Auto Light and its 96,000 dealers present Suspense.
Tonight, Auto Light brings you the Victoria Cross, a suspense play starring Mr. Herbert
Marshall.
You're in command now, Bale.
Stout fellow.
Well done, my boy.
I'm afraid.
It'll hurt.
I don't want to be hurt.
Stay down!
Dig in the... dig in the air!
Cover yourself!
Nurse!
No, no, Captain, there's no need to be afraid.
I'm not afraid.
Now, now, Captain, you'll wake all the patients.
What is it?
I was dreaming again.
Please, I can't stand it.
Please, give me...
I'm sorry, Captain, the doctor said no more.
I've got you.
I want to sleep without dreams.
It'll make me sleep, make me forget.
I'm sorry, but it won't help.
The doctor doesn't want you to take any more.
Those are his orders.
Orders?
What is it to him?
He doesn't know.
If you're going to take that schoolmaster position you told me about, you'll have to
get well.
Now, I want to...
You've been taking that medicine too long now, Captain.
It's better this way.
Just be strong for a while.
I'm sorry, Captain.
It's better this way.
It'll be better.
Strong.
I wish I was strong enough to wipe that professional kindness from your face.
I'd like to kill you.
In just a moment, Mr. Herbert Marshall, in the first act of the Victoria Cross.
Water.
What's that, Wilcox, a desert rat?
That, my dear Senator, is an ordinary battery, dying of thirst.
Come, come, Wilcox.
Come is the word, Senator.
Everyone comes to the Auto Light Stay Full Battery, the battery that needs water only
three times a year in normal car use.
Why, an Auto Light Stay Full Battery is so cautious of water, it makes a camel look like
a double deck water tank.
That's faulty, Raoul Wilcox.
Factual, Senator, because the Auto Light Stay Full has over three times the liquid protection
of batteries without Stay Full features.
Water, water everywhere.
And furthermore, Senator, the Auto Light Stay Full Battery has fiberglass retaining mats
protecting every positive plate for longer life.
Seventy percent longer life, in fact, as proven by tests conducted according to SAE minimum
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Give me that longer life, Wilcox.
So friends, see your neighborhood Auto Light Battery dealer and ask him for an Auto Light
Stay Full, the battery that needs water only three times a year in normal car use.
Right.
And remember, you're always right with Auto Light.
And now with the Victoria Cross and the performance of Mr. Herbert Marshall, Auto Light hopes
once again to keep you in suspense.
Wait here in the hall a bit and I'll call you.
All right, sir.
Come in, please, Ord.
Yes, sir.
Sit down.
Thank you, sir.
Ord, I have no intention of sermonizing upon the dignity of our school.
You and Bateman are both aware that at Huxley the boys are on their honor during examinations.
Yes, sir.
And yet knowing this, you deliberately passed information to him.
Why?
I don't know, sir.
Come on, I thought we were friends.
You've never lied to me before.
I don't know, sir.
Really.
Please don't ask me.
Did you know when you arranged this that you could both be expelled?
Yes, sir.
Nevertheless, you, who as far as I know have never been particularly friendly with Bateman,
ran the risk of expulsion for his sake.
Again, I ask you why.
Did he threaten you?
I know.
No, why do you ask that?
Well, there must be a reason.
All right.
He's the most popular boy in school.
He's captain of the cricket and rugby teams.
Nobody likes me.
I want him to be my chum.
You're not telling the truth, old.
Wait outside, chief.
Yes, sir.
Send Bateman in.
He wants to see you.
Sit down, Bateman.
Thank you.
Well, what are you going to say for yourself?
Nothing.
Take off your cap.
You deny cheating?
Why should I?
You're being insolent, Bateman.
And you will address me as sir.
Yes, sir.
What do you think this will do to your reputation as the mayor?
I'm not sure.
I do think that you'll learn your lesson.
And the mayor's reputation is the most popular boy in the school.
I don't think it will do anything, sir.
We shall have to allow the headmaster to decide that.
You wouldn't sneak to Mr. Walkley, now would you, sir?
You're one of the older boys, Bateman, but you're still not too old to be caned.
By you, sir?
It's time you learned that you're still a schoolboy and in need of discipline.
By going to Mr. Walkley's office.
Come on.
Stand up.
All right.
And while you're telling Mr. Walkley about me, I'm going to ask you a question.
What is it?
Well, you're telling Mr. Walkley about me.
Will it be all right if I tell him about you in the village?
About the dagger and drum?
What's the matter, Mr. Vale? Is it Maggie's plane?
She knows a lot of men,
but I'll bet she doesn't know any of them as well as she knows you.
Does she?
May I go now, sir?
The position of a housemaster at an English public school is one of traditional conformity
and demands of its holder the admirer of individual principles.
I had come to Huxley during the last year of the Second World War
directly upon my release from the hospital.
And through seniority in 1949 found myself housemaster at Peckham House.
The years had not been pleasant,
but I had felt at least an uneasy security
until the day of the examination
when the model British schoolboy Giles Bateman
had destroyed the security and left in its stead
the fear and the fear grew.
Returning after supper, I sat at my desk in a steady hall
and wondered about the boys before me,
quiet with their books and scribbling.
Did they know? Did they all know?
What had this terrifying child with the body of a man told him?
He sat, head bowed over his ancient history,
the most popular boy at Huxley.
What's yours?
Mild and bitter.
Right.
Good evening, sir.
What's the idea of coming in here like this?
I've got to talk to you, Maggie.
I'm busy.
I've got to talk to you. What time do you get off?
Not till ten, and I've got a date.
You'd better order something. They'll think it queer.
Anything, anything.
Off a pint hand, right you are.
What did you tell Giles Bateman?
Here you are, sir.
What did you tell him? He knows about it.
Go on, Alcann.
He said so. He mentioned your name.
You've talked to him, haven't you?
Well, what if I have?
He's a nice young bloke, and I can talk to him
wherever I want, can't I?
But I didn't say nothing bad about you.
What did you say?
Just that I knew you, that you were a nice, generous gentleman.
I should never have trusted you.
I didn't ask you to. You came to me, don't forget.
I'll thank you not to be so iron-mighty.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Are you sure you didn't say anything else?
I can't talk no more. The boss is watching.
Did you say anything else?
No, no. Go away.
Maggie!
In a jiffy, sir.
I returned to the school undiscovered
and made my rounds at Peckham House, now silent.
And as I looked into each darkened room
and listened to the sounds of sleep, I wondered
if I could at this moment give each boy an insight into his future
and the tragedies lying before him.
Granted the power.
How many would choose to awake in the morning?
And how many would choose never to awake again?
There was one room outside of which I stopped, listened.
It was door I did not open.
The week passed, and once more I allowed myself
the luxury of an uneasy security.
I convinced myself that whatever Giles Baitman knew about my visits
to the Dagon Grum, it was not sufficient to cause my arrest.
I determined to avoid any further visits,
at least until the boy was out of school.
And then, the afternoon of a half-holiday,
Francis Ord came to me.
Mr. Baitman, I'm sorry.
Francis Ord came to me.
May I speak to you, sir?
Of course, Ord, come in.
Would you like some tea?
No, no, thank you, sir.
A cake?
I'm not hungry, sir.
Oh. What's the matter?
Nothing, sir, nothing.
I thought that we were friends.
You used to like to have tea with me and talk.
I've been very busy, sir.
I'm sweating. I want to get better marks.
I'm not angry with you about the examination last week.
I know it wasn't your fault.
That's why I didn't take the matter any further.
Yes, sir.
I suppose you think that showing favoritism, don't you?
In a way, I'm cheating.
Oh, no, no, sir.
It was very sporting of you.
Sporting, was it?
You came to see me about something, Ord. What is it?
Sir, I should like your permission to change my room.
Oh?
Yes, sir.
Don't you get along with Watson Minor?
Well, Baitman has asked me to share his dig.
Has he? You want to?
Yes, sir. I want to very much.
You're lying.
He's holding something over your head.
You can tell me. I'm your friend. I'll help you.
Thank you, sir.
Do I have your permission to move, sir?
Because I didn't have the courage to question him any further,
I gave him permission.
And as he left the room, I saw the look of the condemned in his eyes.
I had given him the privilege of becoming a bully's bootlack.
The school term waned.
I was very careful.
Except in my ancient history form, I saw very little of Francis Ord.
Baitman frayed in the glory of his victories, his top marks,
his prowess on the playing fields of old Huxley.
This was his last term, and for me,
that meant freedom once again from the fear.
Then, few weeks before final exams,
Baitman asked Mr. Walkley to call him into his study.
Come in.
Good afternoon, Mr. Vale.
Do sit down.
Thank you, sir.
Just had an interesting talk with Giles Baitman. Very interesting.
Oh, very, sir.
I want to do something for the boy, Vale.
I'm petitioning for a scholarship at Cambridge.
As Baitman's housemaster,
your signature to this letter on his behalf will be of inestimable value.
After all, you know him better than any of us do.
Yes, I do, sir. May I read the letter?
Of course. It is rather glowing, I admit,
but what can one say? He is all of these things.
Don't you agree?
I'm sorry, sir. I can't sign it.
You...
I won't sign it, sir, because I can find only one truth in the letter.
He has been a successful athlete. Nothing more.
Nothing more?
You speak of his integrity. He has none.
His leadership. He rules through fear.
You don't know what you're saying.
You forget, sir, I'm his housemaster.
I know him better than any of you.
You praise his high principles. He's a cheat.
You point out his sense of fair play. He's a bully.
I've heard enough, Mr. Vale. Quite enough.
Needless to say, I'm shocked beyond words.
I can only construe from this monstrous outburst
that you're allowing an entirely personal malice to sway your judgment.
I'm sorry, sir.
Your apology is not sufficient, sir.
I suggest that you return to your quarters and give the matter serious thought.
Very serious thought, Mr. Vale. For your own good.
It was a curious thing.
And I felt almost lightheaded as I walked back to my rooms.
For a moment I had forgotten my personal involvement.
And stated quite objectively, I felt,
what I knew to be the truth about Giles Bateman.
I even felt that I might have said the same thing had Bateman been there.
Did you sign the letter, sir?
What are you doing in my room? Get out.
Did you sign it?
I told you to get out. Do you want a good hiding?
Do you want me to tell the head about you?
You can't bluff me again, my boy.
You know I've gone to the Daiguan Drum.
That silly girl told you about my visits.
It's not enough for your filthy blackmailing. You can't bluff me.
She told me enough to send you to prison, Mr. Vale.
What did she tell you?
I'd be afraid to tell you.
But I wouldn't be afraid to tell Mr. Walkley or the constable.
What did she tell you?
You wouldn't hit a schoolboy, would you, Mr. Vale?
They'd want to know why.
Get out. Get out!
You will sign that letter for me, won't you, Mr. Vale?
I knew then that I would have to sign the letter.
Or if I didn't, something would have to be done about the boy.
And because of my fear, I did something that I had promised myself I would not do.
I went to the Daiguan Drum and to Nellie's playing...
so that I would forget, perhaps forget too much.
Mortal Light is bringing you Mr. Herbert Marshall and the Victoria Cross.
Tonight's production in radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense.
Water. Water. Water.
There's that battery again, Wilk Howe.
Water first. But let me tell you about the famous Auto Light Stay Full Battery.
The battery that needs water only three times a year in normal car use.
I'm listening.
Why, the Auto Light Stay Full has over three times the liquid protection of batteries without Stay Full features.
That advantage alone helps overcome one of the greatest causes of battery failure.
You don't say so, Wilk Howe.
Oh, I do, Senator, and more, too, because the Auto Light Stay Full Battery has fiberglass retaining mats protecting every positive plate to prevent shedding and flaking and give longer life.
Yes, sir, eh, 70% longer life as proven by tests conducted according to SAE minimum life cycle standards.
Me for an Auto Light Stay Full.
Right, Senator. So friends, see your neighborhood Auto Light Battery dealer and ask him for an Auto Light Stay Full Battery.
The battery that needs water only three times a year in normal car use.
And remember, you're always right with Auto Light.
And now Auto Light brings back to our Hollywood Sound stage Mr. Herbert Marshall.
In Elliot Lewis's production of the Victoria Cross.
A tale well calculated to keep you in suspense.
I have no memory of what I did or where I went later that night.
But the next morning in Batesman's room, I found myself standing over what had once been the most popular boy in school.
During the war, there have been other dead bodies, but this one aroused within me no feeling whatsoever.
There was neither triumph nor sorrow.
I was aware only of the four walls of his room and the stained cricket bat on the floor.
Has anything in the room been moved, sir? Mr. Bates?
Yes, I beg your pardon?
The inspector is talking to you.
Oh, I'm sorry.
That's quite all right, sir. I understand. Has anything been moved?
Not as far as I know.
As house master, it's your duty to make the rounds at night.
Yes.
Would you say that there was any sign of trouble last night?
Not so far as I know.
Tell me, sir, how did the deceased get along with Francis Ord?
Well, it was Batesman who requested Ord to share his quarters.
What about his other school fellows?
I admired him tremendously, inspector.
I may say without fear of contradiction that he was the most popular boy in school.
I'm afraid, Mr. Walker, they must have been extremely unpopular with somebody here.
I should like to have the door of this room locked until the laboratory men arrive.
God, so shocking. Shocking. Poor boy.
Well, I imagine you'll want to question Francis Ord, inspector.
Yes.
Well, he's detained in Mr. Vale's quarters. You'll find me in my study.
Very well, sir.
I can tell you, sir, that a murder investigation involving schoolboys is something out of my line.
I'd be obliged if you'd stand by.
I'd be happy to.
Mr. Vale, what did you think of Batesman?
I...
It doesn't matter. You don't have to answer that.
Francis Ord.
Very fond of him, inspector. He's quite shy, but he's a sensitive lad.
What he has told me, I know that his family life has been quite unhappy.
He lost his mother when he was eight.
His father remarried, and I gather that he feels, well, forsaken.
Is he happy here?
Happier, perhaps, than at home.
Yet he doesn't get on too well here.
I'd say he's about the most unpopular boy at Huxley.
Rather strange, don't you think, sir, that two lads are complete opposites, so chum together?
Yes, perhaps it is.
Did you talk to him this morning before he tried to run away?
Ord ran away?
You didn't know?
Hmm.
Here we are.
Ord.
This is inspector Forbes.
He wants to ask you some questions.
Well, young fellow, my lad, you were caught trying to run away this morning.
That doesn't look very good, you know.
I'm sure it would be better if you'd tell us exactly what happened.
Francis.
Hmm.
I think he might be trying to protect somebody, don't you, sir?
Sooner or later things will find out, Francis.
Tell him the truth.
I don't want you to protect anyone.
Why should I protect anybody?
Nobody cares about me.
All right.
I'll tell you the truth.
I killed him.
It doesn't matter now.
I hated him.
He was a dirty, filthy, rotten swine.
I did it, Mr. Vale.
I hit him.
No, I could hit better.
I hit him.
And I hit him.
And he fell down.
And he cried.
And he begged me to stop.
But I didn't.
I didn't stop.
And I felt strong.
Why did you kill him?
Inspector, I...
Yes, Mr. Vale.
I think we should leave him alone.
It's not very pretty to hear a confession like that, especially from a kid.
What happens to him now?
I should take him back to London.
But I'm not going to just yet.
There's something else that he hasn't said.
It's not finished.
It wasn't finished.
The inspector wasn't a brilliant man, but he was diligent.
I felt he had done this sort of work for a long time and done it very well.
And in finding why, if Frances ordered Kilbettman, perhaps she would find out about me.
Find my secret.
He asked me for company and he questioned other masters and other schoolboys.
It was in the gymnasium that we found the very physical sports master, Samuel Jennings.
He had great style at the wicket.
Reminded me of Jack Hobbs.
I can tell you one thing about him, Inspector Forbes.
The school's going to miss him.
Don't you agree, Mr. Vale?
He was the very best of the British schoolboy, Mr. Jennings.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that.
Nothing namby-pamby about him.
He was a bit of a lad.
Take a nip now and again and there was a bit of fluff in the village that caught his eye.
Oh?
Yes, the barmaid at the Dagger and Drum, Maggie Splade.
He broke her bounds a couple of times to see her.
Of course, he wasn't the only one.
Mr. Jennings, what do you think of young Orch?
Well, to tell you the truth, I don't and I never did.
He's a coward and a liar.
The boys call him a nasty little beast and that's what I think he is.
Sopier.
Nothing.
I'm sure you've been very helpful, Mr. Jennings.
Yes, thank you very much.
Well, Mr. Vale, I think I've learned as much as I can for the moment.
Oh, I want to call Scotland Yard.
If you could direct me to a telephone, I won't trouble you anymore.
You'll find one in the gymnasium office just there to the left.
He knew about the Dagger and Drum now.
He knew about Maggie Splade.
Now he was going to call Scotland Yard and he'd find out more.
He'd find out about me.
I couldn't leave the school grounds until later that afternoon and when I did,
I was slipping past the front gate porter. I ran to the village.
Maggie.
You're going to get me into trouble coming in here like this.
Listen to me. A detective is going to come here.
He'll ask you a lot of questions.
Me? Questions? Oh, no.
There'll be questions about Bateman.
Why? What's he done?
He's been murdered.
Murdered?
Be quiet. You don't have to worry.
Did you say anything about me?
You killed him, didn't you?
No. There's been a confession.
Francis Award, his roommate.
It wasn't you?
I told you no. Remember now, you don't know me.
I won't say anything. I swear it. You won't hurt me, will you?
You've never met me. You don't know my name.
You don't know anything about me.
All right, all right.
When I left the Dagger and Drum,
I felt that my secret was reasonably secure.
I wanted a good excuse to have been away from school
and had no one chance to see me.
So I had tea in the village, then went to the cinema.
When I returned to Peckham House about 10 o'clock.
Mr. Vale.
Oh, Inspector.
Where have you been?
Why, in the village, at the cinema.
Would you come with me, please?
I don't quite understand.
Francis Award tried to commit suicide tonight.
He's been asking for you.
Where is he?
In his room. He'll be all right.
Francis. Francis.
Hello, sir.
Well, this is a nice thing for the school, I must say.
I'm sorry, sir.
I thought it would be better this way.
Better?
I was afraid, sir.
Afraid they'd make me talk about...
Who's that with you?
It's the Inspector, Francis.
There was no need for you to tell him, Francis.
I want him to know, Francis. It's all right.
It's about you, sir.
I know, I know.
Bateman said things about me, didn't he?
Yes, sir.
You remember the examination when you caught us cheating?
I remember.
Well, he knew then about you and...
The girl in the village?
Yes, sir.
I didn't want to believe him.
But he said if I didn't help him with the exam,
he'd tell something about you and you'd be arrested.
So, you see, I had to.
You were my friend, sir.
And I knew that no matter what Bateman said about you,
it couldn't really be bad.
It was bad, Francis, because I was weak.
I didn't have courage.
You're the only friend I ever had, sir.
I didn't want you to get into trouble.
I was in the war, Francis.
When I was wounded and they sent me home,
the King gave me a medal.
He thought I was brave because I'd helped some people.
But when he gave me the medal,
I wasn't brave any longer.
I was a coward because I was taking medicine
and I couldn't stop taking the medicine.
Yes, sir.
Bateman found out I was buying it from Maggie's plane
at the Dagram Drum.
Isn't that what you were protecting me from?
Yes, sir, but I...
Francis, did you kill Bateman?
Tell me the truth.
No, sir.
Go on.
I went out for a walk that night.
When I left, Bateman was all right.
When I came home, you passed me on the stairs
and you didn't know me.
You wouldn't talk to me.
When I got in the room,
Bateman was dead, lying on the floor.
You're the only friend I ever had, sir.
I couldn't let it happen.
That's enough talking, son. You'd better rest.
Mr. Vail?
Yes, yes. Good night, Francis.
Good night, son.
I don't remember a thing that I did last night, Inspector.
But when Francis confessed this morning, I thought,
he must have done it.
But I was safe.
Look at me.
I'm the housemaster of Tickham House at Huxley School.
I won the Victoria Cross for bravery at Tablook.
And yet I almost allowed that boy to plead guilty
for the murder that I committed.
What metal will they distill from me for this bravery?
Tonight's star, Mr. Herbert Marshall.
J. Wilcox, are you leaving?
No, going, Senator.
Going where?
Tomorrow morning?
улак.
Посsein, where's the radio?
and cable starting motors, all engineered to fit together perfectly, work together perfectly,
because they're a perfect team.
So friends, don't accept electrical parts supposed to be as good. Ask for and insist
on auto light, original factory parts, at your neighborhood service station, car dealer,
garage or repair shop. And remember, you're always right with auto light.
Next week on Suspense, Mr. William Holden as star of Blood on the Trumpet. And in weeks
to come, you will hear such famous stars as Cary Grant, Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Hilliard,
and Van Heflin, all appearing in tales well calculated to keep you in Suspense.
Suspense is produced and directed by Elliot Lewis with music composed by Lucian Morawek
and conducted by Lud Bluskin. Herbert Marshall may be heard on his own radio program, The
Man Called X.
And remember next week on Suspense, Mr. William Holden in Blood on the Trumpet.
You can buy auto light staple batteries, auto light standard or resistor type spark plugs,
auto light electrical parts at your neighborhood auto light dealers. Switch to auto light.
Good night.
One of the most cherished possessions we Americans have is our right to vote for representatives
in all elective offices. They represent us, the American people. We should make every
effort on Tuesday, November 7th, to vote for those we believe best qualified.
This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System.