Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson: The Treasures of Agra

THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES AND DR. WATSON

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Agra Treasure

Part One

Sherlock Holmes VASILIY LIVANOV

Dr. Watson VITALIY SOLOMIN

Mrs. Hudson RINA ZELYONAYA

Inspector Lestrade BORISLAV BRONDUKOV

To Mr. Sherlock Holmes esquire.

Grit in a sensitive instrument,

or a crack in one of his own high-power lenses,

would not be more disturbing

than a strong emotion in a nature such as his.

In our society

we speak of softer passions as of an excellent for drawing the veil

from men's motives and actions.

- I thought the woman... - Her name is Irene Adler.

I thought Irene Adler would only stay

in the folder, named ''The Scandal in Bohemia.''

With Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismond von Ormstein,

Grand Duke of Cassel Felstein, and hereditary King of Bohemia,

but I was wrong.

Her picture always follows him.

After some deducting reasoning,

I draw a horrible conclusion.

You faltered, Sherlock Holmes.

It was not that you felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler.

All emotions, and that one particularly, were abhorrent to your cold,

precise but admirably balanced mind.

But you faltered.

What is it in your hands?

This is a sovereign you got from her.

There's much harsh truth in your saying, my dear friend.

Momentary hesitation.

I successfully failed the case ''The Scandal in Bohemia.''

Of course, Irene Adler was an exception,

which proves the rule.

You are right

women are low-level creatures, in comparison with us, men.

Because they always follow

so called ''softer passions'', emotions.

Emotions are opposite to pure and cold judgement.

You are right. Of all women I know

only our incomparable Mrs. Hudson can live here.

A young lady for you, sir.

Miss Morstan.

I have no recollection of the name.

Ask the young lady to step up.

I hope, you don't need me. I need to attend a pathology course.

Don't go, Doctor. I should prefer that you always remain

when a woman is close to me.

- Good morning. - Good morning.

- Have a seat. - Thank you.

State your case.

You will, I am sure, excuse me.

If your friend, would be good enough to stop, he might be of inestimable service to me.

We are listening to you, miss Morstan.

My father was an officer in an Indian regiment.

When I was quite a child, my mother died.

I had no relative in England.

My father sent me to Edinburgh.

I was placed in a comfortable boarding establishment

where I remained until I was seventeen years of age.

He telegraphed to me that he had arrived to England,

and gave the Langham Hotel as his address.

I drove there.

I was informed that Captain Morstan was staying there,

but that he had gone out the night before and had not returned.

Next morning I read in newspapers

about my father's disappearing.

from that day to this no word has ever been heard of him.

The date?

He disappeared upon the third of December, 1878.

- His luggage? - Remained at the hotel.

some clothes, some books, and a number of curiosities from the Andaman Islands.

He had been one of the officers in charge of the convict-guard there.

Had he any friends in town?

Major Sholto. Only one that we know of - Major Sholto.

The major had retired some little time before and lived at Upper Norwood.

We communicated with him, of course, but he did not know anything about my father.

A very old case. 10 years ago.

I had better leave you.

No, no, please, stay.

I have not yet described to you the most singular part.

About six years ago an advertisement appeared in the Times

asking for the address of Miss Morstan,

and stating that it would be to her advantage to come forward.

After that there arrived through the post a small cardboard box addressed to me,

which I found to contain a very large and lustrous pearl.

Since then every year upon the same date

there has always appeared a similar box, containing a similar pearl.

They have been pronounced by an expert to be of a rare and of considerable value.

Your statement is most interesting.

- Where are you going?.. - Watson.

Watson.

This is my friend, Dr. Watson.

Like your father he was an officer in an Indian regiment.

And he is very brave.

Your pearl, miss Morstan.

Has anything else occurred to you?

This morning I received this letter.

- Read it. - The envelope, too, please.

Post-mark, London, S. W. Date, September 7.

Man's thumb-mark on corner.

Probably postman.

Best quality paper.

Envelopes at sixpence a packet.

No address.

''Be at the left pillar outside the Lyceum Theatre

If you are distrustful bring two friends.

You are a wronged woman and shall have justice.

Do not bring police. If you do, all will be in vain.

Your unknown friend.''

- What do you intend to do? - To meet the unknown friend.

And which two friends you shall choose?

You and Dr. Watson. Would you come?

I was so happy to see him here.

I thought you had been here alone.

I do not have any friends here whom I could rely on.

I agree to come with you. I do not know about Dr. Watson.

Would you come, doctor?

If I can be of any service.

If I am here at six it will do, I suppose?

We had better pick you up.

Wait for us at six o'clock.

Good bye. Good bye.

What a very attractive woman!

Is she? I did not observe.

It is of the first importance, Watson,

not to allow your judgment to be biased by personal qualities.

The most winning woman I ever knew was hanged for poisoning three little children

for their insurance-money.

and the most repellent man of my acquaintance is a philanthropist

who has spent nearly a quarter of a million upon the London poor.

The exceptions prove the rule.

And what about Irene Adler?

Irene Adler was a good lesson for both of us.

I have just found, on consulting the back files of the Times,

that Major Sholto, of Upper Norwood, late of the Thirty-fourth Bombay Infantry,

died six years ago.

I may be very obtuse, Holmes,

but I fail to see what this suggests.

No? Look at it in this way, then.

Captain Morstan comes to England and disappears.

The only person in London whom he could have visited is Major Sholto.

Major Sholto denies having heard that he was in London.

Four years later Sholto dies.

Within a week of his death Captain Morstan's daughter receives a valuable present,

which is repeated from year to year during six years.

Six years, I emphasize.

And now culminates in a letter

which describes her as a wronged woman.

What wrong can it refer to except this deprivation of her father.

And why should the presents begin immediately after Sholto's death

unless it is that Sholto's heir knows something and desires to make compensation?

But what a strange compensation!

Good evening.

Good evening.

A curious paper was found in Papa's desk.

It is paper of native Indian manufacture.

The diagram upon it appears to be a plan of part of a large building.

In the left-hand corner is a small cross done in red ink.

And above it is '3.37.'

In the left-hand corner is a curious hieroglyphic.

It is written 'The sign of the four' and some names:

Mahomet Singh, Jonathan Small, Abdullah Khan, Dost Akbar.

I confess that I do not see how this bears upon the matter.

Preserve it carefully, then, Miss Morstan, for it may prove to be of use to us.

Are you the parties who come with Miss Morstan?

I am Miss Morstan, and these two gentlemen are my friends.

You will excuse me, miss,

but give me your word that neither of your companions is a police-officer.

I give you my word on that.

Cold Harbour Lane.

Now we come out on the Vauxhall Bridge Road.

Our quest does not appear to take us to very fashionable regions.

We are making for the Surrey side apparently.

Yes, I thought so.

Miss Morstan. Miss Morstan.

Pray step into my little sanctum.

A small place, but furnished to my own liking.

An oasis of art in the howling desert of South London.

Mr. Thaddeus Sholto, that is my name.

You are Miss Morstan, of course. And these gentlemen?

This is Mr. Sherlock Holmes, and this Dr. Watson.

A doctor?

A doctor.

Would you have the kindness?

I have grave doubts as to my mitral valve.

The aortic I may rely upon,

but I should value your opinion upon the mitral.

Had your father, Miss Morstan, refrained from throwing a strain upon his heart,

he might have been alive now.

It appears to be normal.

I am delighted to hear that they are unwarranted.

Would you have the kindness, Mr. Sholto to tell us everything.

It's late.

Yes, it's late.

I... Mr. Holmes...

I shall tell you everything.