From Time to Time

I thought it came at quarter past.

They said quarter past.

Well, they were wrong.

Are you Mr. Boggis?

Ah.

You're master Tolly.

I remember you as smaller.

I was smaller. I've grown.

Yes, yeah, I suppose you would have.

Mrs. Oldknow would have met you,

but the r.a.f. decided to move out.

They only told her this morning.

Your grandmother's looking forward to seeing you.

Is she?

Aren't you gonna wear your coat?

All right.

We've heard about Mr. David.

He's not dead.

Nobody says he's dead, not even the telegram.

He's just missing inaction.

That's all.

Ah. Missing.

That's it. That's it.

How's your mother?

All right, but busy.

She's trying to find out where he is.

She's had to go to London.

Yeah, I expect she has.

I expect we'll have some news any day now.

I mean, when you're taken prisoner,

someone's got to know something.

Mm.

Yes, I think they have.

Um, would you double-check...

uh, has someone checked the music room?

Hello, Tolly.

Hello.

Do I still call you "granny"?

Well, what else did you have in mind?

I don't know. "Mrs. Oldknow"?

No, I think we'd better stick with "granny."

I'm sorry I couldn't meet you.

I just didn't dare leave them to it.

Are you sad they're going?

No.

We Oldknows like to be left to our own devices.

I think that's just about it.

I've told them to put everything back and under dust sheets,

so I expect it's all wrong.

Ah. We'll sort it out.

I hope we haven't been too awful.

Well, you didn't pull the place down,

so you did better than some.

Well, I'm not sure the house would have let us.

Goodbye.

Does this mean all the soldiers will be home soon?

Well, there's an awful lot of cleaning up to do.

But most of them should be here before too long.

Everything ready to go, sir.

Right-o. Thank you.

Bye, again.

You remember Mrs. Tweedie?

How do you do?

Oh, course he don't. Why should he?

He weren't much more than a scrap when he was last here.

And this is Bismarck.

He remembers you.

Now you come along with me, and we'll get you settled in.

Here we are.

Lovely.

How long have you worked here?

Oh, too man-years to think about.

Do you like it?

Yes, I do.

Though, it's a funny old house, no doubt about that.

But it's our funny old house.

That's what my dad used to say.

He used to talk about this place all the time.

You come down when you're ready.

You don't have to worry.

I know he's alive.

I think I'll still worry a bit, if it's all right with you.

Won't you sit-down?

Who are all these people?

They're your family.

But they're dead, aren't they?

I thought family meant people who were living.

I dare say the distinction is more important in Manchester.

Than further South.

Have you ever been to Manchester?

Not that I recall.

So, how do you know so much about it?

Is your mother well?

Has she found a place in London to stay?

I know you don't like her. You don't have to pretend.

I didn't think I was pretending.

Here we are.

There's bread for toast.

Toasting fork's there.

Well, give me a shout if you need anything else.

Thank you, Mrs. Tweedie.

It's not true I don't like her.

I don't know her.

You didn't want him to marry her.

No.

Why was that?

Was it because she was common?

Certainly not.

You wrote that she was common.

And not fit to sweep the leaves up on the drive.

I saw the letter.

Well, sometimes when you're angry,

you can overstate your case.

He shouldn't have shown that to you.

He didn't. I found it.

Then he shouldn't have kept it.

He kept all your letters.

I was worried she wouldn't understand Green Knowe.

She'd come from something very different.

Anyway, it's immaterial now.

Why?

I don't think I shall be here for much longer.

Why? What's happened?

Nothing.

The world's changing. That's all.

I don't think I'll have enough money to stay.

You can't sell it.

I may have to.

But it's never been sold.

Uuh, it's never been sold till now.

We've come close a few times.

She brought us right to the brink.

Mrs. Thomas Oldknow... like you?

Hardly.

That's Maria van raymer.

She was Dutch, grew up in India.

She married captain Oldknow in Calcutta,

then he brought her home.

Green Knowe must have seemed very dull.

After such exotic beginnings.

Would you do your own sugar?

What's this bit? It looks different.

That was Maria's new wing.

It was built so she could entertain.

Is it because dad's missing... why you're going to leave?

No, it isn't. You mustn't think that.

If there was anyway I could avoid it,

I promise you, I would.

He always said this house was a part of you.

It's a part of all of us.

It's a part of your father, part of you, too.

You don't know the place yet, and you don't know me.

So, I suppose it's hard for you to understand.

If you think that, then you don't know me, either.

You're burning your toast.

Aw.

Hello?

They look like jewellery boxes.

So they were... for Maria Oldknow's jewels.

They must have been put up there before the fire.

What fire?

When the new wing burned down.

Granny says she almost lost Green Knowe,

but why, if she was so rich?

She didn't have money.

Her father was a diamond merchant,

and her fortune was all in precious stones.

She could have sold them. She could have,

but by the time she needed to, they'd been stolen.

Do you think she cried when she lost the jewels?

Why?

Do you?

I'm sure she did. Wouldn't you?

I'm afraid she took it out on the captain.

For quite awhile afterwards.

Did they have children?

They did.

They had a son called Sefton...

ah... and a daughter called Susan.

And you descend from Sefton.

What a funny name.

I don't think someone called to towsland.

Is in much of a position to talk.

Was Sefton nice?

No. He was selfish and spoiled.

The door in the dining room.

With the brick wall behind it...

was that the way through to Maria's wing?

It was.

Oh, look.

You might like this. It was your father's.

I made the pyjamas when David had whooping cough.

So they could both have whooping cough together.

I'm too old for it, really.

Yes, I know.

I just thought it might interest you.

To know it was his.

Was Susan spoiled and selfish like her brother?

No, not at all.

No, it would be hard to spoil her.