Sherlock Holmes; The Golden Pince-Nez (EP0972)

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Sherlock Holmes; The Golden Pince-Nez" (EP0972)

Podcast Title: Sherlock Holmes Presented by the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio
Host: Adam Graham
Episode Title: The Golden Pince-Nez
Release Date: June 13, 2013

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Introduction

In this episode of Sherlock Holmes titled "The Golden Pince-Nez," host Adam Graham delves into a classic detective story featuring Sir John Gielgud's portrayal of Sherlock Holmes alongside his faithful companion, Dr. James Watson. The episode presents a meticulously crafted mystery that challenges Holmes and captivates listeners with its intricate plot and character dynamics.

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Plot Overview

A Stormy Beginning
The episode opens on a tumultuous November night in 1894 at 221B Baker Street. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are quietly contemplating the mundane until a cab slams against their door amidst a fierce gale, signaling the arrival of an urgent visitor.

The Crime Scene
At 3:37, Dr. Watson recounts a baffling murder case involving the death of Mr. Willoughby Smith, the new secretary of Professor Coram, an elderly academic engrossed in his work on Coptic manuscripts. The circumstances surrounding Smith's death are perplexing: no clear motive, no evidence of robbery, and a peculiar weapon found at the scene—a blood-stained stiletto used as a paper knife.

Initial Investigation
Holmes (05:34) examines the details meticulously. The murder occurred between 11 and 12 AM, witnessed indirectly by a maid, Susan Tarleton, who heard a scream and saw a heavy thud. The study, where the murder took place, had three doors, one leading to an unlocked back door—now muddy from rain but devoid of footprints.

Clues Unveiled
Holmes (08:19) identifies a key piece of evidence: a pair of golden pince-nez (spectacles) found tightly grasped in Smith's hand. He deduces their owner must be a woman of precise physical characteristics, informed by the glasses' strength and design—indicating poor vision without them. Additionally, the condition of the grass verge suggests the murderer was cautious and perhaps visually impaired.

The Housekeeper's Role
As Holmes and Watson explore the property, they interact with Professor Coram and the housekeeper, Mrs. Marker. Through their investigations, Holmes discerns that the movement through the corridors was obstructed by coconut matting, presenting another layer of complexity to the case.

Breakthrough in the Garden
On the following day, Holmes and Watson inspect the garden path, identifying subtle marks that suggest the lady entered and attempted to exit through the same route. Holmes speculates that a lack of premeditation is evident since the murderer did not carry a weapon, instead grabbing the paper knife in haste.

Confrontation and Revelation
The tension peaks when Holmes deduces the presence of the murderer still within the house. As he presents his theory, Anna, the professor's wife, emerges from behind a bookcase, inadvertently confirming Holmes's deductions. She confesses to the murder, revealing a backstory filled with betrayal, love, and desperation tied to past revolutionary activities and personal loss.

Resolution
In a dramatic finale (23:38), Anna's confession unravels the motive behind the murder. Driven by a need to procure incriminating documents to free her innocent friend from a Siberian prison camp, she mistakenly killed Smith in a chaotic escape attempt. Overcome by guilt, Anna takes her own life, ensuring the truth is unveiled.

Holmes's Insight
Holmes concludes with a reflection on the importance of observation and deduction, highlighting the significance of seemingly trivial details like the golden pince-nez in solving the mystery (24:29). His methodical approach and attention to detail underscore his prowess as a detective.

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Key Discussions and Insights

1. The Role of Minor Details:
   Holmes emphasizes how small, overlooked items—like the golden pince-nez—can be pivotal in unraveling complex mysteries. His ability to infer personal traits from such details showcases his exceptional observational skills.

2. Psychological Profiling:
   The episode delves into the psychological aspects of Anna's character, portraying her as a driven yet tragic figure whose past experiences led to desperate actions. Holmes's understanding of human behavior aids in predicting her movements and motivations.

3. Structural Analysis of Crime Scenes:
   Holmes's examination of the study's layout and the implications of the corrupted clay matting demonstrate the importance of understanding the physical environment in crime investigations.

4. Impact of Past on Present Actions:
   Anna's backstory illustrates how unresolved issues and past traumas can influence present actions, a recurring theme in detective narratives that adds depth to character motivations.

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Notable Quotes

• Sherlock Holmes on Practicality:
  "Holmes is one of the few true timeless characters in literature. His canonical adventures may have been set in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but in the hands of a competent author, with a few modifications, Holmes could show up at a medieval castle or on a starship and still be a powerful character."
  (Podcast Description)

• Holmes on the Pince-Nez's Significance:
  "It hinged from the outset on the pince Ne. It was clear to me from the strength of the glasses that the wearer would be almost blind without them."
  (24:29)

• Anna’s Confession:
  "I give myself up to you, sir. I am your prisoner. From where I stood I could hear everything and I know that you have learned the truth."
  (20:40)

• Holmes on Character Deduction:
  "From their delicacy and the dying man's last words, I deduced they belonged to a woman. Anybody who wore such expensive and elegant glasses would be pretty sure to be well dressed."
  (09:10)

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Host Commentary

After the episode, Adam Graham provides insightful reflections on the adaptation of "The Golden Pince-Nez." He notes that this rendition stands out by minimizing melodramatic elements, focusing instead on the intricate puzzle of the mystery. Graham appreciates the balance between narrative tension and logical deduction, praising the production's fidelity to Holmes's analytical style.

Graham also shares listener feedback, highlighting appreciation for Sir John Gielgud's portrayal of Holmes and improvements in the portrayal of Dr. Watson. He addresses questions about the authenticity of studio audience sounds, affirming that genuine live recordings likely contributed to the program's authentic feel.

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Conclusion

"The Golden Pince-Nez" offers a compelling addition to the Sherlock Holmes saga, blending classic detective work with emotional depth. Through Holmes's unparalleled deductive reasoning and the intricate unfolding of Anna's motives, listeners are treated to a satisfying mystery that honors the spirit of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original creations. Adam Graham's thoughtful presentation enriches the experience, making it accessible and engaging for both longtime fans and newcomers to the genre.

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For more episodes and detailed analyses of classic detective stories, visit RadioDetectives.net or follow the show on Twitter and Facebook.

Transcript

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[Adam Graham]

Welcome to the great detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, email it to me. Box13reatetectors.net Follow us on Twitter at radiodetactives and become one of our friends on Facebook, facebook.com RadioDetectives and be sure and fill out our listener survey survey.greatdetectives.net Today's episode is brought to you by the financial support of our listeners. Thanks so much for your support. You can support the show at support.greatdetectives.net now it's time for us to take a listen to today's episode of Sherlock holmes the Golden PSNs the Adventures of.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Sherlock Holmes With Sir John Gielgud as.

[Indeed Representative]

Sherlock Holmes and Sir Ralph Richardson as.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Our storyteller, Dr. James Watson.

[Indeed Representative]

It was a wild, tempestuous night towards the close of November 1894. Holmes and I sat together in silence all the evening. Outside, the wind howled down Baker street whilst the rain beat fiercely against the windows. On such a night, we were not at all pleased to hear a cab draw up at our door and a ring at the bell.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Ah, come in. Hopkins. I hope you know professional designs upon us on a night like this. Draw up a chair won't you and warm your toes.

[Dr. Watson]

Thank you, Mr. Holmes.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I suppose it must be something important to bring you here at this hour and in such a gale.

[Dr. Watson]

It is indeed Mr. Holmes. I've had a bustling afternoon I promise you on the Yoxley case. I caught the last train back to town and came straight on by cab from Charing Cross.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Yeah dear, that means, I suppose that you're not quite clear about the case.

[Dr. Watson]

I can make neither head nor tail of it. There's no motive, Mr. Holmes, and that's what bothers me. A man killed and no reason on earth why anyone should wish him any harm.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Very well, let's hear about it.

[Dr. Watson]

It happened in the house of an old man called Professor Coram. He's a semi invalid, keeps to his bed half the time. An elderly housekeeper and a maid look after him, both of excellent character. The professor's writing a book on Coptic manuscripts and keeps a secretary to help him. The last, Mr. Willoughby Smith, was the third he's had. A young man straight from the university, quite quiet, hard working fellow. Yet this was the lad who met his death this morning in the professor's study under circumstances that can only point to murder. It was between 11 and 12 this morning. Susan Tarleton, the maid, was hanging some curtains in the upstairs front bedroom. Professor Coram was still in bed. He seldom rises before midday. The housekeeper was busy at the back of the house. Willoughby Smith had been in his bedroom which he uses as a sitting room. The maid heard him come out of his room, go along the passage and downstairs to the study at the room below her. A minute or two later there was a dreadful cry from that room. A wild horse scream. At the same instant there was a heavy thud which shook the whole house. Then silence. The maid stood petrified for a moment. Then recovering her courage she ran downstairs. The study door was shut and she opened it. Inside Mr. Willoughby Smith was stretched on the floor and blood was pouring from a wound in his neck. On the floor nearby was a blood stained stiletto. She recognized it as one the professor kept on his desk and used as a paper knife.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I take it that the young man was already dead.

[Dr. Watson]

At first the maid thought so, but when she poured some water over his father he opened his eyes for a second.

[Professor Coram]

Oh sir, what's happened? Oh tell me, tell me.

[Indeed Representative]

The professor, it was she.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Those were his last words.

[Dr. Watson]

He tried desperately to say something else. Then he fell back dead. The housekeeper arrived just after he died, leaving Susan with the body. She hurried to the professor's room. He was sitting up in bed, terribly agitated. The housekeeper told him what had happened.

[Sherlock Holmes]

You've questioned the professor of course?

[Dr. Watson]

Oh yes. He says he heard the distant cry but knows nothing more. His first action was to send for the police. I've been put in charge of the case, Mr. Holmes, but I'm so baffled.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I've.

[Dr. Watson]

I've come to you as a friend.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Well, well, well, we must see what we can do. Can you give me some idea as to the disposition of the rooms? You say the study door was closed. Was that the only door to that room?

[Indeed Representative]

There were three doors to the study. The one by which the maid and Willoughby Smith had entered and two other doors at the opposite ends of the room. Of these, one led by way of a corridor to the professor's room. The other led by a similar corridor to the back door of the house which was unlocked. There could be little doubt but that the murderer had entered this way and there was no other way by which he or she could possibly have left without meeting the maid at one door or running into the professor's bedroom to by way of the other.

[Dr. Watson]

The path to the back door was saturated with rain and would certainly have shown any footmarks. My examination showed me that I was dealing with a cautious and expert criminal for there were no footmarks to be found on the path. But the grass verge was trodden down and my inquiries proved that it could only have been trodden down by the murderer.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Well, well, well. Now these tracks on the grass coming.

[Dr. Watson]

Or going or both, it was impossible to say.

[Sherlock Holmes]

There was never any outline, large footprints or small ones.

[Dr. Watson]

I wasn't able to make them out.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Well it's been pouring with rain and blowing a hurricane ever since. They'll be harder to read tomorrow morning. Anything else in the study?

[Dr. Watson]

There's a desk, a bureau and a cupboard. The professor assures me that nothing is missing so it seems certain that robbery was not the murderer's aim.

[Sherlock Holmes]

How about the wound on the body?

[Dr. Watson]

The stab was on the right side of the neck and from behind so that it's almost impossible it could have been self inflicted.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Unless he fell on the knife.

[Dr. Watson]

Exactly. The idea crossed my mind. But the knife was some feet away and there are the man's dying words. But most important of all, the dead man had a small object tightly grasped in his right hand.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Well Watson, what Do you make of these?

[Indeed Representative]

The object was a pair of gold rimmed spectacles, or more properly a golden pince nez, a type of glass which clip onto the bridge of the nose. From them hung two broken ends of black silk cord. Holmes examined the glasses with the greatest attention. He held them on his nose. He tried to read through them. He looked out of the window. And then he handed them back to Hopkins with a chuckle.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Well, my dear, Hopkins wanted a woman of good address, attired like a lady. She has a remarkably thick nose with eyes that are set close upon either side of it, a puckered forehead appearing expression and probably rounded shoulders. As she has been to an optician at least twice during the last few months, it should be easy enough to trace her.

[Dr. Watson]

But how did you find all that out?

[Sherlock Holmes]

Simplicity itself. From their delicacy and the dying man's last words, I deduced they belonged to a woman. Anybody who wore such expensive and elegant glasses would be pretty sure to be well dressed. The width of the clips tells me she has a broad nose. And the position of the lens tells me that her eyes are set closely together. You will see that the glasses are of unusual strength. A lady whose vision is so contracted is sure to have the physical characteristics of such vision. The forehead, the eyelids and shoulders.

[Indeed Representative]

But how do you arrive at the double visit to the optician?

[Sherlock Holmes]

Ah, the clips are lined with tiny bands of cork. One newer than the other, both comparatively new. They exactly correspond. So I presume that the lady went to the same optician for both. Well, Hopkins, if you've nothing more to tell me, I suggest we all turn in for the night. You'll be quite comfortable on this sofa, I believe. And in the morning we can make an early start.

[Indeed Representative]

The gale had blown itself out. Next day. But it was a bitter morning when we started upon our journey. We saw the cold winter sun rise over the dreary marshes of the Thames and the long sullen reaches of the river. But at last we reached the end of our journey.

[Dr. Watson]

And this is the garden path of which I told you, Mr. Holmes.

[Sherlock Holmes]

And which side were the marks on the grass verge?

[Dr. Watson]

This side. You can't see them now, I'm afraid, but they were clear enough yesterday.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Yes, yes, yes, I can see someone has walked along it. The lady must have picked her way very carefully, mustn't she? Not very wide. And you say she must have come back the same way?

[Dr. Watson]

She must have done. There was no other way open to her.

[Sherlock Holmes]

A remarkable performance. Quite remarkable. One thing we can be sure of, the murder was not premeditated or the lady would have brought some weapon with her rather than picking up that paper knife off the desk. Well, let us go into the house.

[Indeed Representative]

We entered the back door and advanced along the corridor to the door of the study. As the floor was covered with coconut matting, there was nothing to be learnt from it. When we reached the study, Holmes conducted his usual thorough examination of the walls, floor and furniture. Before the bureau he paused.

[Dr. Watson]

Hello.

[Sherlock Holmes]

A scratch on the lock of this bureau. Pray ring for the maid, will you? My dear Watson, why didn't you tell me about this, Hopkins?

[Dr. Watson]

You'll always find scratches round a keyhole, surely?

[Sherlock Holmes]

Yes, yes, yes, but this is quite a recent one.

[Indeed Representative]

Ah.

[Professor Coram]

Did you ring, sir?

[Sherlock Holmes]

Yes, I did. When was this room dusted last?

[Professor Coram]

Oh, yesterday morning, sir. I did it myself.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Did you notice this scratch?

[Professor Coram]

No sir, I didn't.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I'm sure you didn't. A duster would have swept away those shreds of varnish. I can see through my glass. Who has the key to this bureau?

[Dr. Watson]

The professor keeps it on his watch chain. It was in his bedroom with him at the time of the murder.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Very good. We seem to be making a little progress. Our lady enters the room, advances to the bureau and either opens it or tries to do so. While she's thus engaged, Willoughby Smith enters the room. In her hurry to withdraw the key, she makes the scratch near the lock. He seizes the intruder and she is snatching up the nearest object, which happens to be the stiletto, strikes him in the neck to make him let go his hold. Smith is fatally wounded, falls to the floor and his assailant escapes either with or without the object for which she came. Now then, Susan, could anyone have got away through that door over there at the time you heard the cry?

[Professor Coram]

Oh no, sir, it's impossible. I'd have seen them in the passage.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Thank you. Then you were quite right about the exit, Hopkins. The lady must have gone out the way she came in. But what about this third door I think you said that leads to the professor's room. There's no other exit by it from the house that way?

[Dr. Watson]

No sir.

[Sherlock Holmes]

And nobody could have hidden in the corridor without being found by the housekeeper when she ran to tell the professor what had happened. Well, let us go and make the Professor's acquaintance. Oh, this corridor also is lined with coconut matting. I see.

[Dr. Watson]

What of that? You think it's important?

[Sherlock Holmes]

Well, well, I don't insist upon it, but no doubt I'm wrong, but it seems to me to be suggestive. Come along I'm anxious to meet the professor.

[Indeed Representative]

We passed down the passage which was the same length as that which led to the garden as Hopkins knocked at the door.

[Housekeeper]

Come in.

[Dr. Watson]

Good morning, professor. May I present Mr. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

[Indeed Representative]

It was a large room and books that had overflowed from their shelves lay in piles on the floor and around the bed and were stacked in heaps at the side of a huge bookcase. The bed was in the center of the room and on it, propped up with pillows, was the owner of the house. A cigarette glowed amid the tangle of his white beard. The air of the room was stale with tobacco smoke. As he held out his hand to Holmes, I perceived that it also was stained yellow with nicotine.

[Housekeeper]

Well, well, Mr. Sherlock Holmes. This is a surprise. A smoker. Mr. Holmes, pray take a cigarette. And you, sir?

[Indeed Representative]

No, no, thank you.

[Housekeeper]

I can recommend them, for I have them specially prepared by Ionides of Alexandria. He sends me a thousand at a time, but I grieve to say I have to arrange for a fresh supply every fortnight.

[Indeed Representative]

Though Holmes was much addicted to his briar pipe, I'd never known him accept a cigarette before. Indeed, he seemed on the point of refusing it on this occasion, when, changing his mind, he accepted it and began to smoke with a strange nervous rapidity.

[Housekeeper]

Tobacco and my work, but now only tobacco. Alas, what a fatal interruption to my book. Who could have foreseen such a terrible tragedy? So estimable? A young man, I assure you that after a few months training, he was an admirable assistant. What do you think of the matter, Mr. Holmes?

[Sherlock Holmes]

I am afraid I have not yet made up my mind, Professor.

[Housekeeper]

I shall indeed be indebted to you if you can throw light where all is dark to us. To a poor bookworm, an invalid like myself, such a blow is paralyzing.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Well, I will do everything in my power to clear it up. By the way, I find these cigarettes unusually good. Might I?

[Housekeeper]

Oh, but of course. Please help yourself.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Thank you. Thank you. Most delightful. To the palace. Quite a refreshing change for me, Watson.

[Indeed Representative]

And smoking with a rapidity I'd never seen before. Sherlock Holmes began to pace up and down the bedroom. Holmes continued to pace up and down the room, still smoking feverishly as he listened to the sonorous flow of speech.

[Housekeeper]

That pile of papers on the table there is my magnum opus. Some work which will cut deep into the very foundations of revealed religion.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I won't trouble you with any length across examination since I gather you were in bed here when the crime was committed and could not possibly know anything about it. I would only ask this. What do you imagine the poor fellow meant by his last words? The professor, it was she.

[Housekeeper]

Susan is a country girl, Mr. Holmes, and you know the incredible stupidity of the class. I fancy the poor fellow murmured some incoherent, delirious words and she twisted them into this meaningless message.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I see you have no explanation yourself of the tragedy.

[Housekeeper]

Possibly an accident, possibly a suicide.

[Sherlock Holmes]

We must apologize for having disturbed you so long, Professor Coram. I promise we shan't intrude on you again until after luncheon. I'll have another look around the garden if I May, and at 2:00 report to you anything that may have emerged. In the meanwhile we withdrew from the.

[Indeed Representative]

Bedroom and made our way out into the garden. Holmes was curiously distrait and we walked up and down for some time in silence. At last I broke in on his thoughts by asking him whether he'd found any clue.

[Sherlock Holmes]

It all depends on these cigarettes I smoked. It's possible I'm quite mistaken, of course, but those cigarettes will show me, my.

[Indeed Representative]

Dear Holmes, how on earth.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Well, well, well, you'll see for yourself. If not, there's no harm done. Ah, there's the housekeeper. I should like a word with her.

[Professor Coram]

Yes, Mr. Holmes. It's as you say, sir. He does smoke something terrible all day and sometimes all night, sir. And his health? Well, I don't know whether it's better or worse for the smoking.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Aha, but smoking as much as that kills the appetite, doesn't it?

[Professor Coram]

Well, I don't know about that, sir.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I mean, I suppose the professor eats hardly anything at all.

[Professor Coram]

Well, he's variable, I'll say that for him.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I'll wager he took no breakfast this morning and won't face any lunch after all those cigarettes I saw him get.

[Professor Coram]

Through when you're out there, sir, as it happens, for he ate a remarkably big breakfast this morning. And I'm surprised myself, for since I came into that room yesterday and saw young Mr. Smith lying there on the floor, I couldn't bear to look at food. Oh, well, it takes all sorts to make a world.

[Sherlock Holmes]

As you say, Mrs. Marker, it takes all sorts to make a world.

[Indeed Representative]

We loitered the rest of the morning away in the garden. Susan, who waited upon us at lunch, volunteered the information that Mr. Smith had been out for a walk the previous morning and had only returned some half an hour before the tragedy occurred.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Two o'clock, gentlemen. We can now go up and have it out with our friend the professor.

[Housekeeper]

Well, Mr. Holmes, have you Solved this mystery. Yet another cigarette after your lunch.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Ah, thank you, I. Oh dear, how careless of me. Let me pick them up. Yes, Wonderful how far they roll, isn't it? Yeah, I think that's the lot. No harm done. As to the mystery. Yes, I've solved it.

[Housekeeper]

You have indeed. Out in the garden?

[Sherlock Holmes]

No, no, no, in here.

[Housekeeper]

Very well, Mr. Holmes, I shall be very interested.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Yesterday a lady entered your study. She came with the intention of possessing herself of certain documents which were in your bureau. She had a key of her own. I've had an opportunity of examining yours as you may remember, but I didn't find that slight discoloration which a scratch made upon the varnish of the bureau would have produced. So you weren't an accessory. And she came, as far as I can read the evidence, to rob you without your knowledge. In the first place she was seized by your secretary whilst relocking the bureau and stabbed him with the knife in order to escape. I found that the stabbing was an unhappy accident, for I am convinced the lady had no intention of injuring him seriously. A murderess doesn't come unarmed. But horrified by what she had done, she rushed wildly away from the scene of the tragedy. Unfortunately for her, 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 as she thought the one by which she had entered the study, and only when it was too late did she realize that she'd taken the wrong door and the wrong passage and that her retreat was cut off behind her.

[Dr. Watson]

What was she to do?

[Sherlock Holmes]

She couldn't go back, she couldn't remain where she was. She must go on. And she went on. She went through the corridor, pushed open a door and found herself in this room.

[Housekeeper]

All very fine, Mr. Holmes, but there is one little flaw in your splendid theory. I was myself in this room and I never left it during the whole day.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Yes, I am quite aware of that, Professor.

[Housekeeper]

And you mean to say I could lie in bed and not be aware that a woman had entered my room?

[Sherlock Holmes]

I never said so. You were aware of it. You spoke to her, you recognized her, you aided her to escape.

[Dr. Watson]

You're mad.

[Housekeeper]

You're talking insanely. I helped her to escape. Where is she now?

[Sherlock Holmes]

There.

[Indeed Representative]

Even as Holmes spoke, a woman stepped out from behind the big bookcase. I saw at once that she had the exact physical characteristics that Holmes had divined. What with her short sight and the sudden bright light that blinded her, she stood as one, dazed, blinking about her to see who we were.

[Anna]

I give myself up to you, sir. I am your prisoner. From where I stood I could hear everything and I know that you have learned the truth. I confess it all. It was I who killed the young man. I have only a little time here, but I would have you know the whole truth. I am this man's wife. He is a Russian, but his name I will not tell.

[Housekeeper]

God bless you, Anna.

[Anna]

Why should you cling so hard to that wretched life of yours, Sergios? It has done harm to many and good to none. Not even to yourself. However, it is not for me to give you away. I have enough already upon my soul since I crossed the threshold of this cursed house.

[Indeed Representative]

The story she told us was almost incredible in its characters and setting. Russia, Siberian prison camps and nihilists. Both the professor and she, his wife, had been engaged in revolutionary activities many years before. Along with their comrades, they had been arrested. In order to save his own life, her husband had betrayed not only his friends, but her as well. She and the others had been sent to Siberia. The professor had been set free and had come to England under an assumed name. What? Content with that little piece of villainy, he had let an innocent man suffer along with the guilty.

[Anna]

He was noble, unselfish, loving all that my husband was not. He hated violence and wrote forever dissuading me from such a course. Those letters of his would have saved him. So would my diary, in which I had written about him and our secret love. My husband found and kept both the diary and the letters. He hid them and he tried to swear away the young man's life. In this he failed. But Alexis was sent to Siberia where he is still working in a salt mine. When my sentence had been served, I followed my husband to England and after months of searching, I discovered where he was living. My one aim was to get my hands upon those letters in the diary and give them to the Russian government to make them release my innocent friend. Yesterday I took the papers. The rest is as you said.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Two points are not yet quite clear to me, Madame. How did you come to have a duplicate key to the Bureau?

[Anna]

I had employed a private inquiry agent to take a position as my husband's secretary. It was your last secretary, Sergius, who left so suddenly. He told me where the papers must be kept and he gave me a wax impression of the key. But he would go no further.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I understand. And yesterday, as you were coming to get those papers, you met a young man in the street.

[Anna]

It was. It was the young man I killed. I asked him the way to the professor's house.

[Indeed Advertiser]

I did not realize who he was.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Ah, that explains it all. Smith had told you about the meeting professor, hadn't he? As soon as he came in. And that was what he meant afterwards. By his dying words, he was trying to say who his assailant was. That woman he had told you about some few minutes before. But stop her.

[Indeed Representative]

Alas, we were too late to save her. Even as Holmes saw the glint of the gun, she had shot herself in the breast. With her dying breath, she charged him with seeing that the little packet of letters and the diary should be given to the Russian Embassy in London, which in due course they were. And as we traveled back to Baker street that night, Holmes at last condescended to explain how the mystery had been solved.

[Sherlock Holmes]

A simple case, yet in some ways an instructive one. It hinged from the outset on the pince Ne. It was clear to me from the strength of the glasses that the wearer would be almost blind without them. She would certainly not have been able to pick her way a hundred yards along a narrow grass verge to the gate. As there was no other way that she could have escaped, it occurred to me that perhaps she hadn't escaped at all. When I saw that both corridors were covered with cocoanut netting, I began to wonder whether she hadn't mistaken one for the other and burst in on the professor in his room. So I examined that room thoroughly. I noticed that although books were piled all over the floor, they were not piled in front of that big bookcase in the corner. And I began to wonder whether the mysterious lady might not still be hiding behind it, since she had no possible chance of escaping later with the police guard in the premises. So I spilled a lot of cigarette ash just in front of the bookcase. You remember how many cigarettes I smoked and waited until the professor had had his lunch. Then I upset his box of cigarettes in order to examine the ash. I'd been right. It was trodden down by someone who had stepped from behind the bookcase while we were at our lunch. In fact, I was not at all surprised to find how heartily the professor had been eating since the tragedy, for he had needed to order enough for two.

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[Adam Graham]

Coming up this week on the Old Time Radio Snack Wagon.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Sweet potato bread. Yes, and that's what's going to feed.

[Dr. Watson]

Our people during this war.

[Sherlock Holmes]

We're going to plant sweet potatoes on the cotton field and use sweet potato and bread instead of grain. And I'm working on other uses too. I'll find the market for our crops.

[Adam Graham]

Listen to the Old Time radio snack wagon snackwagon.net or wherever you get your podcast. Welcome back. You know, I've heard a lot of versions of this story. I read it, I watched the Jeremy Brett TV version and I heard the John Stanley version. And now I heard this one. This one to me seemed to put less emphasis on kind of the melodramatic circumstances leading up to the crime than most others do, and I think that was a good thing. This story is usually not one of my favorites, but I think they did a good job with it. Alright, well, listener comments and feedback. We have one comment regarding Sherlock Holmes from Brian Brian Comments I love the Sherlock Holmes series. I like Sir John Gielgud as Sherlock and the man playing Dr. Watson is a vast improvement over the one on the Clipper Craft segments. The Clipper Craft shows always had a studio audience heard at the beginning and end. Was it actually recorded in front of a live audience or was that just added hope you never run out of homes? Thanks for the hours of enjoyment. While I don't have any definitive information, kind of to take your question about the audience first, any definitive information. From everything I've heard, it does indicate there really was a studio audience there. Usually having a studio audience was a sign of pride. It wasn't something they would fake. Plus, the acoustics of the program in several instances, particularly when they were doing some of the ads, really kind of told me that a studio audience was there. To do this radio in front of a studio audience and to do it well is definitely a tough task. I admire anybody who takes that on. It's tough enough for me to just record commentaries in my wife's upstairs office or in my living room. So I can really appreciate the challenge of that and I will give some credit to the Imagination Theater in Seattle. Their programs are actually recorded in front of a live audience and you can hear them in some episodes of Harry Nile laughing at the jokes. And then, of course, at the end, most of the Golden Age studio audiences, if it was a dramatic program, were silent throughout the show unless there was an occasion for them to speak up. One of the most famous instances of this was Springel Theater was doing its adaptation of Casablanca and the scene in Rex where the where the people sing the French anthem. The audience actually, you know, because this was the middle of World War II, audience actually joined in singing in that particular adaptation. But usually other than applause between acts, studio audiences pretty silent. One exception to that is Man Called X, where they would have funny lines in the audience. There wouldn't be any compunction or reservation about them responding as to never running out of Sherlock Holmes. Unfortunately, we are reaching the end. At the end of this month, we will actually be all done with Sherlock Holmes on the program. And I'm definitely sorry to see it in. It's been great for so many years, but we've got two shows to go and I hope folks will be listening and that they'll be worthwhile for you. All right. Well, that will actually do it for today. We will be back tomorrow where we'll wrap up the Cronin matter and then we'll be starting a new Carter Brown mystery. And join us back here next Thursday for another episode of Sherlock Holmes. Send your comments to [e-mail] follow us on Twitter radiodetectives and become one of our friends on Facebook, facebook.com Radiodetectives from Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Graham, signing off.

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