"Victoria Docks." "London." "On the 19th of March, 1901, where the iniquitous Professor James Moriarty, ruler of England's underworld and veritable Emperor of international crime, maintains his secret and impenetrable headquarters..." "Ah, Colonel Moran, you're punctuality use?" "Has everything proceeded according to schedule?" "Indeed it has." "Number ten:" ""Moran to Moriarty with Brackish cigar case at midnight exactly."" "Perfect!" "With one exception..." "A triﬂing one, perhaps." "But I simply do not happen to be Colonel Moran." "Sherlock Holmes?" "At your service." "I can well imagine the profundity of your disappointment, Professor Moriarty." "And you cannot fail to realise that there can only be one explanation for my having successfully penetrated the most carefully concealed lodgings in the whole of London." "I observe your choice of decorations is fully as disagreeable as your choice of profession." "Where's Colonel Moran?" "In custody." "As are Quint, Adelspait, Stryker and Nickers." "In short, Professor, your entire organisation here in Britain is now occupying cells in Bow Street police station, and the assassination of Lord Brackish has failed." "Damn and blast you for the meddle of the charge, sir." "With your West End ways, talking down your upper-class nose and only happy when you're dressing up as someone else as though life was some schoolboy lark." "Blast you, Holmes!" "Blast ya!" "I suggest you attempt to get a hold of yourself." "Your rage is beginning to affect your speech." "Did you come alone tonight?" "Since you ask, yes." "I thought as much." "I know your methods by now." "Your inability to resist the tour-dey-force, the coup de grass." "The necessity of nourishing your ego, unassisted" "Atrocious." "Along with your French." "Yes, well my only regret is I must leave alone." "Your cohorts refused to implicate you, and Colonel Moran fears for his life to do so." "But, be warned, Professor, your people have been captured and you are alone." "Alone and helpless!" "And I will have you yet!" "Mr Holmes, your interference in my affairs has gradually grown from mild annoyance to insufferable impertinence." "Tonight's actions have finally rendered you intolerable to me." "Really?" "Only tonight?" "You've been intolerable to me much longer than that!" "Would you be good enough to observe..." "This." "And this." "This." "Not to mention, this." "Mr Holmes, there are more than a dozen ways to kill a man in this room." "And that trapdoor into the Thames will remove all traces of the man's ever having been here." "Do you wonder why I haven't employed any of these devices against you?" "Well, it's not for want of trying." "No." "It's because they don't suit me." "I will destroy you, but in my fashion." "Will you?" "Yes." "I'm going to crush you so that your humiliation and downfall will be witnessed by the entire world." "How fascinating." "And just how do you propose to do that?" "The crime of the century, the past century and all the centuries to come is in preparation." "It will go forward as planned, despite the temporary set-back your inteference has caused me." "It will go forward." "It will take place." "And, Mr Holmes, it will take place before your very eyes and you'll be powerless to prevent it." "The world will gape at its immensity." "And when the world discovers it occurred within arm's length of the incomparable Sherlock Holmes, the world will sneer, the world will ridicule." "The world will hound you into oblivion." "And that is why I haven't employed any of the means at my disposal in this room." "I have other plans for you," "Mr Sherlock Holmes." "Have you?" "I, on the other hand, have the same plan I've always had for you." "To see you swing at the end of a hangman's rope!" "And I have no doubt that mine will be the plan that prevails." "It's a pity about the chandelier." "It was the only item in the room that showed the merest modicum of style." "Don't disturb yourself." "I'll show myself out." "Oh, morning, Watson." "Breakfasting?" "How'd you work that out, Holmes, eh?" "Do you mind awfully, Watson?" "You know I have little head for humor when there's nothing to occupy me but staring out of rain-streaked windows at the other side of the street." "It has been three days since I broke the back of Moriarty's organisation and there has not been a single letter or a caller worthy of my attention." "As my official biographer, Watson, you've precious little with which to occupy yourself, these days." "You'll soon be afﬂicted with the same boredom that I am suffering." "Oh, well, I'm certain things will change before long, eh, Holmes?" "By the 193/"" "within a fortnight's time you'll be gettin' a letter from America." "How on earth do you know that?" "Stealing a bit of your thunder, eh, Holmes?" "Mystified you, eh?" "Thoroughly." "Well, listen to this, in the theatrical section," ""Our Broadway correspondent reports that on the 31st of this month" ""Daniel Furman's production of Sir Arthur Pinero's The Second Mrs Tanqueray" ""will open at the Empire Theatre in New York." ""In addition to Mr Kendal, Mr Huntley, Mr East and Miss Campbell," ""the distinguished cast will include, in her first non-singin' role..."" "Irene Adler." "Dash it all, Holmes." "I was dead set of astonishing' ya." "You have, Watson." "Your ability to extract the single item of unalloyed interest from the mass of wordage of The Times is an extraordinary facility." "She's never failed to send you first night tickets, eh, Holmes?" "Never." "Always row B, seats five and seven." "For the last nine seasons." "One of these days we must find ourselves in those seats, eh, Watson?" "Ho-ho!" " They've gone begging far too long." "Come in." "The post has just come." " Thank you, Mrs Hudson." "Er, could I make you some hot tea?" "Yes, and a slice or two of that gammon if there's any left." "Watson, you must apologise to the trans-Atlantic mail as your estimate of a fortnight lacks thirteen days of proving itself accurate." "Row B, as usual, eh Holmes?" "Seats fi..." "Holmes, what is it?" "Well, that's a rum 'un, eh Holmes?" "Whatever'd she tear 'em up like that?" "Watson, there's not a moment to lose." "We must set out for New York this very day." "Engage passage immediately." " Yes, yes, at once." "Waterlook station, driver!" "We've forty minutes to catch the boat train." "I am trying to connect two events that, by all sense and logic, cannot be connected." "Truly a futile exercise." "Well, what are they?" "My conversation with Moriarty, three nights ago, and the receipts of those shredded theatre tickets, this morning." "How could the one have the remotest connection with the other?" "I don't know, Watson." "I don't know." "And, yet, if I were Moriarty, and my one unwavering determination the destruction of Sherlock Holmes," "I would expend every effort at my command to seek out the... single, the only chink in his armour, however small it may be, and once I had found it, if it exists at all," "it is there I should thrust with all the strength and fury I could muster." ""Chink in your armour"?" "Rubbish!" "There's no such thing as a chink in your armour." "Isn't there, Watson?" "Isn't there?" "This'll do very nicely." "Thank you, very much." "Hansom." "Hansom!" "I say there, hansom." "Handsome is as handsome does, mister, and you'll do quite nicely." "I say!" "Well, did you hear that, Holmes?" "The young lady..." "Off you go, off you go." "Shoo, shoo..." " Oh, well!" "Let that be a lesson to you, Watson." "They don't have hansom cabs in New York, just cabs." "Cab!" "Over here, my man." "You see, Watson?" "Get our cases aboard as quickly as you can will you?" "The Empire Theatre, and don't spare your steed." "Jump in, Watson." "There we are." "Ah, I make it just on half-past three." "Eight, Holmes." "What on earth are you talking about?" "Half-past eight, see." "Watson, we are on New York time." "Oh." "Oh, well I've always found Grenwich time perfectly adequate to me needs." "I see now reason for changing it now." "Hello!" "What's this?" "Wooah!" "How do I get through here?" "You can't." "Go around the side behind the LaFayette Square." "That'll take a half an hour." "Driver, what is this?" "It's the new subway, sir." "Subway'?" "What's a subway?" "It's their word for 'Underground'." "Now that he mentions it, I recall reading of its contruction." "New York's first, I understand." "You mean to tell me they don't have an underground railway here?" "Stands to reason, doesn't it?" "They don't have hansoms!" "Driver, where are we now?" "8th Avenue, sir." "Almost at 34th Street" "Good." "Come along, Watson." "The Empire Theatre is on 39th and Broadway." "The walk will do us good." "Driver, would you be kind enough to get our cases to the Algonquin Hotel the best way you are able?" "I'm sure that this will take care of any inconvenience." "Thank you." "Come along, Watson, we walk this distance ten fold on a single afternoon in London." "Heads up, mister!" " I say, look here..." "Come along, Watson." "To think we fought a war to keep these barbarians in the Commonwealth." "Watson, see if you can purchase two tickets for this evening's performance." "I will endeavour to find out what I can, inside." "Yes, of course." "I'll join you when I've done." "Oh, excuse me, is this a queue?" "Yes, sir?" "Oh, how do you do?" "Is Miss Irene Adler in the theatre, do you know?" "Nobody here but me, sir." "Oh, I must speak with her at once." "Do you know where I might find her?" "No-one is to be disturbed until curtain time." "Mr Furman's orders." "This is extremely urgent." " So are Mr Furman's orders!" "Well, do you know her address?" "Look, I just finished telling you..." " Yes, quite." "Now, look here, my good me, when did you last see Miss Adler?" "This morning, at line rehearsal." "Was she all right?" "Letter perfect." "Was she?" "I cannot tell you how relieved I am to learn that." "I wonder if I might prevail upon you for a further service?" "Would you be so kind as to give Miss Adler my card directly she gets to the theatre?" "Tell her I'm at the Algonquin Hotel and must speak with her as soon as possible." "I think I can arrange that for you, Mr..." "Sherlock Holmes." "You have earned my undying gratitude." "Good afternoon." "Good afternoon, sir." "I say, Holmes." " Watson, we have a splendid piece of reassurance." "As late as this morning, Irene was apparently in good health." "Good!" " And what have you been able to accomplish?" "It's a rum go, Holmes." "Beastly rum go." "See those?" "Last two in the house." "Fella in the window says." "Row B." "Seats five and seven." "Er, don't bother, Holmes." "I already questioned the fella." "You have?" "Those tickets were purchased a fortnight ago." "By Irene Adler." "But were sent to me." " Exactly." "Then why are they here?" " They were returned." "When." " Earlier this afternoon." "By whom?" " Er, a stranger." "The chap at the box office never seen him before, he says." "Holmes, what do you make of it all?" "Watson, my apprehensions return." "Those tickets sent to me in Baker Street were forgeries." "These were intercepted before they could reach me." "Whatever for?" "A phrase continues to ring in my ears:" ""The crime of the century," ""the past century and for all centuries to come," ""is now in preparation."" "Moriarty said that to me." "You mean he's behind it?" "Behind whatever it is that's going on?" ""It will take place before your very eyes" ""and you will be powereless to prevent it."" "Watson, there is devilry afoot." "I feel that in my very marrow." "What're we to do about it?" "Until it chooses to reveal its nature to us there is nothing we can do, except dress, dine and attend this theatre tonight." "Is he in?" " Upstairs." "Come in." "Have you got something for me, Skipper?" "He's here." "Indeed he is." " Yes, sir." "All right, back to your post." "You know what to do." "Yes, sir." "Act one, the cast is assembled, the play begins." "Holmes?" "Yes, Watson?" "There's not a Red Indian in the entire place." "I had noticed." "They should have started by now." "We didn't have to rush dinner, after all." "Ten minutes late." "Isn't it time they started?" "Oh, yes." "Time they were getting on with it and all that, eh?" "Ah!" "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm Mr Daniel Furman." "I beg your indulgence, please." "Due to the sudden indisposition of Miss Irene Adler" "Watson, quick!" "Excuse me." "...that this performance..." "Some people just don't know how to behave." "...will be played by May Robeson." "Thank you." "I demand to be shown to Miss Adler at once." "My name is Sherlock Holmes." "Oh, Mr Holmes." "Thank heaven your here." "Where is she?" "So far as I know, at home." "I must know exactly what happened." "All I can tell you is that when she didn't appear after half hour was called" "I sent a boy a call boy to her house." " And?" "He returned with this." " Let me see that." "As you can see, it just says she's sick and will be unable to perform." "With a full house and the curtain already delayed fifteen minutes" "I had no alternative but to go out front and make the announcement you just heard." "Mr Holmes, can you shed any light on such behaviour?" "This is absolutely unlike Miss Adler." " I can shed some light Mr Furman." "This note was not written by someone suddenly taken ill." "It was written by a person in the clutches of the most extreme terror." "Well, look at the hasty scrawl." "The hand shaking so it's scarcely able to hold the pen." "In fact, here, here and here the pen has actually dropped from her hand." "I must know Miss Adler's address at once." "14 Gramercy Park, but..." "There's no time for buts." "Come Watson!" "Katie won't turn up now." "Hmm, hardly." "Then you two shall hear it." "Doctor, Frank, this is the last time we are to meet in these rooms." ""The last time"?" "Really?" "Good evening, I must speak to your mistress at once" "I'm sorry, sir, Miss Adler is not at home..." "To Sherlock Holmes?" "Step aside." "I must have that assurance from the lady's lips herself." "Irene, are you there?" "I'm here Sherlock." "It's all right, Heller." "Mr Holmes and Dr Watson may come up." "Yes, madam." "In here." "May I ring for some refreshment?" "Some coffee?" "Brandy?" "Would you care to sit down?" "Sherlock, you're..." "You're looking quite well." "You've hardly changed in the years since we've met." "And Dr Watson are you quite well also?" " Thank you, dear lady." "Irene, we were at the theatre tonight." "Did the performance go on?" "With your understudy." "The audience was naturally disappointed at the substitution." "Miss Robeson is a very promising fine young performer." "What is the indisposition of which you're suffering?" "A trifﬂing matter..." "Irene, why did you not go to the theatre tonight?" "Did Mr Furman not explain...?" "I insist I be spared this masquerade." "It demeans a friendship of almost ten years standing." "Irene, it is time for the truth!" "What is it that holds you in this grip of almost unbearable terror?" "What is the message you are awaiting?" "And why are you prepared to remain up the entire night and not leave this house until you receive it?" "I should have remembered." "One cannot pretend in front of Mr Sherlock Holmes." "Holmes what do you mean by a message, about staying up all night, about leaving the house?" "It's simplicity itself, Watson." "Irene has cancelled the most important night of her career." "And look at the fire." "Made up to last until morning." "And that curtain." "You see it hangs untidily" "Again and again it has been thrust to once side so that the street below..." "The window is unlatched." "As I say someone has repeatedly stepped out here looking in all directions." "Waiting." "Waiting for what?" "Watson, not a single piece of furniture in this room bears the imprint of a human form." "Irene, you have spent the time, since at least eight this evening, pacing up and down, sitting only at that desk over there to write the note to Mr Furman." "What is this?" "Who is this child?" "His name is Scott." "He's my son." "Where is the boy now?" "He's upstairs, in bed." "May I see him?" "He is asleep." "I shall be very quiet." "I'm afraid I cannot oblige you." " I am convinced you cannot!" "This photograph normally stands on the desk, here." "A faint line of dust marks where the base usually rests." "You seized it up while you were pacing." "You gazed at it with a..." "With a look of longing." "With a sob of anxiety, I dare say, and then you ﬂung it onto the sofa because the boy is not upstairs, in bed." "The boy is not in this house at all." "The boy has been kidnapped." " Yes!" "Yes!" "Yes!" "He has been kidnapped!" "And I am out of my mind with grief." "Holmes!" "Good heavens, the lady's at the end of her tether!" "Watson, fetch her some brandy." "Irene, please..." "You must control yourself." "We have no time." "I must know exactly what happened." "Yes." "Yes, of course." "I will have a drop of brandy." "Thank you, Watson." "Of course, dear lady." "Yes, madam?" "Heller, would you tell Fréulein Reichenbach to come down right away, please?" "Of course, madam." "English, fréulein." "I had gone to meet the young boy at school, and we were walking home, which we used to do each day." "It is this afternoon you are referring to fréulein?" "Ja." "Please describe to us what occurred." " Ja." "Erm..." "Three blocks from here, maybe four..." ""ya, four... a carriage drew beside us and stopped." "A man was on top driving the horse." "Erm, it was a closed carriage, and all the shades were down." "Suddenly, a man leaped from inside..." "Yes, go on." "He seized and kicked me." "Good heavens, the brute!" "Watson, please." "He seized and kicked you?" "Ja." "First by the hair, like this." "And then with his foot, like this, in the chin." "I expect she means the'shin'." "Thank you, Watson." "What happened then?" "He threw me into the gutter." "Gott in Himmel, was he strong!" "So strong he..." "Laid his hands on the boy and dragged him into the carriage, and off they raced." "Irene, when you learned of this did you inform the police?" "I was on the point of doing so when..." "When what?" "When this telegram arrived." " What telegram?" "!" "I'm about to show you, Sherlock." "Try not to be so impatient." "I ask your pardon." "When a problem absorbs me I tend to neglect formalities." "The problem absorbs me also." ""Do nothing, stop." "Tell no-one, stop." ""Further instructions will be forthcoming, stop." ""Disobey these orders and you will face the direst consequences."" "Oh, dear lady!" "Sit down." "Holmes?" " Rene." "Forgive me, I thought I was stronger." "So, there it is, Sherlock." "I have been waiting, waiting, waiting for those "further instructions"" "since four o'clock this afternoon." "And it is not nearly nine-thirty." "What has happened to my son?" "Oh!" "A message." "A closed carriage, Holmes." "One man at the reigns, the other must be at the door." "Hold on!" "Go!" "Wait!" "What are you standing for, why don't you give the note to your mistress?" "It's not addressed to Miss Adler, sir." "Not addressed to her?" "To whom is it addressed?" "It's addressed to you, sir." "I'd better read this to you." ""The life of Scott Adler depends upon one thing alone, Mr Sherlock Holmes:" ""Your refusal to co-operate with the police." ""You will refuse, and you will give no reason for your refusal," ""or the boy will die."" "Irene." "If she's still awake in an hour see she takes another of those powders." "Yes, sir." "Thank you, sir." "Goodnight gentlemen." "That should take care of matters till the morning." "A cab?" "I'd prefer to walk." "Oh, anything you say." "Can you make head or tail of it Holmes?" "I can't." "I am being manipulated." "Hey, what's that?" ""Manipulated"?" "How'd you mean?" "That chink in my armour, it's been discovered." "I'm sure I haven't the foggiest notion what you're talking about." "Watson, did you know my full name was William Sherlock Scott Holmes?" "Is it?" "No I didn't know that." "Same as the lad, eh?" "Well, it's not an uncommon name is it, Scott?" "What about that exploring Johnny?" "The one that's down in Antarctica just now, another Scott?" "One thing puzzles me, though." "One thing?" "I commend your clarity of mind, Watson." "What thing is that?" "That bit in the letter about you not co-operating with the police." "No-one's asked you to co-operate with the police." "Mr Sherlock Holmes?" "Yes, my name is Holmes." "Inspector Lafferty, New York Police Department." "And I'm Mortimer McGraw, president of the International Gold Exchange." "How do you do, Mr McGraw?" "This is Dr Watson." "How do you do?" "Dr Watson." "Mr Holmes, I only learned an hour ago that you were even in New York." "I would have come to you sooner" "About what?" "Mr McGraw has been kind enough to offer us his Landau for our convenience." "Could I trouble you, both of you, to join us in a short drive?" "As you wish." " Thank you." "Gentlemen, it is almost eleven at night." "Well, more likely, yes." "Mr Holmes, have you ever heard of the International Gold Exchange?" "No." "Gold is a very attractive metal to thieves as you well know." "It is also the major medium of exchange between nations of the civilized world." "Quite." "Shipments of large quantities of gold from one country to another is not only arduous but dangerous." "Because of that, the International Gold Exchange was established." "May I describe it to you?" "Please do." "Deep beneath the basement of the Bouwerie National Bank here in Manhattan, cut into the bedrock of the island, are a number of vaults." "Each vault considered the property of the sovereign nation whose name appears above its steel doors." "I think I understand the object of your Exchange, Mr McGraw." "When gold is to be transferred from one country," "Russia let us say, to another, Great Britain, instead of making the long and hazardous journey from Moscow to London the required amount of bullion is removed from one vault and placed into another." "Exactly." "Now six trusted employees of the Exchange do the work that used to require six hundred nationals of the countries involved." "And the risk of theft has been reduced to virtually nothing." "Most ingenious." "I congratualte you, sir." "I only have one question:" "Why are we being told all this at this hour of night?" "Because the gold's been stolen, that's why." "All of it?" "Every brick, virtually." "When was the theft discovered?" "When the door was unlocked at the bottom of the elevator shaft, the vaults were empty." "And there was a huge hole cut into the rear wall of the chamber." "A hole leading where?" "Into the subway excavation that passes right by the bank." "We found one brick of the bullion in the tunnel." "Another in the excavation." "And, er, news of this incredible theft has been kept from the public?" "So far." "But, Mr Holmes, in three days' time a transaction is to take place between Italy and Germany." "When that happens, the theft will be discovered." "And the international repercussions will be such that not even war, world war, can be ruled out." "Mr Holmes, we've only got three days to find the gold and get it back in the vaults." "And we need your help to do it." "The life of Scott Adler depends upon one thing alone, Mr Sherlock Holmes:" "Your refusal to co-operate with the police." "You will refuse and you will give no reason for your refusal, or the boy will die." "Gentlemen, I am sorry I cannot assist you in this matter." "You what?" "I can be of no service to you in any way whatsoever." "Have we been talking to Sherlock Holmes?" "You have." "Now, gentlemen, you must permit me to bid you a good night." "Come along, Watson." "Wait a minute!" "You can't turn us down like this." "We've come to you because of your worldwide reputation." "And Mr McGraw has explained to you the seriousness of the situation." "Inspector, I have nothing further to say on the matter." "Well, I have something further to say to you..." "Inspector." "When the crime's found out, and it's learned it could lead to a world war, and Sherlock Holmes knew about it and didn't lift one finger to assist the police, what's the world gonna think of the great Sherlock Holmes then?" "Drive on." "Goodnight, Inspector." "Oi!" "Mr McGraw!" "The scoundral." "How dare he?" "Now do you understand what I meant when I spoke of being manipulated?" "Now do you fully appreciate the art, the genius, of this Napoleon of crime?" "What Napoleon are you talking about?" "He knew those mutilated tickets would bring me to New York." "He knew I would be at the theatre tonight and that the announcement of Irene's indisposition would make me rush to her home so that he could deliver that note to me." "He knew that Inspector Lafferty would be waiting here for me at the hotel." "And that he would enlist my aid in recovering the gold." "And, because of Scott Adler, I would be forced to refuse him." "Every single thing Moriarty promised me that night in London has come true." "The crime of the century has been committed." "And I am helpless to do anything about it." "Moriarty made off with that gold?" "And with Scott Adler, too, I'm convinced." "Well, what the juice can he do with all that bullion?" "You heard what McGraw said." "He can bring every nation to the brink of a world war." "What good's a world war to him?" "The prevention of it." "With mankind trembling upon the brink of unimaginable devastation," "Professor Moriarty will come forward and reveal that the gold is in his possession." "The bankrupt nations in his power." "Moriarty, ruler of the world." ""The crime of all centuries to come."" "Indeed it is, Watson." "Indeed it is." "The life of Scott Adler depends upon one thing alone, Mr Sherlock Holmes:" "Your refusal to co-operate with the police." "I am powerless to circumvent it." "Holmes?" "Yes?" " Forgive me saying so, Holmes, but if you're prepared to stand there and fiddle while the world goes up in smoke well, then, you're precious Professor Moriarty deserves to sit on his mountain of gold and tell the rest of us to jump." "Well, I never made any bones about what that damn fiddle does to me nerves." "That's quite all right, Watson." "Please, don't apologise." "I 58)'" "What is it, Holmes?" "The man down there is watching this room." "I saw him twice this evening, marching up and down with his signboards." "Did you, by Jove?" "I wonder what he's up to?" "I can tell you that, Watson." "He is wondering what we are up to." "Me dear friend, I owe you a profound debt of gratitude." "Oh, come now Holmes." "Butldo, Ido." "If you had not reprimanded me just now as you did," "I would have gone on doing exactly what you accused me of doing." "Fiddling while the world burned, and Moriarty would indeed've won the day." "But you broke the spell, my friend." "Watson, why are we being watched?" "Ask yourself that question." "There's no need to, you just did." " And I'll answer it." "If Moriarty's plan is so perfect, if I am supposed to be helpless, destroyed, unable to fight him, then why is it necessary to have me watched?" "That's not an answer, Holmes, it's another question." "And the answer is:" "Because the plan is not perfect." "It has one single ﬂaw in it." "And that man down there has to be there, so that Mariarty will know at once if I discover that ﬂaw." "Well, have ya?" " Yes!" "But he is not going to know that." "Watson, what is it that prevents my assisting the police?" "Well, the boy's safety, of course." " Of course." "So long as Scott Adler remains Moriarty's captive, then my hands are tied." "His life hangs upon my inactivity." "But what if the lad were to be snatched from Moriarty's claws and set free?" "'By Us!" "And in such a way that Moriarty still believes him prisoner." "If that can be acheived then the manicles fall from my wrists and I am free to turn my attention to the theft of the gold." "Ah." "Though easier said that done, I'd say." "Yes, Watson." "I believe that is just what you have said." "Oh, thank you." "The chap's still down there." "It's a damp night, too." "He'll have a nice touch of the rheumatism in the morning." "I hope he enjoys it." "Oh, you're not gonna start up on that wretched fiddle again are ya?" "Oh, we're in for one of those sessions are we?" "Precisely." "Don't let me detain you, Watson." "I expect this will be a four pipe problem at the very least." "Yes, well, take care you don't set the upholstery afire the way you did that night at Ashby-de-la-Zouch." "Er, 'night, Holmes." "Er, 'night, Watson." "Sleep well." "Holmes!" "It's half-past twelve in the afternoon!" "Half-past seven in the morning, Watson." "What's that?" "Oh, my watch must have..." "Oh." "Cheeky beggars, I must say, making up their own time." "I'm surprised no-one's called the fire brigade." "Oh, that chap's been replaced." "This one's wearing stripes instead of checks." "Well, Holmes, what have you come up with?" "Two points of exceeding interest, Watson." "About which I shall be delighted to tell you whilst we're dressing." "Scott Adler's abducter was a woman." "But that's impossible." "Oh, the conclusion's inescapable, Watson." "How did Fraulein Reichenbach's assailant begin the attack?" "Grabbed her by the hair." "The instinctive target of a woman when she finds herself in combat with another of her gender." "What did she do then?" "Kicked her." " In the shins." "Another instinctive form of female attack." "I must say, Holmes, none of the ladies with whom I've been associated..." "Who mentioned ladies Watson?" "I said, "a woman."" "And one of sufficient strength that she was able to ﬂing the fréulein to the ground, seize young Scott Adler..." "Holmes, you're assuming too much." "It's all very well to say that a woman struck Fréulein Reichenbach and pummelled her in the manner you described." "But that's a far cry from her seizin' a nine-year-old boy who's struggling', cryin' out..." " Ah-ha!" "Admirable, my dear Watson." "Come in." "You have just hit upon the second point." "No mention was made by the fréulein of any struggle or outcry." "Excuse me." " By George, you're right!" "Er, nothing." "Just leave things, we will serve ourselves." "Thank you very much." "So, it must be assumed that none was made." "I am convinced that the matter was arranged with the lad in advance." "What?" "Scott Adler co-operate with Moriarty in his own kidnapping'?" "Suppose it were put to the lad as a joke of sorts?" "A joke on whom?" "Surely not his mother?" "Well, perhaps, on the fréulein?" "But, for what reason?" "And why a woman kidnapper in the first place?" "Because the lad has to be kept somewhere quietly and inconspicuously." "And what better place could there be than at a respectable lodging house?" "And what better guardian than someone who might be taken for his cousin, his aunt, or even his m... mother?" "Watson," "I have some questions I must put to Irene at once." "That sedative you gave her, will it have worn off by now?" "At a quarter-past one in the afternoon?" "Of course." "Watson..." "Oh!" "Well, dash it all, Holmes, if an Englishman doesn't maintain his ties with home what becomes of England?" "Come along, Watson." " Holmes!" "Oh, kippers'll get cold." "Oh, well." "Irene, I must know everything you and Scott did yesterday." "Everything" "Well, for one thing, we went to the opera." "The management sent around complimentary tickets and Scott is fond of Aida, and he also has a tremedous crush on little Nicole Romaine, so..." "Who is this little Nicole Romaine?" "Why she's a member of the cours de ballet." "Do you hear that, Watson?" "A dancer." "Quick, strong, agile, eh?" "Is it customary for the Metropolitan Opera to send you tickets?" "No." "No, it isn't really." "Then they could have been sent by someone else?" "I simply never thought about it." "Start thinking about it now." "And seriously." "Tell me about Scott and this little Nicole Romaine." "He's her pet." "Whenever we go backstage after a performance..." "Which you did on this occasion?" " Yes." "They spoke together these two?" "Oh my, yes." "Laughing and whispering in each others' ears." "She's hardly more than a child herself." ""Whispering in each others' ears." Do you hear that, Watson?" "Hatching the plot right there, I've no doubt." ""The plot"?" "What plot?" "A plot, my dear Irene, in which you and your unfortunate son are leading players." "And a plot in which I must now assume a role myself." "Ah-ha!" "Our friend in the checkered suit is back." "Huh, chap doesn't even have a change of clothes." "Bit penurious this Moriarty fella, huh?" "Watson, it is vital that I leave this house unobserved." "I dare say there's a back way out." "Mmm." "The same thought will have accurred to Moriarty." "No!" "You and I must appear to leave this house, thus drawing our friend out there away from here." "Irene, I seem to remember, on a not-too-distant occasion, your remarkable impersonation of a young man." "Do you think you could be equally deceptive in the guise of one not quite so young as that?" "I am not quite so young as that anymore either, Sherlock." "Cab." "Coming Holmes?" "Right along Watson." "Right along." "Thank you." "Excuse me, sir." "The opera house is just across the street if you..." "I know." "I would much prefer it be delivered." "Whatever you want." "I'll send the boy right away." "The Twickenham Toffs?" "What a mysterious, fascinating, tiny world we live in." "What's that, sir?" "Oh, nothing." "I was just having a conversation with myself." "How much do I owe you?" " Seventy-five cents." "Thank you." "Sorry mister, the lady's not there." "How very odd." "And it was marked 'urgent'." "Yes, sir." "That's why they've given me the address of her hotel." "So I can deliver it." "Splendid, my dear chap." "I shall take care of it myself." "Now, you look like a lad who knows his way around this town." "Where can I find a first-rate theatrical costumier?" "Ah, Signor carrozzi, you bring in the baule, huh?" "Va bene e fai multa tensione." "A multa varo." "Buongiorno!" "We present II Grande Bandini direct from the Victoria Palace." "The Victoria Palace, eh?" "I played there myself in my younger days." "What kind of an act do you do?" "Escapologist." "A what?" " I escape." "Escape from what?" "From trunks." "From tanks filled with water." "From chains, from locked cages." "Yeah, but not from your hotel bill, I hope." "That'll be a buck-fifty, plus two bits for carrying." "A dollar six bits, all told." "There you are my fine fellow." "And don't forget:" "Come to see me perform tomorrow night at the Orpheum." "So, you're playing the Orpeum, huh?" "So..." "Who told you about this place, anyway, the Haymarket?" "It was recommend me by a Maifraoi I meet in Marseilles" "A man si chiama Nicholas Romaine." "Nicholas Romaine?" "No I don't seem to remember him." "We do have a Miss Romaine staying here with her little boy." "I'll have to ask her when she comes back in." "She may be a relative." "Now, let's see about your room." "Ah, yeah, I have a nice one on the second ﬂoor." "Number seventeen." "That'll be fifty cents a day, with breakfast." "Would you care to register?" "Er, the room, she's clean?" "The Great Bandini does not share his bed with bugs." "We have the cleanest place in this town." "You can ask anybody that lives here." "Ah, Miss Romaine." "By the way, over there's a gentleman who might be knowing a relative of yours." "Buona sera, Signorina." "Che piacere." "I once had the great honour of appearning on the same bill with your most most esteemed father." "My name is Sherlock Holmes, and if you value your life and freedom you'll invite me to your room at once." "Where is the boy?" "Show him to me." "How did you know?" "There's no time for that, Madamoiselle." "Where is he?" "Scott?" "Scott?" "Scott!" "Scott?" "He's drugged." "A few grains of laudanum, that is all, Monsieur." "And only when I must go out." "I would not harm the boy." "You have most assuredly harmed his mother." "What brought you to take part in this outrage?" "I had no choice, Monsieur." "Three days ago, a man came to me." "Charles Nickers, a tumbler with the Twickenham Toffs." "I had the distinct honour of arresting his brother, Bill, in London a fortnight ago." "The Twickenham Toffs have long been a part of Moriarty's organisation." "And what did this Charles Nickers say to you?" "He said that unless I did as I was bidden my brother, Anatole, in Paris would be murdered." "I see." "And what were your orders in addition to pursuading young Scott to take part in a prank against his governess?" "I was to bring him here." "And then engage a room facing the street." "Originally, my room was in the rear." "Then I was to call the opera and say I was ill." "Then, twice a day I must inform Mr Nickers that the boy is here and no-one has enquired after him." "Inform?" "In what way?" "Each day at eleven, and again at seven, he comes across the street and watches." "I walk to the window and open the curtain and nod." "And that is all." "Which means it's almost time for him to be there now." "Mademoiselle, you have received Moriarty's instructions now you will hear mine." "When Charles Nickers arrives you will give him the proper signal as you have been told to do, and you will continue to do so twice a day until I relieve you of the responsibility." "If you do as I say, you will emerge from this dismal matter unharmed, as will your brother." "Fail me in any respect, and you will held accountable for the death of Scott Adler." "Oh, mon dieu!" "Yes, if I were French I would have said the same thing myself." "See if he's there." "Well?" " Yes." "Then give the proper signal!" "He has gone." "Good." "Here is my key." "I am in room seventeen" "It's three doors down from you, across the corridor." "Go and unlock the door." "When the way is clear, give the signal." "Now." "Back to your room, Mademoiselle." "And remember, do exactly as I told you." "The boy's life depends on it." "Yes, yes, of course, I will obey you utterly." "Do." "There you are, my lad." "You'll have a bruise or two to show for your adventure." "But they'll soon disappear under your mother's kisses." "This is not an albergo for attori, it is a pen for pigs." "Prepare my bill at once, and send someone up for my luggage." "I will not share my room with bugs!" "The Hotel Algonquino." "Woah!" "Go ahead, quickly." "Mr Holmes and Dr Watson's luggage from the hotel." "Come and give me a hand with it." "Good heavens, what's this about?" "I said I got Dr Watson and Mr Holmes' luggage from the hotel, like you ordered." "I need some help getting it into the house." "Heller, help the man in with the luggage, please." "Yes, madam." "What've they brought the luggage here for, anyway?" "I'm sure we'll find out very soon, Watson." "It's mine all right." "Good heavens, it's empty." "Look here, my good man..." "There's a large trunk on the back of the carriage, Watson." "Holmes!" "As soon as Heller and I have it halfway across the pavement, so it's blocking the view of the chap across the street," "I want you to get into the carriage as fast as you can, lie on the ﬂoor, and under no circumstances allow yourself to be seen." "Remember, do exactly as I say." "Come on, Heller." "Er, careful, pull it with two hands." "Now, Dr Watson." "Bring your end round." "Close the door." "Scott!" "Is he all right?" "He's as fit as a fiddle, he's just feeling the effects of a sleeping draught." "How did I get here?" "Where's Nicole?" "Oh, it's all right my darling." "Irene, there's no time to explain." "Under no circumstances must you leave this house or allow the lad to be seen." "Until I give the word, matters still remain grave." "Of course" " Come on, Heller." "Open the door." "Here you are, my man, here's something for your pains." "Oh, thank you, sir." "Thank you very much." "Scott, my darling boy." "Who was that man?" "Tell Moriarty Holmes and Watson have moved into the Adler house." "Yah!" "By George, you're right, Holmes." "Not a sign of anyone watching us." "I assumed as much." "We are not beaten yet, Watson." "Not by a long chalk." "Er, what's our next move, Holmes?" "Well, what time is it?" "Er..." " Ah, never mind!" "Ah, almost ten and I have not dined, lunched and, if my memory is correct, we didn't even breakfast." "I suggest we make up for that lapse in the Algonquin's most excellent restaurant." "And, after that, we can look up Inspector Lafferty as soon as possible." "Hear, hear." "All I've had today was tea at Miss Adler's after our cab ride." "Holmes, over here tea comes in pouches." "Thank you." "I take it this combination is different from the one that unlocks the main doors?" "It is, sir." "How many people know these combinations?" "Only the six employees of the Exchange and myself." "And, I might add, the tumblers are changed every three months." "Admirable, if, in this case, futile." "Is this the only way to reach the vault?" "Up until six days ago it was." "What sort of lift is this?" "Drum and cable." "Works from above." "And how far do we decend?" "One hundred and fifty feet." "At what rate of speed?" "Two hundred feet per minute." "We appear to have arrived." "Yes, so we have." "I presume this combination also differs from its fellows and is changed every ninety days as well?" "Correct, sir." "And now, Mr Holmes," "I'm gonna ask you to see for yourself what I can only describe as the most dismal sight the world has ever seen." "Extraordinary!" "They had to cut through over two feet of rock and concrete." "The noise must have been deafening." "Since they've been working on the subway you could set off dynamite and no-one would hear it." "It's a condition that doubtless was taken advantage of." "Two pieces of bullion were left behind you say." "Where?" "Ah, one in the tunnel there." "One fifty feet south of the main excavation." "Well, that makes it clear enough, doesn't it Holmes?" "They made off in that direction with their boodle." "One would immediately accept that conclusion, I quite agree with you." "I should like to take a closer look at the vauts now." "How many pieces of actual gold were stored here?" "Just prior to the theft, these vaults held eighteen million pounds of gold, consisting of 360,000 fifty-pound blocks." "Each block valued at $28,000." "360,000 blocks of gold removed from here and no-one noticed it." "If we weren't standing here looking at these vaults I'd say it was impossible." "Yes, I should say so, too." "I should like to return to the lift." "Mr McGraw, this, er, hatchway, does it provide access to the overhead drum and cable?" "Yes, yes." "Watson, give me a leg up will you?" " Oh, Inspector?" "There you are Holmes." "Thank you, Watson." " There we are." "Thank you." "Well, gentlemen, I think I've seen all I need to see." "I have one final enquiry to make elsewhere, after which I believe I should be able to make all the pieces fit together, and come up with the solution." "And the gold?" "The gold, of course, will be forthcoming with the solution to the problem." "In time for the transfer of the bullion tomorrow morning?" "It is my fondest wish." "Where are we off to now?" "To pay a call on Thomas Balance and Company, the firm that designed the underground." "I wish to ascertain the depth of the excavation at the point at which it passes under the Bouwerie National Bank." "Er, cab!" "And I shall be most astonished, Watson, if we're not told the figure is precisely one-hundred-and-fifty feet." "We wish to go to Thomas Balance and Company." "You'll find it at 45th Street and 6th Avenue, I believe." "Precisely one-hundred-and-fifty feet, Mr Holmes." "Thank you." "Bless me soul!" "Well, what have ya found out?" " Everything." "Everything?" "You mean, you know where the gold is?" "Why, I knew that the moment we decended in the lift." "I merely wanted to double-check my certainty." "Well, where is it?" "We were standing on it." " We were sta...?" "Holmes!" "Well, don't you see what the wily devil has done?" "No, I don't." "And I'm sure I'd be delighted if you told me." "Oh, very well, Watson, consider this:" "360,000 blocks of gold, each weighing fifty pounds apiece." "Now, give Moriarty a hundred, say two hundred men, each of them able to carry able to carry a fifty-pound block of gold." "Very well." "What then?" "Er, thank you, my man." "Each one of those two hundred men would have to carry 1,800 blocks of gold from the vaults." "Now, to carry a single fifty-pound block of gold, from the vaults, through the tunnel to some conveyance waiting in the underground excavation, and return for a second block could not be reasonably accomplished in less than ten minutes." "That is 180,000 minutes, or three hundred hours to complete the task." "That is over twelve days, Watson." "And yet the gold was still there seven days ago." "Mr McGraw's instincts were quite correct." "The task appears impossible despite the evidence of those empty vaults." "But Holmes, they were empty." "Thank you." "Those vaults were." ""Those vaults"?" "What on earth are ya suggesting'?" "When I asked how far down the lift went" "I was told one-hundred-and-fifty feet." "Meaning the vault was one-hundred- and-fifty feet below the bank." "But, the depth of the underground excavation at that point was also one-hundred-and-fifty feet." "Now, when I examined the overhead cable while the lift was presumably at the bottom of the shaft, there still remained ten feet wrapped around the drum." "Mr McGraw told me the rate of descent was two hundred feet per minute, which means it should've taken forty-five seconds to reach the bottom of the shaft." "It only took forty-two." "Oh, and I'm sure you noticed that the tunnel from the vaults to the underground excavation slanted downwards." "Oh, did it?" "Watson, there is only one inescapable conclusion:" "The vaults we examined were not the vaults containing the gold, but an exact replica built directly above the actual vaults." "It will be discovered, I am confident, that when the ﬂoor of the lift is removed, iron bars will have been inserted into the shaft to stop the lift decending the remaining ten feet into the actual vault," "where all the gold still safely resides." "But, Holmes, the vault door, the combination lock, the cages themselves, everything." "Duplicated down to the smallest detail." "A member of McGraw's staff must have thrown in his luck with Moriarty and provided him with all the necessary information." "But that must have taken them months." "Yes, and with hundreds of men employed upon the construction of the underground, who would notice a handful of Moriarty's cohorts tunnelling for purposes of their own?" "But, Holmes, you were certain of all this when we were still with Inspector Lafferty." "But you said nothin'." "Why?" "Watson, I..." "I still fear for the boy's life." "But he's safe at home." "Only so long as Moriarty still believes him prisoner." "Tomorrow's newpapers hold the key." "If the theft is reported, then Moriarty will know that I have obeyed his orders and it will be safe to release Scott." "But, on the other hand, if the financial pages carry news of the transaction of the gold." "Then he will know that I have tricked him." "He will hasten to seize Scott from Madamoiselle Romaine, and when he finds that I have forestalled him his rage will be so towering that he will not rest until he has taken his revenge upon me through Scott." "I must know where Moriarty is." "Until he is in the custody of the police" "I cannot safely reveal the location of the gold" "No other course of action is permissible." "But how on earth can you expect to manage that?" "It took you half a year to ferret out the man's lodgings in limehouse." "Watson, I'm not too proud to learn." "Why not use his method in ferreting me out." "Holmes, where're you going?" "Back to that most admirable establishment." "Eve's Costume Company." "Oh, dressing' up again, I take it." "I wonder what he's going as this time." "Huh!" "Cab!" "Cab." "Follow that cab." "Charles Nickers, I presume." "Put your hands in the air." "My name is Sherlock Holmes, I dare say you've heard of me." "Cor, blimey!" "Yes, I've often wondered why he hasn't chosen to do just that on many an occasion." "Now, unless you wish to go the way of your brother Bill, you'll tell me who is in that building." "The professor." " And how many others?" "Speak sharply man, or you'll swing for it." "Holmes!" "Constable, here is my card." "Take this man in charge and get word to Inspector Lafferty at once that the building behind me is to be surrounded and its occupants arrested." "Tell him I will provide him with full details directly." "Thank you." "Keep the change." "I suggest you take these words to heart, my man." "There you are, Heller." "Get that to Inspector Lafferty as quickly as possible." "Yes, sir." "Within the half hour, Professor Moriarty and his entire American organisation will be in custody." "Irene, your fears are at an end." "Scott..." "Well, young man, you have had more than an adventure, much more." "You've aided in the capture of the world's most notorious criminal and you have been instrumental in preventing a devastating world war." "Well, I wish I'd known all that, sir." "I wouldn't have slept through so much of it." "Well said!" "He's a bright boy." "Goodbye, Scott." " Goodbye, Mr Holmes." "I must be off." "Must you leave now?" "I am anxious to hear of Inspector Lafferty's success." "And I must get this ridiculous outfit back to the costumier." "I shall see you to the door." "It's amazing, Irene." "You haven't changed at all since that week in Montenegro." "When was it?" "1891?" " What?" "Not changed in ten years?" "Sherlock, how gallant of you." "But come now, ten years." "I notice nothing." "Sherlock Holmes notices nothing." "Why, am I so different, then?" "No." "Far from it." "That was my first thought when you burst in here." ""My heavens, it's as though it were yesterday."" "I hadn't known, after that first misadventure from which I managed to extricate you, that you'd married again." "I have never re-married, Sherlock." "Oh, I see." "You were appearing in Rigoletto." "And you were on a walking tour." "I remember thinking to myself, "What a..." ""What an unlikely place to come across you." "Montenegro." ""You, who were always attracted by the bright lights of the metropolis."" "I remember thinking the same about you." ""What an unlikely place to find someone who is never at home outside London."" "Until then." "Eight o'clock." "If things have gone well, and they cannot fail to have done so," "I shall get word to you." "Then, perhaps..." "The three of us could take supper together." "And I don't mean Watson." "I shall wait for your message." "Holmes?" "Holmes, where have you been?" "We've been waiting gooness knows how long." "For me?" "What is it, Watson?" "Inspector." "Didn't you get my message?" " I did." "That fella Nickers revealed the name of McGraw's man who co-operated with Moriarty." "He's been arrested." "The warehouse has been seized and fifteen of Moriarty's men are in jail right now." "But not Moriarty!" ""Not Moriarty"?" "Is this true?" " I'm afraid so." "He abandoned his men and slipped through our net." "We must get to Irene's house on the instant." "Scott Adler is in the most extreme peril." "Into this wagon, quickly." "14 Gramercy Park." "But they're not here, Mr Holmes." ""Not here"?" "Where are they?" "They went to meet you, sir." "You sent them that telegram." "Telegram?" "What telegram?" ""Meet me at the fountain in the park within the hour." "Sherlock."" "I have sent them directly into his hands." "When did they leave?" " Why, within the half-hour." "Quick Watson, Inspector." "The game's afoot, we have not a moment to lose." "Washington Circle." "It's an emergency." "Yah!" "There's Mr Holmes, now, Mama." "Scott, run!" "In with you!" "Come on, get in." "Get in there!" "Stand back woman." "Back, back!" "Stand back!" "This is it." "I say, look, there's Miss Adler." "Sherlock." "Sherlock, they have him." "They have him again." "Where?" "What are we going to do?" " Holmes, there!" "Just rounding the corner, the chap driving the cab." "Those are the ones." "Inspector, we must overtake that cab." "Come, Watson!" " That cab headed south." "Catch up with it." "Hurry UP!" "Hah!" "Hah!" "Faster!" "Faster!" "Yah!" "Yah!" "We're gaining on them." "Giddy-up." "Faster!" "Faster!" "Hah!" "Hah!" "We're gaining on 'em." "Look out for that wagon up ahead, man." "Get out of the way!" "Get out of the way, I say!" "Don't stop now, man." "Just go!" "Oh, I say!" "Woah!" "Woah." "They're hot on our heels, Professor." "Step lively, boy." "Through that door and up those stairs, smart." "His secret headquarters." "They brought him here." "Round up a squad as soon as you can." "Shall we burst in a seize them?" " No." "No, Inspector." "I must go in alone." "Who knows what harm he might do to Scott, if cornered." "And I'm sure these premises blaze with hidden pitfalls." "When the lad comes out of this door, unharmed, then you may come in after me." "Scott!" "Fear not, Irene." "You shall not long be parted." "You know what to do." "Ready the launch." "Don't move boy, or it'll be the finish of ya." "We'll join you as soon as I've completed one final bit of business." "Mr Holmes, I thought it might be you." "I have no doubt of that, at all." "Well..." "A little touch of London, I see." "You must really feel at home in this chamber of horrors to duplicate it wherever you go." "You may release the boy now." "I'm the one you want and here I stand." "Let the lad return to his mother." "You're wrong, Mr Holmes, I've got what I want, I've got the boy." "Dare you cross the room to fetch him?" "That passage leads to the river where a steam launch waits." "The boy comes with me." "You'll never see him again." "Neither you, nor his mother." "That's the revenge I'll have of you." "You'll, neither of you, ever see this precious boy again." "Blast you, boy!" " Well done, Scott!" "Run, Scott!" "Run for your life!" "Good lord, who fired that shot?" "Mama!" "Scott!" "Scott." "Oh, my darling." "I'm going in, Inspector." "Come on!" "Holmes!" "Professor Moriarty, drop your hands." "Holmes, good heavens!" "Come on, gentlemen, over here." "I've got him." "Pull him out." "Thank you, gentlemen." "Are you all right, sir?" " Yes, thank you." "Moriarty!" " Good night, Mr Holmes." "Quick, he's getting away." "Back, sir." "Back, sir!" "Let the victory be yours this time." "But there'll be other battles on other battlefields." "And victory's such a temporary thing." "Isn't it, Mr Holmes?" "Good night, again." "Where in the world would it lead to, Holmes?" "To the river, where he has a steam launch waiting him." "I'll have a police vessel in his wake within the hour." "No, Inspector." "Within that time he'll be well beyond the bounds of your jurisdiction." "I'm afraid the final encounter between Moriarty and me is yet to come." "At any rate I'm assured of the boy's safety." "Oh, my dear Watson," "I owe you a profound debt of gratitude." "That tide would soon have carried me to a certain death." "It was a pleasure, Holmes." "Don't mention it." "Inspector, our quarry may have eluded us but his evil scheme has been thwarted." "What time is the transfer of gold to take place?" "Eleven, tomorrow morning." "Then, let us be there at ten-thirty." "Oh, I assure you, Inspector, I am not jesting." "And you will not be disappointed." "Yes, Lord Brackish, managing director of the Bank of England, was to have been murdered mysteriously." "His death, of course, as you can well imagine, would have caused great panic in the world's financial circles." "This theft was to have been the culmination of a grand scheme." "I was able to foil the assassination attempt of Lord Brackish." "And I have been able to forestall the theft of the gold." "Mr Holmes, I certainly hope your confidence is not over-expressed." "Well, you may test its validity at your convenience, Mr McGraw, for we seem to have arrived." "Last evening, just before midnight," "I slipped into the false chamber and removed the bars that were stopping the decent of the lift." "Good job nobody saw me, eh?" "Think what the papers would have made of that!" "Well, gentlemen, all present and accounted for?" "No illusion, no sleight of hand, no mirage." "If you're satisfied that all the gold has been returned," "Doctor Watson and I must be off." "We have a busy day ahead of us." "It's our last before returning home." "Surely you'll do me the honour of dining with me?" "Regrettably, Mr McGraw, we have to decline your kind invitation." "We." "And a young lad of our acquaintance, have tickets this evening for The Second Mrs Tanqueray." "Oh." " Gentlemen." "Mr Holmes, Mr Holmes!" "Aren't you gonna explain how you did this?" "No." "But, I expect one day Dr Watson will." "Mr Holmes!" "Bravo!" "Thank you." "Must you really leave at once?" "I'm afraid so." "There are so many things in England that require my attention right now." "All of which you abandoned to race to my rescue." "Sherlock, now that I'm rescued, can you not stay a while to enjoy your success?" "I wish I could." "But the Etruria sails before dawn, and Watson and I must pack our things before the carriage comes to take us to the docks." "What are you running from, Sherlock?" "IIRunningll?" "Well, I..." "I suppose inactivity, boredom." "Are you sure it's not fear?" "Fear?" "Fear of what?" "Perhaps..." "The unknown." "My dear Irene, it's the, er, known I fear." "I seek the unknown." "The unknown mystery, the unknown peril." "I yearn for the unknown." "And for nothing else?" "Sherlock, is there nothing you'd like to ask me?" "Yes." "But I cannot." "Why?" "Well b..." "Because of the possible answer I might receive." "I see." "Well, if you cannot ask it, I cannot answer it." "And if..." "I were to ask it?" "And if the answer were the wrong one?" "You see, I too, perhaps, am in fear of the known." "Shall we meet again, do you think?" "I should like to think so." "Shall I continue to receive theatre tickets?" "So long as I continue to perform." "With a word or two included about the boy, perhaps?" "I shall be most happy to." "A likeable chap, young Scott, really." "You think so?" "Yes." "What are his interests, mainly?" "He seems to have a fondness for music, and solving problems." "L." "I see." "Well, would you perhaps have another picture of the boy I could have?" "Take this one." "It must be your favourite." "It is." "I shall treasure it." "Always." "Yes, by George, two hours we're at sea." "Ten days we're back in London." "Back in Baker Street." "Back where you can drink a proper cup of tea." "Hail a proper hansom if you want one." "Even travel the underground if it suits your purposes." "Don't know about you Holmes, but I've failed to discover a single feature of this New York City that we've not got threefold in London." "Have you, Holmes?" "Perhaps not, Watson." "Perhaps not." "SUBTITLES BY SIGNAL ONE ENTERTAINMENT"