(Clock chiming)
(Muffled voices arguing)
- Mrs Barclay. Your tea. - (Arguing continues)
Your tea, madam.
- (Man and woman arguing) - (Woman) I hate you! I hate you!
(Woman) David! You betrayed him! (Maid) Your tea, madam.
Mrs Fenning! Mr Bates! Come quickly!
- What's happened? What is it, child? - It's Madam and the Colonel.
Something awful is going on and I can't open the door.
Here, let me try.
(Woman screams)
Stop here, both of you.
Mrs Barclay! Mrs Barclay, open the door!
(Thunder)
(Chirping)
- (Maid) Mrs Barclay, open the door! - (Knocking)
(Valet) The door's locked on the inside as well and there's no key.
I'm going out for a doctor and the police.
They're a first-class bunch, the Mallows. First class!
Quite a few of them were on the Orontes when I sailed home wounded.
They had a good record out in India. Did wonders during the Mutiny.
I'm sure you won't regret taking the case.
Up, sentry!
Left! Left! Left, right, left!
Dr John Watson, formerly Medical Officer to the Royal Berkshires.
Murphy. Temporarily in charge of the Royal Mallows, following the...
tragedy of our colonel's death.
And this will be Mr Holmes?
Please.
- It's good of you to come so swiftly. - Not at all.
I have explained to Holmes how concerned you must be
about the possibility of a scandal.
Thank you.
The honour of the regiment is in my care.
And yet... the newspaper reports suggest that a scandal is inevitable.
Surely not. I have done my utmost to keep reporters as far away as possible.
Exactly. That is what has made them suspicious. They scent a mystery.
That much is clear from the little they have been able to say.
But surely it would be wrong to repeat?
To draw attention to?
Quite.
You see how much we need your help, Mr Holmes.
What do you say, Holmes?
What can I say?
Major Murphy, you have told me nothing!
I have come down here, after persuasion from my friend, to Aldershot.
He has more interest in military matters than I.
Now that I am here, please...
tell me the facts!
The Commanding Officer of this regiment, Colonel Barclay,
was found dead at about 10 o'clock the night before last.
The body was found by Private Bates, his batman, lying in the morning room.
A ragged cut, two inches long, in the back of his head,
had evidently been the caused by a blow from a blunt instrument
and upon the floor, by the body, was a singular, hand-carved wooden club.
Also, stretched out on a sofa, lying in a dead faint,
was Nancy Barclay - Mrs Barclay.
Please continue, Major Murphy.
The servants had been alerted to the tragedy
by the sounds of a quarrel between the Colonel and Mrs Barclay.
They found the room locked.
Bates had to get in through the French windows.
- And now they suspect Mrs Barclay? - Yes.
But she is quite incapable of such a dreadful act.
I have been the late Colonel's second-in-command for several years.
I have come to know Nancy Barclay well.
Of course.
Tell me about Colonel Barclay. Was he highly regarded by the men?
Considering his background, remarkably so.
His background? Why, was he ever disgraced?
No.
But it's not generally known outside that Jim Barclay began his career
as a private soldier in the Mallows.
Did he indeed?
From private soldier to Commanding Officer in the same regiment?
That's a rare achievement.
It was his gallantry in the Indian Mutiny that got him his commission.
And then quite rapid promotion over the years.
More rapid than mine for instance.
(Holmes) lmpressive.
- I suppose Mrs Barclay is in custody? - No.
Not exactly, no. She is in hospital being looked after,
with a police constable standing by.
'Nancy Barclay is a handsome woman now
'but you should have seen her as a young girl in India 30 years ago.
'She was a daughter of the regiment.
'Her father was the Regimental Sergeant Major, RSM Devoy,
'and, therefore, quite a formidable father-in-law for any soldier.
'I remember that all the men in my company thought her
'quite the prettiest girl in the garrison.
'As a junior officer, I had little to do with her
'but I was aware she was a charming, most vivacious and spirited girl.
'Lt was quite understandable that Barclay was not the only man in the regiment
'who sought her hand.
'But in the end he was the one she chose.'
They were married at Bhurtee, not far from Cawnpore,
soon after the besieged garrison was relieved by General Neill
in the summer of 1858.
Shortly after the marriage,
Sergeant Barclay got his commission as expected.
It must have been difficult for the Barclays at first.
NCO promoted from the ranks, married to a Sergeant Major's daughter.
Yes, I believe there was some little social friction
but Nancy carried it off with dignity and charm
and they gained acceptance in no time.
Barclay's career flourished
and the regiment returned from India some five years ago.
Barclay was then appointed Commanding Officer.
And the marriage continued to be a happy one?
Lt... appeared to be so.
"Appeared"?
Most people believed the marriage to have been a uniformly happy one.
And what do you believe, Major Murphy?
My position as second-in-command
often took me to the Barclays' house.
I saw a different side to the marriage.
The truth is more important than loyalty to your late commander.
One night I had been dining at the Barclays'.
When I reached the end of the drive
I realised I'd left my cigar case in the dining room.
I went back. The front door was still open. Jane, the maid, was in the hall...
I'm glad you are still here, I've left my cigar case on the table.
I think the Colonel and Mrs Barclay have gone to bed, sir.
Oh, for goodness' sake, James!
Confess, then! Who is it? Who?
Let go of me. You are hurting me.
Tell me you love me, then. Me, and nobody else, do you hear?
- Do you hear me? - Would I have married you if I didn't?
I don't know. Sometimes I wonder!
(Door slams shut)
This expression of jealously occurred within seconds
of you, Major, leaving the Barclays' house. Tell me about the colonel.
Was he a violent man in any way?
On occasion. He could be most vindictive towards young subalterns.
But he'd clawed his way to the top. You need to be ruthless to do that.
But surely he didn't still feel out of place as an officer?
No, I don't think so. But he was subject to a peculiar form of depression.
The Queen!
(Men) The Queen.
'Sometimes, when we were discussing old campaigns -
'the Crimea, the Mutiny, the Afghan war -
'the smile would often be struck from his mouth as if by some invisible hand.'
(Echoing sound of gunfire)
(Dr Watson) 'Long service in India can have that effect.'
I saw that when I was in the Berkshires.
You mentioned a carved wooden club found by the body.
One of the colonel's Indian souvenirs?
I believe the servants deny ever having seen this club before.
Certainly, I have never seen it on any of my visits. It was quite long.
And the police, I suppose, have retained it for examination?
Yes. They believe it to be the murder weapon.
Do they indeed? I think we should begin by visiting the Barclays' house,
unless, of course, it is possible to interview Mrs Barclay?
I am afraid she is still unconscious.
I thought as much.
David...
(Watson) Holmes, suppose Mrs Barclay had a lover,
and the Colonel had found out...
Major Murphy seems to have been rather close to her.
You know, mild adultery has always been commonplace
among officers and their wives serving in hot climates.
Thank you, Watson, for educating me in military morality.
If there had been anything between Major Murphy and Mrs Barclay,
would he have related the incident of his forgotten cigar case?
It was about half past seven, sir, and I was waiting at table.
Once a month Mrs Barclay spent the evening doing charity work in Aldershot.
(Clock chiming)
Where are you off to in such a hurry?
Well, the distribution of old clothing starts at eight o'clock,
and I promised Anne Morrison I'd be at the Mission Hall on time.
Well, if you want to catch some filthy disease
from flea-ridden down-and-outs, I suppose that's your affair.
I believe in putting back into life as much as one gets out of it.
We have been fortunate with our lot.
Others haven't been so lucky.
- Don't be late back. - Of course not.
(Thunder rumbling)
Mrs Barclay must have returned about quarter past nine, sir.
I was in the kitchen, helping the cook with the dishes.
There was thunder, and I was just saying to Mrs Fenning a storm was brewing,
when the morning room bell rang.
I came up here to find that Mrs Barclay had returned.
She was walking up and down this room, sir, very pale, upset.
She looked awful, sir.
(Thunder rumbling)
You rang, Madam?
Yes, Jane.
Bring me some tea, will you?
Of course, Madam.
(Colonel) Jane! Is that you?
Yes, sir.
- Did I hear Mrs Barclay come in? - Yes, sir. She's in the morning room.
- The morning room? - Yes, sir. I'm taking her a pot of tea.
Tea?
What does she want tea for at this hour?
(Holmes) That, presumably, was the last time anyone saw Colonel Barclay alive?
Yes, sir.
Can you think of any reason why your mistress came into this morning room
at that time of night, when the fire was unlit?
No, sir.
Did she often make a point of purposely avoiding the Colonel?
Had you ever heard them arguing before?
Not to my knowledge sir.
When you returned from the kitchen with Mrs Barclay's tea,
you found the door locked and you heard voices raised.
Now, what exactly did you hear?
They were arguing, sir.
Mrs Barclay called the colonel a coward.
She said, "You have ruined my life all these years."
Mrs Barclay shouted the name David.
She said it twice.
- David? - Could you swear to that?
It was perfectly clear, sir.
But the Colonel's name was James.
Have you ever heard Mrs Barclay refer to anyone called David?
No, sir. I don't think she or the Colonel knew anyone called David.
And Major Murphy's Christian name is Patrick.
Had they had any visitors recently
by the name of David?
I don't think so, sir.
The club that was found by Colonel Barclay's body. Had you seen it before?
No, sir. The Colonel had trophies from India but nothing like that club.
- Are you sure of that, Miss Stewart? - Yes, sir.
I don't know where it came from.
Thank you, that is all.
There is just one last thing.
Major Murphy once left his cigar case here. Did you manage to find it?
Yes, sir.
The Colonel was lying down here, sir.
- With his head by the fender? - Yes, sir.
You can see the mark of the blood, still.
But the most frightening thing of all, sir, was his face.
- His face? - When I rolled him over,
I almost fainted away to look upon it.
It was all contorted, screwed up
with the most horrible look of fear
and terror.
As if he'd foreseen his own death?
Quite possible, sir.
Thank you, Bates.
What apparition, what monster was it that could frighten the Colonel so?
Not Nancy Barclay, for sure.
This door was locked shut, sir. And the key was missing.
- Missing? - Yes. In the end we had to send
for a locksmith to open it.
- You made a thorough search for it? - We searched high and low.
Mrs Barclay hadn't got it, and it wasn't in the Colonel's pockets, sir.
Thank you, Mrs Fenning.
Watson, if the key was not in the door
and neither Mrs Barclay nor the Colonel had it, then...
Then there must have been a third person.
Exactly.
Who either...
entered...
or left...
through those windows.
These are Bates's footprints.
And these are the footprints of someone else.
Someone has recently crossed this lawn. The marks are just visible.
He entered and left through those windows, Watson.
We're on the right scent!
Watson, look at this.
- What is it? - Our intruder's unusual companion.
It's a dog, isn't it? Somebody's dog.
Whoever heard of a dog running up a curtain?
What about a cat, then?
These paw marks are not those of a cat, not of a monkey,
not of any creature we are familiar with.
I would think from hind foot to forefoot...
at least 15 inches.
Add to that the length of neck and head,
and you have a creature of no less than two feet, more if there's a tail.
And the length of its stride is odd.
It indicates a creature with a long back and short legs.
Something like a stoat or weasel?
We also know that it is carnivorous.
How can you tell that?
Well, you see what made it run up the curtain...
(Chirping)
- The canary! - Exactly.
Then what was this beast?
No, I can't!
I cannot betray a friend. Please don't ask me to.
Miss Morrison...
When Mrs Barclay left her house to come here two nights ago,
she was happy and contented.
When she returned two hours later, she was a changed woman.
Now the police suspect her of murder.
You owe it to your friend to clear her name.
You must tell me what happened last night that so changed her.
Very well.
I shall break my promise of silence if what I can say can really help her.
So there was something?
It was most bizarre.
I should explain that we come across all sorts and conditions of men here.
Yet the other night I saw the most extraordinary creature I have ever seen.
Not only had he a crooked back
but he was lame and walked with his knees bent.
'His face was darkly tanned, crinkled and puckered like a withered apple.
'I thought to myself that truly there are some of us on this earth
'who are burdened with more than their fair share of misfortune.
'This vision was made more unusual by the oriental garb the man was wearing.
'I pointed this person out to Nancy
'as someone especially deserving of help.
'Nancy had indeed been in good spirits that evening,
'and I saw her go towards the man and ask him if he needed assistance.
'Lt was now that a change came over Nancy.
'She had begun a conversation with the man,
'when suddenly all the colour drained from her face.
'She looked as though she had seen a ghost.
'The man, too, seemed to be affected by the sight of her.
'I saw him gesticulating wildly.
'Nancy and the man went to a quiet corner of the hall
'and they talked for a few moments or so
'before I heard an angry shout from the man and saw him storm out,
'waving his fists in the air.'
Nancy, what is it?
Are you all right? Who was that poor creature?
It is an old acquaintance of mine, fallen on hard times.
Promise, Annie, you won't say anything about this to anyone. Promise me!
Of course I promise, if you so wish.
Thank you.
And the identity of this man?
I thought you might ask me that.
Well, after this terrible happening, Nancy left.
I naturally made a few enquiries among some of the regulars.
Such a... an unusual-looking creature has, of course, attracted attention.
It appears he is an old soldier recently back from India.
No-one knows anything else about his background,
except that he makes a living by entertaining the troops.
Conjuring tricks, that kind of thing.
And did you tell the police about him?
Of course not.
A promise... is a promise.
Yes, of course.
Thank you, Miss Morrison.
(Men singing)... darling Clementine
She is lost and gone forever
Oh, my darling Clementine
Oh, my darling, oh, my darling, oh, my darling Clementine
You are lost and gone for ever, dreadful sorry, Clementine
(Cheering)
Four...
(Crowd) One!
Two!
Three!
(Applause)
Ohh...
Yes!
There is our intruder's four-footed companion.
It's a mongoose.
I think we've found our man.
...through the air with the greatest of ease
The daring young man on the flying trapeze...
Mr Henry Wood, I believe, late of India.
- May I have a word? - What about?
The little matter of Colonel James Barclay's death.
...through the air with the greatest of ease
That daring young man on the flying trapeze
His movements are graceful All girls he does please
And my love he purloined away
(Drunken cheering)
She is innocent.
You can take my word for it.
- Then you are guilty. - No.
I am not guilty.
Then who struck the Colonel down?
It was a just providence that killed him.
His own guilty conscience.
I think you'd better explain.
By God, if I had smashed his head in,
as it was in my heart to do, he would have got only what he deserved.
No... I never laid a hand on him.
I was spared the trouble.
I'll tell you my story.
There is no cause for me to be ashamed of it.
You see me now with my back like a camel and my ribs all awry,
but there was a time when Corporal Henry Wood
was the smartest man in the Royal Mallows.
You were in the same regiment as Colonel Barclay?
Oh, yes.
But he was Sergeant Jim Barclay then.
We were in the same company
and we had something else in common.
We were both in love with the same woman -
Nancy Devoy.
Yes, the daughter of the regimental sergeant major.
Yes...
There were two men who loved her
but...
only one whom she loved.
Oh...
You'll laugh when you look at this poor thing huddled in front of the fire
and hear me say that...
it was for my good looks
that Nancy loved me.
'I was the one she loved all along.
'But although I had her heart, her father didn't approve of me.
'I was a harum-scarum, reckless sort of lad,
'but I was always honest, and plain-dealing as well.
'No, Nancy's father wanted her to marry Barclay.
'He was careful to keep out of trouble, always did the right thing.
'Not like me, who took Nancy to places her father didn't like.
'Besides, Barclay had had an education.
'He was already marked for the sword belt.
'RSM Devoy naturally thought Barclay the better match for his daughter.'
But she remained true to me
and we would have married had it not been for the Mutiny.
Why did Nancy Devoy not marry the man she loved?
It was monsoon time in 1857
when the sepoys rose up against the British.
The regiment was shut up in Bhurtee.
There were 10,000 rebels around us,
pinning us down like terriers round a rat cage.
We'd run short of food and ammunition.
'We had to communicate with General Neill's column moving up country.
'Lt was our only chance to get help.
'Our company commander had asked for a volunteer,
'a fit, strong soldier to slip out of the garrison at dead of night
'and make contact with the relief column out on the plain.
'Like a fool, I volunteered.
'Lt was a dangerous mission. There were a thousand lives in peril.
'But I was thinking of only one of them -
'Nancy Devoy,
'the woman I loved and the finest girl that ever drew breath.
'Saying goodbye to her was the hardest thing.
'As we exchanged mementoes,
'I little thought that I was saying goodbye to her for 30 years.
'Lt was my rival for Nancy's hand that saw me off on my journey
'through the enemy lines that night - Sergeant Barclay.
'He said he knew the lie of the land better than any other.
'While I volunteered to make the journey,
'Jim Barclay volunteered to advise me on the best route to take.
'So, just after ten, while my comrades gave me covering fire, I set off.
'Barclay had told me to follow a stream which would lead to a gully.
'This, he said, was the safest way downhill.
'His directions were perfect and soon I was wading through icy water
'that only the day before had been snow in the Himalayas.
'I could see the lights and fires in the rebels' camp but I kept well down,
'out of sight of their sentry posts.
'I came to the gully and thought I was safe.
'But then it happened - I was attacked.
'Something hard cracked down on my head.
'Then everything spun round.
'When I came to, I was trussed up like a chicken and hanging from a tree.
'My arms felt as though they were being wrenched out of their sockets.
'I didn't mind the pain but I was sick at heart for having failed in my mission.
'What would be the fate of those I had been trying to save? '
(Talking in Hindi)
(Laughter)
'But the biggest blow came
'as I listened to what I could understand of the rebel's talk.
'I heard enough to realise that I had been betrayed.
'The man who had shown me the way to take had betrayed me to the enemy!
'Barclay had got rid of me to make sure he could have my girl.'
Now you know what James Barclay was capable of.
Well, it turned out that General Neill's column
was already on its way to relieve Bhurtee and the rebels were retreating
but they dragged me away with them.
I was tortured. I tried to escape
and was tortured again.
It was to be many a long year before I saw another white face.
'My captors fled north, further into the hills, and used me as a sort of slave.
'I was treated worse than a dog
'and they damned near broke every bone in my body.
'Sometimes I'd wish they'd just kill me
'but my thoughts of loathing for the man who'd destroyed my life kept me going.
'I dreamed of revenge on Barclay.
'One day, Afghan tribesmen murdered the rebels who held me prisoner.
'They left me for dead, too, but by a miracle I still lived.
'So I had my revenge on my torturers
'but Barclay was beyond my grasp.
'And what of Nancy? I had no means of knowing whether she was alive or dead.
'I wandered back to the Punjab and lived among the natives,
'picking up a living by the conjuring tricks I learned from street magicians.
'What use was it for me, a wretched cripple,
'to get passage back to England
'and make myself known to my comrades in the regiment?
'Even the desire to have my revenge on Jim Barclay didn't make me go.
'Why?
'I'll tell you straight.
'I preferred my Nancy and my old pals in the Royal Mallows to go on believing
'that Harry Wood died a hero's death,
'with a straight back, than see him crawling about the world,
'more like a chimpanzee than a human being.'
(Holmes) 'But you did return.'
And to Aldershot, where your old regiment was stationed. Why?
I just wanted to see the old country once more before I died.
I saved what I could and eventually I got a ship.
I didn't know the regiment was stationed here at Aldershot.
I just wanted to be where there were soldiers.
I can earn my keep, going round the canteens, doing my tricks.
And I no longer wanted to kill Barclay.
The fires of revenge had burned low over the years...
Until...
I saw her.
'I thought I'd better get some English togs.
'I look comical enough without wearing these foreign clothes the whole time.
'I was more interested in finding a thick overcoat
'than looking at the charity ladies doling them out.
'Then...
'one of them... came over.
'I recognised her at once.
'She'd hardly changed.
'Still beautiful.
'What's more amazing is she seemed to know me.'
Good evening. Can I help you? Have you been able to find anything that?
I'm sorry, I thought I...
Nancy,
it is me, Harry.
Don't be afraid.
I thought you had been dead these 30 years.
I have been.
I swore that you would never see me like this.
We spoke for a moment or two together.
I told her some of my story.
I should have spared telling her that her husband was a traitor
but it all came... pouring out of me, 30 years of hate.
She was so affected by what I said,
I couldn't stand it.
I went outside.
Then I saw her come out of the Mission,
and I followed her home.
I saw her go into their house.
A light came on.
I saw her
sitting in a chair.
And then he came into the room.
James, I want to talk to you. What are you locking that door for?
Don't be back late, I said.
- I have to talk to you. - You have been with somebody.
You have! You have been with someone!
I've asked you before - who is it? Who is it?
You've ruined my life. All these years. All these... years.
Oh, how could you do such a thing? It was evil!
- I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! - No!
'To see him lay a hand on her made me mad with anger.
'My feelings overcame me.'
David! David! You betrayed him!
It's not true!
He's alive, I tell you. I've seen him!
You're lying. You're mad!
Aaaaargh!
'He looked as I have never seen a man look.
'I read death on his face as plain as anything.
'The bare sight of me was like a bullet through his guilty heart.'
(Choking)
- (Knocking on door) - Mrs Barclay!
Mrs Barclay, open the door!
'He smashed onto the fender. He was dead before he fell.'
(Nancy) Aaaargh! Aaaargh!
Aaaargh!
(Maid) Mrs Barclay? Mrs Barclay, open the door!
'I took the key of the door from Nancy's hand, intending to open it and get help,
'then I thought it better to go, for things might look bad for me.
'Ln my haste, I thrust the key into my pocket,
'whilst chasing Teddy, who had escaped from his box.'
(Holmes) Teddy?
So, the Colonel died before he struck his head on the fender.
An apoplectic fit, brought on by shock.
Mr Wood, provided the coroner reaches the same conclusion, Mrs Barclay...
Nancy.
...will be free.
I trust you will not object to repeating your tale to the police, if the need arises.
Mr Holmes...
How is Nancy?
She is in hospital. I understand in time she should make a complete recovery.
Thank God.
Oh, Annie, how lovely to see you.
- Are you better? - Yes, I'm much better.
Holmes, there's just one thing I don't understand.
If the colonel's name was James,
and Wood was called either Henry or Harry, then who the deuce was David?
My dear Watson, that name should have told me the truth,
had I been the ideal reasoner you depict. Alas, my powers of deduction failed me.
You see, David, in this case, was evidently used as a term of reproach.
Reproach?
Don't you remember how King David sent Uriah, the Hittite,
into the forefront of the battle to die, so he might steal his woman, Bathsheba?
I think you'll find the story in the First or Second Book of Samuel.
My Old Testament is a little rusty.
You're quite right, Holmes. Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 11,
verses 14 to 17.
You appear to have looked it up yourself,
since we returned home from Aldershot.
How did you know?
You used this bill for our meal at Waterloo as a bookmarker, did you not?
Excellent, Watson.
Elementary, my dear Holmes.
(Watson) Good night, old fellow!