I'll be seasick.
No, you won't.
It's calm as anything today.
Yeah. Calm here, Mary,
don't mean it'll be calm in the channel.
MRS. TROTTER: Eh, look at my lovely bus.
It's a bit jazzy, isn't it?
But the Bentinck style, don't you think?
Now, you're going to manage all right, Mary?
Of course I am.
We'll manage, won't we, Major?
Of course we will. Don't worry.
I'll keep an eye on things.
It's quiet at the moment, anyway.
MRS. TROTTER: Too quiet.
Mind you, don't forget...
3 applicants coming tomorrow from the agency.
I know.
Look after Miss Hayward, the bishop's daughter.
I don't want the church coming down on our heads.
[engine starts]
We'll be quite all right.
Now you go on.
You'll miss your train.
Blooming count and his French chateau.
I should have never agreed to it.
But it's Champagne country.
Yeah. I'll be sloshed all the time.
What kind of holiday is that?
I can't stick holidays, especially foreign ones.
I'm all on edge. The worst of it is,
when I come back, everything's a mess.
Good luck, madam.
And give my regards to La Belle France.
Can you drive this thing, Major?
Of course I can.
I've driven trickier things than this.
I once drove a steam engine to Allahabad.
Oh, she fusses.
Does she think we're useless?
Easy to run this place...runs itself.
HAYWARD: I want to see Mrs. Trotter.
She's gone away, miss. Can I help?
My maid has found a cockroach
in her bedroom.
Show the porter, Morgan.
It's dead. I killed it.
It's a big fellow. See that, Mary?
It was in me slipper.
I'm very sorry, Miss Hayward.
I don't wish to be awkward.
One expects to find creepy-crawlies
in the countryside,
but when one comes to the Bentinck...
it won't happen again.
I'll have a scout round.
What concerns me most
is that cockroaches are usually found in kitchens.
Oh, no, miss.
Our kitchens are spotless.
You can come and see.
They're spotless, our kitchens,
aren't they, Mr. Merriman?
Well, cleaner than some, I daresay.
Yes, well, come along, Morgan.
Harrod's.
Bishop's daughter.
Killing God's creatures, too.
She only comes to buy clothes.
A mutton dressed as Lamb of God.
A letter for you.
What?
A young woman left it, back door just now.
Acquaintance of yours?
That's right. Slight acquaintance, yes.
Keep an eye on things, will you?
I won't be long.
Eh? Eh?
Joey.
Well, you do know me, don't you?
Here. I bought you a drink.
It's your pub. Noisy, isn't it?
What did you say?
Nothing.
Well, how are you, then?
Looking all right. Smart uniform.
I'm sorry. I'm not me best.
What are you doing here, Lizzie?
What do you want?
To see you, that's all.
There's no law, is there?
Tough to find, you were. Tramped all over London.
I'd still be looking if I hadn't bumped into,
uh...Corporal Philpott.
Do you remember him? Big ears.
He's a baker's assistant now.
Well...
You never think of me, what become of me?
If I was alive or dead, even?
I thought of you.
Evidently.
You wouldn't be here otherwise.
Now just say what you want
and get on your way.
I want a job, Joseph.
Job? But I can't give you one.
You could help.
No.
Why not? Must be something in that hotel.
Cleaning, scrubbing. I'm not proud.
Please, Joey. I'm desperate.
Desperate?
Do you think it's been easy for me on me own?
I don't believe
you've been on your own, Lizzie.
Oh, yes, I have,
more often than not.
I'm not a whore!
I never was.
All right, all right. Calm down.
I'm not asking for money, Joey.
I ain't got none, but I'm not asking for any.
I just want a job
and a bit of respect, like what you've got.
Well, you must have had jobs.
Yeah. Sweatshop making trousers
12 hours a day for a lousy shilling.
I was a barmaid in Stepney once.
That was nice. Then a bicycle store.
Well, what was wrong with that?
I didn't like it,
that's what was wrong with it.
I was worth more than that once.
You thought so.
I don't want to talk about that.
It's finished.
I've got my life settled now,
and I don't want you
barging your way back into it.
I'm sorry, Lizzie,
but you'll have to look elsewhere.
Do they know about you at the Bentinck?
What?
Your past, Joey.
Tell them, did you?
You wouldn't.
You bitch.
Yeah, well...
It's what life makes you, isn't it?
Oh, not you, gal. You always was one.
I wish I'd never set eyes on you.
Never fair on me, you wasn't.
Do your worst.
There's nothing going for you at the hotel.
There is... laundry maid.
I heard that woman say
when she went off in the bus.
I could do that easy.
No.
Please, Joey.
It's only till I get on me feet,
and I'll move on.
I promise.
You won't breathe a word?
What do you take me for?
I can't fix it for you.
You'll have to get it on merit.
You could give me a reference.
You'll have to tidy up.
Oh, Joey.
Hmm! They're not laundry maids
to my way of thinking.
The short one reminds me of my sister.
MORGAN: Mrs. Cochrane.
Miss Hayward's eggs are overcooked.
4 minutes! That's what she's asked for,
and that's what she's got.
But they're overcooked.
Good morning. You're from the agency
for the post of laundry maid, is it?
Mary, Mary.
What?
I haven't interviewed them yet,
have I, Mr. Merriman?
First impressions are all-important.
The eye tells you.
Which eye?
I'll decide, thank you.
Will you come in, please?
Hello.
Yes?
I've come about the laundry job.
Oh.
Stormy night.
Oh, was it? Yes, sir.
Gout's playing up.
I'm sorry to hear that.
Can I get you a cab, Admiral?
You can get me a drink... a large brandy.
Uh, Mr. Merriman...
uh, you're wanted in the laundry room.
What for?
I think it's to vouch for your lady friend.
The admiral wants his usual.
And have you had any experience
of this work before, Mrs. Talbot?
Well, only in me own home, miss.
Oh, you haven't worked in a hotel?
No. No, I haven't, but I mean,
it's the same, isn't it?
Washing, drying, ironing... just like a big family.
Yes, I suppose it is, really.
Well, now, uh...
I sort out all the different things
into piles, do I?
White linen, colors, body linen, mus...
Oh, look. There's a great big ink splodge on this.
Yes, there is.
How would you remove that?
Uh...give it a good rub, soap and water?
No. You need salts of sorrel
for ink marks.
Oh. Well, I'll soon pick it up.
I'm sure I will.
Oh, yes, it's just like home.
What employment have you had?
Oh, uh, well, after me husband died,
I...I had to get work where I could, didn't I?
Oh, Mr. Starr,
Mrs. Talbot says that you're acquainted.
LIZZIE: Yes, that's right.
Mr. Starr was my late husband's best friend,
weren't you, Mr. Starr?
Sergeants together.
He was with my husband
when he was killed, weren't you?
Brought his things back for me.
Very kind.
Yes. It's true I've known Mrs. Talbot
for some years now.
We hadn't seen each other for ever such a long time,
and then yesterday, we bumped into each other,
and he said this job was going, so here I am.
Ever so grateful.
Yes, well, if you'll wait
outside a moment, Mrs. Talbot.
Right you are.
Oh, I don't know.
What do you think, Mr. Starr?
She's the best I've seen,
but she's had no experience.
Maybe I should see some more.
Well, laundry's in a bit of a mess.
Yes, it is.
Do you think I should give her a chance?
Why not?
All right, since you know her.
Yes.
Will you come in, please, Mrs. Talbot?
The job is yours.
Thank you, miss.
The wages are 15 shillings a week
and all meals.
I hope that is satisfactory.
Yes, miss. Uh, ain't no chance
of my living in, is there?
Oh, no, I'm afraid not.
If you're finished with me, ladies.
Oh, yes, thank you, Mr. Starr.
Lovely man.
Oh, Starr, don't forget...
luggage down from number 14.
Oh, right, Major.
Thank you.
What is your function here, Major?
Are you the sort of manager
while Mrs. Trotter's away?
Good heavens, no, dear lady.
No official post. Guest, like yourself.
Oh, I'm so sorry.
Please don't apologize.
I suppose I have come to be
a sort of friend and adviser.
Keep an eye on things in loco parentis.
Grand vizier who attends to the needs
of favorite guests.
Oh, flatterer.
What?
Come and join our little bridge party this evening.
We need a fourth.
I've tugged in old Admiral Swain
and a dear headmistress friend:
Gertie Manners... lots of fun.
We'll take them on, shall we?
Oh, yes. Um, delighted.
Uh, s-splendid.
8:00. Don't be late, now.
All right, love.
Oh, yes, Mrs. Cochrane.
We're having our tea in a minute.
You'll come and join us?
When I finish this here.
Mary...Miss philips... was saying
you're a widow. Is that right?
Yeah.
I'm a widow, too.
Oh. Hard life, eh?
Yeah. Mr. Cochrane has been gone
14 years come August.
We was on holiday in Margate.
He went for a bathe after a big dinner.
I told him not to.
Still, my children were good to me.
Have you got children,
Mrs. Talbot?
Call me Lizzie. No, I haven't. No.
Only married 6 months.
Oh, what a shame.
Yeah.
Tall, handsome he was, my Jack.
Big shoulders. Lovely man.
And he was killed fighting
when Mr. Starr was, eh?
That's right. Yes. Side by side
at the battle of Omdurman.
Now, you sit over there, Lizzie,
opposite Mr. Starr.
Thanks.
Oh, that's a nice dog, Mr. Starr. Is it yours?
Yeah. Fred.
Hello, Fred.
Inseparable friends, eh, Mr. Starr?
Yeah, well, you always did like animals, didn't you?
In Malta...
Oh, thanks, Mrs. Cochrane.
Do you remember that big, white rabbit we had...
That Jack looked after?
I didn't know you was ever
in Malta, Mr. Starr.
Oh, yeah, that's where they were.
Rifle brigade, second battalion,
before they went to Egypt.
You was in the rifle brigade?
Quartermaster sergeant...
I think, was it?
MERRIMAN: You kept that a dark secret.
Well, not all men like to boast
about their fighting days, Mr. Merriman.
We all know you was in the Crimea.
Help yourself, love.
I wonder how Mrs. Trotter's getting on
in La Belle France.
We might get a postcard from her soon.
Quite a holiday for us without her,
I may say.
We got 3 leaving tomorrow, Mr. Starr:
Sir John Thornton... good riddance...
and Mr. And Mrs. Peel... Americans.
That leaves us with...
7 guests left.
I hope we fill up soon, or Mrs. Trotter will kill us.
Proper tiger, is she... Mrs. Trotter?
[sternly] She's your employer.
Go on, Fred. In you go.
What the hell are you...
I just took a bath.
You could have...
it's all right. I asked Mrs. Cochrane.
Oh, I feel human again. Smell.
Real soap.
Mrs. Cochrane give it me.
This is my room!
Oh, is it?
You know damn well it is.
No, I didn't. How could I know?
I thought it was spare.
Anyone see you come in here?
I don't think so. What's it matter?
I was only looking
for somewhere to change.
Well, hurry up and get out.
Oh, don't be hasty with me.
I've had a hard day.
I worked like a slave in that laundry.
I made a good impression, haven't I?
Not on me, you haven't.
Why not?
Too much blabbermouth.
Well, I didn't know
you hadn't told them nothing!
Some bits you're not ashamed of.
Well, it suited me to tell them nothing.
I've built up again from scratch. I'm a new man.
Well, what did you tell them?
They must have asked. I'd better know.
It's just a blank, convenient for me
for others to fill in how they wish.
Now you've come,
and the questions will start,
and I'm not as fluent with lies as you are.
They'll catch me out.
I'm sorry.
I won't say another word.
If they ask me, I don't know.
Right, Joey?
Oh, I look quite beautiful. Ha ha!
I've kept me figure, you've got to admit.
Bloomin' miracle.
Would you like to take me for a drink?
No. I can't, not tonight. I'm on duty.
Oh. Well, see you tomorrow, then.
Um...
Where are you living?
Whitechapel. It's all right.
Quite quick on me bike.
Yeah, this bike... where'd you get it from?
I was give it! By me boss
at the bicycle store... leaving present.
Lizzie.
Yeah?
Living on your own, are you?
Of course on me own.
One room, just like this.
Good night.
[door closes]
Here. What happened?
A nasty young thug give it to her
on her way to work.
Punched her.
Yeah. About 15 he was.
It was a whole gang of them
pummeling up this little runt.
Florence nightingale goes to the rescue.
I got this for me pains.
The sooner you're out of that East End,
the better.
Don't you agree, Mr. Starr?
It's no place for a poor young woman on her own.
MARY: Mrs. Talbot...
Hey, look.
Kids, on her way to work.
It's all right. It's nothing, really.
Are you sure?
Yeah. I'm fine now. Thanks, Mrs. Cochrane.
Well, when you're ready,
I need clean linen for rooms 5 and 7:
sheets, pillowcases, and towels.
I've got to iron the pillowcases yet.
I'll bring them up meself when they're aired.
Mrs. Cochrane,
there's a dinner party tonight
for Monsieur Plangeot,
the diplomat, for 6.
[door closes]
Me own sheets, these. Don't tell no one.
Thought I'd use the opportunity.
I'll take you home tonight.
We're getting some funny looks.
They think you're my old man
and it was you done this
and you're trying to make it up.
That's what they're thinking, is it?
Yeah, it is.
Not good for your reputation.
What do you care about my reputation?
I do.
Does it hurt?
Nah. Blooming kid.
Caught by now, I hope he was.
Just wait till I get me hands on him.
The rest of you is all right.
Oh...yeah.
What I've seen.
I look better in the summer.
Eh?
When I come back from the hop picking.
Brown as a berry, I was.
Hop picking?
Yeah. Oh, it was lovely.
Just like an holiday.
Went down to Kent.
Slept out under the stars.
Romantic.
Any good, was you?
Of course I was. Born to it.
Quick fingers.
I come back with nearly 3 quid
after a month.
Mind you, you got to be young and hardy.
Some of the old ones... God, it was pathetic.
Let me die young.
No, don't say that.
I mean it, Joey, honest.
Some of the ones round my place...
you should see them.
There was one of them...
she was so feeble-minded,
she couldn't find her own front door.
I used to see her in the street,
stumbling along.
They found her last week dead in bed
with lice all over her.
It's worse in the hospitals
with old people.
They kill them off with special white potions.
Stop them cluttering up the earth.
That's what I've been told.
A wise mercy, it's called.
Cor, never let that happen to me.
I'd rather slit me throat.
Hey!
Are you listening?
Who's he?
What?
Over there, watching us.
I don't know.
Hey, Joey, tell you what.
Why don't you come hopping with me
next summer?
Who'd look after Fred?
Bring him, as well. He'd like it.
No, he wouldn't. It's not our sort of life.
You don't know till you tried it.
You might surprise yourselves.
Fresh air...
Oh, I long for fresh air.
The fug down Whitechapel.
Why is he looking at you like that?
Who?
Him. He knows you.
Oh. Him. Yeah, well...
He come and talked to me the other day
while I was waiting for you.
Nuisance, was he?
No. Well, he's gone now.
Stop worrying about him.
Let's have another drink.
No. We've had enough, haven't we?
Hey, it's only beer, you know.
It's not gin, the harlot's ruin.
Come on. I'll take you home.
Don't bother. I've got me bike.
You're not biking home in your state.
Look, Joey, I...
I don't want you to see my place.
It isn't nice.
Come on. I'm hungry.
We'll get some jellied eels.
All right, if you must.
But I warned you.
Hey, I've got some halibut at home
if it ain't been nicked.
Great. I quite fancy a bit of halibut.
[dog barking]
How long have you been here?
All winter. Lucky to get it.
Oh! Bloomin' meter. You got a penny?
Yeah. Here.
Ta.
What's this?
What?
Here.
Oh! Ha ha! Insects' violent death.
Told you not to come.
Lizzie! Whose are these?
I couldn't tell you.
I might have guessed.
No. I don't know whose they are.
I have to share this place.
Oh, come on!
It's the truth. Ask the landlord.
3 bob a week I have to pay, sharing.
Who with?
Don't ask me. It changes.
Sometimes a man, sometimes a woman.
We have it in shifts.
We don't see each other. It's the rule.
The same bed?
Of course the same bed. Ain't another, is there?
Now you know why I come to find you.
At least we got clean sheets tonight.
Will you stay, Joey?
You can if you want.
Oh! Face ain't pretty,
but the rest of me...
[dog whining]
[knocking]
Mr. Starr?
So, you was at Omdurman, was you?
Don't talk about it much, do you?
MARY: Oh, yes.
Do tell us about it, Mr. Starr.
No, not if he doesn't want to, Mary.
Perhaps the memories are too painful.
MARY: Are they, Mr. Starr?
What do you want to know exactly,
Mr. Merriman?
Oh, your part in it, Mr. Starr,
as a quartermaster sergeant of the second battalion
of that fine regiment, the rifles.
Well, some of the old sweats
didn't think much of us when we arrived.
The hussars and the highlanders,
they'd been stuck in the desert a long time,
saw us coming, fresh out of Malta,
good morale... Ha ha ha!
They called us weekend trippers,
but we soon showed them.
On the marches, we had less men fall out,
us and the grenadiers,
than any other British battalion.
Who were you fighting exactly, Mr. Starr?
Uh, the dervishes, Mary,
led by the infamous Khalifah.
They was avenging the murder
of General Gordon at Khartoum
12 years previous.
Yeah.
Vengeance. That's what they told us.
And you beat them, did you?
Oh, yeah, we beat them,
but the truth is,
our worst time was the journey
getting there down the Nile.
Jammed in steamers. Terrible, that was.
The battle itself was quite tame
after that for us,
though the truth is,
the only fighting we really saw
was when we got the order to double up
behind the Seaforths', on a small rise.
Oh, nice view we had,
but the trouble is, we were sitting targets.
That's when poor Jack copped it,
right next to me.
Terrible.
Well, after that, memories include
camping on the top of a graveyard one night;
dead camels, donkeys, horses, and other things;
and a stench bad enough to kill anyone.
Was it you lot looted the Mandi's tomb?
Not the rifles, Mr. Merriman, no.
And back to Malta after that.
Well, it was certainly a notable victory...
Gordon avenged
and the benefits of our civilization bestowed
on the benighted heathen.
Ah, bring back any trophies, Mr. Starr?
Yes, a broken spear and a dervish flag
in my room in a trunk,
if you care to look at them sometime.
MARY: Yes, well, uh, it's been lovely
hearing about it, Mr. Starr,
but I think we better get back to work.
Right.
Are you quite sure, Miss Hayward?
Of course I'm sure.
I'm not in the habit
of making false accusations,
and it's absolutely disgraceful
after I've been coming here all these years.
What's happened?
Miss philips, you have a thief
in your hotel.
Uh, perhaps we could
talk this over in private.
People should know. They should be warned.
Shall I come, too, madam?
Oh, yes, Morgan. Come along, come along.
MAJOR: Uh, do please sit down, Miss Hayward,
and explain to Miss philips.
Thank you, Major.
Yesterday morning, I left 7 sovereigns
on my dressing table... shopping money.
After I came back from my morning walk,
there were just 4 sovereigns.
Yesterday?
Well, why didn't you tell us sooner,
Miss Hayward?
I beg your pardon?
Uh, Miss Hayward wanted to make quite certain...
well, of course I did.
I searched high and low. Didn't I, Morgan?
MORGAN: Yes, madam.
Before coming to the regrettable conclusion
that the money had been stolen.
But I did your room myself yesterday.
Your chambermaid's away sick.
Nobody else went into your room
except your own maid.
What are you suggesting?
Uh, nothing. Nothing.
Of course it wasn't Morgan.
She's been with us for 17 years.
Well, it wasn't any of our staff.
I can vouch for them all.
I think that is a matter for the police to decide.
The police?
Uh, Miss Hayward, dear lady,
consider a moment.
Your room left unattended, no lock on the door...
Anyone...staff, visiting servants,
a guest even...
surely not a guest!
It can't entirely be ruled out.
So you see, the police...
Awkward questions all round.
What do you suggest, then, Major?
Leave it to me.
To you?
I'm not without experience in this sort of thing.
The army, you know.
I remember once in Kabul...
Oh, well...
Yes, I'm sure the Major
can handle it, Miss Hayward.
Don't call the police.
We can deduct the missing money
from your account.
Yes, of course we will, absolutely,
and I shall start making inquiries right away.
Excuse me.
Thank you, Major.
What's going on, Major?
Miss Hayward. Woman complaining.
Some money taken.
Always unpleasant, this sort of thing.
Bad feeling, hue and cry,
then it turns up in her handbag,
unless it's the maid, of course.
What, Morgan?
Sour, embittered,
takes advantage of a hotel visit,
diverts suspicion.
I don't think she's got the brains,
that one.
No? No, probably not.
Oh, well, token investigation, I suppose,
list of suspects, but you'd never prove it.
By the way, Merriman tells me
that you were in the rifle brigade.
Yes.
Second battalion, Malta?
That's right.
Fascinating.
Did you ever serve with a Captain Mayhew,
an old friend of mine?
Mayhew? Uh, no, Major.
He's a good man.
I must bring him round sometime.
You can have a chinwag.
No, I'm not much taken with chinwagging, Major,
about the past.
"Foot forward," my motto.
Come on, Fred. Let's get some fresh air.
Evening, Mr. Merriman.
Evening, Mrs. Talbot.
Mr. Starr upstairs?
Uh, no, sorry.
He's out with his dog, I think.
Could I be of assistance?
Oh. No, don't matter.
Uh, night, Mrs. Cochrane.
I'm going home now.
Night, love.
Now, there's no reason to think it's her.
You've got a nasty, suspicious mind, Fred.
ADMIRAL: Brandy!
[door opens]
Postcard from Mrs. Trotter.
She says...
"The crossing was awful,
"and the weather is rotten,
and the French count is a..."
I can't read that word.
"Little devil
who's only got one thing on his mind."
So she's cutting short her visit
and returning home on Wednesday.
Don't worry, Mary.
I've solved the case of the missing money.
You've solved it? Who was it?
Simple matter of elimination.
First of all, rule out staff and guests...
unthinkable.
That's what I thought.
Leaves the visiting servants.
Now, 3 selections...
first, Lady Sutton's maid Elsie,
plump and pretty filly. Rule her out.
And there's the Admiral's man Tompkins,
old sea dog, like his owner. Him out.
Leaves the Frenchman.
Monsieur Plangeot.
Yes. Now, his valet,
slick-haired, smarmy chap. Never took to him much.
Room just across the corridor. Easy access.
But they left this morning for Paris.
Just my point, don't you see?
Can't follow it up.
Explained that to Miss Hayward,
bunch of spring flowers, and Heigh Ho! says Rowley.
Oh, that's a brilliant deduction, Major.
So we can forget all about it, can we?
Oh, absolutely. Home and dry.
Miss Hayward's mail, if you please.
Just a minute.
I haven't got all day.
Thank you.
Morning.
Busy?
Busy? I'm always busy in this place.
When are they going to get another chambermaid?
Can't keep tramping up and down
them stairs all day.
Well, it's better than
being stuck in here all the time.
You meet people.
Yeah.
Where was you last night?
I was looking for you.
I was on duty.
Oh, no, you wasn't.
You was out for a walk.
I thought you was avoiding me for some reason.
Now, why would I do that?
No idea.
Tired of me, I expect.
After the other night?
Oh, I know men. Get what you want...
Lizzie...
Yeah?
What's the matter?
Uh, nothing.
Hey, Joey, you will get me
out of that place, won't you?
You said you would.
Somewhere close,
so we can meet more often.
Well, we see each other every day.
Well, yeah, but, I mean, we can't...
You know.
Can't we?
No! Not in here! Of course not!
No? Sorry. I'm forgetting myself.
Hey, are you going to wash that?
Uh, yeah.
I'll give you a hand.
No, don't be daft. It's my job, not yours.
Now go on, leave us in peace.
Oh, all right.
Lizzie...
Joey...
See you tonight, will I?
I'm not sure. Maybe.
Joey...
Kiss me.
Oh, excuse me.
Yes? What do you want?
Miss Hayward would like these done
by tomorrow, properly done.
We're leaving,
and I can't say I'm sorry, either.
Goings-on. Thieving.
Thieving?
And other things.
Things taken, and all swept under the carpet
with a bunch of flowers.
We're not stupid in Derbyshire.
I don't know what you're talking about,
and would you mind going? I'm busy!
Unmoral and heathen. That's what London is.
Where's your master, Fred? Eh?
Where is he?
Oh, Mr. Merriman.
Uh, I was looking for Joseph.
Uh, Joseph, yes.
On an errand, he said.
Errand?
Yeah. I'm looking after Fred tonight.
I see.
Thanks.
Uh, not that way, Mrs. Talbot.
What are you doing here?
I might have brought him back.
Well, we've got our story.
I'm a tenant, sharing.
Yeah. If only you was.
Now, don't be like that. Come here.
LIZZIE: No!
I'm sorry, Mrs. Talbot.
Now, what have you got in your bag there?
Nothing.
Liar!
Here.
That's the last you're getting,
so make the most of it.
3 nicker. Lovely.
Do you hear me, Frank?
It's too risky. They're onto it.
The guests are complaining.
There's one for you and 2 for me.
I don't want it. Here.
Take it and get out!
Go back to sea, anywhere.
I'm finished with you, Frank.
Do you get it?
Just go away and leave me alone, will you?
Why?
Gone soft, have you? Soft job?
Yeah, well, whose idea was it?
Bloody hard job, if you want to know.
I'm worn out.
It's him, is it? Your old loverboy?
He's too much for you. Aw!
Get away!
Wait a minute.
I don't mind what you get up to, missy,
long as you remember one thing...
I'm your protector.
You?
That's right, and you do as I tell you.
No, Frank, not anymore. I told you...
Aah!
Stinking little whore!
What did you say?
Whore! From the gutter!
Don't you call me that!
LIZZIE: Aah! No! No!
Stop!
Set up, we was, Fred.
Cunning bitch!
I should have learned my lesson years ago in Malta.
That was before your time, Fred.
I should have learned my bloody lesson!
[knocking]
Let me in, Joey. Please let me explain.
Go away.
[Lizzie pounding]
I'll scream.
I'll bring the whole hotel down
if you don't let me in.
Joey!
Oh, Joey.
Say what you want quick and then get out!
It was his idea, Joey.
It wasn't me, I swear it.
He said find you, get a job here,
and then start nicking.
I didn't want to.
I refused, but he hit me, Joey.
The other morning... My face...
That wasn't kids.
It was him, Joey.
What could I do? He'd have killed me.
Well, maybe he should have.
What?
Nicking money for a rotten pimp!
I couldn't help it.
Oh, listen, Joey, please.
Listen to me.
I was skint. I needed somebody.
He come along.
He was better than nothing,
and then I met you again, and I...
I couldn't get away from him.
I tried...
But he got his claws in me, Joey.
I never wanted him.
I wanted you.
You had me once. You had your chance.
Don't hold that against me.
I was young. I was stupid.
I was just a kid.
I've always loved you.
Rifleman Williams?
It never meant nothing.
You was away, maybe killed.
I was scared. He took advantage.
Oh, they always do, don't they?
It's never your fault.
Just a poor victim, aren't you,
all your life?
You don't understand.
You don't even try to.
You just judge people.
It's easy, that is.
I loved you...
But you asked too much of me.
I'm not a...a saint, I know I'm not,
but there is some good in me.
You was always too high-and-mighty
to see it, damn you.
Oh, you're blaming me now?
Well, why not?
It can't all be my fault.
I loved you.
I know you did.
I worshipped you.
Oh, stop it.
And when... when I saw you again,
my mind went back to Malta, and I...
[Lizzie sobbing]
Them blessed bells.
Do you remember them?
I do.
Oh, Joey, we can still do it.
This hotel, I like it here.
We...
We can be happy.
No.
You bring shame on me always.
You ruined me once, but not again, missy,
not again.
Now get out!
Go on! Get out where you belong!
Oh, no, Joey, you can't!
Don't send me back there, please!
He's waiting, Joey!
Get out of my room!
Please, Joey! He's waiting!
Out!
No!
Please.
Gone, Fred.
Gone...
And good riddance.
Uh, excuse me, Admiral.
Uh, Major.
The admiral says he's had some money taken
from his room yesterday afternoon.
Oh, has he?
The French fellow had gone by yesterday afternoon,
so it can't be him, can it?
Well, I never seriously thought
it was him.
Do you think
he could have imagined it?
Eh?
No? It does happen sometimes.
People hear there's a thief about,
they all start losing things.
No. Doubt that he'd settle
for a bunch of spring flowers, either.
Brandy... on the house?
Very good, Major.
MORGAN: Major Smith-Barton,
where is the porter? I've been ringing for him.
Miss Hayward wants her luggage carried down.
Well, where is she? Does Mr. Starr know?
I haven't seen him, either.
Starr's wanted...hall.
Well, we don't know where he is.
STARR: He's here.
Mr. Starr, do you know
what's happened to Mrs. Talbot?
What are you dressed like that for?
I'm leaving.
You can't leave.
Why?
For private reasons. Fred and me think
it's best for all concerned.
Private?
It's not connected with Mrs. Talbot,
by any chance?
Yes, I'm afraid it is...
Loosely connected with her.
I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Mary.
SMITH-BARTON: But look here, old chap,
we must have a proper explanation
of all this...
desertion under fire, otherwise.
Sit down and tell us, Mr. Starr.
Where did you get them bruises from?
Uh, I was out last night at a pub.
SMITH-BARTON: I don't believe you.
MARY: No, neither do I.
Well, it's quite simple. It's Mrs. Talbot
who's been taking money from the rooms.
I can't say how much, I'm afraid,
but since she came here at my recommendation,
Fred and me think it's only right and proper
that we should take part of the blame.
Oh, but that's silly.
It's not your fault.
It's not a reason to leave.
Now, come on, Mr. Starr. You just sit down
and tell us all about it.
Now, come on. We're all friends here.
Right, yes. Starr, you and I
had better go upstairs to the hall.
No, Mary. I'll handle this.
MORGAN: Porter!
Oh...
Sit down.
Start at the beginning.
Well, they were good times in Malta.
What?
Life out there before we went off to Egypt.
That's when I met her...
Lizzie... uh, Mrs. Talbot.
Well, a lot of them were after her.
Not many pretty girls out there.
She took to me, for some reason.
Happy as larks, we were.
But she had a husband,
didn't she... Jack, was it?
What?
Sergeant killed at Omdurman.
No such man, Major.
Only me she had...
Or so I thought.
But you weren't married to her,
were you?
Married?
No, sir.
Common-law wife?
That's right, sir: my woman.
Well, go on.
Well...
Went off to Egypt, fought, and come back.
And found her playing around, did you?
That's right, sir.
There was this rifleman...
rifleman Williams, his name was.
Tall; bushy, black eyebrows;
fond of cycling.
Well, I'd had me suspicions before I left,
but when I come back, it was obvious.
I confronted them,
failed to get a satisfactory denial,
and lost me temper.
The sun, Egypt, and the idea of vengeance
is partly to blame...
Partly the beer I'd drunk that evening.
Anyway, I slammed this pimp
on the head with a rifle butt
and cracked his skull.
Oh, he lived, fortunately, but I paid my dues.
Court-martial?
Yes, sir.
Found guilty: dishonorable discharge,
2 years in the glass house, lost me pension,
they took me medals away.
Your friend captain Mayhew will tell you, sir.
He spoke in my defense.
Good heavens.
8 years ago, all that was.
It's the reasons for my reticence
in all matters military.
So now, if you don't mind,
I think I'll take my leave.
Why?
Pride, sir.
It was all right when nobody knew.
Just about live with that, but...
Now the subject of common gossip...
You always were the subject
of gossip, Starr.
Yes, sir. Well, maybe I could live with that.
But not the truth.
Not them knowing, no, sir.
Now, come on, Fred. On our way.
Oh...
You might tell Mr. Merriman
I've left him my souvenirs...
the spear and the dervish flag in my room.
Wait, damn it!
You can't go. Where will you go?
Well, there's other hotels.
But not like this one.
You're part of the furniture, man.
And who else would put up with Fred?
When Mrs. Trotter learns the truth,
she'll never keep me on.
Court-martial, you mean?
She won't ever know.
This is just between the two of us.
No one need ever know.
MARY: Sorry to interrupt.
Yes, what is it, Mary?
There's a Chief Inspector Munn from Scotland Yard.
He wants to speak with Mr. Starr.
Well, you'd better show him in.
Chief Inspector Munn?
Yeah.
I'm Major Smith-Barton. This is Miss philips,
who runs the hotel
in the absence of Mrs. Trotter,
and this is Mr. Starr.
I understand you've recently had
a laundrywoman working here
by the name of Mrs. Talbot.
Yes, sir.
MUNN: A lady already well-known
to us as Mrs. Talbot,
Miss Lizzie Clark, Mrs. Frank Corelli,
and as our recent investigations have revealed,
under her real married name
of Mrs. Joseph Starr.
Your wife, I believe.
[whispering] Wife?
Not strictly correct, officer...
not legally this man's wife.
She was your wife, wasn't she?
Yes, she was my wife.
Well, I'm afraid I have to tell you,
Mr. Starr, that she's dead.
[quietly] Dead?
Her body was taken out of the river
by Wapping Steps
in the early hours of this morning.
We have reason to believe
that she either jumped off a bridge
or she was pushed.
Do you know any reason
why she might have taken her own life?
No, none.
She loved life.
The man you want is Frank Corelli.
General Gordon...
Lizzie Starr...
...all avenged now, Fred.
"Foot forward," our motto.
Anything happen while I've been away, then?
Not to speak of, Mrs. Trotter.
No, very quiet, really.
Oh, ahh...
Oh, watch that.
MRS. TROTTER: Hello, Mary.
Hello, Starr.
MARY: Hello, Mrs. Trotter. Have you had a nice time?
No, I haven't.
Ta.
What's your news, then?
Oh, nothing, really.
Get a new laundry maid?
MARY: Yes, well, we had one for a few days, but she left.
Left? What was wrong with her?
She wasn't quite suitable,
but there's more coming
from the agency this afternoon.
Blimey, girl, I'll choose her this time.