down. (SOUND: SUSAN'S SLOW, CAREFUL STEPS) I felt my way along and started down the stairs. (SOUND: SUSAN'S STEPS DOWN STAIRS) I reached the bottom, and went right to the front door first. [X] SOUND: SUSAN'S SLOW STEPS TO FRONT DOOR MRS. M: Susan! SOUND: CLICK! OF LIGHT SWITCH SUSAN: (STARTLED GASP!) MRS. M: Susan? Where were you going? You couldn't possibly know your way about once outside the house. You'd surely have lost your way. Wouldn't she, John? JOHN: (GIBBERS UNINTELLIGIBLY IN SEEMING AGREEMENT) SUSAN: (TEARFUL) Oh, stop it! Stop it! MRS. M: All right. John, leave us now. JOHN: (GIBBERS UNINTELLIGIBLY) MRS. M: John, dear -- did you hear me? JOHN: (GIBBERS UNINTELLIGIBLY, MOVING OFF) SOUND: JOHN'S STEPS WALK AWAY TO INNER DOOR, WHICH CLOSES, OFF SUSAN: (WITH FORCED COMPOSURE) Mrs. Masters-- You have no right to keep me here if I don't wish to stay. When I accepted this position, I was of the opinion that you lived alone. Conditions have changed, and now - I wish to leave. MRS. M: (PLEADINGLY) Please, Susan, believe me, I - I don't blame you a bit. But think of me, just for a single moment. Why do you think I asked you here? Do you believe it's so easy for me, chained to this lost thing? No one to talk to, day or night. I needed someone. I need you now. SUSAN: But you told me he was dead. MRS. M: I never told you that. (SADLY) Only that he'd left me. And so he has. SUSAN: Oh, no. No, I won't stay. I'd go mad if I do! MRS. M: Very well, dear. It's no use trying to argue with you. But stay at least until tomorrow. You could never find your way tonight. And if you stay over, it'll give me a chance to find someone in town. SUSAN: (WEAKENING A LITTLE) I'd rather go now, if you don't mind. MRS. M: (GENTLY INSISTENT) Tomorrow night. Just until then. Even if I've no one-- Well, you can leave after dinner tomorrow. I'll pay you two weeks' wages if you do. Please, you - you can't refuse me that. SUSAN: (RELENTS) Well, I - I-- MRS. M: (INTERRUPTS, DEEPLY FELT) Thank you. Thank you, dear Susan. MUSIC: OMINOUS BRIDGE ... THEN MORE EVENLY BEHIND SUSAN-- SOUND: CLOCK SLOWLY CHIMES FIVE, BEHIND SUSAN-- SUSAN: (NARRATES) I shouldn't have stayed. I knew that from the moment I agreed. I slept badly, waking from time to time, certain that I heard odd noises from the next room; low chuckles, whispered, voiceless mutterings. But the night passed finally, and today was uneventful. When Mrs. Masters returned from shopping in the village, she informed me that my successor would arrive tomorrow morning, and I was therefore free to leave immediately after dinner. She spent the rest of today preparing the evening meal. It was as though it were a special holiday so great were the pains she took. The dinner turned out to be wonderful. And Mrs. Masters was extremely gracious. SOUND: DINNER TABLE BACKGROUND (UTENSILS, ET CETERA) MRS. M: (CHUCKLES) Dear Susan! We drink to you, my dear, dear Susan. To your future, to your man. (CHUCKLES) To your future with your man. SUSAN: (CHUCKLES) Oh, thank you. MRS. M: And may you remember this evening all the rest of your days. (MEANINGFULLY) All the rest of your days. SUSAN: You're very kind. Thank you. MRS. M: Not at all, not at all, my dear. Let me pour you out some more wine. And some for you, John. JOHN: (GIBBERS UNINTELLIGIBLY) SOUND: WINE POURED SUSAN: I - I'm really sorry that I must hurt you by leaving you this way. MRS. M: You? Hurt me? Why, my dear, if anyone has been hurt, surely it's you. We frightened you so, made you so miserable. You're the hurt one, Susan dear, not I. SUSAN: Anything I've felt or said is forgotten now. Always when I think of you, I shall remember this evening. MRS. M: I'm certain of it. And so you may remember better, my dear, let me imprint the occasion still more clearly upon your mind. Do you know what happening it is we celebrate? SUSAN: (PUZZLED) I expected it was my leaving. MRS. M: So it is. But did it seem likely that you alone would cause so much excitement in our home? SUSAN: Well, I - I-- MRS. M: Miss Appleby, this is the third anniversary of the most important event in the history of Masters Hall. We honour you by asking you to partake of our joy. JOHN: (GIBBERS UNINTELLIGIBLY) SUSAN: And I thank you for it. MRS. M: No need of that. You need only listen, and be silent. Three years ago, my son was a genius. Today, he is [merely] my son. Three years ago, the world's door stood wide before us. Today, all the shoulders on earth couldn't break it down. It was shut upon us three years ago, tonight. She slammed it as she left. My son loved her dearly. My first sweet companion. JOHN: (GIBBERS UNINTELLIGIBLY) MRS. M: I warned him. I told him that no woman would put up with his temperament. He wouldn't listen. He loved her madly. Ha! "Madly"! Ha ha! The perfect word for it! And for that, she slammed the door on him. Slammed it in his face, his heart, his head. That night he lost the power of his mind. Ever since we've waited in vain for its return. But we've honoured the occasion. Ha! Don't think we've forgotten. Eh, John? JOHN: (GIBBERS UNINTELLIGIBLY) MRS. M: Two years ago this evening, on the first anniversary, Sally Thwaite left us. We told her the story. She was overwhelmed. She couldn't bear to stay and left -- quite suddenly. SOUND: CRASH! OF DROPPED WINE GLASS ON THE FLOOR MRS. M: Last year, Katherine it was. Kitty--? Can't recall her last name at the moment. She wanted to leave us too. How could we refuse? And now, tonight -- Susan Appleby. Tonight, Susan, you are leaving us. (CHUCKLES DARKLY) SOUND: CHAIR SCRAPE AS SUSAN RISES MRS. M: (SHARPLY) Where are you going, Susan? SUSAN: To the kitchen. Excuse me, please. SOUND: SUSAN'S RUNNING STEPS TO KITCHEN DOOR, WHICH OPENS AND SLAMS SHUT AS SHE EXITS MUSIC: GRIM BRIDGE ... THEN BEHIND SUSAN-- SUSAN: (NARRATES) That is why I say I'm going to be murdered. (SOUND: MRS. M'S CHUCKLING AND JOHN'S GIBBERING, WITH AN ECHO EFFECT, BEHIND SUSAN'S NARRATION) I can't know for sure, but the way they laugh, the way they look, the way she sits there fingering that ugly, torn, black shawl -- the shawl that looks like death. What can I think? What can I do?! SOUND: KITCHEN DOOR OPENS ... MRS. M'S STEPS IN MRS. M: Susan, there's one thing more. This shawl -- so beautiful, so exquisitely wrought. You must surely have noticed that I wear it all the time. It belonged to her, a gift from my son. JOHN: (APPROACHES, GIBBERING UNINTELLIGIBLY) MRS. M: In her haste, it slipped from her shoulders as she left. So this is all that remains of that lovely, wonderful creature. I should like you to wear it, if only for a moment. You're so much like her, and her memory is John's greatest comfort. SOUND: MRS. M TAKES A COUPLE OF STEPS SUSAN: (HORRIFIED) Oh, no. No, don't come near me. Don't touch me! MRS. M: Please, just around your shoulders. SUSAN: (PANICS) I won't wear it! Stay away from me! Please, don't! (GASPS FOR BREATH BRIEFLY BEHIND--) SOUND: GENTLE DISTANT JANGLE OF DOORBELL MRS. M: (LOW, TO HERSELF) Our door. Who would be coming here now? (UP) John, watch her closely. (MRS. M'S STEPS TO WINDOW, IN BG--) I'll look through the window. JOHN: (GIBBERS UNINTELLIGIBLY) SOUND: GENTLE DISTANT JANGLE OF DOORBELL AGAIN MRS. M: (SLIGHTLY OFF) I don't know who he is, but he must surely have seen the light in the kitchen. I'll just send him away. I'll only be a moment. (AN ORDER) Watch her, John. If she shouts for him-- (AS IF TO A CHILD) Well, you - you mustn't allow that, must you, John? JOHN: (GIBBERS IN AGREEMENT) MRS. M: (SLIGHTLY OFF, POINTEDLY) So you'd better be still, Susan. SOUND: MRS. M'S STEPS MOVE OFF, FROM KITCHEN TO FRONT DOOR, WHICH OPENS, OFF ... MRS. M AND ROB'S VOICES ARE OFF BUT HEARD CLEARLY MRS. M: Yes? What is it you want? ROB: I beg your pardon. I'm looking for a Miss Susan Appleby. MRS. M: You won't find her here. I'm sorry. ROB: Are you certain of that? It seems to me I recognize that shawl. It was worn by the woman Miss Appleby went to work for night before last. MRS. M: Surely this is not the only black shawl in the world. Nor am I the only woman who wears one. ROB: And I've been inquiring in the village, and all the shopkeepers remembered you as the woman who always does. So I followed you here this morning. Then I returned to the village, and now I'm back again. MRS. M: Well, you can return right to the village. SUSAN: (IN CLOSE, BRIEFLY WHISTLES THE MELODY TO "DRINK TO ME ONLY WITH THINE EYES" IN BG, OUT AT [X]--) JOHN: (IN CLOSE, GIBBERS QUIETLY WITH PUZZLEMENT, IN BG, OUT AT [X]--) MRS. M: If you must know, Miss Susan Appleby was here. But she was entirely unsatisfactory, so I sent her packing. You'll probably find her at home now. [X] ROB: (PRETENDS HE HAS NOT HEARD THE WHISTLING) Well, all right. If she's gone home, I'll - I'll see her there. I'm so sorry for your trouble. MRS. M: Not at all. ROB: Thank you. Good day. MRS. M: Good day! SOUND: FRONT DOOR CLOSES, OFF ... MRS. M'S STEPS APPROACH SUSAN MRS. M: (APPROACHES, STERNLY) Susan? Susan, was that you whistling a moment ago? I thought I told you to be still. SUSAN: I - I was nervous. It's a habit of mine. MRS. M: A very bad one, of which you've many. Among them, no doubt, is that of driving men mad. That one just now. The love in his eyes for you. I've seen that before. In other eyes. (SARCASTIC) Hmm, I'm so terribly sorry he's gone away. Perhaps he'll return another time. SOUND: MRS. M TAKES A FEW MORE STEPS TO SUSAN SUSAN: Stay away from me. MRS. M: Here now. The shawl's around you. SUSAN: (GASPS!) MRS. M: Draw it tighter, John. Tighter! JOHN: (GRUNTS AND GROWLS OMINOUSLY) SUSAN: (PANICS) No! No, please! Let me go! Let me go! SOUND: CRASH! AND SPLINTERING! OF FRONT DOOR, OFF ... ROB AND ADAMS' STEPS IN ROB: You heard her. Let her go. Adams, get him! ADAMS: Yes, sir. MRS. M: (URGENTLY) Draw it quickly, John. Quickly, quickly! JOHN: (GIBBERS WILDLY WITH EFFORT AS HE STRANGLES SUSAN) SOUND: GUNSHOT! JOHN: (SHOUTS IN PAIN) MRS. M: (SCREAMS) Oh, no! No. SOUND: JOHN'S BODY SLUMPS TO FLOOR MRS. M: You killed him. (SOUND: MRS. M'S STEPS TO JOHN) (MOURNFUL) John. John! Johnnnnn-- ROB: (EMBRACES SUSAN) Susan, darling. SUSAN: (WITH RELIEF) Oh, Rob. Rob, you heard me then? ROB: Of course. This morning I went down to the local constabulary and persuaded Adams here to join me. ADAMS: I was interested, ma'am, because there'd been two disappearances in as many years. And just about this time. This sounded like a third. SUSAN: It almost ended like the others, too. ROB: Almost, but-- SOUND: MRS. M'S RUNNING STEPS INTO NEXT ROOM, INNER DOOR SLAMS SHUT ROB: After her! SOUND: THE OTHERS' STEPS TO DOOR ... RATTLE! OF LOCKED DOOR ROB: She's locked the door. Let's have a hand here. We'll break it down. ADAMS: All right-o. But watch out. Once we're in, she's mad and may try anything. Let's go now. One -- SOUND: THUMP! ROB & ADAMS: Two -- SOUND: THUMP! ROB & ADAMS: (WITH GREAT EFFORT) Three -- SOUND: CRASH! AND SPLINTERING! OF INNER DOOR ... SUSAN, ROB, AND ADAMS' STEPS IN ADAMS: All right. (BEAT) Well, look at that. SUSAN: (GASPS) MUSIC: SNEAKS IN ... SHIMMERING ... THEN IN BG-- ADAMS: The chandelier! Let's cut her down, quickly. SOUND: THEY ALL TAKE A FEW STEPS, THEN STOP ... BRIEF PAUSE ROB: It's too late. Her neck's gone. SUSAN: (QUIETLY HORRIFIED) Oh-- Rob. The shawl. The black shawl. Oh-- Ohhh--! MUSIC: UP FOR GRIM CURTAIN MAN IN BLACK: And so closes "The Black Shawl," starring Dame May Whitty and Maureen O'Sullivan. Tonight's tale of-- MUSIC: KNIFE CHORD MAN IN BLACK: -- SUSPENSE! MUSIC: OUT MAN IN BLACK: SUSPENSE is produced and directed by William Spier. ANNOUNCER: To every woman listening tonight, I want to say a special word about making every dinner or supper you serve taste better. I want to urge you to start serving Roma Wine with your meals. It's simple. The cost is very, very little. And it works magic in making food more enjoyable. You can serve Roma Wine with any meal or any time in any kind of glass you wish. Serve it chilled. Try different kinds of Roma Wine until you find those you enjoy most of all. Try hearty red Roma California Burgundy or the delicately delicious Roma California Sauterne. The cost is mere pennies a glass, but you'll find even a pickup supper tastes like a banquet. Get Roma Wines today. If your dealer is temporarily out of them, please try again soon. Just ask for R-O-M-A, Roma Wines, America's largest-selling wines. Made in California for enjoyment throughout the world. MAN IN BLACK: Dame May Whitty appeared through the courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and is currently being seen in "The White Cliffs of Dover." Next Thursday, same time, Donald Crisp and John Loder will be our stars in another unusual study in mystery, suspicion, and dangerous adventure. At that time, you will hear the only ghost story ever to have been staged by-- MUSIC: KNIFE CHORD MAN IN BLACK: -- SUSPENSE! MUSIC: OUT ANNOUNCER: Presented by Roma Wines. R-O-M-A. Made in California for enjoyment throughout the world. MUSIC: CLOSING THEME ANNOUNCER: This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.