The 39 Steps Page #2

Now I'm reduced to

travelling third class.

One never knows

who one's going to meet.

Maybe... even

...a murderer.

Listen,

if you're serious

about a solo career,

maybe I could be

of financial assistance.

On one condition...

you and your partner help me out.

- Have you seen this man?

- I have. He left just a minute ago.

- If you're playing me for a fool...

- The gentleman's quite correct, officer.

He headed towards

the front of the train.

The front of the train, lads.

I made it as far as Scotland.

But if the police captured me

before I located the German spy ring,

I was going to swing

for a murder I didn't commit.

I needed evidence.

Until I was able

to contact Captain Kell,

my only hope

was to crack Scudder's code.

I've heard whispers of a plot

to assassinate a high

ranking European royal figure.

I had it!

The F for Franz represented A,

the R the E and so on.

F was A,

the sixth letter of the alphabet,

so A was represented

by the Roman numeral 6.

R was E, so represented

by the Roman numeral 18.

According to Scudder's notes,

the assassination was about to trigger

a war of a magnitude never seen before.

The Germans planned to destroy

the vastly superior British Navy,

leaving them free

to invade this country.

My head swam with

the enormity of it.

Stop!

GUNFIRE GUNFIRE Stop! Stop!

Stay where you are, Mr Hannay.

Good Lord! Are you all right?

- I am so sorry.

- What are you apologising for?

He rolled out in front of you.

Are you the Liberal spokesman?

I beg your pardon?

Are you Tommy Twisdon?

Yes, I am.

- I'm Harry Sinclair.

- This is my sister Victoria.

The hotel said you left an hour ago.

Where have you been?

Our Uncle, Sir George Sinclair.

Tommy Twisdon.

Pleased to meet you, Mr Twisdon.

Secretary to the National

Committee of Defence...

Sorry.

There's...

- a twig in your...

- Mr Twisdon took a bit of a tumble.

Could you point me to a telephone?

I need to contact in London.

I'm sorry, we've no time for that.

You better get in there fast,

before there's a mutiny.

This way, please.

- Ladies and Gentlemen...

- Miss Sinclair, please...

- Thank you Professor Fisher.

- it gives me great pleasure

to welcome your prospective

Parliamentary candidate

in the Dungarven by-election,

Harry Sinclair.

Gentlemen.

- I am delighted...

- Speak up, laddie!

- What?

- Speak up!

Right!

Sorry.

I am delighted

to stand before you this afternoon,

as your perspective...

parliamentary candidate...

In fact I think

the whole arms race with Germany

has been a total waste of revenue.

Our good friends, the Germans,

are not the enemy.

But for the Tories

we would be,

working side by side with the Germans,

in peace.

Thank you, Harry.

Your prospective Liberal candidate,

Mr Harry Sinclair.

- I haven't finished.

- Best leave them wanting more, son.

And now the moment

you've all been waiting for,

our honourable guest speaker

of whom Prime Minister Asquith said,

"If you want to get the job done,

"get Twisdon. " Mr Tommy Twisdon.

You know what's wrong

with this great nation?

Smugness and complacency.

You think because Great Britain has

the largest overseas Empire,

because she does indeed rule the waves,

that you're somehow impregnable?

I do not believe you

should be so sanguine,

in your friendships with Germany.

The assassination of

the Archduke Franz Ferdinand

proves that tensions between countries

and alliances run dangerously high.

- That's Europe.

- What's that got to do with us?

You wouldn't be saying that if foreign

boots were marching down your high street,

- would you?

- Surely, sir,

- surely that's warmongering?

- No, sir, it is a warning.

Where do you stand on women,

Mr Twisdon?

What?

Where do you stand on women?

As a rule I try not

to stand on women.

Wouldn't you agree

that one way to defeat this smugness

and complacency you speak

of would be to give women the vote?

I think you ladies should

be grateful that you don't have

to get your petticoats dirty fighting

for your country, Miss Sinclair.

So, gentlemen,

I urge you,

vote Harry Sinclair,

your liberal candidate.

Ladies and gentlemen, I think you'll

agree with me that Mr Twisdon...

It's him!

Open the door!

How dare you talk to me like

that, Mr Twisdon? Women...

Believe me, this

is really not the...

Stay where you are, sir.

Stand aside please, Miss.

I am completely within

my rights to talk to this man.

- I said, stand aside, miss.

- I'm a suffragette, not a criminal.

- I'm warning you.

- Unhand me, you bully.

Wait for me.

Go back.

Down here.

Damn!

- Now look what you've done.

- Well, it's not my fault.

So much for emancipation.

Why don't you find yourself another hobby?

I didn't become a suffragette

because I'm bad at needlepoint.

All that twaddle about freedom.

How can we be living in a free

society when so many people

are viewed as second class citizens?

What are you doing?

Well, I don't want to get

my petticoats dirty, Mr Twisdon.

Nice knowing you, Miss Sinclair.

I'll go it alone from here.

Just a minute.

I assaulted an officer of the law.

The constabulary came after me, not you.

My name's Hannay.

- You said it was Twisdon.

- No, I didn't. You did. My name is Hannay

and I'm wanted for murder.

- Well, why didn't you say so?

- You never gave me the chance.

Do you understand?

The police aren't interested in you.

Go and say you're sorry.

Say I'm sorry?

I kicked a policeman...

while he tried to arrest a murderer. but they'll

arrest me as your accomplice and not for assault.

- That's absurd.

- I agree. I hardly know you.

- God, are you going to kill me too?

- Of course not. I'm innocent...

Give me patience!

Will you stop following me?!

Well, I have no choice! Thanks to you,

I'm a fugitive from the law.

Now why don't we steal that car?

Leave it in the next town.

Because it belongs

to those two men up there.

They're German spies who are chasing me

with the view to ending my life.

Not just a murderer,

but a delusional maniac.

- Just my luck.

- What are you...

- Give me that.

- What if the owners hear?

Do you fancy earning a shilling?

- Yeah!

- Good. When I nod,

pull her hair.

- What did you do that for?

- The man said he'll give me a shilling.

I'll drive.

No, you will not!

- I'm perfectly capable.

- Just move along, move along.

- Do you have children, Mr Hannay?

- I'm not married.

That is a relief to womankind.

Where exactly would you

like me to drop you?

It looks like your German

pals have caught up with us.

Come on!

Who are they really?

Fellow criminals?

I am not a criminal.

And they are German spies.

I specht a little deutch.

Ich mere will come to an understanding.

The last time I encountered these men,

they killed a man in my apartment,

named Scudder. They won't stop

until they have the notebook he gave me.

Then they'll kill us both.

So unless you have a gun...

- I don't believe in violence.

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