of Europe, during which he exhorts her to give Townsend up; she refuses, and a frustrated Sloper speaks to her with such contempt that she finally admits to herself that he despises her. The realization pains her deeply, but also strengthens her resolve to separate herself from him and bestow all her love and loyalty on Townsend. Catherine comes home, determined to marry. When she and Morris are reunited, she convinces him that her father will never relent. Shortly afterward, he backs out of the relationship. When Catherine tearfully confronts him, he admits his mercenary motives outright. Years pass and Catherine has refused at least one respectable offer of marriage. When her father's health fails, she nurses him through his last illness. During his final days, he asks her to promise never to marry Morris Townsend. With quiet dignity, she replies that while she seldom thinks of Townsend, she can't make such a promise. Sloper misunderstands her and alters his will, adding a codicil deploring his daughter's ongoing interest in unscrupulous young men and leaving most of his $300,000 fortune to charity. Catherine is left with only the house and the income from her mother. She isn't offended by the codicil; in fact, at the reading of the will, she laughs. Some time later, Townsend reappears at her doorstep. Catherine, who is now running a daycare center in her house, talks to him briefly. She isn't angry, but she has no interest in renewing their relationship, and tells him so, quietly and firmly. He departs, leaving Catherine to reflect on the passion she once experienced. Cast Jennifer Jason Leigh as Catherine Sloper Sara Ruzicka as 11-year-old Catherine Albert Finney as Dr. Austin Sloper Ben Chaplin as Morris Townsend Maggie Smith as Aunt Lavinia Judith Ivey as Aunt Elizabeth Almond Arthur Laupus as Mr. Almond Jennifer Garner as Marian Almond Robert Stanton as Arthur Townsend Betsy Brantley as Mrs. Montgomery Nancy Daly as Maureen Marie Abate as Agnes Sara Constance Marshall as Therese Rachel Layne Sacrey as Sarah Almond Rachel Osborne as Alice Almond Scott Jaeck as John Ludlow Peter Maloney as Jacob Webber Lauren Hulsey as Edith Loretto McNally as Midwife Production Baltimore's historic Union Square served as the film's eponymous 19th-century New York City setting. The scene set in the Alps was filmed on Minaret Summit in the Sierra Nevada in California. The lyrics for "The Tale of the