describes George's death as "one of those awful dreams." Ellen panics over the letter and, as noted by a reviewer over 50 years later, throughout the film's second half seems "much more concerned with absolving herself from the blame of his death than missing her spouse." (However, this could be attributed to his generally abusive behaviour, his specific, unfounded accusations of adultery and attempted murder, and his own attempt to kill her and frame both her and the doctor for attempted murder.) Running from the house and shown the way by two teenagers (in the film's brief nod to Los Angeles' mid-twentieth-century jalopy culture), she chases down the overly talkative postman to whom she gave the letter; but he won't give it back to her without talking to George first, since he wrote it. The postman says she can ask the supervisor at the downtown post office, who has more authority. Ellen is frantic when she gets back to the house, only to find George's aunt Clara (Margalo Gillmore) climbing the stairs to see him and stops her barely in time. After the two talk for a while, Clara again heads up the stairs; but Ellen stops her once more, saying (truthfully) that George told her earlier that he did not want to see his aunt. Clara leaves in a huff, telling her George was "rude, mean and selfish since he's been six... he's worse if anything." Ellen goes back up to the bedroom to change her clothes in an attempt to behave normally before she goes to see the post office supervisor, and sees the gun still in George's hand, narrating, "Somehow I knew I shouldn't leave it there." As she wrenches the pistol from his hand, it fires. Readying herself to leave the house, a polite but somewhat aggressive notary (Don Haggerty) rings the doorbell, telling her he has an appointment with George to go over some legal documents. She steadfastly says George is too sick to see anyone. Ellen desperately drives downtown to the post office to see the supervisor, who gives her a form for George to sign but then, nettled by Ellen's unhinged and uncooperative behavior, tells her he is going to allow the letter to be delivered. Defeated, she returns to the house and, as she gets to the front door, a kindly neighbor woman (Georgia Backus) offers to help Ellen, since she has