Miss Marple

- Why do you want to go to Dillmouth? - It sounds nice.

Anyway, I haven't seen the sea yet.

Going to paddle?

I might. Don't be superior.

It's all new to me, darling. That's what you don't understand.

- Giles, look! - What?

Just stop! I've got to take a look at that.

What?

That house!

What would you do with a vast place like that?

Live in it. It's just what I want, what I've always dreamed of.

The agents are in Dillmouth. I was right to come!

Young people don't live here. People retire to Dillmouth.

I'm just an ignorant New Zealander. I can do what I want.

Galbraith and Penderley, in Fore Street.

All right. But it's the last house we see today.

It might be the last house we're GOING to see.

It seems rather large.

- Is it seven bedrooms? - Six.

In my opinion, the seventh is a dressing room.

It's a lovely big room, Mrs Hengrave.

But you can't see the sea.

Are you a Devon man, Mr Reed?

I was born in Plymouth but my wife has never been to England before.

I flew back last week after three years in New Zealand.

- On business? - Yes. The Meat Marketing Board.

- My husband was in the bank. - Really?

He was secretary of the golf club. He was very attached to Dillmouth.

Linen cupboards here.

Is this the bathroom?

Oh, yes, it is! With a mahogany surround!

Isn't that wonderful?

- My husband was old-fashioned. - I really love it!

I can just see celluloid ducks in that bath!

- You mean plastic. - Celluloid, when I was a girl.

There must be another bedroom here.

Oh, I'm sorry, Mrs Hengrave.

I just feel so at home here.

Now, this is the room for me!

And there's the sea!

- Oh! - What's wrong?

I don't know. It's like vertigo.

Someone on my grave.

This house isn't haunted, is it?

I never heard so.

But someone died here.

My husband died in St Monica's Nursing Home.

Of course. You told us. I'm sorry.

In a house of this age, there must have been some deaths.

Miss Elworthy, from whom we bought it, was in excellent health.

She went abroad to do missionary work. You'll want to see the garden.

We have a man who comes twice a week but he's not very reliable.

- Oh, dear, excuse me. - Yes, of course.

Do you think it's someone else wanting to view?

I doubt it. The price is too high.

That forsythia will have to go. It blocks the view.

There should be steps here down to the lawn.

Steps? I thought this place gave you the creeps.

That was silly.

I want it. Aunt Mary's furniture will be perfect!

- It's five hundred over the top. - Make an offer then.

'Do a brutal deal with Galbraith and Penderley and feel happy.'

- We've got to get up. - Why?

Just because you're a man of leisure for the next 2 months...

Moving into this house is the hardest work I've ever done!

The workmen and Mrs Cocker will be here.

She said something yesterday about the devil and idle hands!

Oh, Mrs Cocker...

- They workmen make a powerful lot of dust. - Yes, I know!

- I'll cover the dining room table with this. - And not a bit too soon.

Oh! How silly of me! I always think there's a door through here!

'Twould save a tidy lot of trouble to have a door there.

I'll ask Mr Sims about it.

If you'd put this on the table, I'll get my husband his breakfast.

Yes, madam.

- It's from Raymond West. - Who?

My cousin in town. The writer. I told you about him.

Oh, yes. What does he want?

Wants us to spend a few days with them in London.

He and Joan are dying to meet you.

- Oh, no. - Why not?

A break would do us good. And I have things to do in town.

Why don't you want to go?

There's too much to do here. It'll be chaos.

It'll be chaos anyway.

Why don't we let Sims and Mrs Cocker fight it out while we take a break?

No.

You go if you want. It's you they want to see. I'll stay here.

You'll be lonely.

- I might have a mad affair with Reg. - Reg?

- He's the mason. - Is he now?

Looks like you're going back to old times, Miss.

- Old times? - I come across the old steps, see?

Just like you want 'em now. Someone had planted over them.

That was silly. You want a view here down to the lawn and the sea.

These shrubs made it dark in the house. Still, they was growing well.

Forsythia ain't much, but they wigglers, they cost money.

- This is much nicer. - Maybe it is.

Mr Foster, who lived here before the Hengraves?

They weren't here very long.

Oh... six years or so. Before them, the Miss Elworthys, churchy folk.

Missions to the heathen. Who was it afore that?

Mrs Findeyson. Proper gentry, she was. Planted most of the garden.

- Did she die here? - No.

Died out in Egypt, or some such place.

But they brought her home and she'm buried in the churchyard.

Weren't none of they new houses then.

- I suppose there have to be improvements. - I don't see any.

That was the cottage hospital there, nice and handy.

Then they builds that new place a mile out of town.

Changes all the time. What's the good of that?

What do you fancy, Mrs Reed?

We've got a nice candy-stripe. We do a lot of that.

One or two walls, and a matching emulsion.

- Oh, I don't know, Mr Sims. - It's contemporary!

This won't be your room, I take it, not when the other's been decorated.

I do like this room.

- Been the nursery at one time. - What?

Bars on the windows.

Still...

I know what I want! I want a wallpaper...

with bunches of tiny scarlet poppies and something else...

Yes! Poppies and bunches of blue cornflowers.

To match this. A white background

- and bunches of red and blue flowers! - Mrs Reed...

And this is stuck. Even my husband couldn't open it.

Do you think...?

It's been painted over a good few times.

My carpenter will see to that.

Redecorating will take care of any damage.

It won't alter the estimate?

Oh, bless us, no! Got some good news for you on that score, Mrs Reed.

You have?

That door to the dining room that you wanted...

Reg scraped some plaster away.

He said there's been a door there before.

There was a door?

Very simple to put it back, so I'll take a few pounds off what I quoted.

I knew there was a door.

Common sense, really.

But that wallpaper you talked about, cornflowers and poppies, you said.

I'll look through the samples, but I can't remember anything like that.

'I can just see celluloid ducks in a bath like that.

I think you mean plastic.

'That door to the dining room that you wanted...

'Reg scraped some plaster away.

He said there's been a door there before.

'It's like you're going back to old times, Miss.

Old times?

'I've come across the old steps, just like you want 'em now.

'It's been the nursery at one time, I fancy.

'It's been painted over a good few times.

'My carpenter will see to that.

The redecorating will take care of any damage.

'With bunches of tiny scarlet poppies and bunches of blue cornflowers.'

Oh!

Oh-h!

Hello?

- Hello? - Giles?

- Are you all right, darling? - Are you in London?

Yes, I'm calling from the Wests'.

They would love you to come down just for a few days.

- Are you there? Gwenda? - Yes, I'm here.

Hop on a train and I'll see you at Paddington tomorrow.

Yes, I will.

Raymond and Joan will be chuffed. And there's someone else to meet.

Here she is! Aunt Jane, this is Giles' wife, Gwenda.

- How do you do, Miss Marple? - How do you do.

- What an unusual name! - It's Welsh.

My mother was Welsh.

But aren't you from New Zealand?

My mother died when I was born, in India.

My father sent me to New Zealand to live with relatives.

- It wasn't long before he died too. - That awful climate!

I know some old India hands in St Mary Mead.

That's my village.

Aunt Jane solves puzzles, and not the ones in The Times!

- I am fond of the crossword. - What puzzles?

Very murky puzzles. The things that happen in a village would amaze you.

So that's why you go there so often.

The ambiance suits me perfectly.

Under the thatch of "The Lilacs", dark passions stir.

Here in London, we need the arts to jazz things up.

Oh, we're all going to the Court tonight.

- The Court?! - It's a theatre.

Oh. Thank goodness.

More dark passions, actually, "The Duchess of Malfi".

BOsoLA: Alas! How have these offended?

The death of young wolves is never to be pitied.

Fix your eyes here. Constantly.

Do you not weep? Other sins only speak: Murder shrieks out.

Water moistens the earth, But blood flies up and bedews the heavens.

Cover her face.

Mine eyes dazzle: She died young.

I think not so...

Her... her infelicity seemed to have years too many.

She and I were twins,

And should I die this instant, I had lived her time to a minute!

It seems she was born first.

You have bloodily approved the ancient truth.