 Either way, tonight, the king of a man who was left in need, was afraid to claim his inheritance. And why? You hear? Tonight's performance in a mystery playhouse. The man who was left great wealth, as we omit short, has written his classic story for man's greed versus his cowardice. Let's see now, as the mystery playhouse presents dilemma. This is Faulknerhausen, this somber mass of stone frowning down on Bedford Village. This is the year of Grace 1891, the year that Bedford men remember. This is the story of Faulknerhausen, a young Gerald Faulkner, and the terrible choice he had to make. And it was told unto him that greed will consume a man and all his works and the innermost places of his soul. He walks slowly up the stairs, concealing the vial of yellow liquid in the palm of his hand. His hair is dense with the terror of the thing he plans to do. He opens the door up the top of the stairs, slowly, cautiously, very quietly. He moves across the old man's room, the lace of his turks on trembles in the small light of the bedside candle. He opens the stopper on the vial, empties the yellow liquid into the glass. He turns quickly and goes to the door. Gerald! Yes, yes, Grandfather? What are you doing in my room? I thought it was time for your medicine, but I saw you were asleep. All right, all right, I'll take the full medicine. Is it the glass? Speak up, is it? I think so, Grandfather. You think so? Don't think? No. Oh, there's my full spoon. Where are you staring at? You see me take my medicine before? I better be sure that's the right glass, perhaps. This doesn't smell right, Grandfather, maybe. I'm not starved. I didn't mean to break it. Didn't you? No. Why are you staring at me like that? You didn't have the nerve, did you, Gerald? I don't understand. You didn't have the nerve to kill me. Oh, I saw you crawling there and put something in my glass, but you didn't have the courage to go through with it. Did you? Did you? No. No, I didn't have the courage. I wish I had. I thought so. You're a coward, Gerald. That's why I hate you. You're a coward. You always have been. You couldn't even feel I helped this old man. No, no, no. Don't go. Stay where you are. I have something to say to you. You didn't have to try to kill me there. You see, the doctor already has told me my heart may stop at any moment. What? And now you'll cut me off without? On the contrary. You still inherit my money. Every single one. Even after I've tried. Even after that. Then you can pay your debts and marry Ellen. If she likes you. I'll die happy thinking how I provided for you. For it would be the strangest inheritance a man has ever known. Now get out of here, you coward. Go to Ellen's house. Tell her what a rich man you're going to be. And grandfather says I'll have plenty of money soon. Ellen, so you needn't worry. Gerald, I wish we didn't have to talk about your grandfather's money all the time. Why don't you go to work, darling? Work? Oh, my dear child. It would take 20 years of work to pay off my gambling debts alone. Oh, I've waited all my life for that money. Now look, come here and kiss me sweetly. And promise you'll never talk such nonsense again. Oh, Gerald. Come on, come on, the back of your neck. Ah, that's a nice plan. Please, Gerald. Oh, you'll have a carriage of your own and a lovely fur cape. Oh, timing. And diamonds. Ah, we'll be married in style, my dear. Such style. As soon as dear grandfather returns to his maker. Gerald, don't talk like that. What? Oh, why not? He can't live forever, poor soul. His heart, you know. It's going to run down someday. Just like an old clock. Hey, Gerald. Your grandfather is dead. I'm sorry, my boy. His heart just gave out. Uh, did he... Oh, was he happy at the end? Did he say anything? Nothing unusual. Except he did mumble something about an inheritance. I'm not sure of the words, mind you, but it sounded like the strangest, strangest inheritance a man has ever known. Yes. Yes, that's it. That's exactly what he said. The strangest inheritance a man has ever known. It is the will of Eben Faulkner that his entire estate and holdings there too be bequeathed to his devoted grandson Gerald. His last wishes are contained in a letter which I, as executor, am charged to see properly carried out. Mr. Gerald Faulkner is to take this letter and, on the night of the seventh day after his grandfather's death, proceed to the cellar of Faulkner House. He is to stand before the steel vault therein and read the letter. Gerald, what is this? Why are we going down here? You'll see. You'll see. Just be patient. Let me hold this camera. Oh, I'm all right. So, we arrive. Behold my love, grandfather Eben's bull. Gerald! Huh? Oh, I should have warned you. That's only grandfather Eben's picture. Life-like, isn't it? Gerald, let's get out of here. Oh, no, no, no. We have a little ceremony to perform. My sainted grandfather's last wish. Hey, grandfather. Gerald, Gerald, don't talk the picture. For once, you can't answer that. Can you, old Flintheart? Ellen, come here by the door of the vault. Shine a candle on this letter. You'll be the first to see the inheritance. Now, all I have to do is read the letter. Very simple. I open it, bust, and I read. I love it, Gerald. Standing out at the door of the vault, hung with the photo of the local, instead of two, turned the letter. No, Gerald, come on. That's a joke. Crazy joke, he couldn't make. Oh, read it. Read what I've said. Darling, read it. My dearly beloved Gerald, you are standing now at the door of the vault behind which is my total earthly wealth, which I decree solely to you. However, I have arranged a delicate mechanism, which, when you insert the key contained in this letter, did not enough explosive to blow you and the half of your inheritance into eternity. Thus, it may be that I am merely taking your courage. It may be that I have not arranged this mechanism to explode. To unlock the door or not to unlock it is your choice. Remember, if you are braving up and insert the key, you will hear five belly-like scopes of the mechanism. After the sip has sounded, you will either be a rich man or you will be done with it. Oh, Gerald, can't you see? Don't need to ask you. It's all a bluff. Do you think so? Of course. You mean he wanted to get his revenge by scaring me, making me afraid to open the vault, thinking I'd not know the money's there just out of rate? That might be it, Gerald. Ah, you old skin-flin. I'll show you whether I'm a coward or not. Give me the key, Ellen. I'm going to open it right now. Yeah. Go ahead, darling. Delicate mechanism. I'll show him. Delicate mechanism. Well, go ahead, dear. Delicate mechanism. Well, it could be, Ellen. It could be he put explosives in the door. You don't know how he hated it. Oh, he's looking. I'm afraid. I'll do it all right. Right now. Can't do it. Other than I can't. I keep looking at that picture over the vault, and I know. Gerald, give me the key. I'll do it myself. No, no, no, you can't. It's a twilight. You're risking too. You're right. You're right. You think I'm a coward, don't you? Gerald, if you're afraid, then just forget it. It's your cousin. As for myself, I don't want to marry him. Do you think I need money to love you, to marry you? You could go to work, Gerald. Work? I am going to work out. Darling! I'm going to work on grandfather's book. He's not going to cheat me out of the fork in the money. I've got six months to get to it. I'm going to get naked. I'm going to dig down and break a hole into the back of the book. We'll fix grandfather, even. We've got six months. We'll dig and dig and dig! How's the job coming? Oh, Mr. Faulkner. I'm glad you're here. I want a word with you. Oh? We're given a notice at noon. The men want no more of this job. We're quitting. Quit? You can't quit. You've got to keep on with it. We're quitting, Mr. Faulkner. We just got one of the stories that's going around. It doesn't play square with us. My men want no dealings with explosives. You can't stop now. You can't. Tell them and to stay. Tell them I'll pay them double, triple. Tell them anything you want. Only don't stop digging. We're quitting at noon, Mr. Faulkner. My instructions as executor direct me to visit you each month, Mr. Faulkner, with a reminder of the time remaining. The time remaining, that is, before I have the cellar of Faulkner House sealed up. This visit, sir, is to remind you that you have only five months left. Oh, please. Please give up this insane obsession. Forget there ever was an inheritance. Why talk to yourself like this? I won't give it up. But money's mine. It belongs to me. There must be some way to get it. I'll find that way. I'll go to the architect who designed the book. That's what I'll do. I'll go to the architect. Yes, Mr. Faulkner. Yes, Mr. Faulkner. I designed the ball for your grandfather. Oh, then you can help me. Tell me. Is there any secret subterranean channel leading to it? No, Mr. Faulkner. There's only one way into that ball. Through the door. Four months left, Mr. Faulkner. Four months. Four months. There must be a way. I can't stand this. There must be a way. You don't want a locksmith, Mr. Faulkner. You want a fool. The entire village knows there's something mighty peculiar going on in the Faulkner house. You won't find a locksmith in these parts to go within ten miles of it. Three months left, Mr. Faulkner. Three months. Gerald, would you please give it up? No, no, no. There must be a way. There must be a way. Mr. Faulkner, I have dealt with explosives all my life, sir. An examination is only one way to tell whether or not the door can be opened without causing an explosion. Oh, then there is a solution. Oh, thank goodness you're my last hope. Not so fast. I meant after the door is opened. After it's opened? Oh, but that might prove too late. Stop it, Johnson. Stop it. It's terrible. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't do anything to think of that ball. I warn you, Gerald, if you keep on like this, I can't be responsible. My advice is to leave Faulkner house for a while. Please. I can't leave, Doctor. I can't. Oh, there it is. Billions. Think of it millions. This is in my grasp. If I don't have it, I'm without a penny. I'll be a pauper. I can't do it, Doctor. I can't. I must have that money. If you value money above your life, I can do nothing for you. Your condition is deplorable. A few more weeks the way you've been going, and you'll end up like Johnny Rum, a village idiot. Johnny Rum? If you keep on the way you've been going. You're a village idiot. Hey, Doctor. Doctor, you've given me an idea. You've given me an idea. Rum for Johnny. Now, Johnny, concentrate. You know what you to do? For Rum. Rum for Johnny Rum. You'll get Rum plenty. Now, listen carefully. As soon as I'm gone, you wait 20 minutes, right? And you take the key. Now, where's the key, Johnny? At the... You take the key, you place it right here in this lock, and you turn it all the way around. Is all that clear? Rum. Rum. Yes, yes, Rum. I'll give you a balance of Rum. Now, listen to me. Listen to me, will you? Rum for Johnny Rum. I'll be down at the top. Wait a minute. Now, remember, 20 minutes, then the key. Rum for Johnny. Rum for Johnny. Rum. Rum for Johnny. Johnny, Johnny, not yet. I told you, wait, wait until after I'm gone. Don't you understand, you crazy idiot? Wait 20 minutes. 20 minutes. I'll be at the top. Meet me. Barkeep, another brandy. Yes, sir. 15, sir. He should be here by now. Why doesn't he come? What's that? I don't know. Some commotion outside, sir. Rum for Johnny. Rum for Johnny. Johnny, Johnny. What happened, Compton? Oh, he's a bloody sight all right, Mr. Forkner, but don't mind that. He's not as bad off as he looks. He caught him red-handed in your cellar. Fooling around, he was with the key, about to open some big door. Why, you fool, you had no right to arrest him. He wasn't robbing my place. I sent him down there. I sent him. Rum for Johnny. You sent him? You sent him to open your grandfather's vault? Certainly. Well, well, that is all I mean. You mean you sent a poor idiot to die in your place in case the vault exploded? I've heard of Cowards, Mr. Forkner. That came out of here. I'm too to who I've been. Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Wait a minute! The doctor says you'll be all right, Gerald. He says all you need is a little rest, some way to fix an attachment, and turn the key from a distance. Gerald, this isn't any game anymore. This is your life you're playing with now. You must give this up. I've had it, Ellen. I've gone so far. I can't give it up. But you must. Gerald, let's get married now. Let's get married and leave Forkner's house and forget there ever was an inheritance. Very well, Gerald. You don't have to. I'll go alone, Ellen. No. You'll have to make up your mind. Which is it to be? The money or me? You'll have to decide which you value more. Ellen, you can have a carriage. For a carriage... I don't want them. The money or me, Gerald. All right, Ellen. You win. It's you. I'll pour you a drink, Mr. Pierce. No, no, thank you, Mr. Forkner. I only came over to tell you that tonight is the last night. At sunrise, we seal the board. Of course, now that you've given up all intentions of opening it... Give up? Oh, don't be a fool. What Miss Ellen said... Oh, that! That was merely my way of holding her. But I'll have Ellen and them up. There's still plenty of time. What do you mean? That's certainly. You think I'll be a pauper when all I have to do is give this little T one twist? What time is it? 2 a.m., Mr. Forkner. Well, then, Mr. Pierce... I don't think there will be any explosion. But if you do, you better get out of here. Well, in just one hour. In just one hour, I'm going downstairs, and I'm going to open that board. And, Father... So you thought you'd torture me forever, did you? So you thought I wouldn't have the courage to open your filthy vault. Here I am. You haven't succeeded, old Flintheart. Your little steam hasn't paid off. I'll have Ellen and them up. And the money! And every son of a nice spend will curse your miserable soul. But carefully, Grandfather, and this is the moment you never thought would happen at a bluff shot. This is the moment. Watch the key in the lock, and now bring on your bell-like strokes. Bring them on! Told unto him that greed will consume a man and all his works and the innermost places of his soul. My friends, there's dilemma. I assume it's a tonight's performance in a mystery playhouse. Not a bad one in that time, Mr. Ryan. Well, now to further ahead to your evening's restfulness, we take you to the green room for a preview here in our next to-to-do-down explanation. Please, come in. Uh, Mr. Fonk said this is Mrs. Noah. Do you like it? Sit down, both of you. What was the commotion downstairs, Weasel? One of the customers got teased with Mr. Crane on account of he dropped five grand three days learning. Five grand? Yeah. So he decided the tables were fixed, and so he decided Mr. Crane ought to be fixed, and so he decided to fix it. With a gun? What? Yeah. Only I removed it from him forcefully, and we tied him up and left him in a courtroom. Indeed. So Crane owes his life to you, eh? Well, well. And I am indebted to you for preserving the manager of my club. Well, Weasel, it looks like you're ready to bonus. Oh, I don't want no bonus, Mr. Fonk. What? Why not? Well, that's what I want to see about I, um, I, uh, you fellow Mrs. North. Mr. Fonk, Weasel would like to resign if you don't mind. Looking for greener pastures, eh? Greener pastures? Oh, no, it's just a... Well, I suppose you decided to make a new start in life, Mr. Fonk. Only after you did, you found out it wasn't. You, you'd want it too, wouldn't you? Yeah, one of what? Resign. Except you wouldn't, of course. Resign? No, uh, decide to make a new start. Only he did. So he does. I hope you don't mind. Uh, I beg your pardon. It's okay, Mr. Fonk. I never can understand a neither, except, of course, I ain't very right, but is it okay for me to quit? Well, if you're not happy here... Oh, well, Ethan, I'm not happy. It's just that, well, like she told you, whatever she did, it's like that. Oh. Oh, well, I'll take it over. Okay. And I sure hope you decide to let me quit. And I kinda, that's what I'm gonna do. Well, here's the conform. I'll go and see how Mr. Lawson is. All right. Look, where's Luluna Hatchick? I told her to stay here and watch Mr. Lawson, and how else he tried to get away. There she is, Luluna. Where? On the floor. No, that's Mr. Lawson. We love her. Hey, now you're right. That isn't a good Luluna. She's sleeping. She's been knocked out. And I guess she has. Mr. Lawson must have come through and got loose and conked. It looks like it. Uh, come on. We gotta warn Mr. Crain. All right, Luluna. How about Luluna? Oh, I think she'll be okay. But Mr. Crain won't, if Mr. Lawson gets to him first. Doesn't seem to be in here at the table. No, that's funny. He don't seem to be in no place. Wait a minute. There's his wife. Maybe she knows where he went. Come on. Oh, hello, Mrs. Crain. Oh, we've heard you're just the person I want to see. Where's my husband? You took the words right out of my mouth. What? I was about to interrogate you on the same point. Oh, haven't you seen him? A little while ago, but not since Mr. Lawson escaped. Oh, who's Mr. Lawson? One of the customers which wants to shoot Mr. Crain. Oh. Well, if you find Kenneth and he hasn't been shot, tell him I'm looking for him. Okay. He does seem very concerned about your husband's life. The only concern I have about anyone killing him is that it would keep me from having that pleasure myself. Maybe he went upstairs to see Mr. Fox. Well, let's go see these all. If you find him, tell him I'm waiting. She got against your husband. Missy McGillroy. Who's she? A dame which Mr. Crain is infected with. Oh. Mr. Crain is all the time playing upon Missy all kinds of expensive gifts which Mrs. Crain thinks it ought to be by right standard at her. I don't know. Why does she get it? What's the matter? Look, Rita. The bottom of the can. Quiet. Mr. Crain. It looks like he's had an accident. Let's see. This neck seems to be broke. Or something is broken, you know. And it kind of... He's dead. Oh, Rita. He must have fell down the steps. Mm-hmm. Tell it. Tell it. It was pushed. Oh, that's just a bitter half of the Mr. and Mrs. Norris' combination, right in the middle. A lot of murder. If you have followed the adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Norris at all, you know that... that's nothing unusual for them. No. It looks like Jerry Norris misses out on this one since he's away on a business trip, but you'll be there and it's very familiar to us. So you'll be with us in fact. Next time, when a mystery playhouse creeps and rises.