I'm assuming no one is going to watch four hours of North and South

BEFORE YOU WATCH THE VIDEO - I want to share with you what I consider to be the most romatic four minutes ever filmed. To truly appreciate this scene you need a little background. Margaret Hale's father was a vicar and she grew up in the gentile, rural South. Due to a change in circumstances Margaret's father moved the family to the industrial North. John Thornton owned a mill in the town in Milton, the town in which the Hale's settled.

Margaret and John meet frequently and Margaret's father and John become good friends. Margaret, used to being the vicar's daughter and helping those less fortunate, becomes close to some mill workers and starts sympathizing with them for their plight. At the same time we learn that John is working hard to keep the mill open and that he treats his workers better than other mill owners do. We also learn that John is falling in love with Margaret. She has feelings for him but surpresses them. He, however, proposes to her before she is ready and she basically tells him that she hates him. He falls apart emotionally.

John refuses to take financial risks because he considers them to be akin to gambling. In the end he loses the mill to an investor. It just so happens that the investor dies and leaves his estate to the now orphaned Margaret. Margaret leaves Milton and moves to London to live with relatives. The scene I've posted takes place after Margaret goes to Milton to visit John but finds him gone. He wasn't there because he went to Margaret's hometown in the South to feel closer to her. She is on a train back to London and he's returning to Milton when the scene takes place.

Note: During most of the miniseries John is shown very stiff with his cravat tied tightly around his neck. Remember that when you watch the video. Another thing to know is that "hands" play a major theme in the story. Ok, you can watch it now, but be prepared to sigh out loud at the end.