The Living and the Dead

Do you think I could use the hay harvest

as the subject of the Sunday sermon?

Like you did last year? And the year before that?

"Be not deceived - God is not mocked.

"For whatsoever a man soweth,

"that shall he also reap."

You let her read these books,

most of which should not even be in a Christian household.

Mary, if you would only read them yourself.

I've always believed that if you turn your back on new ideas...

You fill her head with ideas and doubts and confusions.

She has an alert and voracious mind,

- it must be fed. - She's a child!

Harriet?

Harriet?!

- Harriet! - Harriet!

Harriet?

Father.

- We heard a voice...a man's voice. - A man?

If you're sure you're all right?

Of course.

Good night.

Fresh fruit, waiting to be plucked.

Can I move?

I think there's a mouse in my boot.

I took the photograph ages ago. I was just looking at you.

Not now, we're late enough as it is.

You're home.

Mr Nathan!

Mr Nathan's back.

- Welcome home, sir. - Thank you, Gideon.

- Good to see you again, ma'am. - Thank you, William.

- Thank you. - How's the cider, Gideon?

Oh, proper drop, sir. All ready for the solstice tonight.

Good to see you, John.

Sir.

Ma'am.

- Gwen. - Mr Nathan. Mrs Appleby.

- Gwen. - Toby!

How is she?

She's weak, sir. But looking forward to seeing you.

Thank you, Gwen, for looking after her.

Vienna?

What on earth were you doing in Vienna?

I was invited to give a talk about psychological trauma.

Where's your laudanum?

I am so proud of you, Nathan.

You've achieved so much.

Charlotte and I might stay a little longer this time.

- I've missed the farm. - No, Nathan,

you are not to stay here and mollycoddle an old woman.

Your life is in London - your work, your patients.

Charlotte, tell your husband he's needed back in London.

Actually, I was thinking, a few weeks in the country is just what we need.

Oh.

They're ready to light the bonfire.

Nathan...

...let Gideon do it.

An Appleby always lights the solstice fire.

Cider brandy. Strong.

So am I.

Nathan.

Nathan.

Who are you?

What do you want with him?

You leave him alone!

You leave my son alone!

- She was a good mistress. - Mm.

She was a good mother... and grandmother.

Grandmother?

Mr Nathan's son, Gabriel.

When his first wife died...

he stayed in London with his work

and Gabriel was sent here to be brought up by Mrs Appleby.

That's right.

She doted on that boy, she did. Broke her heart when...

He won't keep the house on with such memories, will he?

He'll sell it, for sure.

Mr Nathan won't let us down, I'm sure of that.

This day was always going to come,

and now the world will change, you'll see.

We can sell it.

It's a run-down, outmoded farm in the middle of an agricultural recession.

Of course, I'll do my best to see that everyone is retained

or re-employed elsewhere.

That's the least I could do.

Isn't there an alternative?

That we move down here and...

...we keep the farm in the family and we keep these people in their homes.

Can we even think of doing such a thing?

She's ready for you, sir.

- Careful with that, that's from London. - Ma'am.

I hardly think your father expected you to spend your inheritance

on a traction engine.

- Mr Appleby. - Gideon.

Going in there, is him, sir?

That's the plan.

Yes, sir.

Just don't expect everyone to welcome these changes with open arms.

If we don't do something radical, this place will die.

This traction engine will revolutionise how this farm is run, you'll see.

I think you might be the mostly blindly optimistic person I've ever met.

I wonder if it's actually a psychological condition.

All ready, Gideon?

John...

Sit on the plough, men!

Carpe diem.

As you know, Harriet has always been a bright and lovely child.

Then Mary and I noticed her getting more and more remote from us.

Subdued.

She finds herself caught between childhood and womanhood.

It's an exciting but very, very awkward place.

Yes, that's what we told ourselves.

But we've watched as the spark went from her eyes.

We have heard about your pioneering work in psychology

and know that you have had

a great success in London with aberrant behaviour.

Your mother always so proudly showed us your cuttings...

That work is...

...behind me, at least for now.

This is a new start for us, and I must give it my full attention.

Hm.

You look tired.

Extremely desirable, but tired.

Go to bed, strumpet.

I will...

with you.

- Let me just finish these accounts. - Are they bad?

Every time I wrote to her, I asked her how the farm was doing,

and every time she wrote back to me, she said it was fine.

She probably didn't want to worry you.

Well, I'm worried now.

We can make it work, can't we?

I love it here, we have to.

Well, if we could convince the railway to bring a branch line across our land...

Then that is what we shall do.

- You had a good day, didn't you? - I did,

thank you for asking. You would have been proud of me.

I'm always proud of you.

You promise me you don't miss London?

No.

- Come to bed. - Or your work?

No. Come to bed.

Soon.

Doesn't look like anybody's been in here in years.

Nobody has, ma'am.

- What do you think? - Oh, very fetching!

Is it true you used to take photographs of kings and queens, ma'am?

Er, more debutantes and dogs, actually.

- Mr Nathan's boy... - Gabriel?

Did you know him?

Not really.

I used to hear a little boy's laughter in the house...

Then, one day...

no more laughter.

It won't bite, John!

He looks like me on my wedding night.

It's good to have you back, sir.

I never thought I'd live to see the day.

Nathan?

Harriet?

Harriet!

What are you doing?

Help me.

It's all right.

Give me your hand. Your hand.

Nathan...

What's happened?

Gwen, I want you to send one of the boys to the Vicarage,

tell them that Harriet is quite safe and she's spending the night with us.

Let's get you warm.

I said I would monitor her for a few days.

We've been down here five minutes

and you've gone back to being a psychologist.

Hardly that. The girl is more troubled than I thought, that's all. She needs me.

I need you! The farm needs you!

You saw her last night. I can't turn my back on her.

Charlotte...

I've known the Dennings for years.

I've known Harriet since she was a little girl. She's changed.

She's definitely different.

You'll do what you want to do. You always do.

That's not fair.

Do what you can for the girl. Of course you must.

Just do it quickly.

It's wonderful. Who took it?

My wife.

Your second wife?

Yes, my second wife.

Come and sit down.

- So, tell me what happened. - What do you mean?

Well, you walked the best part of a mile in your bare feet to stand in my lake.

- If I hadn't seen you from the window... - I don't remember.

You don't remember how you got here?

No.

Do you remember why you were standing in the lake?

Harriet?