be someone who'll remember her. miss froy paid for the tea. the waiter should remember. well, you'll have to give us a description of the lady. oh, she's middle-aged and ordinary, rather colorless. i'm afraid that's all i know. you sat opposite her at tea. yes, but the sun was blinding... tall or short, fat or thin, fair or dark? i think she said she had fair curly hair. "said"? you didn't notice this for yourself? and what did she wear? donegal tweed. oatmeal, flecked with brown. it was a two-piece and the jacket was finger length, with patch pockets folded back to form a triangle. small heart brooch with tiny cut sapphires on her lapel, and she wore a natural tussore shirt-blouse, pearl buttons, pin tucks stitched with blue, and there was a small handkerchief embroidered with blue flowers, a different shade, in her handbag. you must be able to remember her face. you see, i had such a frantic headache. cause and effect. the doctor said you were suffering

from a slight sunstroke. doctor: the sunstroke explains all. you saw someone who wasn't there. when you fell asleep, you dreamt. when you woke up, you were feeling much better and there was no miss froy because she never actually existed. she was a delirium, a dream. if i had known the circumstances i should not have intervened. i'm sorry for taking up so much of your time. iris: well as far as i'm concerned, the matter is by no means over. why should you imagine i am telling a lie? well, apart from the fact that you barely remember what the woman looked like, perhaps you could explain why six persons should lie? i can't. unless one person's lying and the others are backing her up, in which case it's her word against mine, and as i'm english and you're english and this concerns an english woman, then it is your duty to believe me. do not confuse patriotism with prejudice, miss carr. besides, your insinuation is absurd. what motive would the baroness have for lying? i don't know. miss froy was so insignificant. the baroness paid for an upgrade on miss froy's ticket because there was a mix-up.

i'm gratified to hear about my generosity. unfortunately, i know nothing of it. perhaps the ticket master will refresh my memory. are you bored? no, i was thinking about my middlemist rose. oh? might have missed it if we hadn't left a day early. are you going to put it in the show? i hadn't thought of it. oh. there's something else for you to think about. (speaking serbo-croatian) he does not understand a word. (speaking serbo-croatian) iris. impossible to know what was actually said-- he spoke in a dialect i didn't understand. what? i'm beginning to suspect the only language anyone understands is baroness.

i suppose i should ask you how you know their language. i came here to build a bridge, and then i was asked to build another one. four years later, i'm still here. building bridges. you make it difficult to be open to conviction while you are unable to produce any kind of definite proof. i'll go back to the restaurant car and ask if anybody has seen a woman in tweed. if you'll follow me, i'm going to test some english memories. i can't prove miss froy is missing until i prove she existed in the first place, correct? you want definitive proof, a witness... who is that girl? she's part of that ghastly crowd from the hotel. iris: and i have at least one because there were other english people staying in my hotel who are now on the train and i know they saw miss froy too. professor: i see. iris: when we arrive in trieste, we must go straight to the british embassy. they'll hold up the train for a thorough examination. we are not missing out on your middlemist rose because of that silly girl.

i am more than happy to cooperate, but i have absolutely no idea about whom she is speaking. no lady did me the honor to linger by my window. iris: but you saw her. no. yes, and your wife saw her, you were both annoyed. we are not a peep show. i am sorry. do you mind if we shut the door? i'd like to rest before dinner. can i take you back to your compartment? no. there are others. (sighs) i know i can rely on you. you remember the english woman in tweed i was with in the restaurant car. i have no recollection of your companion. but you said that she was trying to attract my attention. miss evelyn: someone may have been with you, but i can't recall. i'm afraid i wasn't wearing my glasses. miss evelyn: you must understand it would be against our principles

to identify someone of whom we were not sure. miss froy has disappeared off this train. are you telling me that you wouldn't lift a finger to help someone who is in danger? what kind of danger could one be in on a crowded train? mrs. barnes: excuse me. the reverend is having a little sleep so i thought i'd take advantage. miss carr. oh, i hope i haven't driven you out. no, of course not. and i expect you don't remember miss froy either. the little woman in tweed? oh! thank you! thank you! i am not mad! i am not in a delirium! how shall we play it? by confronting the baroness. there must be some misunderstanding. there's no misunderstanding. the baroness lied to you. well, perhaps i misunderstood. no, you didn't. you were a clinking interpreter, professor. you didn't slip up on a thing. i think she's disguised as the doctor. a wig to cover the fair curly hair. you're not amusing. you seem to forget that besides being a real person, miss froy is still missing.

we need to act with some urgency. admittedly, but it's a perplexing problem and i do not care to act without careful consideration. what is he doing? i think he's going to have a cigarette. i'll find her myself. he'll be back. i think it's better that we wait for him. he lends an air of authority that we quite happily lack. i'll wait as long as it takes to smoke a cigarette. you must be the most unselfish person alive.

am i right? miss froy is a complete stranger to you? really, it's almost unnatural. i'm not usually like this. you see, the amusing part, it's rather the other way round. i can't understand myself a bit. it's far too easy to point the finger at a woman and declare her hysterical or having seen a delirium. yes, but... no, let me finish. the whole thing: the sunstroke, the people telling me it's a dream, the jangling in my mind. even i started to think i was going mad. i don't want to waste any more time. i know this sounds like some soppy picture, but her people are expecting her home and her fool of a dog meets every train... that upsets you? this kind of pathetic emotion? it's treason. you don't care about family?

seeing as i have none. not since i was too young to remember. and don't you dare feel sorry for me. miss carr. your friend has returned to the carriage. apparently she was talking to one of the nurses in another compartment. of course she was. professor, miss froy has been discovered and i'm determined that you meet her. miss froy! you're not miss froy. no, i'm not miss froy. i am frau kummer. i told you this when we had our tea together. but... no, this is not the woman... i had tea with miss froy. no, i am not mad.

this isn't right. mrs. barnes met her. she'll tell you this isn't her. i will fetch mrs. barnes and we can put an end to this silly charade. excuse me. miss evelyn: my dear, you do look quite forlorn. is something wrong? would you mind awfully if i let you into my confidence? i have told the reverend we had to leave early because i am missing our son. you may be frank with us, mrs. barnes. the reverend and i met late in life. of course we understood the likelihood of a child was virtually impossible, so you can imagine our ecstasy when our son gabriel was born. as you know, the reverend forbade all talk of him while we were at the hotel. his logic for doing so... our devotion to him has...

the reverend believes... been tempting fate, and now i'm... well, it appears the reverend was right. fate has been... (knocking) i'm sorry to trouble you, mrs. barnes. the, uh, very emotional young lady wants you to identify the missing woman. well, can't she do that herself? she says now that the lady is not the original one who, according to her, is still missing. well, i hope she is the right one for your sake because otherwise, mark my words, she'll have you hanging around trieste and you'll miss your connection to milan. but i have to return to england! it's terribly urgent! still, one has to do one's duty. whatever the cost. oh, kenneth, what are you doing? i was worried. i'm just helping the professor identify the woman who sent us our tea. i'll come with you. you're not well! no, i insist. i should like to thank the lady myself.

max: i think i have the right waiter. and by the way, he is very proud of speaking english. i want you to look at this lady. don't look at her clothes, look at her face. now tell me. is this the lady i had tea with? yes, tea. you're sure? yes, madame, i am positive sure. thank you. excuse me. ah! edna, my dear, is this the lady who ordered our tea? this is the woman.

i'm very glad to be able to take this opportunity to thank you for your kindness. she was part of a group of people staying at the hotel. they were no testimonial for the english nation. their lack of propriety... they were a party of near nudists, drinking all day and all night. they were a complete nuisance. and then there was the disgraceful scene on the terrace yesterday. two women screaming about a man... over a man. and everyone came out to watch. she was one of the women. i quite understand your feelings. you see, my point in asking your opinion is to see whether or not she could be hysterical. without a doubt. no, i don't think we can judge whether or not the girl is hysterical. professor: well, herein lies my dilemma. either the girl is telling a pack of lies to get into the limelight or she is suffering from a slight delirium as a result of sunstroke. if the story were true and the governess was hiding, she could be doing so for a strong personal reason. i think at this point, we have to say

that this is your dilemma and not ours. although we do empathize with the situation this has put you in. sorry to be such a crashing bore. i'm quite all right now, thank you. i'm surprised the professor let me in here. i think you two may have got off on the wrong foot. look, i'll be honest with you. you haven't given us one reason why this woman would be worth abducting. if she is real and it is true, then how on earth is she important enough to make this whole charade worthwhile? i wish i knew. and the worst thing is she may have told me, but honestly she didn't stop talking and so i stopped listening. well, do you know how she was associated with the baroness? her employer was a member of the family. the baroness has a brother. and there are rumors, uh... there was a story in the english papers about an intellectual who was murdered for opposing the king. it's the kind of thing that happens all the time here,

but it's the first time that it's gone into the foreign press. there is talk that the baroness's brother hunted him down and shot him in broad daylight. ah, now there's plenty of talk about other suspects. but if it is the baroness's brother, that would... i hate to burst your bubble. the brother was in vienna at the time. you have to understand the balkans is a place heaving with conspiracies. you cannot trust anything anyone tells you. no, don't you see there's one thing i'm certain of? by bringing out frau kummer, the baroness has proved that miss froy exists. this has turned into something terribly sinister. look, as much as i would like to believe you, and i would, i have to look at the facts. what facts? only one person out of the whole myriad of witnesses has backed your story. and that one person, mrs. barnes, and her husband, the reverend, positively identified frau kummer as the woman you were with. so you think i'm mad? please be serious. this is the most awful thing that's ever happened to me. well, i am grateful to miss froy for bringing us together. you may be prepared to give up on miss froy, but i am not.

man: second seating for the dinner start now. (quietly): i'm not a bad person... i'm not a bad person. i'm not a bad person! (door opens) why did you lie about miss froy? i believe her name is frau kummer. you know as well as i do that she's english. she was kind to you. she's a very kind woman. i don't know what you're talking about. whatever you think of me, please, i beg you! her parents are waiting for her. if you can imagine what that's like for them. how would you feel if you never saw your child again? i'm sorry. the woman i saw was frau kummer. i don't know why you'd think she had an english accent.

(door opens) come to gloat? i am concerned about you, miss carr. i have been talking to mr. hare and we are both wondering if you are fit to continue this journey alone. i am perfectly fit. i wouldn't want anyone to worry on my account. and what if you collapse later? it would be more awkward for you and everyone else. i have been discussing it with the doctor just now, who has come to the rescue with an admirable solution. as the doctor is taking the patient to a hospital in trieste, he has offered to see you placed in a recommended nursing home for the night. of course.

how clever of him. oh, no, i think you have misunderstood-- it was at my suggestion. max is genuinely worried about you and he asked me to use my influence. no one can influence me to go with the doctor! in that case, as there is nothing more to be said, i will take my leave. can't you see he's trying to kidnap me as well? the man is evil! i have seen nothing in his behavior other than a man of medicine who is objective about his care for you. and all you see in my behavior is a woman who is hysterical? if you want the brutal truth, yes. then i won't pretend to be grateful for your interest. as you wish. but i... yes? nothing.

(faint laughter) (talking and laughing) do you need a hand? not talking to me? why did you lie to the girl about the peeping woman? i thought you understood.

why did you lie? well, i don't know. because you did. i expect you'll appreciate that i was one jump ahead. you haven't realized that i would have had to make a statement in trieste. if you could imagine the headline-- "english woman lost on continental express," and "a photo of mr. todhunter on his honeymoon." now, i am more than aware of the penalties of fame. the english press would have jumped on it. "sir peveril brown caught with mistress in italy." all would have been lost, laura, my dear. yes. yes. all would have been lost. you suggested i stop off at trieste. yes. i was worried stiff about you. why? well, hanged if i know why. it's not a habit of mine. for some reason, i'd like to help you. you said you didn't believe me based on facts. but your facts are based on what other people have seen.

yes. how do you know your witnesses are reliable? because they're all saying the same thing. no, it's because they're matrons and sunday school teachers. right. let me give you my facts. there wasn't only a mix-up with miss froy's ticket. there was also a dispute about mine. i ended up paying an absolute fortune to bribe a ticket officer into giving me this seat. i can only take your word for that. just hear me out. it wasn't sunstroke that made me fall on the platform. i have a large egg on the back of my head. from where you fell on the platform. i was sitting on a bench seat with a back. how could i have fallen backwards? one might begin to conclude that i wasn't wanted in this compartment. but not everyone from your hotel is involved in this. you said that the reverend and mrs. barnes positively identified frau kummer. yes. the reverend never saw miss froy. it was mrs. barnes who spoke to miss froy because the reverend was so unwell. and it's the reverend's credibility that made you believe mrs. barnes. it is only her word against mine, and why should i be judged at face value if it goes against me? i can't dispute that. you want to help? you tell me the motivation

for making miss froy disappear off this train. but i can't... i'm only asking that you imagine she exists. and don't pretend you're not clever. hmm... well, they couldn't have bumped her off at home. that would have brought in the foreign press. "an english governess disappears in croatia." disappearing on a train? that's far more cunning. they would have lost valuable time before they could prove that the lady had vanished. and no one on the train would actually remember when she was here. her disappearance could have been after she'd arrived in italy, or she could have stopped off in paris for a couple of days to shop. it will be impossible to trace it back to the baroness and her family. so they've probably already flung her from the train? the body would be found. no, much better to invent an invalid, and that'd be the baroness's sister.

miss froy is in the last compartment disguised as an invalid. how can anybody recognize her with all that equipment around her, and why else would the compartment be sealed? so what happens to her when we get to trieste? dump her in some river, i expect. weight down and all that. we have to see the patient. we can't go marching in there. why not? we still have no proof miss froy exists. this was simply a yarn that i made up for you. it's just silly hypothesizing. please go. let me talk to the professor. don't bother. he's prejudiced in favor of those matrons. can't you get your hair to lie down? no. neither by kindness nor threats. it's my secret sorrow.

thank you. that's the first bit of interest you've shown in me. (door closes) (crumpling) miss froy!

(gasps) let me pass. you are in pain. that is not good, for you are young and you are traveling without friends. i will ask the nurse to give you something to relieve your pain. no, thank you. i would like you to step aside. nurse! get off me! (grunting) (men yelling)

why are we stopping? it's the frontier. well, do we have to go through customs? no, the officials get on here. (barking) please, you have to help me! a woman's disappeared on the train. she's been kidnapped... no passengers off the train! do you understand me? a woman has been kidnapped! oh, for god's sake. why is that woman holding up the train? (barking) excuse me, you have to search the train! you have to stop the train here! (barking and growling) and why can't they control that animal? it appears to be barking at nothing. i doubt it. dogs see and hear things the rest of us don't, especially at night. well, it's a good thing they can't speak then, isn't it, my dear? what are you staring at? the professor. i thought i'd talk to him. i don't think he has enough money for you, my dear. i'm not interested in the professor that way. back on the train!

you have to search the train! they're lying to me! (door closes) i'm wondering if i could endure the name "brown" after being known as "mrs. parmiter." on what occasion would you have to take my name? if i went to the professor and assured him of the little spinster's existence... i would like to know your implication. well, with all the publicity we would both have, we would be free to marry each other. when your wife reads about us in the papers, there'll be a divorce. no woman could stand that. and i quite like the idea of being lady brown. i hate to disappoint you, my dear, but my wife will never divorce me. and she is the only lady brown that there will ever be. i doubt very much whether there will ever be any risk of publicity. unless, of course, you would like it? (door opens)

miss froy saw the baroness's brother when he wasn't supposed to be there. this was tucked into miss froy's seat. an english newspaper. yes! if i am the only english woman in my compartment, why would there be an english newspaper there? uh, because it's over a week old? no, it doesn't matter. it's the dates. the dates are wrong, and she knew! she was squeezing my hand when i was falling asleep and i didn't keep an eye on her. please don't encourage her. look, i know this is all tumbling out of me, but you have listen to me. you said that the baroness's brother had an alibi, that he was in vienna. well, miss froy told me that she saw him and he was supposed to be away, but he wasn't. because he murdered that man! and that's why she's disappeared off this train and now they're trying to kill me. you cannot possibly be serious. oh, i'm very serious. and i know where miss froy is. and i expect you're going to tell me. do go on, miss carr. miss froy is the invalid in the sealed compartment. i'm truly worried about the state of this young woman's mind. (train rattles violently)

don't you see? this is deadly, terribly urgent. when we arrive in trieste, it will be too late! can it wait until after dinner? the young lady is in a very highly strung condition. i think, mr. hare, you are right. it may be safer to reassure her. miss carr, please sit down for a moment, would you? please. i have something to tell you. this is not something i wanted anyone to know on this train, but i feel in this situation i am forced to take you all into my confidence. my patient started with an ordinary attack of influenza, which very rapidly turned into a most vicious type of pneumonia. her respiratory system is compromised. she cannot breathe without oxygen. and this is not the only case i've seen in croatia. yes, there is news in england as well. you cannot be serious! i expect you are too young to remember the influenza of 1918, miss carr.

on the contrary, i have cause to remember it very well. but i am not swayed by the doctor's lies. i would like to see the patient. wait a second... no! if you are willing to risk yourselves, then i suggest we go and see the patient. i'm sorry, i really don't see any other way. we have to take this seriously, miss carr. it is not only our lives you risk. the patient is the baroness's sister. you may be scared of the baroness, but i am not. i must apologize, your dinner will be spoiled. do you have any idea of the way you look? i don't care. i won't let you... you're hurting me. sorry. doctor: rather impetuous of you to burn my poor nurse just because she offered a tablet to relieve your pain. iris: no. this nurse... she is not the same...