i do not wish to be a charge upon my child. jem: "we are going on quite well. "my sister has cropped tilly's hair. "the curls were too long for the bristles of the brush. "i have sent a lock to you. it is quite the color that martha's was." mrs. forrester? i am correct. your posture seemed forlorn. i had hoped my distress was not apparent. bessie is like a child to me. if she saw my tears, she will surely weep herself. but what has occurred to make you so unhappy? (voice breaking): oh, miss matty. bessie has been turned out of her field. (lowing) it's in the way of the railway, and i must take her to graze... on common land. (lowing) (horse sputters)

(sighs) (wind whooshing) good morning, sir. you're even more than punctual today. i confess i am relieved to see you. (indistinct chatter) (quietly): ginger snaps. they are dear lady glenmire's favorite. (door closes) oh. are we not to see your relative today? lady glenmire

has made her own arrangements. i know not what they are. i had no notion she was so... sociable. she has enlivened us all, and surely we are glad of it. mrs. jamieson: and now even captain brown intends to entertain. this saturday evening. oh, i see you, too, have received a card of invitation. we have had one apiece. mrs. jamieson: well, he may wear a beaver hat to church, but in truth, he is little better than a navvy. (cheering outside) what's happening? oh, i spy a wedding cart. a wedding?! there has been no news of such a thing. oh. who can it be? ho... if this is some species of sport... (shrieking and giggling) ...it is utterly repugnant. two people our own age, married. oh, she's coming very near. she might have thought herself safe in cranford.

(all gasping) (sighing) (door closes) i was inspired to interview the owner of the hire cart. they were married this morning at missenden church. no bands were called, and a special license was applied for. mr. william buxton was a witness. (gasping) lady glenmire's new tippet, in teal blue, came from johnson's. it was a fringed flemish velvet, and... i helped her to select it on the tuesday of last week. what did she say it was for? church. (wheezing) it is an insult to all cranford, to be so devious. asking us to an evening party, with no intimation whatever of its purpose. it is the custom of cranford to call upon a bride.

it is not the custom to call upon a traitor. who has been betrayed? the baron glenmire's memory has been betrayed. if my sister-in-law must dash her pedigree against the stones, and set up home in a hovel that fronts the street, she cannot expect any sanction from me. i will not condone this marriage. and i shall bar my door to everyone who chooses to acknowledge it. (door slams) but lady glenmire is mrs. jamieson's relative. and she and captain brown are both our friends. and transparency held no sway in either case. why should we oblige them with our blessing? because they have found affection in each other. if they care not for their unequal station, there is every likelihood that they will thrive. do not imagine their happiness concerns me.

they may suffer marriage as they courted. in isolation and behind closed doors. (door slams) miss galindo. whoa, whoa. i must ask you a question about harry, and phrase it very plainly. have you had any word whatever from him? not for these three weeks, or possibly nearer four. i'm on my way to post a letter to him. you may spare yourself the cost of postage-- i have heard from his headmaster. harry has run away from school. (boisterous laughter and chatter) (knocking) (gping) i think the navvies have been paid today. i saw extra barrels being rolled into the george. i brought butter as a wedding gift, paddled in a shape that marks the day.

but it's been crushed by a boy who bussed me and was not in any way sincere. i wrote to mrs. jamieson, asking her to join us. but i fear she stands firm. there has been no word. we rang miss pole's door, and the bell remained unanswered. (knocking) (all shrieking) william: miss matty? oh, william. the bride and groom have dispatched me to escort you to their home. (women sighing) (men yelling) i spy the sedan. oh, this must be mrs. jamieson. miss matty: do assist her, william. mrs. matty: just as i had hoped.

(indistinct chattering) peggy: my mother pines for my brother, now he works in manchester. it was miss matty who secured my invitation. edward sometimes comes home on saturday. i think she knew my mother would not come. i had feared that our trials might thin your cheeks or fade you. but your eyes shine brighter than they ever did before. it is all the walking to our letterbox. and so many candles are lit tonight. ah... is it harder than you thought? i think perhaps it is harder than you thought. i did not know what work was. now i do. and i know what it is to want a thing that you must wait for. (sighs)

your poor hand. it is only a blister from my calculating wheel. i have its twin. i did it with the smoothing iron. see? we are equals, at last. we have always been equals. love makes people so. (piano playing upbeat tune) ♪ as i was a-walking one morning by chance ♪ ♪ i heard a maid making her moan ♪

♪ i asked why she sighed, and she sadly replied ♪ ♪ "alas, i must live all alone, alone" ♪ ♪ "alas, i must live all alone" ♪ ♪ i said, "my fair maid ♪ "whence pray, have you strayed ♪ ♪ and are you some distance from home?" ♪ ♪ "my home," replied she, "is a burden to me ♪ ♪ "for there i must live all alone, alone ♪ ♪ for there i must live all alone" ♪ ♪ oh, come back from sea, my dear one to me ♪ ♪ and make me a bride of your own ♪ ♪ or else for your sake, my poor heart it will break ♪

♪ and here i shall lie ♪ all alone, alone ♪ and here i shall lie all alone. ♪ what's that, sir? i'm very much afraid it is a radish, carved by my spouse into an ornamental form. i am putting things in order for next monday's demolition. the tinden end cottages? yes, now, you advanced the money to edward bell, and he was to fetch and deliver the deeds. but he has not done so, so we cannot knock them down. mr. buxton, did you sign the deeds? and did you give them to edward bell?

i did both things, in exchange for the money from the railway company. so, you did receive our payment? of course. it was proffered in sovereigns. a full one hundred of them. £100? the price charged to our company was 60 more than that. i suggest you tread with care. if you proceed with this line of suspicion, you besmirch the name of a promising young man. hello? mam? malachi? mam?!

(gasps and shrieks) well, master gregson. perhaps i should not be surprised you walk in here so bold and smiling... for all the anxiety has been felt by others! i've got nowhere else to go. i thought you at least would be a little glad to see me. i'm shaking, edward. and so are you. why aren't you in manchester? (sobbing) you must help me, peggy. i am not an ogre, harry, but i am extremely dismayed. your headmaster was alarmed by your departure, and wrote of your behavior in a very angry tone. that sounds like him. you have been unpunctual and ill-disciplined, and fallen behind in your studies. it's not like when i used to learn with you. the teachers write on a board and only want that you copy.

there is a very fine system in place at shrewsbury, which is why mr. carter wanted you to go there. he wanted me to go there because it was near my home. which is not a home anymore. now it's got nobody in it. hutton: all the more reason for you to return to school. despite your eventual wealth, you have a hard route through the world. i like that. "eventual wealth." that is sufficient, harry. harry, you know your money is to be held in trust until you're 21. that was mr. carter's particular intent. mr. carter is dead. and i hate him being so. not because i miss him, but because i cannot make him change his mind. harry. harry. harry, you will cease this abominable display. leave me alone. you'll only do what he tells you. harry. what has been done to you? edward: hot milk won't warm me. i need brandy. peggy: how much money is missed, and when did your superiors perceive it? peggy, do not try him

with your questions. see how he trembles. i'm sure they are mistaken; you are adept with all the modern ways of keeping books. you must go to mr. buxton. he has been your benefactor, and should not hear of this from others. but he must bathe first, and ply his razor. (horses neighing) man: whoa. there is no time. it is mr. buxton, and captain brown is with him. buxton: edward cannot be located, mrs. bell. was he not to be found at his place of work, or lodgings? no, he's disappeared entirely. as well he might, for it transpires he took the cottage deeds and handed them to strangers, to guarantee a debt. but we have never been in debt. brown: it is clear to me that yours is an honest and frugal home. your son chose a different path, and squandered money at the gaming tables. (gasps) (shudders)

(mrs. bell crying) if edward is caught, he will be convicted. the sentence will be transportation, at the very least. if you would be kind enough to wait outside, captain brown, i might conclude by speaking to miss bell in private. sit down, peggy. (sighs) i can help edward. whether he is found or not, i can clear his way. it cannot be up to you. you are not his only victim. oh, his crimes are entirely financial; i have the means to set them straight. besides, i charged him with too much, supervised him idly. how can you still care so much for him? he is a young man. he deserves a chance to meet the world unhindered.

sever your connection to my son. and i will restore your brother's reputation. (sighs) you have given thought to this. how else could you say it all so calmly? it would be wrong of me to offer such a thing in haste. and just as wrong of me to answer without thinking. i must ask you to leave now. i will come to you tomorrow. (door closes) miss galindo: several cigar burns have festered, (gasps) and you'll be scarred. this will have to be reported. you can't report prefects.

why was their behavior so malicious? they thought i was poor. then when lord ludlow sent his coach to fetch me, they found out that i was not. (gasps) they won't hang you, edward-- it's not a capital offense. do you want me to end up rotting in some prison ship? do you want me dead of maltreatment or disease? do not think that you could forgive yourself. because your heart would tear in two. do not even think to talk to me about my heart. if i go to jail, your name will be tainted, and so will your precious william's. mr. buxton assures me he has the case in hand. i felt i could not press him for particulars, but our discourse was quite neighborly. neighborly? the problem with you, brown, is you've gone native. people do it in the colonies; it ends badly every time. sir charles, cranford is a small town.

i have found good relations with its folk to be invaluable. the railway is not a small-town matter. it cannot be treated in this amiable, rustic manner. i'm calling out the constables from missenden. they will deal with this in the proper, legal way. (knocking on door) i will not give up william, sir. but i will write to him, and tell him of all that has passed. will you make a villain of me? no. because i believe you love him, just as much as i. if he should choose to give me up, i shall accept it. and trust that you may still do something for my brother. (pounding door, dog barking) the constables are at the door, sir. (door closes) (indistinct conversation)

(footsteps) (door opens) a copy of the warrant for your brother's arrest. signed by sir charles maulver. i cannot countermand it now. the law must take its course. he will have to leave cheshire, and somehow start afresh. peggy, the magistrates will seek him out. no... for his own safety, he will have to go abroad. abroad? but he does not have good judgment, mr. buxton. he cannot be trusted to find wise friends, or sound employment. he is already made ill by greed, and his own weakness. he would be at risk of even greater harm abroad, and if i do not help him, i will be as much the author of his fate as he. what will you do? go with him. out of england. try and set him on a decent path. you're not his keeper, peggy. i am his only hope.

there will be a list in here, telling of the ships that sail from liverpool. and what of your engagement to my son? we are tested already, sir. and we have not wavered. i do not relish dragging you into our sad affairs, miss matty. i made a pact to act in secret. william must not know. but when i'm gone, if you can see that he receives this, i will thank you for eternity. (floorboard creaking) (door bells ringing) you were gone a long time. i thought you'd be hungry. that was very thoughtful, harry. reverend hutton wrote to your headmaster, in uncompromising terms. he has since been assured that the violence towards you will cease, and has therefore arranged

for your return to school tomorrow. you've made it worse. i'm not going back. you do not have a choice, harry. mrs. bell: canada? canada?! you said you had a scheme to help him. what is the difference between this and transportation? he will not travel in shackles, nor be indentured to labor in a desert without pay. and he will have me with him. i cannot credit that you would leave me here alone. mother, you must try to match me. you must strive to bear this. (hoofbeats approaching) it is mr. buxton. we must hurry. miss galindo: this shirt is almost ruined. the seam is very frayed. i'm not sure my repair is neat enough for school. i have to have six shirts. the matron says so. i'll go back to johnson's. they'll have a stock of plain white lawn.

(door bells ringing) (door closes) ♪ gentlemen, i do not like to disturb you, but i'm in search of mr. william buxton. good lass, bessie, you're a good lass. (distant yelling) (dogs barking) find him out.

(mooing) (distant yelling, dogs barking) (mooing) (steam hissing) buxton: peggy. when you get to the docks, go directly to the red star offices. you have my letterhead. here are the funds. i thought little of you once. i wonder now whether you're not braver and better than i took you for. guard: boarding. go. boarding. man: now, don't worry. get the bags. miss matty: you must make haste if you wish to intercept the train. i am in your debt, miss matty. yah!

(train whistle blowing in distance) where have you concealed the purse? i'm not telling you. wonder if there's enough money for us to go first class on the boat? no one in steerage would be of any use to us. (train whistle blows) (steam hissing) (train chugging)

(knocking) i-i took warm gruel to bessie on the common, but she slipped her tether. she was not there. miss pole. she isn't in. pray do not cut us. captain brown is at his work. mrs. forrester: we need your aid. my poor bessie is in peril. whoa. (neighing) miss matty? whatever are you about? (train chugging)

♪ (horse neighing) (brakes squealing) no! (thud) (grunting) (crashing) (coughs)

peggy? peggy! peggy?! (grunts) edward. is peggy with you? (man groaning) out of my way. peggy! peggy? peggy, can you hear me? william? (sighs) (passengers moan in distance) take my hand. (groaning) quickly. (panting) reach for me. (grunting) i have you. (both grunting) my hand. listen-listen to me, peggy. i fear it has been cut. i shall ease you to the ground as best i can.

then, you must make haste away from the wreckage. i will come and find you, but for now, i must help the others. harness the water wagons. we need ropes. make haste, make haste. men's lives may be at stake. man: bring those shovels. (panting) (gasps) let me take charge of the purse. edward! what are you doing?! edward? edward! (edward yells) (explosion booming in distance, all gasp) (indistinct shouting) captain brown: go directly to the town barn. the injured can be tended there.

(horse neighing) i fear there's work for you to do. i came as soon as i heard. miss galindo: reverend hutton. harry made off again this evening. i cannot know where he went, or by what means he left the district. captain brown, are all your passengers accounted for? there was a list made, and it has been checked-- no one is missing. i was told my son was near the blast. he is here, sir. does he survive? yes. william. but my brother does not. what have i brought about? sir, your place is with your son. other offices you may leave to me. miss matty. oh. you are chilled to the bone.

let me sit you by my fire. thank you, my dear, but i will stay with mr. buxton. i must make whatever amends i can. lady glenmire: miss galindo? will you assist me? i do not know what i might uncover. ooh. you are fortunate, peggy. the bleeding is already staunched. i must bind it afresh, and you must drink some brandy. peggy, where did you find this shirt? reverend hutton: harry? harry! harry! harry! harry! reverend hutton. we are come too late. the rider has left for manchester.

we hope the surgeon will be here by dawn. peggy broke her promise to me. it was not peggy who alerted william. it was i. you once said i should beg for your forgiveness, and now i do. (sighs) it's my son who lies shattered, matty. and mine are the hands that bear most blood. he should not have died alone. and should not have lived believing himself to be so. (sniffles) no. it is unjust. it is worse than unjust. it is against the laws of nature. miss matty: do you recollect, peter, how hard our father tried to make you learn the classics? i recall more of his frustration than i do of the classics themselves. please sit down, matty. you're overtaxed. i did my utmost to assist you.

i spent hour after hour hearing you repeat your lessons. it cannot matter now. there was one tale that lingered in my mind. to this day, i retain some fragmentary portion. it concerned a girl who dwelt in a place where no discord had ever been experienced. she was given charge of a capacious casket, and she was told on no account must she remove the lid. but her... her better judgment failed her, and she unfastened its catch, and all the furies of the universe came pouring out like flies. i think you speak of the legend of pandora. i do not recall her name. but i am acquainted with her face. i might see it anytime i wish to... in the looking glass. (miss galindo sobbing)

the snow melts on his lashes as if they were still warm. a mirror. have you a mirror? no. there is breath in him. harry. we must get him back to town. he is not lost. harry, do you hear us now? you are not alone. we will not let you die. (door opening) you have not slept. i have slept enough. i know that the railway will still come. it cannot be turned back. i wanted it brought because of things that i had lost.

i desired that others might be spared distress. and i unleashed griefs as pernicious as the beasts inside that box. i will hear no more of this, dear matty. i am afraid you must. for in the darkness of the small hours, i recollected the conclusion of the tale. after the anguish, there was one winged creature found secreted in a corner. it was very small and could relieve the sting of wounds. they named ihope. i have a sum of money here. it is the profit from my shop. it came from the people of cranford. i shall spend it in a way that will draw us all together. (sighing)