Original subtitles

Subtitling by Acorn Media (re-sync by moviesbyrizzo)

[ Hoofbeats ]

Uh, excuse -- Uh, would this be Lady Bellamy's house?

Who would it be, please? Oh, Mr. Hudson?

Gentleman wanting something.

Yes?

Uh, is this Lady Bellamy's house?

Mr. Richard and Lady Marjorie Bellamy reside here.

What is your business, please?

Well, I'll be wanting a few private words with her ladyship,

if you'd be so good as to inform her.

Is her ladyship expecting you?

No, no, she'll not be expecting me at all, no.

- Is she at home? - Have you an appointment?

I have not, no, but she'll be glad I came.

Oh, will she?

And what is the nature of your business?

Well, I, uh --

Well, my name is Michael Dooley, late of the Indian army.

Invalided out, I was -- a bad stomach.

Her ladyship has her own arrangements

for contributing to army charities.

Queen Alexandra's home of rest.

Well, just you tell her ladyship that I was right through

the northwest frontier with a friend of hers.

Yes, well, we've heard that one before, Mr. Dooley.

There is a notice on the area gate, if you can read it.

It says, "No circulars nor hawkers."

Get! Get away with you!

Rose, I thought I told you

to keep the front door shut in the mornings.

ROSE: Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Hudson.

What was it? Beggar?

Oh, one of those unwashed Irish vagrants

claiming to be an old soldier.

Time they were cleared off the streets by law.

Oh, good morning, Rose.

ROSE: Good morning, my lady.

Good morning, Sarah.

I do hope you're feeling a little better.

Oh, yes, much better. Thank you, my lady.

Now, you mustn't try and do too much.

Oh, aren't those lovely?

How beautifully you've arranged them.

Thank you, my lady. I was wondering,

would you like me to put some carnations in the motorcar?

MARJORIE: Now, what a good idea. Yes, by all means, do.

Oh, and would you tell Watkins that I need the car

-punctually at half past 2:00? - Yes, my lady.

Flowers in the motorcar. Whatever next?

Well, it gives a welcome touch of summer.

Gives a welcome chance to visit Mr. Watkins, I wouldn't wonder.

Ah, Rose, you've got some very peculiar ideas at times.

If you're going to the mews, you can do something for me.

Get the antimacassars from the back of the car.

I want to send them to the laundry.

Yes, my lady.

SARAH: ♫ She's only a bird in a gilded cage ♫

♫ A beautiful sight to see ♫

THOMAS: Ah, they're lovely, aren't they?

You know, it's a long time since a woman brought me flowers.

Then it was only my old auntie when I busted my leg.

- For my buttonhole, are they? - No.

- For the car. - Ah, pity.

Well, hang on. I'll get some water from the tap.

It's not bad, is it, eh?

Quite homely, really, especially with the flowers.

NOW, I'll do it.

We don't want to get water on the carpet, do we?

It's like a little room, innit it, eh?

Our own blinds and everything.

You could live quite comfy in here.

You, uh -- You never been in a Rolls-Royce before, have you?

Uh, not particularly.

Yeah, well, look, I tell you what, why don't I, uh,

take you for a spin in it, eh?

When I go and fill her up for petrol maybe?

What's this for?

Well, that's the speaking tube,

for -- for when you want to give orders to the driver, see.

Well, hang on a minute. I'll show you how it works.

Well, go on, say something.

[ Laughs ]

Wilkins, you stupid fellow,

I thought I told you to go straight to Gorringes.

Oh, um, s-so you did, my lady.

Sorry. My mistake.

[ Imitates tires screeching ]

Oh! Look out, you fool.

You nearly knocked that horse over.

Are you intoxicated, sir?

No, no, teetotal, my lady.

Must be the springtime in me blood.

Don't be impertinent, sir,

or I shall discharge you Without a character.

Oh, no, please, my lady.

I don't want to follow me dad down the mine.

♫ Don't go down the mine, Dad ♫

♫ There's plenty of coal in the grate ♫

[ Laughs ]

Innit it lovely?

You'll, uh -- You'll think it over, will you,

about going for a spin with me?

Might.

When's your day off, Sarah?

I've heard that Hampstead Heath's

very nice this time of the year.

You forget yourself, Mr. Watkins.

I am no longer a domestic servant,

while you are still a mere shover.

Oh, yeah. well, what are you doing now, then?

Taking these to the wash.

And before I forget to mention it,

Lady Marjorie would like you with the car

prompt at half past 2:00.

Pbht!

[ Door opens ]

Here, Rose.

ROSE: You weren't long.

Why, did you think I would be?

- Here, give us hand. - Mm.

He has got a funny way of putting things, that Thomas.

He makes you laugh, don't he?

Highly comical.

Don't let him get his greasy fingers

on them clean antimacassars.

- Thought you liked him. - Thomas?

He's very clever at getting on the right side of people,

especially ladies, is Mr. Watkins.

I know.

All talk and compliments and that,

while all the time he's got his eye on the next step.

Looking ahead like, over your shoulder.

Oh, he'll flirt with you, so long as it's useful to him.

And then, well...

So you just watch out, Sarah.

And don't keep going over there wasting his time and yourn.

[ Door opens ]

[ Door opens ]

Uh, might I step inside, sir, and admire your automobile?

Yes, if you like.

Thanks.

A fine-looking motorcar.

Trouble is, it shows every scratch.

Still, you ought to be proud to own a machine the like of that.

It's not mine. It belongs to my employer.

Oh, I see.

Well, he be a wealthy man.

THOMAS: Not especially.

Famous, is he?

Tory MP. for Beckenham South, he is, all right?

Oh, that'll be Mr. Richard Bellamy.

How do you know that?

Oh, like, I have a cousin living in his constituency.

Oh, a fine man, so they say.

Undersecretary for the Admiralty he used to be, yeah.

Oh, is that a fact? [ Chuckles ]

I was in the --

Oh, sorry.

I was in the army meself.

Just got back from Kabul.

And where's that when it's at home?

It's on the northwest frontier of India.

There's always a war going on there.

[ Laughs ]

Mixed up in that lot, were you?

Yeah, the Khyber Rifles.

Private Michael Dooley -- that's me.

[ Chuckles ]

I was, uh --

I was in the same unit as Captain Charles Hammond.

Now, that was a man you could respect.

Well, I can't say I've ever heard of him.

A friend of your Lady Bellamy's.

- Oh, yeah? - Yeah.

If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't bother.

I mean, it's no pleasure for me

to have the door slammed in me face.

Eh, if there's one class of person I can't be doing with,

it's butlers.

Do I take it you've been to our front door, number 165?

Yeah. I just wanted a word with her ladyship, that's all.

You see, I have something that belongs to her.

And Mr. Hudson shut the door in your face, did he?

Ah, well.

I was just thinking that her ladyship

would like her property back, that's all.

- what property? - Her letters.

Letters? - Mm.

And other items, like, oh, an opera program

and a lace handkerchief a-and a photograph of her ladyship.

Mementos, you might say.

They must have meant a lot to Captain Hammond.

Kept them locked in a tin box, he did,

along with his decorations.

How come you, uh -- you got hold of them, then?

- Hmm? - Oh, I was his batman, you see.

Ah, like brothers we were, fighting side by side

with the Afridis coming at us through the Khyber Pass,

yelling their heathen cries.

I'm proud to say I polished off the one that got the captain.

Got him?

You mean this, uh -- this Captain Hammond is, uh --

He's dead, is he?

A knife, straight through the liver.

-[ Exhales sharply] - Oh, he never suffered.

I think -- I think her ladyship would like to know that.

Now, hang on a minute.

Now, when -- when an officer dies,

they -- they send his stuff home, don't they?

I-I mean, to his relatives I mean.

Uh, true, that is the usual practice, yes.

How the hell do you come to get them?

Well, you see, like I, uh --

I felt that I still had a duty towards the deceased.

- Oh, yeah? - Yeah.

Now, the captain often used to talk to me

about his wedded sister living in Cheltenham.

Oh, very fond of her he was, very fond.

And I was afraid that she'd got enough of a shock as it was

hearing about the captain's death, you know,

Without discovering from the letters

that he had been canoodling with a married woman,

and her the wife of a Tory MP. at that.

Do you follow me?

Look, you know what you should have done

with those letters, don't you?

Burnt them.

To ashes, the lot of them.

Well, it occurred to me

that her ladyship might prefer to have them back.

- Yeah? - Yeah.

Women can be very sentimental about such things, you know.

Yeah, well, look, I, uh -- I tell you what, Mr. Dooley.

You give me those letters,

and I'll make sure she gets them back, all right?

Uh, no, no.

No, I don't think that'd be very proper.

No, I tell you what.

You have a word with her ladyship

and, uh, tell her the circumstances

and arrange for her to receive me, huh?

[ Scoffs ]

And if there's any question of a reward, I'll see you right.

Now, I can't say fairer than that, now, can I?

A reward?

What sort of, uh, reward were you thinking of?

£100.

£100?

You all right in the top story, are you?

No letters are worth £100.

These ones are.

And they're for sale only.

Do you know what I think, Mr. Dooley?

What?

- I think you made all this up. - Make what up?

All this about Captain Hammond.

Now, you just stay where you are, Taffy,

and I'll show you a sample of my wares.

There.

There's one.

See?

And I have a whole bundle tucked away.

[Sarah singing in distance]

Yeah, well, I'll tell you what. I'll, uh --

I'll find out what I can, and, uh,

you -- you come back later tonight, okay?

All right, sir. Right, yeah.

Uh, good morning, miss.

- It's a grand day, thank God. SARAH: Yes.

Who's that?

THOMAS: Oh, he just -- he just popped in

to have a look at the car, that's all.

You, uh -- You thought any more

about spending your day off with me, have you?

Might.

If her ladyship can spare you.

Well, what's that supposed to mean?

Well, I wonder if she'd go out driving quite so often

if her chauffeur was 65 years old with curly teeth.

The rest of the staff

think she's taken quite a shine to you.

- who, her ladyship? - Mm.

Never.

Well, why else did she give that rise last month?

Well, for my, uh, outstanding presentability

and all-'round skill.

That's roughly what I thought.

Do you know, it reminds me a bit of Ada Liversedge.

- Ada Liversedge? - Mm.

She was on the bill with me at the Oxton Empire.

Monologues and refined juggling. Lovely act.

Proper Lady Muck she was. Butter wouldn't melt.

Well, one night we come in early,

and we found her in the pipe room with the theatre fireman.

It was the uniform, you see, all them buttons.

So you better watch out, my boy.

[ Chuckles ]

Yeah, well, you don't have to worry, Sarah.

You do what you like. It's no skin off my nose.

I can't see a lady of quality

losing her head over one of her own servants.

Oh, they do sometimes, so I've heard tell.

Quite grand ladies.

Have you ever heard tell of Lady Marjorie

going off the rails?

How should I know?

Oh, it's just that I thought you knew

most of what went on in this house, that's all.

What you being so helpful all of a sudden for, eh?

SARAH: Oh, it's just an excuse

to come and talk to you, really, Rose.

It seems goodness knows how long since we had a chat.

Not much to chat about anymore. You got your life. I got mine.

Rose. - well, it's true.

I don't know how to --

I don't know where I am with you no more.

Sometimes I think I was better off in the old days

when you and me used to share that room together.

Do you remember we used to lie awake at night

and talk about all the things we was gonna do?

Yeah, well, you did one or two of them, didn't you?

Yes.

Oh, well, it is better to have loved and lost

than never to have loved at all.

What's that supposed to mean?

I daresay you got that much out of...all that.

Memories, Rose, memories.

Oh, yeah.

Well, I wasn't out out for the humdrum bonds of marriage.

Do you see me washing some fella's socks

and wiping his children's runny noses?

No, I can't, not now you mention it.

But just 'cause you don't fancy it

don't mean to say it's not a good idea.

Oh, you'd like it, wouldn't you?

Yes, I would.

Only I don't seem to get no offers.

- Give us your hand. - what for?

Come on. I might be able to see.

Well, you've got nothing to worry about, have you?

See, it's all there, clear as daylight.

See all them little lines?

Yeah. What are they?

Children, Rose.

- Mm? - Yes.

One a year till 1920.

Oh, poo.

If the first one's a girl, will you call her Sarah after me?

'Course I will.

You can be godmother if you like.

I would.

The nearest I'll ever get to having one of me own.

Don't say that. I'm sure you'll find somebody.

Thought I had.

Captain James? Oh, Sarah, you didn't really think --

I did, Rose, really.

Oh, I know he's a bit of a philanderer,

but I thought he'd settle down like his father.

Now, that's what I call an ideal marriage.

Years of wedded bliss, them two upstairs,

and bet in all that time, she's never looked at another fella.

What makes you so sure?

Well she's not the type, is she?

Looks can lie sometimes.

What do you mean, Rose?

Well, between you, me, and the gatepost,

Lady Marjorie's had her little moments.

Only it's not to go beyond these four walls.

Little moments? Lady Marjorie?

Do you mean another gentleman?

Mm. It must have been when you was away.

You could almost say she cast her bonnet over a windmill.

Who with, Rose?

Well, go on, tell me.

You swear you won't breathe a word to a living soul?

I cross my heart. Now tell.

Well, he was in the army, same as Captain James,

a couple of years older maybe.

Blue eyes, ever so romantic-looking.

Younger than her ladyship, of course.

Well, Captain James brought him to the house one evening.

Her ladyship took one look at him, and she was done for.

[Chuckles] It sounds like one of them magazine stories

that Mrs. Bridges says is only fit for scullery maids.

Be that as it may,

Miss Roberts always said they fell in love at the opera.

Soft music, dimming lights.

Mm.

Did the master know?

'Course not, silly, but we all did belowstairs.

See, this Captain Hammond, he was on leave from India,

and he'd taken rooms in Ebury Street.

She used to go there in the afternoon.

Mrs. Bridges saw her.

She saw her coming out all felled and mysterious-looking,

so we knew something was up.

He used to send her flowers every day

with bits of poetry attached,

and she used to write him billet-doux.

How do you know?

Um, well...

the blotter in her boudoir.

We used to hold it up against the mirror.

You could see the writing ever so clearly.

How long ago was all this?

About three years.

And, uh, how did -- how did it end, then?

Well, this Captain Hammond went back to India

and got killed in action.

Uh, Mr. Hudson read about it in the paper.

Rose said they was all dreadfully upset downstairs

when he read it out.

And she said Lady Marjorie went around looking all pale and sad.

So that was that.

Nothing to show for her romance but a few fading memories.

All gone, all forgotten.

Not a lock of hair, a photograph,

or even a packet of love letters.

That's what Rose said.

Shame, isn't it?

Watkins, why are we stopping here?

I beg your pardon, my lady,

but I've got something most important to say to you.

Surely you can wait.

I tell you, I must get to the jewellers, or they won't --

What on earth do you think you're doing?

I'm sorry, my lady,

but, uh, there's no other way of speaking to you in private.

You see, there's an individual, Irish I think,

trying to wheedle some money out of you.

What do you mean, Watkins? A tradesman of some kind?

Uh, no, my lady, um, an old soldier.

That -- That's what he says.

He saw service in India, so he says.

I'm sure you had a most interesting conversation,

but I don't want to hear about it.

Now, will you please take me to the jewellers as I asked you?

My lady, this man has in his possession some letters.

Letters?

Written by your good self, I understand.

T-They are signed, so the man claims, by your ladyship

and -- and coming from Eaton Place.

And to whom does he say they are written, these letters?

To someone by the name of Captain Hammond, my lady.

Well, I hardly think that my correspondence

with Captain Hammond would be of interest to anyone.

He was merely an acquaintance of my son's

who came to the house on various occasions.

Oh, yes.

Yes, I see, my lady.

MARJORIE: I seem to remember reading

that he was killed on active service.

Uh, yeah, that's right, my lady. Uh...

Uh, this man Dooley was with him when he died.

Dooley?

A brother officer of Captain Hammond's?

No, he was the -- he was the captain's batman, my lady.

I see.

That -- That's how he'd come

to be in possession of the letters, see.

And you say this batman

is asking for money in exchange for the letters?

Uh, yes. Yes, my lady.

I, uh -- I-I thought I ought to make the position clear.

I hope you don't -- you don't mind me mentioning it, my lady.

No, you did quite right, Watkins.

Tell me, did any of the other servants see this man?

Uh, no. No, my lady.

Uh, Mr. Hudson shut the door in his face

without asking what he wanted,

and, uh, he came 'round to the mews

to try and make himself agreeable to me.

Yes, I see.

Watkins, I think it might be as well

if you didn't mention him to anyone.

Very good, my lady.

I suppose it's simply that he -- he expects some sort of reward

in return for lost property.

That's right, my lady -- £200.

£200?

That's a great deal of money.

Yes, that's -- that's what I told him, my lady.

When will you be seeing him again?

Well, he's -- he's coming back later this evening.

Would you like to speak to him yourself, my lady?

Uh, no, no, I don't think that'll be necessary,

as you seem to have involved yourself in all this.

Well, that was no choice of mine, my lady.

The question is how to raise such a large sum of money

in so short a time.

Shall I drive you to the bank, my lady?

No.

No, I-l don't want to go to my bank.

Um...Watkins, a-are there not establishments

Where it's possible to raise a loan

on the security of some possession?

MARJORIE: You can leave that here, Watkins.

I'll get Hudson to have it sent up later.

Very good, my lady.

Oh, and I shan't need the car again today, thank you.

THOMAS: Very good, my lady.

RICHARD: There you are, my dear.

Psst.

What happened?

She was pretty shaken, I can tell you.

- Turned quite pale, she did. - Yeah, I told you it was true.

Rose wouldn't make up a thing like that.

She had to pop a necklace so the master wouldn't find out.

I got the money.

- How much? - Never you mind.

Tea's ready belowstairs.

I'll have to, uh -- have to put the car away.

Oh, hang on a minute.

Give us a kiss.

Not in here.

Later.

Thank you, Rose.

Marjorie.

You look worried, my dear.

Oh, I'm sorry.

- Anything the matter? - No, not really.

I was just thinking about various things.

James. James?

Well, wondering Whether his regiment

might be in action one day.

I worry about him.

Things are quiet on the northwest frontier

-at the moment. - That's good.

There's been no trouble out there since the fighting

with the Afridis last year

when they had a number of casualties

in the, um -- the Khyber Rifles.

That's all right, then.

[Knock on door]

Who is it?

It's me -- Dooley.

THOMAS: Come upstairs. It's more private.

And mind your head.

MICHAEL: No, thanks.

Had a word with her ladyship, have you?

Uh, yes. Yes, I have.

I bet it was quite a shock for her, the poor soul,

discovering that her little indiscretion had come to light.

Thought she'd got away with it, huh?

No, I don't think she thought that.

What do you mean?

Well, it -- it wasn't such a dark and guilty secret

as you imagined, see.

Well, it ought to be.

A married woman carrying on like that, and her in high society.

Aye, well, I don't think they pay a great deal of attention

to that sort of thing in high society.

- I mean, not nowadays. - well, they damn well ought to.

Mm.

Are you telling me

that her misbehavior was common knowledge?

Oh, no, no, but I, uh -- I, uh --

I think she made a clean breast of it, so I hear.

To her husband?

Your letters won't tell him

anything he doesn't know already.

- Huh? - Yeah, I'm sorry, Mr. Dooley.

You seem to have been under a misapprehension.

Yeah, those -- those letters are a lot of useless rubbish, man.

Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that.

Now, listen, she, uh --

she did say she'd give you a fiver for them.

-[ Scoffs ] - She'd like the photograph, see.

Now, that's only in the way of charity, man.

Upper crust, indeed.

I wouldn't give you twopence for the lot of them.

Mm.

Aye, well, never mind the twopence, Mr. Dooley.

Do you want a fiver or not?

Fiver?

Huh.

Come to think of it,

maybe there is such a thing as a public duty.

- Public duty? - Mm.

Maybe the public has a right to know

the way their betters behave themselves

in the privacy of their wealthy homes.

Well, I don't think it's any of their business, Mr. Dooley.

I mean, not -- not the ordinary commoner.

And who elected Mr. Richard Bellamy

into parliament, will you tell me that?

The ordinary, honest working man.

That's who put him up there in westminster.

Yeah, well, I think they're mostly bank clerks

in Beckenham, Mr. Dooley.

Yeah, well, maybe they are,

but are they going to vote for a man who upholds immorality?

Oh no, my lad, I'll soon put a stop to that, you'll see.

No, I d-- I don't see, Mr. Dooley.

Now, what are you gonna do about it?

Stand on street corners

giving the letters to anyone passing by, is it?

Not at all, no.

There are those who put these facts into print for all to see.

Lord Northcliffe, to name but one.

Now, there's a man with a strong sense of public duty.

And it's just the stuff for the Daily Mail.

- You think so, do you? - I do.

And I'll tell you something else.

I'll get myself a tidy sum for them letters

when I offer them to a newspaper.

A newspaper?

Oh, well, that's -- that's different, isn't it?

'Tis, Taffy, isn't it?

It's different now.

Yeah, well, I tell you what.

I'll -- I'll give you the £100 on behalf of her ladyship.

Well, you lying welsh bastard.

Oh, yeah.

I'm sure we can do better than £100 now, Taffy.

£200.

She'll never pay £200.

Well, then you'll only have to go to your master, won't you?

After all, he is a member of parliament.

He won't want this sort of stuff

to be going into the newspapers, now, will he?

200 quid, Taffy.

That's my price.

HUDSON: You did quite right to inform me, Mr. Watkins.

Well, I-l felt it was my -- my duty, Mr. Hudson.

[ Chuckles ]

Those letters are undoubtedly forgeries.

I could tell that the man

who came 'round to your mews after I'd shown him the door

was nothing more than a common impostor,

someone who'd obviously taken the trouble

to look up the family in Debrett's peerage.

Oh. Oh, yes. Yes, I see, Mr. Hudson.

And to make up some cock-and-bull story

about her ladyship and -- and some army officer called,

-oh, whatever it was. Captain Hammond.

Quite.

London is full of such people, Mr. Watkins.

Confidence tricksters, no less.

Well, I-I'm only pleased that there's no truth

in -- in what this man Dooley says, Mr. Hudson.

You can put the matter right out of your head, Thomas.

Well, thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Hudson.

Now get on with your work.

[ Door opens ]

Uh, Mr. Watkins?

But, Hudson, you've been in this house long enough

to know that there's nothing involving her ladyship

that even Lord Northcliffe could turn into a scandal.

Oh, nothing at all, sir.

I just felt that you'd wish to be informed

about this man's absurd claims.

That's right.

He's probably got hold of letters written by her ladyship

-to -- to some relative. - Quite so, sir.

Affectionate but entirely innocent.

I'm sure you're right, sir.

On the other hand, sir,

one gathers that the wording of the letters

renders them open to some, uh, misrepresentation.

I'm sure it does.

The most harmless correspondence can be twisted in some way.

People are always ready to believe the worst.

That's very true, sir.

Do you know to whom my wife

is supposed to have addressed these letters?

I don't think there's anything to be gained

by repeating slander, sir.

No, I see that.

All the same, presumably the innuendo is

that her ladyship has had an illicit liaison of some kind.

I can't get the light to it

unless I know who the fellow's meant to be.

- You do see my point? - Oh, quite, sir.

Where's Watkins now?

I've asked him to wait outside in the hall, sir.

- Send him in. - Very good, sir.

[ Door opens ]

Uh, Mr. Watkins.

[ Footsteps approach ]

Oh, come in, Watkins.

Uh, Hudson tells me a man has approached you in the mews

with some proposition or other.

Uh, yes, sir.

I, uh -- I hope you don't think I did wrong to mention it, sir.

Oh, no, no, no, you were absolutely right.

I'm glad to see you have the same spirit of responsibility

as the other servants in this house.

- All right, Hudson. - I beg your pardon, sir.

I feel I ought to remain since Mr. Watkins --

I take your point, Hudson, but I don't need you.

- That'll be all. - Very good, sir.

[ Door closes]

RICHARD: In the ordinary way, I'd have no compunction

in handing this man over to the police.

Uh, but since my wife's honour is being challenged,

I intend to proceed more delicately.

You understand what I mean, don't you?

Yes, sir.

I do not intend to allow my wife to be in any way upset.

No. Oh, no, sir.

You haven't, of course, said anything to her about this man?

Well, how -- how could you think I'd do a thing like that, sir?

Quite.

Well, since you've shown such excellent discretion so far,

may I rely on your discretion a little further?

Naturally, sir.

When you see this man again,

I want you to find out exactly what he wants.

Well, I've already done that, sir.

Did Mr. Hudson not tell you?

He merely informed me that a man

claiming to possess certain letters signed by her ladyship

had called 'round at the garage.

Hudson is under the impression the man is a harmless impostor.

Quite frankly, I'd rather leave Hudson with that impression.

Quite, sir.

How much is this man asking for the letters?

£200.

Ah.

That's a great deal of money, sir.

Well, if it's a question of keeping her ladyship

in ignorance of such a distasteful affair,

I'd gladly pay 10 times as much.

Well, I'm glad to hear you say that, sir.

Now, if I, uh, do negotiate with this man,

will he keep his side of the bargain?

You leave that to me, sir. I'll make sure that he does.

Very well, Watkins.

I hereby instruct you to buy back those letters,

whatever they may contain,

Without her ladyship's knowledge.

As man to man, can I trust you?

You can, sir.

Thank you, Watkins.

MICHAEL: Uh, is it all right if I come in?

[ Door closes]

Have you spoken to his nibs?

No, no, I haven't.

The price is £200 now, Taffy, and don't you forget it.

- Your price has been agreed. - Oh, I thought so.

Her ladyship has decided to pay all of it.

After all, what's a couple of hundred quid

to such a wealthy woman?

A drop in the ocean, innit it?

[ Laughs ]

Well, come on, come on.

Let's see the colour of your money.

Oh, now, just a minute, Mr. Dooley.

Now, you -- you wouldn't expect my mistress, a lady of quality,

to trust me with £200 in bank notes, would you?

I mean, me a chauffeur, a simple servant?

No.

I wouldn't trust you with a baby's rattle meself.

Her ladyship wishes to receive the letters from you personally.

Oh, does she indeed?

She also would like to hand over the money to you herself.

I-I am merely the ago-between.

Look, I'll not wait much longer. Now, I'm warning you.

You won't have to, Mr. Dooley.

The transaction can take place tonight.

Where?

Well, there'll have to be a secret meeting place,

-won't there? - In the park, maybe?

Now, you wouldn't expect my mistress

to wait under a tree in Hyde Park, would you?

No, no.

I mean, somebody might come by and recognize her, isn't it?

So, I'll -- I'll come to her room, will I?

You come to the garage here tonight at 11:00.

Now, I'll leave that small door open for you.

And then what?

Well, I'll be driving her ladyship home tonight

about 11:30 or thereabouts.

Now, with her permission, I'll drive straight into the garage,

and if I close those big doors,

you can conduct your business in the back of the car,

and nobody will disturb you, see.

You know, Taffy, I like that idea.

[ Chuckles ] I like it very much.

In the back of the Rolls tonight,

me and Lady Marjorie, huh?

[ Chuckles ]

I'll be here, Taffy. I'll be here.

[ Hoofbeats ]

[ Hoofbeats ]

[Vehicle approaches]

All right?

In the back of the car, please, Mr. Dooley.

Private Michael Dooley, my lady.

May I wish you the compliments of the season, my lady?

In the car, please.

It's very kind of your ladyship

to receive me personally in your motorcar.

There was little alternative since I am not accustomed

to receiving common soldiers in my drawing room.

Well, I may be a common soldier, my lady,

but I have to earn a living.

Times are very hard, you know.

[indistinct talking]

Seven years serving His Majesty and not even a gratuity.

So you resort to blackmail.

Well, there's no need to be insulting.

A woman in your position shouldn't behave like that.

It's not right.

Don't you want common people to respect you?

Not particularly, Mr. Dooley.

Oh, yeah, well, I can't sit here all night arguing.

Are you going to pay up or aren't you?

First I must be sure if you are who you pretend to be.

Show me your discharge papers.

I-I don't carry them around with me.

Then you're not like any old solider I ever heard of.

Wilkins, can we trust this fellow?

Well, that's -- that's up to you, my lady.

How do I know that you were a friend of Captain Hammond's?

I was his batman, wasn't I?

Were you? I don't know.

Well, I can prove it.

He had a mole on his left cheek. Now, you'd remember that.

Ah, yes.

Poor Charles and his mole.

I remember once I --

I beg your pardon, my lady, but I-l think we ought to

be getting on with the transaction now.

Not until I've told Mr. Dooley exactly what I think of him.

Are you not ashamed to batten upon the frailty of a woman?

- You scoundrel. - who you talking to?

SARAH: Stinking blather --

The, uh -- the transaction, my lady.

Yes.

Yes, yes, quite right, Wilkins.

Uh, let us conduct this affair in a civilized fashion.

I apologize.

Offer Mr. Dooley some refreshment.

Very good, my lady.

Come here, man.

Now, you can drink to her ladyship's health

and the conclusion of our successful negotiations.

Oh, I'll do that. Thanks.

Ahh.

Now you may give me my letters, may you not, Mr. Dooley?

Oh, with pleasure, me lady.

There.

Can you remember them?

Ah, yes, immediately.

The sight of them upsets me.

Now, I'll -- I'll take the money first, my lady, if you please.

Wilkins, give Mr. Dooley his money,

and let us end this painful ceremony.

THOMAS: Very good, my lady.

Mr. Dooley.

£5, £10, £15, £20..

[Groaning]

Have I killed him?

I think you have. What you got in that bag?

Only a brick.

It's all right. He's breathing steady.

Well, get them letters.

You take good care of them, now.

Hang on to him there, will you?

There we are, my old son.

[Groaning]

That's right, my old son.

Now, then...

Go and see if the coast is clear.

Up we get, son. That's it.

Now, then, listen,

we're gonna put you where you belong, isn't you --

-in the gutter, isn't you? -[ Groans ]

Shh. That's me old solider. Come on, then.

Oh, you've lost your hat.

There you are, man.

Now, then, on the way through to my room, and be quiet.

Shh. There you are.

Shh.

[ Footsteps ]

Everything all right?

Well, we bumped into a policeman

at the corner of Elizabeth Street.

I-I told him I'd picked Dooley out of the gutter,

and he's taken him in charge as drunk and disorderly.

SARAH: [ Laughs ]

Do you know what?

You're very clever, Mr. Wilkins.

Watkins, my lady.

SARAH: That's all settled, then?

THOMAS: That's right.

All settled.

There's more than 100 quid in there.

I know. There's 400 quid in there.

- where'd you get the rest from? -200 from her and 200 from him.

- who? - The master.

- what for? - For his share of the letters.

Yes, but I thought Lady Marjorie popped her necklace for £100

so that she could buy the letters back.

She'll get them back -- some of them.

Some of them? Well, what about him?

He'll get the rest for his share of the money, won't he?

Oh, I see.

And Mr. Thomas Watkins makes himself a nice, fat, juicy £200

from each of them for half the letters.

Well, a man's entitled to -- to a fee

for handling such delicate negotiations.

- Not the bloody lot! - A commission, you might say.

Now, look, I come here tonight 'cause I thought

you was gonna help Lady Marjorie, not diddle her.

This family's been very good to me,

and I'm not gonna let them think I was involved in this.

You give the money back, or I'll tell them.

What did you say?

You heard.

Now, look,

do you think Dooley's gonna let you get away with this?

And why wouldn't he?

Well, he's not gonna be very pleased when he wakes up in jail

and works out what you done to him.

I thought of that. He won't say anything to the police.

He's a blackmailer himself.

Don't you think he's gonna find a way

of letting Lady Marjorie know you was in on this?

Come on.

Where you gonna be then, eh? Sunk.

No job, jail, and all for £400.

If you're gonna do them, do them for something big.

Give me those letters.

Well?

Clear off.

I've got some thinking to do.

Watkins wishes to speak to you, sir.

Oh, does he?

Come in, Watkins.

[ Footsteps approach ]

What is it?

Thank you, Hudson.

Very good, sir.

RICHARD; well?

I've carried out your instructions, sir.

Have you got those letters?

I have, sir.

And we won't be hearing from Mr. Dooley again, I think.

There you are, sir, all seven of them.

Thank you.

Hand me those matches, please, Watkins.

Yes, sir.

Oh, thank you.

What have you got there?

200 Jimmy O'Goblin, sir.

What you give me.

Well, how on earth --

Well, I uh --

I-I-I didn't like to see a man like that

profit from his villainy, sir,

so I-l took it upon myself to play a trick on him.

Under the circumstances,

I thought it was quite justified, sir.

It was very successful.

Well, I won't ask you how you managed it, Watkins,

but let me say at once I am very much in your debt.

Thank you very much, sir.

Will that be all, sir?

No, Watkins. There's one more thing.

I'd like to show you how much I appreciate your honesty.

Some servants in your position, being entrusted with £200,

would have made up some cock-and-bull story

and pocketed the lot.

Oh, well, we don't go in for that sort of thing

in the valley, sir.

I-I mean, I-l was brought up very strict.

My father was an elder of the chapel, see.

Yes, quite.

So I am giving you £10 to spend in any way you choose.

Of course, if you'd like to invest it,

don't hesitate to ask me for advice.

Oh, well, thank you. Thank you very much, sir.

- I - I am most grateful. - Ah.

Whatever you do,

don't say anything about this to her ladyship.

THOMAS: So, there you are, my lady.

There's your £200 back.

Thank you, Watkins.

I am very grateful to you.

And I'd like to give you a little reward for your trouble.

I believe the usual thing for the return of stolen property

is 10%, so will you please accept £20?

Oh, no.

No, I-l couldn't, my lady.

Yes, of course you could, Watkins.

Well, thank you very much, my lady.

And you'll keep those letters safe and sound now, won't you?

Yes, I will.

Where to now, my lady?

Well, I suppose we'd better go back to that odious pawnshop

and retrieve my necklace.

And then home.

Very good, my lady.

So it's all cleared up, is it,

the matter of the Irishman and the letters?

Oh, t-that matter? Uh...

Yes, I-l think so, Mr. Hudson.

Well, he hasn't been back to the mews again.

In other words, the whole affair was indeed a shocking attempt

to extort money from her ladyship

for some nonexistent letters, as I thought, then?

Yes. Yes, that's right, Mr. Hudson.

And the master endorsed my instructing you

to ignore the matter unless the man came back?

Yes. Quite, quite.

Then the matter is closed, Mr. Watkins,

and need not, indeed should not, be mentioned again.

Very good, Mr. Hudson.

You'd better go and put the car away, Mr. Watkins.

[ Door closes]

THOMAS: What are you doing here, then?

Have you done it?

I've given the letters and all the money

back to the people concerned, yes.

- All the money? - Mm.

What? And not kept nothing for yourself, not even a few bob?

Well, that's not fair,

considering all the work you done.

Well, I-I-I have made something.

- How much? - I d-- I didn't ask for it.

They, uh -- They both gave me a bit.

N-Not much.

Here you are. Here's your half.

£3. Oh, thanks, Tom.

I suppose they both trusted you, and you didn't let them down.

Did you honestly think I would?

You did, didn't you?

I like to think I made an honest man out of you, Mr. Wilkins.

Watkins, my lady.

Give us a kiss.

Well, help yourself.

RICHARD: Ah, there you are.

You shouldn't have waited for tea.

I've been shopping.

RICHARD: well, so have I. I bought you a small gift.

Nothing really, just a little ornament.

Richard, how sweet of you.

- And how strange. - Strange?

Well, I bought something for you, too.

It's only a cigar cutter to replace the one you lost.

Oh.

Oh, my dear, how thoughtful of you.

Thank you.

Some money I thought I'd spent wasn't spent after all,

so I decided to buy my husband something with it.

And I, too, made a wise investment, so, um --

Oh, Richard, that's lovely.

Oh, it's -- it's beautiful.

I shall keep it on my dressing table.

Now, how about some tea?

MARJORIE: Yes, I hadn't realized how late it was.

I'm afraid I've kept Watkins from his tea.

He won't mind. He's a good fellow.

I've changed my opinion of him lately.

I'm glad.

You're quite right. He's a good chauffeur.

He's smooth and reliable.

- He's very trustworthy. - Yes.

Do you think we might increase his wages a little?

I've already done so.

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