The Sign of Four

Who the devil comes calling here

on a night like this?

Who the devil comes calling here

at any time, Father.

This has been delivered, Major Sholto.

Huh?

There was no one there, sir.

Just this tacked to the door.

My God, no!

No!

- No! - Father.

No.

We found nothing.

Greed, cursed greed.

She must have her fair share of the treasure.

The treasure?

What treasure?

Who, Father?

Captain Morstan's daughter.

Captain Morstan?

Captain Morstan disappeared years ago.

Died.

He died in this very house.

In India, Morstan and I gained possession

of a great treasure.

I brought it to England.

Several years later, Morstan returned to London.

On the night of his arrival,

he came directly here to claim his share.

We argued about the division.

We argued violently.

There were harsh words, then blows.

I disposed of his body, I had to.

The treasure, Father, where is it?

Hidden, barely touched all these years.

Possession was enough for me,

just to look at those gems,

to run my hands through them.

Morstan's daughter, find her.

She deserves her share.

The treasure, Father, where is it?

The attic,

the secret room.

It's him!

Keep him out, for the love of God.

Go on, keep him out!

Four...

There's no one out there, Father.

I saw him, I tell you!

The one-legged man.

- Oh. - Yes, Williams?

I heard a shot, sir.

Father thought he saw a prowler.

Search the grounds.

Bartholomew,

the treasure?

Yes, Thaddeus, the treasure.

But not now.

Father's dying.

Bart, Bartholomew!

Thaddeus!

I often wondered why those stairs went nowhere.

Bartholomew!

Thaddeus!

They're not here, Major.

Gone treasure hunting.

Greedy, like their father.

- Small? - That's right, Major, Small.

I've come a long way to find you, Major.

I come in the name of the four.

Oh no, no, no, no, please.

The four you betrayed!

The four who gave you wealth.

Oh no, Small, listen.

The treasure's here, it's here.

And we were there, left back there

to rot in that damn stinking hell hole.

You broke your oath.

You even betrayed your friend, Captain Morstan,

your fellow officer.

Oh no, no, take the treasure.

It's here, all of it, three million pounds.

Take it.

First thing's first, justice for the four,

vengeance for the four.

I've killed you a thousand times over the years, Major.

Oh, it was all so vivid in my mind.

Shall I describe how I'll do it, Major?

Shall I?

Major?

You cheat me of my revenge,

but neither you nor any of yours

will stand between me and what belongs to the four.

Bartholomew?

Is it there?

Good morning, ladies.

Good Lord!

Fire!

Holmes, Holmes, Holmes!

Fire!

Like many of your deductions, Watson, wrong.

Then pray, enlighten me, as usual.

Research for my monograph.

Would this vital experiment

be disturbed by a bit of fresh air?

Oh, another monograph.

Yes, this is on the distinction

between the ashes of the various tobaccos.

So far I have enumerated 93 forms of cigar,

cigarette, and pipe tobacco.

Yes, well I'm sure there's a great cry

indeed for such information.

Indeed.

For example, if you can say that some murder has been done

by a man who was smoking an Indian lunkah,

it obviously narrows your field of search.

Holmes, you do have

an extraordinary genius for small details.

I appreciate their importance, Watson.

One must always observe the small facts

upon which huge inferences may depend.

And what huge inferences can you deduce from this?

A test, old fellow.

Mm, would you think it impertinent?

No, on the contrary, I shall be delighted.

The watch recently came into my possession.

Can you give an opinion of the habits

and character of its late owner?

It's difficult for a man to have any object

in daily use and not leave the impress

of his individuality on it.

But this watch has recently been cleaned,

which robs me of my most vital facts.

It was cleaned before being sent to me.

Almost two o'clock.

She shall be here at any moment.

She?

A Ms. Mary Morstan.

She sent word requesting to see me

on a most urgent matter.

Holmes?

Ah, yes.

The previous owner of your watch

was a careless man of untidy habits

who lived, for some time, in poverty

with occasional short intervals of prosperity.

But finally, taking to drink, he died.

That's unworthy of you, Holmes.

You've obviously learned the history

of my unhappy brother.

You can't expect me to believe

you gathered all that from his old watch.

My dear fellow, I'm sorry.

Now, I viewed the matter as an abstract problem.

I really had no idea you even had a brother.

But your facts are correct in every particular.

How could you possibly guess?

I never guess.

It is destructive to logic.

But how?

The small facts, Watson.

The watch case is not only dented, but cut and marked

by hard objects such as coins and keys

kept in the same pocket.

Only a careless, untidy man

treats an expensive article in such a fashion.

But how could you know he lived in poverty

with intervals of prosperity?

When London pawn brokers take a watch,

they scratch the ticket number inside the case

with a pinpoint.

There are four such numbers inside the case

of the watch you are holding, correct?

Obviously your brother was often at low water

but he had occasional intervals of prosperity,

or he could not have redeemed his pledge.

And the drinking?

Look at the keyhole for winding the spring.

No sober man's key could have scored those grooves,

but you'll never see a drunkard's watch without them.

He leaves traces of his unsteady hand.

Where is the mystery in all this, my friend?

You know Holmes, by now I should have more faith

in your amazing faculties.

Hm.

I have recently had little to exercise that faculty.

I tell you, Watson, crime and existence

have been rather commonplace of late.

Come on down, ladies and gentlemen.

Round up, round up, round up

for the greatest show on earth.

All the way from the Indian jungle.

Seeing is believing, ladies and gentlemen.

Only a penny, only a penny.

The most gruesome sight in captivity.

The most blood-thirsty creature in the world.

See him tear and eat human flesh, human flesh!

- I don't believe it. - No?

How do you think I got this thing?

Come on, ladies and gentlemen, that's the way.