Latest / Suspense | Old Time Radio / Suspense - "The Moonstone - Part Two" (Old Time Radio, 1953)
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: November 2nd, 1953 brings us Episode 3 of Suspense, The Moonstone,
- 0:05Speaker 1: Part 2. This concluding half of the radio adaptation of
- 0:10Speaker 1: Wilkie Collins' detective novel stars Peter Lawford as Franklin Blake.
- 0:15Speaker 1: At the Verinder Estate in England, Blake and Sergeant Cuff
- 0:19Speaker 1: continue their inquiry into the disappearance of a yellow diamond
- 0:23Speaker 1: given to Rachel Verinder. The investigation reaches into the household itself,
- 0:29Speaker 1: family members, guests, and servants alike, as loyalties and private
- 0:33Speaker 1: concerns complicate the search. Richard Chandley wrote the adaptation, with
- 0:39Speaker 1: Elliot Lewis directing and producing. From Suspense, The Moonstone, Part 2.
- 0:47Speaker 1: And now, our story begins.
- 0:55Speaker 2: Autolite and its 98,000 dealers bring you Mr. Peter Lawford
- 1:00Speaker 2: in tonight's presentation of Suspense.
- 1:09Speaker 3: Tonight, Autolite presents part two of the first detective novel
- 1:13Speaker 3: ever written. A tale considered by many to be the
- 1:16Speaker 3: greatest ever written. Wilkie Collins, The Moonstone. Our star, Mr.
- 1:21Speaker 3: Peter Lawford.
- 1:27Speaker 4: Hello, Mr. McSorley. Have you got your Thanksgiving bird yet?
- 1:31Speaker 4: I got it all right, Harlow, but not for Thanksgiving.
- 1:34Speaker 4: What do you mean? Well, I got the bird from
- 1:35Speaker 4: me wife because me car battery is a turkey. I
- 1:38Speaker 4: forget to fill it with water and it's cold as
- 1:40Speaker 4: a cranberry bog in December. Well, you should have an
- 1:44Speaker 4: Autolite Stay full battery, Mr. McSorley.
- 1:46Speaker 2: That's the famous battery that needs water only three times
- 1:49Speaker 2: a year in normal car use.
- 1:50Speaker 4: Ah, yes, the battery with long and happy life.
- 1:53Speaker 2: Right. Fiberglass retaining mats protect the power of every positive
- 1:57Speaker 2: plate to reduce shedding and flaking and give that autolite
- 2:00Speaker 2: stay full longer life as proved by tests conducted according
- 2:03Speaker 2: to accepted life cycle standards.
- 2:05Speaker 4: So, friends, to quickly.
- 2:07Speaker 2: Locate your Autolite battery dealer, whose service is all makes
- 2:10Speaker 2: of batteries, just call Western Union by number and ask
- 2:13Speaker 2: for Operator 25.
- 2:15Speaker 5: I'll tell you the location of your nearest Autolite battery
- 2:18Speaker 5: dealer where you can get an Autolite stay full, the
- 2:20Speaker 5: battery that needs water only three times a year in
- 2:23Speaker 5: normal car use.
- 2:24Speaker 2: And remember, from bumper to tail light, you're always right
- 2:28Speaker 2: with Autolite.
- 2:30Speaker 3: And now, Autolite presents the concluding portion of Wilkie Collins'
- 2:34Speaker 3: The Moonstone, starring Mr. Peter Lawford, hoping once again to
- 2:40Speaker 3: keep you in suspense.
- 2:55Speaker 2: Tell me, Mr. Blake, the diamond, it belonged to your uncle?
- 2:58Speaker 4: No. Yes, Sergeant Cuff. His will stated that I was
- 3:01Speaker 4: to give it to his niece, Rachel, on her birthday.
- 3:04Speaker 2: And you say this moonstone had a curse on it?
- 3:07Speaker 4: It has been said, yes. Because it's believed he took
- 3:09Speaker 4: it from an idol. An Indian moon god.
- 3:13Speaker 2: And those Indian jugglers you saw at the jail, you
- 3:16Speaker 2: believe they stole it?
- 3:17Speaker 1: Yes.
- 3:18Speaker 4: They were in the garden outside the house when the
- 3:20Speaker 4: diamond was given to Rachel.
- 3:22Speaker 2: But I've shown you our prison records, Mr.
- 3:24Speaker 4: Blake. The Indians couldn't have stolen it.
- 3:26Speaker 2: They were behind bars all last night.
- 3:29Speaker 4: Who else was at the party? Let's see.
- 3:32Speaker 6: Rachel, her mother, Lady Julia Verinder, our cousin, Godfrey Abelwhite, Dr.
- 3:38Speaker 4: Candy, their family physician. And the servants, what of them?
- 3:42Speaker 4: Betridge and a new housemaid. Her name, I believe, is Rosanna.
- 3:46Speaker 2: All right, Mr. Blake, we'll look into it. Ah, there's
- 3:50Speaker 2: the answer.
- 3:56Speaker 6: As soon as we entered the house, Sergeant Cuff went
- 3:59Speaker 6: into Rachel's sitting room, hardly bothering with the cabinet from
- 4:01Speaker 6: where the moonstone had been stolen. His eyes seemed to
- 4:05Speaker 6: be much more taken with the door Rachel had painted
- 4:07Speaker 6: and decorated with cupid the afternoon of her birthday.
- 4:10Speaker 4: Hmm. Quite good work.
- 4:13Speaker 2: There's a smudge on one of the cupids.
- 4:16Speaker 4: Pity. Anyone know how it happened? Mr. Betteridge? One of
- 4:21Speaker 4: the maids petticoats with all the commotion this morning. Pity.
- 4:25Speaker 2: Paint's dry now. Does anyone know which petticoat did it?
- 4:30Speaker 4: I don't think any of them, Sergeant. That part of
- 4:32Speaker 4: the door was the last to be painted. Couldn't have
- 4:35Speaker 4: happened this morning. You're quite sure, Mr. Blake? I watched
- 4:38Speaker 4: her finish it. About four yesterday afternoon. It would have.
- 4:41Speaker 2: Dried in about ten hours. About two in the morning, then.
- 4:46Speaker 2: You may have put something valuable in our hands, Mr.
- 4:49Speaker 4: Blake.
- 4:50Speaker 2: A smeared petticoat or whatever will bring.
- 4:52Speaker 4: Us to the truth. You think it was worn by
- 4:55Speaker 4: the thief?
- 4:56Speaker 2: I think it was worn by someone. There's no evidence
- 4:59Speaker 2: of thievery as yet, only that the diamond is missing.
- 5:03Speaker 4: Mr.
- 5:04Speaker 2: Betteridge, would you tell Lady Verinder I'd like ten minutes
- 5:07Speaker 2: of her time, please?
- 5:17Speaker 4: Good posture, Sergeant. All my servants have been with me
- 5:21Speaker 4: for years. If I allow you to search their clothes,
- 5:24Speaker 4: it means I suspect them. They're as honest as you are.
- 5:27Speaker 2: I'm sure they are, your ladyship. It's only a question
- 5:30Speaker 2: of their help. The women especially. Now, if they knew
- 5:33Speaker 2: I was going to inspect the wardrobes of everyone from
- 5:36Speaker 2: your ladyship downwards.
- 5:38Speaker 4: You're certain this is necessary?
- 5:40Speaker 2: Before we can make another step. I've also asked Mr.
- 5:43Speaker 2: Betteridge to get me the washing book. To account for
- 5:46Speaker 2: all the linen in case the article was sent to
- 5:48Speaker 2: the washer and destroyed. And to ask your daughter for
- 5:51Speaker 2: her wardrobe keys.
- 5:53Speaker 4: Where will you start? Well, with Mr. Blake here, if
- 5:56Speaker 4: you'll consent. Of course. Don't forget me, Sergeant. I'm in
- 6:00Speaker 4: the next room.
- 6:01Speaker 2: Then we'll do you next, Mr.
- 6:03Speaker 4: Abelwhite. And when you're finished, may I leave for London? Oh,
- 6:06Speaker 4: it's a mere formality. You'll all be free to go.
- 6:08Speaker 4: Here's the washbook, Sergeant. Ah, thank you, Mr. Petridge. And
- 6:12Speaker 4: Miss Verindisky's? My young lady refuses to have her wardrobe examined. Ah-ha. Petridge.
- 6:18Speaker 4: Was it explained to her? Yes, sir. She started to
- 6:21Speaker 4: cry and said, I won't because I won't. Well, you
- 6:23Speaker 4: may return the washbook, Mr. Betteridge. Mr. Abelwhite, you may
- 6:27Speaker 4: leave at any time. Thank you, Sergeant. That'll be all, Mr. Betteridge.
- 6:31Speaker 4: Then you aren't going to search? All or none, sir.
- 6:35Speaker 4: But why should Rachel... I don't understand. Pardon my being personal, Mr. Blake.
- 6:42Speaker 2: Would it be wrong to say you're in love with
- 6:44Speaker 2: Miss Verinder?
- 6:46Speaker 4: No, it wouldn't be wrong. Love blinds to a great extent.
- 6:49Speaker 4: Look here, are you implying that... Oh, just a moment.
- 6:52Speaker 4: Out there in the hall. Out there. Won't you come in? Rosanna.
- 6:58Speaker 4: Excuse me.
- 6:59Speaker 7: I was looking for Mr. Bedford. I was told he
- 7:01Speaker 7: was here.
- 7:02Speaker 4: He just left, my girl.
- 7:04Speaker 7: Thank you. Excuse me.
- 7:08Speaker 4: Rosanna. Rosanna Spearman, that's it. You know her?
- 7:14Speaker 2: I've seen her once before, Mr. Blake, about five years ago...
- 7:16Speaker 2: In prison for theft.
- 7:19Speaker 4: In prison? Well, there's the answer. Well, it's not the
- 7:22Speaker 4: old answer, Mr. Blake.
- 7:23Speaker 2: Will you promise to hold your temper?
- 7:26Speaker 4: If I see sense in what you say. All right.
- 7:29Speaker 2: Tell me, why does Miss Berender refuse to cooperate to
- 7:32Speaker 2: have her wardrobe examined?
- 7:34Speaker 4: Because she... Because.
- 7:37Speaker 2: Exactly. Because she knows more about the diamond than she's
- 7:40Speaker 2: willing to tell. Couple that with Rosanna Spearman, who was
- 7:43Speaker 2: a thief. She knows how to raise money and pledge
- 7:46Speaker 2: her valuable without question.
- 7:47Speaker 4: Now, that is preposterous. Why should Rachel need money?
- 7:50Speaker 2: Well, for reasons she doesn't want to discuss. Something that
- 7:53Speaker 2: would force her to go to great lengths. Scandal, if
- 7:57Speaker 2: you'll pardon the word, sir. This is the detective's mind,
- 8:00Speaker 2: isn't it? Suppose Miss Verinder were to suddenly decide to
- 8:03Speaker 2: leave this house. Refuse, point blank, to help, as I
- 8:06Speaker 2: think she will.
- 8:06Speaker 4: I'm sorry, sergeant. You don't know her. Ah, it's a
- 8:10Speaker 4: dirty little world, Mr. Blake.
- 8:12Speaker 2: I've had a deal of experience. I'll be the first
- 8:15Speaker 2: to admit it if I'm wrong. But I don't think
- 8:17Speaker 2: I am.
- 8:25Speaker 6: The night came on and a heavy, muffled mood of
- 8:27Speaker 6: suspicion settled over the house. Rachel stayed locked in her
- 8:31Speaker 6: rooms and would speak.
- 8:32Speaker 4: To no one. The sergeant was wrong about her. He
- 8:36Speaker 4: had to be.
- 8:37Speaker 6: But I couldn't push the torture of his logic from
- 8:40Speaker 6: my mind.
- 8:42Speaker 4: I was afraid. Deeply afraid of the coming day.
- 8:46Speaker 6: The first news that terrible morning was that Rachel was
- 8:49Speaker 6: going to leave the house.
- 8:51Speaker 4: The Colonel's vengeance was working in ways he never dreamed.
- 8:55Speaker 2: Miss Verinder, I'd like to say once more that your
- 8:59Speaker 2: leaving is a great obstacle to the recovery of your diamond. Now,
- 9:03Speaker 2: knowing that, do you still intend to leave?
- 9:05Speaker 4: I do. Rachel... Please, Rachel, you can't. I have nothing
- 9:10Speaker 4: to say to you, Mr. Blake.
- 9:12Speaker 5: Drive on.
- 9:22Speaker 6: I stood there helplessly watching it go. There was nothing
- 9:26Speaker 6: left but the truth of Sergeant Cupp's words.
- 9:31Speaker 4: A scandal. Some terrible secret she dare not tell. I
- 9:36Speaker 4: had to find out if I was going to help. Rosanna.
- 9:40Speaker 6: If she had helped Rachel plot the theft, she would
- 9:43Speaker 6: also know her secret. I went to the servants' hall
- 9:46Speaker 6: only to find Betridge and Sergeant Cuff ahead of me.
- 9:49Speaker 4: One of the gardeners said he saw her running toward
- 9:51Speaker 4: the beach walk. Then there's a hiding place down there,
- 9:54Speaker 4: if I'm not mistaken. Hiding place? It's almost all quicksand.
- 9:58Speaker 2: The jewel had to be kept somewhere. Possibly the stained
- 10:01Speaker 2: article of clothing, too. Miss Verinder's accomplice recovers the diamond
- 10:06Speaker 2: to take to her later.
- 10:08Speaker 4: Aye, we'd better hurry. Will you join me, Mr. Blake?
- 10:15Speaker 4: We raced down the walk to the beach.
- 10:17Speaker 6: Rosanna was nowhere in sight. Only her footprints. They led
- 10:21Speaker 6: us finally to the very edge of the quicksand. Look
- 10:24Speaker 6: as we might, there were no footprints returning. At almost
- 10:27Speaker 6: the same moment, the terrible meaning dawned on us both.
- 10:32Speaker 4: Did she know there was quicksand? Yes, Sergeant. She knew.
- 10:38Speaker 4: First time I saw her was here. She walked into
- 10:42Speaker 4: that muck. Deliberately.
- 10:45Speaker 2: Rosanna wasn't the kind to scare, Mr.
- 10:47Speaker 4: Blake. She must have had her own good reason.
- 10:59Speaker 6: Back at the house, the news of Rosanna's death deepened
- 11:02Speaker 6: the unhappy Paul. That afternoon, Sergeant Cuff was dismissed from
- 11:07Speaker 6: any further investigation. And Lady Julia left for London to
- 11:10Speaker 6: join Rachel. Later, I left the house myself. feeling terribly
- 11:17Speaker 6: depressed and useless. I would have given my life to
- 11:21Speaker 6: help Rachel. There was no avenue left open.
- 11:27Speaker 4: I took ship for the continent the next morning, hoping
- 11:30Speaker 4: that time and distance would let me forget. Almost a
- 11:34Speaker 4: year was to pass before I returned.
- 11:53Speaker 3: Autolite is bringing you Mr. Peter Lawford in Wilkie Collins'
- 11:57Speaker 3: The Moonstone. Tonight's presentation in radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense.
- 12:03Speaker 4: Suspense. Well, Harlow, now I can eat turkey instead of
- 12:17Speaker 4: crow on a Thursday. Got yourself an Autolite Stay-Full battery, eh, Mr. McSorley?
- 12:22Speaker 4: That I did, Harlow.
- 12:23Speaker 2: Then you've got the battery that stays right on the case.
- 12:26Speaker 2: Needs water only three times a year in normal car use.
- 12:29Speaker 4: Why, that Autolite Stay-Full just snaps my engine to life, Harlow. Yes, sir, Mr. Mack.
- 12:34Speaker 2: A fast, dependable start every time and for a long time.
- 12:38Speaker 2: Thanks to those fiberglass retaining mats. They surround every positive
- 12:42Speaker 2: plate to reduce shedding and flaking and give the Autolite
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- 12:48Speaker 2: to accepted life cycle standards. So, friends, see your Autolite
- 12:53Speaker 2: battery dealer for the best in battery service and the
- 12:56Speaker 2: famous Autolite Stay Full, the battery that needs water only
- 12:59Speaker 2: three times a year in normal car use. To quickly
- 13:03Speaker 2: locate your nearest Autolite battery dealer, phone Western Union by
- 13:06Speaker 2: number and ask for Operator 25. That's right.
- 13:10Speaker 5: Call me Western Union Operator 25.
- 13:12Speaker 2: And remember, from bumper to tail light, you're always right
- 13:16Speaker 2: with Autolite. And now, Autolite brings back to our Hollywood
- 13:20Speaker 2: soundstage Mr. Peter Lawford in Elliot Lewis's production of the
- 13:25Speaker 2: concluding act of.
- 13:26Speaker 3: Wilkie Collins' The Moonstones. A tale well calculated to keep
- 13:32Speaker 3: you in suspense.
- 13:33Speaker 4: I returned to.
- 13:35Speaker 8: London in June 1849. I was informed of all that
- 13:40Speaker 8: had happened in the year that I'd been away by
- 13:41Speaker 8: the family lawyer, Mr. Brough.
- 13:56Speaker 6: Rachel's mother had died some months ago, and Rachel had
- 13:58Speaker 6: been engaged to.
- 13:59Speaker 9: Marry Godfrey Abelwhite. He broke off, of course, right after
- 14:04Speaker 9: Lady Verinda died. Seems he was only interested in Rachel's money.
- 14:09Speaker 4: Where is Rachel, Mr. Brough? Here in London, living with
- 14:13Speaker 4: the guardian appointed by her mother. Has she ever spoken
- 14:17Speaker 4: of me? Not once, to my knowledge. As for the Moonstone,
- 14:21Speaker 4: we've all respected her silence on that. Why does she
- 14:25Speaker 4: resent me, Mr. Bratt?
- 14:26Speaker 9: I think it was your attempt to help in an
- 14:29Speaker 9: affair she once kept secret, whatever her reason. I just
- 14:33Speaker 9: can't believe that Rachel stole her own diamonds.
- 14:37Speaker 4: I'm going to find out who did.
- 14:39Speaker 9: I won't presume to stop you, but how will you
- 14:42Speaker 9: go about it?
- 14:44Speaker 4: I'll start where it all took place. The house in Yorkshire.
- 14:58Speaker 4: By the Lord, Harry, Mr. Franklin, it's good to see you.
- 15:02Speaker 4: It hasn't been very happy here since you... I know, Betridge.
- 15:05Speaker 4: That's why I'm back. The Moonstone, sir? Don't you think
- 15:08Speaker 4: you should leave a sleeping dog lay, sir? Suppose you
- 15:12Speaker 4: find Miss Rachel had... It won't make me stop loving her.
- 15:15Speaker 4: That's all I wanted to know, sir. So I don't
- 15:17Speaker 4: see how my helping you can be wrong. Do you
- 15:20Speaker 4: remember that poor girl of ours, Rosanna Spearman? Of course.
- 15:25Speaker 4: How could I forget? You left a coat here, sir,
- 15:27Speaker 4: and I found a letter in one of the pockets.
- 15:29Speaker 4: The rest to you, from Rosanna. Here it is. Sir.
- 15:37Speaker 6: Please follow the enclosed instructions. Do it when you're not observed.
- 15:43Speaker 6: Go to the shivering sand at the turn of the tide.
- 15:47Speaker 6: There's a rock ledge covered with seaweed. And attached to
- 15:51Speaker 6: the rock is a chain which drops into the quicksand.
- 15:55Speaker 6: Pull up the chain.
- 16:02Speaker 4: There's the ugly place. Tide's almost out. There's only one
- 16:06Speaker 4: rock ledge. You go ahead, sir. Note said do it alone.
- 16:11Speaker 4: That's her grave, too. I'd like to humor her. I
- 16:16Speaker 4: went on to the rock ledge.
- 16:18Speaker 6: The last surge of the sea fell away and I
- 16:20Speaker 6: walked out gingerly on the edge of the quicksand. Getting
- 16:23Speaker 6: down on all fours, I fell under the glistening seaweed.
- 16:27Speaker 6: After a moment, my hand touched the rusty length of
- 16:29Speaker 6: a chain. It came up easily. Attached to the end
- 16:33Speaker 6: was a rusted metal box.
- 16:36Speaker 4: I forced it open. It was filled with a white
- 16:39Speaker 4: cloth on top of which was another letter bearing my name.
- 16:43Speaker 4: I carried it all to the dry beach and unrolled
- 16:45Speaker 4: the cloth. It was a nightshirt. On its sleeve was
- 16:51Speaker 4: a smear of paint from Rachel's sitting room.
- 16:53Speaker 6: And I recalled the words of Sergeant Cuff.
- 16:58Speaker 4: Find the smeared article of clothing and you will know
- 17:00Speaker 4: who took the diamond. I looked to see if it
- 17:04Speaker 4: was marked with the owner's name. Finding the mark, I
- 17:07Speaker 4: read Franklin Blake. My own name. I looked again. My
- 17:12Speaker 4: own name. Plainly marked with my own name.
- 17:20Speaker 6: The next thing I remember was being back in Betridge's
- 17:22Speaker 6: room with a drink.
- 17:23Speaker 4: Of whiskey in my hand.
- 17:24Speaker 10: One thing for sure, that nightgown's a liar, a pure liar.
- 17:28Speaker 10: It's my nightgown, Betridge. I couldn't have taken the diamond,
- 17:33Speaker 10: but it's my nightgown. Then it's foul play. That's how
- 17:36Speaker 10: I read it.
- 17:38Speaker 4: What about Rosanna's letter, sir?
- 17:40Speaker 2: Yes.
- 17:44Speaker 6: Sir, I have a confession. A confession of my own
- 17:48Speaker 6: misery in three words.
- 17:49Speaker 4: I love you. Me? What does she mean? That's what
- 17:53Speaker 4: the servants believe, sir. They used to see her mooning
- 17:57Speaker 4: at you, puttering around your room every chance she could. Yes,
- 18:01Speaker 4: I remember. But it never entered my mind. What more
- 18:05Speaker 4: does she say? I will be dead and gone.
- 18:09Speaker 7: The morning the moonstone was stolen, I went to do
- 18:13Speaker 7: my work in your room. Your nightgown lay across your
- 18:16Speaker 7: bed and I saw the stain of paint I hate
- 18:20Speaker 7: Miss Rachel because you love her. It was hard to
- 18:24Speaker 7: believe you had stolen her diamond. I had once been
- 18:27Speaker 7: a thief and been in prison for it. The nightgown
- 18:31Speaker 7: is my only bond with you. I could have helped you,
- 18:35Speaker 7: but I dared not speak outright, fearing your anger that
- 18:38Speaker 7: I knew your secret. Miss Rachel has left. You will
- 18:43Speaker 7: soon be leaving too. I know there is no chance
- 18:47Speaker 7: you're ever returning my love. but I will keep your secret.
- 18:51Speaker 7: I go now to the shivering sands which have always
- 18:55Speaker 7: drawn me. Remember me kindly. Rosanna Spearman.
- 19:08Speaker 6: I was at a complete loss. My search for the
- 19:11Speaker 6: thief had led directly to myself. So now Rachel's attitude
- 19:15Speaker 6: was no longer a mystery. She had left because she
- 19:19Speaker 6: believed I had stolen the diamond. I went back to
- 19:23Speaker 6: London and told Mr.
- 19:24Speaker 4: Brough everything. I suggest you do something for me, Mr. Blake.
- 19:29Speaker 4: What's that, sir?
- 19:30Speaker 9: I received a letter this morning from Dr.
- 19:33Speaker 4: Candy.
- 19:34Speaker 9: He was at the birthday party the night the diamond
- 19:36Speaker 9: was stolen, if you remember. Driving home from the party
- 19:38Speaker 9: that night, he nearly caught his death in the rain.
- 19:42Speaker 4: He's been ill ever since. His letter suggests he has
- 19:44Speaker 4: something of great importance.
- 19:46Speaker 11: To discuss with you. Will you please go see him?
- 19:58Speaker 11: Good of you to come out of your way to
- 19:59Speaker 11: see me, Mr.
- 20:00Speaker 4: Blake. Thank you, Doctor. You're looking well.
- 20:03Speaker 11: I'd like to apologize to you, Mr.
- 20:05Speaker 4: Blake. Apologize, sir?
- 20:06Speaker 11: The night of Miss Verinder's party, you and I sat
- 20:09Speaker 11: next to each other. There was some joking about the diamond.
- 20:12Speaker 4: Do you recall? Not distinctly, no, sir. Just something unpleasant.
- 20:17Speaker 11: I told you I suspected you hadn't been sleeping well
- 20:20Speaker 11: and to let me give you a course in medicine.
- 20:23Speaker 11: I don't think I had been sleeping well. I decided
- 20:26Speaker 11: to prove my medicine to you. If I could give
- 20:29Speaker 11: you a good night's sleep without you knowing it.
- 20:32Speaker 4: What?
- 20:33Speaker 11: I was going to come back the next day and
- 20:35Speaker 11: ask you how you slept. You would have said, fine,
- 20:39Speaker 11: and without medicine. And I was going to say, ah,
- 20:43Speaker 11: but you did have medicine, sir.
- 20:45Speaker 4: Dr.
- 20:45Speaker 11: Candy, did you give me something that night? It was
- 20:49Speaker 11: a dose of laudanum, part of the opium family, in
- 20:52Speaker 11: your nightcap. I hope you'll accept my apology, Mr.
- 20:58Speaker 4: Blake. But if I took the diamond, what did I
- 21:03Speaker 4: do with it?
- 21:05Speaker 11: I feel I owe you all the help I can give.
- 21:09Speaker 11: Are you willing to try an experiment?
- 21:11Speaker 4: I'd do anything, Doctor.
- 21:12Speaker 11: There's a chance that under the right conditions, taking a
- 21:17Speaker 11: similar dose of laudanum... You might repeat exactly what you
- 21:21Speaker 11: did the night of the birthday. You might very well
- 21:24Speaker 11: have hidden the diamond somewhere in the house. With witnesses
- 21:28Speaker 11: to watch, it would prove your innocence. Yes, but it
- 21:32Speaker 11: would have to be done at the Veranda house. Well,
- 21:34Speaker 11: I'll write to Miss Rachel, with your permission, telling her everything.
- 21:39Speaker 11: I'm sure she wants your innocence proved as much as
- 21:42Speaker 11: you yourself.
- 21:49Speaker 6: It was a very nervous time for me, waiting for
- 21:52Speaker 6: Rachel's answer. With great relief, her letter came saying she
- 21:56Speaker 6: accepted Dr. Candy's explanation.
- 21:59Speaker 4: The house was at our disposal, and she wished us
- 22:01Speaker 4: all success for the experiment. I wrote Mr. Brough, asking
- 22:05Speaker 4: him to be one of the witnesses. Then Dr. Candy
- 22:08Speaker 4: and I left for the Verinder house.
- 22:10Speaker 8: The End.
- 22:17Speaker 11: Ready, Mr.
- 22:18Speaker 7: Blake?
- 22:18Speaker 4: Of course, doctor. Get on with it. Not my opinion.
- 22:21Speaker 4: The whole thing is unbound. All right, Mr. Brough. We
- 22:23Speaker 4: have your opinion. Forty minims laudanum in weak brandy and soda.
- 22:32Speaker 4: You're witnessing, Mr. Brough? I'm witnessing. Drink it, Mr.
- 22:39Speaker 7: Blake.
- 22:42Speaker 4: Waste of time. Now, Mr.
- 22:44Speaker 11: Blake, you may retire to your bed.
- 22:48Speaker 4: How long before this is supposed to work? Not before midnight. Look.
- 23:02Speaker 4: It's moving. Moonstone. Indian devils. In the.
- 23:12Speaker 2: House.
- 23:15Speaker 4: Kill Rachel. He's getting up. Huh? In that cabinet. Lock
- 23:22Speaker 4: on it. Now take it. It's going out of the room.
- 23:27Speaker 4: Take off your boots. Come on. Went right to the cabinet. Amazing.
- 23:40Speaker 4: There's a piece of crystal to simulate the diamond in
- 23:43Speaker 4: the drawer. Ah, there. There, he's found it.
- 23:47Speaker 11: Doesn't look like he knows what to do.
- 23:51Speaker 4: He dropped it. Going over to that sofa. He couldn't
- 23:55Speaker 4: have done that before. The sedative effect is coming on.
- 24:00Speaker 4: He slumped on the couch. It's all over. Let him
- 24:07Speaker 4: sleep there.
- 24:15Speaker 6: When I awoke the next morning, they told me what
- 24:17Speaker 6: I had done. I proved only that Dr. Candy's joke
- 24:22Speaker 6: was caused by my unconscious behavior. But now, when what
- 24:28Speaker 6: had happened afterwards was still a mystery, we had come
- 24:31Speaker 6: to another blank wall.
- 24:40Speaker 4: It was a month later. An item in the newspaper
- 24:43Speaker 4: caught my eye.
- 24:45Speaker 6: Some East Indian jugglers had been in a fight in
- 24:47Speaker 6: a tavern in one of the lowest parts of London.
- 24:50Speaker 6: One of them had been stabbed. The others had escaped.
- 24:54Speaker 6: Almost at the same moment, I received an urgent message
- 24:56Speaker 6: from Mr. Brough to meet him at the Wheel of Fortune,
- 25:00Speaker 6: the tavern mentioned in the news dispatch.
- 25:03Speaker 4: Up these stairs, Mr. Blake, quickly. What is it, Mr. Brough?
- 25:05Speaker 4: In this room here. Good Lord. You're almost done for,
- 25:11Speaker 4: poor beggar. Come in. On the bed lay a man
- 25:17Speaker 4: dressed in sailor clothes.
- 25:19Speaker 6: On the floor next to him was a small wooden box.
- 25:22Speaker 4: Open and empty.
- 25:24Speaker 6: The box that had held the moonstone. I looked down
- 25:28Speaker 6: at the man's face. There was a brown mark beneath
- 25:32Speaker 6: on the bed sheet. I saw that his dark skin
- 25:35Speaker 6: was only stained.
- 25:37Speaker 4: I looked hard. Beneath the stain and the heavy growth
- 25:41Speaker 4: of beard was the face of Godfrey Abelwhite. Hello, cousin. Godfrey. Surprised, cousin? Godfrey,
- 25:56Speaker 4: you took the diamond. Oh, good joke.
- 25:58Speaker 2: I saw you come out of Rachel's sitting room.
- 26:02Speaker 4: You dropped it. I picked it up. And you kept it?
- 26:08Speaker 4: I like money. Better reason.
- 26:11Speaker 11: Those Indians have been after me for a year.
- 26:16Speaker 4: Thought I could fool them. Didn't, did I? Moonstone. Fascinating jewel. Exquisite.
- 26:28Speaker 4: Almost worth your life.
- 26:50Speaker 6: It was some months later that a small news item
- 26:52Speaker 6: appeared on an inner page of the Times. It stated
- 26:56Speaker 6: that the worshippers of an ancient four-handed moon god were
- 27:00Speaker 6: rejoicing over the return of a fabulous yellow diamond to
- 27:05Speaker 6: a recess in their idol's forehead.
- 27:08Speaker 4: It was a small item. I doubt if many people
- 27:12Speaker 4: read it. Suspense.
- 27:35Speaker 3: Presented by Autolite. Tonight's star, Mr. Peter Lawford.
- 27:40Speaker 2: This is Harlow Wilcox speaking for Autolite, the world's largest
- 27:43Speaker 2: independent manufacturer of automotive electrical equipment. In 28 plants from
- 27:49Speaker 2: coast to coast, Autolite makes over 400 products for cars, trucks, tractors, planes, boats,
- 27:55Speaker 2: and industries. These products include dial indicating and recording thermometers, bumpers,
- 28:01Speaker 2: die castings, and batteries such as the famous Autolite Stay Full,
- 28:05Speaker 2: ignition engineered Autolite spark plugs, both standard and resistor types,
- 28:09Speaker 2: voltage regulators, wire and battery cable, Autolite bullseye sealed beam units,
- 28:15Speaker 2: and Autolite original service parts for all Autolite electrical systems.
- 28:20Speaker 2: Autolite is proud to serve the greatest names in the industry.
- 28:25Speaker 2: So from bumper to tail light, you're always right with Autolite.
- 28:38Speaker 3: Next week, it will be our pleasure to present the
- 28:41Speaker 3: first radio adaptation of one of the most amazing human
- 28:44Speaker 3: documents ever written. The personal diary of Emily Wooldridge called
- 28:49Speaker 3: The Wreck of the.
- 28:50Speaker 4: Maid of Athens.
- 28:51Speaker 3: Our star, the first lady of suspense, Miss Agnes Moorhead.
- 28:56Speaker 3: That's next week on... Suspense. Suspense is produced and directed
- 29:10Speaker 3: by Elliot Lewis, with music composed by Lucian Morawick and
- 29:14Speaker 3: conducted by Wilbur Hatch. Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone was adapted
- 29:18Speaker 3: for suspense by Richard Chandley. Featured in tonight's cast were
- 29:22Speaker 3: Betty Harford, Ellen Morgan, Norma Varden, William Johnstone, Ben Wright,
- 29:28Speaker 3: Herb Butterfield, Eric Snowden, and Alistair Duncan.
- 29:32Speaker 2: Peter Lawford will soon be seen co-starring in the Columbia
- 29:35Speaker 2: picture It Should Happen to You.
- 29:37Speaker 4: And remember, next week, Miss Agnes.
- 29:40Speaker 3: Moorhead in The Wreck of the Maid of Athens.
- 29:49Speaker 5: You can buy Autolite stay-full batteries, Autolite original service parts,
- 29:53Speaker 5: and Autolite standard or resistor spot plugs at your neighborhood
- 29:56Speaker 5: Autolite dealers.
- 29:57Speaker 4: Switch to Autolite. Good night.
- 30:00Speaker 8: This is the CBS Radio Network.
- 30:24Speaker 1: Suspense has concluded with The Moonstone Part 2. Good night,
- 30:28Speaker 1: and thank you for joining us for this broadcast.