The Early Ayn Rand

TONY: That's all. Except that I hate medicine more than anything else in the world. And what I wanted to be was a pianist. [HASTINGS looks at him. TONY continues, calmly, bitterly:] All right, say I was a weakling- Who wouldn't be? I was poor — and very lonely-Nobody had ever taken an interest in me before. Nobody seemed to care whether I lived or died. I had a long struggle ahead of me — and I wasn't even sure that I had any musical talent. How can you ever be sure at the beginning? And the road looks so long and so hopeless — and you're hurt so often. And he told me it was a selfish choice, and that I'd be so much more useful to men as a doctor, and he was so kind to me, and he made it sound so right.

HASTINGS: But why wouldn't he help you through a music school, instead?

TONY: [Looks at him, almost pityingly, like an older man at a child, says wearily, without bitterness:] Why? [Shrugs in resignation] Mr. Hastings, if you want to have men dependent on you, don't allow them to be happy. Happy men are free men.

HASTINGS: But if you were unhappy, why didn't you leave it all? What held you?

TONY: [In the same wise, tired voice] Mr. Hastings, you don't know what a ghastly weapon kindness can be. When you're up against an enemy, you can fight him. But when you're up against a friend, a gentle, kindly, smiling friend — you turn against yourself. You think that you're low and ungrateful. It's the best in you that destroys you. That's what's horrible about it... And it takes you a long time to understand. I think I understood it only today.

HASTINGS: Why?

TONY: I don't know. Everything. The house, the horse, the gift to mankind... [Turns to the others] One of us here is the murderer. I don't know who it is. I hope I never learn — for his sake. But I want him to know that I'm grateful... so terribly grateful... [Silence]

HASTINGS: [Turns to INGALLS] Steve?

INGALLS: Yes?

HASTINGS: What did you think of Walter Breckenridge?

INGALLS: [In a calm, perfectly natural voice] I loathed him in every way and for every reason possible. You can make any motive you wish out of that. [HASTINGS looks at him]

ADRIENNE: Stop staring at him like that. People usually prefer to look at me. Besides, I'm not accustomed to playing a supporting part.

HASTINGS: You, Miss Knowland? But you didn't hate Mr. Breckenridge.

ADRIENNE: No?

HASTINGS: But — why?

ADRIENNE: Because he kept me doing a noble, useful work which I couldn't stand. Because he had a genius for finding people of talent and for the best way of destroying them. Because he held me all right — with a five-year contract. Today, I begged him to let me go. He refused. We had a violent quarrel. Ask Steve. He heard me screaming.

HELEN: Adrienne, I'm so sorry. I didn't know about this.

ADRIENNE: [Looks at her, doesn't answer, turns to HASTINGS] How soon will you allow us to leave? It was bad enough staying here when it was Walter's house. I won't stand it for very long — when it's hers.

HASTINGS: Why, Miss Knowland?

TONY: Adrienne, we don't have to —

ADRIENNE: Oh, what's the difference? He'll hear about it sooner or later, so he might as well have it now. [To HASTINGS] This afternoon, Walter and I and the others came in from the garden just in time to interrupt a love scene, a very beautiful love scene, between Helen and Steve. I've never been able to get any leading man of mine to kiss me like that. [To HELEN] Was Steve as good at it as he looked, my dear? [HELEN stands staring at her, frozen. ADRIENNE whirls to HASTINGS] You didn't know that?

HASTINGS: No. I didn't know either of these two very interesting facts.

ADRIENNE: Two?

HASTINGS: First — the love scene. Second — that it should have impressed you in this particular manner.

ADRIENNE: Well, you know it now.

INGALLS: Adrienne, you'd better stop it.

ADRIENNE: Stop what?

INGALLS: What you're doing.

ADRIENNE: You don't know what I'm doing.

INGALLS: Oh, yes, I think I do.

HASTINGS: Well, I don't know if any of you noticed it, but I've made one mistake about this case already. I thought nobody would want to talk.

INGALLS: I noticed it.

HASTINGS: You would. [Turns to BILLY] Now, Billy, I'll try not to hold you here too long. But you were here in this room all evening, weren't you?

BILLY: Yes.

HASTINGS: Now I want you to tell me everything you remember, who left this room and when.

BILLY: Well, I think... I think Steve left first. When we were talking about the operation. He walked out.

HASTINGS: Where did he go?

BILLY: In the garden.

HASTINGS: Who went next?

BILLY: It was Dad. He went upstairs.

FLASH: And he took a bottle from the sideboard with him.

HASTINGS: You're Billy's tutor, aren't you?