"People ought to be ashamed of them selves, making noise at this hour!" "What's the matter?" "Is there a fire?" "Can't they knock more quietly?" "Damn window!" "Hey, they're knocking at Mrs. Miller's." "That's where Mary Baring is staying." "Here comes a police man!" "Where?" "I could swear I saw one on the corner." "No way, there he is on the other side." "Look, it's Moore!" "He seems drunk." "Then let's go down there." "Now, where are my pants?" "There!" "What's going on here, what's this noise?" "I'm looking for my wife, she's here in this house." " I've come to get her." " In the middle of the night?" "She was invited to dine with Mary Baring." "Hey, wait for me, I'm coming with you!" "Then Moore will have enough time to sober up." "Nonsense, I'm coming!" "Open!" "Open, please!" "Come on, open!" "You!" "You did this!" "You've always hated her!" "You!" "You did it!" "Sir, pull yourself together." "It is no use." " Let me be..." "Is there any brandy in the house?" "Empty, not a drop." " Is the deceased your tenant?" " Oh, no." "Ms. Baring is my tenant." "We had invited Mrs. Moore for supper." "Yes, that's how it was..." "Yes, yes, yes..." "The thing is, officer, these two women are actually, like all of us here, part of the company of actors at the Royal Theatre." "I was there tonight." "You see, I am the manager, and..." "Yes, yes, and I'm an actress." "I'm his wife." "And I was also invited here tonight, but I had..." "Calm down people, one after the other." "Some tea will do you well, dear." "I'll bring you some." " Shall I light the stove?" " Yes, please." "I'll put on some more water." "Oh well, now poor Ellen has really had it." "You know, Mrs. Miller, I'll tell you something..." "Ellen and Mary didn't get along." "And I know for a fact that they didn't talk for weeks." "Ms. Baring never said anything about that." "But I assure you it's true!" "I can't believe she could have done it." "But, come to think of it, she was always hot-tempered." "And how!" "She resigned because of Ellen." "Who?" " Miss Baring?" " Yes!" "And Moore rejected her resignation." "And to think that tonight, Ellen was suddenly completely changed." "You can't imagine what change!" "She was!" "Suddenly got the idea to reconcile with Mary Baring." "Mary Baring was very surprised." "But despite that, she invited both Ellen and me to supper." "I refused." "I suddenly got the impression that the two wanted to be alone." "Apparently Ellen was jealous again that a man was interested in Mary." "You understand?" "Officer, can I bring her a cup of tea?" "No, she'll get something at the police station." "DUE TO SUDDEN ILLNESS THE PARTS PLAYED B Y" "MARY BARING AND ELLEN MOORE WILL BE REPLACED." "Ms. Baring's understudy is now on stage." "One moment, Brent." "Come over here." "The inspector would like to have a word with you." "This is Brent, inspector." "We would like to clarify some points about the murder." "Do you remember if Mrs. Moore and Ms. Baring left the theatre at the same time last night?" "Yes, they left together." "I made a remark to Fane, our leading man, about it." "He said it was good news." "Was it unusual?" "It was a miracle!" "I even told my wife..." "Your turn!" "Your turn!" "Which one of the two ladies is Ms. Brent?" "You wouldn't have any luck with that lady." "She is a man!" "May I introduce you to your biggest admirer, Mr. Fane?" "I can assure you, inspector, I am not the other woman!" "I'm convinced, Mr. Fane." "They told me that you saw the two ladies yesterday night." "Yes, before I left the theatre." "Then I went straight home." " Alone?" " Yes, that is, no!" "Stewart came with me." "He wanted some cigarettes." "Does this happen often?" "No, I think he had lost his cigarette case." " Your turn!" " Pardon, this is my reply." " Who is that man?" " That is Stewart." "The one just referred to by Mr. Fane." "A good actor." " Married?" " He?" "Hardly!" " His relationship with the accused?" " Well, so-so." "Excuse me." "Is he popular among the ladies?" "Ah, you talk of Mr. Stewart?" "A little too popular, if you want my opinion." "Though, I don't know if you could call Mrs. Moore a "lady"..." "Don't forget that she is dead." "Please, I thought I had a right to tell the truth?" "And everyone knows that Ellen Moore and Stewart..." "Well..." "You mean that Mr. Stewart and Mrs. Moore?" " Your turn!" " My reply." "Oh, don't bother!" "I know my way." "This is not the first time, Reginald." "Excuse me a moment, change of clothes." " What have they done with her?" " With Mary?" "Still at the station, I think." "Any news?" "Has she said anything?" "Can I help?" "My God, you don't think she really has done it?" "It's terrible!" "Why did they arrested her?" "It was to be expected." "I saw it with my own eyes." "The blood covered fire poker in her hand, or at least near her." "Stop it!" "What's with you, my boy?" "The mere mention of blood makes me shudder." "No, no, wait!" "There is still time." "Be calm, my friend." "Attention!" "Go!" "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury." "Mary Baring stands accused for the murder of Ellen Moore." "She has pleaded not guilty." "Your task, ladies and gentlemen, will be to determine whether she is guilty or not." "Needless to say, in the eyes of the law, men and women are equal." "Even a murder committed by a woman must be judged dispassionately by you." "Neither youth nor beauty..." "I could certainly not let my self tolerate her demeanour." "And suddenly she gave me such a strange look." "And then... then I can't remember anything else." " Did you speak about any particular person?" "I will not answer that question." "It has nothing to do with this." "Whatever I have done, must have happened when I was not conscious of myself." "I..." "I... know nothing more." "The defense stresses that guilt has not been proven and repudiates all charges." "You, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have been able to observe the behaviour of the accused." "The prosecutor has called this behaviour stubborn and indifferent." "But, ladies and gentlemen, only a truly innocent person can be indifferent towards such an accusation." "If you are convinced that the defence represents the facts, it is your duty to release the accused." "However, I must point out that the accused is a talented actress." "Though if you are convinced that she has committed the deed in full consciousness, then I can only remind you of the words of the prosecutor:" "that neither beauty nor youth are extenuating circumstances." "Go and consider the facts for yourselves." "It seems unnecessary to examine all the evidence in detail." "With your permission," "I'd like to summarise the facts of the case." "It has been established that the defendant and the victim were at odds." "The defendant invited the victim to supper." "She wanted reconciliation." "They both drink some and they start discussing a man." "Then there's a fight." "Proof for this is that the landlady heard loud voices." "The defendant admits this, but refuses to reveal the man's name." "That's understandable." "But that's not all." "The defendant lost her temper, she grabbed the fire poker and that's how Ellen Moore was murdered." "The prosecutor believes that the facts are beyond doubt." "She was caught in flagranti." "The fire poker by her side, clothes covered with blood." "The empty bottle of brandy and she herself in a half-unconscious state." "What's more, no one else came into the house." "The defence argues that there is a possibility that she could have acted under a fit or something like that." "Surely it is clear that in the evidence for the defence the medical expert put forward the following theory:" "We know that under the influence of a very strong emotion, an individual can act without being aware of their actions." "Actions the individual do not remember at all when she regains her normal mental state." "And for which one therefore can not be held accountable..." "Yeah, well..." "It's probably best if we all write down our verdicts." "Then we can see how we stand." "Those in the minority can then explain their individual reasons." "And we'll work it out..." "Oh..." "NOT GUILTY." "And we'll work it out that way." "GUILTY." "So, here are... seven guilty and three not guilty altogether." "I take it you haven't come to a decision?" "This whole case is terrible." "There's too much responsibility put on our shoulders." "Either we can let her go free, but if she's a murderer, that's wrong to society." "Or else we get her hung, and that I find barbaric." "What if we appeal for mercy?" "Do you call that mercy?" "20 years in prison?" "To spend the best years in hell?" "Do you even know what jail means?" "It takes a civilised society to invent a punishment like that." "I think you exaggerate a bit." "It's no use confusing the issue." "People who commit a crime has got to be punished." "You can't run the world on sentiment." "You're right, but at least you've got to try." "You have to help the guilty, instead of having children and then start wars to get rid of them again." "The world is a reeking pit of sentiment!" "Your verdict, Mr. Shackleton." "Guilty." "So now remaining is only the three who voted not guilty." "I'll explain my reasons for the verdict." "The advice of the medical expert is beyond dispute." "As anyone who has studied modern psychology knows, a person with a high sensitivity can under strong stress, here explainable considering that the prisoner is an actor, end up in situations in which they are no longer conscious of their actions." "Perhaps she is right." "But maybe this condition then will repeat itself, and possibly with the same results." "Yes, that's a point I have not considered." "If she's found innocent and something would happen..." "Then we will have blood on our hands!" "Do you wish to change your verdict, Mrs. Ward?" "And you, dear Mr. Daniels, does your opinion remain the same?" "Well, I've got to say I find the whole thing incredible..." "I mean..." "Everyone would like to have a girl like her for a daughter." "Do not let your verdict be influenced by this young lady's qualities and their appeal to you." "Yeah, I can understand that, but I mean, I..." "This whole story is so terrible!" "Leaving your thoughts aside, what is your verdict?" "Well..." "OK..." "Guilty." "Then we all agree," "With the exception of Sir John." "But you won't influence me as easily as the others, Mr. chairman." "Let's not be too long." "Time is money, you know." "Time is money." "In this case even more than that." "A life is at stake." "I'm an actor, not a businessman." "If I take my time, I apologize." "So speak then, Sir John." "I am convinced that Mary Baring tells the truth when he says that she does not remember anything." "Her behaviour during the trial made a deep impression on me." "But my dear sir!" "But don't think that I'm taking the same line as Mr. Daniels here." "He wanted to be gallant." "For my part, I will go further." "To me it's obvious that she did not drink the brandy." "You've forgotten that the doctor said she smelled of alcohol!" "But maybe that was from the wine they had for dinner?" "It confirms that the two women had been enemies for some time." "He said the accused wanted to attack Mrs. Moore on stage." "It's all proof that she is a violent nature." "But Mr. Fane said the opposite!" "Unfortunately his testimony has no value." "He seems in love with the accused." "Everything was clear when they found the body," "The fire poker by her side." "And they quarrelled over a man." "What say you, Sir John?" "You'll have to keep her personality in mind." "Is she the kind of woman to get drunk?" "But there was a bottle of cognac there!" "She's not denying that." " True!" "Answers, Sir John?" " Not yet." "The question is, was someone else in the house that night?" "The landlady said no." "The accused says they were alone." "And said that they fought." "It's clear then." "That is not the response of a guilty!" " Caught red-handed!" " Clothes covered in blood!" " You refuse to acknowledge it?" " Waste of time, waste of money." " Cognac..." " Blood on her hands..." "How do you respond to that, Sir John?" "Now that the verdict is unanimous, I'll notify the judge." "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you agreed upon your verdict?" "Do you find the prisoner guilty or not guilty?" "Guilty." "Mary Baring, do you have anything to add to avoid the death penalty?" "But..." "It's absurd." "It can't be true." "Oyez, Oyez, Oyez!" "Silence while the death sentence is passed upon the prisoner." "In her trial at the criminal court today, an unanimous jury found the actress Mary Baring guilty of the murder of Ellen Moore, wife of theatre director Moore, and sentenced her to the death penalty." "This station has received a S.O.S." "We therefore interrupt our program for five minutes." "After the break a concert will..." " Mr. Bennett is here." " I'm coming." "I'm glad you're back, sir John." "The audience demands you." "And this process has been excellent publicity." "Sure, seeing Ms. Baring again was not all pleasant for you." "She wanted to be our star." "When was that?" "Hardly a year ago." "In a way she's finally achieved it, but in a very dramatic way." "But Bennett!" " Could you bring me my mail?" " Sure." "We continue our program." "The Radio symphony orchestra brings you the overture from Richard Wagner's opera Tristan and" "Strange this S.O.S. earlier." "Save our souls." "Save her soul." "Save her." "Had I been stronger, then I would have convinced everyone." "Why did these fools not see the poor girl like I did?" "In court, everyone look different from how they usually look." "Strange." "What are you thinking?" "Who drank the brandy?" "Why didn't I put more emphasis on that point?" "Easy to say afterwards..." "She said she didn't drink the brandy." "Yet she admits she might have committed the murder." "Denying such a detail and letting herself be convicted of murder without protesting." "I was right." "How do we know that someone else didn't drink the brandy?" "Could be!" "That is the crucial point!" "Who drank the brandy?" "Have I done the right thing?" "No." " No what?" " No mail." "Make sure you get hold of my understudy." "I won't play." "And call my lawyer." "No wait, I know the number by heart." "Museum 1223." "It's an inquiry into the current whereabouts of the troupe with which Miss Baring was at work." "And locate that small man stage manager, or theatre director or what he was." "I'll see him in my office in the morning." "I thought the trial was over." "It is far from over!" " Oh, it's for the publicity!" " Come on, Bennett." "Publicity?" "The line is busy" " Publicity?" " Well, why not?" "Hello?" "Yes Mr. Brown lives here" "Yes, but he is not at home." "He is ill and is in the hospital." "Yes that's right, he didn't feel right..." "What?" "Dr. Meyer?" "If I can transmit a message?" "But I haven't got a transmitter..." "Pardon?" "Sir John?" "Oh, eh..." "Wait a second, hold on!" "I think Mr. Brown came home just now..." "Hey, they're calling on behalf of Sir John!" "Hello?" "Yes I'm Mr. Brown." "Good morning, Doctor." "Oh, thank you." "No, no, nothing serious, just a small scratch." "Yes, from the briefcase..." "Of course, with pleasure!" "I'll come at once." "I was about to go to the bank, but never mind." "Yes, at once." "Thank you." "Hey, that was about a job." "Oh Bobby, in that case we won't have to pack!" "Don't talk about packing." "I have to get dressed!" "Bring me my white gloves!" "If this works out, then I'll..." " Then!" "Ah, Mr. Brown!" "How are you?" "Quite good, thank you." " Have a seat." " Thanks." "At the Baring trial these last few days, you made a strong impression as a man and as an artist." "I mean the way you gave your testimony." "That's why I would like to review some details with you." "Has Bennett already told you about your employment?" "Yes, I wanted you to work with us as stage manager." "A year's employment." "But we'll talk to Bennett about that." "Thank you very much, I'm lucky..." "I mean, how fortunate that I'm free at the moment." "I will do everything I can." "You can be sure that everything will be swell." "So, it's settled then?" "Any problems, Mr. Brown?" "My wife..." "My wife and I have always worked together... and I thought, if it's not asking too much..." "Maybe a small role?" " Where is your wife?" " Waiting downstairs." "Why didn't you say so?" "Let's have her come up." " Should I?" "I can..." " Never mind, I'll call." "Hello?" "Oh, excuse me, it's a mistake." "Bennett?" "Could you send up Mrs. Brown?" "Returning to the trial..." "I have taken this matter very seriously." "I played a difficult role." "The role of a juryman." "And when the curtain fell on the death penalty" "fear gripped me." "This was not theatre, it was life!" "And life is not as kind as the theatre" "It permits a poor innocent girl to be condemned to death." "Unless art comes to correct life at the last minute." "My God!" "Do you mean..." "That Mary Baring is innocent?" "That's right." "That's what I mean." "She was convicted only because she did not deny it." " But I saw..." " What did you see, Mr. Brown?" "Mary Baring next to the dead body, confused." "Why?" "Drunk?" "She never drinks." "So someone else must have done the drinking, Mr. Brown." "Why did she go into the other room for the fire poker?" "Accused of murdering Mrs. Moore because she didn't deny it." "And everyone is happy." "Without any questions!" "Without any responsibility!" "I'm delighted, Ms. Brown!" "It is a pleasure to be here." "Getting some fresh air, seeing some people..." "What a wonderful apartment!" "And this neighbourhood with all its stores!" "You'll have lunch with us?" "God, I'm starving!" "Thank you." "Harvey, bring us a cocktail." "And then have the lunch served." "Hey, he's hired us, the both of us!" " Really?" " Yes!" "But please, sit down." "I happened to notice that you are unemployed, and..." "A toast to our research!" "Yes, your husband and I seem to agree that the Baring trial must be approached from a completely different angle." "Really?" "Ah, to free Mary Baring!" "But that's futile, unfortunately." "So you do not share our opinion?" "That Ms. Baring is innocent?" "No, I mean, yes..." "Mary Baring was an adorable colleague and I personally never thought her capable of such a thing." "Isn't that true, Bobby?" "I've always said that no one who knows her could have thought it." "Do you want to take the matter in your own hands, Sir John?" "Have you found anything out?" "Oh, we would be so delighted if we could be of any help." "Isn't that so, Bobby?" "I really don't know where to start." "Do you have any ideas, Brown?" "Well, I've played in many crime plays, and there the first thing is to lay out a real plan." "But Bobby, why would you have a plan if Sir." "John hasn't got one?" "No, no, Ms. Brown, please let him." "I'm really in the dark here." "I would very much like your husband to help me." "To begin with, we must return to the scene of the crime." "Do you think you can spare me a few days of your time?" "But of course!" "Then you could show me where the murder took place." "Do you really think someone else did it?" "After all, it's even possible it was a complete stranger." "How so?" "If it was not Ms. Miller and not Mary Baring, then there must have been a third person." "This person would have to get in and get out somehow." "Good reasoning!" "Most important is to find out if there was someone else at the scene at 1.30 AM, apart from Moore of course." "Bobby, there was a policeman on the corner." " That doesn't matter, honey..." " Wait a second!" "What policeman?" "In the middle of night, we awoke by a terrible banging on the door." "We went to the window to see who made the fuss." "I saw a man on the corner that looked like a policeman." "So I said:" "A policeman is coming." "And then Bobby looked outside and saw one too, but that one came from the other side." " And where did the first one go?" " I have no idea." "He must have turned the corner and gone back." " That corner?" " Right." "You're sure it wasn't the same policeman?" "It's impossible." "We lost sight of him for just a short while." "God, it's Moore!" "He's gone crazy!" "We better get down." "Moore, be reasonable now." "My wife..." "Let's go home now." "Excuse me, this gentleman would like to take a look inside your house." "That is, if you don't mind?" " May I?" "Here are a few of her things." "I can't send it to her." "Give them to me, I'll bring them to her." "But that's your photo!" "Eh, we're not finished yet." "Is it possible to come in from the back of the house?" "See for yourself!" "The garden begins there." "Over there's the theatre" "To me it's seems impossible." " Yeah, right." "It would have to be an athlete." "And it would have destroyed the plants." "Did Ms. Baring have many visits?" "No, not many." "Ms. Brown now and then, and Mr. Stewart and Mr. Fane." "And that funny little man what's his name?" " Tom Brent." "Good afternoon, what's new?" "Anything for us?" "No nothing special, a broken wash basin in the number 4." "It was certainly one of you." "Who was in that room?" "Stewart and Fane, I think." "No, none of us broke that." "There is another thing." "This cigarette box was found?" "You know who it belongs to?" "I'll find out who it is." "Can we see that dressing room?" "I'd like to see that broken basin." "Ok, come with me." " What do you see from the window?" " The house on the corner." "I sure would like to know who broke that basin." "Finally we're here." "We wish you a good night's sleep." "I'll come by early in the morning." "It's time to get to bed." "Good night." "Oh, be quiet now!" "Take it before it spills." "Do you want the plate in bed or on a chair?" "What are you doing?" "Stop it, leave it be!" "Get off of there and leave that bag alone!" "Just wait until your father comes home, then you'll see!" "That child is too curious." "It earned him a real beating once." "But he hadn't done anything serious." "I wanted Mr. Stewart to describe what happened, but it was during the Baring trial." "My husband found the body, you know." "And he enjoyed the trial." "Ha-ha, Edith is usually not this merry, but she's seems fond of you!" "Do you have kids too?" "Tell me, why did Mr. Stewart give the child a beating?" "Well, I'll tell you." "Little Arthur was playing with the suitcase, and he took out a police uniform." "He thought it belonged to his father." "And then I heard a terrible scream." "Is that a reason to hit a child?" "The next day I told Mr. Fane." "I wanted advice, because I was a bit worried." "But he just turned around and said he knew nothing about it." "I said:" "If it isn't yours, it must be your colleague Stewart's." "Come in, my dear Brown." "Can we talk a minute?" "I'll bring some hot water." "Come on down!" "Come on, boys, get out!" "Go and play in the street!" "Charming house!" " I have something to inform you." " Please." "My wife and I have found something out." "Do you remember the cigarette case the doorman gave us?" "Someone had forgotten it." " Yes, yes." "I had put it in my pocket and this morning in bed" "I wanted to smoke, so I said to my wife: hand me my cigarettes." "I asked her: do you know who this belongs to?" "She looked at it and said:" "My God, that's Stewart's case." "Then she saw it had a beer stain" "So I said: then I should clean it before returning it." "My wife started rubbing and suddenly said:" "That isn't beer, what could it be?" "You know what it was?" "Blood!" "See for yourself." "Indeed." "I think you're right." "Stewart..." "Who wears a police uniform in your play?" "Fane and Stewart." "Stewart played a policeman." "And in the third act he changed clothes with Fane." "In fact, we had an extra uniform for Fane." "That allowed it to go faster." "So we actually had two police uniforms." "You've become an important factor in this case, Brown." "A very important factor." "I have an alibi!" "The most important factor is the policeman you did not see." "At the night of the murder, your wife saw a policeman on the corner." "When you arrived, it was gone." "And then he reappeared." "It was not the same person!" "You can be sure that the first one was not a real policeman." "You mean that someone used one of our theatre uniforms to disguise as a policeman?" "We must find out the name of the man Mary is protecting." "Was he a member of the company or someone else?" "Anyway, the cigarette case will make her talk." "It is very kind of you to come and see me." "But..." "I'm very surprised." "I've taken a great interest in your case, and..." "Please, do not talk about it." "How's your new play going?" "Well, thank you." "Even though I was away for a while." "You know, as a juror at your trial?" "Yes." "I know." "Could you answer a question regarding the case?" "I'm convinced that there are grounds for an appeal." "You want to help me with that?" "Do you know the consequences?" "Appeal..." "Lifelong imprisonment." "A single week has driven me half crazy!" "If you..." "If you want to appeal against the judgment, you should do it." "I've accepted all of this." "But at night..." "It can't be much worse than going to the dentist." "And if I really did it in a moment of sickness, then it's better if I go away." "But prison..." "If you are my friend, do not attempt anything!" "Lock yourself up in your room just for one single day, then you'll understand me." "Tell me, tell me frankly." "You wanted to work with me, to become a famous actress." "This can be achieved if you help me a little." "You can't imagine how I suffer for having contributed to your misery." "And if you want to, Mary, you'll become a great actress." "I'm convinced!" "What do you want me to say?" "The name of the man who was the subject of the discussion." "He had nothing to do with it and we weren't arguing about him." "I will explain to you." "Ellen wanted to say bad things about him." "And I covered my ears." "So you could not hear if anyone came into the room?" "No, I don't think so." "And why did you cover your ears?" " I knew what she would say." " What was that?" "I can not tell you that." "It would hurt someone terribly." "Who has not suffered in this case?" "Moore, Fane, Stewart, you and me too!" "Why protect that person?" "Could you reveal the past of another person without it being a benefit to anyone?" "But perhaps that is the way of salvation!" "I believe in your innocence!" "I beg you, speak." "Do you know what your silence means?" "You are in love with this man." "That's not true!" "And the one you are protecting is Stewart." "Right?" " This is Fane's case." " Fane?" "Fane?" "You're not allowed to give the prisoner anything." "The visit is over." "Courage, Mary!" "I'll say!" "It's him, disguised as a woman." "He's always been good at that." "That's a good disguise." "I have an idea, Brown." "I'll ask Mr. Fane to come to me." "And I'll offer him an important role." "Hey, we've found Fane." "He'll surely fall in our trap!" "Sure, sure..." "Sherlock Holmes is no one compared to you." "Don't be silly, the plan is not mine." "Sir John had an ingenious idea." "He wrote a play for it." "That's the bait." "And he'll offer Fane the lead in it." "Any actor would bite the bait." "If he is right and Fane is dangerous, then why are you mixed up in this?" "I'm just the prompter!" " Do you have a moment?" " Of course!" "Who is it?" "This is Mr. Handel Fane." "Ah, this is the gentleman you suggested for the role?" " Please, have a seat." " Thank you." "Do stay Bennett, I might need you." "I'm not good at negotiating." "I always forget the most important details." "Has Bennett told you who is the author of this work?" "No, not yet." " I am the writer." " Is that so?" "Oh, it was very easy." "The only difficulty was to find the lead actor." "Could you stand up, please?" "Excellent!" "Just as I've visualised him!" "That's how he has to look." "I thought so too." "Would you like to read me a few lines from the text?" "Just to give me some idea?" "This is illegible." "Tell Waldron to bring me another." "May I ask what is the theme of the play?" "My taste may surprise you." "But as an artist, you'll understand what tempted me." "It's about what preceded the Baring trial." "You were a member of Moore's company at that time?" "Then you know the two women concerned?" "Quite well." "Maybe we could start?" "At present you're engaged with the Circus Olympia." "Is that an interference?" "No, that's my old job." "I'm doing it again only because the times are tough." "Besides, you'll hardly start for another 2 or 3 weeks?" "Bennett, if you may?" "To give you an idea of the scene..." "The table is standing in front of the fireplace, more or less like this is." "On the table, remains of a meal." "Below, a bottle of cognac..." " You know, Mr. Fane..." "I'm surprised that this bottle of brandy... has played such an insignificant role in the trial." "As a writer, I'd have given it much more importance." "But of course, the court lacks imagination, right?" "I think..." "I think we'll go to the scene of the murder." "It is preceded by a short dialogue between two women." "While they quarrel, you make your entrance." "The moment one of them says..." "And here we quote the statement of a witness:" ""I'll tell you things about your protégé, things you do not suspect."" "That's when you enter." "Let's start, please." "Bravo!" "You enter through the window." "He understands the role, even without looking at the script." "Yes, the script..." "Where were we?" "Ah, yes!" ""I'll tell you things about your protégé, things you do not suspect."" "I think it would be better if I have the fire poker with me before entering the room." "Don't you think?" "Excellent idea!" "Please, continue." "Could you give me the fire poker?" "Sorry, we only have electric heating here." "Maybe my pen will do?" "Yes, this will work." "Enters through the window..." "You sneak by the doors..." "You slowly approaches..." "The two women are facing each other." "You are approaching slowly." "Very slowly." "So not to be seen or heard." "The two women are facing each other." "You come from behind!" "One of them yells:" ""I'll tell you..."" "What?" "The script is not finished." "I was getting myself quite worked up." " I was hoping you'd help me!" " No." "I know nothing about writing." "I'm not one of those actors who contribute to the work of eminent authors." "Complete the scene yourself." "I'll play the end." "I'm sorry." "I can not be of any help." "Please see what time he performs at the circus tonight." "I'm curious how good a trapeze artist is at playing comedy." "Don't get upset, Bennett." "He'll play his role until the end." "One moment, Sir John." "I'll be with you in a moment." " Please." " Good evening." " Good evening." "I did not expect to see you again here, Brown." " Yes, Sir John hired me..." " He helps me with my new work." "Brandy?" "It calms the nerves." "Yes, I have a very demanding role." "You never know what will happen." "Ready Fane?" "It's your turn." "I assume you came here to talk about your play." "That's right." "Hurry, Fane!" "Oh, Sir John, it's an honour!" "Will you attend the show?" "No, thank you." "I came to talk to Mr. Fane." "Would you be so kind and wait for me?" "I think I can give you a good idea for the end of your play." "Good." "What's going on?" "This is for you." "Perhaps this letter has something to do with what happened." "It all fits together." "Listen to this, Mr. Brown, here is the end of my play:" "By these words, he jumps in with the fire poker in his hand, pushes Mary, whose head hit the table, and collapses, unconscious." "Then he strikes Ellen Moore" "And when he sees the bloody corpse, he nearly faints." "He picks up the bottle of cognac and empties it, then returns to the theatre through the window." "In his dressing room, he washes his hands." "And breaks the sink in the process." "To his horror, he sees the crowded street." "That's when he gets the idea:" "To get home unnoticed disguised with the police uniform from the theatre." "You see, Brown, there's your policeman." "The rest we know, except for the motive." "The threat of the murdered woman who wanted to reveal his past to the woman he loved." "Poor devil!" "Mary Baring had known his secret for a long time." "What was the secret?" "He had escaped from prison." "And he lived in constant fear of being captured again." "Please, don't cry."