( Thunder booming )
Prisoner: Where am I?
Man: In the village.
What do you want?
Information.
Whose side are you on?
That would be telling.
We want information.
Information...
You won't get it.
( Bubbling )
By hook or by crook, we will.
Who are you?
The new number two.
Who is number one?
You are number six.
I am not a number, I am a free man!
( Number two laughs )
( Wind blowing )
( Bird sawing )
( No dial tone )
Jiggles hook )
( No dial tone )
( Gulls sawing )
( Wind blowing )
K ringing bell)
( Starts engine )
( Turns off engine )
( Dunking )
( Wind blowing )
( Clicking shutter, winding film )
( China breaks )
( Engine running )
( Door ape-hf )
( Radio chatter)
( Speaking German )
Gunther!
Wo bist du?
( Slows down engine )
( Punch, grunt )
( Engine accelerates )
( Gunshot )
( Fires )
( Gulls sawing )
Where is this?
( Speaking romany )
( Responds angrily in romany )
( Repeats himself )
( Responds angrily )
( Speaking romany )
( Man speaks )
( Responds angrily )
( Man and woman argue )
( Woman speaks )
( Speaks )
Where is this place?
Eh?
A road.
Where is there a road?
Ah...
( Speaks )
Thank you.
( Responds )
Man ( On police radio ): Just going down... waterline now...
Um, towards, uh...
( Radio chatter continues )
( Police siren sounding )
( horn honks )
Man: Hold it!
( Taps knocker )
Yes?
Who owns this house?
I beg your pardon?
I, I'm sorry.
What I meant was, I...
I'd like to see your master.
My mistress is not at home.
D-do you mind if I wait?
( Car engine revving )
What's the number of that car?
Terribly interesting.
K-a-r 120-c.
What's the engine number?
Do tell me.
461034
t-zed.
Marvelous.
I know every nut
and bolt and cog.
I built it with my own hands.
Then you're just the man I want to see.
I've been having a good deal of overheating in traffic.
Perhaps you'd care to advise me.
Come in.
Thank you.
This way.
( Clock chiming )
Make yourself at home.
And I'll organize some tea.
You would like some tea?
Very much.
I'm Mrs. butterworth.
And you are...?
An exile.
A nameless exile?
Uh... Smith.
Peter... Smith.
Enchanting.
Be comfortable and I'll be back in a moment.
And then you can enlighten me
on the intricacies of k-a-r 120-c.
( Dial tone )
( Door ape-hf )
Refreshments on the way.
Now tell me more.
What's the date?
Saturday, march the 18th.
Tomorrow's my birthday.
You're an odd fellow.
Yes... you, uh...
You must think I'm crazy.
Who isn't these days?
You know this, uh...
This was my house.
Really?
Yes.
In better days?
Before I went away.
You must miss it.
The lease, uh, had six months to run.
Well, it's been renewed.
I have it for ten years, fully furnished.
Oh, yes?
Is the inventory in order?
I'll bet.
The only thing that's missing is a body.
Don't tell me you've been prying into my private affairs.
Forgive me, I'm very sorry.
Uh... would you do me a very great favor?
Are you growing a beard?
No.
Pity. I've always had rather a soft spot for bearded men
but I could never get dear Arthur to grow one.
Arthur?
My late husband.
Navy, you know.
Unhappily, now deceased.
( Knock on door )
Come in.
Oh, thank you, Martha.
Is this the, um, gentleman you said called earlier?
It is, madam.
Her description of you was hardly flattering. Mr. Smith.
You must learn to delve beneath the surface, Martha.
Who knows what treasures you may find?
All right.
Thank you, madam.
Come and sit down, Mr. Smith.
Sandwich?
Thank you very much.
You're very kind.
It's a pleasure.
That was the best fruitcake I've every tasted.
I'm a very good cook.
It's one of my hobbies.
Yes...
Mrs. butterworth
I asked if you'd do me a very great favor.
Certainly.
Behind this desk, there was an area of dry rot
which was made good about twelve months ago.
The bathroom door is sliding.
It opens to the left.
The sink is on the right as you go in.
The hot and cold taps on the shower
were put on the wrong way round.
( Laughs ) I had them changed.
Don't be so silly.
You haven't got to prove anything.
I believe you.
I'm sorry, I'm not used to that.
What can I do for you?
I would like to see the lease
of the house
and the log book of the car.
How mysterious.
Thank you.
This is a new one.
Yours is the, um, the first name on it.
There's no indication of the previous owner.
The estate agents arranged it all.
They said the car was for sale, it was reasonable
and I've always had a taste for a little speed.
Yes.
The, um, estate agents were stumbell and croydon?
Most reputable.
And a charming man who dealt with me.
Mr. croydon himself.
Did you ever meet him?
No.
That wasn't the firm
that I did business with.
How odd.
Yes, indeed.
Mrs. butterworth, you've been extremely kind
in allowing me to intrude upon your privacy in this way.
I have to make two important calls
one in the country, one in town
so if you'll please excuse me, I'll say good-bye.
Mr. Smith, you mustn't.
I'm sorry, I have to.
You mustn't go like that!
Some of... Dear Arthur's things.
You're very welcome.
I've kept them all, you see.
I suppose it's stupid, but...
Even though there isn't a man about the place
I like to feel that there is.
Do you understand what I mean?
Yes...
I just know
you're in some kind of trouble.
Have you any money?
No.
Well, there you are, you see?
How are you going to get about?
It's all right, I can manage...
Don't be so silly, and independent, and proud.
Come on upstairs.
You'll find everything you want in the bathroom
and I'll lay some of Arthur's clothes out for you.
On condition you stop that nasty overheating.
It's a deal.
Bon voyage.
Mrs. butterworth, you've been tremen...
No speeches, off you go.
( Starts engine )
Don't forget to come back.
I'll be back!
I might even bake you a birthday cake.
Anyone at home?
Pretty spot.
Mixture of architectures... Italianate.
Difficult... certainly has a mediterranean flavor.
What do you think, thorpe?
I think I wouldn't mind a fortnight's leave there.
Prison for life, eh?
Far cry from sing sing.
I'm sorry to interrupt an afternoon's golf, colonel
but this is not a joking matter.
My dear fellow, you really mustn't blame thorpe.
After all, you yourself on occasion could be...
A little skeptical.
That's why you were such a good man.
Why we were so sorry to lose you.
The evidence is there.
A set of photographs from ground level of a holiday resort.
And a schoolboy navigational log
on the back of what you call the village newspaper.
I'm sorry, it's the best I could do in the circumstances.
You'd hardly expect the village store to issue sextants, would you?
Indeed, indeed.
If the place was as you said it was.
"The tally ho."
A daily issue.
Morning or evening?
Daily at noon.
"What are facts behind town hall?"
Town hall?
That's right.
Town council?
Correct.
Were you a member?
I could have been.
It's democratically elected once a year.
Democratically?
That's what they claim.
And they're all... numbers?
No names?
No names at all?
Just numbers.
I see.
Numbers in a village
that is a complete unit of our own society.
A place to put people who can't be left around.
People who know too much or too little.
A place with many means of breaking a man.
Intriguing.
They have their own cinema
their own newspaper...
Their own television station...
A credit card system...
And if you're a good boy and cough up the secrets
you are gracefully retired into the old people's home.
But, uh, no escape?
They also have a very impressive graveyard.
Which you avoided.
The village was deserted.
Perhaps they were on the... Democratic annual outing.
The town hall...
Number two's residence...
My house...
My dear fellow, you really mustn't get excited.
You must forgive us, but you see, we have a problem.
Tell him our problem, thorpe.
You resign...
You disappear...
You return.
You spin a yarn that hans Christian andersen would reject for a fairy tale.
Colonel: And we must be sure.
People defect.
An unhappy thought, but a fact of life.
They defect from one side
to the other.
I also have a problem.
I'm not sure which side runs this village.
A mutual problem.
Which I'm going to solve.
Quite.
If not here...
Then elsewhere.
Thorpe?
Sir?
Check.
Yes, sir.
Check every detail
contained in our... Ex-colleague's report.
Of course I helped him.
I'd help... anyone in trouble.
Wouldn't you?
Never mind.
Keep checking and report when you have anything.
All corroborated apart from the boat.
The beach?
Gypsies.
Romanies.
What about the roadblock?
Nothing to do with you, my dear fellow.
An escaped convict.
Can't you give us
anything more on the boat? No name?
Would you advertise if you were gun-running?
No, I would not.
I most certainly would not.
Would you, thorpe?
No.
You satisfied?
Let us say that the dice
are heavily loaded in your favor.
All right, let's get to work.
Commander, how's it going?
On the basis of your log
and allowing for the variance of your primitive device
and the laggard speed of your craft
I estimate you would have averaged some three and a half knots.
Yes...
Assuming fair winds.
You had fair winds?
Mostly.
You appreciate
there is no allowance for tides.
No, there couldn't have been.
I had no charts nor any means of assessing them.
Precisely.
You slept for how long?
Four hours out of each 24.
Remarkable.
So, in your 25 days at sea
you proceeded at an average of three and half knots
for 20 hours out of each 24
on a northeasterly course
which would put us at, uh...
Four hours sleep, 20 hours under fair sail
maximum travel on a true course...
1,750 Miles.
Where was the lighthouse?
Here.
250 Miles to the inch.
That is my maximum possible travel.
Minimum would be, commander?
I'd be inclined to allow
at least 400 Miles differential.
Call it 500 to cover drift and tide.
Yes... on a northeasterly course
in an equitable climate...
Somewhere about here.
Coast of Morocco...
Southwest of Portugal and Spain.
It might be an island.
You've got 500 by 1,500 to sweep...
750,000 square Miles.
Quite an area.
The clearance has just come through
for refueling in Gibraltar.
Good. Then we'll sweep as far as we can today
and then again tomorrow...
And tomorrow, and tomorrow...
You're a stubborn fellow, number six.
James, you call me that once again
and you're liable for a bout in hospital.
I won't be a minute.
Good luck.
Thanks.
( Engine whining )
Interesting fellow.
He's an old, old friend...
Who never gives up.
Turn.
Sweep back 15 degrees southwest.
Sweep nine degrees southwest.
That could be it.
Go closer.
There it is.
We've found it.
That's it.
Be seeing you.
( Gulls sawing )
( Percolating )
( Cat meows )
Many happy returns.
( March playing )
( Slam echoes )