Original subtitles

WHISPERS: It's for you.

From my brothers.

Penny Sweets.

Ooh. Try.

Yes, sir.

Who gave you permission to be here?

We saw a letter in the post.

All parcels and letters need to be checked

before you get your dirty paws on them.

You know the rules.

Sorry, we, ah... We forgot.

What a convenient slip.

Just making sure they are what they claim to be.

Back to the dorm, you two.

Oh, my giddy aunt.

Look at the photograph in the newspaper article.

It's a sculpture.

It's the sculpture I found in the grounds

the day of the dance lesson.

Right. Get well soon.

See, it definitely is the same one

and it says here that it was stolen.

"Valuable artefacts were taken from homes across Cornwall."

Maybe the thief hid it under the ivy where you found it.

I don't understand.

Why was there stolen art in the school grounds?

Well, it's a mystery but who wouldn't want to solve it?

No, Darrell, this isn't a game.

A thief at large is a serious, grown-up business.

Well, let's ask Ron if he's seen anything untoward.

No, we shouldn't.

We're not allowed to talk to ground staff and you know that.

Come on, Mary-Lou, let's go tell Miss Johnson.

I...

CLANG!

What was that?

SHE CLOSES THE DOOR

What are you doing?

Nothing. Where did you get that?

In here?

I found this key on the floor

and it fitted this old padlock.

What's under that tarp?

I always thought it was some old school furniture

but look at this.

Oh, my goodness. It's jam packed with stuff.

Look, it's the stolen sculpture,

this is where it disappeared to.

So, could that mean...?

This is where the art thief is hiding their spoils.

Which explains the fake owl noises at night.

Oh, and the restless horses.

Wouldn't it be exciting if we catch the thief and solve the mystery?

Do you recall the day of the dance?

Mary-Lou is quite sure that's the statue she saw.

It looked like it was famous.

And the article said it was stolen from a local stately home.

Which means the thief has been in the school grounds.

What if they come back?

SHE LAUGHS

There was no sculpture.

I came to look, remember?

No, th-there was, the thief must have just moved it.

I admire your imaginations, girls,

but this is very far fetched.

Miss Johnson, if there is a thief at large,

then we're worried for our safety.

No need for that.

I will look into it but it is

nothing for you girls to get involved in.

Now, back to your end of term duties.

Right.

Off you go.

So?

It's not good.

Miss Johnson isn't really interested.

But now we've discovered the stolen goods, we have proof.

Should we go direct to the police?

Will they listen to school girls?

We could try to solve it ourselves.

I don't think that's wise, Jean.

What if it's dangerous?

Gwen's right, we should find a

member of staff and get them to contact the police.

We could tell Matron or Mam'zelle.

Well, they don't always take us seriously.

Miss Grayling takes us seriously, we should get a message to her.

No, Miss Johnson would hate that

and you're undermining her authority.

As head of form I'd have to report you for that.

As head of form, it's time you looked out for our interests

instead of hers for a change.

We must tell Miss Grayling, Gwen,

this is her school, too, she

deserves to know what's going on.

But how are we going to contact her?

I mean, the phone in the hall is not working

and we can't get to the one in Ms Johnson's

study or the one in the san.

We can't, no...

..but someone can.

Bed!

What can I do for you, young lady?

I have a letter for Bill.

Wilhelmina. Give it here.

I've had enough of you girls treating this san

like it is Paddington Station.

Actually, I was thinking...

That's mine.

How many times do I have to say it?

All letters and cards must be checked.

"Get well soon,

"know your onions."

Honestly, what a silly message.

I will never understand you girls.

Call hospital...

..art thief at large. Miss Grayling

must return to school urgently.

Matron, Matron!

Yes.

Have you seen Thunder today?

Not yet, no.

So lovely seeing my friends earlier and

made me think of poor Thunder,

how he's all alone at the stables.

Well, no, he has a groom.

Well, I know he's getting fed and watered, but...

.. not fussed over, not loved.

Please can I see him?

I wasn't born yesterday. I know if I

let you go down there, you will not come back.

Oh, for goodness' sake, I will go.

Operator.

Cliffview General Hospital, please.

I must speak with Miss Elizabeth Grayling.

So, these are the stolen items.

The sculpture that Darrell and I found in the woods

and we also have these paintings

that were published in the paper.

And we asked Ron to tell us the moment he hears or sees anything.

Yes, but by the time he's run up to tell us, the thief will be gone.

No, they won't.

Wait a jiffy.

What's that?

The tin can phone Alicia sent us.

Of course! Good thinking, Ellen.

So how does this phone work?

Simple.

The wire goes out of our window and across the yard,

talking causes little vibrations in the air,

so when you speak into the can,

they pass along the wire and into the other can -

or that's the theory.

Hello?

Hello.

Pull the line taut.

Hello, Darrell, come in, it's Ron.

Oh, it's working.

Mission under way!

Copy that, Romeo, Oscar, November,

standing by.

Irene...

..name Henry VIII's six wives.

Um, Catherine of Aragon,

Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour...

..Catherine Howard...

Miss Grayling?

Do not fool with me, Irene.

No, she's here.

She's telling the truth,

Miss Grayling's back!

Girls, control your excitement.

Sit back down - now.

I shall go and welcome Miss Grayling,

you shall stay and complete your work here.

Headmistress, what a wonderful surprise.

I couldn't miss the end of term,

not after the girls asked for me.

I do apologise,

they should never have done that. Not at all.

You must be exhausted after your journey. Yes.

Hmm. I'm so sorry,

I would have moved my things if I'd known to expect you.

KNOCK AT DOOR

The girls should not be bothering you, I... Come in.

Miss Grayling, we want to say welcome back from all of us,

we have so much to tell you. Darrell, what happened to study?

Did you get our message about the art thief?

I did.

Please, don't worry, I will hear all

your concerns in good time.

But for now, Miss Johnson and I need to...

..debrief. Thank you, Darrell.

What is this art thief the girls are so worried about?

The girls have been harping on about that to me, too.

Such imagination.

We should look into it, though.

Oh, I am, don't worry.

Now, we must look after you.

All this can wait till tomorrow.

I'm sure you'll want to recover from your travels.

I do.

But there is someone I'd like to speak to first.

GIRLS CHATTER

Gwendoline, Miss Grayling would like

to see you in her study now.

But I haven't done anything wrong.

She's asked to see the head of form.

That is you, isn't it?

Gwen, this is perfect, you can tell

her all about the art thief.

I don't have to do anything.

CAN RATTLES

Everyone, quick, look.

Oh, my goodness.

Ron? Come on, the thief is moving art now,

the van's here.

Wait there, I'll be right down.

Darrell, what is it, what's happening?

A van's arrived at the stables, Ron

says they're taking everything out of the stall.

Now all the evidence will be gone.

Miss Grayling needs to know now, before the thief leaves,

we can't rely on Gwen.

You're right. Sally, you go to Miss Grayling,

I'll run straight to the stables. Wait, Sally, I...

Ah! So sorry!

Where are you off to in such a hurry?

Nowhere, I have a message for Miss Grayling.

She's busy with Gwendoline.

Perhaps I can help.

What is it, Sally?

It's about the art thief,

we found them, the stolen objects in the stables.

Stables?

Is this art thief all some

kind of prank?

It's not a prank, it's true.

Right. There's a lot of silliness going on today.

I shall tell Matron to make sure no other girls leave the building

and, you, back to the dorm.

Yes, Miss Johnson.

All the better for being back at school,

Now, when did you become the head of third form, Gwendoline?

After Sally came back from the mumps,

Miss Johnson thought she wasn't up to it.

What an honour, she must value you.

She does.

She said she can trust me to tell

her the other girls' secrets.

Really?

And how do the girls feel about that?

Do they also feel they can trust you?

I don't know.

Something doesn't feel quite right

about reporting back but...

..if that's the job, then I have to do it, don't I?

If something doesn't feel quite right...

..that's your instinct speaking

and it's a job that you don't have to do.

Your instinct was right.

Really?

I can see how Miss Johnson may have felt

it helped her keep order.

I know I wouldn't have been happy in your position.

I'd feel I was betraying the trust of my peers.

But I don't think... A test of a true leader

is to trust your own judgment.

So, next time...

..be brave enough to follow your gut.

Thank you, Miss Grayling.

Now...

..bearing all that in mind...

..what can you tell me about this art thief?

Well... Miss Grayling, may I have an urgent word?

Um... A private, urgent word?

Yes, of course.

Thank you.

Ron to Darrell, Darrell, come in.

Ron.

Too late, you missed it, the van's

gone, all loaded.

I know, well, did you get a good look at the thief?

Yeah, you won't believe...

Good, then we can get the police a decent description of him.

Darrell, it wasn't a him... Why is this left?

They must have heard me moving, took off in a hurry.

Can you move it, hide it somewhere in case the van comes back for it?

Of course, I'll use a wheelbarrow.

Wizard, then I'll tell Miss Johnson,

she'll have to believe us now.

Oh, she'll believe you, all right.

What makes you say that?

I've been trying to tell you,

the van driver, it's her.

But it can't be.

It is, I saw her with my own two

eyes, clear as day, moments ago.

You're acting head is a crook.

That's preposterous,

she's a respectable woman.

How could you think she's a thief?

Because Ron just saw her.

This must be why she's been keeping us from the stables all term.

I'm sorry, Darrell, but I agree with Miss Johnson,

your imaginations really are running wild with you these days.

You have to agree, Gwen, it makes sense.

Everyone stop squabbling, please.

It can't be Miss Johnson, I've been

watching her for the last half an hour.

She hasn't moved from Miss Grayling's study, not once.

But that's impossible.

Did you see her for yourself?

No, but I trust Ron's word. Over mine.

I saw her too, we both can't be right.

But why would he lie?

To protect himself.

He may not be the thief but he has to be collaborating.

I can't understand how he couldn't have noticed.

Bet he's making a nice bit on the side.

Gwen. As head a form, it's my duty

to report this to staff right now.

No, you can't, not without looking into it further, he's our friend.

Yes, it's true. You can't do that.

No, we can.

All the evidence is pointing towards him, Darrell,

you're not listening to me.

Quiet, everyone.

Darrell's right, Gwen, we have to do him justice.

And we can't tell the teachers why we're fighting.

We have to agree on what you should say.

We should hold a class court and vote on what to do.

Very well, let's have a class court.

But my instinct's telling me that

we really should be reporting Ron.

No, it's so out of character.

GIRLS BICKERING

Stop it!

He's my friend too but you have to look at the facts.

I mean, the sculpture did go missing

after we told him about it.

And the art was hidden in the stables where he works.

But he didn't know it was there.

If he were the thief, why on earth

would he have called us to alert us the art had been taken?

It's a double bluff to make him

seem innocent so that you'd arrive

too late and then be taken in.

I'm sorry, Darrell,

I don't want to think this of Ron

but Gwen's theory seems most plausible.

Do you really give up on your friends this quickly?

Because I don't, I fight for mine.

Miss Johnson is not the thief, Darrell.

Ron, he just has to be involved.

Sally, what did you say?

You said Miss Johnson was right

outside Miss Grayling's door the whole time.

Was she close enough to listen in?

What did you say, just before she went in.

Miss Grayling wanted to know what we discovered about the thief.

What if she timed her entrance to interrupt?

Don't be ridiculous, she'd never stoop to a trick like that.

I wouldn't put it past her. What if she is involved somehow?

Let's just vote.

Everyone who believes that Ron is guilty on the evidence

please stand over there with Sally.

And those who think he's innocent

and we should keep investigating, stand with me.

I'm sorry, Darrell.

It's not that I'm certain Ron's the thief...

..but...

..we need to tell the adults now.

That's three against four, it's decided.

What about Bill?

She deserves her vote, too.

Innocent?

But you didn't even let me tell you all of the evidence yet.

The Ron I know is a loyal friend who helped save Thunder's life.

Wilhelmina, you shouldn't let emotion sway your judgment.

Well, you shouldn't try pressuring me into changing my vote.

It's just because it's four against four now and...

..it's going to be up to me as head of form to make the final decision.

Isn't that what you want? No.

I don't want half of the class to hate me.

Please, Wilhelmina, could you,

could you just vote on the other side

and then we'd have the majority.

You know, there is a third way.

You could tell Miss Grayling that

you think Miss Johnson's up to something

and let her figure out how Ron could have seen her there.

What on earth are you doing?

Following my instincts and trusting my gut.

That's what Miss Grayling said to do.

Gwendoline, are you feeling all right?

I need to speak to Miss Grayling.

Oh, I'm afraid she's indisposed.

What did you need her for?

I really don't want to trouble you.

As she's back now, it's probably best I go directly to her.

My goodness, Gwendoline, I would

hope after we've worked together so well all term

that you could trust me as I trust you.

Let's not trouble Miss Grayling with something I can solve.

What is it?

Don't let your desire to please

your friends cloud your judgment.

You're better than that.

Some of us girls think a staff

member is helping the art thief.

What?

Who?

The stable boy.

Stable boy?

Ron Gilson.

He's been howling around all sorts of accusations and

he even claimed that he saw the art thief.

And who did he see?

I know it's laughable, Miss Johnson, but...

..he claimed he saw you.

Bill will vote him innocent, I guarantee it.

Ellen, if you're still uncertain, you can change your vote.

POLICE SIRENS WAIL

What's that?

Is that a police car?

Oh, no, Ron. How do they know?

Someone must have called them.

Gwen. Oh, my goodness.

Gwen, what did you do?

Gwen, did you already tell them you think Ron is the thief?

I had to, Miss Johnson made me.

How could you?

Because this is serious, Darrell.

And it's scary, I...

We're just schoolgirls,

we can't fix this on our own.

What if they arrest Ron?

Well, if he's innocent, then he'll

be able to prove it, won't he?

Darrell, Darrell wait.

I never would have thought it of him, he hid it so well.

It's her, you have to believe me. You can explain everything later.

Can't say I'm surprised, I never trusted that look in his eye.

Matron, you know I wouldn't do this.

No, I have to stop them!

Look, if you're truly convinced he's innocent...

..then I'll try and help you prove it. Really?

Yes, but charging out there won't help him.

Better to watch and listen and make a plan for later.

At least we can turn the page on this sorry chapter.

We can focus on the future.

Well, I hope the police recognise that he's only small fry.

Perhaps he can lead them to the bigger criminals.

It will be distressing for the girls,

they were most fond of him.

You go back and tell the others before they start to fret.

I need to check something quickly.

I'll only be a tick.

Miss Johnson?

Wait!

Stop!