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 Box thirteen a Great Detectors dot Net, Follow us on Twitter Radio
Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com Slash
Radio Detectives. I received an email from Joan who mentioned that she purchased All
I Needed to Know I Learned from Colombio audiobook in the iTunes Store, and
I'm glad we're able to do that. It's been available as an ebook for
some time, but not everyone has ebook readers, and I know a lot
of people enjoys audiobooks. That's why All I Needed to Know I Learned From
Columbo is available in both the iTunes Store as well as on audible dot Com.
In addition, there's my novel Tales of the Dam Night, as well
as the follow up novellas Powerhouse Flies Again and Rise of the Robo Lawyers,
expertly narrated by Scott Wilcox. I encourage you to check out those audiobooks at
audible dot com and in the iTunes store. But now let's get into today's
adventure. Of Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Second Sting, The Adventures
of Sherlock Holmes, The Original and Immortal Stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle dramatized
Daniel, with Sir Ralph Richardson as Doctor Watson and Sir John Gielgud in the
role of Sherlock Holmes. Ladies and gentlemen. I think I may have shown
in the course of these narratives of mine, but the exploits of my friend
Sherlock Holmes ranged from affairs of the humblest order to matters concerning the very highest.
In the land of the letter. There are many which perhaps can never
be true for reasons of diplomacy or even scampbell. And in those that can,
dates and names sometimes must be disguised, even now, particularly in the
unusual adventure which I have called the Second State. Oh, mister Holmes,
well, Missus Hudson, you seem a little over order, if I may
say so. Oh, it's the gentleman, sir, the two gentlemen to
see you waiting downstairs. Sir, Well, we've seen gentlemen before, Missus
Hudson. Yes, our lives would hardly be economically possible without our visiting clients.
But mister Holmes, doctor Watson, Sir, in Baker Street, my
humble Homecome, come, missus Hudson, Not the Prince of Wales, not
from off, Sir, it's the Prime Minister, sir, the Prime Minister
of England. Sir. Well, well, my dear Holmes, your dressing
gown, oh here, take this, take this, give me my jacket,
my dear fellow. Yes, show him up, Missu Hudson, show
him up. He mustn't keep the Prime Minister waiting. So into our humble
sitting room came those two great men, Lord Bellinger, the Premier, and
his companion, the Secretary for European Affairs, the right Honorable Trelawney Hope.
So, gentlemen, I take it I may have the honor to be of
some service to you. You are our only hope, mister Holmes. The
Prime Minister suggested you at once the moment I told him of by dreadful loss.
It was impossible for us to go to the police at full loss,
sir. Indeed, yes, to inform the police would be to inform the
public, and that is what we particularly desire to avoid. An important state
document is missing mislaid while in mister Hope's possession. And it is of such
importance that peace or war may hang up on the issue, I understand,
my lord. Now I should be obliged if mister Hope would kind of tell
me the exact circumstances under which this document disappeared. Of course, sir,
But this gentleman, your companion, doctor Watson, is in my confidence in
everything I undertake. Indeed, it is really almost impossible for me to embark
upon a case without even you can rely upon his discretion implicitly till the very
utmost gentleman, I promise it very well. Then it's a letter, mister
Holmes, I can tell you that it's a letter from a certain foreign potentate.
Mister Holmes, let us leave its own quite so for the moment at
least. Well, when was it received? May I ask? Six days
ago? It was so important that I've never even left it in my safe.
I've taken it across each evening to my house in Whitehall Terrace and kept
it in a lock dispatch box in my bedroom. It was there last night.
You're certain of that, quite certain. I opened the box while I
was dressing for dinner. And saw it there this morning it was gone,
the box itself, no, only the letter. My wife and I are
both light sleepers, mister Holmes, were both prepared to swear that no one
could have entered the room during the night, And yet the paper's gone.
I faced, ruin, ruin. What time do you dine, mister Hope
Halpas seven? And how long was it before you went to bed? My
wife had gone to a theater. I waited up for her. It was
half past eleven before we retired to our room. Yes, then for four
hours the box had lain unguarded. No one is ever permitted to enter that
room except two trusted servants who are beyond suspicion. Who else knew of the
existence of that letter? No one in the heart, not your wife knows.
I said nothing to her until I missed the paper this morning. Is
there anyone else, my Lord in England who could possibly know of the existence
of this letter? Only the members of the Cabinet, mister Holmes, but
all under the pledge of secrecy which attends every Cabinet meeting and abroad. I
believe no one saved the man who wrote it, And may I ask his
name? Mister Holmes. The envelope is a long, thin one of a
pale blue color. That is all I think that you need to know.
Well, I'm quite aware that you are two of the busiest men in the
country, and in my own small way, I have a good many calls
upon my time. I regret exceedingly that I cannot help you in this matter.
Wotton, would you kind he ring the belt home? How dare you?
I am not a m Very well, we must accept your terms.
I suppose no doubt. It is unreasonable of us to expect you to act
without our entire confidence. Thank you, my lord. Pray sit down again,
Watson Ah. Now, then, gentlemen, the letter is from a
certain foreign potentate who has been ruffled by some recent colonial developments in this country.
It was written hurriedly and in anger on his own responsibility entirely, and
his ministers know nothing about it. You mean, his Highness, the Crown
Prince of mister Holmes. Very well, sir, let me write it down
on the slip of paper. Am I correct? My lord? Quite correct?
And you'll see at once the applications if that document should fall into the
hands of any other chancellery in Europe. A breach would be made between this
potentate in our country, with fatal consequences. You must find it, Holmes,
great heavens, you must, sir. My whole future depends upon it.
I shall do my best to help you, mister Hope. I can
do no more. But if the theft occurred last night before you retired,
as it must have done, the paper must at this moment be speeding on
its way to the continent as fast as steam can take it. My lord.
Well, mister Holmes, if I may presume to advise you, Yes,
yes, there's only one course open to you. What is it,
sir? Prepare for war, my lord. I shall do what I can,
but at least prepare for war. Good day, gentlemen, they've gone
well well, Holmes, who behave most discreetly, my dear fellow. I
was so proud of you, your whole air detached interest of silent helpfulness.
You know you've missed your calling, my dear Watson. You ought to have
been a diplomat. Oh, it's no laughing matter, Holmes, you thinks
not, And it's really is a most serious affair. Alarmingly so about the
situation, though desperately serious, is not quite hopeless, I believe. What
do you intend to do? There are several foreign agents, big names among
the international spy ring. If one of them should be missing, especially if
he's disappeared since last night, we shall then have some indication of where the
letter may have gone. Ah, yes, yes, But if none of
them is missing, then we can take it that the letter hasn't left the
country yet. That would be something of a miracle. And in that case,
well I might be able to get it back. After all, I
have the whole British treasury behind me. If it's on the market, I'll
buy it back, even if it means another penny on the income text.
But who are the likely agents? Only three that are big enough, Oberstein
Larotier and Eduardo Lucas. Well, Oh, my dear fellow, you look
so white. What on earth's the matter? Heaven knows. You've astonished me
more than once with some spectacular announcement. Now it's my turn. Well Watson,
Eduardo Lucas Holmes, you said Lucas, I think here is of course
at the dolphin Steed exactly who won't see Lucas homes? And why not pray
it was murdered in his house last night, Lucas, you don't mean it.
I was reading about it before our visitors arrived. Eduardo Lucas, the
well known society flemmer and distinguished amateur tenor murdered most brutally by a knife in
the heart. What an amazing coincidence, homes coincidence, man, great heavens,
you can't really mean it, Eduardo Lucas. Did I tell you watson't
Holmes home? Mister Holmes? Well, well, well, what's the matter,
missus Hudson? Do I, sir, twice in one day to think
that my humble room on earth? What is it this time? Woman?
The lady Hilder, Sir? Who did you say? The lady Hilder for
Lawny home, mister Holmes, the wife of the gentleman with Lord by Holmes.
You're dressing gun, you're dressing gun? I jacket, Miss Hudson,
please. And a moment later, our modest apartment, already so distinguished that
morning, was further honored by the entrance of the loveliest woman in London,
nay in the world. I'd often heard of the beauty of the youngest daughter
of the Duke of Belminster, but no description no contemplation of a lifeless photograph
had prepared me for the subtle, delicate charm and the beautiful modeling of that
exquisite head. And I am not, I think without taste as a judge
in such things. Yet that morning the lovely cheek was paled with emotion.
The eyes were bright, but with the brightness of fever of terror. Mister
Holmes, I beg you. Has my husband been here? Yes, madam,
I beg you. Implore you to say nothing to him of this visit
of mine. Lady Hilda, you placed me in a very delicate position.
Mister Holmes. There was a most deplorable occurrence at our house last night,
or you must know. But since it was a political better, my husband
refuses to take me into his complete confidence. Indeed, what was that missing
paper? What was it? Madam? That is something I cannot answer.
If your husband thinks fit to keep you in the dark, it is hardly
for me to tell you. I am pleasured to professional secrecy. Well tell
me at least then, for Heaven's sake, is my husband's professional career likely
to suffer through the incident. Yes, I fear so, mister Holmes,
from something that my husband said when he first discovered the last this morning.
I please go on. I understand the terrible public consequences might arise from the
loss of this document. Perhaps even you said so, Lady Hilda. It
is not for me to deny it. Won't you tell me? Mister Holmes,
I implore you, what was that missing paper? Then? I must
take up no more of your time. I can't blame you if you feel
you can't speak more freely. The matter must have been grave. Indeed before
you were ever consulted, and I'm sure you won't think the worst of me
for wanting to share my husband's anxieties, even against his will. I can
only beg you once again to say nothing of my visit. It would only
worry him the more. Good day. Well, well, wasn't wasn't that
extraordinary? The fair Sex Watson that is your department? I think yes,
when you finished gazing out of the window to get a last glimpse of our
elegant charmer, perhaps you will be kind enough to tell me what you think
she came for. Shelly Sully. Her own statement was clear enough, Holmes,
anxiety was very natural, yes, no doubt. Yet you must have
observed how very prettily. She maneuvered her chair so as to keep her back
to the light. She didn't want us to read her expressions. You said
the same about the woman from Margaret who came to see us a month ago.
It turned out that she wanted because she had no powder on our notes.
True. True. The motives of women are certainly inscrutable. It's difficult
to build upon such quicksands. Their most important decisions may depend upon a hairpin
or a pair of curling tongues. Well, good morning, Watson, what
are you going home? Oh? Just for a little while to good Dolphin
Street. I think our friendless trade of the yard is sure to be there
by this time. Eduardo Lucas murdered. There lies the solution, Watson.
Do you stay on guard here, my dear fellow, and receive any further
distinguished visitors who may honor our humble abode Whilst I am away, I'll join
you for lunch, Watson, cutlets and green peas. If you could think
of that all day and the next day. Holmes was in a mood which
some might call taciturn and others morose. He ran out and ran in,
smoked, incessantly played his violin, sank into riverlies, devoured sandwiches at irregular
hours, and hardly answered the casual questions I put to him. I felt
a sense of impending doom as I watched London from our window, going about
its busy duties. I reflected that any moment the newsboys would cry havoc,
and the flower of our youth go marching off to war. As to the
murder of Lucas, that remained as much a mysterday as the theft of the
document. He'd been stabbed to the heart with a curved oriental dagger, a
trophy that hung on the wall of his room. It seems that nothing had
been stolen. An examination of his papers disclosed him as a keen student of
international politics. That was all. Then suddenly, well we've solved it,
mister Holmes. Really, less Trade, have you? Why not? Eh?
We have our methods to you know, he means the murder, Holmes,
only the murder. Oh more, Mistress, mister Holmes, what's in
the wind? Nothing? Nothing, Watson's just wool gathering my deal, estate
or Sally Holmes. Don't mention it, my dear fellow, sit down,
won't you? Less Trade? Have a cigar. Oh no, sir,
I won't, if you'll forgive me. I was going to suggest we went
round there to Godolphin Street. There's a little something that might interest you.
Ah, well, what's happenless trade, I think you said just now that
you've solved it. Well, as near as makes no matter, we'd a
telegram from the Paris police. Do you see? Seems this Lucas fellow has
been a bit of a dog in his time, very handsome, kind of
chap and so forth. He's been living a double life. It seemed he
had a wife in Paris or your department again, my dear Watson, creole
woman as a matter of effect for their hot blooded creoles. Yes, you
know what women are like, doctor Watson. Well well perhaps, well let's
tray what's happened. Well, he'd been going at a bit in London,
you know, one way and another, so we rackon. She got jealous.
According to the parish fellows, she's gone quite mad since Tuesday, and
it was established that she had been in London on the night of the murder.
She was seen near Godolphin Street. Yes, yeah, it could only
have been some kind of coincidence like that. Otherwise the thing would have been
public property by this time. What is it, mister Holmes, strikes me.
Your mind's hardly on the business. I don't thought it would have appealed
to you. Nothing, let's tray and nothing at all. What was it
you said just now might interest me over at Lucas's house? Ah? Yes,
the one small detail, mister Holmes, nothing very important, you know,
just a bit freakish. We'd best go round to the house and i'll
show you you two. Doctor, Eh, it's rather in your line as
well. Oh really, Oh of course you know. I might even call
it the mystery of the sick and stain, gentleman. The murder solved,
but there's still a mystery of the sick and stain. Eh. Come in,
let's round the Cadolphin Street now then, mister Holmes, Doctor Watson,
this is the very room you see him where he was murdered. Ah.
Indeed, now look here to see him the rug master, Holmes. Now
just look at their rug, gentlemen, you see when there's a crime of
this sort, where they careful to keep things in position. We've had an
officer in charge here, dad night, quite so I noticed him as we
came in. Now then, we'd a notion to tidy things up of it
today. Now the body's been buried, and such an whole thing solved.
Were the rug isn't fastened down, you see, only just laid there,
for we'd occasion to raise it. And we found the blood stain there,
see the blood stain on the road. Yes, yes, Now, then
a great deal of blood matter soaked through. And undoubtedly, undoubtedly it must.
And yet you'll be surprised, doctor, for there isn't a stain on
the white woodwork beneath to correspond. But there must be the trade. It's
it's impossible. So you'd say, look at the under side of the rug
sustained as the upper. See, yet there isn't a mark on the floor.
What's what's now? Let me give you the explanation, doctor, There
is a second stain, you see. Look, let me move this other
edge. Yeah over year. Now, then there's the stain on the woodwork
beneath another part of the rug. Altogether, what do you make of that?
Ain't come homes You don't seem to be attend into this. Oh,
it's a simple enough, Shirley. The two stains did correspond, but the
rugs being turned around. Is he homes? We hardly need mister Holmes his
famous methods to tell us that. Doctor Washington, Now the dearest trade.
Didn't you say that the constable out there had been in constant charge of this
place? Yes, well, then take my advice, lest trade. Go
out and examine him privately. Don't do it here before us. We'll wait
in this room. Ask him how he dares to admit strange people and leave
them alone in this room. No, no, don't ask him, tell
him take it for granted by sure. If he has, I'll get it
out of him. You mean, I mean hurry man, hurry, right,
sir, I'll do it at once now, then, Watson, in
Heaven's name, get off that rugby What what do you mean the rug?
Pull away the rug? Huh? Turn it right back? No, quick,
examine the floor underneath it. There must be a kevity here, kevity?
What do you mean, Holmes in the boar man the floorboards? Huh?
Look for a loose one. Ah, yeah, yeah, I've got
it. What's not? It's a hole. It's a kind of kind of
safe. Yeah ah, but it's empty. I might have known. Get
the rugging place again quickly, Watson, pays, coming back quick quick,
here we are. That's all right. Well you are right, mister Holmes.
My first time he has confessed. I'm sorry, sir, I'm really
sorry. I never meant any harm. I never said you did. What
happened? A young woman, sir, came to the door last night.
It was and this duke the host, she said, And then we got
talking. It's kind of lonesome when you're in duty. You're known, well,
man, speak up. So she asked if she could see where the
crime was done. I didn't see any harm if she just had a peep
and you let her in here, eh well, she said, coaxing ways,
sir. Then when she saw the blood you see, I guess she
kind of fainted, sir, right down on the rug here, did she?
Indeed? And so you went to get some water. I supposed to
bring her round, yes, sir, from the kitchen downstairs. And she
was all right when I came back, and then she went away. I
didn't mean any harm, sir, don't McPherson. Did you notice anything about
the rug when you came back? Eh? Rug? Well, so it
was a big kind of rumpled where she fell, So I just straightened it.
Sort of. I see McPherson. Come over here, would you.
I want to show you something. Just excuse me a moment, gentleman.
Now look here, McPherson, this photograph. Do you recognize it? Good
lord? Yes, sir, how did you know? Never mind, come
Watson, Thank you, Thank you, Constable McPherson. You've inspired me man,
and perhaps you've saved your country too. Look here, mister you too,
less trait, of course, my best. Congratulations, Good day,
gentlemen, congratulations, good day. I hurried after him. He was,
as he's most typical, he's most excited, as he was at the climax
of all his great solutions. I could only marvel, could only share the
excitement of the extraordinary man by my side as we were ushered into the Great
House in Whitehall Terrace and waited for Lady Hilda Holmes. This is surely most
unfair and ungenerous of you. I implored you to keep our business relations a
secrets. Unfortunately, Lady Hilda, I had no possible alternative but to visit
you in pursuit of my commission from the Prime Minister. How do you mean
I know everything, Lady Hilda, I know of your visit to Eduardo Lucas
when you gave him that document. I know two of your ingenious return to
his room last night, and the device which you used to get the letter
back again from its hiding place under the rug. You're mad, mister Holmes.
No, lady Hilda, I have no wish to cause you pain or
to reproach you for your rash behavior. But the piceman on duty recognized you
from a photograph that I showed him. Oh yes, yes it's true.
Why did you take it? Madam? Quickly? Quickly? Is a time
is short? Let me a letter I wrote long ago when I was a
girl. It was all a misunderstanding, But if it had come into my
husband's hands, it would have broken his heart. Lucas got hild of that
somehow. Yes, I had no idea he was such a man. He'd
always seemed so charming. Then one day he told me that he had that
letter of mine, and then I could only have it back if I took
him in exchange a certain document from my husband's dispatch box la very one you
see on the desk there. Well, he said it was all quite harmless,
a kind of joke. I was nearly demented with fear. I took
an impression of the key, and Lucas had a duplicate made, and I
took the paper to his house. And what happened there, Lady Hilda,
It was like a horrible dream. As I went in, I saw a
woman watching the house, a strange dark woman. I gave Lucas the paper,
and he gave me my letter. Then there was a sound at the
door, and Lucas pulled back the rag and pushed the paper into a hiding
place there. And then the door burst open and the woman came in,
the one i'd seen outside. She was screaming something about at last I found
you with her. Oh. I ran out in a panic, and the
last I saw was that she snatched the dagger down from the wall and was
rushing at him like a wildcats. To Holmes, I can't go on.
You must, lady Hilda. I suppose you'll realize next day that the paper
was more important than you thought. Yes, yes, that was why I
came to you. I saw a ruin facing it, the whole world in
arms because of my selfishness. And then I thought that the Lucas did,
the paper would still be in its hiding place, and but you know how
I went to the house again last night and got it back by a tricked
someone's coming homes my husband, I know his dip. I can't face mister
Dolmes. Mister Holmes, what you like doing? Told your story? Well,
lady Hilda, quickly give me the letter and the key. Here it
is, thank you. Watson passed me the dispatch box. Yeah down among
the other papers, yes, deep down, good, good, Now we
are ready for him. Go quickly, lady Hilda, the other door there,
compose yourself. All will be well. Oh, Heaven, bless your
stones, Heaven, bless your bony. Olmes, My dear Holmes, that
was splended's plended? Oh, mister Holmes. They told me you were here.
What news have you? I have good news? What, Lord Bennings,
had you here? You mean you have the paper, mister Holmes,
Not yet, my lord, That is why I am here. What do
you mean? I'm not convinced, mister Hope, that the paper has ever
left this house at all, but it's impossible. If it had, it
would have been made public by this time. No, gentleman, it's still
here. I think you have my assurance that it left the box. Mister
Holmes. I'm not convinced even about sir. Come. This joking is ill
timed. It's unworthy of you. The box is there, hope it's easily
enough decided, mister Holmes, if you're joking on such an issue, will
never joke. Lord Bellinger, as doctor Watson will tell you thinking of surd
sports from road mellow, memorandum from bell Grain note from Madrid reportful Wait heaven't
my lord, my lord the blue envelope and the letter intact. It's inconceivable
and you're a sorcerer. Mister Holmes. How did you know it was there?
Because I knew it could be nowhere else. I must tell my wife,
Hilda, Hilda an idea. Ah well, mister Holmes. Oh,
mister Sherlock Holmes, there's more in this than meets the isiser. How did
it come there? How you must allow us, Sir, to keep our
little diplomatic secret. It's good day to you, my lord. I am
always at your service and at the service of my country. Come Watson.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, based on the original stories of Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle, have been dramatized on you with original music composed by Sydney Corch.
Sir Ralph Richardson played the part of Doctor Watson and Sir John Gilguod that of
Sherlock Holmes. The program was produced by Harry Allen Towers. Welcome back.
This has always been one of the tougher to swallow Sherlock Holmes fake hats.
I'm somewhat gratified that the Prime Minister doesn't sound like he buys it. But
what he cares about isn't what really happened, but that it got but that
it was returned and without falling into the wrong hands. Well, we do
turn a listener comments and feedback and appreciate Elwood who retweeted on Twitter episode nine
h six the Case of the Red Headed League, thank you so much for
doing that. And we also received some good reviews on the iTunes store of
our apps. They've been coming in pretty quick. Haven't actually seen them all
come in, you know, over the course of several days, and apparently
with the new version of the app, people really enjoying it all. Twelve
ratings received on the latest version of the apps or five stars, and some
of the reviews just really brief, wonderful app with excellent introductions by Adam Graham.
I use it every day. Excellent app, awesome podcast and app app.
I've been listening for the last two years and look forward each day to
a new radio show. Keep up the great work and excellent podcast and app.
Listen daily. Well, thanks so much for your positive comments. I'm
glad you're enjoying the app and hopefully all the little extras that were Addie out
there that will actually do it for today. We will be back on Friday.
I don't want to let you know if you do have the app of
the premium site. We are going to work on getting a theater Guild on
the air presentation of Hamlet with John yield Good in it. So I'll be
listening for that all right. Friday, we have Policewoman and then the conclusion
of the McCormick matter, and then join us back here next Thursday for Sherlock
Holmes. Follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives and be sure and fill out
our listeners survey surveyed doll Great Detectives dot net From Boise, Idaho. This
is your host, Adam Graham, signing off.