A Modern Marriage

Bill Burke and his new bride Evelyn leave the minister's office where they have just been married, and as they drive to a hotel, Evelyn's happy mood changes. In the bridal suite, Evelyn grows increasingly nervous, and while Bill is out of the room, she suddenly grabs his keys and drives away. Bill follows her in a taxi, arriving at Evelyn's house in time to see her collapse after a suicide attempt. Bill and Mrs. Brown, Evelyn's mother, take her to the hospital, and Bill mentions that he and Evelyn had received some premarital counseling from Dr. Donald Andrews at the Institute of Family Relations. After visiting Evelyn in the hospital, Andrews tells Bill that she is emotionally disturbed and recommends that she be sent to a rest home. A week later, when Andrews comes to see Evelyn and asks if Bill was her first boyfriend, Evelyn recalls a relationship she had in high school: Evelyn and her classmate, Jimmy Watson, are playing records at Evelyn's home one afternoon when Jimmy admits his fondness for her, and they kiss. Mrs. Brown discovers them and throws Jimmy out, forbidding him to call on Evelyn again. She then tells her daughter they must not let anything come between them. In the hospital, Evelyn recalls that after high school, she got a job as a typist in an insurance company, where she met Bill. Andrews leaves Evelyn and returns to the car, where Bill is waiting, and says that although Evelyn still refuses to see him, they are making progress. As they drive, Bill recalls his courtship of Evelyn: After several months of dating, Bill points out to Evelyn that he still has not met her mother. He takes Evelyn home to meet his happy, lively family, and Evelyn is charmed by their easy warmth. When Bill drives Evelyn home, she runs into the house to tell Mrs. Brown that she and Bill are in love, but Mrs. Brown refuses to meet Bill, claiming to have a headache. After his conversation with Bill, Andrews calls on Mrs. Brown, and she tells him that Evelyn's father was a terrible person, recalling how, after their divorce, he snuck into the house in the middle of the night and tried to take Evelyn away. Mrs. Brown suffers a dizzy spell after recounting this incident, and when Andrews tells her that she has made Evelyn afraid of men because of her own fear of her husband and is responsible for her daughter's unhappiness, she agrees to come in for a physical exam. Mrs. Brown then visits Evelyn at the rest home and insists that she write to Bill and ask for an annulment. Later, at the institute, Bill comes in with Evelyn's letter, and the rest home calls to inform Andrews that Evelyn is checking out that afternoon. Andrews and Bill rush to the rest home, and while Bill and his mother-in-law are arguing in the waiting room, Andrews goes to Evelyn and asks her about her decision to marry Bill. Evelyn describes an altercation with her mother: The evening of a formal dance, Evelyn discovers that her mother has spent the money she set aside to pay for a new coat and burned her dress with the iron, and angrily accuses her mother of doing these things on purpose. When Bill arrives, Evelyn asks her mother to send him away, but when she hears the door slam in Bill's face, Evelyn runs outside and declares her love for him, then suggests that they get married right away. Evelyn soon begins to feel guilty, and after fleeing from the hotel, she comes home and tells Mrs. Brown that she has eloped. Mrs. Brown passes out, and Evelyn, fearing she has killed her mother, attempts suicide. When Evelyn finishes her story, Andrews assures her there is nothing wrong with her mother's heart. In the waiting room, Evelyn hesitates a moment before throwing herself into Bill's arms, and the newlyweds promptly leave on their honeymoon. Mrs. Brown promises Andrews that she will try to be supportive of her daughter's decision.