The Lady with the Gun ask the Questions - The Bells of St Paul's Synopsis

Phryne and Dot are having high tea at the Windsor Hotel when the Bells of St Paul's church start tolling in the background. Phryne realizes the bells are not playing their usual tones and that they are spelling out a message.

Back at home Phryne reveals the decoded message as "BERE AT MIDNIGHT" Dot says that if the B's were H's the message would read Here at Midnight which seems more likely. Phryne remembers something to that affect and attempts to track down a book on the matter. Dot finds the book: The Bells of St Pauls and Phryne confirms that B flat is written as B so H is used for natural B. Phryne tells Dot to wake her at 11 so they can head over to the church to find who the message is for.

 At just before midnight Phryne and Dot make there way to the side entrance of St Paul's and see a slight young lady waiting in the moonlight. Phryne introduces herself and asks the girl what she is doing and the girl tells her to mind her own business. Phryne tells her that if a crime is being committed she will summon the police and asks the girl if she is one of the bell ringers. The girl confirms she is. Phryne tells her she suspects an elopement is about to take place. The girl introduces herself as Frieda von Mises one of the bell ringers. She says the Dean does not like having female bell ringers but had no choice after he sacked Michael. Phryne asks why Michael was sacked and Frieda tells her he got drunk at a party and then went the Dean went to pick up his daughter Rose he found Michael vomiting  in the rhododendrons and forbide him to court Rose after that. The Dean also confined Rose to quarters. Phryne says it seems like an elaborate scheme for them to meet and Frieda tells her they had no choice as none of them know where Michael lives and they think his real name is something different as they have seen letters addresses to Windmere or Grassmere. Phryne asks why they would help the Deans daughter elope with a stranger and Frieda says he is a big Puppy.

At that moment a man comes down the alley and Phryne recognizes him as Toby, Viscount Windmere. Shortly after the Deans daughter Rose arrives. Phryne asks Toby what he is doing in Australia and he tells her he is there to make money as his father lost their family fortune. He tells Rose he did not tell them he was a viscount as they may think he was rich but he has made some money in business. They ask him how he came to be ringing bells and Toby tells them he enjoyed ringing bells in his local parish so when he arrived in Melbourne he wanted to ring them too. 

Toby tells Rose he wants to marry her. Rose asks him when he was going to tell her she would be Lady Windmere and Toby says one day she will be the Countess of Grassmere but he will renounce the title if she wants. Rose kisses him and tells him that will not be necessary. 

At that moment Roses mother arrives telling Rose she is careless as she left her passport behind and will need it if she plans to elope. She hands rose a large envelope with her passport and tells her there are two steamer tickets inside and they may stay with her family in Bournemouth for a time if they wish. She says by then they should be married as the ships Captain can perform the ceremony. 

Mrs Deans asks Frieda if the bell code was her idea and Frieda surprised asks how she knew. Mrs Dean tells her she wanted to ring bells too but her husband would not allow women. Phryne asks if she doesn't mind about the elopement and Mrs Dean tells her that she didn't realize Michael/Toby was a Lord but if eight god-fearing bell ringers are prepared to vouch for him he must be ok. She ushers the lovers away before her husband wakes up and when they are left the four remaining women begin to laugh.

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