Original subtitles

(coughing )

( men speaking Chinese )

Post-mortem carried out by Dr. D. Dunwoody,

Metropolitan Police Surgeon, Central Division.

Female, approximately 20 years of age--

- Younger, surely. - Dr. Watson.

Lestrade.

Dr. Watson is a surgeon here at the hospital.

I know perfectly well who Dr. Watson is.

Stocking tied about the throat--

It would be better to cut that ligature

to keep the knot intact.

It's an old trick of Holmes'.

There's a world of information in a knot.

Dr. Dunwoody: Short black jacket,

cheap fur around collar,

black silk skirt,

shabby gentile.

Typical prostitute's attire.

Body well-nourished.

Bruising around the throat, band-like contusions to wrists and knees.

Looks like she's been trussed up.

Probably some sexual game with a client that got out of hand.

Poor child.

( people speaking Chinese )

Good morning, Watson.

Oh, Holmes, how did you know it was me?

I'm not smoking distinctive tobacco,

- I'm not wearing eau de cologne. - You reek of the slaughterhouse.

"Eau de Morgue."

( speaks Chinese )

Life away from Baker Street seems to suit you, Watson.

I see you put on seven and a half pounds since last we met.

Half a stern exactly.

Indeed, I should have thought it was a little more.

I'll have a cup of tea as well, please.

Why are you dogging my heels, Watson?

Potential case.

Young girl-- 16, perhaps 17,

found on the banks of the Thames at Chadwell,

silk stocking around her throat.

If you're looking for sensational material

for one of your chronicles of crime,

I suggest you adopt your usual practice and make it up.

I'm not looking for material, I'm trying to save a dear friend

from killing himself with narcotics and boredom.

Your concern is touching.

- You promised. - Promises are like pie crust.

They are made to be broken.

Come down to London Hospital, take a look at this girl.

Give my regards to your fiancee.

Mrs. Hudson?

Where is it?

Mrs. Hudson?!

Your post for the last three days.

Uh, no. No, no, no...

Mrs. Hudson, have you been tidying up?

Hardly.

But where--

Aha.

- What time will you dine, sir? - What?

- What time will you dine? - 7:30...

day after tomorrow.

"Snatched away in beauty's bloom,

On thee shall press no ponderous tomb--"

This is the second time you've known where to find me, Watson.

- Am I that predictable? - Perhaps at long last

I've learned to apply your methods.

- Do you have the post-mortem report? - Yes.

The contents of her stomach?

About a dram or so of brandy

and some partly-digested food

which appeared to be good Belgian chocolate.

- Any sign of coitus? - None at all.

She was a virgo intacto.

So much for the police surgeon's assumption that she was a prostitute.

At least someone had the good sense to leave this knot intact.

Watson, with the possible exception of this stocking,

- these are not her clothes. - Really?

She's not a working girl by any description--

the nails are well kept, the hands are soft, teeth are str--

Holmes!

Oh my God.

Get on the telephone to Scotland Yard

and tell Lestrade this is the body

- of Lady Alice Pentney. - What?

Duke and Duchess of Narborough's daughter.

( chatting, giggling )

Woman: Let's make a start.

Roberta, would you take my daughter's place for now?

Yes, Your Grace.

Into your positions.

( playing piano )

( giggles )

Yes yes, that will do!

Let us not forget that the night we present this tableau,

the king will be there. Shall we try again?

This thing isn't stuck on properly.

Excuse me, Your Grace, there's an inspector to see you.

I shall be back presently.

Where is Lady Alice now, Your Grace?

I'm not certain.

To be honest, we fell out recently over a trivial matter.

Now she's punishing me by not being here for the rehearsal.

What's all this about, lnspector?

I must ask you to come with me to White Chapel

to look at the body of a young girl.

What?!

Who answers your daughter's description.

That's impossible.

Roberta, please don't worry.

It's sure to be something of nothing.

Duchess of Narborough is here.

It's not her.

You're certain?

Just as I said, it's not her.

- Excuse me? - Who are you?

I'm Sherlock Holmes.

I know your name.

Look again, Your Grace.

Lestrade: Can you confirm that this is Lady Alice Pentney?

- Is this what she was wearing? - Yes.

These are not her clothes. Why was she wearing these clothes?

For goodness' sake.

It's too awful.

A tuppeny-happeny whore is one thing.

This, God help me, is quite another.

I'm glad to see your thoughts and prayers

are with the dead girl's family, Lestrade.

( taps )

Mrs. Hudson?

I think you might recognize our guest.

- Dr. Watson! - Mrs. Hudson.

Oh, I'm so glad you are here.

- ( whispers ) - The scheming starts

- before I even take off my hat! - ( whispering continues )

And you can stop that ridiculous dumbshow as well.

You always were one of the most untidy men,

- but really, Holmes. - Watson, it's a free country.

People have the right to send me letters

and I have the right to leave them unopened.

Now, Duke of Narborough.

Here it is, Watson. "George Devier Pentney.

KG, PC, ARA--"

God, half the alphabet.

Pour us a couple of brandies, would you, Watson?

There'll be no more brandies in the middle of the day, Holmes.

"Sixth duke, educated Eton,

Trinity College, Cambridge;

seats in Narborough hall in Hampshire;

- half of Argyllshire," etc, etc, etc. - Watson: Ahem--

The body is like a fire in the grate.

It'll go out unless it gets more coal.

- lntensely interesting, Watson. - You must eat, Holmes.

You have to give the body enough food to burn every day.

Happy there are some exceptions to every rule.

Fine.

Breakfast: one ration of bacon,

one egg, three ounces of--

Really, Watson!

Save your breath to cool your porridge, huh?

( phone rings )

Hello?

I'm afraid l--

Well, in that case, I would be delighted.

( chuckles ) 8:00 for 8:30.

Very well. Good bye.

Apparently you're not the only one to take an interest in my diet.

- What? - ( knocks )

Yes?

- The Duke of Narborough is here. - Aha!

I seem to have conjured up the man himself.

- Send him up, Mrs. Hudson. - Perhaps I should go Holmes.

No, not a bit. Stay where you are.

Come on, old chap, it'll be just like old times.

Good day, Your Grace.

Pray take a seat.

This is my friend and colleague Dr. Watson.

Lord Blakemore tells me I may place implicit reliance

upon your... judgment and discretion.

I have determined therefore to consult you

in reference to a very painful event which has occurred.

I'm aware of Your Grace's loss.

I want you to find my daughter's killer, Mr. Holmes.

I will pay handsomely for your services.

My professional charges are upon a fixed scale, Your Grace.

I do not vary them.

Unless I remit them altogether.

You give me carte blanche to act in this affair?

Within the bounds of decency and taste.

How shall I keep in touch with you?

You can reach me at my club.

Good day, gentlemen.

A complete... gentleman.

Jack would be a gentleman, Watson, if he could speak French.

I shall see you tonight for dinner.

Oh, I can't, I'm afraid, Holmes.

- I'm dining with my fiancee. - So, Watson, am l.

8:00 for 8:30?

( men talking )

( women crying )

Really, I see no reason for this.

Inspector Lestrade is doing no more than his duty, Your Grace.

But I think perhaps, Lestrade, it would be better

to call the staff one at a time,

under staff first, to avoid any further milling about.

- Thank you, Mr. Holmes. - May I see Lady Alice's room, please?

- Yes, of course. - Thank you.

For God's sake, Lestrade,

why on earth are there heavy-booted policemen

trampling everywhere like a heard of buffalo?!

Come on, everybody out!

Yeah, put that down where it was. Come on!

Here, Lestrade...

and here.

Have this bottle examined for fingerprints.

Keep some of the brandy for analysis.

Egyptian Deities. ( chuckles )

Made from the most fragrant of Turkish tobaccos.

Two were smoked in a holder

and two were extinguished

beneath a gentleman's shoe.

She didn't put up a fight--

no skin nor hair beneath the fingernails.

No sign of a struggle.

Be careful, Holmes, for God's sake!

Perhaps he gave her the Belgian chocolate.

Lestrade, when was the last time we had a clear night?

Sunday.

She must have been co--

And she was wrapped in this.

Is there a fire escape over there?

- Yes, Holmes, there is. - He must have known his way about.

Conduct a thorough search through the mews below

- and fingerprint everyone. - Everyone?

Without exception.

One last night under the stars...

before this devilish fog descended.

Holmes: A bottle of L'Esprit de Courvoisier.

That would be from His Grace's cellar,

taken up to His Grace on Sunday night, just after 11 :00 pm.

I see.

- You wanted to see me, Mr. Bates? - Yes, Florence.

Florence, whose coat is this?

It is the Duchess' coat.

- Are you certain? - Oh yes.

Thank you.

I assume this mess will wash off.

How sordid it all is.

Was your daughter very unhappy?

That is impertinent, Mr. Holmes.

On the contrary, Your Grace, it is entirely pertinent.

Where did you imagine Lady Alice was on Sunday night?

We didn't know.

She had once or twice gone off before.

Unchaperoned?

What time did you leave your library that night, Your Grace?

I went to my bed at about midnight, I think.

And shortly after that, in the early hours of Monday morning,

Lady Alice was abducted from the roof.

- The roof? - Outside her bedroom

where she was sitting, wrapped in her mother's fur coat,

smoking her father's cigarettes and drinking her father's brandy.

She was taken down the fire escape, out of the area via the mews.

Duke: Good God.

I believe she knew her killer.

Oh, Holmes, my dear fellow!

Part of your newly-acquired American informality, Watson?

Sherlock!

- Mrs. Vandeleur. - Jenny.

Please call me Jenny. John, take Sherlock's coat.

Now let me fix you a drink. You look like a whisky man to me.

Whisky and soda, am I right? And I'm gonna join you.

John and I met at a conference in Zurich.

- I was there for the skiing. - I'm a trained psychoanalyst.

- Surely you knew that. - I did not.

I find it so strange that you two can be such close friends

and yet not talk about someone as significant as a fiancee.

I take no interest in such matters.

No, but then as I understand it, Sherlock,

- you dislike and distrust women. - Quickly, pour more wine.

Women are one of the necessary evils.

( laughs )

I take it you've never been in love?

My brain has always governed my heart.

- Would you ever submit to analysis? - ( chuckles )

You'd make a fascinating study.

Holmes: Mmm, West African.

Jenny: Yes.

Incredibly ugly.

Have you traveled much, Sherlock?

I've always held that travel narrows the mind.

One the whole, it's best I should not leave the country.

It causes an unhealthy excitement among the criminal classes.

You know,

it struck me that perhaps Lady Alice's clothes

might be imbued for her killer with some special significance.

Go on.

He seems to have kept them for himself.

- You mean, for himself to wear? - Possibly.

Some fetishistic power perhaps. ( chuckles )

Do you know this? Richard von Krafft-Ebing's

"Psychopathia Sexualis"?

No intimately.

I warn you against some of the doctor's more antique moral stances,

but the case studies are fascinating. It is, I have to say,

an indispensable reference for anyone interested

- in sexual derangement. - Thank you.

- You may keep it. - You are most kind.

It has a wonderful array of perversions--

sadomasochism,

bestiality, exhibitionism,

transvestism, coprophilia--

- I'm out of the room for 10 minutes... - pederasty, necrophilia,

- rape, mutilation-- -...and look what happens.

- lust murder-- the list goes on. - So it would appear.

- Holmes? - Strong and black, please, Watson.

- ( phone rings ) - Darling.

- When did the girl go missing? - Just after 9:00, sir.

It took us nearly two hours to track you down.

Mr. Holmes, this is Lord Massingham.

This is my colleague, Dr. Watson.

It is His Lordship's daughter, Lady Georgina, who has gone missing.

She went up to her room just before 9:00.

It's her first season, Mr. Holmes.

She's been rehearsing her presentation at Court before the king.

She was tired and terribly upset-- poor thing--

about the Pentney girl. She went up to her room.

My wife went up about 10 minutes later.

The door was locked from the inside and we could get no answer.

- What did you do? - We forced the door.

The room was empty? Where is Lady Massingham now?

- She's lying down. - Has she received medical attention?

Our doctor has called. She's been sedated.

This is Lady Roberta,

Lady Georgina's older sister.

Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson are helping the police with the enquiries.

You must find her, Mr. Holmes.

We'll need you to find her.

- May I see the room now? - Of course.

Give me a moment in the room alone.

Lord Massingham is by all accounts extremely close to the king.

Steady, Lestrade.

Let's concentrate on the matter in hand.

( rumbling )

Holmes?

Holmes?

Holmes?

Always look up at a crime scene, gentlemen.

Anything?

Holmes is-- Holmes is following a line of investigation.

( coin clinks three times )

( coin clinks )

( knocking )

Georgina? Georgina!

Georgina! ( panting )

Is she back?

Is she home?

Hugo?

I've established, I'm afraid, how Lady Georgina was abducted.

Oh no.

( moans )

( sobs ) I must find her.

Please, please, I beg you. Please find her.

( weeping )

Holmes: Perfect weather for a man with murder in his heart.

Yes, well, let's just hope we find her before anything terrible happens.

She's dead already.

- What? - Of that I'm quite sure.

Oh my God!

Help! Police!

Help, someone! Help!

( inhaling )

Hmm.

Familiar ethereal and aromatic odor.

- Chloroform. - Both girls were drugged,

Lady Alice with the sleeping draught in the brandy,

Lady Georgina with chloroform.

Neither girl showed any sign of having defended herself.

You're saying it's the work of the same man?

- Without a doubt. - What, one girl fished out

of the Thames, the next hung from a lamppost?

The murderer's modus operandi may change, Lestrade,

but his distinctive trademark does not.

In both cases, the stockings in the throat, tied about the neck,

the distinctive knot, the signs of bondage--

these are the killer's calling card.

This man leaves his mark on his work

Iike a painter leaves his signature upon a canvas.

It's her.

It's Georgina.

Are these your sister's clothes?

No.

- ( typewriter clicking ) - ( chattering )

There's one unidentified fingerprint from the brandy bottle.

You think it's the killer's?

Oh, he's our man all right. I told you he'd leave his mark, Lestrade.

- ( knocks ) - Yes?

- The clothes Lady Georgina-- - Lady Georgina Massingham, yes.

The clothes she was wearing--

Belonged to Lady Alice Pentney. Yes.

They were the clothes Lady Alice was wearing when she was abducted.

Yes, sir.

My advice to you, Lestrade, put every available man you have

- onto the streets of Belgravia. - Oh God.

Did you notice how Lady Alice's clothes fitted Georgina Massingham?

- Not really. - Almost perfectly.

I don't see that the size of the frock--

Perhaps she was chosen because she was the same height, weight.

The killer has a good, even trained eye for such things.

It is possible he worked for a dressmaker's

visited by Lady Alice or Georgina.

Find out where they got their clothes made. Get a list of staff employed.

Certainly any future victims will conform to that physical type

- and be drawn from the same class. - Compile a list of all the daughters

of the aristocracy that fit the physical pattern.

I would like to examine the clothes Lady Alice was wearing when she was found.

Would you arrange to have them taken to Baker Street?

- You'll have to sign for them. - Keep up the good work, Lestrade.

It seems we are searching for a multiple murderer

responsible for the deaths of both Lady Alice

and Lady Georgina.

Normally, such men pray on easy targets--

prostitutes, children.

But this man's victims are drawn from the highest echelons of society.

They are cared for, chaperoned wherever they go.

And yet, beneath the cover of this fog,

he has taken them from under the very noses of their parents.

Holmes: This is no Ripper,

no frenzied-lust murderer.

He's charming, presentable,

and he selects his victims with enormous care.

He's very strong, extremely agile.

Once he has them, he must take them somewhere--

his lair--

because he spends time with them...

stripping them of their clothes,

binding them at the wrists and the knees.

There comes a point where the killer takes one of the girl's stockings

and pushes it into her mouth.

I believe the gag produces the kind of noises from the victim

the killer finds exciting.

He then takes the second stocking,

puts it around the throat.

Possibly he uses a short length of wood,

twisting it to tighten the ligature

Iike a tourniquet.

There seems to be no evidence of sexual congress,

but make no mistake:

our man is a sexual sadist.

He gains voluptuous pleasure

from the fear, the pain, the degradation

of his victims.

Finally, he dresses the body in the clothes of the previous victim

that he's kept especially for that purpose.

The clothes, the ritual redressing of the body

are of utmost symbolic value

to the killer.

Right.

There are at present

no suspects.

The police are, as usual, completely out of their depth.

There is something I'm afraid I have withheld

from our friends at the ClD.

Withholding information is a serious business.

Nonsense. I tell as much or as little as I choose.

That is the advantage of being unofficial.

- Well, what is it? - Well...

Georgina was dressed in Alice's clothes,

Alice was dressed in shabby clothes.

Logic dictates there must be an as yet unidentified,

more humble first victim from whom those poor-quality clothes were taken.

- Yes. - If she can be identified, even found,

she will, I have no doubt, be an invaluable source if evidence.

The first victim always tells the detective more than any other.

Mmm, this is satinet--

thinner, cheaper version of satin--

in this instance, mixed with wool.

I'm fairly sure it is American in manufacture,

- from the mills of New York-- - Mmm...

- What is it? - There's something here, Holmes.

It feels like a coin.

It's a popular hiding place amongst the poor.

- Six-pence? - No.

Half-sovereign.

( huffs )

- Remarkable, Holmes. - Elementary, my dear Watson.

There's a marked difference in weight.

There's something else.

Mmm, looks like a pay slip.

Here's the name of the firm:

- W.G. Bilney. - Bilney's.

- You know of such an establishment? - It's a shoe shop in the West End.

You must pay them a visit, Watson.

We're looking for an American girl, probably not older than 20,

outstanding looks despite her humble circumstances,

refined manners, five feet five or six inches tall,

slim, shapely, fair skin, dark hair.

I do have other demands upon my time, Holmes.

- I am to be married. - I'm aware of that, Watson.

Could possibly spare an hour or two.

Let's just hope that that will be sufficient.

( bell dings )

- Mr. Holmes. - Lady Roberta.

My father is out at the moment.

He's dealing with the funeral arrangements.

I wonder, may I see Georgina's room once more?

Of course.

Do you have no photographs of your daughter, Mr. Vandeleur?

( with American accent ) I'm afraid not.

I lost all my personal belongings in a fire back in New York.

I do-- there was one girl who fits your description exactly

- who was in fact American. - No kidding?

But she went by the name of Sarah O'Brien.

O'Brien was her mother's maiden name.

This really is most awkward.

The girl in question came to England as a confidential maid

to an American heiress who was betrothed to an English peer.

Upon the lady's marriage, the girl continued in her employ

but by Christmas of that year, her service was no longer required.

In the new year, she came to me seeking employment.

Do you remember the name of the American heiress?

I--

I believe her money came from pork packing.

It slipped my mind I'm afraid.

What happened to my daughter, Mr. Bilney?

Are you a religious man, Mr. Holmes?

I'm a skeptic by nature.

Oh Lord-- if there is a Lord--

save my soul--

if I have a soul.

I am aware that religion can be a very great comfort to some

in times like these.

I fear that my father may be losing his faith.

He wants me to read something at the service.

But I do not know if I shall have the strength.

I'm sure you'll be able to do as your father asks.

For what it's worth, I think you'll emerge from this ordeal

a very remarkable young woman indeed.

Thank you.

Perhaps you should attach something personal of Georgina's

- to your funeral wreath. - What do you mean?

A memento mori.

- What sort of thing? - Well, something

suggestive of her spirit.

- It seems she liked dancing. - Yes.

Perhaps her dancing shoes.

Where did Lady Georgina have her shoes made?

At Bilney's.

Sarah O'Brien committed suicide--

or so the coroner decided.

Threw herself into the Thames.

What in the coroner's opinion had driven her to such drastic action?

He could find no motive.

One intriguing thing:

she was recovered from the water naked.

Intriguing.

Highly unusual for a woman that she intends to take her own life.

Perhaps Bilney will recall the name of that mysterious lady pork-packer.

She cannot be that difficult to track down, Watson,

despite the fact that London is awash with American heiresses

seeking titled husbands. I'll set Lestrade onto him.

Even though he's utterly devoid of reason,

he's as tenacious as a bull, though, once he understands what he has to do.

- What happened to the body? - That I know from Bilney.

She was buried in White Chapel at his expense.

- Good work, Watson. - Thank you, Holmes.

I think you would have appreciated my performance.

- I assumed the character-- - Forgive me...

but didn't you mention you had an engagement at 2:00?

- It's not 2:00, is it? - Gone 2:00, my dear fellow.

( sighs ) Then I'm late, Holmes.

I'm horribly late.

I am to meet Mrs. Vandeleur a Bon Street,

and damn and blast these bloody boots!

- More haste, less speed, Watson. - She wants my opinion on her dress.

( chuckles ) Really?

Not just any dress, Holmes, it's the dress.

I didn't realize you were an expert on haute couture.

You know damn well I'm not.

I, on the other hand, have been studying the fashion plates.

Pale gray is all the rage...

with a white tulle boa and pink malmaisons.

( door closes )

One could cover the scenes of these crimes

with a half-crown piece.

He's fishing in a very small pond, Lestrade.

- Any matches on the thumbprints? - No.

( phone rings )

A letter to the commissioner from the king, though.

His Majesty suggests our detectives be improved.

He says they are not what they should be.

He expects the matter will be resolved with no further loss of life.

I might as well resign now, save everyone the bother.

Self-pity is an extremely unattractive quality, Lestrade.

Now, I need permission to exhume a corpse.

- What? - One Sarah O'Brien,

fished out of the Thames July this year.

- I very much doubt that l-- - Make sure we're not held up

by red tape. The king, Lestrade. Remember the king.

Watson: My God, it's filthy out there!

It is impossible to breathe. The hospital's filling up

- with respiratory cases-- - "Fair is foul and foul is fair:

hover through the fog and filthy air."

- How was the dress? - What?

Oh yes, it was too late. Missed the whole damn kit and caboodle.

What in God's name are you doing, Holmes?

You look like you're about to dance the fandango.

You are developing an unexpected vein

in porkish humor, Watson,

against which I always learned to guard myself.

There. The trap is baited.

What trap?

He is out there, Watson, watching and waiting.

I think he'll attend Lady Georgina's funeral.

If he does, I'm hoping this special tribute from Roberta

will be too much to resist.

You must not place Lady Roberta in any danger.

- She will not be in any danger. - I'll be keeping

- a very close eye on her. - You will not be there, Watson.

I have a special task for you of the utmost importance.

( crows caw )

"Love is the passion which endureth...

Which neither time nor absence cureth;

Which nought of earthly change can sever:

Love is the light

- that shines for ever." - ( gasping sob )

"lts chain of gold- what hand can break it?

Its deathless hold- what force can shake it?

Mere passion aught of earth may sever,

But souls that love, love on for ever."

Thank you for coming.

Lead the horses, Charles. We won't get home otherwise.

Yes, Your Grace.

Imogen, come on.

Imogen?

Imogen! Imogen, darling.

Imogen!

Imogen, darling? Imogen!

Imogen!

Imogen! Imogen!

- lmogen! - lmogen!

- lmogen! - Man: lmogen!

- lmogen! - lmogen!

( calling continues )

What is it? What has happened?

- Another girl is missing. - It is lmogen Helhoughton.

She's only 13, Mr. Holmes.

What news, Watson?

For God's sakes, Holmes, at least let me get into the room

before you start with your infernal interrogations.

Why do you reek of surgical spirit?

Trying to get rid of the stench of that poor girl.

It's revolting, Holmes.

- Was it Bach you were playing? - Mmm.

I prefer German music when I feel introspective.

Why the looking inwards?

A young girl was snatched from the funeral.

Oh no.

- Right from under our noses. - Not Lady Roberta?

No. Imogen Helhoughton,

the youngest daughter of Sir John and Lady Helhoughton.

- She's only 13. - Oh good God.

What made him go for someone so young?

I think it was purely opportunistic.

He saw his chance and seized it.

I should be very surprised if she differs physically from the other girls.

So much for my trap.

- What you got there? - I removed this stocking

from the throat of Sarah O'Brien.

Pushed deep in her gullet.

So...

the work of the same hand.

All my instincts tell me she's close by.

As we have no possible means of telling where...

we must possess our souls in patience.

Imogen: Help me.

Help me, please.

Help me!

Somebody help me.

Here! Over here!

Well, did she get a clear view of him?

I have not been allowed to question her. She's in with the doctor.

She's in a state of shock, as you can imagine, the poor mite.

Other lives, Lestrade, will certainly be lost if the killer is not found

with all possible haste. It is a remarkable struck of good fortune

that this girl has lived to tell the tale.

- The telling will have to wait. - Damn it, Lestrade!

I cannot make bricks without clay.

Holmes, I have to say were I the family physician,

I would recommend rest. A shock to the system of this kind can lead

- to lowering the blood presssure-- - Yes yes, Watson,

I understand all about shocks to the system.

Is it not possible to argue

that it is good to talk through such a traumatic experience

while it is still fresh, before it has a chance to fester...

- with a sensitive, professional person? - You would listen for 30 seconds

- and then start cross-questioning her! - I'm not thinking about myself.

I'm thinking about an extremely kind,

considerate female psychiatrist of my acquaintance.

Who on earth is that?

We have found the American lady pork-packer.

- Tell me. - She is now Lady Marham.

Why did she dismiss Sarah O'Brien?

She thought she was stealing her clothes-- if not stealing,

at least taking them and wearing them.

- What sort of clothes? - Undergarments, stockings, shoes.

Mrs. Vandeleur's on her way.

Presumably, for a month or two,

Sarah O'Brien worked alongside Lord Marham's staff.

There's a list here.

Mmm... Charles Allen?

Lord Marham's footman at the time of Sarah's dismissal?

Hah! Charles Allen,

now the Duchess of Narborough's footman.

- Can you be sure it's the same man? - Even if it is, it makes no odds.

- How did you work that out, lnspector? - He has a water-tight alibi.

Really, Watson, you are scintillating this morning.

On the night that Lady Alice went missing,

he was at a formal dinner with the duchess

in plain view of 100 guests.

When Lady Georgina was abducted,

- again he was with the duchess-- - There should be

no combination of events for which the wit of man

cannot conceive an explanation.

Bring him in for questioning, Lestrade. Now.

Here she is.

I've taken the liberty of jotting down a few questions.

I can't promise anything,

except I will put the girl's psychological being first.

Of course. But pay particular attention to point three.

He grabbed me from behind.

He had a cloth that was soaked with some horrid stuff

over my mouth and nose.

I tried to call out, but I couldn't.

He was dragging me backwards through the graves.

I must have passed out.

Vandeleur: What's the next thing you can remember?

Then he removed my blindfold.

Did you see his face?

I wanted to talk to you about the time you spent as footman,

working for Lord Marham.

Do you remember a young girl, Lady Marham's personal maid,

- Sarah O'Brien? - Yes, I do.

She was dismissed from Lady Marham's service.

- I believe so. - Do you have any idea why?

No.

- Do you know what became of her? - Yes, I do. She committed suicide.

It was in the newspapers and the staff talked about it.

Do you have any idea why she would take her own life?

No.

He had a pair of stockings in his hand.

He put one around my neck and knotted it.

Mrs. Helhoughton: Really, I don't think--

He pushed the other stocking into my mouth.

This is too much for her, surely.

Why did you leave Lord Marham's employ?

I was offered employment by the duke of Narborough.

I accepted the offer.

How was it you came to the duke's attention?

I tended Lord Marham in a number of occasions

when the duke of Narborough was also present.

- And you caught his eye? - I really don't know.

Or was it the duchess' eye?

It is the duchess you serve,

- is it not? - Yes, Holmes, it is.

It is a small point, but perhaps

you would give me my prefix when you address me.

Otherwise, with my line of work,

I should find myself on familiar terms with half the villains in London.

Yes, Mr. Holmes, it is the duchess I serve.

He showed me the clothes he had for me.

He kept saying how beautiful I'd look in them.

He started to undress me.

He took off my dress--

I was standing.

He knelt my feet.

He removed my shoes...

- and he-- - I think we should stop.

Did he hold the shoes in his hands?

Did he stroke them? Kiss them?

Do you know a shop called Bilney's?

They are shoe and boot makers.

No.

That's where Sarah O'Brien worked after she left service.

Is it?

Where does Her Grace go for her footwear?

- Kelstock's in Piccadilly. - How does she like her boots

to be tied? Side, front or back?

The front.

He rolled down my stockings

down to my ankles.

He put his mouth on my toes.

He took hold of my stockings in his teeth and pulled.

He pulled the left one off.

He did the same with the right.

All of a sudden, he was in a fury.

He was shouting at me.

He dragged me out of the room,

up some stairs and out into the street.

I still had the stocking in my mouth.

I thought I was going to choke.

Holmes: Stand up, please.

Be so kind as to put your foot on there for me.

Thank you. You've been most helpful.

I'm going to ask a police officer to take your fingerprints.

- They have already been taken. - Yes, but there was a problem.

I should have them done again. You can have no objection.

- No. - Good.

Wait here.

She saw him. She's giving one of Lestrade's men a description.

- Holmes: Splendid. - She's had the narrowest of escapes.

It was not as bad an ordeal I think as it might have been.

Why did he let her go do you think, given that she can identify him?

I don't know. Perhaps even he bulged at the idea of harming a 13-year-old?

No, it is not that.

The clothes would fit her perfectly. There's something else.

I'm afraid we need to be granted one more favor.

I can describe lmogen's feet for you, Doctor.

It is important, Lady Helhoughton, for us to see for ourselves.

May l?

Thank you, lmogen. Thank you, Lady Helhoughton.

The surgeon has done an excellent job. Thank you.

That deformity, and that alone,

is the reason she was released.

Talipes calcaneovalgus?

Talipes varus, I should say.

- Which is? - Clubfoot.

Excuse me.

Thank you again for your cooperation.

- May I go now? - Certainly.

Excuse me.

Someone will need to escort you from the building. Red tape. Come on.

- Surely I came in that way. - No. This way.

It's him! It's him! It's him, it's him!

I think we can call that a positive identification.

You can call it what you like.

Come on.

That was really quite a cruel thing to do, Sherlock.

Possibly but, to my mind, justified.

Sir. These are the latest Charles Allen fingerprints, sir.

- You took these this morning? - 50 minutes ago, sir.

It doesn't match, Holmes!

We know he was with the duchess

when lmogen Helhoughton was abducted from the graveyard.

We know he was attending the duchess in front of 100 diner guests

- when Lady Alice was taken. - ( phone rings )

The Helhoughton girl has been through a terrible ordeal.

She cannot be in her right mind. It must be a case of mistaken identity.

You have nothing against the man, Holmes, nothing at all.

Sir, the Duke and Duchess of Narborough to see you, sir.

What?

Is my footman free to leave now?

Yes, he is, and I should like to apologize, Your Grace,

- for the trouble we've put you-- - No trouble, lnspector.

- Merely a small inconvenience. - Where were you last night, Your Grace?

Answering questions put to me by lnspector Lestrade is one thing,

responding to your impertinent snooping quite another.

May I remind Your Grace it was your husband who called up on me

- in my Baker Street rooms. - Yes, well,

perhaps you'd be kind enough to call upon me at Eton Square.

We can settle the matter. I no longer wish you to act on my behalf.

As Your Grace pleases.

What?

You imagine no one else can solve this case?

What monstrous egotism!

This way.

There's nothing more stimulating than a case where everything turns against you.

Wouldn't the most sensible thing be to keep all the blasted debutantes

under lock and key until this fiend is caught?

Or at least till the fog lifts.

Eminently sensible, Watson, but you're forgetting one thing.

- And what is that? - There can be no interference

with free trade. Daughters must be married off.

Thank you, Mrs. Vandeleur, for your help.

I don't know if I should have been involved.

Oh really? Well, we live and learn.

Shh!

What do you want? You're scaring me. Why are you here like this?

I needed to see you without your father knowing. Roberta...

do you have the courage to bait a trap to catch your sister's killer?

I understand you have made shoes recently

- for Lady Roberta Massingham. - Yes, I have.

I want you to make a pair of shoes for her.

- I need them for tonight. - Tonight?

( waltz music playing )

Hello.

Good evening, Your Grace.

Good evening, Your Lordship.

- Dr. Watson, how are you? - Very well.

- Where's Mr. Holmes? - I wish I knew.

I was due to meet him here.

( with French accent ) Monsieur Sherlock Holmes?

Yes.

( chuckles ) The second highest criminal expert in Europe?

May I inquire, Your Excellency,

who has the honor to be first in your view?

To a man of a precisely scientific mentalite,

the work of Monsieur Bertillon must always have a very strong appeal.

A tres bientot.

- Pompous oaf. - ( chuckles )

Their Royal Majesties, King Edward Vll

and Queen Alexandra.

( violin music playing )

There she is.

She really is a beauty.

( waltz music playing )

My darling, I'm proud of you.

Thank you.

Your sister would have loved this.

Roberta.

Are you all right, Your Ladyship?

Oh yes. Thank you.

Would you like me to turn up the light so you can see more easily?

Please don't trouble yourself.

Would Your Ladyship care for a drink?

No, thank you.

Are you sure you're feeling quite all right?

You look a little faint.

I'm quite all right. I assure you.

Go back to your mistress.

You might find a glass of champagne reviving.

Now, please leave me.

Jamais de la vie!

Hang on! Guards!

I was helping her. She fainted!

Dr. Watson, on est arrives a l'heure, hein?

Vraiment, un moment plus tard...

et ca allait etre le desastre.

Not bad for the second highest

criminal expert in Europe, eh?

Once again, Holmes, you've deliberately held me at arm's length.

I really think you might treat me with a little more frankness.

My profession would be a drab and sordid one, Watson,

if I did not sometimes set the scene to glorify the results.

You have a curious secretive streak in you, Holmes.

The only safe plotter is he who plots and learns.

Thank you for that vote of confidence.

Oh for God's sake!

Ah, lnspector. I want this man's fingerprints taken.

- Again? - Again.

We've taken his fingerprints twice already,

and they do not match the thumbprint on the brandy bottle.

- This time, they will. - How, for God's sake?

Because there not one Charles Allen, but two.

- What? - When all other contingencies fail,

whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

- But what do you mean, two? - It's the only explanation.

The man we have in custody must have a double.

- What? - The Dromio brothers,

the brothers Antipholus, Castor and Pollux.

- In English, Holmes. - An identical twin.

So one of them is still on the loose.

- Yes, but we have the killer. - How can you be sure?

He was making his move on Lady Roberta.

- Holmes! - The fingerprints will clear

the matter up. While the sadistic twin

has been going about his dreadful business,

his brother has been providing his alibi.

So far, on both occasions, the Charles who's been fingerprinted

has been the accomplice... not the murderer.

- But if they're identical-- - Fingerprints, Lestrade,

even in the case of identical twins,

are distinctive and individual.

We have him at last.

- She's sleeping. - All right.

- Thank you for all your help. - Think nothing of it.

How is your wife?

She's been taken into a sanatorium.

Perhaps that's for the best, until she regains her strength.

I fear...

she may never recover from the loss of Georgina.

A gentleman, of course...

can bear a shock when it must come,

but a woman...

they are the weaker, I guess.

I am to be married tomorrow.

Really?

I didn't know.

Congratulations.

- Here are the new fingerprints, sir. - Give them to me!

( sighs )

We have the wrong man.

- What?! - The killer is still out there.

Telephone Lord Massingham immediately. He must be warned.

Lady Roberta is in very grave danger.

( phone rings )

Hello?

Dr. Watson!

Oh my God.

Roberta.

( sniffs ) Chloroform.

What is happening, Holmes?

There are two of them, Watson-- identical, it would seem,

- almost impossible to tell apart. - How long have you known?

I've suspected it for some time now--

the distinctive knot in the ligature.

Charles' shoelaces were tied in exactly the same way.

Imogen Helhoughton's identification of him left me in no doubt:

he had to be our man.

But how could he have been in two places at once?

- There had to have been two of them. - But we have the wrong man.

We have the wrong man.

Watson?

- Watson! - ( door slams shut )

Where does he take them?

- Where does he take them? - Just do it...

and get it over with.

( raps )

- I must see the Duchess of Narborough. - Do you know what time it is, sir?

With all respect, excuse me.

- It's impossible. - Watson: I assure you it is not.

You have been duped, used in the worst possible manner.

- I don't know what you mean. - Your Grace, even as we speak,

while one brother's in police custody, the other is torturing

and very possibly murdering Lady Roberta Massingham.

You must help me if you can.

You cannot protect the man who killed your own daughter.

You cannot protect yourself at the cost of another young girl's life.

I cannot. I'm confused.

It's hard to understand.

Really, Your Grace, it is not.

These two men have consistently taken each other's place,

posed one as another, shared everything.

Everything.

Did your woman's instinct not tell you?

I ask you once again, Your Grace.

Do you have any idea where he might be?

Where did your assignations take place?

Where is she?

# After the ball is over ##

## After the break of morn ##

## After the dancer's leaving ##

## After the stars are gone ##

## Many a heart is aching ##

## If you could read them all ##

## Many the hopes that have vanished ##

## After the ball. ##

Watson?

Holmes, they used to meet at Albert Mansions in Kensington.

No, wait wait!

- I'll take you there. - What?

I know where he takes the girls. I'll take you there.

It's hard to keep one's hands soft...

- smooth enough to do this. - ( whimpers )

A silk stocking would catch in most people's hands.

Not mine.

Sorry!

No, please. No!

It's down here.

Damn it, come on! Stop that man!

Stop that man!

Stop!

( train rumbling )

( train whistle blows )

- Holmes? - Watson?

- Are you armed? - My cane.

- What number? - Number 12.

- Watson? - What is it?

Watson!

- Release her or I will shoot! - Can you be sure of your aim?

Not entirely.

I can be sure of one thing:

if you kill her, I guarantee

you will never see your brother again.

Release the tourniquet.

You will be tried alone, you will be hanged alone,

you will never see each other again in this world.

Let her go.

It's like a door, isn't it?

It opens.

If you walk through,

you can never turn back.

I know...

because it's an addiction.

We need a little bit more each time, don't we?

To lift us,

- to get us to the same height. - ( Roberta gasps )

What's your brother in all this?

Your alibi certainly.

A pimp?

Does he share your perversions?

They dress so well, these girls, don't they?

- They dress well. - Mmm.

Cavorting around in front of me in their costumes...

wearing next to nothing...

- flaunting themselves. - They're not flaunting themselves.

They don't even acknowledge your existence.

My Lady can take you to her bed,

but the young girls that you want,

you like, they don't even look at you, do they?

They do when they're here.

Then, they do.

- Aren't these beautiful? - Leave them.

I like to touch them.

Such soft leather.

Charles: Put them down!

And wonderful smell.

- I said, put them down! - Special shoes

for a special girl.

No further use for these.

( groans )

- How is she, Watson? - She's not breathing, Holmes.

( Roberta wheezes )

Oh thank God. Thank God!

Charles!

Here, Dr. Watson.

- Let me take her. - Be careful.

I'll go on with her.

A wedding day to remember.

A toast.

If a man is to be judged by the company he keeps,

then it is only right and proper that Watson has at last found himself

a charming and agreeable companion.

Dr. and Mrs. Watson,

I wish you health and happiness.

Both: Health and happiness.

- Now we must away. - A word of warning, Jenny.

Don't let Watson tell you he's not in the mood for pictures

and drag you to the Musee d'Anatomie

to show you the waxen hearts and lungs and livers.

Don't worry, Sherlock, our itinerary's already planned

and tomorrow night, we shall be at the Opera Garnier.

Je ne vous dis que ca.

What will you do with yourself, Sherlock, now your Boswell's away?

For me, there is always the needle.

Holmes!

Good old Watson, you're the one fixed point in a changing age.

No, I shall sit and stare at the wall like Whistler's mother--

a study in gray.

And now it's time you left...

if you're not to miss your luncheon tomorrow at the Hotel Splendid.

I hope you will still come for me, Holmes,

when you need a companion in your investigations.

My dear fellow, of course.

Of course.

Bon voyage.