Magnificent Doll

'When a woman has lived in exciting times

'and has taken part in great events,

'it would seem as though those occasions would be what she remembers most vividly,

'but I don't find that true at all.

'I of course remember every detail of our first inaugural ball,

'how I had worked to make it the brilliant affair that it was.

'There were guests there from all over the world,

'dignitaries, diplomats and statesmen.

'I remember, too, how nervous I was.

'Yet there were other times, neither happy nor gay,

'when the future of our country was at stake.

'We were at war. The city of Washington was under siege.

'On the not too distant horizon we could see cannon fire,

'and we knew that before very long,

'the capital would be in the hands of the enemy.

'The President was with his troops,

'and we were the last group left in the White House,

'gathering up the more important documents of state.

'We remember the Declaration of Independence.

'It would've been bitter medicine to have lost our declaration as well as our independence.

'I was about ready to leave, when I looked up

'and saw the portrait of our late President George Washington.

'We sorely needed his military leadership at this time,

'when we were in such great danger of losing everything for which he had fought.

'I couldn't let the General fall into the enemy's hands at this late date,

'so I cut him out of his frame, carefully,

'for I had faith that in a matter of days or weeks

'I would be climbing up this same ladder,

'putting the General back into his place of honour,

'for this I knew:

'Once you've tasted freedom, you cannot live without it.

'Those were exciting times,

'but the memories I cherish most are the memories that are deep in my heart.

'They begin at our family home in Virginia

'on the night my father returned from the Revolutionary War.

'My father had always liked the life on the plantation,

'he liked the gaiety, the parties, the hunt.

'He liked our life as it was then.

'He had ordered us when he left for the war

'to give the biggest party that had ever been given in our house.

'He said he wanted every room lighted, so he could see it from miles away.

'And this was the night he was coming home.

'And we'd invited the whole countryside to welcome him.

'These were kind of occasions my father loved,

'gay times, good times, the life of the planter in Virginia.

'We could hardly wait to see how happy he'd be

'to find himself in the midst of all of his old friends.'

Nothing, Wife.

I want to thank you all for coming.

And now I have things to say to my family,

if you'll excuse us, please.

Why, John!

Come!

John, are you ill?

No, my dear, I'm not ill.

But Father, remember, you...

you wanted us to give you a party when you returned and...

and you weren't very nice to our friends.

Our true friends are not here, Daughter.

It was going to be such a lovely party.

And what will they think of us?

Wouldst thou be concerned with what others think of thee

more than what thou thinkest of thyself?

Do you find my speech strange to your ears, Daughter?

Yes, Father.

John, what happened to you?

Many things, Wife.

Hast thou heard of a battle called the Battle of Kings Mountain?

Yes, we have had news of it.

It was in that battle I was wounded.

Wounded? Oh, my dear husband, why didn't you let us know?

I lay there in the fog, waiting for the end,

- for death. - Poor John.

There.

In the first light of dawn, I saw a figure coming through the fog.

And he came to me.

A man I had not seen in 25 years, an old friend,

one I had often gone to meetings with when I was a boy

and lived in the Quaker faith.

Have I not told you of my friend John Todd?

Yes, John, you have.

He picked me up in his arms.

He said,

"Friend Payne...

"Friend Payne, that we have met this way is an act of providence."

As he bent over to bind my wounds,

the enemy opened fire again, and he was struck down.

Had he not been shielding me with his body, I...

I would have taken that bullet.

He died for me, Dolly.

But he lived long enough to make a pact with me.

I pledged myself that I would return to the Quaker church.

I said I would free my slaves,

I would sell our land here

and go to Philadelphia.

I told him my pledge just before he died,

that our families would be joined,

that our daughter would marry his son, John.

You...

You promised him, Father, that...

that I would be married to his son?

This was my promise to him.

But Father...

I can't marry a man I... I have never even seen.

I can't marry a man I don't even know, I don't even love.

No, Father, you don't mean that.

You...

'All my protests and tears did not change my father's mind.

'We moved to Philadelphia and lived in a house on this square.

'I was forced by father's given word

'to stand up in the meeting house and marry John Todd.'

In the presence of this assembly, I take thee, Dorothea Payne, to be my wife,

promising, with divine assistance,

to be unto thee a loving and faithful husband

until death shall separate us.

In the presence of this assembly, I take thee, John Todd, to be my husband,

promising, through divine assistance,

to be unto thee a loving and faithful wife until death shall separate us.

The bride groom and the bride will now sign the marriage certificate.

Friend Todd first.

Each friend of the society will now come forward and sign the marriage certificate.

Mrs Todd...

Won't you say it now?

- Say what? - That you love me.

I'll never say it, sir.

- Dolly. - Yes, Mr Todd?

I've planned out a house. We'll start building it in spring.

Tell me how you like it.

It's very nice.

I wish you'd come out and take a look at the grounds.

It's a beautiful place, lots of elm trees.

You've seen it, Mr Todd, that's enough.

Well, Mrs Todd, that isn't enough, I want you to like it.

You see, this part will be built all of stone.

I haven't put the trees on the drawing,

but there's a huge tree right along here which will shade the kitchen.

I think you'll feel differently about things when you get in your own house.

Your father and mother are very nice to us,

very kind and understanding, but...

Well, it just isn't the same as being in your own house.

- I know you'll feel differently. - Do you?

Well, you'll feel more like you're married.

I'll never feel as if I'm married to you, Mr Todd,

and I hope you'll never feel as if you're married to me.

Now, Dolly,

we're going to be married for a long, long time, all our lives,

not just these five weeks we've been married,

but for years, until we grow old.

I know that.

Well, someday between now and that time, you'll realise how much I love you.

And you'll love me, too, I'm sure of it.

I'll never love you.

Just pretend you do, say you do. Just once, see how it feels.

I'll never say it.

I'll never say, "I love you."

Yes, you will.

I know you will, you have to.

Dolly, I didn't mean to hurt you.

I'm just clumsy and awkward about things.

I know everything I do and everything I say now is wrong.

Sometimes I think I may go out of my mind, Dolly, you hate me so much.

I never promised you anything but hate.

I know, you are right, we shouldn't have been married.

I don't blame you for the way you feel.

But I don't know what to do about it, Dolly.

If I left you, I think I'd die thinking about you.

Dolly...

Let me put my arms around you.

I just have to.

You don't know how much I love you.

You can't know how I feel.

You've never been in love.

You've never known what it is to see all the goodness in the world in one person,

and to know she's unattainable.

To know that the whole world thinks she belongs to me,

and she doesn't, she never will.

It's pain, Dolly.

It's real pain.

It digs deep into you.

I look at you and I think...

There's not even pity, because you don't know, you don't understand.

And I think

someday I'll take you in my arms and all the pain and ache will go out of me.

I'm ashamed.

I'm so ashamed.

Dolly, I... I've never even kissed you.

- Excuse me. - Congratulations.

Thank you.

- Oh, Grandfather, how are you? - Fine.

There aren't words for the way I feel!

Dolly, are you happy now?

Look. (Chuckles)

He's smiling.

Dolly, it's our anniversary.

But John...

Jewellery is against your belief.

Well, it isn't against yours, and I want you to be happy.

For my happiness you'd go against your belief?

Doll, I have another belief.

It's my belief in you and our marriage and our son.