health condition,
but so as not to disturb her.
She refuses to see a doctor.
Nerves, you know.
- There was a check in the letter.
- I see.
You had no previous
acquaintanceship with the family?
No. A colleague of mine
was mentioned in the letter.
To give verisimilitude…
And that colleague, I presume,
was momentarily
out of touch with you.
Yes.
At the moment I am interested
in a minor point.
Amongst the names
recited was that
of William Blore.
But there is no one
named Blore amongst us.
The name of Davis
was not mentioned.
What have you to say
about that, Mr. Davis?
Mister Davis?
What?
Cat’s out of the bag,
it seems.
I’d better admit that
my name isn’t Davis.
- You are William Blore?
- That’s right.
Not only are you here
under a false name
but in addition you’re
a first-class liar.
You claim to have come
from Natal, South Africa.
I’m prepared to swear
you’ve never been there.
- Now then, any expectation?
- You gentlemen have got me wrong.
I’ve got my credentials.
I’m ex- C.I.D. man
of Scotland Yard.
- I was put on this job.
- By whome?
This man Owen. Enclosed
a handsome money order.
I was posing as a guest
and keep weather eye open.
I was given all your names.
- Any reason given?
- Of course!
Mrs. Owen’s jewels - plague take ‘em!
Sweet company!
There is nothing to say.
And I, an old bird was
caught with chaff!
To my mind, Mrs.Owen
does not exist at all!
Your conclusions are,
I think, justified.
The letters we got were bearing
the signature "U.N.Owen" -
"Unowen", that's to say -
anonym.
- But this is fantastic-mad!
- Oh, yes. You are right.
I’ve no doubt in my own mind
that we have been invited here
by a madman - probably
a dangerous homicidal lunatic.
Whoever it was who
enticed us here,
that person has taken
the trouble to find out
a good deal about us all.
- A pack of damn lie!
- It’s iniquitous!
A lie… a wicked lie…
We never did - neither of us.
Our unknown friend accuses
me of the murder of one
Edward Seton.
He was charged with the murder
of an eldery woman.
He made a good impression
on the jury.
Somebody thought that
not doubt of the verdict
and acquittal
practically certain.
Nevertheless, on the evidence,
he was certainly guilty.
I summed up accordingly,
and the jury brought in
a verdict of guilty.
I wish to say that my conscience
in perfectly clear on the matter.
I did my duty and nothing more.
Did you know Seton at all?
I mean previous to the case.
I knew…
…nothing of Seton…
…previous to the case.
I’d like to tell you
about that boy.
I was nursery governess
for him. We lived by the sea.
He was forbidden to swim out far.
One day, when my attention
was distracted, he started off.
I swam after him…
I couldn’t get there in time…
It was awful…
But it wasn’t my fault.
At the inquest the
investigator exonerated me.
And his mother -
she was so kind.
I don’t know, why should this
awful thing he said?
- It’s not fair.
- Don't worry, my dear.
Of course it’s not true.
It’s lie…
Fellow’s a madman.
A madman!
Got a bee in his bonnet!
Best really to leave this sort
of thing unanswered.
However, feel I ought to say -
no truth whatever in what he said
about young Arthur Richmond.
Richmond was one of my officers.
I sent him on a reconnaissance.
He was killed. Natural course
of events in war time.
Wish to say resent very much –
slur on my wife.
Best woman in the world.
- About those natives…
- Yes, what about them?
Story’s quite true!
I left ‘em!
Matter of self-preservation.
I and a couple of fellows what
food there was and cleared out.
Shame on you!
You are an officer.
You abandoned your men -
left them to starve?
Not quite the act of a pukka
sahib, I’m afraid.
But self-preservation
a man’s first duty.
And natives don’t mind dying,
you know, as Europeans do.
- Oh my God!
- You left them to die?
Yes, indeed.
Why are you looking
at me like that?
I don’t understand anything at all.
I