Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez (Hobbs & Shelley)

Summary

Summary of "Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez (Hobbs & Shelley)"

Released on February 21, 2025, Choice Classic Radio's episode "Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez (Hobbs & Shelley)" immerses listeners in a riveting Old-Time Radio detective story. Host Choice Classic Radio presents a detailed reenactment of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson's investigation into a mysterious murder, capturing the essence of the Golden Age of Radio.

---

1. Introduction to the Case

The episode opens with Dr. Watson welcoming listeners to Choice Classic Radio, setting the stage for the day's featured detective story. The narrative quickly transitions to the heart of the mystery: the murder of Mr. Willoughby Smith in Professor Coram's secluded country house, Yoxley Old Place.

Notable Quote:

• Sherlock Holmes (00:50): "A pair of pince Nez. They were found in the dead man's right hand. There can be no question that he snatched them from the face of the assassin."

2. Discovery of the Crime

Inspector Stanley Hopkins arrives to brief Holmes and Watson on the grim discovery. Mr. Smith, a young and recently employed secretary, was found dead in the study, clutching a pair of golden pince-nez. The lone witness, Mrs. Marker, the elderly housekeeper, provides her account of the events leading up to the murder.

Key Points:

• The professor, an invalid, relies solely on his servants, making the household isolated.
• Mrs. Marker heard footsteps and a "dreadful cry" before discovering Mr. Smith dead.
• The absence of footmarks on the garden path despite recent rain suggests the assassin's escape was untraceable.

Notable Quote:

• Mrs. Marker (04:31): "I saw the knife, sir. The one you've got there. It used to be on the professor's desk. It was lying on the floor."

3. Initial Investigation

Holmes begins by assessing the crime scene meticulously. He notes the locked cupboard, the untouched drawers, and the peculiar placement of the golden pince-nez, which clearly do not belong to the victim. This evidence points towards an external assailant rather than an internal conflict.

Key Points:

• No signs of forced entry or tampering within the study.
• The murder weapon, a knife, was hastily left by the assassin.
• The victim's position and the nature of the wound suggest a sudden and unexpected attack.

Notable Quote:

• Dr. Watson (07:22): "Wanted. A woman of good address, attired like a lady. She has a remarkably thick nose with eyes which are set close upon either side of it."

4. Profiling the Suspect

Using the distinctive pair of golden pince-nez, Holmes and Watson profile the suspect. The detailed description provided by Watson leads them to believe that the assassin is a woman with specific facial features and a history of visiting an optician, narrowing down the potential list of suspects.

Key Points:

• The assassin likely had only recently obtained the pince-nez, hinting at a limited time frame.
• The description leads Holmes to infer that the woman would be traceable through optician records.
• The rarity of such strong prescription glasses in the area makes the suspect identifiable.

Notable Quote:

• Sherlock Holmes (07:02): "A pair of pince Nez. They were found in the dead man's right hand."

5. Examination of the Household

Holmes scrutinizes the household dynamics, focusing on the two women present: Mrs. Marker and the maid, Susan Tarleton. Their alibis and behaviors are analyzed to identify inconsistencies or hidden motives.

Key Points:

• Mrs. Marker claims to have been hanging curtains during the time of the murder.
• Susan Tarleton is noted as the only person who could provide a positive account of the incident.
• The professor's reclusiveness and dependence on his servants are highlighted as critical factors.

Notable Quote:

• Mrs. Marker (05:08): "Oh yes, something terrible. Well, he'd heard something going on, Mr. Smith screaming and he knew something awful had happened so well, he sent me to tell the gardener to go for the police at once."

6. The Pince-Nez Clue

The golden pince-nez emerge as the pivotal clue in the investigation. Holmes deduces that Mr. Smith must have encountered the assassin during her attempt to steal valuable documents from the bureau in the study, leading to a fatal altercation.

Key Points:

• The presence of the pince-nez in the victim's hand indicates a struggle.
• Holmes theorizes that the assassin aimed to retrieve specific documents, not merely commit murder.
• The meticulous nature of the crime scene suggests premeditation and familiarity with the household.

Notable Quote:

• Dr. Watson (07:22): "Wanted. A woman of good address, attired like a lady."

7. Deduction and Confrontation

Holmes employs his signature deductive reasoning to reconstruct the sequence of events. He identifies the assassin's attempted escape route and discovers her hiding place behind a bookcase in the study. The final confrontation reveals her motives rooted in personal vendetta and political upheaval.

Key Points:

• The assassin, Anna, admits to the accidental nature of the murder, claiming self-defense.
• Her backstory involves betrayal and imprisonment, fueling her desperate actions to secure important letters.
• Holmes's astute observations of the household's smoke patterns and the professor's smoking habits lead to the unraveling of the mystery.

Notable Quotes:

• Anna (21:04): "I am your prisoner. I could hear everything. As I know that you have learned the truth. It was I who killed that young man."
• Sherlock Holmes (23:28): "The dying man's words were the professor."

8. Resolution and Aftermath

The episode concludes with Anna's confession and Holmes's reflection on the case. The intricate interplay of clues, psychology, and forensic evidence underscores Holmes's unparalleled investigative prowess. The narrative wraps up with a meta-commentary revealing the actors and the production's connection to Sherlock Holmes' enduring legacy.

Key Points:

• Anna's motivations are deeply personal, intertwined with past injustices and love lost.
• The resolution emphasizes the importance of keen observation and logical reasoning in solving complex cases.
• The episode highlights the timeless appeal of Sherlock Holmes and his methods.

Notable Quote:

• Dr. Watson (24:22): "A simple case, my dear Watson, and yet in some ways an instructive one."

Conclusion

"Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez (Hobbs & Shelley)" offers a compelling rendition of detective fiction, blending suspense, character development, and intellectual challenge. Through meticulous storytelling and authentic period presentation, Choice Classic Radio delivers an engaging episode that both honors and revitalizes the classic tales of Sherlock Holmes for modern audiences.

Transcript

[Podbean]

Your message amplified.

Ready to share your message with the world? Start your podcast Journey with Podbean.

Podbean.

Podbean.

PodBean. PodBean the AI powered All in one podcast platform.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Thousands of businesses and enterprises trust Podbean to launch their podcasts.

[Podbean]

Launch your podcast on podbean today.

[Sherlock Holmes]

My school uses Podbean.

[Podbean]

My church too.

I love it. I really do.

[Dr. Watson]

Welcome to Choice Classic Radio where we bring to you the greatest old time radio shows like us on Facebook.

[Podbean]

Subscribe to us on YouTube and thank.

[Dr. Watson]

You for [e-mail].

[Sherlock Holmes]

A pair of pince Nez. They were found in the dead man's right hand. There can be no question that he snatched them from the face of the assassin.

[Dr. Watson]

May I see them, please? Tell you anything, Holmes. Inspector. You have your notebook, of course. Pray take it out and write as I dictate. Wanted a woman of good address, attired like a lady. She has a remarkably thick nose. She has a puckered forehead appearing expression and probably rounded shoulders by George's marks. It's incredible.

[Sherlock Holmes]

The great mind of my friend Sherlock Holmes never ceased to amaze me. My name is Watson, Dr. Watson. And I was privileged to share the adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

[Dr. Watson]

Now, let me locate the exact page and I will tell you about the case of the Golden Pince.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Ne. A moment please.

[Dr. Watson]

I think that of all the cases which Phil flew massive volumes containing our work for the year 1894, the case which is the most conducive to a display of those peculiar powers which my friend Holmes was famous was that of the Golden Parsley. Well, Holmes, here's Inspector Stanley Hopkins to see you. Ah, Hopkins, Come in, my dear sir.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Evening, Mr. Holmes.

[Dr. Watson]

It must be something important that has brought you out in such a gale.

[Sherlock Holmes]

It is indeed, Mr. Holmes. Did you see anything of the the Yoxley case in the latest editions?

[Dr. Watson]

I see nothing later than the 15th century today. Let us hear about it.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Some years ago this. This country house, Yoxley Old Place, was taken by an elderly man named Professor Coram. He was an invalid, keeping to his bed half the time. He has the reputation down there of being a very learned man. He found it necessary about a year ago to engage a secretary. The first two that he died were not successes, but the third, Mr. Willoughby Smith, was a very young man, straight from university. He seems to have been just what his employer wanted. I've seen his testimonials from the first. He was a decent, quiet, hard working fellow. Nothing against him at all. And yet this is the lad who has Met his death this morning in the professor's study.

[Dr. Watson]

I take it you're going to tell us he's been murdered?

[Sherlock Holmes]

The circumstances can point only to that.

[Dr. Watson]

I see. Well you better tell us a little more about the household. To begin with, if you were to.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Search all England I don't suppose you'd find a household more self contained or free from outside influences. The professor was buried in his work. Young Smith knew nobody in the neighborhood and the two women had nothing to take them from the house. Although the garden gate is only 100 yards from the main London to Chatham Road.

[Dr. Watson]

Just a moment. These two women, who are they?

[Sherlock Holmes]

Well there's an elderly housekeeper, Mrs. Marker and a maid, Susan Tarleton. I see. This Susan Tarleton was the only person who could say anything positive about the matter.

[Mrs. Marker]

Between 11 and 12 I was hanging some curtains in the upstairs front bedroom, sir.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Where was the professor at this time?

[Mrs. Marker]

Oh, Professor Coram was still in bed. When the weather's bad he hardly ever gets up before midday. Well Sir, I heard Mr. Willoughby Smith pass along the passage and go down to the study just below where I was working. A minute or so later there was a dreadful cry. Then nothing, just silence.

[Sherlock Holmes]

What do you do?

[Mrs. Marker]

Well sir, I ran downstairs to the study and there he was stretched out on the floor. He seemed to be dead but then he opened his eyes and spoke to me. He said, the professor, it was she.

[Sherlock Holmes]

You mean he, surely the professor, it was he?

[Mrs. Marker]

No sir, just like I told you, the professor, it was she.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Did you notice anything else at all?

[Mrs. Marker]

I saw the knife, sir. The one you've got there. It used to be on the professor's desk. It was lying on the floor.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Thank you, Susan. Now, Mrs. Marker.

[Mrs. Marker]

Yes sir.

[Sherlock Holmes]

You came on the scene too I believe.

[Mrs. Marker]

Oh, but I wasn't in time to hear him speak, sir. He was dead when I come.

[Sherlock Holmes]

What did you do?

[Mrs. Marker]

Well I left Susan with him and I run up to the professor's room. He was sitting up in bed very upset.

[Dr. Watson]

He was upset?

[Mrs. Marker]

Oh yes, something terrible. Well he'd heard something going on, Mr. Smith screaming and he knew something awful had happened so well, he sent me to tell the gardener to go for the police at once.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Local police sent a wire to Stockton Yard. I was down there in a jiffy. I gave strict orders for no one to walk on the paths leading to the house or move anything inside. I don't mind saying it was a splendid chance of putting your theories into practice, Mr. Sherlock Holmes. There was really nothing wanting about this.

[Dr. Watson]

Case except Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Well, what sort of a job did you make of it?

[Sherlock Holmes]

Ah, the question I asked myself was how did the murderer get into the house and out again?

[Dr. Watson]

That's right.

[Sherlock Holmes]

It must have been by the path and the garden door. Otherwise Susan would have run into him as she came downstairs. So I directed my attention to the garden path. There'd been plenty of rain before the time of the murder and there should certainly be signs of any footmarks.

[Dr. Watson]

And were there?

[Sherlock Holmes]

There were no footmarks on the path. So I next examined the corridor. It's lined with coconut matting and has taken no impression of any kind. This brought me into the study itself. It's a scantily furnished room. The main article is a large writing table with a fixed bureau. The drawers of the bureau were open, but the cupboard between them locked.

[Dr. Watson]

Had anything been tampered with? Nothing.

[Sherlock Holmes]

The professor assured me that nothing was missing. As to the body of the young man, Willoughby Smith, the stab was on the right side of the neck and from behind. So that it's almost impossible that it.

[Dr. Watson]

Could have been self inflicted. Is there any more evidence, Hutches?

[Sherlock Holmes]

There is something most important.

[Dr. Watson]

Yes. What have you got there?

[Sherlock Holmes]

A pair of pince ne. They were found in the dead man's right hand. They weren't his. He had excellent sight. There can be no question that he snatched them from the face of the assassin.

[Dr. Watson]

May I see them, please? Ah, thank you. Very handsome. Solid gold. I'll just try them on. Oh, dear me. Extraordinary. Do they tell you anything, Holmes? A great deal, Inspector. You have your notebook of course?

[Sherlock Holmes]

Yes.

[Dr. Watson]

Then pray take it out and write as I dictate.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Very well, Mr. Holmes, I'm ready.

[Dr. Watson]

Write down. Wanted. A woman of good address, attired like a lady. She has a remarkably thick nose with eyes which are set close upon either side of it. She has a puckered forehead, appearing expression and probably rounded shoulders. There are indications that she has had recourse to an optician at least twice during the last few months. As her glasses are of remarkable strength and as opticians are not very numerous, there should be no difficulty in tracing her.

[Sherlock Holmes]

My George is marvelous.

[Dr. Watson]

It's incredible. But meanwhile, have you anything more to.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Tell us about the case? Nothing. Stones. I think you know as much as I do now. Probably more.

[Dr. Watson]

Such a.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Such a pointless cry. That's what beats me. No one has suggested a ghost of a motive. I suppose you can't, Mr. Holmes.

[Dr. Watson]

Ah, there. I'm not in a position to help you. But I suppose you want us to come out tomorrow.

[Sherlock Holmes]

If he's not Asking too much. There's a train from Charing Cross to Chatham at 6 in the morning, which will be at Yoxley Old Place between eight and nine.

[Dr. Watson]

Then we shall take it. Well, it's nearly one now and we'd best get a few hours sleep. Well, stay here, Inspector. I see you can manage on the sofa in front of the fire.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Now that's a very good idea.

[Dr. Watson]

And I'll light my spirit lamp and give you a cup of coffee before we start, sir.

[Sherlock Holmes]

It's all right, Doctor.

[Dr. Watson]

Anyway, the wind stops. That's a relief. Morning, sir.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Any news?

[Dr. Watson]

No, sir. Nothing.

[Sherlock Holmes]

No reports of any stranger seen about?

[Dr. Watson]

No, sir.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I've just been asking again at the railway station. Have you inquired at the Inns and Lodgings?

[Dr. Watson]

There's no one who can't be accounted for, sir.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Well, it's only a reasonable walk to Chatham. Anyone could stay there without being noticed. You alright? Carry on, Wilson.

[Dr. Watson]

Very good, sir.

[Sherlock Holmes]

This is the garden path I spoke of, Mr. Holmes.

[Dr. Watson]

Ah, yes, I see someone has passed along here. Our lady must have picked her steps carefully since she'd have left a track on the path on one hand or the soft flower bed on the other.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Yes, she must have been a cool.

[Dr. Watson]

Customer, you say she must have come back this way as well.

[Sherlock Holmes]

There's no other way.

[Dr. Watson]

It was a very remarkable performance. Very remarkable. Well, I think we've exhausted the path. Let us now go indoors to the scene of the crime.

[Podbean]

Podbean. Your message amplified, ready to share your.

Message with the world. Start your podcast journey with Podbean.

Podbean, the AI powered all in one podcast platform.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Thousands of businesses and enterprises trust Podbean to launch their podcasts.

[Podbean]

Use Podbean to record your podcast.

Use PodBean AI to optimize your podcast.

Use PodBean AI to turn your blog into a podcast.

Use Podbean to distribute your podcast everywhere.

Launch your podcast on Podbean today.

[Dr. Watson]

The position is this. The garden door is usually kept open so the lady had nothing to do but walk in. The idea of murder was not in her mind or she'd have provided herself with a weapon instead of having to pick up the knife from this writing table here. She came along the corridor, leaving no traces upon the coconut. Mattie. Then she found herself in this study. What does she do? She goes over to the writing table. What for? Not for anything in the drawers, for nothing is missing. No, it was for something in this bureau. Hello. What's the scratch beside the keyhole? Why didn't you tell me of this, Hopkins?

[Sherlock Holmes]

I. I noticed it, Mr. Holmes. But you always find scratches around a keyhole, Watson.

[Dr. Watson]

Yeah, just give Mrs. Marker a shot, will you? This scratch is recent, Hopkins. Quite recent. See how the brass shines where it's cut? But through my lens, as I see what you mean, an old scratch would be the same color as the surface.

[Mrs. Marker]

Yes, sir.

[Dr. Watson]

Here's Mrs. Marker home. Oh, Mrs. Marker, did you dust this bureau yesterday morning?

[Mrs. Marker]

Yes, sir.

[Dr. Watson]

Did you notice this scratch?

[Mrs. Marker]

Where, sir?

[Dr. Watson]

Here.

[Mrs. Marker]

Oh, no, that wasn't there yesterday. I'm sure of that.

[Dr. Watson]

Ah. Who has the key of this bureau?

[Mrs. Marker]

The professor keeps it on his watch chain.

[Dr. Watson]

I see. I understand that this passage connects only with the professor's room and the garden door.

[Mrs. Marker]

That's right, sir. Are no other doors offered?

[Dr. Watson]

Well, thank you, Mrs. Marker. That is all. Thank you, sir.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Making any progress, Mr. Holmes?

[Dr. Watson]

Certainly. This is what I see. The lady enters the room, advances to the bureau and either opens it or tries to do so. While she is thus engaged, young Willoughby Smith comes in. In her hurry to withdraw the key, she makes this scratch upon the door. Smith seizes her and she snatches up the nearest object which happens to be the knife to strike at him and make him let go his hold. The blow is a fatal one. She escapes either with or without the object for which he's come.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Yes, that seems fair enough.

[Dr. Watson]

And now it's time we made the acquaintance of the professor.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Yes, certainly.

[Dr. Watson]

Oh, so the corridor to his room is also lined with coconut. Matti. This is very important indeed.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I don't think I understand.

[Dr. Watson]

You don't see any bearing upon the case? Well, well, I don't insist. No doubt I'm wrong. Now come and introduce me to the professor. Please excuse the atmosphere, gentlemen. I. I fear I am a slave to tobacco. Are you a smoker, Mr. Holmes? Yes, indeed. Then pray take a cigarette. Oh, thank you, Dr. Watson.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Thank you, no.

[Dr. Watson]

I have them specially prepared by Ionides of Alexandria. He sends me a thousand at a time. But I agreed to say I. I have to arrange for a fresh supply every fortnight.

[Mrs. Marker]

Indeed.

[Dr. Watson]

Very bad, I admit. But an old man has few pleasures. And tobacco and my work. But now only tobacco and us. What a fatal interruption to my work. May we. May we know its subject? It is an analysis of the documents found in the Coptic monasteries of Syria and Egypt. It is a work which will cut deep at the very foundations of revealed religion. Really? But who could have foreseen anything so terrible happening to the young man? What do you think of the matter, Mr. Holmes? I've. I've not yet made up my mind shall indeed be indebted to you if you can throw a light where all is so dark to a poor bookworm invalid like myself, as such a blow is paralyzing. But you are a man of action and we are fortunate indeed in having you at our side. Oh, but do take another cigarette. Dear me, you, you are even a quicker smoker than I am myself. I am a connoisseur. And these are excellent cigarettes. Professor Coram, what do you imagine this poor fellow meant by his last words? The Professor? It was she, Mr. Holmes. Our maid, Susan. A simple girl. I fancy. The poor fellow murmured some incoherent, delirious words and she twisted them into this meaningless message.

[Sherlock Holmes]

The eyeglasses, where did they come from?

[Dr. Watson]

Ah, Inspector, we are aware that love tokens may take a strange shape. A fan, a glove, a pair of fast names. Tell me, Professor Gorham, what is in the cupboard of the bureau in your study? Oh, oh, nothing from me for family papers, diplomas from universities that have honoured me. Here is the key. You may look for yourself. Oh, well, no, I, I hardly think it would help me. No. Here is your key, Professor. Thank you. I promise you shall not be disturbed again until 2 o'clock. I shall come again then, if I may, and report anything which may have happened in the interval. Oh, by, by all means, my dear sir. Oh, do take a few of these cigarettes with you, may I? Oh, thank you very much, sir. Well then, Holmes, have you a clue?

[Sherlock Holmes]

What are you thinking, Mr. Holmes?

[Dr. Watson]

It depends upon those cigarettes I smoke. Perhaps I'm utterly mistaken. The cigarettes.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I'll show you the cigarettes.

[Dr. Watson]

I've never seen you smoke so much in my life.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Except your pipe, of course.

[Dr. Watson]

Yes, and I hope I shall never have to again. Watson. Ah, here comes the good misses Marker, the very person to give us a few minutes. Instructive conversation. Mrs. Marker?

[Mrs. Marker]

Yes, Mr. Holmes.

[Dr. Watson]

I've been wanting to congratulate you on the way you keep up the house. Oh, sir, no, I was just saying as much to my friend, wasn't I? Was? Yes, yes, highly commendable.

[Mrs. Marker]

Very good of you, sir.

[Dr. Watson]

I'm sure it must be especially difficult with the professor smoking as much as he does. You know, ash all over the place and so forth.

[Mrs. Marker]

Oh, you're quite right, sir.

[Dr. Watson]

Does it, does it never affect his health?

[Mrs. Marker]

His health? Oh, well, that I can't say, sir.

[Dr. Watson]

But his appetite, surely. Such heavy smoking must kill the appetites.

[Mrs. Marker]

Well, he is variable about how much he eats.

[Dr. Watson]

I'll say that I should think so. This Morning, for instance. I'll wager he took no breakfast and he'll certainly face no lunch after all the cigarettes I saw him consume.

[Mrs. Marker]

Ah, well, you're out there, sir.

[Dr. Watson]

Oh, am I?

[Mrs. Marker]

He ate a specially big breakfast this morning. I don't know when I've known him take a better one.

[Dr. Watson]

You don't, sir.

[Mrs. Marker]

And he's ordered a good dish of cutlets for his lunch. Mind you, I'm surprised, sir. After I saw Mr. Smith lying on that floor yesterday, I've hardly been able to look at food myself.

[Dr. Watson]

You certainly surprised me, Mrs. Barker. But if you've a special luncheon to prepare, we mustn't keep you, must we?

[Mrs. Marker]

No, sir. I must be getting along now. Good day, gentlemen.

[Dr. Watson]

Good day, Mrs. Barker. Holmes, you're working something up.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I know the signs.

[Dr. Watson]

Am I, Watts? Ah well, at 2 o'clock we shall return to our friend the professor and see where my chain of reasoning is taking. Very punctual indeed, gentlemen. And now, Mr. Holmes, I'm sure you're looking forward to a few more of my cigarettes. It's very kind of you, Professor Gorb. Not at all. Here, take the tin and help. Oh, I do beg your pardon. It was my own clumsiness. I'll help you pick. No, no, no, Watson, it was my fault. I insist that. Oh dear me. Some have even rolled as far as the bookcase in the corner there. I, I think we have them. Yes, I, I think that's everything cleared up now. Oh, you shouldn't have troubled Mr. Holmes. But tell me now, have you solved this mystery of ours yet? Yes, I've solved it. You solved it before? Indeed. By strolling about in the garden? No, here. Here? When? This instant. You are joking surely? Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Professor Coram, what your motives are or what exact part you play in this strange business, I'm not yet able to say. In a few minutes I shall probably hear it from your own lips. Meanwhile, I will reconstruct what is past so that you may know the information which I still require. As you wish. Yesterday a lady entered your with the intention of possessing herself of certain documents from your bureau. She had a key of her own. You gave me an opportunity of examining yours and I do not find on it that slight discoloration which the scratch would have produced. You were not an accessory, therefore, and she evidently came without your knowledge to rob you. This is most interesting and instructive. But surely having traced this lady so far, you can also say what has become of her. I will endeavor to do so in the first Place she was seized by your secretary and stabbed him. In order to escape this catastrophe I am inclined to regard as an unhappy accident. Horrified by what she had done, she rushed wildly away from the scene. Unfortunately, she had lost her glasses in the scuffle and as she was extremely short sighted, she was really helpless without them. She ran down a corridor which she imagined to be that by which she'd come. Both were lined with coconut. Nettie. And too late, realized that she had taken the wrong one. She couldn't go back. She must go on. She pushed open a door and found herself in your room. Oh, very fine, Mr. Holmes. But there is one little flaw in a splendid theory. I was myself in my room. I am aware of that, Professor Coram. And you mean to say that I could lie in bed and not be aware that a woman had entered my room? I never said so. You were aware of it. You recognized her. You aided her to escape. You are mad. Mad? I helped her to escape. Then where is she now? She is there, behind that bookcase in the corner.

[Anna]

You are right. You are quite right. I am here.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I arrest you in the Queen's name for the murder of Willoughby Smith. And I warn you that anything.

[Mrs. Marker]

Yes, sir.

[Anna]

I am your prisoner. I could hear everything. As I know that you have learned the truth. It was I who killed that young man.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Then you realize.

[Anna]

But you are right, you, sir, who say that it was an accident. I did not even know that I held a knife in my hand. In my despair I snatched the nearest thing from the table and struck at him to make him let me go.

[Dr. Watson]

I am sure that is the truth. Yes. You'd better sit down a moment. Holmes, she looks ill. Oh, thank you.

[Anna]

I have only a little time here and I must tell you the whole truth.

[Dr. Watson]

Yeah. Now you take this chair. Thank you.

[Anna]

I am this man's wife.

[Dr. Watson]

How?

[Anna]

He is not an Englishman. He is a Russian. I will not tell you his name.

[Dr. Watson]

The Lord bless you, Anna.

[Anna]

I wonder why you cling so hard to that wretched life of your Sergey. It has brought no good to anyone, least of all yourself.

[Dr. Watson]

Pray, let us hear what you have to say.

[Anna]

I was a foolish girl when I married this old man. In Russia we were reformers, revolutionaries. Then came a time of trouble. A police officer was killed and in order to save his own life and earn a great reward, my husband betrayed his companions and me with them. Among our comrades there was one Alexei who was noble, unselfish, loving. Everything my husband was not. He hated violence. He was forever writing to dissuade me from it. My husband found the letters which would have saved that man and me from Siberia. He hid the man. So we were convicted. I was released not long ago. But Alexei is still a convict in the salt mine. Think of that, you old villain. And I could have killed you in this room, but I spared you.

[Dr. Watson]

You were always a noble woman.

[Anna]

I came to this country with the object of getting those letters which would set Alexei free. I knew you would never give them to me, Sergey. So I engaged a private detective who came here as a secretary. He found where the papers were kept and got an impression of the key. Then he would go no further and left here. I took my courage in both hands and came to get the papers for myself. I succeeded, but at what a cost.

[Sherlock Holmes]

The dying man's words were the professor.

[Dr. Watson]

It was she.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Do I understand then, that Smith knew who you were?

[Anna]

By a chance, I had met him near the gate that morning and asked him where Professor Coram.

[Dr. Watson]

Exactly. In his last breath, Smith tried to send a message to the professor that it was she, the she whom he adjudged in custody.

[Anna]

He must let me finish quickly. After I had killed the young man, I ran blindly into this room. My husband spoke of giving me up. I threatened that if he did, I should give him away to our party as a traitor. For that reason, and for no other, he let me hide in that princess behind the bookcase. Where anyone approached, he was able to give me part of his own meals. It is agreed that when the police left the house, I should slip away by night and come back no more. Gentlemen, Here. Here are the letters who saved Alexei. I confide them to your honest gentlemen and to your love of justice. Before leaving my hiding place, I have tick and poison.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Too late.

[Dr. Watson]

Too late. A simple case, my dear Watson, and yet in some ways an instructive one. It hinged from the outset upon the pne. Without them, I'm not sure that we could ever reached our solution. But Holmes, what was all that about the footmarks on the grass bird? When Hopkins here asked me to believe that the intruder, having lost her powerful eyeglasses, could escape by the way she had come treading carefully along a narrow grass strip, I set it down as impossible. I was forced to consider the hypothesis that she had remained within the house. On perceiving the similarity of the two corridors, it became clear that she must have entered the professor's room, for there was no other hiding place for her. The device of a recess behind the bookcase is a common one in old libraries. I Therefore smoked a great number of those excellent cigarettes and I dropped the ash all over the floor in front of the bookcase. When we had ascertained that the professor's consumption of food had increased, we returned to his room, whereby, upsetting the cigarette box, I obtained an excellent view of the floor.

[Sherlock Holmes]

So you were able to see from traces in the ash that she had.

[Dr. Watson]

Come out of her recreate while we were absent? Yes. Remarkable, Holmes. Ah, but here we are at Charing Cross. Well, Hopkins, I congratulate you on having brought your case to a successful conclusion. You are going to the Yard?

[Sherlock Holmes]

L. That's right, Mr. Holmes.

[Dr. Watson]

Watson, I think you and I will drive together to the Russian Embassy. We have a small parcel. The Case of the Golden Fastnet was one of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. My name in real life is Norman Shelley. My friend Carlton Hobbs played Sherlock Holmes and I was Dr. Watson.

[Sherlock Holmes]

And our script for this BBC production.

[Dr. Watson]

From London was by Michael.

[Sherlock Holmes]

How you don't seem to see so.

[Dr. Watson]

Many par these days.

[Sherlock Holmes]

You know, eyeglasses that clip on your nose.

[Dr. Watson]

But I hope we will be seeing each other about again soon for more of the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.