Footsteps in the Fog

Unto almighty God, we commend the soul of our sister departed...

and commit her body to the ground.

In the sure and certain hope of the resurrection unto eternal life.

Earth to earth.

Ashes to ashes.

Dust to dust.

Let us pray.

Our Father, which art in heaven.

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come.

Thy will be done

in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread...

Well..

Steve!

Why not come and stay a few days with us?

That's very good of you, sir.

I must face that empty house sooner or later.

But, father...

Don't, Elizabeth.

The longer one puts off an ordeal the worse it becomes.

He's quite right.

I must learn to be alone.

You all of you have been kind beyond words.

Bless you!

He looks so alone.

Oh!

I do like to see a widower grieving proper.

It lends tone to a funeral.

I thought he was going to fall in a dead faint.

That would have been lovely.

But, he was as white as a corpse himself.

Huh!

Look at her ladyship!

Quick as greased lightning, if it's for the master.

Mooning around the kitchen til he wants something,

and then she hops like a bloody kangaroo!

Look what you've done now! You clumsy...

And the best china, too!

I'll see it's taken out of your wages.

You get another cup, and be quick about it!

And you best be changing your ways,

you little guttersnipe, if you want to keep your place here.

Get along with that tray,

and hurry back, if you know what's good for you.

That is, if you can tear yourself away from the master.

Huh. What I have to put up with trash like that in the kitchen.

Oh, it's you, Lily.

Yes, sir.

I thought you'd like your tea by the fire, sir.

That's very thoughtful of you.

Thank you.

Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?

Yes!

You could take the cat away.

Miss Izzy?

There you are.

Poor little thing, wandering around like a lost soul, she is.

Lonesome for your mistress, aren't you?

It's been a very difficult time for all the household.

I'm very grateful for everyone's help,

especially for your devotion to Mrs. Lowry.

Sir, you were the devoted one..

Waiting on her hand and foot like you did,

never letting anyone else near her!

I did all I could.

You know it's strange, sir.

Whenever I look at her picture I get such a queer feeling.

It's almost as if she's trying to tell me something.

Shiftless, good-for-nothing hussy, and getting worse everyday.

I thought I told you not to call me names anymore.

I'll call you names so long as you're in my kitchen.

The fire's getting low.

Pop down and fetch up some coal.

Get it yourself. I'm not dirtying my hands.

Well! Hark at the duchess!

Why, you haven't got a clean pair of hands since you can remember.

You was born dirty.

Get that coal and step lively.

Keep on wagging your tongue

the more words you say the more you'll have to eat.

Me eat my words!

Why you mangy little alley cat...

Stop it. Do you hear? Stop it!

Don't every call me names like that again.

Not ever! Or you'll be sorry!

We'll soon see who's the sorry one

when I'm put in charge here as housekeeper.

And when I am,

it'll be back to the gutter for you, my girl, where you belong!

Here! Here! What's all this?

Have you no decency about you?

No respect for your grieving master,

or the poor lady not yet cold in her grave?

It's from her room.

Isn't it the poor lady, herself, come back to haunt you?

If you weren't so stupid you'd know it's Mr. Lowry up there.

Some day I'm going to forget I'm a lady...

and wipe up the floor with that nasty little...

Come in.

Yes, sir?

Oh, Lily.

Your mistress usually kept her jewels in this box.

Do you know what happened to them?

Nothing, sir.

She gave them to me.

Gave them to you?

Yes, sir, just before she died.

You're lying!

Do you think for a moment anyone would believe that?

They all believe she died of gastroenteritis, don't they, sir?

One's as true as the other.

I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about.

Oh, you will, sir, when I've explained it to you.

You see, you might not have known it the other night, but...

I brought some fresh coal in for the fire,

just as your poor wife was dying.

And while the doctor was pulling the sheet over her face...

I saw you quickly take the bottle of medicine and put it behind your back.

And then you hid it in a place where you thought it might be safe.

What have you done with it?

I did some experiments with it.

On the rats in the cellar, sir.

And I don't think the police would believe

they died of gastroenteritis, do you, sir?

They might pick them up

to see if there's some kind of poison in them

And if they did that with the rats, sir...

they might start wondering about Mrs. Lowry,

and do the same with her.

Wouldn't they?

All right.

You can keep the jewels.

Thank you, sir.

Oh, one other thing, sir.

I'd like to be housekeeper here.

You?

Housekeeper?

Yes, sir, I've set my heart on it.

Very well.

I think it's your place to tell Mrs. Parks and Grimes

that they can take orders from me from now on.

They're downstairs in the kitchen now.

You realize, of course, that with the death of Mrs. Lowry...

I shall have to make new domestic arrangements.

The same thought had occurred to me, sir.

And me, sir.

This house needs someone to take it over properly

My very words, sir.

So I've decided to give the post of housekeeper to Lily.

Me?

Take orders from that...

that...

Guttersnipe is what you usually call me, Mrs. Parks.

And guttersnipe is what you are.

And I'll not take orders from you or the likes of you.

Same here.

Now you listen to me, both of you.

You'll do exactly as I say or you'll get out!

Yes, sir. As you say, sir.

If you give satisfaction, there's no reason why you shouldn't stay.

Your stick, sir?

This is the one for the evening.

I'll remember.

I never forget anything, sir.

I'm sure you don't.

I may be late.

No one need wait up for me.

Thank you.

Oh, Father and Stephen are still talking.

Yes, they are.

Oh, I do hope they do come to some sort of arrangement soon.

Poor Stephen. He looks like a lost soul these days.

See hear, young lady, bachelors can be lost souls as well as widowers.

Why worry about poor David.

You?

Yes, me.

That's an idea that would never occur to me.

Besides, you've been very naughty.

Tell me what I did.

That's just it. You didn't do anything.

You just sat like a lump all the way through dinner without saying a word.

You know, I don't think I should have ever invited you to dinner with Steve.

After all, it was his first evening to anyone's house,

and I wanted it to be pleasant.

You were pleasant enough for both of us.

Come on, Beth, I don't want to miss the overture.

I would like to wait a moment. Do you mind?

Oh, Andrew, we'll have brandy in here.

Very good, sir.

Well, my dear, it's all settled.

Really, Father. Oh, how wonderful!

Aren't you going to congratulate Stephen?

On what?

On the new partnership.

From now on it's going to be Travers and Lowry.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

It really has been a blessing.

I've been so at loose ends.