WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.040 --> 00:00:06.440 The problem of thor Bridge. Somewhere in the vaults of 2 00:00:06.519 --> 00:00:10.400 the Bank of Cox and Co A charing Cross, there 3 00:00:10.439 --> 00:00:13.839 is a travel worn and battered tin dispatch box with 4 00:00:13.960 --> 00:00:18.640 my name John H. Watson, MD, late Indian Army painted 5 00:00:18.679 --> 00:00:22.960 upon the lid. It is crammed with papers, nearly all 6 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:26.039 of which are records of cases to illustrate the curious 7 00:00:26.079 --> 00:00:31.079 problems which mister Sherlock Holmes had at various times to examine. Some, 8 00:00:31.239 --> 00:00:35.079 and not the least interesting were complete failures, and as 9 00:00:35.119 --> 00:00:40.679 such will hardly bear narrating, since no final explanation is forthcoming. 10 00:00:41.759 --> 00:00:46.039 A problem without a solution may interest the student, but 11 00:00:46.200 --> 00:00:50.479 can hardly fail to annoy the casual reader. Among these 12 00:00:50.600 --> 00:00:56.119 unfinished tales is that of mister James Fillmore, who, stepping 13 00:00:56.159 --> 00:00:59.240 back into his own house to get his umbrella, was 14 00:00:59.320 --> 00:01:03.960 never more seen in this world. No less remarkable is 15 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:08.120 that of the cutter Alicia, which sailed one spring morning 16 00:01:08.200 --> 00:01:11.400 into a small patch of mist, from where she never 17 00:01:11.439 --> 00:01:15.840 again emerged, nor was anything further ever heard of herself 18 00:01:16.480 --> 00:01:20.200 and her crew. A third case worthy of note is 19 00:01:20.239 --> 00:01:24.719 that of Isadora Persano, the well known journalist and dualist, 20 00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:28.560 who was found stark staring mad, with a match box 21 00:01:28.599 --> 00:01:32.920 in front of him, which contained a remarkable worm, said 22 00:01:32.920 --> 00:01:38.079 to be unknown to science. Apart from these unfathomed cases, 23 00:01:38.680 --> 00:01:41.560 there are some which involved the secrets of private families 24 00:01:41.599 --> 00:01:45.120 to an extent which would mean consternation in many exalted 25 00:01:45.239 --> 00:01:48.680 quarters if it were thought possible that they might find 26 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:52.200 their way into print. I need not say that such 27 00:01:52.239 --> 00:01:56.200 a breach of confidence is unthinkable, and that these records 28 00:01:56.239 --> 00:01:59.879 will be separated and destroyed now that my friend has 29 00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:03.680 time to turn his energies to the matter. There remain 30 00:02:03.719 --> 00:02:07.000 a considerable residue of cases of greater or less interest, 31 00:02:07.239 --> 00:02:11.479 which I might have edited before, had I not feared 32 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:14.719 to give the public a surfeit which might react upon 33 00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:19.919 the reputation of the man whom, above all others I revere. 34 00:02:20.120 --> 00:02:23.439 In some I was myself concerned and can speak as 35 00:02:23.439 --> 00:02:27.280 an eyewitness, while in others I was either not present 36 00:02:27.400 --> 00:02:30.000 or played so small a part that they could only 37 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:34.439 be told as by a third person. The following narrative 38 00:02:34.599 --> 00:02:39.159 is drawn from my own experience. It was a wild 39 00:02:39.319 --> 00:02:43.319 morning in October, and I observed, as I was dressing, 40 00:02:43.439 --> 00:02:46.879 how the last remaining leaves were being whirled from the 41 00:02:46.960 --> 00:02:50.840 solitary plane tree, which graces the yard behind our house. 42 00:02:51.879 --> 00:02:55.439 I descended to breakfast, prepared to find my companion in 43 00:02:55.560 --> 00:03:00.000 depressed spirits, for like all great artists, he was easily 44 00:03:00.120 --> 00:03:04.599 impressed by his surroundings. On the contrary, I found that 45 00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:07.280 he had nearly finished his meal, and that his mood 46 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:13.360 was particularly bright and joyous, with that somewhat sinister cheerfulness 47 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:17.759 which was characteristic of his lighter moments. You have a case, Holmes, 48 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:22.120 I remarked. The faculty of deduction is certainly contagious. Watson, 49 00:03:22.240 --> 00:03:25.280 he answered, it has enabled you to probe my secret. Yes, 50 00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:28.759 I have a case. After a month of trivialitism stagnation, 51 00:03:28.919 --> 00:03:33.159 the wheels move once more. Might I share it? There 52 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:36.240 is little to share, but we may discuss it when 53 00:03:36.280 --> 00:03:40.280 you have consumed the two hard boiled eggs with which 54 00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:44.199 our new cook has favored us. Their condition may not 55 00:03:44.280 --> 00:03:47.680 be unconnected with the copy of the family Herald, which 56 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:51.000 I observed yesterday upon the hall table. Even so trivial 57 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:54.439 a matter as cooking an egg demands an attention which 58 00:03:54.479 --> 00:03:57.879 is conscious of the passage of time and incompatible with 59 00:03:57.919 --> 00:04:02.800 the love romance in that excit periodical. A quarter of 60 00:04:02.840 --> 00:04:05.240 an hour later, the table had been cleared and we 61 00:04:05.240 --> 00:04:08.400 were face to face. He had drawn a letter from 62 00:04:08.439 --> 00:04:12.360 his pocket. You have heard of Neil Gibson, the gold King, 63 00:04:12.759 --> 00:04:16.839 he said, You mean the American senator. Well, he was 64 00:04:16.879 --> 00:04:21.199 once a senator for some western state, but is better 65 00:04:21.279 --> 00:04:25.800 known as the greatest gold mining magnate in the world. Yes, 66 00:04:25.839 --> 00:04:28.199 I know of him. He has surely lived in England 67 00:04:28.279 --> 00:04:31.920 for some time. His name is very familiar. Yes, he 68 00:04:31.959 --> 00:04:35.199 bought a considerable estate in Hampshire some five years ago. 69 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:39.160 Possibly you have already heard of the tragic end of 70 00:04:39.240 --> 00:04:43.680 his wife. Of course I remember it now. That is 71 00:04:43.720 --> 00:04:46.759 why the name is familiar. But I really know nothing 72 00:04:46.800 --> 00:04:50.639 of the details. Holmes waved his hand towards some papers 73 00:04:50.639 --> 00:04:53.600 on a chair. I had no idea that the case 74 00:04:53.680 --> 00:04:56.079 was coming my way, or I should have had my 75 00:04:56.160 --> 00:04:59.959 extracts ready, said he. The fact is that the problem, 76 00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:05.079 though exceedingly sensational, appeared to present no difficulty. The interesting 77 00:05:05.199 --> 00:05:08.879 personality of the accused does not obscure the clearness of 78 00:05:08.920 --> 00:05:12.639 the evidence. That was the view taken by the coroner's 79 00:05:12.720 --> 00:05:15.839 jury and also in the police court proceedings. It is 80 00:05:15.879 --> 00:05:19.800 now referred to the Assizes at Winchester. I fear it 81 00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:24.560 is a thankless business. I can discover facts, Watson, but 82 00:05:24.680 --> 00:05:29.160 I cannot change them unless some entirely new and unexpected 83 00:05:29.160 --> 00:05:32.000 ones come to light. I do not see what my 84 00:05:32.160 --> 00:05:36.240 client can hope for your client. Ah, I forgot I'd 85 00:05:36.279 --> 00:05:39.199 not told you. I'm getting into your involved habit, Watson, 86 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:43.279 of telling a story backward, you had best read this first. 87 00:05:44.519 --> 00:05:47.240 The letter which he handed to me, written in a bold, 88 00:05:47.439 --> 00:05:52.959 masterful hand ran As follows Clarage's hotel October third, Dear 89 00:05:53.040 --> 00:05:56.439 mister Sherlock Holmes, I can't see the best woman God 90 00:05:56.480 --> 00:05:59.000 ever made go to her death without doing all that 91 00:05:59.160 --> 00:06:02.920 is possible to say. I can't explain things, I can't 92 00:06:02.959 --> 00:06:05.519 even try to explain them. But I know beyond all 93 00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:10.439 doubt that missus Dunbar is innocent. You know the facts. 94 00:06:10.839 --> 00:06:13.639 Who doesn't. It has been the gossip of the country 95 00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:16.639 and never a voice raised for her. It's the damned 96 00:06:16.639 --> 00:06:20.360 injustice of it all that makes me crazy. That woman 97 00:06:20.480 --> 00:06:23.920 has a heart that wouldn't let her kill a fly. Well, 98 00:06:24.040 --> 00:06:26.480 I'll come at eleven tomorrow and see if you can 99 00:06:26.519 --> 00:06:30.040 get some ray of light in the dark. Maybe I 100 00:06:30.120 --> 00:06:33.160 have a clue and don't know it anyhow, all I know, 101 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:36.920 and all I have, and all I am for your use, 102 00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:40.639 if only you can save her. If ever in your 103 00:06:40.759 --> 00:06:44.959 life you showed your powers, put them now into this case, 104 00:06:45.920 --> 00:06:50.959 yours faithfully, je Neil Gibson. There you have it, said 105 00:06:50.959 --> 00:06:54.920 Sherlock Holmes, knocking out the ashes of his after breakfast 106 00:06:55.000 --> 00:06:59.839 pipe and slowly refilling it. That is the gentleman, I 107 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:03.680 weight as to the story. You have hardly time to 108 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:07.160 master all these papers, so I must give it to 109 00:07:07.240 --> 00:07:09.279 you in a nutshell if you are to take an 110 00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:13.120 intelligent interest in the proceedings. This man is the greatest 111 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:17.600 financial power in the world, and a man, as I understand, 112 00:07:18.279 --> 00:07:23.160 of most violent and formidable character. He married a wife, 113 00:07:23.920 --> 00:07:27.680 the victim of this tragedy, of whom I know nothing 114 00:07:27.959 --> 00:07:32.600 save that she was past her prime, which was the 115 00:07:32.639 --> 00:07:37.639 more unfortunate, as a very attractive governess superintended the education 116 00:07:37.839 --> 00:07:42.120 of two young children. These are the three people concerned, 117 00:07:43.040 --> 00:07:46.879 and the scene is a grand old manor house, the 118 00:07:46.879 --> 00:07:51.879 center of a historical English estate. Then, as to the tragedy, 119 00:07:52.680 --> 00:07:55.000 the wife was found in the grounds nearly half a 120 00:07:55.040 --> 00:07:58.240 mile from the house late night, clad in her dinner dress, 121 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:01.879 with a shawl over her shoulders and a revolver bullet 122 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:06.519 through her brain. No weapon was found near her, and 123 00:08:06.560 --> 00:08:10.399 there was no local clue as to the murder. No 124 00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:16.199 weapon near her. Watson marked that the crime seems to 125 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:19.079 have been committed late in the evening and the body 126 00:08:19.160 --> 00:08:22.959 was found by a gamekeeper about eleven o'clock, when it 127 00:08:23.079 --> 00:08:26.600 was examined by the police and by a doctor before 128 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:29.600 being carried up to the house. Is this too condensed 129 00:08:29.680 --> 00:08:32.639 or can you follow it? Clearly? It is all very clear. 130 00:08:33.480 --> 00:08:36.960 But why suspect the governess? Well, in the first place, 131 00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:40.879 there is some very direct evidence. A revolver with one 132 00:08:41.000 --> 00:08:45.440 discharged chamber and a caliber which corresponded with the bullet, 133 00:08:46.039 --> 00:08:49.480 was found on the floor of her wardrobe. His eyes 134 00:08:49.559 --> 00:08:54.279 fixed and he repeated in broken words on the floor 135 00:08:54.919 --> 00:09:01.200 of her wardrobe. Then he sank into silence, and I 136 00:09:01.200 --> 00:09:04.200 saw that some train of thought had been set moving, 137 00:09:04.519 --> 00:09:08.960 which I should be foolish to interrupt. Suddenly, with a start, 138 00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:12.559 he emerged into brisk life once more. Yes, Watson, it 139 00:09:12.639 --> 00:09:17.080 was found pretty damning, eh so the two juries thought. 140 00:09:17.600 --> 00:09:20.000 Then the dead woman had a note upon her making 141 00:09:20.039 --> 00:09:24.600 an appointment at that very place, and signed by the governess. 142 00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:30.360 How's that? Finally there is the motive. Senator Gibson is 143 00:09:30.360 --> 00:09:33.840 an attractive person. If his wife dies, who more likely 144 00:09:33.879 --> 00:09:38.159 to succeed her than the young lady who had already, 145 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:46.159 by all accounts, received pressing attentions from her employer love, fortune, power, 146 00:09:46.840 --> 00:09:54.000 all depending upon one middle aged life. Ugly Watson, very ugly, yes, indeed, Holmes. 147 00:09:54.679 --> 00:09:57.440 Nor could she prove an alibi. On the contrary, she 148 00:09:57.600 --> 00:10:00.919 had to admit that she was down near Thought Bridge 149 00:10:01.399 --> 00:10:03.960 that was the scene of the tragedy about that hour. 150 00:10:04.279 --> 00:10:07.559 She couldn't deny it, for some passing villager had seen 151 00:10:07.559 --> 00:10:12.080 her there. That really seems final. And yet Watson, And 152 00:10:12.200 --> 00:10:17.559 yet this bridge, a single broad span of stone with 153 00:10:17.799 --> 00:10:22.759 balustraded sides, carries the drive over the narrowest part of 154 00:10:22.840 --> 00:10:26.039 a long, deep reed girt sheet of water. For mere 155 00:10:26.360 --> 00:10:29.519 it is called in the mouth of the bridge lay 156 00:10:29.519 --> 00:10:32.519 the dead woman. Such are the main facts. But here, 157 00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:36.519 if I mistake not, is our client considerably before his time. 158 00:10:37.440 --> 00:10:39.679 Billy had opened the door. But the name which he 159 00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:44.600 announced was an unexpected one. Mister Marlowe Bates was a 160 00:10:44.639 --> 00:10:48.159 stranger to both of us. He was a thin, nervous 161 00:10:48.279 --> 00:10:51.519 wisp of a man with frightened eyes and a twitching, 162 00:10:51.879 --> 00:10:55.759 hesitating manner, a man whom my own professional eye would 163 00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:59.679 judge to be on the brink of an absolute nervous breakdown. 164 00:11:00.519 --> 00:11:04.240 You seem agitated, mister Bates, said Holmes, Pray, sit down, 165 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:07.320 I fear I can only give you a short time, 166 00:11:08.039 --> 00:11:10.919 for I have an appointment at eleven. I know you 167 00:11:11.039 --> 00:11:15.000 have our visitor, gasped, shooting out short sentences like a 168 00:11:15.039 --> 00:11:17.879 man who is out of breath. Mister Gibson is coming. 169 00:11:18.080 --> 00:11:21.279 Mister Gibson is my employer. I am manager of his estate. 170 00:11:21.360 --> 00:11:25.399 Mister Holmes, he is a villain, an infernal villain. Strong language, 171 00:11:25.480 --> 00:11:28.200 mister Bates. I have to be emphatic, mister Holmes, for 172 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:30.720 the time is so limited. I would not have him 173 00:11:30.759 --> 00:11:33.600 find me here, for the world. He's almost dumed now. 174 00:11:33.840 --> 00:11:36.879 But I was so situated that I could not come earlier. 175 00:11:37.519 --> 00:11:40.480 His secretary, mister Ferguson, only told me this morning of 176 00:11:40.519 --> 00:11:44.080 his appointment with you, and you are his manager. I 177 00:11:44.159 --> 00:11:46.600 have given him notice. In a couple of weeks I 178 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:50.039 shall have shaken off his accursed slavery. A hard man, 179 00:11:50.159 --> 00:11:54.559 mister Holmes, hard to all about him. Those public charities 180 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:58.320 are a screen to cover his private iniquities. But his 181 00:11:58.440 --> 00:12:03.000 wife was the chief victim. He was brutal to her, yes, sir, brutal. 182 00:12:03.759 --> 00:12:05.679 How she came by her death, I do not know, 183 00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:08.639 but I am sure that he made her life a 184 00:12:08.799 --> 00:12:11.879 misery to her. She was a creature of the tropics, 185 00:12:12.399 --> 00:12:15.519 a Brazilian by birth, as no doubt, you know, no, 186 00:12:16.080 --> 00:12:20.720 it had escaped me. Tropical by birth and tropical by nature, 187 00:12:21.799 --> 00:12:25.240 a child of the sun and of passion. She had 188 00:12:25.279 --> 00:12:29.639 loved him as such women can love. But when her 189 00:12:29.679 --> 00:12:33.799 own physical charms had faded, I'm told they were once great, 190 00:12:34.679 --> 00:12:37.639 there was nothing to hold him. We all liked her 191 00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:41.120 and felt for her, and hated him for the way 192 00:12:41.159 --> 00:12:44.120 that he treated her. But he is plausible and cunning. 193 00:12:44.399 --> 00:12:46.720 That is all I have to say to you. Don't 194 00:12:46.759 --> 00:12:50.080 take him at his face value. There is more behind 195 00:12:51.279 --> 00:12:55.279 Now I'll go, no, no, don't detain me. He's almost due. 196 00:12:55.440 --> 00:12:58.519 With a frightened look at the clock, our strange visitor 197 00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:03.159 literally ran to the door and disappeared. Well well, said 198 00:13:03.200 --> 00:13:07.440 Holmes after an interval of silence. Mister Gibson seems to 199 00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:10.879 have a nice, loyal household, But the warning is a 200 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:14.879 useful one, and now we can only wait till the 201 00:13:14.960 --> 00:13:19.639 man himself appears sharp. At the hour, we heard a 202 00:13:19.639 --> 00:13:23.279 heavy step upon the stairs, and the famous millionaire was 203 00:13:23.320 --> 00:13:26.440 shown into the room. As I looked upon him, I 204 00:13:26.559 --> 00:13:29.720 understood not only the fears and dislike of his manager, 205 00:13:30.320 --> 00:13:34.039 but also the execrations which so many business rivals have 206 00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:38.759 heaped upon his head. If I were a sculptor and 207 00:13:38.840 --> 00:13:43.159 desired to idealize the successful man of affairs, iron of 208 00:13:43.240 --> 00:13:47.519 nerve and leathery of conscience, I should choose mister Neil 209 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:53.039 Gibson as my model. His tall, gaunt, craggy figure had 210 00:13:53.039 --> 00:13:58.000 a suggestion of hunger and rapacity, and Abraham Lincoln keyed 211 00:13:58.080 --> 00:14:01.360 to base uses instead of high wayes, would give some 212 00:14:01.519 --> 00:14:05.080 idea of the man. His face might have been chiseled 213 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:09.720 in granite, hard set, craggy, remorseless, with deep lines upon it, 214 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:14.879 the scars of many a crisis. Cold gray eyes, looking 215 00:14:14.919 --> 00:14:19.480 shrewdly out from under bristling brows, surveyed us each in turn. 216 00:14:20.639 --> 00:14:24.000 He bowed in perfunctory fashion as Holmes mentioned my name, 217 00:14:24.840 --> 00:14:28.320 and then, with a masterful air of possession, he drew 218 00:14:28.360 --> 00:14:31.879 a chair up to my companion and seated himself with 219 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:36.519 his bony knees almost touching him. Let me say right here, 220 00:14:36.600 --> 00:14:40.039 mister Holmes, he began, but money is nothing to me 221 00:14:40.120 --> 00:14:42.600 in this case. You can burn it if it's any 222 00:14:42.679 --> 00:14:45.879 use in lighting you to the truth. This woman is innocent. 223 00:14:46.799 --> 00:14:49.559 This woman has to be cleared, and it's up to 224 00:14:49.600 --> 00:14:54.320 you to do it. Name your figure. My professional charges 225 00:14:54.360 --> 00:14:58.000 are upon a fixed scale, said Holmes coldly. I do 226 00:14:58.080 --> 00:15:02.639 not vary them, save when I I remit them altogether. Well, 227 00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:05.799 if dollars make no difference to you, think of the reputation. 228 00:15:06.600 --> 00:15:09.399 If you pull this off, every paper in England and 229 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:12.879 America will be booming you. You'll be the talk of 230 00:15:12.960 --> 00:15:17.200 two continents. Thank you, mister Gibson. I do not think 231 00:15:17.240 --> 00:15:20.519 that I am in need of booming. It may surprise 232 00:15:20.600 --> 00:15:24.080 you to know that I prefer to work anonymously, and 233 00:15:24.159 --> 00:15:27.080 that it is the problem itself which attracts me. But 234 00:15:27.240 --> 00:15:30.120 we are wasting time. Let us get down to the facts. 235 00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:33.039 I think that you will find all the main ones 236 00:15:33.080 --> 00:15:35.879 in the press reports. I don't know that I can 237 00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:38.679 add anything which will help you, But if there is 238 00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:42.279 anything you would wish more light upon, well I'm here 239 00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:45.879 to give it. Well, there is just one point. What 240 00:15:46.159 --> 00:15:49.799 is it? What were the exact relations between you and 241 00:15:49.960 --> 00:15:55.480 miss Dunbar. The gold king gave a violent start and 242 00:15:55.559 --> 00:15:59.799 half rose from his chair. Then his massive calm came 243 00:15:59.799 --> 00:16:03.759 back to him. I suppose you are within your rights 244 00:16:04.559 --> 00:16:08.360 and may be doing your duty in asking such a question, 245 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:13.440 mister Holmes. We will agree to suppose, so, said Holmes. 246 00:16:14.799 --> 00:16:18.159 Then I can assure you that our relations were entirely 247 00:16:18.200 --> 00:16:21.039 and always those of an employer towards a young lady 248 00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:25.000 whom he never conversed with or ever saw, save when 249 00:16:25.080 --> 00:16:28.799 she was in the company of his children. Holmes rose 250 00:16:28.840 --> 00:16:33.720 from his chair. I am a rather busy man, mister Gibson, 251 00:16:33.919 --> 00:16:37.279 said he and I have no time or taste for 252 00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:42.000 aimless conversations. I wish you good morning. Our visitor had 253 00:16:42.080 --> 00:16:47.159 risen also, and his great loose figure towered above Holmes. 254 00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:50.840 There was an angry gleam from under those bristling brows, 255 00:16:51.519 --> 00:16:55.559 and a tinge of color in the sallow cheeks. What 256 00:16:55.720 --> 00:16:58.080 the devil do you mean by this, mister Holmes? Do 257 00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:01.960 you dismiss my case? Well, mister Gibson, at least I 258 00:17:02.039 --> 00:17:05.680 dismiss you. I should have thought my words were plain, 259 00:17:06.359 --> 00:17:09.519 plain enough. But what's at the back of it raising 260 00:17:09.559 --> 00:17:12.440 the price on me? Or afraid to tackle it? Or 261 00:17:12.440 --> 00:17:17.039 what I've a right to a plain answer? Well, perhaps 262 00:17:17.119 --> 00:17:20.400 you have said, Holmes, I'll give you one. This case 263 00:17:20.480 --> 00:17:24.680 is quite sufficiently complicated to start with, without the further 264 00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:29.440 difficulty of false information, meaning that I lie well. I 265 00:17:29.559 --> 00:17:32.440 was trying to express it as delicately as I could. 266 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:35.599 But if you insist upon the word, I will not 267 00:17:35.839 --> 00:17:40.480 contradict you. I sprang to my feet, for the expression 268 00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:44.599 upon the millionaire's face was fiendish in its intensity, and 269 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:50.559 he had raised his great knotted fist. Holmes smiled languidly 270 00:17:51.359 --> 00:17:55.440 and reached his hand out for his pipe. Don't be noisy, 271 00:17:55.519 --> 00:17:59.960 mister Gibson. I find that after breakfast, even the smallest 272 00:18:00.200 --> 00:18:05.319 argument is unsettling. I suggest that a stroll in the 273 00:18:05.400 --> 00:18:09.519 morning air and a little quiet thought will be greatly 274 00:18:09.640 --> 00:18:14.880 to your advantage. With an effort, the gold king mastered 275 00:18:14.920 --> 00:18:18.920 his fury. I could not but admire him, for by 276 00:18:18.920 --> 00:18:22.519 a supreme self command, he had turned in a minute 277 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:26.240 from a hot flame of anger to a frigid and 278 00:18:26.519 --> 00:18:32.079 contemptuous indifference. Well, it's your choice, I guess you know. 279 00:18:32.200 --> 00:18:35.279 How to run your own business. I can't make you 280 00:18:35.400 --> 00:18:38.720 touch the case against your will. You've done yourself no 281 00:18:38.799 --> 00:18:42.440 good this morning, mister Holmes, For I have broken stronger 282 00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:46.720 men than you. No man ever crossed me and was 283 00:18:46.759 --> 00:18:51.200 the better for it, so many have said, And yet 284 00:18:51.759 --> 00:18:56.680 here I am, said Holmes, smiling, Well, good morning, mister Gibson. 285 00:18:57.319 --> 00:19:01.279 You have a good deal yet to learn. Our visitor 286 00:19:01.279 --> 00:19:05.799 made a noisy exit, but Holmes smoked in imperturbable silence, 287 00:19:05.920 --> 00:19:10.319 with dreamy eyes fixed upon the ceiling. Any views, Watson, 288 00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:14.279 he asked at last, Well, Holmes, I must confess that 289 00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:16.960 when I consider that this is a man who would 290 00:19:17.000 --> 00:19:20.920 certainly brush any obstacle from his path, and when I 291 00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:24.440 remember that his wife may have been an obstacle and 292 00:19:24.680 --> 00:19:28.920 an object of dislike, as that man Bates plainly told us, 293 00:19:29.000 --> 00:19:34.119 it seems to me exactly, and to me also, But 294 00:19:34.240 --> 00:19:37.720 what were his relations with the governess and how did 295 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:44.920 you discover them? Bluff, Watson, bluff. When I considered the passionate, unconventional, 296 00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:49.720 unbusinesslike tone of his letter and contrasted it with his 297 00:19:49.920 --> 00:19:53.759 self contained manner and appearance, it was pretty clear that 298 00:19:53.799 --> 00:19:56.640 there was some deep emotion which centered upon the accused 299 00:19:56.680 --> 00:20:01.440 woman rather than upon the victim. We've got to understand 300 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:04.680 the exact relations of those three people if we are 301 00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:08.880 to reach the truth. You saw the frontal attack which 302 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:12.559 I made upon him, and how imperturbably he received it. 303 00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:16.759 Then I bluffed him by giving the impression that I 304 00:20:16.880 --> 00:20:22.240 was absolutely certain, when in reality I was only extremely suspicious. 305 00:20:22.920 --> 00:20:25.960 Perhaps he will come back. He is sure to come back. 306 00:20:26.039 --> 00:20:29.039 He must come back. You can't leave it where it is. 307 00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:33.839 Ha Isn't that a ring? Yes? There is his footstep. Well, 308 00:20:33.880 --> 00:20:36.279 mister Gibson, I was just saying to doctor Watson that 309 00:20:36.400 --> 00:20:41.400 you were somewhat overdue. The gold King had re entered 310 00:20:41.400 --> 00:20:43.920 the room in a more chastened mood than he had 311 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:48.839 left it. His wounded pride still showed in his resentful eyes, 312 00:20:49.640 --> 00:20:52.000 but his common sense had shown him that he must 313 00:20:52.119 --> 00:20:56.119 yield if he would attain his end. I've been thinking 314 00:20:56.160 --> 00:20:59.480 it over, mister Holmes, and I feel that I have 315 00:20:59.599 --> 00:21:04.359 been hasty in taking your remarks, Amiss. You're justified in 316 00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:07.920 getting down to the facts, whatever they may be, and 317 00:21:07.960 --> 00:21:10.799 I think the more of you for it. I can 318 00:21:10.839 --> 00:21:15.400 assure you, however, that the relations between miss Dunbar and me, 319 00:21:16.319 --> 00:21:20.480 don't really touch this case. That is for meat. Decide, 320 00:21:20.759 --> 00:21:24.720 is it not? Yes? I guess that is so. You're 321 00:21:24.799 --> 00:21:27.839 like a surgeon who wants every symptom before he can 322 00:21:27.880 --> 00:21:32.799 give his diagnosis exactly. That expresses it. And it is 323 00:21:32.880 --> 00:21:36.279 only a patient who has an object in deceiving his surgeon, 324 00:21:36.920 --> 00:21:40.319 who would conceal the facts of his case. That may 325 00:21:40.319 --> 00:21:43.319 be so. But you will admit, mister Holmes, that most 326 00:21:43.359 --> 00:21:45.599 men would shy off a bit when they are asked 327 00:21:45.640 --> 00:21:48.759 point blank while they are relations where the woman may 328 00:21:48.839 --> 00:21:52.599 be if there is really some serious feeling in the case. 329 00:21:53.279 --> 00:21:55.680 I guess most men have a little private reserve of 330 00:21:55.720 --> 00:21:59.400 their own in some corner of their souls. They don't 331 00:21:59.440 --> 00:22:04.240 welcome ins, and you burst suddenly into it. But the 332 00:22:04.279 --> 00:22:09.200 object excuses you, since it was to try and safer. Well, 333 00:22:09.240 --> 00:22:11.960 the stakes are down and the reserve open, and you 334 00:22:11.960 --> 00:22:14.680 can explore where you will. What is it? You want? 335 00:22:15.480 --> 00:22:19.519 The truth? The gold King paused for a moment, as 336 00:22:19.559 --> 00:22:23.839 one who marshals his thoughts. His grim, deep lined face 337 00:22:23.880 --> 00:22:28.640 had become even sadder and more grave. I can give 338 00:22:28.680 --> 00:22:31.519 it to you in a very few words, mister Holmes, 339 00:22:31.880 --> 00:22:34.920 He said, at last, there are some things that are 340 00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:39.160 painful as well as difficult to say, so I won't 341 00:22:39.160 --> 00:22:43.359 go deeper than is needful. I met my wife when 342 00:22:43.400 --> 00:22:47.799 I was gold hunting in Brazil. Maria Pintot was the 343 00:22:47.920 --> 00:22:51.839 daughter of a government official at Manaos, and she was 344 00:22:51.920 --> 00:22:56.240 very beautiful. I was young and ardent in those days, 345 00:22:56.799 --> 00:22:59.480 but even now, as I look back with colder blood 346 00:22:59.559 --> 00:23:02.880 and more critical eye, I can see that she was 347 00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:08.279 rare and wonderful in her beauty. It was a deep, 348 00:23:08.400 --> 00:23:15.240 rich nature, too passionate, wholehearted, tropical, ill balanced, very different 349 00:23:15.319 --> 00:23:19.960 from the American women whom I had known well. To 350 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:24.279 make a long story short, I loved her and I 351 00:23:24.359 --> 00:23:28.079 married her. It was only when the romance had passed, 352 00:23:28.119 --> 00:23:31.359 and it lingered for years, that I realized that we 353 00:23:31.519 --> 00:23:37.839 had nothing, absolutely nothing in common. My love faded. If 354 00:23:37.880 --> 00:23:42.400 hers it faded also, it might have been easier, But 355 00:23:42.480 --> 00:23:45.880 you know the wonderful way of women do what I might. 356 00:23:46.279 --> 00:23:49.240 Nothing could turn her from me. If I have been 357 00:23:49.400 --> 00:23:53.680 harsh to her, even brutal, as some have said, it 358 00:23:53.720 --> 00:23:56.440 has been because I knew that if I could kill 359 00:23:56.519 --> 00:24:01.440 her love, or if it turned to hate, it would 360 00:24:01.440 --> 00:24:04.839 be easier for both of us. But nothing changed her. 361 00:24:05.559 --> 00:24:09.440 She adored me in those English woods, as she had 362 00:24:09.480 --> 00:24:12.759 adored me twenty years ago on the banks of the Amazon, 363 00:24:13.759 --> 00:24:16.559 do what I might. She was as devoted as ever. 364 00:24:17.640 --> 00:24:23.000 Then came miss Grace Dunbar. She answered our advertisement and 365 00:24:23.039 --> 00:24:26.759 became governess to our two children. Perhaps you have seen 366 00:24:26.759 --> 00:24:30.559 her portrait in the papers. The whole world has proclaimed 367 00:24:30.599 --> 00:24:34.400 that she is also a very beautiful woman. Now, I 368 00:24:34.480 --> 00:24:37.480 make no pretense to be more moral than my neighbors, 369 00:24:38.119 --> 00:24:40.319 and I will admit to you that I could not 370 00:24:40.519 --> 00:24:43.279 live under the same roof with such a woman, and 371 00:24:43.400 --> 00:24:47.839 in daily contact with her, without feeling a passionate regard 372 00:24:47.880 --> 00:24:52.519 for her. Do you blame me, mister Holmes. I do 373 00:24:52.599 --> 00:24:56.400 not blame you for feeling it. I should blame you 374 00:24:56.519 --> 00:25:00.559 if you expressed it, since this young lady, in a 375 00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:04.680 sense under your protection. Well maybe, so said the millionaire, 376 00:25:05.400 --> 00:25:08.119 though for a moment the reproof had brought the old 377 00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:11.839 angry gleam into his eyes. I'm not pretending to be 378 00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:14.720 any better than I am. I guess all my life 379 00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:17.000 I've been a man that reached out his hand for 380 00:25:17.079 --> 00:25:21.039 what he wanted, and I never wanted anything more than 381 00:25:21.160 --> 00:25:25.119 the love and possession of that woman. I told her. So, 382 00:25:25.920 --> 00:25:29.640 oh you did, did you? Holmes could look very formidable 383 00:25:29.839 --> 00:25:32.960 when he was moved. I said to her that if 384 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:36.039 I could marry her, I would, but that it was 385 00:25:36.200 --> 00:25:39.960 out of my power. I said that money was no object, 386 00:25:40.119 --> 00:25:42.160 and that all I could do to make her happy 387 00:25:42.200 --> 00:25:47.279 and comfortable would be done very generous, I'm sure, said 388 00:25:47.319 --> 00:25:50.480 Holmes with a sneer. See here, mister Holmes, I came 389 00:25:50.519 --> 00:25:53.279 to you on a question of evidence, not on a 390 00:25:53.359 --> 00:25:57.480 question of morals. I'm not asking for your criticism. It 391 00:25:57.559 --> 00:25:59.920 is only for the young lady's sake that I touched 392 00:26:00.119 --> 00:26:04.200 your case at all, said Holmes sternly. I don't know 393 00:26:04.359 --> 00:26:07.039 that anything she is accused of is really worse than 394 00:26:07.079 --> 00:26:10.039 what you have yourself admitted that you have tried to 395 00:26:10.119 --> 00:26:13.759 ruin a defenseless girl who was under your roof. Some 396 00:26:13.799 --> 00:26:16.279 of you rich men have to be taught that all 397 00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:21.079 the world cannot be bribed into condoning your offenses. To 398 00:26:21.119 --> 00:26:24.480 my surprise, the gold King took the reproof with equanimity. 399 00:26:25.279 --> 00:26:28.599 That's how I feel myself about it now. I thank 400 00:26:28.680 --> 00:26:31.440 god that my plans did not work out as I intended. 401 00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:34.599