"Two years before slavery was abolished... and three years prior to the Proclamation ofthe Republic... the cafés and bookshops were the main meeting places... ofthe town's intelligentsia and bohemians such as:" "Olavo Bilac, the prince ofpoets." "Marquês de Salles... bohemian and enfant gâté ofthe court." "Chiquinha Gonzaga... maestro, skilled pianist and composer." "José do Patrocínio... novelist and intrepidjournalist." "Salomão Calif... the tailor who dressed the elegant halfoftown." "Miguel Solera de Lara... owner ofthe main bookshop, Aphrodite's Retreat." "They fought for the end ofslavery... and discussed republican ideas." "Nanine, I'm going out, get me my things." "Every day, we spoke of you... no one else dared mention your name." "It was she consoled me... told me we would see each other again." "She was not lying." "Did you visit beautiful lands?" "Will you take me there?" "It was nothing." "You see, happiness can't just invade a heart... which has been desolate for so long... not without being oppressive." "Nanine, give me a scarf, a hat." "Armand returned, I want to live." "I must live." "I... can't..." "You will speak of me, sometimes, won't you Armand?" "Give me your hand." "It's strange." "What is?" "I no longer suffer." "I sense a well-being I never felt before." "But I want to live." "I feel well." "She is dead." "Bravo!" "Bravo!" "Bravo!" "Bravo!" "Long live the Emperor!" "Long live the queen of talent!" "What wit!" "What riposte!" "I do hope Your Excellency enjoyed the play." "I merely regret that our stages... are not yet up to European standards." "A stage is just a stage." "The world is a stage." "What matters is what is put on them." "In that case, today we had the world's greatest, illuminated stage." "I noticed you arrived late." "A friend and one of your greatest admirers... the baroness of Avaré." "Who?" "Her name is..." "Dalia Maria Luíza Catarina de Albuquerque." "Our baroness owned an extremely rare violin... a Stradivarius." "Well, it has been stolen... and Maria Luiza is simply outraged." "I see." "And the police, what do they say?" "Well, the violin was a gift of mine... and although our friendship is purely platonic... the Empress would hate to see the matter in the newspapers." "I see your problem, Your Excellency." "Perhaps I can help." "Sit down." "You and your marquise, I mean baroness." "It so happens that I am good friends with Sherlock Holmes... the world's greatest detective." "Naturally, Your Excellency has heard of him." "I must confess my ignorance, Madame." "Holmes is the first detective... to use a rational deductive method." "Once, Holmes found the missing jewels of a Russian singer... just by examining the clothes she had worn at a banquet... offered for the emperor." "For me?" "No, Majesty." "Napoleon Ill." "Well?" "By the advanced state of rigor mortis... death must have occurred in the early hours of yesterday." "The victim appears to be between fifteen and twenty years of age." "Saraiva, anyone can see that." "Inspector Mello Pimenta, there is a strict procedure to be followed." "Liver damage, probably owing... to excessive ingestion of alcoholic beverages." "If she had not died from the murderous attack... she would certainly have been a candidate for early cirrhosis." "She was a prostitute." "The cause of death is the dilacerations... of the larynx and the pharynx... in a horizontal cut initiated from left to right." "The aggressor possessed great physical strength." "The ears were also extirpated with great skill..." "Saraiva, is there no detail which may have gone unnoticed... in the first examination?" "Might it have been revenge?" "The final touch." "Literally." "What's this?" "It appears to be the string from a mandolin." "Well, at least it's a clue." "A mandolin string." "Or a ukulele, some musical instrument." "Could the killer be a musician?" "He might be and he might not." "From the violence of the crime... and the place where I found the string... what I do know is that he is quite mad." "In this bookshop we sell books, Mr. Bilac... this is not a library." "Oh, so?" "Would you prefer me to dog-ear the page... spoiling the volume?" "What the devil kind of bookseller are you?" "Miguel, has Émile Zola's latest book arrived, "Germinal"?" "And very interesting it is, too." "It is about the rebellion of the miners." "Not a rebellion, Miguel, a strike." "Isn't that the same thing?" "It is to some." "Which is why the imperial police... continue to fabricate cases against us, abolitionists." "That is one of the reasons I am going to live in London... and open a bookshop in the East End." "This town cannot live without its Aphrodite's Retreat." "Only my mother's illness ties me to Brazilian soil." "I don't know how you come by that Anglophilia of yours." "Don't you know that everything you're thinking of is in Paris?" "It is pointless to speak of Shakespeare... to the ears of Molière." "Don't upset yourself, Miguel." "If you really must go, then go." "You've plenty of money." "Did you by any chance read Múcio Prado today?" ""Two days ago, I had the pleasure to dine... with the extraordinary Sarah Bernhardt... a woman of radiant beauty and talent." "The divine actress secretly revealed... to this humble scribe, that our beloved monarch... has been troubled lately..."" "Following a suggestion by Sarah Bernhardt herself, our esteemed emperor will invite an English detective... to come and unravel the mystery of the theft... of the famous Stradivarius violin... belonging to Dalia Maria Luiza Catarina de Albuquerque." "Who can have offered such a magnificent gift... to the lovely baroness of Avaré?"" "So, Your Majesty has the nerve to give this woman... a violin treasured throughout the world?" "A jewel in the shape of a fiddle!" "That's absurd!" "Where can the fellow have got that from?" "The same source you confided in... from the lips of an actress!" "As if that were not enough, you have the audacity... to invite an English detective to conduct the investigations." "What's got into you?" "!" "Are you trying to demoralize our police force?" "I know, I know." "You won't listen to reason." "There is nothing I can do... but take my leave and withdraw." "Another piece of cornmeal cake?" "No, just the beverage, thank you." "Odd reading for a baroness." "My dear Miguel, one should know what happens... when the aristocracy forgets its people." "And as you know, I am noble by marriage." "My father was a butcher, as many people are kind enough to remind me." "I prefer to say he was the wealthy proprietor of a meat store." "Ah, finally my Balzac has arrived." ""Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes"." "Such a suggestive title, don't you think, Miguel?" "The emperor." "I must leave now, I'm expected at the bookshop." "Quite so, quite so." "Enough now, this is no time for jokes." "Have you seen the newspapers?" "I found your caricature most amusing." "The beard was perhaps a bit too long." "That's not what..." "Oh, I've already fretted enough because of that theft." "After all, let them take the rings... as long as they leave the fingers." "Anyway, it will be fun to receive... an English detective at the court." "A pity you look upon it all so lightly." "The empress is like a woman possessed." "Not to mention that now everyone knows... the violin was a gift from me." "How do they know?" "Who other than I would have the courage... to do something so crazy?" "My friend, I think you are barking up... the wrong tree, as they say." "I could perfectly well have bought a Stradivarius." "My husband left me quite a bit of money, as you know." "The baroness, young Talented and pretty" "A rich widow," "The most coveted ln the city" "What would they say ifthey knew we were in the same room?" "They would probably refuse to believe it... avert their eyes like they do when they stumble... on the blacks and filthy beggars in town." "Ifthe landscape is awful, then close the window... isn't that it?" "Won't you dine with us, Haroldo?" "I cannot." "I already have an engagement." "What is your name?" "Glória." "Glória, what a lovely name!" "To Glória, a beautiful young Brazilian... who saw me in Le Passant, in Rio." "There you are, my dear, good luck." "Saraiva!" "Look... no ears, and another musical string." "Another prostitute?" "No, she's from a decent family, chamber maid at the lmperial Palace." "Her name is Glória Meireles." "The niece of that painter, Vitor..." "Vitor Meireles." "That's him." "My god, a friend of the emperor's." "That's all I needed." "What is she holding?" "Saraiva." "Allow me." "Sarah Bernhardt." "At your service." "At your service." "Police commissioner, your servant." "Please be seated." "Careful not to cut yours!" "My what?" "Your ears." "You knew perfectly well I dislike those jests of yours." "Come on, drink your coffee while it's hot." "This case is becoming tiresome." "I don't even know where to begin." "Why don't you ask for help from the English detective... the emperor hired to unravel the case... of baroness of Avaré's valuable violin?" "Violin?" "Might it be a violin string?" "This black dress!" "No, get one of my evening gowns, a white one." "The skirt is covered with little roses." "That is the one I want." "No!" "Anyway, that is the one I want." "And you shall see how pretty I am!" "Once again, you shall be with Frou-Frou." "Poor Frou-Frou." "A great big rat!" "That's all you ever see in this theater!" "It's a disgrace!" "And these lights!" "My morning scenes look like they were taking place at midnight!" "One can't work under such conditions!" "And the awful climate!" "I'll probably catch yellow fever." "Why on earth did I come to this country?" "It's more like a jungle!" "And you, what are you doing here?" "Who are you?" "Chief Inspector Mello Pimenta, at your service." "Please be seated, Madame." "Oh, what a surprise!" "You speak French?" "I don't speak French." "He doesn't speak French, Madame." "Sorry to keep you waiting, we were rehearsing." "She apologizes for the delay." "Madame, do you recognize this?" "Yes." "A lovely girl who was outside the theater." "She gave her an autograph outside the theater... but doesn't know the girl." "She was murdered!" "Murdered!" "Could Madame tell me whether she was with anyone?" "He wishes to know whether you recall anyone with her?" "I don't remember." "That is, she seemed to be alone." "There may have been someone with her... but I don't recall, I'm sorry." "She cannot remember." "Madame is rather late, will there be anything else?" "I hope you catch the beast who killed that poor girl." "Good luck with your investigations... or, as we say in France, in the theater, merde!" "She wished you good luck." "Merde!" "to you too, Madame." ""Horses shall not gallop through the streets... save the Cavalry in cases of urgency." "Public urinals shall be constructed... to prevent citizens carrying out their necessary functions... on the sidewalk." "And, finally, all cuspidors shall be removed from the streets."" "Do you think this law will catch on?" "Tomorrow I shall fetch the English detective from the docks." "It appears he's coming in the company of a doctor." "Is the man sick or a hypochondriac?" "An inseparable friend." "Maybe he's a poof." "That's all we need, an English bugger." "Ours are quite enough!" "The other day, one of them wanted me to make him pants... with the fly at the rear to facilitate the vice." ""l'll pay whatever it costs..." "there's money, there's money."" "But seriously, I can't believe an English detective... has been brought here just to look for a fiddle." "Not a fiddle." "A Stradivarius worth a fortune." "Not as much as the lives of those two young women." "Especially with our police, who are more concerned... with persecuting those who fight against slavery... than saving lives!" "Relax, Mr. Bilac, there is nothing against you." "It is all newspaper exaggeration." "After all, if our young men could no longer... write manifestos what would become of Brazil?" "I just came for a beer." "Bring me a Dois Machados." "A curious coincidence." "Do you know we were just now speaking of the murdered girls?" "Quite a worriment, isn't it, inspector?" "Two lovely girls, victims of the same barbarous murderer." "How do you know that it is the same person?" "We've already had fifteen murders.... in the town this year." "I presume so." "They were killed with the same type of weapon." "What weapon?" "A sharp, cutting object." "Look, inspector, any number of sharp objects... could produce similar results." "Any chef could tell you that." "Chiquinha!" "Our detective in skirts!" "Perhaps Dona Chiquinha would care to assist with her pow..." "This is highly secret." "Found beside them... entwined around each of the girl's bodies..." "I want to know to which musical instrument they belonged." "Elementary, my dear friend." "They are violin strings." "The first and the last, G and E." "And I'll tell you more:" "they can only be found... in the Viola d'Ouro." "So Mr. Holmes speaks Portuguese?" "I suppose so." "And do you still correspond?" "No, unfortunately he died... from a concentration of venom from African scorpions." "Thank you." "Amazing!" "What is it?" "Feijoada, black beans cooked with several kinds of meat:" "pigs' ears and feet, salted dried meat... pork sausage and other varieties." "Very good." "I am greatly enjoying your country." "I am already regretting my departure for Argentina." "I know I shall miss enormously this warm public." "Mr. Holmes, try another rib with red pepper... an infallible recipe for a light digestion." "Oh, thank you, but I think I'll have... another slice of fish with dendê oil." "I shouldn't exaggerate on the dendê." "And the emperor, don't you like feijoada and vatapá?" "Doctor's orders, Mr. Holmes." "I cannot believe these delicacies could possible do any harm." "You're only having salad, Madame?" "I am like the emperor." "My doctor forbade me to eat many things:" "red meat, eggs, caviar, goose liver, cassoulet..." "All good things are bad for one." "I quite agree!" "I do hope your friend won't mind." "I feel more comfortable speaking with you alone." "It is a delicate matter, you understand." "Don't worry about Watson, Your Excellency." "I know you are tired from your journey." "I shan't take up any more of your time than is necessary." "I don't even know where to begin." "Try to begin at the beginning." "It was nothing." "I'm so sorry." "Well then, the last violin made by Antonio Stradivarius was an instrument, called, with good reason, "The Swan Song"." "The instrument's sonority is almost unbelievable." "The sole detail, and it is a poignant one... that betrays the tremor of his aged hands... is the slightly unsure intaglio... of the two openings which form the acoustical system of the top." "I hope I'm not being tiresome." "No, no, certainly not." "First of all..." "I'd like to say how much I admire His Majesty... for his role as patron of the arts." "I was already familiar with the musical talent of the Brazilians... for I had occasion to attend the premiere... of Il Guarani at La Scala in Milan." "I was only sixteen, but I recall it... as if it were yesterday." "It was my first opera." "Fantastic!" "For some time my friend, the baroness of Avaré... had expressed the desire to have a Stradivarius." "You know how a woman's whims are." "That is why I am still a bachelor." "All's well that ends well." "Expect for the fact that the Stradivarius has been stolen." "Yes, well it seems to me that it is time... we had a talk with the baroness." "I want to know exactly how the violin disappeared." "My coachman shall take you to the baroness's residence." "I hope my investigations prove successful." "For now, all that remains is for me to thank..." "Your Majesty for the magnificent luncheon." "The delicacies conferred on us were magic." "Good afternoon." "Would you care for coffee?" "It's freshly ground." "The sweet potato candies are from Castellões... one of our best confectioners." "I don't know what I can say to help you." "The baroness would be astonished... how important small details... are to those who carry out..." "the exercise of deduction." "For example, I can state that the baroness is a widow... that your husband was the owner of an appreciable fortune... that he died as the result of a hunting accident... that he was hunting beside a river... that he was quite a bit older than you... and that when he died he left you all his goods." "That's amazing!" "How did you deduce all that?" "I read it in the Complete Brazilian Peerage... that I found in the hotel." "I'd like to know from exactly where... the instrument disappeared." "It wasn't here at the house." "I noticed that one of the instrument's tuning... pegs was loose, making it's tuning difficult." "I asked one of my servants to take it to the Viola d'Ouro shop." "What magnificent coffee!" "Baroness, the world will one day bow down... to the quality of Brazilian coffee." "May I speak with the servant Who took the instrument?" "Ah yes." "This is Mukumbe." "He's my guardian angel." "He was my father's slave but today is a free man... manumitted by me." "It is he looks after everything here." "I don't know why, but I feel safe in his company." "I want to know if by any chance you noticed... someone following you when you went to the repair shop?" "No, sir." "There's not a man living or a ghost who comes after me... when I walk through the streets." "And are you sure the violin was in the case?" "Yes, sir." "I saw when Madame stored it before giving it to me." "It was right after we played a waltz here in the parlor." "Ah, I forgot to say, Mukumbe is also an exquisite pianist." "He plays the harpsichord and the organ... when there is a Mass here in the chapel." "And what type of music do you play?" "It depends." "In church, sacred music." "When I play with Madame, polkas, waltzes... but what I like most are maxixe and samba." "Hmmmm, excellent!" "Good evening, Mr. Isidoro." "Good evening." "What can I do for you?" "A bottle of milk, please." "For you, anything." "Here you are." "Thank you." "Good night." "Good night." "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "There!" "A man tried to kill me." "Stay here, I'll be right back." "This is Sherlock Holmes!" "Halt or I'll fire!" "A mulatto with generous breasts?" "That's right, do you know where I can find her?" "I know she's an actress, but I doubt whether you'll get anywhere with her." "As I already said, it's about an investigation." "We all know how good a real mulatto can be, right, guv'nor?" "Good afternoon." "There is not the slightest doubt." "They are very fine strings, made of gut." "Of excellent origin." "May I ask where you found them?" "Yes, you can." "But I can't answer." "They are part of a confidential investigation." "Then they must be connected to the case of the dead girls." "Has anyone been here of late to buy strings?" "Only a violinist called Haroldo... who is playing in Madame Sarah Bernhardt's shows." "Haroldo..." "Yes." "How many strings did he buy?" "A full set." "Four strings." "A full set." "Four strings..." "Inspector Mello Pimenta, I presume." "That's right." "How do you know who I am?" "Simple." "I was at the station house and they told me I'd find you here." "Sherlock Holmes, and this is my friend Dr. Watson." "I didn't know you both spoke our language." "Only I." "Dr. Watson doesn't understand a word." "As you see..." "It was good to find you." "It was I found you, my dear Pimenta." "Please wait a minute, first I should have a small chat with Mr. Peruggio." "Excuse me..." "It was my own carelessness, Mr. Holmes, my own carelessness, I put the instrument here." "The shop was broken into and the violin stolen." "What am I to do?" "I cannot fathom why you left such a precious violin within the reach of the malefactor." "I know they steal everything here... food, clothes, boots, everything... but I never imagined that those illiterates... would steal a violin." "Sincerely, I feel your neglect has caused great displeasure... to the baroness and, of course, to the emperor." "The baroness and the emperor..." "Have you any idea of who might have stolen the violin?" "None, sir." "Good-bye, Sr. Giacomo." "I have much to tell you." "I shouldn't think that will be necessary." "I already know that as well as cutting off the ears... with a dagger, the murderer places a violin string... among the pubic hair of the poor girls... and then goes playing through the streets." "Amazing!" "Several people told the police they heard the sound of someone... playing a violin in the streets." "But the newspaper says nothing of the murderer playing." "I know this because I was with your murderer last night." "He had his instrument with him." "Presumably he was going to play it, but I prevented him." "A lovely girl, a mulatto." "Wide hips, generous breasts." "I must find her, at all costs." "We must find her." "For, if she saw the murderer's face... she also saw the face of the violin thief." "But why do you think he leaves the strings?" "May I examine them?" "Certainly." "No sign of the ears?" "No." "Serial killer?" "Serial killer." "This expression is just right for our murderer." "He has already killed two." "Don't you see, the violin has four strings:" "G, D, A, E." "If he's already used two strings, there are still two left." "Are you trying to tell me he plans to kill two more girls?" "Our job is to prevent these crimes, inspector." "Do you see how delicate my situation is?" "Before long people will think... the emperor no longer trusts his chief of police even to solve the mere robbery of a fiddle." "Stradivarius." "Stradi-what?" "Stradivarius." "Various or just one, it's still just a fiddle." "Pimenta, have you told the English detective... about our main suspect, Haroldo?" "No, since we haven't gathered all the evidence." "You're authority!" "The police don't need evidence." "But we're talking about a "serial killer"." "Serial what?" "It was the name Sherlock Holmes gave... to this criminal who kills in series." "I tell you, Mr. Coelho Bastos, it's not going to be easy... to discover the man, because he kills without motive." "And the first thing we learn in the police... is to find out the motive of the crime." "Let's avoid embarrassment, Pimenta." "Let's arrest this man straight away, to show the emperor... that our police force doesn't need an English detective." "I'll explain in a moment" "And tell you my version" "That in body and soul" "I'm an unsexual person" "It seems you are already growing... accustomed to our Brazil." "It is a fascinating place..." "I am enchanted by the customs." "And the people are extremely cordial." "However one thing puzzles me." "The dress." "Why do the men all wear black, as in Europe... in a tropical country?" "Mr. Holmes, you must understand... that civilization does have its price." "Forrobodó é folguedo de reis" "Forrobodó de preto forro" "Tem um forrobodó na praia" "Tem um forrobodó no morro" "Forrobodó de D. Pedro é que nem" "Forrobodó do seu lacaio" "Faz rebolar até um poste" "Não há quem não goste De um forrobodó" "Inspector, I found the violin." "Without strings." "Put that away." "It was Gouveia, wasn't it?" "My dear fellow, you're in big trouble." "Take him away." "But I don't understand, Coelho Bastos." "Has the Stradivarius been found or hasn't it?" "Majesty, in order to answer that..." "I shall have to use a technical term." "No, the violin has not yet been found." "But Your Majesty can rest assured... that we will find this Stradivarius." "The main thing is, the murderer has been caught... and everything points to the fact that the violin thief... is also the killer serial, I mean, the kerial siller... the murderer, Your Majesty!" "I think the railway project is an excellent idea." "I will make arrangements for a study to be made." "What proj..." "But, oh, the project!" "Of course, Majesty!" "Good afternoon." "A very important project." "Brazil needs railways." "Yes, yes, yes!" "How many times do I have to tell you?" "This is my wife's doing." "She's bigger than me, over 220lbs." "And the ears?" "Did you eat the ears?" "Ears?" "What are you talking about?" "You've been in trouble with the police four times now..." "I'm in no hurry, you'll confess." "I'm not lying." "It was my wife, I told you... she is cheating on me with Sergeant Gouveia, who lives in my street." "Each time I complain, Marieta beats me and the Sergeant goes to the police and makes the charge that it was I beat her." "How did you learn to speak French?" "A study grant from His Majesty." "I studied music in Paris!" "And why don't you leave your wife?" "It certainly isn't because of her beauty." "Marieta gets very jealous." "If I left her, she'd kill me." "..."beard and hair"" "I told Mr. Holmes that you were the best tailor in the city." "Don't disappoint me, Calif." "Something for a special occasion?" "I have here the most lovely flannels... and cashmeres from your country." "What do you prefer?" "Neither one nor the other." "I'd like you to make me four suits of white linen." "Linen?" "But here no one of quality wears that." "It's something for the hoi-polloi." "Then I shall set the fashion." "So linen it shall be." "And white, don't forget." "More appropriate for the heat of the tropics." "What style, Mr. Holmes?" "Have you something in mind?" "Nothing very special." "Make the frock coats loose, with space for the revolver." "I want the pockets deep, as I always carry... a pipe and magnifying glass." "I see that sir is extremely fortunate." "Don't talk nonsense, Mr. Salomão, that's my pipe." "Beard and hair!" "Yes, I understand, sir." "I want to know whether you want me to trim your hair... or a complete cut?" "Beard and hair!" "But is it just to trim?" "Beard and hair." "A cut." "But sir..." "Hello!" "How good to see you again." "I feel I owe you an apology." "Apology?" "And why should the young lady apologize?" "After all, you saved my life... and I didn't even wait to thank you." "Under the circumstances, it's perfectly understandable." "How did you discover that I work here?" "Do you forget I'm a detective?" "Sherlock Holmes at your service." "The English detective?" "I read about you in the newspapers." "It's a pleasure to meet you." "Ana Candelária." "The young lady would afford me immense pleasure... if she were to accept an invitation to dine with me... and lnspector Mello Pimenta." "We are investigating those horrible crimes... and your presence is indispensable... in solving the case." "Of course." "I so much want you to find the murderer." "Please call me Ana." "Of course, if you will call me simply Sherlock." "I don't understand why you didn't go to the station-house... to relate your encounter with the killer." "I was afraid." "I didn't know how I would be received." "You know our profession... is still confused with that of prostitutes." "Our police treat everyone with respect and courtesy." "Even prostitutes." "Could you give me a description of the assailant?" "Impossible, inspector." "He was wearing a cape, a mask covered his face and hat pulled down over his head." "It was all so fast." "If it hadn't been for Sherlock, I wouldn't be here." "It seems it could have been anyone." "Even someone right here, observing us." "What?" "You think he might come to this restaurant?" "I don't think anything." "For all we know, it could be you." "Now let's not exaggerate, Mr. Holmes." "And now, if you'll excuse me..." "I have to accompany the young lady home." "Methods of deduction, my dear Ana, have their limitations." "How could I have deduced that such a hot day would turn into such an agreeable evening?" "Where shall we go?" "I'd like to see your hotel." "They say the apartments are stunning!" "To the hotel." "Good heavens, how soft it is!" "And the room is much prettier than I thought." "May I offer you something?" "Tea, sherry, cocaine?" "Cocaine?" "Yes, an excellent stimulant." "I learnt its use with a friend, Sigmund Freud, a doctor in Vienna." "I'd have thought I was stimulant enough." "Ana..." "There's something terrible that I must confess." "What is it?" "I'm..." "I'm... a virgin." "Did you take some vow of chastity?" "By no means." "It's just that, until I met you..." "I never had any interest in sex." "My mind was always focused on criminology." "You mean I'm the first woman in your life?" "Do you understand now why I was going to resort to cocaine?" "My love, those drugs just dispel desire." "You need to relax." "What's that?" "They're Indian cigarettes, made from cannabis, an Asiatic plant." "What are they good for?" "The instruction-paper says they're excellent for snoring, asthma, sleeplessness, impotence." "It's a miraculous medicine." "Besides that, it's wonderfully soothing on the nerves." "Except for the smell, I don't notice anything." "Wait, it always takes a little time." "That's odd..." "I'd never noticed how colorful this room is." "Did you notice, Ana, what lovely birds?" "It's as if the animals were circling around." "Such a whirl!" "All the birds flying." "Funny, isn't it?" "!" "It certainly is." "What?" "Listen, can't you hear?" "The insects." "What?" "The crickets, Holmes." "The crickets?" "The crickets!" "What is it?" "Do you know what I feel like doing?" "What?" "I want you to do everything you want with me." "Eating something sweet." "Sweet?" "I don't know why, but I have an irresistible urge for sweets." "Look, sister." "How lovely!" "Tea and toast." "Would Mr. Holmes like anything else?" "Coconut candy." "Bring me a plateful." "I love you, Watson." "Excuse me, Mr. Holmes." "Good morning, Mr. Holmes." "Dr Watson, this is our coroner, Professor Saraiva." "Is the girl's identity known?" "Yes." "Her name is Albertina de Lourdes Calixto." "She was from the Wheel." "I understand." "Another prostitute." "No, no, Mr. Holmes." "The Wheel is a charitable institution that takes in abandoned new-born babies." "The girl was the daughter of a funeral agent named Josué Calixto... and worked there as a volunteer." "Who found the body?" "One of the Sisters of Charity of the Holy House of Mercy." "The Wheel is nearby." "I was already there asking a few questions." "Did you find out if she had enemies?" "If anyone followed her?" "No one knows." "She was much loved." "There's a feeling of anger and sadness on everyone's part." "The clues are the same." "What worries me is that there is still one string on the violin." "Do you mind if I make a brief investigation?" "By all means." "You would be doing us a favor." "Dizzy." "I think yesterday I overdid some herbs a friend gave me." "Indian cigarettes." "I see you tried our pango." "Pango?" "That's what the Negroes call cannabis." "There was even a lovely bed of it behind the kitchen... at His Majesty's palace in São Cristóvão." "It would be better for you to return to the hotel... while I go to the morgue with Saraiva... to watch the autopsy." "Out of the question, we insist on watching the necropsy." "If you'll permit me, the best medicine... for this morning-after sensation is some good cachaça." "I don't think it advisable to give Mr. Holmes cachaça... at this hour, Saraiva." "Nonsense." "I'm going to the morgue." "Look, my friend here is suggesting..." "I put a bit of orange juice or lime in the drink." "Have you either of these fruits?" "We have limes." "And ice and sugar, please." "What's that concoction they're mixing' up?" "No idea." "Something invented by that hick there." "Which, the big one?" "No, the big hick is drinking." "The one who made it is the little hick." "Professor, one thing I find strange." "I don't know, I have the impression that the internal organs have been repositioned in the cavity." "As if the murderer had first pulled them out... and then put them back in place." "Man alive!" "You're right!" "Say it, Mr. Holmes, please!" "I know it's horrifying, but I'm certain... the monster rubbed the liver on his own face." "At night, the beard has already started to grow... and these tiny striations must have been caused... by friction with the facial hairs." "Anathema!" "Anathema!" "Anathema!" "My daughter... my daughter... my little daughter." "Oh Lord, why didn't you take me instead..." "Mr. Calixto..." "I'm Inspector Mello Pimenta." "I know this is a very difficult moment, but even so." "I have to ask you a few questions." "Do you know if your daughter had made any new friendships?" "No, she was totally dedicated to the orphans." "Did you observe anyone, recently, lurking near your house?" "No." "She was dearly loved." "I'd like to have a few moments alone with my daughter." "Who is the pathologist in charge?" "It is I, Saraiva." "If you have finished your examination..." "I would like to use my every talent as funeral agent... to restore to the unfortunate girl the appearance she had in life." "I don't want her to be seen like this... nor would I like a wake with a sealed casket." "Of course, it's the least we can do." "My sympathies." "My sympathies." ""Dear chief, by the time you read these scribbled lines..." "I shall be preparing to execute... better drawn lines on the body of another wench." "What do you need to find me out?" "To find the crown jewels?" "That I sign my full name on the whores' corpses?"" ""l thought the Englishman would be cleverer than you... at reading my clues, but it seems he's such an ass... that he might as well have ears larger than all those I've cut off, together." "I hope you're having as much fun as I am." "Do something soon, because I'm hungry... and there's still one chord waiting for the Final Concert." "And speaking of chords... cordial greetings"." ""Oluparun"." "Doesn't seem very enlightening." "The man does nothing but jest." "I think you're wrong, my dear." "I think he's insinuating he attends the court." "And where, Mrs. Know-All, did you get that idea, might I know?" "Well, to start with, it's an educated person." "True." "I also noticed that he took the trouble to write in a scrawl... so as not to be identified by his handwriting." "Then, when he mentions the crown jewels and a Final Concerto, he might be indirectly referring to the charity recital the violinist..." "José White will organize this week, to honor Princess Isabel." "Therefore the murderer must have access to the court... and therefore belong to it." "How do you know all that?" "By reading Múcio Prado's society column." "Dear lady," "I must compliment you on your intelligence... and capacity for deduction." "Many thanks." "And what does "Oluparun" mean?" "I don't know." "Well, what interests me is merely... that my culinary talents please you." "And what have you prepared today?" "Stewed liver à la nature." "Ladies and gentlemen." "I know that tonight we have with us el señor Sherlock Holmes... who as everyone knows is a phenomenal English detective." "But what few know is his ability as a violinist." "I would like to ask el señor Holmes to give us the honor and pleasure of playing with us." "Bravo!" "Bravo!" "Congratulations, my friend!" "I didn't know you played the violin, marquis, in such a brilliant fashion." "Memorable!" "I want to kiss the heroes." "Impossible to say which one was better." "Bravo!" "Mr. Holmes, when you wish to participate in one of our revues... don't be shy." "The number is worthy of any theater." "Thank you very much!" "Seeing a presentation like tonight..." "I lament a bit less the theft of my Stradivarius." "I would never be able to play like that." "Thank you." "Extraordinary!" "A fusion of Paganini and D'Artagnan!" "Thank you." "Many think these asymmetrical gardens are an English invention." "And?" "But they're not, my love." "They were first used in China, during the reign of Long-Teching... and were later transported to Europe by the English." "You see?" "I see." "I'm dying to give you a kiss!" "Ana, let's go to your house?" "I can't." "The housekeeper is very strict." "Can we go to my hotel?" "It's too far." "Don't stop!" "Don't stop!" "Police!" "You're under arrest!" "Calm yourself, constable," "I assure you we were doing nothing worthy of reproof." "We were merely conversing." "You Portuguese are very cheeky." "What were you thinking?" "You have to respect the law." "This isn't a colony any more!" "You are quite mistaken, my dear sir." "I am English and my name is Sherlock Holmes." "I don't care who you are." "I caught you red-handed in an act against public morality... and proper behavior." "This is the Public Promenade, not a brothel!" "Off to the clink with you!" "The girl has nothing to do with what happened." "All right, but if necessary she'll have to testify later?" "Shall we go?" "What you have done is very serious, see." "I have already told you that I have no explanations to offer." "Please be so good as to call lnspector Mello Pimenta." "I don't know how it is in your country." "But here, the law is the same for everyone." "All!" "I assure you that you will regret this imprudent act!" "It seems to me the imprudent act was yours, wasn't it?" "Guard, please take the celebrity to jail." "I demand at least a separate cell!" "Release that man!" "Release that man!" "Are you all right, Mr. Holmes?" "I came as soon as Miss Candelária informed me of this nonsense." "I was looking for you." "We have an appointment with Dr. Nina Milet... a famous criminologist and pathologist from Bahia... who can help us." "Well, what does Oluparun mean?" "It's Nagô Yoruba." "It means "the Destroyer", "the Exterminator"." "Then the murderer is a Negro?" "Apparently, besides struggling for abolition... we're also going to have to fight for our innocence." "You well know how hasty our marquis is." "He's probably a mulatto." "How can you make such a baseless statement?" "Mr. Holmes, here in Brazil only blacks and the poor get arrested." "And abolitionists, of course." "And detectives, don't forget." "It's purely scientific." "Read the "Essai sur I'inégalité des races humaines", by Gobineau, an intimate friend of our emperor." "As Negroes belong to an inferior race... the mixture of races leads to the creation of degenerate beings... many of whom are born with propensity... toward mental aberrations and criminal strains." "Those are the kind of absurdities which hold back... the abolition movement." "You should be ashamed of what you just said!" "My dear man, I know whereof I speak." "Studies of phrenology and craniology do not lie..." "I know these theories, Dr. Nina... but it seems to me a bit hasty to attribute to Negroes... the existence of crime." "If this were so, London and Paris would be peaceful cities." "Gentlemen, this is getting us nowhere." "One point at a time." "Why the baroness's Stradivarius?" "To draw attention to his power." "The man leaves clues on purpose, as a challenge." "It is likely that he has a subconscious desire to be caught." "Congratulations, Miss Gonzaga." "My thought entirely." "Why does he only kill women?" "Because they're weaker." "Not all of them." "Because he hates them." "Perhaps to him woman is the symbol of the perverted customs... that dominate our times." "Maybe he's afraid of them." "It's possible." "He fears something they arouse in him." "Or that they don't succeed in arousing." "They call what I do cruel." "Why?" "It is no different from what I read in the manual about carving up animals." "They only don't call that ritual cruel... because the sacrificed animals serve as food." "That's the difference." "Eat, perhaps I should eat..." "Finally partake ofthe flesh." "The slaves were right." "When I was a child, on the nights of Black Magic... at the farm, terrified, they called me "Oluparun."" "Sarah Bernhardt's departure reminds me that sooner or later... you too will leave us." "Why don't you come with me to London?" "We have gone far enough." "Stay, dear Enone... strength fails me, and I must rest awhile." "My eyes are dazzled with this glaring light." "So long unseen, my trembling knees refuse support." "Ah me!" "What?" "Officious hand has tied these knots... and gather'd o'er my brow, these clustering coils?" "How all conspires to add to my distress!" "What is it?" "I regret that you cannot return to the theater tonight." "Be brief, I have a young lady waiting." "My babalorixá, King Obá Shite Ill... ordered me to take you to his ilê." "Who?" "My great father, the high priest of candomblé." "He has important information about the murder of the girls." "A poison, brought to Athens by Medea... runs thro' my veins." "Already in my heart the venom works... infusing there a strange and fatal chill." "Already as thro' thickening mists I see the spouse to whom... my presence is an outrage." "Death, from mine eyes veiling the light of heav'n... restores its purity that they defiled." "You are son of Xangô." "Your orixá, the saint who protects you." "Always use this necklace, my son." "Never forget:" "Xangô is your father." "Xangô is your protector." "I do not understand." "The orixás summoned you here... but they refuse to manifest themselves further." "I am very sorry, my son." "There seems to be some current blocking the flow." "Nothing serious," "Dr. Watson has become Exu." "That's trouble." "I know that you have the best intentions... but I can assure you we." "have no time to pratice... any kind of initiation ceremony." "A "pomba-gira"?" "It's a female-exu." "It is a devil-orixá in female form." "It usually only comes into women... is that fellow adé?" "What's that?" "Effeminate..." "No, he's English." "Then the pomba-gira must have got confused." "What?" "I want oti!" "I want itaba!" "And you can light th' inãs!" "It's unbelievable!" "Dr. Watson never spoke any of these languages!" "No, it's the pomba-gira asking for a cigar and rum." "So yuh wan' know whooza zirikila?" "Exactly." "We need to know who the serial killer is." "But yuh already know th' zirikila." "Yuh been with 'im." "He wuz right nex' to yuh." "Yuh ain't found 'im 'cause... yuh've smoked too much itabojira in yur pipe." "Yuh hear?" "Yuh not e'en listening', English-Portuguese man." "Yuh better 'an the color'd girls." "Th' zirikila is a okorin with owô odara... and he's gonna kufá another obirin with th' obéte'." "She says the serial killer is a man with much money and that he is going to kill another woman with the dagger." "And why does he do this?" "Why?" "'Cause th' zirikila is kolori." "Well?" "I want menga!" "I want ejé!" "If I don't get it, I won't leave!" "Oluparun!" "Oluparun!" "Couldn't I ask the name of the murderer?" "It would be no good." "When she asks to leave the body, it means she'll say nothing further." "After long years fantasizing infirmities... my mother died ofsmallpox." "I feel no pain, norpity." "A sensation ofliberty invades my soul." "In spite ofthe ears and the strings..." "I was not found out." "And now, nothing will stop me." "The time has come to slaughter the prostitute who... with her licentiousness, perverted the witless emperor of the tropics." "I think ofangels..." "Not the guardians ofsouls and bringers of good news... but those the Lord sends to earth to carry out" "His most terrible plans." "The messengers ofplagues God's hangmen." "Mukumbé?" "You?" "I nearly died of fright!" "How dare you come in like this, at this hour... without announcing yourself?" "I heard your mother died." "I was saddened." "I know how you loved her." "So don't you know that visiting young widows late at night... might cause the wrong impression?" "Mercy!" "No, not the face!" "No!" "There can be no more doubt, my dear Pimenta." "The murderer had his eye on the baroness... right from the beginning." "The missing D string... was for Dalia Maria Luiza Catarina de Albuquerque." "I believe the cycle of crimes... of that damned fiddle are over, at last." "Excuse me, Mr. Holmes." "Something terrible has happened." "Your room has been broken into." "I am very sorry." "I regret that your visit to Brazil has been under... such tragic circumstances." "I would dearly like to invite you to amuse yourself in Petrópolis... but my state duties oblige me to remain at the Palace." "I have already had two passages reserved on the ship which sails..." "for England tomorrow." "Most generous of Your Majesty." "We have come to thank you for your hospitality and return the "Swan Song"... finally recovered under such fatal circumstances." "Forgive me, Mr. Holmes." "The Swan Song would bring back... painful memories of my gentle friend." "Merely looking at it rends my heart." "I understand, Majesty." "But what should I do?" "After all, it is a Stradivarius." "You know that, officially, this violin never existed." "I would like you to keep it." "I don't know if I can accept such a valuable gift." "Of course you can:" "it shall be our secret... a remembrance of your time in the tropics." "In Rome, when Caesar returned victorious from battle... and the multitude acclaimed him in the parades of Triumph, according him the honors of a divinity... he would have a slave beside him whispering into his ear:" ""Thou art bald, old and hast a big belly..."" "He wished to be reminded that he was merely human." "Humility is the mother of all virtues." "Keep the Swan Song as a trophy of the arduous case... that you were unable to solve." "The only comfort left to us is that we know... all the strings are gone and the violin has been returned." "I deduce that this is the end of the crimes... of the mad violinist." "Another brilliant deduction, Mr. Holmes!" "I don't know how you do it." "Elementary, my dear Pedro." "I don't understand why you wanted to see me in this empty theater." "Forgive me, my love... but when I wish to reflect on something important... this is where I come." "My ideas become clearer..." "like a church for some." "And what were you thinking?" "About your invitation to go to London with you." "And?" "Try to understand, darling." "In London I would be like a fish out of water." "How long would our love endure in a strange land?" "Ana, in London you'd be my wife... you'd be Ana Candelária Scott Holmes." "You could work." "The English theater is among the best there is." "I'm just starting." "My career is nothing great." "I want to find my own way, Holmes... and you have your crimes to see to." "I leave tomorrow." "Will you go to my sailing?" "No." "I won't have the strength to see you at the quay." "Then this is... good-bye?" "I don't want you to go away without feeling you inside me at least once." "Don't forget, when you come to London... there will always be room at 221 b Baker Street." "And when you return to Brazil, I insist you stay at my house." "Many thanks." "But although I love this land, I think the memories I carry... with me are too painful for that to be likely." "Miguel!" "Good morning, gentlemen." "Good morning." "Mr. Holmes, does this mean we'll be traveling together?" "What a happy coincidence." "Going on a trip?" "No, moving." "I plan to live in London." "So, you take French leave even when going to England." "You know very well this old aspiration of mine... to have a little bookshop in London and lead a peaceful life." "If you need anything, I am at your disposal." "I should like to repay the generous hospitality... that I received in your country." "They'll never know." "The simple-minded detective couldn't read... the obvious signs I left behind." "I recognize that I was playing with marked cards..." "In England the notes ofthe musical scale... are always designated by letters:" "G, D, A, E." "The stupid Englishman didn't even for a minute... think about the classification used by Latin countries..." "Mi for Miguel, Sol for Solera," "La for Lara." "Miguel Solera de Lara." "And the Re for Aphrodite's Retreat, my bookshop." "Aphrodite, a goddess venerated by whores... and protectress oftrollops." "And the ears?" "So obvious." "Flaps." "Flaps ofskin, flaps ofa book." "Bookseller." "The half-witted Englishman knewthe language well... but he spoke like a Portuguese for whom such flaps have a different name."