1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:05,839 Speaker 1: Cheating the gallows. They say that a union of opposites 2 00:00:05,919 --> 00:00:09,400 make the happiest marriage. And perhaps it is on the 3 00:00:09,439 --> 00:00:13,560 same principle that men who jump together are always so 4 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:18,120 oddly assorted. You shall find a man of letters sharing 5 00:00:18,199 --> 00:00:21,920 diggings with an auctioneer, and a medical student pigging a 6 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:28,039 stockbroker's clerk. Perhaps each thus escapes the temptation to talk 7 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:31,839 shop in his hours of leisure, while he supplements his 8 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:37,359 own experiences of life by his companions. There could not 9 00:00:37,399 --> 00:00:41,560 be an odd order couple than Tom Peters and Everett G. Rockstill. 10 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:45,799 The contrast began with their names and ran through the 11 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:50,119 entire chapter. They had a bedroom and a sitting room 12 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:53,159 in common, but it would not be easy to find 13 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:59,280 what else to his landlady worthy missus seekin. Tom Peters's 14 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:04,640 profession was little wig, But everybody knew that Rockstille was 15 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:08,000 the manager of the City and Suburban bank, and it 16 00:01:08,079 --> 00:01:11,879 puzzled her to think why a bank manager should live 17 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:15,439 with such a seedy looking person who smoked clay pipes 18 00:01:15,799 --> 00:01:19,120 and sipped whisky and water all evening when he was 19 00:01:19,159 --> 00:01:24,400 at home. For Rockstill was as spruce and erect as 20 00:01:24,439 --> 00:01:29,040 his fellow Lodger was round shouldered and shabby. He never smoked, 21 00:01:29,519 --> 00:01:32,519 and he confined himself to a small class of claret 22 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:37,400 at dinner. It is possible to live with a man 23 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:40,920 and see very little of him. Where each of the 24 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:44,599 partners lives his own life in his own way, with 25 00:01:44,719 --> 00:01:49,040 his own circle of friends and external amusements, days may 26 00:01:49,079 --> 00:01:54,280 go by without the men having five minutes together. Perhaps 27 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:58,040 this explains why these partnerships jog along so much more 28 00:01:58,079 --> 00:02:01,680 peacefully than marriages, where the chain is drawn so much 29 00:02:01,719 --> 00:02:07,680 tighter and galls the partners rather than links them diverse. However, 30 00:02:08,159 --> 00:02:11,199 as were the hours and habits of the chums, they 31 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:15,879 often breakfasted together, and they agreed in one thing. They 32 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:21,319 never stayed out at night for the rest. Peters sought 33 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:25,639 his diversions in the company of journalists and frequented debating rooms, 34 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:30,919 where he propounded the more iconoclastic views, while rockstill had 35 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:35,840 highly respectable houses open to him in the suburbs, and 36 00:02:36,039 --> 00:02:39,599 was in fact engaged to be married to Clara Nowell, 37 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:44,080 the charming daughter of a retired corn merchant. A widower 38 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:48,960 with no other child, Clara naturally took up a good 39 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,319 deal of Roxtelle's time, and he often dressed to go 40 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:55,360 to the play with her, while Peters stayed at home 41 00:02:55,439 --> 00:02:59,879 in a faded dressing gown and loose slippers. Missus Seekin 42 00:03:00,159 --> 00:03:02,719 liked to see gentlemen about the house and evening dress, 43 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:08,800 and made comparisons not favorable to Peters, and this in 44 00:03:08,879 --> 00:03:12,199 spite of the fact that he gave her infinitely less 45 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:16,520 trouble than the younger man. It was Peters who first 46 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:20,039 took the apartments, and it was characteristic of his easy 47 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:24,919 going temperament that he was so openly and naively delighted 48 00:03:25,159 --> 00:03:27,840 with a view of the Thames obtainable from the bedroom 49 00:03:27,879 --> 00:03:32,599 window that Missus Seekin was emboldened to ask twenty five 50 00:03:32,719 --> 00:03:37,719 cent more than she had intended. She soon returned to 51 00:03:37,759 --> 00:03:41,400 her normal terms. However, when his friend Rockstoe called the 52 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:45,520 next day to inspect the rooms and overwhelmed her with 53 00:03:45,599 --> 00:03:51,879 a demonstration of their numerous shortcomings. He pointed out that 54 00:03:51,919 --> 00:03:54,479 their being on the ground floor was not an advantage 55 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:58,000 but a disadvantage, since they were nearer to the noises 56 00:03:58,039 --> 00:04:01,719 of the street. In fact, the house being a corner 57 00:04:01,759 --> 00:04:07,560 one the noises of two streets. Rockstal continued to exhibit 58 00:04:07,599 --> 00:04:11,120 the same finicking temperament in the petty details of the 59 00:04:11,159 --> 00:04:17,000 minaj His shirt fronts was never sufficiently starched, nor his 60 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:23,399 boots sufficiently polished. Tom Peters, having no regard for rigid linen, 61 00:04:23,959 --> 00:04:28,240 was always good tempered and satisfied, and never acquired the 62 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:32,720 respect of his landlady. He wore blue check shirts and 63 00:04:32,759 --> 00:04:37,439 loose ties. Even on Sundays. It is true he did 64 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:41,399 not go to church, but slept on till Rockstal returning 65 00:04:41,439 --> 00:04:45,560 from the morning service, and even then it was difficult 66 00:04:45,639 --> 00:04:48,279 to get him out of bed or to make him 67 00:04:48,319 --> 00:04:53,120 hurry up his toilet operations. Often the midday meal would 68 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:56,079 be smoking on the table while Peters would smoke in 69 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:59,720 the bed, and rockstill with his head thrust through the 70 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:02,680 fold doors that separated the bedroom from the sitting room, 71 00:05:03,199 --> 00:05:05,959 would be adjuring the sluggard to our eyes and shake 72 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:09,439 off his slumbers, and threatening to sit down without him 73 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:14,519 lest the dinner be spoilt. In revenge, Tom was usually 74 00:05:14,639 --> 00:05:19,040 up first on week days, sometimes at such unearthly hours 75 00:05:19,639 --> 00:05:22,120 that Polly had not yet removed the boots from the 76 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:25,480 outside the bedroom door, and would bawl down to the 77 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:31,120 kitchen for a shaving water for Tom. Lazy and indolent, 78 00:05:31,199 --> 00:05:35,000 as he was shaved with an unfailing regularity of a 79 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:39,720 man to whom shaving had become an instinct. If he 80 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:43,319 had not kept fairly regular hours, Missus Seekin would have 81 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:47,079 set him down as an actor. So clean shaven was he, 82 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:52,720 Rockstill did not shave. He wore a full beard, and, 83 00:05:52,879 --> 00:05:55,600 being a fine figure of a man to boot, no 84 00:05:55,759 --> 00:06:00,480 uneasy investor could look upon him without being reassured as 85 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:03,600 to the stability of the bank he managed so successfully, 86 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:09,079 and thus the two men lived in an economical comradeship, 87 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:15,680 all the firmer, perhaps for their mutual incongruities. It was 88 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:18,680 on a Sunday afternoon in the middle of October, ten 89 00:06:18,759 --> 00:06:22,199 days after Rockstill had settled in his new rooms, that 90 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:26,480 Clara Nowell paid her first visit to him. There, she 91 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:29,399 enjoyed a good deal of liberty and did not mind 92 00:06:29,439 --> 00:06:35,759 accepting his invitation to tea. The corn merchant, himself indifferently educated, 93 00:06:36,399 --> 00:06:40,319 had an exaggerated sense of the value of culture, and 94 00:06:40,399 --> 00:06:44,639 so Clara, who had artistic tastes, thought much actual talent 95 00:06:45,399 --> 00:06:48,959 had gone in for painting and might be seen in 96 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:54,399 pretty toilettes copying pictures in the museum. At one time 97 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:57,560 it looked as if she might be reduced to working 98 00:06:57,639 --> 00:07:01,839 seriously at her art. For Satan, who finds mischief still 99 00:07:01,879 --> 00:07:05,600 for idle hands to do, had persuaded her father to 100 00:07:05,639 --> 00:07:10,279 embark the fruits of years of toil in bubble companies. However, 101 00:07:10,839 --> 00:07:13,800 things turned out not so bad as they might have been. 102 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:17,199 A little was saved from the wreck, and the appearance 103 00:07:17,199 --> 00:07:20,759 of a suitor in the person of Everett J. Rockstall, 104 00:07:21,759 --> 00:07:25,240 ensured her a future of competence, if not of the 105 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:29,680 luxury she had been entitled to expect. She had a 106 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:33,639 good deal of affection for Everett, who was unmistakably a 107 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:38,040 clever man as well as a good looking one. The 108 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:44,360 prospect seemed fair and cloudless. Nothing presaged the terrible storm 109 00:07:44,439 --> 00:07:48,240 that was about to break over these two lives. Nothing 110 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:51,079 had ever, for a moment come to vex their mutual 111 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:57,319 contentment till this Sunday afternoon. The October sky, blue and 112 00:07:57,439 --> 00:08:01,839 sunny with an Indian summer sultriness, seemed an exact image 113 00:08:01,839 --> 00:08:05,439 of a life with its aftermath, of a happiness that 114 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:11,560 had once seemed blighted. Everard had always been so attentive, 115 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:16,519 so solicious that she was much surprised as chagrined to 116 00:08:16,639 --> 00:08:21,480 find that he had apparently forgotten the appointment. Hearing her 117 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:25,680 astonished interrogation of Pollyine the passage, Tom shambled from the 118 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:28,959 sitting room in his loose slippers and his blue check shirt, 119 00:08:29,399 --> 00:08:33,360 with his eternal clay pipe in his mouth, and informed 120 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:37,519 her that Rockstall had gone out suddenly earlier in the afternoon. 121 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:45,039 Gone out, stammered poor Clara, all confused. But he asked 122 00:08:45,039 --> 00:08:51,080 me to come to tea. Oh you, miss Noel, I suppose, 123 00:08:51,399 --> 00:08:56,519 said Tom. Yes, I am Miss Noell. He has told 124 00:08:56,600 --> 00:08:59,440 me a great deal about you. But I wasn't able 125 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:04,799 honestly to congratulate him on his choice till now. Clara 126 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:08,480 blushed uneasily under the compliment and under the ardor of 127 00:09:08,519 --> 00:09:14,600 his admiring gaze. Instinctively she distrusted the man. The very 128 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:18,120 first tone of his deep bass voice gave her a 129 00:09:18,159 --> 00:09:22,679 peculiar shudder, and then his impoliteness in smoking that wild 130 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:28,759 clay was so gratuous. Oh then you must be mister Peters, 131 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:32,320 she said. In return. He has often spoken to me 132 00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:38,000 of you, ah, said Tom, laughingly. I suppose he told 133 00:09:38,039 --> 00:09:41,080 you all my wisest her had accounts for. You are 134 00:09:41,159 --> 00:09:46,320 not being surprised at my Sunday attire. She smiled a little, 135 00:09:46,679 --> 00:09:51,080 showing a row of pearly teeth. Everett ascribes to you 136 00:09:51,279 --> 00:09:55,879 all the virtues, she said. Now that's what I call 137 00:09:55,919 --> 00:10:01,080 a friend. He cried ecstatically. But won't you come He 138 00:10:01,159 --> 00:10:04,279 must be back in a moment. He surely would not 139 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:09,759 break an appointment with you. The admiration latent in the 140 00:10:09,799 --> 00:10:15,559 accentuation of the last pronoun was almost offensive. She shook 141 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:20,519 her head. She had a just grievance against Everard and 142 00:10:20,559 --> 00:10:26,240 would punish him by going away indignantly. Do let me 143 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:29,840 give you a cup of tea, Tom pleaded. You must 144 00:10:29,879 --> 00:10:34,200 be awfully thirsty this sultry weather. There. I'll make a 145 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:37,879 bargain with you if you will come in now. I 146 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:42,039 promise to clear out the moment Everard returns, and not 147 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:47,720 spoil your tete a tete. But Clara was obstinate. She 148 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:51,720 did not at all relish this man's society, and besides, 149 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:55,240 she was not going to throw away her grievance against Everard. 150 00:10:57,320 --> 00:11:00,519 I know Everard will slang me dreadfully when he comes in. 151 00:11:01,039 --> 00:11:04,559 If I let you go, Tom urged, tell me at 152 00:11:04,639 --> 00:11:09,559 least where he can find you. I'm going to take 153 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:13,159 the bus at Charing Cross and I'm going straight home, 154 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:18,080 Clara announced determinedly. She put up a parasol in a 155 00:11:18,159 --> 00:11:22,960 pet and went up the street into the strand. A 156 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:26,639 cold shadow seemed to have fallen over all things. But 157 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:30,080 just as she was getting into the bus, a handsome 158 00:11:30,159 --> 00:11:34,039 dashed down Trafalgar Square, and a well known voice hailed her. 159 00:11:35,159 --> 00:11:38,519 The hansom stopped, and Everett got out and held out 160 00:11:38,559 --> 00:11:44,000 his hand. I'm so glad you're a bit late, he said, 161 00:11:44,919 --> 00:11:48,360 I was called out unexpectedly, and having been trying to 162 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:51,919 rush back in time. You wouldn't have found me if 163 00:11:51,919 --> 00:11:55,679 you had been punctual. But I thought, he added, laughingly, 164 00:11:56,200 --> 00:12:01,200 now I could rely on you as a woman. I 165 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:05,919 was punctual, Clara said angrily. I was not getting out 166 00:12:05,919 --> 00:12:09,039 of this puss, as you seemed to imagine, but into it, 167 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:14,799 and was going home, my darling, He cried remorsefully a 168 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:20,120 thousand apologies. The regret on his handsome face soothed her. 169 00:12:21,159 --> 00:12:23,320 He took the rose he was wearing in the buttonhole 170 00:12:23,399 --> 00:12:26,360 of his fashionably cut coat and gave it to her. 171 00:12:28,159 --> 00:12:31,120 Why were you so cruel? He murmured, as she nestled 172 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:34,919 against him in the hansom, Think of my despair. If 173 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:38,000 I had come home to hear you had come and gone, 174 00:12:38,279 --> 00:12:43,399 Why didn't you wait? A moment a shudder traversed her fame. 175 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:50,080 Not with that man Peters, she murmured, Not with that 176 00:12:50,159 --> 00:12:55,360 man Peters, he echoed, sharply, What is the matter with Peters? 177 00:12:56,879 --> 00:13:02,080 I don't know, she said. I don't like him, Clara, 178 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:06,559 he said, half sternly, half cajolingly. I thought you were 179 00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:11,000 above these feminine weaknesses. You are punctual, strive also to 180 00:13:11,039 --> 00:13:16,080 be reasonable. Tom is my best friend from boyhood. We 181 00:13:16,159 --> 00:13:19,720 have been always together. There is nothing Tom would not 182 00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:24,360 do for me or I for Tom. You must like him, Clara, 183 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:31,320 You must, if only for my sake, I'll try, Clara promised, 184 00:13:32,039 --> 00:13:34,639 and then he kissed her in gratitude and broad daylight. 185 00:13:37,399 --> 00:13:39,519 You'll be very nice to him at tea, won't you? 186 00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:43,600 He said, anxiously. I shouldn't like you two to be 187 00:13:43,679 --> 00:13:49,320 bad friends. I don't want to be bad friends, Clara protested. 188 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:53,480 Only the moment I saw him, a strange repulsion and 189 00:13:53,559 --> 00:13:58,759 mistrust came over me. You're quite wrong about him, quite wrong, 190 00:13:59,159 --> 00:14:03,519 he shut her. When you know him better, you'll find 191 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:07,519 him the best of fellows. Oh I know, he said suddenly, 192 00:14:09,159 --> 00:14:12,679 I suppose he was very untidy A you women goes 193 00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:18,919 so much by appearances, not at all, Clara retorted, it's 194 00:14:19,039 --> 00:14:23,840 you men who go by appearances. Yes, you do. That's 195 00:14:23,879 --> 00:14:28,200 why you care for me, he said, smiling. She assured 196 00:14:28,279 --> 00:14:31,240 him it wasn't, and she didn't care for him so 197 00:14:31,360 --> 00:14:36,200 much as he plumed himself. But he smiled on his 198 00:14:36,279 --> 00:14:39,519 smile died away. However, when he entered his rooms and 199 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:44,720 found Tom nowhere, I dare say you've made him run 200 00:14:44,759 --> 00:14:49,600 about hunting for me, he grumbled. Perhaps he knew I'd 201 00:14:49,639 --> 00:14:53,399 come back and went away to leave us together, she answered, 202 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:59,600 He said he would when you came. And yet you 203 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:07,120 say you don't like him, She smiled reassuringly. Inwardly, however, 204 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:12,840 she felt pleased at the men's man's absence. If Clara 205 00:15:12,879 --> 00:15:15,799 Novell could have seen Tom Peters carrying on with Polly 206 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:18,919 in the passage, she might have felt justified in her 207 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:24,240 prejudice against him. It must be confessed, though, that Everard 208 00:15:24,639 --> 00:15:28,919 also carried on with Polly. Alas it is to be 209 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:32,840 feared that men are much of a muchness where women 210 00:15:32,879 --> 00:15:39,000 are concerned shabby men and smart men, bank managers and journalists, 211 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:45,559 bachelors and semi detached to bachelors. Perhaps it was a mistake, 212 00:15:45,639 --> 00:15:48,399 after all to say that the chums had nothing patently 213 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:53,960 in common. Everard, I'm afraid, kissed Polly rather more often 214 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:58,559 than Clara, and although it was because he respected her less, 215 00:15:59,279 --> 00:16:03,320 the reason would perhaps not have been sufficiently consoling to 216 00:16:03,440 --> 00:16:08,799 his affianced wife. For Polly was pretty, especially on alternate 217 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:12,519 Sunday afternoons, and when at ten pm she returned from 218 00:16:12,519 --> 00:16:16,000 her routings, she was generally met in the passage by 219 00:16:16,039 --> 00:16:20,120 one or other of the men. Polly liked to receive 220 00:16:20,240 --> 00:16:24,039 homage of real gentlemen, and said a white cap at 221 00:16:24,039 --> 00:16:29,559 all indifferently. Thus, just before Clara knocked on the memorable 222 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:34,440 Sunday afternoon, Polly, was being confined to the house by 223 00:16:34,559 --> 00:16:39,159 unwritten code regulating the lives of servants, was amusing herself 224 00:16:39,159 --> 00:16:44,480 by flirting with Peters. You are fond of me a 225 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:50,679 little bit, the graceless Tom whispered, aren't you you know 226 00:16:50,759 --> 00:16:55,200 I am? Sir? Polly replied, you don't care for anyone 227 00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:59,320 else in the house, Oh no, sir, and never let 228 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:03,559 anyone kiss me but you. I wonder how it is, sir, 229 00:17:04,599 --> 00:17:10,640 Polly replied, ingenuously, Give me another. Tom answered, She gave 230 00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:14,359 him another, and tripped to the door to answer Clara's knock, 231 00:17:16,599 --> 00:17:19,920 And that very evening, when Clara was gone and Tom 232 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:24,799 still out, Polly turned, without the faintest atom of scrupulosity 233 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:30,000 or even jealousy, to the more fascinating rock star and 234 00:17:30,119 --> 00:17:35,079 accepted his amorous advances. If it would seem at first 235 00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:38,119 sight that Everett had less excuse for such frivility than 236 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:42,119 his friend, perhaps the seriousness he showed in this interview 237 00:17:42,599 --> 00:17:45,440 may throw a different light upon the complex character of 238 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:50,319 the man. You're quite sure you don't care for anyone 239 00:17:50,359 --> 00:17:56,799 but me, he asked, earnestly. Of course not, sir, Polly replied, indignantly. 240 00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:01,559 How could I but you care for that soldier I 241 00:18:01,599 --> 00:18:05,759 saw you out with last Sunday. Oh no, sir, he's 242 00:18:05,839 --> 00:18:10,759 only my young man, she said, apologetically. Would you give 243 00:18:10,799 --> 00:18:16,200 him up? He hearsed. Suddenly, Polly's pretty face took a 244 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:21,559 look of terror. I couldn't, sir, He'll kill me. He's 245 00:18:21,599 --> 00:18:27,400 such a jealous brute, you've no idea. Yes, but suppose 246 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:31,599 I took you away from here, he whispered, eagerly, somewhere 247 00:18:32,039 --> 00:18:37,559 he couldn't find you. South America, Africa, somewhere thousands of 248 00:18:37,559 --> 00:18:45,240 miles across the sea. Oh, sir, you've frightened me, whispered Polly, 249 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:49,400 cowering before his ardent eyes, which shone in the dimly 250 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:54,839 lit passage. Would you come with me, he hissed. She 251 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:59,000 did not answer. She shook herself free and ran into 252 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:05,160 the kitchen, trembling with a vague fear. One morning earlier 253 00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:09,359 than his earliest hour of demanding a shaving water, Tom 254 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:13,440 rang the bell violently and asked the alarmed Polly what 255 00:19:13,599 --> 00:19:18,000 had become of mister Rockstill, how should I know, sir? 256 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:25,119 She gasped. Ain't he been in? Sir? Apparently not? Tom 257 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:30,079 answered anxiously, He never remains out. We have been here 258 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:33,480 for three weeks now, and I can't recall a single night. 259 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:39,359 He hadn't been home before twelve. I can't make it out. 260 00:19:40,079 --> 00:19:44,240 All inquiries proved futile. Missus Seekin reminded him of the 261 00:19:44,279 --> 00:19:46,920 thick fog that had come on suddenly the night before. 262 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:55,400 What fog asked Tom, lord, didn't you notice it, sir? No. 263 00:19:56,519 --> 00:19:59,839 I came in early, smout read and went to bed 264 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:03,680 about eleven. I never thought of looking out the window. 265 00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:10,400 It began about ten, said missus, seekin and got thicker 266 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:13,519 and thicker. I couldn't see the lights of the river 267 00:20:13,599 --> 00:20:17,759 from my bedroom. The poor gentleman has been and gone 268 00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:24,759 and walked into the water. She began to whimper. Nonsense, nonsense, 269 00:20:25,119 --> 00:20:30,680 said Tom, though his expression bellied his words. At the worst, 270 00:20:30,759 --> 00:20:33,720 I should think he couldn't find his way home and 271 00:20:33,799 --> 00:20:36,359 couldn't get a cab, so put up for the night 272 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:39,799 at some hotel. I dare say it'll be all right. 273 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:46,920 He began to whistle, as if in restored cheerfulness. At 274 00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:51,400 eight o'clock there came a letter from rockstill marked immediate, 275 00:20:52,599 --> 00:20:55,359 But as he did not turn up for breakfast, Tom 276 00:20:55,400 --> 00:20:59,480 went round personally to the City in Suburban Bank. He 277 00:20:59,559 --> 00:21:02,359 waited half an hour there, but the manager did not 278 00:21:02,480 --> 00:21:05,720 make his appearance. Then he left the letter with the 279 00:21:05,759 --> 00:21:12,119 cashier and went away with anxious countenance. That afternoon it 280 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:14,720 was all over London that the manager of the City 281 00:21:14,799 --> 00:21:19,440 in Suburban had disappeared, and that many thousands pounds of 282 00:21:19,519 --> 00:21:25,519 gold and notes had disappeared with him. Scotland. Gayard opened 283 00:21:25,519 --> 00:21:29,680 the letter marked immediate, and noted that there had been 284 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:33,039 a delay in its delivery, for the address had been 285 00:21:33,079 --> 00:21:37,960 obscure and an official alteration had been made. It was 286 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:42,920 written in feminine hand and said, on second thoughts, I 287 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:46,680 cannot accompany you. Do not try to see me again, 288 00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:53,039 forget me. I shall never forget you. There was no signature. 289 00:21:54,960 --> 00:22:01,440 Clara Novelle distracted, disclaimed all knowledge of this letter. Polly deposed, 290 00:22:01,839 --> 00:22:05,359 and the fugitive had proposed a flight to her, and 291 00:22:05,440 --> 00:22:09,200 the routes to Africa and South America were especially watched. 292 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:16,759 Some months passed without result. Tom Peters went about, overwhelmed 293 00:22:16,759 --> 00:22:21,880 with grief and astonishment. The police took possession of all 294 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:28,440 the missing man's effects. Gradually the hue and cry dwindled, died. 295 00:22:31,119 --> 00:22:34,720 At last, we meet, cried Tom Peters, with his face 296 00:22:34,759 --> 00:22:38,440 lit up in joy. How are you, dear Miss novel 297 00:22:40,559 --> 00:22:44,960 Clara greeted him coldly. Her face had an abiding pallor. 298 00:22:45,079 --> 00:22:49,559 Now her lover's flight and the shame had prostrated her 299 00:22:49,599 --> 00:22:55,240 for weeks. Her soul was the arena of contending instincts, 300 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:59,720 alone of all the world. She still believed in Everett's innocence, 301 00:23:00,799 --> 00:23:05,119 felt that there was something more than met the eye divined, 302 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:10,279 some devilish mystery behind it all. And yet that damning 303 00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:15,839 letter from the anonymous lady shook her sadly. Then, too, 304 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:20,640 there was the deposition of Polly. When she heard Peter's 305 00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:26,440 voice accosting her, all her old repugnance researched. It flashed 306 00:23:26,519 --> 00:23:31,440 upon her that this man Roxstall's boon companion must know 307 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:36,200 far more than he had told to the police. She remembered, however, 308 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:39,720 it had spoken of him with what affection and confidence? 309 00:23:41,359 --> 00:23:46,160 Was it likely he was utterly ignorant of Everett's movements. 310 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:53,200 Mastering her repugnance, she held out her hand. It might 311 00:23:53,279 --> 00:23:55,920 be well to keep in touch with him. He was 312 00:23:56,000 --> 00:24:00,799 possibly the clue to the mystery. She noticed that he 313 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:05,240 was dressed a shade more trimly and was smoking a meercham. 314 00:24:07,039 --> 00:24:10,480 He walked alongside her and made no offer to put 315 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:17,440 his pipe out. Have you not heard from Everard, he asked? 316 00:24:18,319 --> 00:24:22,319 She flushed. Do you think I am an accessory? After 317 00:24:22,359 --> 00:24:28,240 the fact, she cried no, No, he said, soothingly, pardon me. 318 00:24:29,079 --> 00:24:32,960 I was thinking he might have written, giving no exact address. 319 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:36,880 Of course men do sometimes dare to write to touch 320 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:41,160 to woman. But of course he knows you too well. 321 00:24:42,279 --> 00:24:46,039 You would have put the police on his tracks, certainly, 322 00:24:46,599 --> 00:24:51,400 she exclaimed indignantly. Even if he is innocent, he must 323 00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:57,279 face the charge. Do you still entertain the possibility of 324 00:24:57,359 --> 00:25:02,920 his innocence? I do, she said boldly, and looked him 325 00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:06,960 full in the face. His eyelids drooped with a quiver. 326 00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:15,720 Don't you I have hoped against hope, he replied, in 327 00:25:15,759 --> 00:25:21,559 a voice faltering with emotion, poor old Everard. But I'm 328 00:25:21,599 --> 00:25:26,039 afraid there is no room for doubt. Oh, this wicked 329 00:25:26,119 --> 00:25:30,720 curse of money tempting the noblest and the best of us. 330 00:25:32,799 --> 00:25:37,640 The weeks rolled on, Gradually she found herself seeing more 331 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:41,880 and more of Tom Peter's and gradually, strange to say, 332 00:25:42,680 --> 00:25:47,559 he grew less repulsive from the talks they had together. 333 00:25:48,279 --> 00:25:51,359 She began to see there was really no reason to 334 00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:57,440 put faith in Everard. His criminality, his faithlessness were too flagrant. 335 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:03,079 Gradually she grew ashamed of her early mistrust of Peter's 336 00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:10,359 remorse bred esteem, and esteem ultimately ripened into feelings so 337 00:26:10,559 --> 00:26:15,519 warm that Tom gave Frere went to the love that 338 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:18,880 had been visible to Clara from the first, she did 339 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:24,200 not repulse him. It is only in books that love 340 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:29,799 lives for ever. Clara, so her father thought, showed herself 341 00:26:29,799 --> 00:26:33,599 a sensible girl in plucking out an unworthy affection and 342 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:38,000 casting it from her heart. He invited the new lover 343 00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:42,839 to his house and took to him at once. Rockstill's 344 00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:47,920 somewhat supercilous manner had always charged jarred upon the unsophisticated 345 00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:52,880 corn merchant. With Tom, the old man got on much better. 346 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:58,400 While evidently quite as well informed and cultured as his 347 00:26:58,559 --> 00:27:03,279 Wilhelm friend, Tom knew how to impart his superior knowledge, 348 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:07,359 with the accent on the knowledge rather than on the superiority, 349 00:27:08,759 --> 00:27:12,039 while he had the air of gaining much information in return, 350 00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:16,920 those who were most conscious of defects of earn early 351 00:27:17,079 --> 00:27:23,559 education are most resentful of other people sharing their consciousness. Moreover, 352 00:27:24,319 --> 00:27:28,240 Tom's bonhamy was far more to the old fellow's liking 353 00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:33,480 than the studied politeness of his predecessor, so that on 354 00:27:33,599 --> 00:27:36,559 the whole Tom met more of a conquest of the 355 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:42,279 father than of the daughter. Nevertheless, Clara was by no 356 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:47,519 means unresponsive to Tom's affection and when after one of 357 00:27:47,559 --> 00:27:50,720 his visits to the house, the old man kissed her 358 00:27:50,759 --> 00:27:54,119 fondly and spoke of the happy turn of things had taken, 359 00:27:54,799 --> 00:27:58,759 and how for the second time in their lives things 360 00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:03,559 had mended when they seemed at their blackest. Her heart 361 00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:07,400 swelled with a gush of gratitude and joy and tenderness, 362 00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:14,039 and she felt sobbing into her father's arms. Tom calculated 363 00:28:14,519 --> 00:28:16,599 that he had made a clear five hundred a year 364 00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:22,440 by occasional journalism, besides possessing some profitable investments which he 365 00:28:22,480 --> 00:28:25,880 had inherited from his mother, so that there was no 366 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:31,039 reason for delaying the marriage. It was fixed for May day, 367 00:28:31,839 --> 00:28:36,720 and the honeymoon was to be spent in Italy. But 368 00:28:36,839 --> 00:28:40,680 Clara was not destined to happiness. For the moment she 369 00:28:40,759 --> 00:28:44,519 had promised herself, her first love's old memories began to 370 00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:49,200 rise up and reproach her. Strange thoughts stirred in the 371 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:52,480 depths of her soul, and in the silent watches of 372 00:28:52,519 --> 00:28:56,680 the night she seemed to hear Evrett's accents, charred with 373 00:28:56,799 --> 00:29:03,119 grief and upbraiding. Her uneasiness increased as her wedding day 374 00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:09,200 drew nearer. One night, after a pleasant afternoon spent in 375 00:29:09,279 --> 00:29:12,559 being rowed by Tom among the upper reaches of the Thames. 376 00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:18,200 She retired to rest, full of vague forebodings, and she 377 00:29:18,319 --> 00:29:23,359 dreamt a terrible drain. The dripping form of Everard stood 378 00:29:23,359 --> 00:29:29,440 by her bedside, staring at her with ghastly eyes. Had 379 00:29:29,480 --> 00:29:32,119 he been drowned on the passage to his land of exile? 380 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:39,599 Frozen with horror, she put the question, I have never 381 00:29:39,759 --> 00:29:44,720 left England. The vision answered her, tongue clove to the 382 00:29:44,799 --> 00:29:50,559 roof of her mouth. Never left England, she repeated, in 383 00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:54,920 tones which did not seem to be hers. The great, 384 00:29:55,000 --> 00:30:00,200 stony eyes stared on her, but there was silence. Where 385 00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:04,480 have you been? Then, she asked in her dream? Very 386 00:30:04,559 --> 00:30:09,440 near you came the answer, there has been foul play. 387 00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:14,680 Then she shrieked. The phantom shook its head in doleful ascent. 388 00:30:16,160 --> 00:30:21,200 I knew it, she shrieked, Tom Peters, Tom Peters had 389 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:27,839 done away with you? Is it not he speak? Yes, 390 00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:33,240 it is he Tom Peters, whom I loved more than 391 00:30:33,319 --> 00:30:38,839 all the world. Even in the terrible oppression of the dream, 392 00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:43,559 she could not resist saying, woman like, did I not 393 00:30:43,839 --> 00:30:49,160 warn you against him? The phantom stared on silently and 394 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:54,400 made no reply. But what was his motive? She asked 395 00:30:54,400 --> 00:31:00,680 at length, love of gold and you and you are 396 00:31:00,799 --> 00:31:06,039 giving yourself to him? It said sternly, No, no, Everett, 397 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:10,640 I will not, I will not. I swear it, forgive me. 398 00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:18,720 The spirit shook its head skeptically. You love him? Women 399 00:31:18,799 --> 00:31:25,079 are false as false as men. She trove, strove to 400 00:31:25,119 --> 00:31:31,039 protest again, but her tongue refused its office. If you 401 00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:37,559 marry him, I shall always be with you. Where the 402 00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:41,720 dripping figure vanished as suddenly as it came, and Clara 403 00:31:41,799 --> 00:31:48,119 awoke in cold perspiration. Oh, it was horrible. The man 404 00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:51,440 she had learnt to do love, the murderer of the 405 00:31:51,519 --> 00:31:56,240 man she had learned to forget. How her original prejudice 406 00:31:56,279 --> 00:32:02,640 had been justified. Distracted shaken to her debts, she would 407 00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:06,240 not take counsel, even of her father, but informed the 408 00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:10,519 police of her suspicion. A raid was made on Tom's 409 00:32:10,599 --> 00:32:14,720 rooms and lo the stolen notes were discovered in a 410 00:32:14,799 --> 00:32:20,200 huge bundle. It was found that he had several banking accounts, 411 00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:25,400 with a large recently paid amount in each bank. Tom 412 00:32:25,839 --> 00:32:30,880 was arrested. Attention was now concentrated on the corpses washed 413 00:32:30,960 --> 00:32:34,279 up by the river. It was not long before the 414 00:32:34,279 --> 00:32:38,720 body of Rockstill came to shore, the face distorted almost 415 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:44,079 beyond recognition by long immersion by the clothes patently his 416 00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:48,599 and a pocket book in the breast pocket, removing the 417 00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:53,839 last doubt. Missus Seekin and Polly and Clara Novell all 418 00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:58,680 identified the body. Both juries returned a verdict of murder 419 00:32:58,759 --> 00:33:03,119 against Tom Peters, the recital of Clara's dream producing a 420 00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:08,559 unique impression in the court and throughout the country. The 421 00:33:08,559 --> 00:33:12,839 theory of the prosecution was that Rockstall had brought home money, 422 00:33:13,599 --> 00:33:16,920 whether to fly alone or to divide it, or whether 423 00:33:17,039 --> 00:33:21,400 even for some innocent purpose, as Clara believed was immaterial, 424 00:33:22,799 --> 00:33:25,799 that Peters determined to have it all, and that he 425 00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:28,720 had gone out for a walk with the deceased, and, 426 00:33:28,880 --> 00:33:32,160 taking advantage of the fog, had pushed him into the river, 427 00:33:33,119 --> 00:33:35,480 and that he was further impelled to the crime by 428 00:33:35,519 --> 00:33:40,160 love for Clara Novelle, as was evident from his subsequent 429 00:33:40,200 --> 00:33:45,279 relations with her. The judge put on the black cap. 430 00:33:46,559 --> 00:33:50,000 Tom Peters was duly hung by the neck till he 431 00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:58,000 was dead. Brief resume of the culprit's confession. When you 432 00:33:58,079 --> 00:34:00,839 all read this, I shall be dead and laughing at you. 433 00:34:02,519 --> 00:34:07,720 I have been hung for my own murder. I am 434 00:34:07,799 --> 00:34:14,239 evere G Rockstill I am also Tom Peters. We two 435 00:34:14,440 --> 00:34:19,000 were one. When I was a young man. My mustache 436 00:34:19,039 --> 00:34:23,320 and beard wouldn't come. I bought false ones to improve 437 00:34:23,360 --> 00:34:28,280 my appearance. One day, after I had become manager of 438 00:34:28,320 --> 00:34:31,320 the city in the suburban Bank, I took off my 439 00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:35,239 beard in mustache at home, and then the thought crossed 440 00:34:35,239 --> 00:34:39,920 my mind that nobody would know me without them, I 441 00:34:40,119 --> 00:34:46,039 was another man. Instantly it flashed upon me that if 442 00:34:46,079 --> 00:34:49,039 I ran away from the bank, that the other man 443 00:34:49,079 --> 00:34:53,079 could be left in London while the police were scoring 444 00:34:53,079 --> 00:34:57,599 the world for a non existent fugitive. But this was 445 00:34:57,639 --> 00:35:02,559 only the crude germ of the idea. Slowly I matured 446 00:35:02,599 --> 00:35:06,119 my plan. The man who was going to be left 447 00:35:06,159 --> 00:35:10,440 in London must be known to a circle of acquaintance beforehand. 448 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:13,719 It would be easy enough to masquerade in the evenings 449 00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:17,559 in my beardless condition, with the other disguise of dress 450 00:35:17,599 --> 00:35:24,079 and voice. But this was not brilliant enough. I conceived 451 00:35:24,119 --> 00:35:28,280 the idea of living with him. It was box and 452 00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:34,199 Cox reversed. We shared the rooms at missus Seekin's. It 453 00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:37,239 was a great strain, but it was only for a 454 00:35:37,280 --> 00:35:42,119 few weeks. I had trick clothes in my bedroom, like 455 00:35:42,199 --> 00:35:46,599 those of quick change artists. In a moment, I could 456 00:35:46,639 --> 00:35:50,320 pass from Rockstill to Peters, and from Peter's to Rockstill. 457 00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:54,360 Polly had to clean two pairs of boots a morning, 458 00:35:55,039 --> 00:35:59,199 cook two dinners, et cetera, et cetera. She and missus 459 00:35:59,199 --> 00:36:03,719 Seekin saw one or other of us every moment. It 460 00:36:03,840 --> 00:36:07,920 never dawned upon them. They never saw us both together. 461 00:36:09,880 --> 00:36:13,199 At meals, I would not be interrupted, ate off two 462 00:36:13,280 --> 00:36:18,840 plates and conversed with my friends in loud tones. At 463 00:36:18,880 --> 00:36:24,239 other times we dined at different hours. On Sundays, he 464 00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:27,159 was supposed to be asleep when I was in church. 465 00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:31,599 There is no landlady in the world to whom the 466 00:36:31,719 --> 00:36:35,320 idea would have occurred that one man was troubling himself 467 00:36:35,360 --> 00:36:39,119 to be two and to pay for two, including washing. 468 00:36:41,239 --> 00:36:45,000 I worked up the idea of Rockstall's flight, asked Polly 469 00:36:45,079 --> 00:36:48,960 to go with me, manufactured that feminine letter that arrived 470 00:36:48,960 --> 00:36:53,880 in the morning of my disappearance. As Tom Peters, I 471 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:57,960 mixed with the journalistic set. I had another room where 472 00:36:57,960 --> 00:37:01,559 I kept the golden notes till I mistakenly thought the 473 00:37:01,639 --> 00:37:07,679 thing had blown over. Unfortunately, returning from here on the 474 00:37:07,800 --> 00:37:11,599 night of my disappearance with Rockstill's clothes in a bundle, 475 00:37:11,639 --> 00:37:15,239 I intended to drop into the river. It was stolen 476 00:37:15,280 --> 00:37:18,840 from me in the fog, and the man into whose 477 00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:24,920 possession it ultimately came appears to have committed suicide. What 478 00:37:25,119 --> 00:37:28,639 perhaps ruined me was my desire to keep Clara's love 479 00:37:29,480 --> 00:37:33,719 and to transfer it to the survivor. Everett told her 480 00:37:33,800 --> 00:37:37,320 I was the best of fellows. Once married to her, 481 00:37:38,039 --> 00:37:41,599 I would not have had much fear even if she 482 00:37:41,679 --> 00:37:45,320 had discovered the trick. Our wife cannot give evidence against 483 00:37:45,360 --> 00:37:50,639 her husband, and often does not want to. I made 484 00:37:50,719 --> 00:37:54,199 none of the usual slips, but no man can guard 485 00:37:54,239 --> 00:37:57,320 against a girl's nightmare. After a day up the river 486 00:37:58,039 --> 00:38:01,920 and a supper at the Star and Garter, I might 487 00:38:01,960 --> 00:38:04,960 have told the judge he was an ass but then 488 00:38:05,639 --> 00:38:09,719 I should have had penal servitude for bank robbery, and 489 00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:15,599 that is worse than death. The only thing that puzzles me, though, 490 00:38:16,599 --> 00:38:22,360 is whether the law has committed murder or I suicide. 491 00:38:23,159 --> 00:38:25,719 The end of cheating the gallows