In A&E Nero Wolfe's "The Silent Speaker," Mrs. Boone, played by the talented Debra Monk, confesses to Wolfe that she kept information to herself at the request of her husband's secretary, Phoebe Gunther. She feels guilty for keeping her promise to Phoebe: if she had given the police the information, Phoebe would not have been killed.
Nero Wolfe agrees--Phoebe wouldn't have been killed--but adds that since Phoebe elicited the promise, the consequences of that action belong to her, not to Mrs. Boone.
He isn't blaming Phoebe, whom he admires for her intelligence and steadiness of purpose. He is according Phoebe and Mrs. Boone the same chivalrous intent one would accord men who honor their promises. In a world of many principles, the obligation to protect can overlap with the obligation to keep faith. Mrs. Boone chose to keep faith. She behaved chivalrously, and Nero Wolfe chivalrously defends her decision. Choice matters.
Great moment!
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