WEBVTT 00:00:00.270 --> 00:00:25.989 And now, Mystery Theater. Come in. Welcome. I'm 00:00:25.989 --> 00:00:30.059 E .G. Marshall. Welcome to the wonders of your 00:00:30.059 --> 00:00:34.119 own imagination, for although I am about to tell 00:00:34.119 --> 00:00:38.079 you a horror story, it is really your imagination 00:00:38.079 --> 00:00:42.020 that will bring it to life for you. I shouldn't 00:00:42.020 --> 00:00:45.359 even say I will tell it, for it's really the 00:00:45.359 --> 00:00:48.920 story of Edward Somerset, as recounted in his 00:00:48.920 --> 00:00:55.500 private journal dated London 1874. a truly harrowing 00:00:55.500 --> 00:00:59.280 account of what took place at Moorland Manor. 00:00:59.579 --> 00:01:01.840 There'll be no need for me to enter the crypt, 00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:06.340 I trust. I don't believe so. Edward? No. The 00:01:06.340 --> 00:01:08.219 will merely states that the coffin was to be 00:01:08.219 --> 00:01:10.879 left open for a week and food and water left 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:14.519 nearby. The Master was always afraid of being 00:01:14.519 --> 00:01:19.500 buried alive. Deathly afraid. As many are. It's 00:01:19.500 --> 00:01:21.319 an all too common occurrence in these times. 00:01:21.879 --> 00:01:25.319 But no, you needn't enter the Crypt Hobbs. Miss 00:01:25.319 --> 00:01:28.760 Trezillion must do that. And I must accompany 00:01:28.760 --> 00:01:42.200 her. The will demands it. Our mystery drama, 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:46.120 The Headstrong Corpse, was written especially 00:01:46.120 --> 00:01:49.500 for the Mystery Theatre by George Lothar and 00:01:49.500 --> 00:02:06.019 starred Suzanne Grossman, and Gordon Gould. As 00:02:06.019 --> 00:02:09.639 you may know, it's a custom of mine, a hobby, 00:02:09.740 --> 00:02:13.539 if you will, to read old diaries and journals, 00:02:14.479 --> 00:02:17.639 the accounts of lives written down by people 00:02:17.639 --> 00:02:21.509 long since dead and in their graves. Recently 00:02:21.509 --> 00:02:24.090 I had the good fortune to come across the journal 00:02:24.090 --> 00:02:27.650 of a certain Edward Somerset, a young London 00:02:27.650 --> 00:02:31.469 lawyer, barrister, the English would say, who 00:02:31.469 --> 00:02:34.849 tells a grisly tale of what took place at Moorland 00:02:34.849 --> 00:02:41.210 Manor in the year 1874. According to Edward Somerset, 00:02:41.229 --> 00:02:45.710 but no, let him tell the story in his own words, 00:02:46.169 --> 00:02:53.419 just as he recorded it in his journal. And so, 00:02:53.699 --> 00:02:56.560 this being the appointed day, I took the coach 00:02:56.560 --> 00:02:59.039 to the village of Burleigh, twenty miles south 00:02:59.039 --> 00:03:02.060 of London in Kent, and in spite of the storminess 00:03:02.060 --> 00:03:04.699 of the weather, made the trip in less than four 00:03:04.699 --> 00:03:09.139 hours. I found Margaret Resilien, the girl I 00:03:09.139 --> 00:03:11.599 loved devotedly, but who, alas, shall never be 00:03:11.599 --> 00:03:14.620 mine, in a terrible state of nerves. Edward, 00:03:14.759 --> 00:03:17.180 Edward, how glad I am to see you. And I, you, 00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:19.360 my darling, though I feared you would not welcome 00:03:19.360 --> 00:03:23.270 the sight of me. Oh, darling. If only I'd never 00:03:23.270 --> 00:03:26.270 consented to marry Richard Westmore. Never given 00:03:26.270 --> 00:03:29.430 my promise. You had no choice. Is there no escape, 00:03:29.650 --> 00:03:32.710 no way out? Only if Dr. Westmore releases you 00:03:32.710 --> 00:03:35.310 from your promise. Rescinds the marriage contract 00:03:35.310 --> 00:03:37.729 you and your father signed. He'll never release 00:03:37.729 --> 00:03:40.629 me. In fact, he's coming for the weekend. He'll 00:03:40.629 --> 00:03:43.360 be here this evening. to set the date for our 00:03:43.360 --> 00:03:45.520 marriage. Perhaps if I were to have a talk with 00:03:45.520 --> 00:03:49.020 him. Now, what's all that? Hobbs and Mrs. Murchison 00:03:49.020 --> 00:03:51.259 having another of their quarrels. That, Mr. Hobbs, 00:03:51.500 --> 00:03:53.960 is that. Oh, no, it isn't, Mrs. Murchison. By 00:03:53.960 --> 00:03:57.460 no means is it. Oh, we'll see, Mr. Hobbs. We'll 00:03:57.460 --> 00:04:00.580 see. Miss... What is it now, Mrs. Murchison? 00:04:00.780 --> 00:04:03.080 Since we buried my father a week ago, you and 00:04:03.080 --> 00:04:05.599 Hobbs have quarreled without let up. What is 00:04:05.599 --> 00:04:08.939 it this time? It's him and his lofty heirs. That's 00:04:08.939 --> 00:04:12.050 what it is. Sir Simon was hardly cold in his 00:04:12.050 --> 00:04:14.509 coffin before Hobbes began lording it over me 00:04:14.509 --> 00:04:16.990 and the other servants. Now your father is dead. 00:04:16.990 --> 00:04:20.629 He seems to feel he's in charge. I am. That's 00:04:20.629 --> 00:04:23.189 the way Sir Simon would have wanted it. Begging 00:04:23.189 --> 00:04:25.649 your pardon, Miss, but as you know, I was butler 00:04:25.649 --> 00:04:28.009 and personal servant to your father before you 00:04:28.009 --> 00:04:31.350 were born. I've been with this family many years, 00:04:31.529 --> 00:04:34.790 most of my life, in fact. Whatever this disagreement 00:04:34.790 --> 00:04:37.250 between you and Mrs. Murchison may be, we'll 00:04:37.250 --> 00:04:41.540 discuss it another time. At the moment, we must 00:04:41.540 --> 00:04:44.939 go to the crypt. Fetch a lantern so you can light 00:04:44.939 --> 00:04:51.399 the way. Well, why do you stand there? Oh, there'll 00:04:51.399 --> 00:04:54.560 be no need for me to enter the crypt, I trust. 00:04:55.220 --> 00:04:59.300 I don't believe so. Edward? No. The will merely 00:04:59.300 --> 00:05:01.379 states that the coffin was to be left open for 00:05:01.379 --> 00:05:04.540 a week, and food and water left nearby. The Master 00:05:04.540 --> 00:05:09.409 was always afraid of being buried alive. Deathly 00:05:09.409 --> 00:05:12.589 afraid. As many are. It's an all too common occurrence. 00:05:13.129 --> 00:05:16.029 But no, you needn't enter the crypt hobs. Miss 00:05:16.029 --> 00:05:19.509 Trezillion must do that. And I, as a representative 00:05:19.509 --> 00:05:22.110 of the law firm of Costain and Loring, must accompany 00:05:22.110 --> 00:05:24.550 her. Ah, yes, sir, but when it comes to putting 00:05:24.550 --> 00:05:27.370 the lid on the coffin and screwing it down... 00:05:27.370 --> 00:05:30.069 I'll do that, since it seems to trouble you. 00:05:30.310 --> 00:05:33.370 Oh, thank you, sir, and I'll fetch the lantern. 00:05:33.810 --> 00:05:35.930 You may go, Mrs. Murchison. We'll discuss this 00:05:35.930 --> 00:05:40.879 matter later. Very well, miss. But Hobbs is becoming... 00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:45.680 He has become impossible. Oh, now, who could 00:05:45.680 --> 00:05:48.699 that be on such a day as this? Whoever it may 00:05:48.699 --> 00:05:51.360 be, let him in out of the storm, Mrs. Murchison. 00:05:51.920 --> 00:05:58.660 Yes, Miss Edwards. Thank you, Murchison. Thank 00:05:58.660 --> 00:06:02.519 you. Frightful day. Soaked to the skin. Lord 00:06:02.519 --> 00:06:04.959 Burleigh, what brings you out on such a day? 00:06:05.060 --> 00:06:07.079 Well, all days are good days for business, my 00:06:07.079 --> 00:06:10.800 dear. Business? Oh, I apologize. I haven't introduced 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:14.000 you. This is Mr. Edward Somerset of Causton and 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:16.879 Loring, my father's solicitors. Edward Lord Burleigh. 00:06:16.980 --> 00:06:20.019 How do you do, sir? You're here on business, 00:06:20.160 --> 00:06:22.279 you say? To be exact, to make another offer for 00:06:22.279 --> 00:06:24.459 Moorland Manor, my dear. You've chosen a bad 00:06:24.459 --> 00:06:27.779 time, my lord. Though, really, any time would 00:06:27.779 --> 00:06:30.300 be bad. As my father told you more than once, 00:06:30.540 --> 00:06:34.160 I think Moorland is not for sale. Wrong tense, 00:06:34.300 --> 00:06:37.860 my dear. It wasn't for sale, but it is now. Or, 00:06:37.860 --> 00:06:40.519 I happen to know, soon will be. What gives you 00:06:40.519 --> 00:06:43.199 that idea, Lord Burleigh? Excuse me... Hobbs 00:06:43.199 --> 00:06:45.500 has brought the lantern, Edward. Lord Burleigh 00:06:45.500 --> 00:06:48.139 will have to excuse us. Ah, I had forgot. This 00:06:48.139 --> 00:06:50.800 is the day, and no doubt the time, for paying 00:06:50.800 --> 00:06:53.959 a visit to the family crypt, eh? Your father 00:06:53.959 --> 00:06:57.459 had a fear of being buried alive. Well, I'm sure 00:06:57.459 --> 00:07:00.759 you'll find him dead enough. May I ask how you 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:02.839 happened to be so well -acquainted with the private 00:07:02.839 --> 00:07:05.300 affairs of Moreland Manor? How do you know this 00:07:05.300 --> 00:07:07.329 is the day we were to visit the crypt? There's 00:07:07.329 --> 00:07:09.949 little goes on in Burleigh, in the county and 00:07:09.949 --> 00:07:12.589 in the village, sir, that I don't know. Good 00:07:12.589 --> 00:07:14.850 day to you, sir. And you'll be hearing from me 00:07:14.850 --> 00:07:21.209 again, Mr. Sillion. Terrible man. Certainly is. 00:07:22.110 --> 00:07:27.589 Well, Margaret, it's time. Yes. Hobbs, lead the 00:07:27.589 --> 00:07:44.600 way. Here we are. I'll open the door. Give me 00:07:44.600 --> 00:07:47.720 the lantern, Hobbes, and wait here. Oh, yes, 00:07:47.740 --> 00:07:53.360 sir. Come, Margaret. Edward, I... I can't enter 00:07:53.360 --> 00:07:55.720 that awful place again. I'm afraid you must. 00:07:56.300 --> 00:08:04.579 It was your father's wish. So cold. Damp. So... 00:08:04.579 --> 00:08:10.000 There. There's the open coffin. Let me just shine 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:12.600 the lantern inside it to be sure your father's 00:08:12.600 --> 00:08:19.139 body is still there Yes, it is look Margaret 00:08:19.139 --> 00:08:26.740 Yes The body is there go outside now I'll put 00:08:26.740 --> 00:08:29.259 the lid on the coffin and screw it down. All 00:08:29.259 --> 00:08:32.200 right. I'll wait for you with Hobbs until you 00:08:32.200 --> 00:08:37.299 Edward what is it? There's something strange 00:08:37.299 --> 00:08:45.129 here Something curious. The clothes on the body. 00:08:45.309 --> 00:08:50.009 The clothes? That isn't the suit we buried my 00:08:50.009 --> 00:08:56.169 father in. In fact, Edward... Oh, good Lord. 00:08:58.509 --> 00:09:02.509 It isn't my father's body. Now, now, Margaret. 00:09:02.509 --> 00:09:07.549 Edward, I tell you, it isn't. You knew my father. 00:09:09.710 --> 00:09:18.429 He was much taller and he was thin. By heaven, 00:09:18.570 --> 00:09:21.649 you're right. But this makes no sense at all. 00:09:22.250 --> 00:09:31.009 It's his head. Yes, it is. I'm going to faint. 00:09:31.330 --> 00:09:36.230 Outside, quickly. I'll join you. Miss, what is 00:09:36.230 --> 00:09:39.539 it, Miss? Something horrible. Horrible! What, 00:09:39.559 --> 00:09:43.240 Miss Wark? I don't dare say it, Hobbs. I don't 00:09:43.240 --> 00:09:46.740 dare think it. Mr. Somerset, sir, what is it? 00:09:46.820 --> 00:09:50.259 What is it in there? The thing in the coffin. 00:09:50.980 --> 00:09:55.980 It's Sir Simon's head, but not his body. Not 00:09:55.980 --> 00:10:02.879 his body? Someone cut his head off, stole his 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:15.120 body, and put another in its place. Utterly incredible, 00:10:15.419 --> 00:10:17.899 Somerset. Dr. Westmore, what I've just told you, 00:10:17.919 --> 00:10:21.779 I saw with my own eyes. So did Margaret. In fact, 00:10:21.860 --> 00:10:23.360 she was the one who first noticed it was the 00:10:23.360 --> 00:10:26.480 wrong body. Where is she? Resting. Or perhaps 00:10:26.480 --> 00:10:29.159 I should say recuperating. It was an awful shock 00:10:29.159 --> 00:10:31.899 for her. No doubt. Have you notified the police? 00:10:32.200 --> 00:10:35.299 No. Well, why not, man? There's only a constable 00:10:35.299 --> 00:10:38.000 in the village, and I... I've heard he's anything 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:40.629 but competent. I intend to send a message to 00:10:40.629 --> 00:10:42.610 the London police by coach tomorrow morning. 00:10:42.970 --> 00:10:45.429 Better still, I'll take it for you. I'd rather 00:10:45.429 --> 00:10:48.149 not wait till you leave on Monday. Oh, I'll not 00:10:48.149 --> 00:10:51.149 be staying the weekend now. Margaret will be 00:10:51.149 --> 00:10:54.110 in no mood or condition to discuss our wedding 00:10:54.110 --> 00:10:57.190 plans. And as a surgeon at London Hospital, I 00:10:57.190 --> 00:11:00.269 have much to do. No point wasting my time here. 00:11:00.590 --> 00:11:03.269 You don't exactly sound like a man in love, Dr. 00:11:03.450 --> 00:11:06.629 Westmore. In love? With Margaret, of course. 00:11:07.289 --> 00:11:11.960 But I'm not. Nor is she with me. It's all purely 00:11:11.960 --> 00:11:14.519 a financial arrangement, you understand. Well, 00:11:14.519 --> 00:11:18.039 no, I didn't quite. Oh, but of course, an arrangement 00:11:18.039 --> 00:11:21.480 I made with Sir Simon. He was a very ill man 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:25.100 for nearly a decade. He sought my rather special 00:11:25.100 --> 00:11:28.799 services, if I may say so. But as you know, Moreland 00:11:28.799 --> 00:11:31.639 is mortgaged to the hilt and he was unable to 00:11:31.639 --> 00:11:34.659 pay. In return, he offered you his daughter's 00:11:34.659 --> 00:11:38.000 hand in marriage. And Moreland Manor. Even though 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:40.299 the estate is heavily mortgaged, it'll give me 00:11:40.299 --> 00:11:44.200 a tidy sum. A fortune, in fact, once I sell it. 00:11:44.519 --> 00:11:46.440 Look here, let's go down to the crypt. I want 00:11:46.440 --> 00:11:48.820 to see for myself. I'll ring for Hobbes first. 00:11:50.059 --> 00:11:53.100 You say you're not in love with Margaret? Not 00:11:53.100 --> 00:11:57.980 in the least. I am. Oh, are you indeed? And she's 00:11:57.980 --> 00:12:03.820 in love with me? Yes. Yes. I don't know quite 00:12:03.820 --> 00:12:08.620 how to ask this, except to ask it. Will you release 00:12:08.620 --> 00:12:14.059 Margaret why of course not even if oh Hobbs you 00:12:14.059 --> 00:12:17.360 rang sir Yes, dr. Westmore, and I want to go 00:12:17.360 --> 00:12:19.700 down into the crypt bring a lantern. Will you 00:12:19.700 --> 00:12:22.259 yes, sir? Oh and tell mrs. Murchison she can 00:12:22.259 --> 00:12:26.139 serve tea in half an hour. Yes, sir As I was 00:12:26.139 --> 00:12:30.240 saying doctor Even if Margaret signed over all 00:12:30.240 --> 00:12:33.480 right to moorland to you Why should I bargain 00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:36.519 for what will be mine once we marry? And if she 00:12:36.519 --> 00:12:39.179 refuses to marry you? Well, she won't. Margaret 00:12:39.179 --> 00:12:42.179 is a woman of honor. What do you know of honor, 00:12:42.340 --> 00:12:44.820 Dr. Westmore? Now, if you mean to insult me, 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:47.299 Somerset... I mean to give you the truth. I've 00:12:47.299 --> 00:12:50.220 had you investigated, Doctor, quietly but thoroughly. 00:12:50.840 --> 00:12:52.960 I happen to know that you have twice been brought 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:55.580 before the Royal College of Surgeons on charges 00:12:55.580 --> 00:12:58.620 of conduct unbecoming a physician. Charges which 00:12:58.620 --> 00:13:00.679 could not be proved for lack of evidence. I was 00:13:00.679 --> 00:13:03.399 not guilty. That you are presently under investigation 00:13:03.399 --> 00:13:06.149 by the same College of Surgeons. who this time 00:13:06.149 --> 00:13:09.149 do have the evidence to revoke your license and 00:13:09.149 --> 00:13:12.970 will, Doctor Westmore, because you are considered 00:13:12.970 --> 00:13:15.889 unworthy of the name Doctor and will be barred 00:13:15.889 --> 00:13:20.190 from medical practice. You have been thorough, 00:13:20.350 --> 00:13:24.789 Somerset. Perhaps under the circumstances you'd 00:13:24.789 --> 00:13:27.490 prefer I went down the crypt without your company. 00:13:28.090 --> 00:13:31.090 I'd better go with you, since one of the charges 00:13:31.090 --> 00:13:42.960 against you is that of body -snatching. I'll 00:13:42.960 --> 00:13:45.639 take the lantern, Hobbes. You wait here. Oh, 00:13:45.639 --> 00:13:48.340 thank you, sir. Oh, and you told Mrs. Murchison 00:13:48.340 --> 00:13:51.059 about tea. Well, I'm sorry, sir, but I couldn't 00:13:51.059 --> 00:13:53.399 find her about. What do you mean? She must be 00:13:53.399 --> 00:13:56.240 somewhere in the house. No, sir. At least I was 00:13:56.240 --> 00:13:58.820 unable to find her, and you did want the lantern 00:13:58.820 --> 00:14:01.379 right away, sir, so I... No matter. This way, 00:14:01.559 --> 00:14:07.759 Westmore. Hmm. There's coffins stacked one on 00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:10.870 top of another. Their occupants have certainly 00:14:10.870 --> 00:14:12.990 been dead for years. Some of them for nearly 00:14:12.990 --> 00:14:17.730 a century. Curious. That's Sir Simon's coffin 00:14:17.730 --> 00:14:20.409 there, the one with the lid off? Yes. And as 00:14:20.409 --> 00:14:22.889 you can see, the body isn't that of Sir Simon, 00:14:23.210 --> 00:14:27.769 but... Good Lord! What in the name of... Here, 00:14:27.830 --> 00:14:30.250 raise the lantern. Let's have some more light. 00:14:31.690 --> 00:14:37.129 You did say the head was Sir Simon's? It was. 00:14:38.440 --> 00:14:42.679 But this is... It's the head of a woman. Katie. 00:14:43.019 --> 00:14:48.340 Katie? Katie Johnson. The maid. What's this? 00:14:48.700 --> 00:14:52.840 Well, it's incredible. First, if I'm to believe 00:14:52.840 --> 00:14:55.539 you, Sir Simon's body was exchanged for another. 00:14:56.379 --> 00:15:00.539 And now his head? Is this some sort of a joke? 00:15:01.340 --> 00:15:05.559 I don't think so, Westmore. But if it is, it's 00:15:05.559 --> 00:15:19.200 the joke of someone gone mad. A baffling mystery, 00:15:19.279 --> 00:15:23.539 wouldn't you say? You might even call it heady. 00:15:24.539 --> 00:15:29.720 Sorry, I couldn't resist that. Edward Somerset's 00:15:29.720 --> 00:15:32.940 daily journal, recording what took place later 00:15:32.940 --> 00:15:37.183 on, is even more baffling. And I'm afraid... 00:15:37.179 --> 00:15:42.379 more ghastly. Most of this strange story, the 00:15:42.379 --> 00:15:47.279 body of it, there I go again. All I meant to 00:15:47.279 --> 00:15:51.440 say was, there's more to come. And so, I'll be 00:15:51.440 --> 00:16:08.669 back shortly with Act Two. is filled with all 00:16:08.669 --> 00:16:12.929 sorts of shocking things. But I must confess 00:16:12.929 --> 00:16:16.850 that even I, somewhat of a connoisseur of the 00:16:16.850 --> 00:16:20.169 shocking, was totally stunned by Edward Somerset's 00:16:20.169 --> 00:16:22.750 account of what happened following the gruesome 00:16:22.750 --> 00:16:25.950 discovery that Sir Simon's head had now been 00:16:25.950 --> 00:16:30.830 replaced by Katie Johnson's. If I was appalled 00:16:30.830 --> 00:16:33.549 merely in reading about what had taken place, 00:16:34.129 --> 00:16:37.519 the feeling of those who actually lived through 00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:41.679 these ghastly events can be imagined. But where 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:45.159 is my father's body, head and body? Whose body 00:16:45.159 --> 00:16:47.919 is it in the coffin? Who killed Katie Johnson, 00:16:48.220 --> 00:16:50.080 severed her head from her body and put it in 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:52.440 my father's coffin? What? Margaret, I beg you, 00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:55.500 enough. I can't answer even one of your questions, 00:16:55.620 --> 00:16:58.460 let alone a dozen. I didn't ask a dozen, Edward. 00:16:58.580 --> 00:17:00.799 You needn't snap my head off. No, no, no, no. 00:17:00.840 --> 00:17:04.279 We're all somewhat nerfed up. Talk. Talk, talk. 00:17:04.359 --> 00:17:06.920 We sit here talking when we should be doing something. 00:17:07.079 --> 00:17:09.420 Perhaps you have a suggestion, my dear Margaret. 00:17:09.619 --> 00:17:12.059 At least one murder has been committed in this 00:17:12.059 --> 00:17:17.140 house. Possibly two. Katie Johnson and whoever's 00:17:17.140 --> 00:17:19.720 body that is in my father's coffin. Shouldn't 00:17:19.720 --> 00:17:22.299 we notify the police? The village constable is 00:17:22.299 --> 00:17:24.759 worse than useless. Dr. Westmore has offered 00:17:24.759 --> 00:17:26.700 to take a message to the London police when he 00:17:26.700 --> 00:17:28.500 leaves in the morning. You'll not be staying 00:17:28.500 --> 00:17:32.000 the weekend. I may soon cease to be a doctor, 00:17:32.119 --> 00:17:34.480 Margaret. Certainly if the College of Surgeons 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:38.039 rescinds my license. But I still retain some 00:17:38.039 --> 00:17:40.819 remnants of the gentleman. You are certainly 00:17:40.819 --> 00:17:44.039 in no mood to discuss our wedding plans. Neither 00:17:44.039 --> 00:17:47.579 now nor at any other time. Ah, well. You have 00:17:47.579 --> 00:17:50.819 no choice there. Perhaps she does. Or could have 00:17:50.819 --> 00:17:53.640 if, as you say, you do retain some gentlemanly 00:17:53.640 --> 00:17:55.839 qualities. You referred to the suggestion you 00:17:55.839 --> 00:17:58.359 made earlier just before we went down into the 00:17:58.359 --> 00:18:01.559 crypt. Yes. What suggestion? that Westmore release 00:18:01.559 --> 00:18:04.460 you from your pledge to marry him in return for 00:18:04.460 --> 00:18:06.500 moorland manner. Which, after all, is really 00:18:06.500 --> 00:18:09.339 what he wants. Not quite, my dear fellow. Not 00:18:09.339 --> 00:18:12.039 altogether quite. What do you mean? If you don't 00:18:12.039 --> 00:18:14.160 love, Margaret... Love has nothing to do with 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:16.980 it. It's a matter of convenience and what is 00:18:16.980 --> 00:18:20.279 best for me. I don't understand. Well, you would 00:18:20.279 --> 00:18:23.599 if you'd allow me to finish. Once my license 00:18:23.599 --> 00:18:26.059 to practice medicine is revoked, and it will 00:18:26.059 --> 00:18:28.980 be this time, I'm sure, I shall go into business. 00:18:29.750 --> 00:18:33.130 Contacts, important contacts, are vital to business 00:18:33.130 --> 00:18:36.150 success. And the making of contacts requires 00:18:36.150 --> 00:18:40.069 a good deal of entertaining. So you see, I shall 00:18:40.069 --> 00:18:43.170 need a wife to fill the role of hostess. Does 00:18:43.170 --> 00:18:48.890 that answer you? Yes. I guess it does. I beg 00:18:48.890 --> 00:18:51.690 your pardon, Miss Margaret. Oh, Hobbs, yes. You 00:18:51.690 --> 00:18:54.069 asked me to find out where Mrs. Murchison had 00:18:54.069 --> 00:18:56.869 got to, and I... I have, Miss. Where did you 00:18:56.869 --> 00:18:59.950 find her? In the kitchen, sir. Where she claimed 00:18:59.950 --> 00:19:03.829 she'd been all the time. Only she hasn't. Did 00:19:03.829 --> 00:19:06.210 you tell her I want to see her? Yes, Miss, he 00:19:06.210 --> 00:19:09.710 did. And I came straight along. Where have you 00:19:09.710 --> 00:19:13.640 been the past hour? In the kitchen, Miss. preparing 00:19:13.640 --> 00:19:16.279 tonight's dinner. Mrs. Murchison, more than an 00:19:16.279 --> 00:19:18.500 hour ago, I asked Hobbs to let you know he wanted 00:19:18.500 --> 00:19:21.779 tea, and he couldn't find you. Well, I don't 00:19:21.779 --> 00:19:25.019 know why not, Mr. Somerset. I've been in the 00:19:25.019 --> 00:19:28.099 kitchen all that time. And as for tea, there 00:19:28.099 --> 00:19:30.960 was no need to give me an order. Tea is always 00:19:30.960 --> 00:19:33.700 served in this house at five. Then why didn't 00:19:33.700 --> 00:19:37.119 you serve it? Too busy getting dinner, Miss. 00:19:38.259 --> 00:19:41.359 I gave Katie instructions to serve it today. 00:19:42.309 --> 00:19:46.109 She never got to do it. God rest her soul. Hobbs 00:19:46.109 --> 00:19:49.170 said he couldn't find you. Not anywhere. Well, 00:19:49.170 --> 00:19:51.849 that is a lie. I have been in that kitchen the 00:19:51.849 --> 00:19:54.950 last two hours. Never left it once. He's lying, 00:19:54.970 --> 00:19:57.789 he is. Trying to get me into trouble. Oh, come 00:19:57.789 --> 00:19:59.890 now, Murchison. Why would Hobbs want to get you 00:19:59.890 --> 00:20:03.750 into trouble? Because I know too much about him. 00:20:04.250 --> 00:20:07.970 That's why. And he's afraid I might tell what 00:20:07.970 --> 00:20:11.180 I know. He wants to see me dismissed. The woman 00:20:11.180 --> 00:20:17.160 is mad, stark mad. Am I? Am I? We have been paid 00:20:17.160 --> 00:20:21.059 no salary in this house for six months. Now, 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:23.759 not that I'm complaining, Miss, I'm not. But 00:20:23.759 --> 00:20:26.500 ask him how he can afford to buy the finest of 00:20:26.500 --> 00:20:30.240 vintage wines to swill down his gullet. Ask him 00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:33.960 who pays for the costly cigars he smokes. And 00:20:33.960 --> 00:20:36.480 ask him where he gets the money for the expensive 00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:39.819 suits, shoes, whatever he wears when he goes 00:20:39.819 --> 00:20:44.640 to London on his days off. Ask him! Is it true, 00:20:44.900 --> 00:20:49.019 Hobbs? I guess, Miss, I'll not deny that I enjoy 00:20:49.019 --> 00:20:53.200 good wine and a fine cigar. How do I pay for 00:20:53.200 --> 00:20:57.500 them? Miss, your father paid me well in the many 00:20:57.500 --> 00:21:00.859 years I served him. I was able to save considerable. 00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:05.460 And that, Mrs. All, there is to it. Though Mrs. 00:21:05.839 --> 00:21:08.759 Murchison would like you to think otherwise. 00:21:09.019 --> 00:21:14.980 Think what? Well, Mrs. Murchison? Nothing, Miss. 00:21:15.680 --> 00:21:19.420 I've said too much already. Now, if you'll excuse 00:21:19.420 --> 00:21:22.599 me, I have a roast cooking. One minute. Sir? 00:21:23.240 --> 00:21:26.079 The inside of your right arm. I just noticed 00:21:26.079 --> 00:21:29.380 when you turned. It's smeared with... with what 00:21:29.380 --> 00:21:34.839 looks like blood. Blood? Well, look at it. Oh. 00:21:35.960 --> 00:21:41.519 Oh, yes. Is it blood, Mrs. Murchison? I... I... 00:21:41.519 --> 00:21:47.119 I guess it is. Yes, I... preparing the roast, 00:21:47.859 --> 00:21:50.599 cutting it. I must have got a smear of blood 00:21:50.599 --> 00:21:53.740 on me. Is that how you got it, Mrs. Murchison? 00:21:55.079 --> 00:22:00.599 What do you mean, Dr. Westmore? Nothing. Nothing, 00:22:00.819 --> 00:22:04.920 Mrs. Murchison. May I go, Miss? Yes. And you 00:22:04.920 --> 00:22:09.859 too, Hobbs. Oh, yes, Miss. Well, she could have 00:22:09.859 --> 00:22:12.240 got that blood on her from cutting a roast of 00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:21.220 beef. Or from cutting something else. My suspicions 00:22:21.220 --> 00:22:24.519 of Mrs. Murchison were sharply aroused. I had 00:22:24.519 --> 00:22:27.099 myself stated to Westmore that whoever was responsible 00:22:27.099 --> 00:22:29.789 for these ghoulish happenings... must be mad, 00:22:30.569 --> 00:22:34.390 stark mad. I was speculating on all this in the 00:22:34.390 --> 00:22:36.730 drawing room after dinner, paying little attention 00:22:36.730 --> 00:22:38.869 to something Margaret and Westmore were discussing, 00:22:39.650 --> 00:22:42.289 when, to the surprise of us all, Lord Burleigh 00:22:42.289 --> 00:22:45.630 was announced for the second time that day. His 00:22:45.630 --> 00:22:49.630 Lordship, Miss. Good evening, Mr. Zillion, Mr. 00:22:49.849 --> 00:22:53.589 Somerset, and you, Dr. Westmore. Good evening. 00:22:53.880 --> 00:22:57.200 Lord Burleigh, I thought our business had ended 00:22:57.200 --> 00:23:00.619 this afternoon. Ah, no, my dear. Business. Sound 00:23:00.619 --> 00:23:02.960 business, that is. Never takes no for an answer. 00:23:03.700 --> 00:23:05.680 Since I could not reason with you, I decided 00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:08.519 to ride over and, if possible, reason with your 00:23:08.519 --> 00:23:12.299 husband -to -be. To answer your look, Doctor, 00:23:12.599 --> 00:23:15.079 yes, I heard you were here. Is there anything 00:23:15.079 --> 00:23:18.559 you don't know, Lord Burleigh? Very little, very 00:23:18.559 --> 00:23:21.140 little. As your betrothed may have mentioned 00:23:21.140 --> 00:23:24.220 to you... I'm interested in buying Moorland Manor. 00:23:24.359 --> 00:23:27.680 She didn't mention it, no. Ah, yes. Well, I am 00:23:27.680 --> 00:23:29.900 prepared to make you, all things considered, 00:23:30.359 --> 00:23:33.079 a quite decent offer, Doctor, once you come into 00:23:33.079 --> 00:23:35.579 possession through marriage, of course. Would 00:23:35.579 --> 00:23:40.220 you be interested? I would, indeed. Why do you 00:23:40.220 --> 00:23:42.640 want Moorland, my lord? Well, it adjoins my own 00:23:42.640 --> 00:23:45.900 estate. The 780 acres of Moorland would be a 00:23:45.900 --> 00:23:49.880 welcome addition. I should think so, yes. What 00:23:49.880 --> 00:23:54.470 you prepared to offer? One pound per acre, 780 00:23:54.470 --> 00:23:59.230 pounds. That isn't an offer, Lord Burleigh. It's 00:23:59.230 --> 00:24:02.869 an insult. Not at all. Not at all. If you look 00:24:02.869 --> 00:24:05.190 at it in the right light, Doctor, all things 00:24:05.190 --> 00:24:07.289 considered, as I said, it's really something 00:24:07.289 --> 00:24:09.390 of a compliment. As attorney for the estate, 00:24:09.589 --> 00:24:11.490 I can assure you it's worth a very great deal 00:24:11.490 --> 00:24:14.930 more than 780 pounds. Oh, can you, Mr. Somerset? 00:24:14.990 --> 00:24:17.880 Can you indeed? In your position, you must also 00:24:17.880 --> 00:24:20.519 be aware that the estate is impoverished. Yes, 00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:23.519 but... The taxes are now a year in arrears. Yes, 00:24:23.740 --> 00:24:26.480 still... I know, I know, you entertain the hope, 00:24:26.740 --> 00:24:29.500 the forlorn hope, Mr. Somerset, that through 00:24:29.500 --> 00:24:31.980 proper management, through improved land production, 00:24:32.140 --> 00:24:35.000 you might salvage the estate. I would hope that 00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:39.660 Dr. Westmore would, when he becomes owner. Hasn't 00:24:39.660 --> 00:24:42.259 he told you he means to sell more land? Within 00:24:42.259 --> 00:24:44.440 a month, perhaps less, you'll be willing to settle 00:24:44.440 --> 00:24:47.180 for shillings. What do you mean by that? I mean 00:24:47.180 --> 00:24:49.339 quite simply, my dear, that there will be no 00:24:49.339 --> 00:24:52.619 one here to run the place for you. No servants, 00:24:52.839 --> 00:24:56.200 no farmers, no stable help, no one. Why not? 00:24:56.700 --> 00:24:59.140 Because the strange things taking place here, 00:24:59.599 --> 00:25:02.119 I refer to the occurrences on the family vault, 00:25:02.599 --> 00:25:04.359 are already known in the village and the people 00:25:04.359 --> 00:25:07.619 are frightened. In a few days, they will shun 00:25:07.619 --> 00:25:10.420 Moulin Manor as if it contained bubonic plague. 00:25:10.599 --> 00:25:16.400 But this is impossible. Well informed as you 00:25:16.400 --> 00:25:21.359 may be on what goes on in Burleigh. You couldn't 00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:28.519 be this informed. Unless... Yes? Nothing. No, 00:25:28.519 --> 00:25:32.119 no, I insist. Unless what, my dear? I said nothing. 00:25:32.240 --> 00:25:35.549 But your silence signifies everything. If you're 00:25:35.549 --> 00:25:37.950 implying that I have a more than ordinary knowledge 00:25:37.950 --> 00:25:40.650 of what is going on here, that I am in some way 00:25:40.650 --> 00:25:43.750 involved, then out with it. That is indeed what 00:25:43.750 --> 00:25:46.069 I do, Sir Mize. Well then let me assure you that 00:25:46.069 --> 00:25:49.170 you are wrong. I have my sources of information, 00:25:49.210 --> 00:25:52.190 yes, I have my informants, indeed a network of 00:25:52.190 --> 00:25:57.049 them, but I am not, I repeat not, a body snatcher. 00:25:58.069 --> 00:26:00.430 Body snatcher? Good lord, man, what do you think 00:26:00.430 --> 00:26:05.549 is behind all this? Body -snatching. Oh, heaven 00:26:05.549 --> 00:26:08.950 help us. What naivete. Do you think someone is 00:26:08.950 --> 00:26:11.269 simply playing games, having some sort of ghoulish 00:26:11.269 --> 00:26:14.009 fun? You, Mr. Cillian, and you, Mr. Summer, said 00:26:14.009 --> 00:26:17.130 yes, I can understand it with you too. But Westmore, 00:26:17.190 --> 00:26:20.589 you? Do you mean to say you haven't suggested 00:26:20.589 --> 00:26:23.730 this possibility, this probability, to these 00:26:23.730 --> 00:26:26.289 two young people? Should I have? Ah, but you 00:26:26.289 --> 00:26:28.490 know better than anyone the need of bodies for 00:26:28.490 --> 00:26:31.130 dissection purposes, for the training of medical 00:26:31.130 --> 00:26:34.410 students. Medical schools will pay 10 pounds 00:26:34.410 --> 00:26:37.710 for a fresh body, and 15, as you damn well know, 00:26:37.829 --> 00:26:41.809 sir, for a fresh head. Really? You're far more 00:26:41.809 --> 00:26:45.109 knowledgeable than I am, sir. Oh, you know nothing 00:26:45.109 --> 00:26:49.210 of it, eh? You, whose case is on trial this very 00:26:49.210 --> 00:26:52.109 moment before the College of Surgeons, for just 00:26:52.109 --> 00:26:55.569 such practices, you know nothing? What is he 00:26:55.569 --> 00:26:58.009 on trial for? I thought it was body snatching 00:26:58.009 --> 00:27:00.170 alone. Oh, that, of course, of course. But in 00:27:00.170 --> 00:27:02.519 the eyes of the authorities, something... far 00:27:02.519 --> 00:27:09.059 more vile dr westmore is a grave robber what 00:27:09.059 --> 00:27:12.920 yes my dear he not only snatches corpses but 00:27:12.920 --> 00:27:18.420 robs them as well is this true i own to nothing 00:27:18.420 --> 00:27:22.279 you needn't your face says all blast you lord 00:27:22.279 --> 00:27:24.880 burley for what you've done to me these past 00:27:24.880 --> 00:27:28.220 minutes i to you have you not done it to yourself 00:27:28.220 --> 00:27:33.740 sir yes heaven above help me yes But I had hopes, 00:27:34.940 --> 00:27:37.539 stupidly had hopes that I might repair the damage 00:27:37.539 --> 00:27:41.480 I've done others and myself. I dared to hope 00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:44.000 that with the money as I would receive from the 00:27:44.000 --> 00:27:47.940 sale of Moreland, I might regain some reputation, 00:27:48.220 --> 00:27:51.819 some respect, some personal dignity. I ask your 00:27:51.819 --> 00:27:55.140 pardon. I had not known you. You had in you even 00:27:55.140 --> 00:27:58.259 a spark of decency. Only a spark. Nevertheless, 00:27:58.539 --> 00:28:01.109 a spark. which I might have fanned into flame. 00:28:01.269 --> 00:28:03.950 And you may still. What I have said has been 00:28:03.950 --> 00:28:06.150 said within the confines of this house. No, Lord 00:28:06.150 --> 00:28:08.589 Burly, it has been said within the confines of 00:28:08.589 --> 00:28:12.029 this woman's heart. And we'll echo there till 00:28:12.029 --> 00:28:17.269 the day she dies. Ah, well, well, I... I am sorry. 00:28:18.269 --> 00:28:21.910 But now as to my offer to buy more and... Another 00:28:21.910 --> 00:28:26.549 time. We'll discuss it another time, if at all. 00:28:27.569 --> 00:28:31.539 Now. Then I had best take my leave that would 00:28:31.539 --> 00:28:36.180 be best and Lord Burleigh my dear Don't come 00:28:36.180 --> 00:28:46.599 back The revelation of another side to dr. Westmore's 00:28:46.599 --> 00:28:50.099 character a good side came as a surprise to both 00:28:50.099 --> 00:28:54.519 myself and Margaret Unhappily this better side 00:28:54.519 --> 00:28:57.400 of dr. Westmore As Margaret and I discovered 00:28:57.400 --> 00:28:59.740 in a long discussion with him following Burleigh's 00:28:59.740 --> 00:29:02.940 departure, by no means influenced him in releasing 00:29:02.940 --> 00:29:06.359 Margaret from her obligation to marry him. When 00:29:06.359 --> 00:29:09.059 finally he had retired for the night, Margaret 00:29:09.059 --> 00:29:13.579 and I sat hopelessly talking of the future. Edward, 00:29:13.740 --> 00:29:17.920 Edward, I love you so. And the thought of marrying 00:29:17.920 --> 00:29:22.319 Dr. Westmore, I shudder at it. I too, my darling. 00:29:22.900 --> 00:29:27.309 There must be something, something. What? What 00:29:27.309 --> 00:29:30.390 solution have you thought of? One that only God 00:29:30.390 --> 00:29:33.470 could arrange, I'm afraid. Westmoor's death. 00:29:33.750 --> 00:29:35.750 Oh, Edward. Frankly, there have been times when 00:29:35.750 --> 00:29:37.529 I've been nearly driven to arrange it myself. 00:29:37.650 --> 00:29:40.750 You mustn't say such things, Edward. Not even 00:29:40.750 --> 00:29:48.589 think them. Two in the morning. No wonder we're 00:29:48.589 --> 00:29:53.250 having such wild thoughts. We're tired. I'll 00:29:53.250 --> 00:29:57.609 say good night to you, my dearest. What in heaven's 00:29:57.609 --> 00:30:01.109 name? Mrs. Murchison. But where is she? Where 00:30:01.109 --> 00:30:04.269 are those screams? The crypt. The crypt? Sounds 00:30:04.269 --> 00:30:06.630 that way. Stay here. No, I'm coming with you. 00:30:10.910 --> 00:30:13.769 Here's the crypt. Don't come in, Margaret. Nonsense, 00:30:13.849 --> 00:30:19.390 Edward. What is it, Mrs. Murchison? What are 00:30:19.390 --> 00:30:21.410 you doing here in the crypt? What's happened 00:30:21.410 --> 00:30:26.119 to make you lose control? Sir Simon's cloth. 00:30:27.559 --> 00:30:34.900 Go and look. See for yourself. Good Lord! Edward, 00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:54.890 what? No, don't look, Margaret. I must. When 00:30:54.890 --> 00:30:57.210 it came to that part of Edward Somerset's journal, 00:30:57.269 --> 00:31:00.869 I could hardly wait to turn the page to find 00:31:00.869 --> 00:31:04.069 out what new horror had taken place in the crypt. 00:31:05.190 --> 00:31:10.450 And a horror it was, a shocking horror, as you'll 00:31:10.450 --> 00:31:13.170 discover when you turn the page, so to speak, 00:31:13.390 --> 00:31:30.490 shortly after I return with Act 3. Shall we turn 00:31:30.490 --> 00:31:34.990 that page of Edward Somerset's journal? Personally, 00:31:35.589 --> 00:31:39.450 I could scarcely wait to do so. But I am used 00:31:39.450 --> 00:31:43.329 to horrors. I can sort of take them in my stride, 00:31:43.710 --> 00:31:49.450 while you on the other. You insist? Very well, 00:31:49.910 --> 00:31:59.670 then. We turn the page. For all her delicate 00:31:59.670 --> 00:32:03.250 beauty is a strong woman, a woman of courage. 00:32:03.890 --> 00:32:06.730 But as she looked into her father's coffin, and 00:32:06.730 --> 00:32:16.569 the words... My God! ...escaped her lips, I feared 00:32:16.569 --> 00:32:19.710 she was about to faint. But she somehow managed 00:32:19.710 --> 00:32:23.029 to retain control. When I was sure she wasn't 00:32:23.029 --> 00:32:25.789 about to collapse, I turned my attention to Mrs. 00:32:26.009 --> 00:32:28.740 Murchison. And said, pull yourself together, 00:32:28.779 --> 00:32:33.640 Mrs. Murchison. I'll try. I'll try. And answer 00:32:33.640 --> 00:32:36.240 me. What are you doing here in the crypt, and 00:32:36.240 --> 00:32:38.900 at this hour of the morning? Well, answer me! 00:32:39.660 --> 00:32:43.900 I wanted to clear myself. Clear yourself? To 00:32:43.900 --> 00:32:48.380 prove my innocence. Last night, when you saw 00:32:48.380 --> 00:32:52.220 the blood smear on my arm, the way you looked 00:32:52.220 --> 00:32:55.319 at me, all of you. The way you talked, I could 00:32:55.319 --> 00:32:58.299 see you suspected me of doing these... these 00:32:58.299 --> 00:33:04.259 foul things. But... what brought you here? What 00:33:04.259 --> 00:33:07.539 could you expect to prove here? I don't know. 00:33:08.279 --> 00:33:11.640 I only know I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned, 00:33:12.059 --> 00:33:13.940 all sorts of thoughts going through my head, 00:33:14.059 --> 00:33:17.700 all sorts of... needs to prove to you that your 00:33:17.700 --> 00:33:21.460 suspicions of me were unfounded. I came down 00:33:21.460 --> 00:33:24.730 here in desperation, I suppose. thinking I might 00:33:24.730 --> 00:33:28.470 find something, some clue, some bit of evidence 00:33:28.470 --> 00:33:34.069 that would give the lie to Hobbes. Instead, I 00:33:34.069 --> 00:33:38.009 found that. What do you mean, give the lie to 00:33:38.009 --> 00:33:42.150 Hobbes? Sir, I was in the kitchen all the time, 00:33:42.170 --> 00:33:44.589 he claims he was looking for me. The time when 00:33:44.589 --> 00:33:48.009 poor Katie was murdered. Oh, and sir, that blood 00:33:48.009 --> 00:33:50.970 on my arm was from cutting the roast beef from 00:33:50.970 --> 00:33:54.839 nothing else. So you say. You don't believe me 00:33:54.839 --> 00:33:57.700 still? Why should I? We find you here in the 00:33:57.700 --> 00:34:00.640 crypt under very curious circumstances, and you 00:34:00.640 --> 00:34:02.900 expect us to believe your not very convincing 00:34:02.900 --> 00:34:06.339 story? It's the truth! I swear to you, sir and 00:34:06.339 --> 00:34:09.639 you, miss, it's true! That's to be seen. The 00:34:09.639 --> 00:34:12.599 question now is, what's to be done? Edward, the 00:34:12.599 --> 00:34:14.940 police must be notified as soon as possible. 00:34:15.139 --> 00:34:18.019 Yes. Dr Westmore was going to take a message 00:34:18.019 --> 00:34:22.510 to London tomorrow morning. Well... Someone else 00:34:22.510 --> 00:34:29.510 will have to do it now. Edward? Yes? Are we dealing 00:34:29.510 --> 00:34:33.369 with a madman? I'd say what's in that coffin 00:34:33.369 --> 00:34:36.929 answers your question, Margaret. If we had found 00:34:36.929 --> 00:34:41.409 Dr. Westmore's head, just the head, I might still 00:34:41.409 --> 00:34:45.829 have some doubts, but not anymore. Not after 00:34:45.829 --> 00:34:50.730 finding Westmore's head with the lips cut off. 00:34:57.889 --> 00:35:00.289 Terrible. Terrible what happened to Dr. Westmoreland. 00:35:00.530 --> 00:35:06.530 Yes. Will you be long in London, sir? Only overnight. 00:35:06.869 --> 00:35:09.070 I'll return in the morning with, I hope, some 00:35:09.070 --> 00:35:10.730 member of the police force who can get to the 00:35:10.730 --> 00:35:13.789 bottom of what's going on at Moreland. Strange, 00:35:13.809 --> 00:35:18.199 strange. First for Simon's body taken but his 00:35:18.199 --> 00:35:21.360 head left in the coffin then his head gone and 00:35:21.360 --> 00:35:27.599 Katie's Her head put in its place and now dr. 00:35:27.760 --> 00:35:31.320 Westmore's head in place of Katie's and the lips 00:35:31.320 --> 00:35:38.320 cut off Horrible Horrible very Have you any idea 00:35:38.320 --> 00:35:41.539 sir as to what's behind this I have my suspicions 00:35:41.539 --> 00:35:46.809 Hobbs, but that's all they are Suspicions. Well 00:35:46.809 --> 00:35:49.190 now, you'll be sure to return on the morning 00:35:49.190 --> 00:35:52.309 coach, and so I'll be there to meet you. Yes. 00:35:52.670 --> 00:35:56.050 Depend on me. And there now, you see, the village 00:35:56.050 --> 00:36:00.050 just below us in the valley. I told you we'd 00:36:00.050 --> 00:36:09.730 be in plenty of time. You've hardly touched your 00:36:09.730 --> 00:36:13.159 dinner, miss. I'm not hungry, Mrs. Murchison. 00:36:13.639 --> 00:36:18.599 Oh, small wonder. All that's happened here. And 00:36:18.599 --> 00:36:20.940 some of the village farmhands telling you today 00:36:20.940 --> 00:36:23.099 that they'd not be coming back to Moorland to 00:36:23.099 --> 00:36:30.920 work the fields. I'll see who it is, Miss. Lord 00:36:30.920 --> 00:36:33.039 Burleigh. Is your mistress at home, Mrs. Murchison? 00:36:34.099 --> 00:36:36.739 I'll see me, Lord. No need. I'm sure she is. 00:36:38.969 --> 00:36:41.590 I thought I had informed you, Lord Burleigh, 00:36:41.650 --> 00:36:44.050 that your presence here is no longer desired. 00:36:44.150 --> 00:36:46.429 You may change your mind about that. If you've 00:36:46.429 --> 00:36:48.309 come to see me about... I've come to see the 00:36:48.309 --> 00:36:50.570 crypt, if I may have your permission. Whatever 00:36:50.570 --> 00:36:53.389 for? I learned today that a good number of your 00:36:53.389 --> 00:36:55.510 farmhands have left you because of the doings 00:36:55.510 --> 00:36:59.750 here. Well, for my benefit. Once I own Moorland, 00:36:59.929 --> 00:37:02.550 I think it best to clear up the mystery of the 00:37:02.550 --> 00:37:06.050 crypt as quickly as may be. You think you can? 00:37:06.269 --> 00:37:10.429 I know I can. Because you see I know on good 00:37:10.429 --> 00:37:13.530 authority the reason behind what's been going 00:37:13.530 --> 00:37:20.610 on Is it Body snatching yes, so in any case I 00:37:20.610 --> 00:37:23.570 am informed, but I wish to see for myself before 00:37:23.570 --> 00:37:28.809 taking action I Have your permission very well 00:37:28.809 --> 00:37:41.659 now come along then Now first I want to look 00:37:41.659 --> 00:37:46.760 in the coffin. Ah, poor Westmore. Lips mutilated 00:37:46.760 --> 00:37:50.179 as I was informed. Whatever it is you wish to 00:37:50.179 --> 00:37:52.840 see or do, will you do it quickly? To be absolutely 00:37:52.840 --> 00:37:55.699 sure, I'll open the top coffin on this stack. 00:37:56.239 --> 00:38:01.000 No, you can't do that. It's sacrilege. That's 00:38:01.000 --> 00:38:03.599 the coffin of my mother. I'm afraid it was the 00:38:03.599 --> 00:38:06.420 coffin of your mother, my dear. In truth, I'm 00:38:06.420 --> 00:38:08.800 afraid many of these coffins no longer contain 00:38:08.800 --> 00:38:12.219 their original occupants. They are now used as 00:38:12.219 --> 00:38:16.840 storage boxes for much fresher corpses. Now, 00:38:17.219 --> 00:38:25.159 with your permission, then. Yeah, so, see for 00:38:25.159 --> 00:38:29.559 yourself, Margaret. Please. I'd rather not. Come, 00:38:29.559 --> 00:38:31.739 come. You must. This once. I want you to know 00:38:31.739 --> 00:38:45.159 I speak the truth. Look. But why? If bodies are 00:38:45.159 --> 00:38:48.440 in such demand, why store them away? Why not 00:38:48.440 --> 00:38:50.760 sell them at once? My dear, you are as devoid 00:38:50.760 --> 00:38:53.539 of business sense as your father. In business, 00:38:53.579 --> 00:38:55.900 there is an inexorable law known as the law of 00:38:55.900 --> 00:38:58.579 supply and demand. When supply exceeds demand, 00:38:58.920 --> 00:39:01.519 prices fall and vice versa. There's more demand 00:39:01.519 --> 00:39:03.760 for corpses at some times than at others, more 00:39:03.760 --> 00:39:07.179 demand for heads at certain times. At the moment, 00:39:07.619 --> 00:39:10.219 medical schools are in need of heads. Why? I 00:39:10.219 --> 00:39:12.760 haven't the vaguest idea. My informant didn't 00:39:12.760 --> 00:39:16.559 know. I do! Hobbs! Hobbs, what are you doing 00:39:16.559 --> 00:39:19.300 here? No need to answer that, Hobbs. That butcher 00:39:19.300 --> 00:39:21.719 knife in your hand is answer enough. Answer enough 00:39:21.719 --> 00:39:36.190 for you! Damn your rotten soul! eyes and ears 00:39:36.190 --> 00:39:40.449 everywhere. Nothing hidden from him. Oh, knew 00:39:40.449 --> 00:39:43.630 everything. Knew all about what was going on 00:39:43.630 --> 00:39:48.210 down here. I even knew I'll be found that I am 00:39:48.210 --> 00:39:53.090 the Bodysnatcher. You? You? You didn't know. 00:39:53.289 --> 00:39:57.869 You didn't even suspect. Mr. Somerset did. Lord 00:39:57.869 --> 00:40:03.250 Burleigh did. Dr. Westmore. Oh, yes, he more 00:40:03.250 --> 00:40:07.199 than suspected. He knew because he was the one 00:40:07.199 --> 00:40:12.260 who bought what I had to sell! Westmore! He started 00:40:12.260 --> 00:40:18.440 me, but I... I ended him! I had to! Why? Why 00:40:18.440 --> 00:40:20.880 did you have to? He was soon to go on trial before 00:40:20.880 --> 00:40:23.380 the College of Surgeons. They have enough evidence 00:40:23.380 --> 00:40:26.199 to convict him, to break him down, and he will 00:40:26.199 --> 00:40:29.420 have told everything, including where he got 00:40:29.420 --> 00:40:36.809 the bodies, the heads, from me! I had to cut 00:40:36.809 --> 00:40:41.070 off his lips so he'd never tell. Never! You're 00:40:41.070 --> 00:40:44.170 mad? Yes, that may be. The bodies, the heads. 00:40:44.630 --> 00:40:48.690 How did you... How did you transport them? The 00:40:48.690 --> 00:40:50.750 nearest medical schools are in London. I have 00:40:50.750 --> 00:40:54.409 a carriage, well, more a wagon in the village. 00:40:55.010 --> 00:40:58.289 And the night before, I would go to London. On 00:40:58.289 --> 00:41:01.840 my days off... I would take what I had to sell 00:41:01.840 --> 00:41:06.019 into the village and stack them away in the wagon. 00:41:06.460 --> 00:41:11.099 You thought I went to London by coach? I never 00:41:11.099 --> 00:41:18.139 did. I always went in my wagon, taking my produce 00:41:18.139 --> 00:41:22.480 to market to Dr. Westmore. I never suspected. 00:41:22.559 --> 00:41:28.619 I never knew. Well, you do now. No. No, don't. 00:41:28.780 --> 00:41:31.260 Don't kill me, Hobbs. Please, don't kill me. 00:41:31.340 --> 00:41:36.079 And last, I must, and cut off your lips so you 00:41:36.079 --> 00:41:40.280 can't ever tell. No, please. I'll be quick. It 00:41:40.280 --> 00:41:44.960 won't hurt. No, no. Oh, yes. I've become very... 00:41:44.960 --> 00:41:56.500 Mr. Summery. You... You came back. I never went. 00:41:57.159 --> 00:42:06.719 But Hobbes will never know that now I know dearest 00:42:06.719 --> 00:42:09.179 I heard everything he said But I knew the whole 00:42:09.179 --> 00:42:11.000 story before I came back from the village you 00:42:11.000 --> 00:42:14.059 didn't go to London I never intended to The more 00:42:14.059 --> 00:42:16.039 I thought about it the more it seemed that if 00:42:16.039 --> 00:42:19.079 Lord Burley could buy information And he couldn't 00:42:19.079 --> 00:42:21.900 have got it any other way then maybe if I spread 00:42:21.900 --> 00:42:24.059 the word in the village that I was willing to 00:42:24.059 --> 00:42:27.860 pay and pay handsomely well In any case, I did. 00:42:28.159 --> 00:42:30.719 And it worked! You learned about Hobbes. Everything! 00:42:31.380 --> 00:42:35.019 Thank God you arrived in time. I thank him not 00:42:35.019 --> 00:42:38.059 only for that, but for the future that lies ahead 00:42:38.059 --> 00:42:41.599 for us. There are two important tasks I shall 00:42:41.599 --> 00:42:45.480 devote the rest of my life to. One is restoring 00:42:45.480 --> 00:42:49.860 Moorland Manor to what it once was. And the other? 00:42:51.000 --> 00:43:01.820 Making you the happiest woman on earth. And so 00:43:01.820 --> 00:43:05.840 ended, happily, the strange and horrifying events 00:43:05.840 --> 00:43:09.760 at Moorland Manor. Edward Somerset continued 00:43:09.760 --> 00:43:12.940 his journal for many years, and I am glad to 00:43:12.940 --> 00:43:15.880 be able to tell you that he did restore Moorland 00:43:15.880 --> 00:43:19.860 Manor to its former splendor. And he must have 00:43:19.860 --> 00:43:23.320 made Margaret at least one of the happiest women 00:43:23.320 --> 00:43:28.260 on earth, if nine children mean anything. I will 00:43:28.260 --> 00:43:44.389 be back shortly. Our story took place in 1874. 00:43:45.610 --> 00:43:47.909 There are many who say the world was a better 00:43:47.909 --> 00:43:51.849 place to live in then. Maybe it was. I don't 00:43:51.849 --> 00:43:56.690 know. All of us do face many problems, many frustrations, 00:43:57.369 --> 00:44:01.849 many fears these days. But one fear we don't 00:44:01.849 --> 00:44:06.469 have now that just about everyone had then is 00:44:06.469 --> 00:44:11.349 the fear of being buried alive. At least I don't 00:44:11.349 --> 00:44:16.090 think we have. Our cast included Suzanne Grossman, 00:44:16.309 --> 00:44:20.010 Gordon Gould, Anne Petoniak, Ian Martin, Kurt 00:44:20.010 --> 00:44:24.070 Benson, and George Lothar. The entire production 00:44:24.070 --> 00:44:28.269 was under the direction of Hyman Brown. This 00:44:28.269 --> 00:44:30.949 is E .G. Marshall inviting you to return to our 00:44:30.949 --> 00:44:34.250 Mystery Theatre for another adventure in the 00:44:34.250 --> 00:44:40.190 macabre. Until next time, pleasant... Dreams?