Original subtitles

Two years alone in the wilderness.

Nice living.

He was a friend of my father's.

People in town thought he was eccentric. I was fascinated by him.

He was the one person who wasn't afraid to speak up for what he felt was right.

He was even thrown in jail for it.

Really? Who was thrown in jail?

Henry David Thoreau.

It was just for one night.

He refused to pay a tax to support the war with Mexico.

Why? Because he felt the war was immoral.

Thoreau felt that people's obligations to their own conscience were more

important than their obligations to their government.

And he stood by those beliefs.

Wagons up by the road.

You all set?

Perfect timing.

He actually refused to pay his taxes and then went full well and go to jail for

it? It was his way of taking a stand.

And he did it in a peaceful way, which was also something he advocated. To him,

violence was never the way to achieve a desired end.

That might be true living out here in the woods.

Back in the real world, sometimes you gotta fight for what you want.

Come on down now, Tommy. Let's go.

Are you all right?

Hold still.

Try not to move.

Dan, get the wagon.

How's that feel?

All right, I guess.

I'll send over some crutches for you, but you'll need to stay off that leg for

few days to start.

You mean no school?

No. That doesn't mean no school will bring lessons to you.

All right.

I'll write into town and notify his parents.

Thank you, Mr. Spear. And remember, do not leave that bed.

We'll make sure he stays put.

Even if we have to post a guard.

All right.

All right, now.

Is Mrs. Bayer at home?

Yeah.

Is she expecting you? I should think not.

I wonder what he wants.

Whatever it is.

Probably ain't good.

Did you have to give him that bell?

He's been ringing that thing for two days non -stop now.

Well, at least he's staying put.

I'll go.

Mr. McBride.

Be there.

I understand one of your students was involved in an accident a few days ago.

Yes.

Tommy Banks.

As you know, I'm a close friend of his family.

No, I wasn't aware of that. Yes, they've often turned to me when seeking legal

counsel. Legal counsel?

I have come to inform you that I will be filing a suit of negligence against

this school on behalf of Thomas Bangs in the District Superior Court.

I trust you will cooperate fully on this matter.

I am, after all, merely acting in the best interests of the children.

I spoke to Tommy's parents right after it happened. They didn't seem to be too

concerned about it. They said you referred to the injury as a mishap.

Yes.

It was an accident.

He slipped and fell.

Tommy often has these kinds of mishaps.

I'm sorry, Mrs. Bear, but I'm afraid I look upon a broken leg as something

considerably more serious than an amusing inconvenience.

And Tommy's parents, both of whom are blessed with caring and trusting

often find themselves victims of those who would seek to diminish wrongs

committed against them. It was an accident.

It was negligence, ma 'am.

The child was entrusted to your care and you placed him in a dangerous

situation. He was climbing a tree. When he should have been at his desk in

school, where children belong on a school day.

Why don't you just admit why you were doing this?

Tommy's welfare is the last thing on your mind.

You've been after me to sell Plumfield to you since my husband's death.

Now you've finally found a way to pressure me.

I see. So this is all about you, then, and not about the poor child lying

upstairs with a broken leg.

I was told you were a woman of considerable vanity, Mrs. Blair, but I

I'm surprised you put your own concerns above the welfare of the children.

What? I'm ordering a coach to remove Tommy from your school this afternoon.

I would appreciate having his things collected together before then.

I'd like to speak to his parents. I have advice against that.

You've already spoken with them, detailing your account of the mishap.

What more could you tell them? Why don't you speak to the other children that

were there?

Or Nick Riley, my caretaker. They'll tell you exactly what happened.

Yes, I would like that.

There's no case here, Mr. McBride.

Tommy won't be the first to agree with me. Well, that's why we let the judge

decide.

Good day, Mrs. Bear.

Hopefully, you'll be able to come back soon, and your leg will be healed, and

you'll be... I'm sorry, Mrs. Joe.

I shouldn't have been climbing that tree.

I've climbed that same tree before, many times when I was younger.

The view from the branches is incredible. You can see the entire pond

to shore.

And if you look straight down,

You can even see the fish swimming in the water.

I know.

I counted eight of them.

It's a whole different world up there.

Much more interesting than just standing on the ground.

I'm sorry that you slipped and fell, Tommy.

But I am so happy that you climbed that tree.

I hope you climb many more.

So this is where you conduct class?

In the barn?

Well, the actual barn where the animals are kept is below us.

Uncle Fritz and Aunt Jo used to keep hay in and feed up here until it was

converted to the schoolroom.

Tell me this.

On the day that Tommy Bangs was injured, you decided to conduct class outside

the school.

Is this correct?

Yes.

We were reading Thoreau's Walden.

And it was such a beautiful day that Aunt Jo suggested we go to Walden Pond,

where Thoreau actually lived, to conduct a class.

Does your aunt often conduct this type of outing?

Yes, actually, she does.

Aunt Jo believes a large part of one's education occurs outside the classroom.

Or novel.

But I am still confused.

If you're conducting class at the pond, how did Tommy come to be climbing a

tree?

Well, the lessons were finished for the day and the students were allowed some

free time before Nick came to pick us up in the hay wagon.

Tell me then, in your own words, exactly how the injury occurred.

Well, many of the students began skipping stones, but Tommy became bored

this and decided to climb the tree.

Was he told not to?

No.

Not to my knowledge.

Mrs. Bayer didn't mind him climbing the tree?

No.

She loves to do stuff like that all the time.

But she always watches us closely and prefers to be careful.

But sometimes injuries like Tommy's do happen, isn't that correct?

Not often.

Mrs. Joe takes real good care of us.

He slipped on a branch and he fell. It was an accident. It could have happened

to anyone.

But these sorts of accidents seem to follow Tommy around, don't they?

He does tend to get hurt more than the rest of us.

Can you give me any other examples?

No. I'm afraid he can't recall any.

There's nothing to worry about, Nat.

As long as you tell me the truth.

Well, there was this one time when Tommy cut himself.

Cut himself?

Was it bad?

No, Dr. Pierce just stitched it up.

Dr. Pierce was summoned.

Well... Yeah.

How did it happen?

Um... I don't remember.

Sure, I remember.

He was setting the table for dinner, and he was carrying too many things at

once. And Tommy comes to the door right as Billy was coming to the door, and

boom! The door slams into Tommy, and the knife he was carrying cut his arm.

The plates smash into about a million pieces.

We go through more plates here.

Was the cut bad?

Oh, real small.

I wanted to stitch it, but Mrs. Joe said Dr.

Pierce should do it.

But I could have done it.

I can do it hundreds of times.

Is Dr.

Pierce often summoned out here to stitch up wounds?

Yeah. He's here more than he is in town.

I like it because he lets me help out sometimes.

I see you have an interest in medicine.

Yes, sir.

That's good.

Tell me, are there many other interesting medical cases here at

Well, you probably heard about the measles epidemic we had last year.

Oh, yes.

The school was quarantined, if I remember correctly.

Yeah, it was really bad.

Oh, and then last winter, Nat was in a coma.

A coma?

Yeah, Nick was teaching him how to fight Z, and so then he went... He's the

caretaker here?

Yeah. And so Nat went into town and picked a fight with a boy bigger than

And then the boy punched him, and he... And he hit his head on the... On the,

um... Well, he hit his head.

But it wasn't anything bad. It was just a... You know, a... Coma.

Despicable man, Eli McBride.

I heard he's considering running for mayor next year.

Well, he can forget Laurie's vote.

Edward wired back.

He said these kinds of lawsuits are becoming more frequent.

He had three in the last year alone at his firm.

But the good news is, he agreed that in this instance, there isn't much of a

case. And clearly, it's a matter of contributory negligence, and the judge

most likely rule in your favor.

Contributory negligence, what's that?

Well, it means that Tommy, by choosing to climb the tree in the first place,

in fact contributing to his own injury.

Edward can cite other cases where the same argument was used.

Wait a minute, wait a minute. So I'll have to say that it was Tommy's fault

he got hurt?

Well, yes.

Partially.

Which, in fact, it was.

And that's all you need. You won't have to say a thing.

Edward will represent you.

He's a fine lawyer.

I don't want a lawyer.

I don't.

You may need one.

I spoke with the sheriff. He said you spent some time in jail last year for

assaulting one of the children's guardians. Mind telling me about that?

What's that got to do with Tommy getting hurt?

Merely trying to gain an overall impression of the school, from the

attended to the employees who are hired to care for them.

I'm just a caretaker.

I don't get involved much with the kids.

Todd? Children seem to have a differing view.

They speak quite highly of you.

Many of them actually refer to you as a kind of second father.

Which, as you might imagine, concerns me. After all, a man such as yourself

working in a school with children, not exactly my idea of a role... Look.

I'm real busy here.

I don't have the time for this right now.

I understand.

Thank you for your time, Mr. Riley.

And make sure this is marked urgent. I want the judge to see it today. The

safety of the children is at stake.

Sorry,

none of my business.

Are you the new editor of the newspaper?

Harrison Bridger.

Just got in last week. Eli McBride. I have a law firm in town.

I'm just involved in a case of negligence against a local school.

Negligence? It began with a single incident, but after some investigation,

uncovered an alarming pattern of abuse and neglect.

Does the rest of the town know about this?

I'm afraid not. The owner of the school has gone to great length to hide her

little secret from public scrutiny.

Can I persuade you to speak to the Chronicle about this?

Well, under normal circumstances, I would never discuss an ongoing case with

newspaper.

But... To say nothing when the children are in danger, I'm afraid I'd be guilty

of negligence, too.

I can't believe this.

It's not just about Tommy anymore. Now it's about the whole school.

McBride has completely twisted everything.

He makes it seem as though he deliberately put these children in harm.

Mrs. Bear.

How could you do this?

I only want to protect the children, as does the judge.

What is this?

It's a temporary injunction ordering you to close this school until a full

hearing can be scheduled.

What? You have until the end of the day tomorrow, or else the sheriff and his

deputies will close it for you.

Good day.

Last of it.

All set?

Yeah.

Miss Jo, can we come visit you?

No.

The injunction prevents you from coming onto the property, Ned.

But I'll come visit you as often as I can.

You be good.

You hear me?

I'll see you soon.

Don't worry.

Everything will be all right.

You'll see.

Let's go

I'll

be back

Marriage is here.

All right, do you have everything?

You have your music box and your frog skeleton.

I'll come and visit you. Would that be all right?

I'll miss you.

I'm sorry for saying those things to Mr. McBride.

I wasn't thinking.

Don't you worry.

You didn't do anything wrong, do you hear me?

Help me get through this.

Okay.

Okay.

be excused.

He's not taking this well.

He'll be all right once the kids come back.

It just ain't right.

A whole dinner and not one plate is broken.

I'd almost forgotten how quiet this house can get.

I can almost hear Nat playing a violin.

Your nan laughing at some prank that she just pulled.

Oh, Tommy ringing that awful bell.

What I wouldn't give to hear it again.

Thank you for being gracious enough to speak with me.

Well, you'll forgive us for being somewhat biased, but I would rate

one of the finest schools in the Commonwealth.

I can think of no other school I'd rather have our daughter attend.

But is it not true that initially you had reservations about sending her

Oh, yes, initially.

But once Bess was enrolled... Certain people in town said that they overheard

you and your sister engage in a heated public argument in which you questioned

the discipline and safety of the school.

Oh. Well, it wasn't like that.

No, we were just...

You know how sisters can get.

Our hesitation simply had to do with our frequent traveling schedule.

Yes.

Our travel schedule.

We travel.

Oftentimes to Europe.

Frequently.

Is it not true that Beth almost drowned in a river in the Plumfield property

shortly after she was enrolled in school?

Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say she nearly drowned.

She slipped and fell into the river.

Children fall into rivers every day.

But Beth couldn't swim.

No. Not at the time. She learned shortly after.

Nick taught her how to swim.

Nick Riley, the caretaker?

Yes. He's wonderful with the children.

He's been a great asset to Plumfield.

He makes sure things are safe and clean and, well, he can fix just about

anything. And I've never seen Joe happier since he came into her life.

Because he's so good at keeping things safe and clean and...

Fixing things?

Mr. Bridger!

You're the new editor of the Chronicle, am I right? Yes, I am.

I arrived in town just last night. Well, I figured I'd come by and tell you my

side of the story, being as you never bothered to ask me.

You must be Mrs. Bayer.

I know I rushed to print the article, but I had a deadline to get the paper

and I felt I had all the necessary facts to... So you decided to go ahead and

print lies rather than tell the truth?

If this is the kind of journalism that you practice... So you dispute Mr.

McBride's findings?

Of course I dispute them.

And if you had bothered to research your facts instead of rushing on... So Mr.

Riley here is not a convicted criminal?

Since when is it against the law to give someone a second chance? Well, it

isn't.

But if he teaches the children how to fight, resulting in one of them getting

seriously hurt, then maybe it ought to be. That was my doing, not hers. She

don't allow fighting. But she hired you.

It's her responsibility.

And now there's talk of your relationship having evolved into

courtship. Some might view that as improper.

I told you not to. Eli McBride discovered it during his investigation.

it was Amy, your sister, who told him.

That's not true.

If it isn't true, then why would your sister say that?

Wasted time talking to him. McBride got him in his back pocket. No, wait.

That's where you're wrong.

Look, I apologize for printing that article without having talked to you

Whatever Mr. McBride's motivations are for pursuing this lawsuit doesn't erase

the fact that he has sufficient evidence to back the claims. He has detailed

accounts of children getting hurt and lost.

Another almost drowning in a river. Others being allowed to wander through

woods alone for three nights in the dead of winter on some sort of Indian

ritual. That was me.

And I asked her to let me do it. She didn't want me to go.

The point is, McBride might be doing all of this for reasons other than

protecting the children, but I'm not.

I want what's best for them.

If that means closing the school and putting you out of business, then I'll

my best to make sure that happens.

And if it turns out that what's best for the children is keeping the school open

and Mr. Riley here staying on as caretaker, I'll do my best to make sure

that happens.

But you're going to have to prove that to me first.

Wait a minute. I'm late for a meeting, Mr. Riley. I want to talk to you.

Well, it will have to wait.

You've been spreading lies all over town.

And it's going to stop.

Get out of my way. Not until we settle this. The only thing that you should be

settling, Mr. Riley, is your employment situation.

Perhaps it's time you moved on and found another lonely widow to pray upon.

Let go of me.

Nick, stop.

How dare you, I thought, me.

You see that?

You saw what happened?

This is a sort of role model Mrs. Bayer allows in her school. One can only

imagine how he handles unruly students.

It's over, Mrs. Bayer.

Your school is finished.

I'm so sorry, Joe.

It was an accident. It just slipped out of my mouth.

And before I knew it, he was twisting my words. It's all right, Amy.

I'm not angry with you.

But I seem to excel at twisting people's words.

I wired Edward.

He'll come to represent you at the hearing.

Meg, I can't afford a lawyer.

Well, I already talked to him about that. He won't charge you.

I told him about the injunction.

He said that the judge's decision to issue it is not a good sign.

It means that he feels McBride's claims have some validity.

But it's not hopeless.

We have some claims of our own about what a wonderful school this is and the

incredible work you've done with these children.

That's right.

We won't give up without a fight.

We're going to make sure that that judge sees exactly what kind of place

Confield is.

Did he have much trouble sneaking out?

No. My parents are too busy to notice. Yeah, I know what you mean.

My father's not even home. He's been away on business in Philadelphia for

month now. My housekeeper doesn't care what I do.

Sorry I'm late.

My uncle just got finished telling me what school he's sending me to.

Peterskill Academy.

Peterskill Academy?

That's a horrible school.

It's a bunch of spoiled rich kids.

Look.

This ain't over yet.

The hearing's in a couple of days.

We gotta keep thinking positive.

All right?

Do you have the book?

Yeah.

I think it's your turn to read, Bess.

All right.

The surface of the earth is soft and impassable by the feet of men.

and so with the path on which the mind travels.

How worn and ducty, then, must be the highways of the world.

How deep the routes of tradition and conformity.

I did not wish to take the cabin passage, but rather to go before the

on the deck of the world, for there I could best see the moonlight amid the

mountains.

I do not wish to go below now.

My imagination carried me so far that even if thy refusal has ever...

I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened in town with McBride.

I know you were angry, Nick. I was angry, too.

But assaulting him wasn't the answer.

I know.

It's just... Back on the ships.

You guys didn't have lawsuits and lawyers.

You had a problem with somebody. You settled it right then and there with

fists.

That's the way it's been for me.

For as long as I can remember.

Listen, Joe.

Coming here, working for you at this school... It's been good for me.

You and the kids made me feel wanted.

And I thank you for it.

But I think maybe it's time I should leave.

I think you'd be best for the school.

It might even help with the lawsuit.

Me being here has only made things worse. I'm the one who hired you, Nick.

That newspaper man was right.

No matter what you do, right or wrong, ultimately it comes back to me. It's my

responsibility. Exactly.

Which is why you'll be doing the responsible thing and getting rid of me.

I might send a message to the judge that you're cleaning this place up.

Cleaning this place up?

To the eyes of the judge, I mean.

Listen.

Think about it.

Let me know what you want me to do.

The facts speak for themselves, Mrs. Bear.

Your classroom is located in a dilapidated barn, which it will be

danger to life and limb.

And your unconventional teaching methods, of which you're so proud, have

to be not only reckless, but downright hazardous.

Now we can go to the hearing tomorrow and we can stand before the judge and I

will tell him how you have hired a convicted felon who assaults people in

street.

And I can detail every single incident in which a child was harmed here.

I can do all of that.

Or we can settle this matter right now.

I will withdraw the lawsuit if you will agree to sell me Plumfield.

True, the school will still be closed, but you will be spared not only the

arduous legal hearing, but also the substantial monetary damages which the

almost certainly will award Tommy's parents.

I'll take my chances in court.

Fine.

If you think you can afford it.

school, whatever.

Do you hear me?

You don't care about these children. You never have!

What do you do?

You care deeply about them.

What I said earlier was wrong.

You have never put your welfare before the children's.

Their needs have always been at the core of your very being.

Which is why you must ask yourself, what are my chances of winning this lawsuit?

You do realize that Tommy will be called for questioning, as will all the other

children.

As a lawyer, I have seen these cases turn ugly, dragging on into very

very humiliating public spectacles. They can be terribly painful, especially for

young children.

I'll tell the judge about this.

When he hears that you offered to withdraw the lawsuit in exchange for my

school... I will deny it, Ms. Baird.

It'll be your word against mine.

And unfortunately, at the moment, your reputation is not the most sound.

You disagree.

Your opinion of me is not what's important here.

The settling of this most unpleasant lawsuit is.

So I would caution you to think long and hard about it.

Not for your sake, but for the children.

Looking all over for you.

I'm proud of that today.

It was my idea to turn the barn into the schoolroom.

Fritz wanted to convert one of the rooms in the house to warmer and cleaner.

Safer.

But I talked him into it.

I mean, what child wouldn't want to go to school in a barn?

I know I would.

Well, he was right.

It's cold in here.

And dusty.

There's spiders in the rafters.

Fitz had such a wonderful way with the children.

He was compassionate, yet firm.

When he died...

I was determined to keep the school open.

And though my methods were the most conventional, I trusted myself.

I trusted myself.

Because I knew in my heart that I only wanted what was best for the children.

Yet it's been one ordeal after the other.

Bride was right.

Children have been hurt.

And I have been to blame.

No, you haven't.

And the kids will be the first ones to agree with me.

Bride's just trying to get on your skin.

Well, he succeeded.

He's opened my eyes to the struggles that I have put these children through

the struggles I will continue to put these children through if I keep

this thing.

The kids will be all right, Joe.

You taught them well.

Each and every one of them.

So what are you going to do, just give up?

Well, I won't let you.

I know I told you to think about whether I should leave, but I'm just going to

go ahead and do it. No.

No, you don't have to. Joe, you can't give up. I have no choice!

The children have been put through enough!

I'm selling Plumfield to McBride.

I can't believe it.

She's actually going to sell Plumfield.

McBride's making her do it.

He's got to believe in things he says about our troop.

But they're not.

Plumfield's the best school there is.

I should know. I've been kicked out of enough of them.

Yeah, Mrs. Joe treats us like people.

At all the other schools, all they do is give you orders and tell you to be

quiet. We can't let her do this.

We've got to help her.

How? I mean, even if we do convince Ancho.

McBride's still going to win the case.

I've heard my father say he's the kind of lawyer who doesn't quit until he gets

what he wants.

That's true.

He said he'd drag this case out into a long and ugly mess.

This Joe just doesn't want to put us through it.

Well, they're going to have to put ourselves through it. That's right.

It's up to us to put a stop to this.

Mrs. Joe's just trying to protect us.

Now we've got to protect her.

How are we going to do that?

Stop the hearing.

We do whatever it takes to make McBride drop the lawsuit.

Whatever it takes, Dan?

You saw what happened to Nick when he tried to stop McBride. I'm not talking

about hurting anybody here.

There are other ways to do this.

Such as?

I don't know yet.

We'll think of something.

Whatever it is, we gotta make sure we see to it to the end.

After all, he was willing to go to jail for what he knew was right.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm willing to do that.

I'll go to jail. Yeah.

I'll go, too.

Me, too.

I guess going to jail is better than going to Peterfield Academy.

I suppose so.

I guess I'll just have to wear one of my nuclear jet boots.

All right.

Can

I help

you? Told Mrs. Joe that you helped keep the school open so you could prove it

was best for the kids.

That's right.

Good.

We're gonna prove it to you right now.

What do you want to do there?

We'll follow right behind you.

What are the kids doing here?

This way, Judge Hancock. I thought we could hold the

hearing in the church.

What the... What's going on here? We're stopping the

hearing. We're not letting anybody in until we get a chance to speak to the

judge.

Dan. Please don't make this any more difficult than it already is. What's the

meaning of this?

These are my students, Your Honor.

We're defending Mrs. Joe and our school.

Well, defend them inside.

Now, move out of the way.

Now.

What?

He's allowed to be stupid.

Tommy.

This is nonsense.

Further evidence of the lack of discipline at Plumfield. School has

discipline.

Maybe Mrs. Joe didn't hate kids when they do wrong like they do at other

schools.

That don't mean we don't listen to her.

Fact is, we listen real well.

Because we know the things she teaches us are important. Like thinking for

herself and staying up for what we know is right.

Yeah, and we're not leaving until you withdraw this stupid lawsuit.

This is absurd. Now move out of the way, all of you. Go on.

No.

We're not going anywhere. So you're just going to have to move this yourself.

Someone fetch the sheriff.

If you don't move at once,

I shall have you arrested.

Fine.

Throw us in jail.

We don't care.

Beth.

Yeah, throw us in jail.

I want to go to jail, too.

The cause is worthy.

This is not a game, children.

This is very serious.

Yes, sir, we know that.

But we'd rather go to jail than be forced to leave Plumfield.

Mr. Rickrod's telling everyone how dangerous it is out there.

But it's not like that at all.

Miss Jo teaches us.

She listens to us and takes really good care of us.

In fact, we feel safe there.

It's not just our school, it's our home.

Out here, this is where it's dangerous.

You better listen to him, Judge.

Because up until now, no one has.

Myself included.

If anyone knows whether the school is safe, I think it would be the children.

Well, about time somebody came to this.

I think it's time for us all to start listening to the children.

I agree.

You should listen to the children.

Listen to the children.

Well, the rest of my family is going to jail.

I might as well go, too.

So, Mr. McBride.

Is there anything you wish to say to the Chronicle before you have the sheriff

toss these nice people into jail?

I thought perhaps you would like to talk about how you were willing to extort

Mrs. Bear into selling Plumfield to you in exchange for you dropping the

lawsuit, which of course would cause one to question your motives and, by

extension, the very claims that you have made. Enough!

In light of the, uh...

situation, Your Honor, I respectfully withdraw the lawsuit.

I'll get the gate.

I'll get it.

But it's still the best school in town. Let's go.

All right, go.

what's that?

nothing, go back to bed