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2nd Mrs. de Winter
Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter for the way was barred to me. Then, like all dreamers, I was possessed of a sudden with supernatural powers and passed like a spirit through the barrier before me. The drive wound away in front of me, twisting and turning as it had always done. But as I advanced, I was aware that a change had come upon it. Nature had come into her own again, and little by little had encroached upon the drive with long tenacious fingers, on and on while the poor thread that had once been our drive. And finally, there was Manderley - Manderley - secretive and silent. Time could not mar the perfect symmetry of those walls. Moonlight can play odd tricks upon the fancy, and suddenly it seemed to me that light came from the windows. And then a cloud came upon the moon and hovered an instant like a dark hand before a face. The illusion went with it. I looked upon a desolate shell, with no whisper of a past about its staring walls. We can never go back to Manderley again. That much is certain. But sometimes, in my dreams, I do go back to the strange days of my life which began for me in the south of France...
I am Mrs. de Winter now.
We ought to do something to make people feel that Manderley is just the same as it always was...Oh yes, but I want to, oh please! I've never been to a large party, but I could learn what to do, and I promise you, you wouldn't be ashamed of me...I'll design a costume all by myself and give you the surprise of your life.
It's Mrs. Danvers. She's gone mad. She said she'd rather destroy Manderley than see us happy here.
There's no need to be frightened, you now. Just be yourself and they'll all adore you. You don't have to worry about the house at all. Mrs. Danvers is the housekeeper - just leave it to her.
You know I didn't want you to go there, but you deliberately went...Don't go there again, you hear!...Because I hate the place and if you had my memories, you wouldn't go there or talk about it or even think about it...We should have stayed away. We should never have come back to Manderley. Oh, what a fool I was.
What the devil do you think you're doing?...Go and take it off. It doesn't matter what you put on. Anything will do. What are you standing there for? Didn't you hear what I said?
Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter for the way was barred to me. Then, like all dreamers, I was possessed of a sudden with supernatural powers and passed like a spirit through the barrier before me. The drive wound away in front of me, twisting and turning as it had always done. But as I advanced, I was aware that a change had come upon it. Nature had come into her own again, and little by little had encroached upon the drive with long tenacious fingers, on and on while the poor thread that had once been our drive. And finally, there was Manderley - Manderley - secretive and silent. Time could not mar the perfect symmetry of those walls. Moonlight can play odd tricks upon the fancy, and suddenly it seemed to me that light came from the windows. And then a cloud came upon the moon and hovered an instant like a dark hand before a face. The illusion went with it. I looked upon a desolate shell, with no whisper of a past about its staring walls. We can never go back to Manderley again. That much is certain. But sometimes, in my dreams, I do go back to the strange days of my life which began for me in the south of France...
We ought to do something to make people feel that Manderley is just the same as it always was...Oh yes, but I want to, oh please! I've never been to a large party, but I could learn what to do, and I promise you, you wouldn't be ashamed of me...I'll design a costume all by myself and give you the surprise of your life.
It's Mrs. Danvers. She's gone mad. She said she'd rather destroy Manderley than see us happy here.
There's no need to be frightened, you now. Just be yourself and they'll all adore you. You don't have to worry about the house at all. Mrs. Danvers is the housekeeper - just leave it to her.
You know I didn't want you to go there, but you deliberately went...Don't go there again, you hear!...Because I hate the place and if you had my memories, you wouldn't go there or talk about it or even think about it...We should have stayed away. We should never have come back to Manderley. Oh, what a fool I was.
What the devil do you think you're doing?...Go and take it off. It doesn't matter what you put on. Anything will do. What are you standing there for? Didn't you hear what I said?
Favell used to visit her here in this cottage. I found out about it and I warned her that if he came here again I'd shoot them both. One night, when I'd found that she'd come quietly back from London, I thought that Favell was with her. And I knew then, that I couldn't stand this life of filth and deceit any longer. I decided to come down here and have it out with both of them. But she was alone. She was expecting Favell but he hadn't come.
She was lying on the divan, a large tray of cigarette stubs beside her. She looked ill, queer. Suddenly she got up, started to walk toward me. 'When I have a child,' she said, 'neither you nor anyone else could ever prove it wasn't yours. You'd like to have an heir, wouldn't you, Max, for your precious Manderley?' Then she started to laugh. 'How funny! How supremely, wonderfully funny! I've been a perfect mother just as I've been the perfect wife! No one will ever know. Now, it ought to give you the thrill of your life, Max, to watch my son grow bigger day by day and to know that when you die, Manderley will be his.' She was face to face with me. One hand in her pocket, the other holding a cigarette. She was smiling: 'Well Max. What are you going to do about it? Aren't you going to kill me?' I suppose I went mad for a moment. I must have struck her. She stood staring at me. She looked almost triumphant. Then she started toward me again, smiling. Suddenly she stumbled and fell. When I looked down, ages afterwards it seemed, she was lying on the floor. She'd struck her head on a heavy piece of ship's tackle. I remember wondering why she was still smiling. Then I realized she was dead.
I can't forget what it's done to you. I've been thinking of nothing else since it happened. It's gone forever, that funny young, lost look I loved won't ever come back. I killed that when I told you about Rebecca. It's gone. In a few hours, you've grown so much older.
That's not the Northern lights. That's Manderley!
By the way, my dear, don't think that I mean to be unkind, but you were just a teeny, weeny bit forward with Mr. de Winter. Your effort to enter the conversation quite embarrassed me and I'm sure it did him. Men loathe that sort of thing. Oh come, don't sulk. After all, I am responsible for your behavior here. Perhaps he didn't notice it. Poor thing. I suppose he just can't get over his wife's death. They say he simply adored her.
Oh yes, I know Mr. de Winter well. I knew his wife too. Before she married him, she was the beautiful Rebecca Hindreth, you know. She was drowned, poor dear, when she was sailing near Manderley. He never talks about it, of course, but he's a broken man.
So this is what's been happening during my illness! Tennis lessons my foot! I suppose I have to hand it to you for a fast worker. How did you manage it? Still waters certainly run deep. Tell me, have you been doing anything you shouldn't?...But you certainly have your work cut out as Mrs. Sir Manderley. To be perfectly frank with you, my dear, I can't see you doing it. You haven't the experience, you haven't the faintest idea of what it means to be a great lady. Of course, you know why he's marrying you, don't you? You haven't flattered yourself that he's in love with you. The fact is - that empty house got on his nerves to such an extent, he nearly went off his head. He just couldn't go on living alone...Hmmph, Mrs. de Winter! Goodbye, my dear and Good Luck.
Oh, there's no need for you to be frightened of her. But you shouldn't have any more to do with her than you can help...You see, she's bound to be insanely jealous at first, and she must resent you bitterly...Don't you know? Why I should have thought Maxim would have told you. She simply adored Rebecca.
Oh well, don't go by me. I can see by the way you dress you don't care a hoot how you look
Why don't you go? Why don't you leave Manderley? He doesn't need you. He's got his memories. He doesn't love you - he wants to be alone again with her. You've nothing to stay for. You've nothing to live for really, have you? Look down there. It's easy, isn't it? Why don't you? Why don't you? Go on. Go on. Don't be afraid!
Yes, and we must be careful not to shock Cinderella, mustn't we?
Go and question Dr. Baker. He'll tell you why Rebecca went to him, to confirm the fact that she was going to have a child, a sweet, curly-headed little child...She told Max about it. Maxim knew he wasn't the father, so like the gentleman of the old school that he is, he killed her.
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This page contains quotes from the movie Rebecca. You can find more Alphabetized listing of films for which quotations are available in the index page. Thanks to the many celebrated and unheralded screenwriters who have provided these memorable movie quotes and lines of dialogue.
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