Reilly Ace of Spies

(theme music) (train rumbles) (people shout) (gunshots) (train toots) (gunshots and people shouting) (train hisses) (footsteps approach) - Professor Rosenblum.

Welcome to Baku.

I'm Sergeant Kott of the frontier police.

And I've been asked to escort you to your quarters.

- We are not in Baku.

- A little disturbances.

- What is it this time?

- The Tartars are massacring the Armenians.

You, too, sir, - Why do we have to get out?

- Because I say so.

(bells ding) (horse whinnies) - Is that man telling the truth?

- Maybe, but there's more to it than that.

It never pays to argue with these chaps.

- Careful, you fool.

- Is he always like this?

- Of course.

- I'd calm him down if I were you or he'll get us all into trouble.

(pottery rattles) (upbeat music) Perhaps if you tell me what it is you are looking for, I could be of some assistance.

- I won't know 'til I find it.

I'm sure there's nothing there.

- So I can go?

- No.

I have instructions to detain you.

- From whom?

- Saint Petersburg.

- Please inform the science faculty of the University of Odessa that I have been arrested and that I expect them to take immediate steps to secure my release.

- Of course, I am sure it is all an error.

On the other hand, if it is not, it would be in your best interest to make a statement now.

It might save a certain amount of unpleasantness later on when I may be called upon to interrogate you.

(footsteps approach) You'll be put up in the hotel.

It's just across the road and is slightly more comfortable than the jail.

Naturally, there will be a guard at your bedroom door and one will accompany you wherever you go.

And please do not try to escape.

There are tigers in the hills and they eat people.

These, these have all been eaten by tigers.

When they saw they were on the frontier, people imagine they can just jump on a horse and ride across.

But I can assure you, professor, that if the tigers don't get them, I do.

(baby cries) (exotic music) (camel grunts) Enjoy your stay.

(man sings) - I found this in my husband's luggage.

- Ah, yes, you see-- - There's no need to explain it.

In fact, I'd rather not know about it.

I don't think my husband would approve.

(paper rustles) - The purpose of this lecture is to bring to your attention the importance of oil as the prime source of energy in the coming decades.

We in the Royal Navy are especially concerned that this message is understood in the corridors of power.

As a nation, we are too easily influenced by the coal lobby.

Yet, if we are to survive as a great power, we must have weapons which are as fast, as deadly, as the other great powers.

This means oil fired turbines.

On the face of it, a minor technical change.

But in reality, it calls for a massive change in the nation's priorities.

And in its relationship with other countries.

The question is not can we afford to reequip our navy with oil fired warships, but where is the oil coming from which they will burn?

(pan bangs) (footsteps approach) (mysterious music) - Good evening, your worship.

- Good evening.

- [Waiter] You can have a choice of meat or fish.

- What kind of meat?

- It's kabob.

- What kind of kabob?

- Meat.

- Ah.

And a bottle of wine, if you will.

- We have barrels of it.

Good evening, your worship.

- No.

- In your honor, I've written out the menu.

(bottles clatter) - No.

(donkey brays) (footsteps approach) (chickens cluck) - I hope everything is to your liking.

- When can we leave, captain?

- Unfortunately, the Uzbekis have risen up and are murdering foreigners.

Oh, believe me, sir, it would be most inadvisable for you to travel for a few days yet.

- I believe we are being kept here for some purpose.

- Well, that is possible.

God works in mysterious ways.

- Goat's cheese from Persia.

The sturgeon we caught last Sunday.

And the lemon is from my uncle's farm.

- I trust your quarters are comfortable, professor.

- Is the guard really necessary?

- He has instructions to search your room every hour.

The frontier is less than a day's ride from here.

People have been tempted to escape before now.

Are you a gambling man, professor?

Good, good.

Then perhaps you may care to join me later on in a game of chess.

- Waiter.

We'll eat in our room.

Come, madam.

- Would you play trik trak?

Good.

Good.

(orchestral music) (laughs) (dice rattle) - Come to bed.

- They saw my shoulder.

- You will not wear that gown in the future.

Do you understand?

It's not appropriate.

(dice rattle) (footsteps approach) - Admiral Fisher?

- Oh, yes, Pomeroy.

- I wonder if you have a moment.

- Enterprise, you say?

- No, sir.

Industry.

- Oh, yes.

Well, excuse me.

- We've had a communication from Rosenblum.

- Rosenblum?

- The man we sent to Odessa.

- Ah, yes.

- I don't know if we can trust the source.

She's a (speaks foreign language).

- Keeps women, does he?

- No.

I gather they keep him.

- Oh.

- Ah, sir, I don't think you've met Fothergill.

- No.

- This is Admiral Fisher.

- How do you do, sir?

- And this is Mrs. McConnell.

She's a friend of Rosenblum's.

- He's been writing to you.

- Yes, sir, every week.

- Every week, eh?

My darling Rose, events here have taken a turn for the worse with the arrival of some gentlemen from Petersburg who show great curiosity about my work here.

I may have to leave hurriedly, so please tell dear Fothergill that when I go I shall take all the relevant stuff with me.

Hope to see you sometime in June.

'Til then, don't worry.

Yours ever, Sidney.

June.

We can't wait that long.

(carriage rattles) Not a word to us, but a dozen letters to a whore.

What kind of chap is he?

(people chatter) (donkey brays) (man sings) (rooster crows) - Attention!

Ready.

Take aim.

Fire.

(guns bang) (chickens cluck) - This is a barbaric country.

- Come on.

(woman cries) Move, woman, move.

(gun fires) - My husband has found at temple in the hills, and the inspector has no objection to his going there as long as I remain here.

- As a hostage?

- Odd that it's us they suspect when it's you they should be looking to.

- Oh, don't worry, they have me in their sights.

(door bangs) (chickens cluck) - Come inside, madam.

- When I have finished.

(door bangs) I suppose I had better go.

- Love, honor, and obey.

- Honor and obey.

- Is there any word from Odessa?

- Yes.

They want you returned under escort.

Why are you so important to them?

What have you got that they want so badly?

- The whole thing is a mistake which I will resolve as soon as I get back.

(footsteps approach) So, when is the next train?

- Oh, in one hour.

Unfortunately, I cannot spare any men to accompany you.

So, you will have to wait here until such time as I can.

- The cable says he first available train.

- What can I do?

Next week you shall go to Odessa.

(dramatic music) (horse snorts) (door rattles) (rooster crows) - You need some fresh air.

- I need a drink.

- Prospect from the beach is very attractive.

If you face away from the town.

- He'll find out.

- Not unless you tell him.

Why did you marry him?

- I was nursing him.

And he was already making demands on me, so I thought why not.

He has money, a position in life.

But he won't live forever.

- There appears to be a miscalculation somewhere.

- I misjudged myself.

I thought I was stronger.

I thought I could cope, but I hadn't quite counted on being a servant and a whore 24 hours a day.

I wish I were dead.

I'd literally walk out into that water if it wasn't so filthy.

- That is the oil - What's the difference?

- It's what makes the world go round.

- I thought that of love.

(gun fires) - He says we've gone far enough.

- Yes, I think we have.

(footsteps approach) (dishes clatter) - Profound apologies, your worship, but no milk again.

- What is it this time?

- We're expecting an earthquake.

Consequently, the goat's milk goes sour.

- First it was the Uzbekis, now it's an earthquake.

- Yes, your honor.

(dogs bark) Oh God, for what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful.

Eat.

- I'm not hungry.

- Eat.

(building rattles) (animals squawk) (people yell) (footsteps approach) - Are you all right?

- Yes, I'm fine.

- How's the reverend?

- Slept right through it.

(laughs) Good night.

(door bangs) (goats bleat) (footsteps approach) (rooster crows) - Unfortunately, the railway line to Odessa is out.

So you will have to stay a few days longer.

- Well, at least the yogurt will be fresh.

- All my specimens are broken, smashed by your confounded earthquake.

- An impatient man.

Not like me.

- Could you assist me?

To get away?

- How?

- By coming to my room tonight.

I want you to stay 'til dawn.

- Mr. Rosenblum, you've taken leave of your senses.

- While you are there, the guard is unlikely to enter.

It will be long past breakfast before they realize that I am gone.

- I cannot compromise myself like that.

- Without such a ruse, I have little chance of reaching a port of air.

with a telegraph, they can send a message to intercept me.

- So you will be safe, leaving me at the mercy of both my husband and the captain?

- The fact is you are a British subject and I am a British agent.

And I have to get those papers back to England.

- Even if I were to go through with your plan, the consequences would be unthinkable.

I will be locked up, humiliated, abused.

And on being released by the captain, taken home in disgrace by my husband, sermonized at every station.

And, finally, when we did reach London, divorced, thrown out onto the streets.

- When you reach London, I will be there to meet you.

- Mr. Rosenblum, I know you are in a terrible situation, but even so, you should resist making rash promises.

- I will be there.

(dramatic music) - I am sorry, I cannot help you.

You must have realized spying is a desperate business.

Well, so I may tell you, is marriage.

I have embarked on an enterprise twice as hazardous as yours and it takes me all my wit just to survive.

Even if I were to try, the guards would see me.

- It is important that they should.

- And what if Reverend Thomas would awake?

- Double his laudanum.

That's what he takes, doesn't he?

Well, I understand your position.

I hope you will accept my apologies for the indelicacy of my proposal.

- No.

I'm sure your motives were most honorable.

- You are to return with me, madam.

As for you, sir.

You stand rebuked, sir.

I am a man of God, sir.

If I were not, I would not be so (mumbles).

(carriage rattles) Margaret.

- What tonight?

- Proverbs.

31:10.

- Who can find a virtuous woman?

For her price is above rubies.

- You know who Prometheus was, professor?

- Yes, a figure from Greek mythology.

- Correct.

He stole the secret of fire from the gods, and he was caught red-handed.

(laughs) Do you know what they did to him?

They chained him to a rock, and a tiger came and tore out his stomach.

- An eagle.

(dice rattle) - I received another telegraph from Odessa today.

It would appear that they gods are angry.

Someone has stolen some secret information about our oil surveys which must not fall into foreign hands.

So it would appear that my theory about Prometheus was correct, professor.

- Prometheus was a very influential man, you know.

He had lots of powerful friends.

- Nevertheless, he ended up chained to a mountain in the Caucasus.

I can't help thinking that that is what is going to happen to you, professor.

I think maybe tomorrow, I move you into the lock-up.

I am sure I can find out in a couple of hours whether or not you are this Prometheus that these cables refer to.

(door bangs) (door creaks) (papers rustle) - Good night, captain.

(footsteps depart) (door creaks) (doors bang) You gave him his laudanum?

- Most of the bottle.

- Good.

- I thought I was going to die coming up here.

- It was brave of you.

- Are you leaving straightaway?

- I have to wait for the lights to go out.

Listen to me, whatever you do, you must not say that you came her to aid my escape.

You were simple passionately in love with me.

And this is something that they can understand, passion.

You understand that?

- Yes.

- You must be particularly firm with your husband.

Just say you were overcome with some sort of madness.

You understand that?

- Yes, passion.

- [Sidney] Yes.

- Madness.

- That's right.

- Did you mean it?

- What?

- You said you'd be there when I got home.

- Yes.

(dramatic music) - Please stay for just a few minutes.

- You'll regret this.

- Tomorrow maybe.

I've wanted you ever since I first say you on the train.

(horses clop) (people chatter) - Gentlemen, please.

My husband is not well.

(people chatter) I'll answer your questions later.

(door bangs) (suitcases clatter) Take the keys to the cellar winery, and bring up a bottle of gin.

- Cabbie?

(carriage rattles) White Hall, Top End.

- [Cabbie] All right, governor.

- [Man] Where is Rosenblum?

- He had to go underground.

- The Russians are angry.

There's been a stream of protests from St. Petersburg.

And the czar has made strong representations to the King.

- Well, that is to be expected.

Rosenblum killed a policeman on his way out.

- Whatever the reason, it took us a great deal of persuasion to secure Mrs. Thomas's release.

- Well, sir, all I can say is that he did bring our vital information.

- I don't think you understand.

Your agent Rosenblum has brought the entire Foreign Service into disrepute.

First of all, he blaggers this woman.

Then he compromises he.

Finally, he cuts and runs, leaving her to face the music.

- Well, he was under some pressure, sir.

- How man missions has he done for you?

- This is his first.

- I suggest you convene a meeting of the metropolitan newspapers and repudiate the notion that Rosenblum is in any way connected with us.

- Yes, sir.

What about Mrs. Thomas?

- Make sure she makes a statement at the same time as you make yours.

- Is that all, sir?

- I should stick to employing gentlemen in the future, Cummings.

And preferable English gentlemen.

- Sidney.

(Sidney grunts) Oh, I missed you.

I was so lonely.

- You were lonely?

I bet you were very much in demand.

- Oh, very, very, very.

Wait.

I'll show you.

(lively music) Daddy wouldn't buy me a bow-wow Bow-wow Daddy wouldn't buy me a bow-wow Bow-wow I've got a little cat And I'm very fond of that But I'd rather have a bow-wow-wow Daddy wouldn't buy me a bow-wow Bow-Wow Daddy wouldn't buy me a bow-wow Bow-Wow I've got a little cat And I'm very fond of that But I'd rather have a bow-wow-wow (laughs) - Why didn't you put it in a bank?

- It didn't seem quite right.

They're a bit like churches.

I get embarrassed every time I get near one.

(rain dribbles) (thunder rolls) - The purpose of this meeting tonight is to correct any misapprehensions concerning events that took place in the Russian town of Baku last year.

(footsteps approach) - Fothergill, my dear fellow.

- Dear god, Rosenblum.

- What's the matter, old man?

You look as if you've seen a ghost.

Well, I must say, I thought you'd be delighted to see me.

Did you get the report?

- Yes, and we're most grateful.

It's a fantastic coup.

Fisher's still reading around the war room.

- Now I am here to state quite categorically, and I have been authorized by the Secretary of State to do so, that whoever this man Rosenblum was, he was not and never has been involved in espionage on our behalf.

- Look here, old boy.

I'm afraid you can't go out there.

- Mrs. Thomas out there?

- Yes, she's up there.

- I must say hello.

- I don't think you quite understand.

What you did in Baku has scandalized the nation.

Sidney, they'll vent you.

Bastard.

(audience applauds) - Spying is an odious business.

It is an enterprise in which we engage with the greatest reluctance.

All the more so then, that when the necessity arises, we entrust our missions to men with some degree of gallantry, as well as patriotism.

Such men would never put a lady's honor at risk, even if their own life was at stake.

Now, I would like to introduce you to Mrs. Margaret Thomas.

Mrs. Thomas has come along at her own request to dispel some of the rumors which have persisted in many of our newspapers since she and her husband returned home.

And she will answer any questions you may wish to put to her.

Mrs. Thomas.

(audience applauds) - Rosenblum's here.

- What?

- In the audience.

- I want to thank Mr. Pomeroy and members of the British government for having worked so hard to get my husband and me released from Baku prison.

I would also like to apologize on behalf of my husband.

He cannot be here tonight.

He's still confined to bed as a result of our ordeal.

It is because of the concern shown to our case by the government that I consented to be on the platform here tonight.

As I have already stated to the press, I helped Mr. Rosenblum quite freely, believing him when he said he was a member of the British Secret Service.

And I consented to his stratagem in order to save his life.

Much has been said of a love affair between myself and Mr. Rosenblum.

There was no love affair.

- May I have the first question, please?

If you and this man Rosenblum were not lovers, what were your feelings towards him?

- My feelings were inspired by misplaced patriotism.

- Why did you help his escape?

- He told me he had to get back to England.

- Why did you believe him?

What proof did he offer?

- It never occurred to me not to.

- How long did you spend in prison?

- A long time.

- 19 weeks.

- If you and Rosenblum were not lovers, why did the Russians way you were?

- They were angry that he had escaped.

I suppose they wanted to cause mischief.

- Mrs. Thomas, this man, whoever he was, caused you a great deal of hardship.

If he were here tonight, what would you have to say to him?

- I would express to him my anger and disgust and loathing at the way he used both me and my husband.

- How is the old boy?

- Ladies and gentlemen, Mrs. Thomas has been through a very trying time.

I don't think we should press her to recount her experiences so soon after the event.

- And I would ask him why he betrayed him.

Why he had to kill that officer knowing we would have to pay?

- Ladies and gentlemen, Mrs. Thomas is clearly overwrought.

And I don't think we can prevail upon her to answer any more questions tonight.

The meeting is therefore closed.

(people chatter) - What on earth possessed you to let him in?

- How could I have stopped him?

- Closed, gentlemen, closed.

(people chatter) - I'm sorry about this, ma'am.

- About what?

You told me you had no knowledge of this man, yet here he is in the middle of the hall and you know him well.

- There's a cab at the door.

I'll have Fothergill see to her.

- Leave me here.

I want to speak to him.

- Fothergill will be downstairs.

(footsteps depart) I simply cannot believe the man would be possessed of such indiscretion.

Apparently he has his way with the lady in Baku, vanishes into thin air, and then reappears just when and where his presences is least welcome.

Quite apart from his own folly, the whole name of the service at risk.

- Exactly.

Supposing she had identified him, where would we had been?

- Exactly.

- Well, she didn't, did she?

(dramatic music) (footsteps depart) - In answer to your question, my husband has had a stroke.

- I'm sorry to hear that.

- Since you were the cause of it.

Why did you come here tonight?

- I wanted to thank you.

- You could have chosen a less public occasion.

You used me in Baku.

You manipulated me in the most cynical manner.

You have no idea what they did to me after you left.

- I had to get out.

I had to use whatever method I could to get out.

- Have you any idea what we've been through during the past six months?

- Stop thinking of yourself as an injured party.

There's only one who suffered, and that is your husband.

And he should look upon it as a visitation.

He who taketh a young bride findeth himself in trouble.

Isn't that what the Bible says?

And besides, there's nothing like a grievance to sharpen an old man's wits and make him cling to life.

- He is still my husband.

I am still married to him.

- And I sincerely hope so.

He's a wealthy man and halfway to the grave.

Seldom have I met a woman in more fortunate circumstances.

Young, beautiful, and about to come into a lot of money.

- No.

(footsteps approach) (rain patters) He's despicable.

(dramatic music) (carriage rattles) (papers rustle) (bell rings) (door bangs) - Yes, Mr. Zaharov?

- What do we know of the man who wrote this report?

- Very little.

- Find out more about him.

He interests me.

- The matter is already in hands, sir.

- Good.

Return this to the King with the following note.

Your Majesty, thank you for letting me read this report.

The information it contains regarding the Russian oil fields is interesting, both for what it says and for what it does not say.

Your obedient servant.

(people chatter) (woman weeps) - It's Mrs. McConnell.

Mrs. McConnell.

- Yes, sir?

- My friend, Mrs. McConnell?

- Is dead, sir.

Murdered.

(footsteps approach) - You said you were a friend of hers?

- Yes.

- You mean a client?

- No, I was her friend.

(items clatter) - This is what we found Mr. Zaharov.

Letters, bill, checkbook, and those photographs.

- Is that all?

- Must have another place somewhere.

- Rowhedge, did anything untoward happen at the apartment?

- No, sir.

But your nails are broken, and your face is scratched.

- There was some opposition.

- You may go.

(footsteps depart) - It was a mistake to send him.

- Yes, sir.

- I was particularly interested in a report of 20 or so pages, similar to the one I had from the King.

- It wasn't hers, though.

- Find a way to return these trinkets.

- Is that all?

- No.

Make some discreet inquiries as to what happened at her apartment.

- Yes, sir.

- If Rowhedge has overstepped the mark, I wish to be informed immediately.

- Yes, sir.

- There is one other thing.

I shall be dining at the Cafe Royale with my Lady Gregory.

She usually orders some kind of custard for dessert.

Please see that the chef puts that in the cup.

But make sure he washes it first.

I don't want to spend the night ministering to a lady with ptomaine poisoning.

- Yes, Mr. Zaharov.

(carriage clatters) (footsteps approach) (mysterious music) (door bangs) (items clatter) (Sidney cries) (carriage rattles) - [Cabbie] Thanks very much then.

(mysterious music) (bell rings) - I've had the lock changed.

- So I noticed, Mrs. A.

- I am sorry about Mrs. McConnell.

- You spent your life slandering her.

- Yes, but now that she's dead.

- You feel sorry for her.

Well, I doubt when you're dead she'll feel sorry for you.

(footsteps depart) (case rattles) (wardrobe clatters) (spoon rattles) (somber music) - Damn it all, Sidney.

- She was killed because of her connection with me.

Now nobody knew of my connection with her except for you.

Whoever found that address, got it from this office.

- Are you suggesting that I-- - No.

No.

But I want to see that wooden legged bastard.

(door bangs) - Sidney.

(door bangs) - What do you want?

- I want to know what's going on, Cummings.

- Mr. Rosenblum, I send you to Russia to obtain us some oil surveys.

You return with a report the size of a three volume novel.

You implicate us in a scandal, the consequences of which are still not clear.

Not only that, but I arrange a meeting to deny that we are connected with you, you turn up and wreck the occasion.

Now one of your girls has been butchered, and Scotland Yard is pounding at our doors wanting to question you.

And you ask me what is going on?

I should like to ask you what is going on.

- You met Rose, didn't you?

- Briefly.

The white slave trade is not my cup of tea, old boy.

- She was a good woman.

- Her death had nothing to do with us.

Under the circumstances, I would advise you to forget the matter.

- How would you describe my circumstances?

- My dear sir, you are wanted for murder in Odessa, while in London one of your ladies has been murdered by an over-zealous client.

- That is how you see it?

- I am not in favor of the evidence, but that is the only plausible explanation.

Unless, of course, you can supply another one.

- Her rooms were searched because of me.

The only people who knew I used that place were you and Fothergill.

- If her rooms were searched, what were they looking for?

- There was another report.

The surveys the Russians have carried out in the Persian Basin.

- Persian Basin?

Are you telling me that the Russians have been drilling for oil in the Persian Basin?

- Under the noses of the Turks.

And what is more, they have found it.

- Why the hell didn't you tell us this before?

- Because it's worth a damn sight more than you're prepared to pay for it.

That is why the Russians were so concerned about my escape.

And that is why the Thomas's were so abused.

They want the reports back.

- And you are prepared to deliver them if the price is right, is that it?

- That is not my intention.

- Where is the missing chapter?

- I notice that while the gun is made in England, the trigger mechanism comes from Texas.

- I am a professional, old boy.

Although you may not think so.

Where is it?

- In a safe place.

- And when are we going to see it?

- When you tell me who murdered Rose.

- Those surveys were part of the mission, Sidney.

And it's wrong of you to withhold them.

- Who has access to my files here?

- The only person who has access to your file apart from ourselves and Fisher is the King.

- Now I'm not going to beat about the bush, Rosenblum.

I will give you 24 hours to return to me the missing chapter.

Otherwise, I will make it so hot for you that you will not longer wish to live in this country.

Furthermore, I will not hesitate to expose your family back in Russia.

The fact that they have sired a British agent will not go down well with the Okhrana.

So in your circumstances, you would do well not to play the Billy goat with me.

(papers rustle) - The man is a genius.

- He's an unscrupulous bastard.

- How in hell's name he got all of these I should never know.

He's the chap we need at Port Arthur.

- He's a pimp and a murderer.

- You agreed to send someone to Manchuria.

Someone who could be trusted to get at the root of what's going on out there.

- He's not the right kind of material.

He's not a gentleman.

He's probably a socialist.

He's certainly a Jew.

- He's the man we need at Port Arthur.

On the basis of this, we're going to have to redraw the map of the Middle East.

(somber music) (door rattles) - Mr. Rosenblum, sir.

- Of course.

You found your way here without difficulty.

- Your name was on a wreath.

- I thought that would interest you.

- You knew Rose?

- When she was about 16.

- She never spoke of you.

- Which only goes to show she was indiscreet only when she wanted to be.

Sit down, Mr. Rosenblum.

Sigmund Rosenblum.

Born Odessa, 1874.

A bastard and a Jew.

You were brought up by a Russian family as one of their own.

In 1889, you attend the university.

The following year, you disappeared, leaving a note saying that your body was to be found under the ice in Odessa harbor.

What a convenient sort of chap you are, Rosenblum.

Officially, you don't exist, exactly what Cummings has been looking for for years.

You spent the last seven years in South America where you were recruited by Fothergill for the British Secret Service.

On your first mission, you compiled an exhaustive report of the Russian oil industry.

And, in addition, gave details of secret Russian drilling in the Persian Basin.

You gave it to Cummings.

Cummings gave it to Admiral Fisher.

Fisher gave it to the King.

And the King gave it to me.

You say in here that you foresee a time when there will be two major spheres of influence in the Middle East, Britain and Russia.

And you conclude by saying that there is no one who could prevent the possibility of some sort of deal between the two.

But there is, Mr. Rosenblum.

There is me.

- You?

- The Turkish empire, Mr. Rosenblum, is ripe for change.

Someone is going to have to drag it struggling and screaming into the 20th century.

- And you think you can do it?

- There is a part of me that longs for the Sultanate, where I can deal directly with the affairs of a state without having to manipulate through the vanities of other men.

Now then, Mr. Rosenblum, are you going to stay with the British or are you going to throw in your lot with me?

(suspenseful music) What is it you are after, Mr. Rosenblum?

Were the humiliations of your early years such that you with the approbation of your fellow men?

Or are you like the rest of the sons of Odessa, interested only in vengeance and power?

- I'm interested in who murdered Rose.

- Good night, Mr. Rosenblum.

(gate creaks) (footsteps depart) - [Sidney] I found out who it was.

- Who what was?

- Who broke into Rose's apartment.

It was one of Zaharov's men.

- [Man] Zaharov?

- He's had his eye on me for some time.

Since I came back, he tells me.

Who exactly is he?

- Some say he's an Armenian rug dealer who's landed a lucky job as vicars, but he's actually one of the most powerful men in Europe.

- Guns?

- Guns, submarines, chemicals.

He runs his own spy service, you know.

It is reputed to be efficient, if a little heavy handed.

I hope you're not going to get involved with some kind of vendetta.

After all, the poor girl is dead and nothing you can do will bring her back.

- She used to sleep with him when she was young.

- I thought you were a man of the world, old chap.

- What an extraordinary expression, a man of the world.

(speaks foreign language) - All right.

I stand corrected.

- Could you get me a list of Zaharov's agents in this country?

- Some of them are in very high places.

- A complete list.

(horse clops) - Thank you very much, sir.

(horse clops) (bell rings) (footsteps approach) (dramatic music) - He's going to divorce me.

- [Sidney] On what grounds?

- My lack of patriotism, really.

He sees my behavior as being essentially un-English.

There's a struggle going on in his mind between divorce and just disinheriting me.

As a priest, he's loathe to dissolve the marriage, and he knows I'd challenge any changes in his will.

He lies there wondering if there's enough life after death to contest him out of.

- Well, he should know.

- He's eaten up with hatred.

I feed off his and hate him back.

- He will die soon.

They want me to go to Port Arthur.

- Where is that?

- The other side of the world.

- I'll come with you.

(dramatic music) (paper rustles) - [Sidney Voiceover] My dear Zaharov, by process of elimination, I have been forced to the conclusion that the intruder who made his way into number six Clanricarde Gardens was a gentleman of your employ.

I should be grateful if you could provide me with his name and address so that I might duly call on him and inquire by what authority he found it necessary to molest and murder my friend and companion, Mrs. Rose McConnell.

Should a misplaced sense of loyalty forbid you to do this, I shall begin the elimination of your agents within this country for which purpose a list has been prepared by a mutual friend.

Your obedient servant, Sidney Rosenblum.

(dramatic music) (horses clop) - [Cabbie] Thank you very much, sir.

(door rattles) - What do you want?

- Mr. Zaharov's compliments.

He would like to see you.

- Really?

And why didn't he just send you?

- He thought perhaps you might not wan to come.

(carriage approaches) - [Cabbie] Thank you, sir.

(carriage departs) (door creaks) (footsteps approach) - It is an unfortunate but inescapable fact that the best kept secrets are those kept by the dead, don't you agree, Mr. Rosenblum?

Please, help yourself.

I hope the hawk is cold enough.

You know, your letter hurt me.

Had it been a polite request, I would have obliged.

But there was an element of violence about it that disturbed me.

Do you really think you could eliminate all my agents in this country?

- No, but I would have left a few holes in Debrett's.

- This deep enough, Mr. Zaharov?

- Take the corners down a trifle.

- Yes, sir.

- Grant, Gransom, Marquiste, Cherkov.

You don't own this place.

- I lease it.

- By the year or by the body?

- The gallows humor is the hallmark of the Jew.

- I just find it odd that a man who is in a position to buy respectability can be so miserly that he prefers to rent it.

- I find the disposal of corpses difficult at the best of times.

However, such is the logic of the English that the last place they would look for a corpse is in a graveyard.

And the last place in a graveyard, the tomb of a noble family.

So, here we are.

- [Rowhedge] I'm finished, Mr. Zaharov.

- Thank you, Rowhedge.

Would you put the coffin in?

How do you find all this?

- Bizarre.

I would like to know what happened to Rose.

- It was an unfortunate accident.

I sent along a man I thought I could trust to search the place.

Rose returned unexpectedly and he became over-excited.

I read the coroner's report, but I would prefer to call it death by misadventure.

- [Rowhedge] I've finished, Mr. Zaharov.

- Now, Mr. Rosenblum, here's a chance to test your nerve.

Would you be so good as to put down the glass?

(suspenseful music) And move over into that corner.

And in the interest of decency, would you face the wall?

- [Rowhedge] Want to let me do it, Mr. Zaharov?

(gun fires) (body thuds) (footsteps approach) - There now, you have your revenge.

Now we can do business.

- Cold blooded business?

- I believe it was Wilde who said anyone who calls a spade a spade should be made to use one.

The fact is Rose recognized him.

- Yes, I supposed she would.

(horse approaches) - [Cabbie] Thank you, sir.

(bell rings) (door bangs) (glasses clank) - He's dead.

(cork pops) (laughs) (glasses clink) (dramatic music) (boat whistles) (people chatter) - My dear chap, I just wanted to say good luck.

It's not going to be easy out there.

They crucify spies, I gather.

It's not at all like Europe.

- Sidney, come.

- Oh, my dear.

- Oh, I'm sorry.

- They're particularly nasty to white women, I'm told.

- She'll be all right.

- And now that you're married, I suppose that you'll be giving up your other hobby.

- When Margaret comes into her fortune.

- And I'm not sure about this name Reilly.

- I think it's fine.

- It's Irish.

- Exactly.

See the Irish are welcome in every country in the world except this one.

- And I had just got used to Rosenblum.

- You'd never get used to Rosenblum.

- No, perhaps not.

Well, here's to Port Arthur and your marriage.

- Thank you.

(people cheer) (theme music)