agatha chritstie: sleeping murder

8/12/2019 Agatha Chritstie: Sleeping Murder

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Chapter 1 A House

Gwenda Reed stood, shivering a little, on the quay-side.

The doc s and the custo! sheds and all o" #ngland that she could see, were

gently waving up and down.

And it was in that !o!ent that she !ade her decision$the decision that was

to lead to such very !o!entous events.

%he wouldn&t go 'y the 'oat train to (ondon as she had planned.

A"ter all, why should she) *o one was waiting "or her, no'ody e+pected her.

%he had only ust got o"" that heaving crea ing 'oat it had 'een an

e+ceptionally rough three days through the ay and up to /ly!outh0 and the

last thing she wanted was to get into a heaving swaying train. %he would go

to a hotel, a nice "ir! steady hotel standing on good solid ground. And she

would get into a nice steady 'ed that didn&t crea and roll. And she would go

to sleep, and the ne+t !orning$why, o" course$what a splendid idea %he

would hire a car and she would drive slowly and without hurrying hersel" all

through the %outh o" #ngland loo ing a'out "or a house$a nice house$the

house that she and Giles had planned she should "ind. 2es, that was a

splendid idea.

3n that way she would see so!ething o" #ngland$o" the #ngland that Giles

had told her a'out and which she had never seen4 although, li e !ost *ew

5ealanders, she called it Ho!e. At the !o!ent, #ngland was not loo ing

particularly attractive. 3t was a grey day with rain i!!inent and a sharp

irritating wind 'lowing. /ly!outh, Gwenda thought, as she !oved "orward


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3!!ediately Gwenda "elt a thro' o" appreciation$al!ost o" recognition. This

was her house Already she was sure o" it. %he could picture the garden, the

long windows$she was sure that the house was ust what she wanted.

3t was late in the day, so she put up at the Royal Clarence Hotel and went to

the house agents whose na!e she had noted on the 'oard the "ollowing

!orning.

/resently, ar!ed with an order to view, she was standing in the old-"ashioned

long drawing-roo! with its two :rench windows giving on to a "lagged terrace

in "ront o" which a ind o" roc ery interspersed with "lowering shru's "ell

sharply to a stretch o" lawn 'elow. Through the trees at the 'otto! o" the

garden the sea could 'e seen.

This is !y house, thought Gwenda. 3t&s ho!e. 3 "eel already as though 3 now

every 'it o" it.

The door opened and a tall !elancholy wo!an with a cold in the head

entered, sni""ing. &


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condolence, sy!pathy and understanding. ent$an+ious she should co!e and settle near the!... the


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They retraced their steps along the corridor. Gwenda !ur!ured,

conscientiously, &%i+, no, seven 'edroo!s, counting the little one and the

attic&

The 'oards crea ed "aintly under her "eet. Already she "elt that it was she

and not


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&2ou&ve never "elt or seen anything yoursel") *o'ody&s died here)&

Rather an un"ortunate question, she thought, a split second o" a !o!ent too

late, 'ecause presu!a'ly


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Gwenda nodded to hersel". %he would alter all that.

:ollowing


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Have 'ought a house.

(ove.

Gwenda.

&That&ll tic le hi! up,& said Gwenda to hersel". &%how hi! that the grass

doesn&t grow under !y "eet &

Chapter @ 7allpaper

A !onth had passed and Gwenda had !oved into Hillside. Giles&s aunt&s

"urniture had co!e out o" store and was arranged round the house. 3t was

good quality old-"ashioned stu"". 6ne or two over-large wardro'es Gwenda

had sold, 'ut the rest "itted in nicely and were in har!ony with the house.

There were s!all gay papier!ache ta'les in the drawing-roo!, inlaid with

!other-o"-pearl and painted with castles and roses. There was a pri! little

wor -ta'le with a gathered sac underneath o" pure sil 4 there was a

rosewood 'ureau and a !ahogany so"a ta'le.

The so-called easy chairs Gwenda had relegated to various 'edroo!s and

had 'ought two large squashy wells o" co!"ort "or hersel" and Giles to stand

each side o" the "ireplace. The large chester"ield so"a was placed near the windows. :or curtains Gwenda had chosen old-"ashioned chint= o" pale egg-

shell 'lue with pri! urns o" roses and yellow 'irds on the!. The roo!, she

now considered, was e+actly right.

%he was hardly settled yet, since she had wor !en in the house still. They

should have 'een out 'y now, 'ut Gwenda rightly esti!ated that until shehersel" ca!e into residence, they would not go.


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The itchen alterations were "inished, the new 'athroo!s nearly so. :or

"urther decorating Gwenda was going to wait a while. %he wanted ti!e to

savour her new ho!e and decide on the e+act colour sche!es she wanted

"or the 'edroo!s. The house was really in very good order and there was no

need to do everything at once.

3n the itchen a


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rounded walls and the 'ow window. %he "elt thoroughly at ho!e in it and

happy.

(oo ing round her now, she e+clai!ed i!pulsively8 &3 do li e this roo!.&


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%he "elt !ore at ho!e every day in Hillside. Hearing a throat 'eing

ponderously cleared and a short dry cough through the open window, she

hurried over her 'rea "ast. :oster, the te!pera!ental o''ing gardener, who

was not always relia'le in his pro!ises, !ust 'e here today as he had said

he would 'e.

Gwenda 'athed, dressed, put on a tweed s irt and a sweater and hurried out

into the garden. :oster was at wor outside the drawing-roo! window.

Gwenda&s "irst action had 'een to get a path !ade down through the roc ery

at this point. :oster had 'een recalcitrant, pointing out that the "orsythia

would have to go and the weigela, and the! there lilacs, 'ut Gwenda had

'een ada!ant, and he was now al!ost enthusiastic a'out his tas .

He greeted her with a chuc le.

&(oo s li e you&re going 'ac to old ti!es, !iss.& He persisted in calling

Gwenda &!iss&.0

&6ld ti!es) How)&

:oster tapped with his spade.

&3 co!e on the old steps$see, that&s where they went$ ust as you want &e!

now. Then so!eone planted the! over and covered the! up.&

&3t was very stupid o" the!, said Gwenda. &2ou want a vista down to the lawn

and the sea "ro! the drawing-roo! window.&


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:oster was so!ewhat ha=y a'out a vista$'ut he gave a cautious and

grudging assent.

&3 don&t say, !ind you, that it won&t 'e an i!prove!ent... Gives you a view$

and the! shru's !ade it dar in the drawing-roo!. %till they was growing a

treat$never seen a healthier lot o" "orsythia. (ilacs isn&t !uch, 'ut the!

wiglers costs !oney$and !ind you$they&re too old to replant.&

&6h, 3 now. ut this is !uch, !uch nicer.& &7ell.& :oster scratched his head.

&


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that there parade on the "ront His tone held the disapproval o" the aged "or

all innovations. &Changes,& he said with a snort. &*othing 'ut changes.&

&3 suppose things are 'ound to change,& said Gwenda. &And a"ter all there are

lots o" i!prove!ents nowadays, aren&t there)&

&%o they say. 3 ain&t noticed the!. Changes & He gestured towards the

!acrocarpa hedge on the le"t through which the glea! o" a 'uilding showed.

&Bsed to 'e the cottage hospital, that used,& he said. &*ice place and handy.

Then they goes and 'uilds a great place near to a !ile out o" town. Twenty

!inutes& wal i" you want to get there on a visiting day$or threepence on the

'us.& He gestured once !ore towards the hedge... &3t&s a girls& school now.


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correspondence that re!ained to 'e answered was a letter "ro! so!e

cousins o" Giles who lived in (ondon. Any ti!e she wanted to co!e to

(ondon they 'egged her to co!e and stay with the! at their house in

Chelsea.

Ray!ond 7est was a well- nown rather than popular0 novelist and his wi"e

oan, Gwenda new, was a painter. 3t would 'e "un to go and stay with the!,

though pro'a'ly they would thin she was a !ost terri'le /hilistine. *either

Giles nor 3 are a 'it high'row, re"lected Gwenda.

A sonorous gong 'oo!ed ponti"ically "ro! the hall. %urrounded 'y a great

deal o" carved and tortured 'lac wood, the gong had 'een one o" Giles&s

aunt&s pri=ed possessions.


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have a doorway !ade through "ro! the drawing-roo! to the dining-roo!. 3&ll

tal to


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&7on&t 'e no di""iculty a'out this,


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3t wasn&t haunted 3t was a darling house There couldn&t 'e anything wrong

with the house. 7hy,


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loo ed at her py a!as spread out on the 'ed and her 'edroo! slippers 'elow

the!.

Really, Gwenda, you !ight 'e si+ years old 2ou ought to have 'unny shoes,

with ra''its on the!.

%he got into 'ed with a sense o" relie" and was soon asleep.

The ne+t !orning she had various !atters to see to in the town. 7hen she

ca!e 'ac it was lunch-ti!e.

&The !en have got the cup'oard open in your 'edroo!, !ada!,& said


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Here she was in a house she had never 'een in 'e"ore, in a country she had

never visited$and only two days ago she had lain in 'ed i!agining a paper

"or this very roo!$ and the paper she had i!agined corresponded e+actly

with the paper that had once hung on the walls.

7ild "rag!ents o" e+planation whirled round in her head. 9unne, #+peri!ent

with Ti!e-seeing "orward instead o" 'ac ...

%he could e+plain the garden path and the connecting door as coincidence$

'ut there couldn&t 'e coincidence a'out this. 2ou couldn&t conceiva'ly

i!agine a wallpaper o" such a distinctive design and then "ind one e+actly as

you had i!agined it... *o, there was so!e e+planation that eluded her and

that$yes, "rightened her. #very now and then she was seeing, not "orward,

'ut 'ac $'ac to so!e "or!er state o" the house. Any !o!ent she !ight

see so!ething !ore$so!ething she didn&t want to see... The house

"rightened her... ut was it the house or hersel") %he didn&t want to 'e one o"

those people who saw things...

%he drew a long 'reath, put on her hat and coat and slipped quic ly out o"

the house. At the post o""ice she sent the "ollowing telegra!8

7est, 1D Addway %quare Chelsea (ondon.


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Chapter E &Cover her "ace...&

Ray!ond 7est and his wi"e did all they could to !a e young Giles&s wi"e "eel

welco!e. 3t was not their "ault that Gwenda "ound the! secretly rather

alar!ing. Ray!ond, with his odd appearance, rather li e a pouncing raven,

his sweep o" hair and his sudden crescendos o" quite inco!prehensi'le

conversation, le"t Gwenda round-eyed and nervous. oth he and oan

see!ed to tal a language o" their own. Gwenda had never 'een plunged in

a high'row at!osphere 'e"ore and practically all its ter!s were strange.

&7e&ve planned to ta e you to a show or two,& said Ray!ond whilst Gwenda

was drin ing gin and rather wishing she could have had a cup o" tea a"ter her

ourney.

Gwenda 'rightened up i!!ediately.

&The allet tonight at %adler&s 7ells, and to!orrow we&ve got a 'irthday party

on "or !y quite incredi'le Aunt ane$the 9uchess o"


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their legs swathed in chint=. %he lives in a village, the ind o" village where

nothing ever happens, e+actly li e a stagnant pond.&

&%o!ething did happen there once,& his wi"e said drily.

&A !ere dra!a o" passion$crude$no su'tlety to it.&

&2ou en oyed it "right"ully at the ti!e,& oan re!inded hi! with a slight twin le.

&3 so!eti!es en oy playing village cric et,& said Ray!ond, with dignity.

&Anyway, Aunt ane distinguished hersel" over that !urder.&

&6h, she&s no "ool. %he adores pro'le!s.&

&/ro'le!s)& said Gwenda, her !ind "lying to arith!etic.

Ray!ond waved a hand.

&Any ind o" pro'le!. 7hy the grocer&s wi"e too her u!'rella to the church

social on a "ine evening. 7hy a gill o" pic led shri!ps was "ound where it

was. 7hat happened to the ;icar&s surplice. All grist to !y Aunt ane&s !ill.

%o i" you&ve any pro'le! in your li"e, put it to her, Gwenda. %he&ll tell you theanswer.&

He laughed and Gwenda laughed too, 'ut not very heartily. %he was

introduced to Aunt ane, otherwise


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A"ter an early dinner at which they dran Aunt ane&s health, they all went o""

to His


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& ust lie down now and go to sleep,& said


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&Good !orning, !y dear. 2ou&re "eeling 'etter, 3 hope.&

&6h yes, 3&! quite all right. How 3 could !a e such an utter idiot o" !ysel" last

night, 3 don&t now. Are they$are they very !ad with !e)&

&6h no, !y dear. They quite understand.&

&Bnderstand what)&


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Gwenda tore it open. 3t had 'een retelegraphed on "ro! 9ill!outh. %he

stared at it "or a !o!ent or two unco!prehendingly, then screwed it into a

'all.

&There&s no answer,& she said !echanically.

The !aid le"t the roo!.

&*ot 'ad news, 3 hope, dear)&

&3t&s Giles$!y hus'and. He&s "lying ho!e. He&ll 'e here in a wee .&

Her voice was 'ewildered and !isera'le.


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&And so 3 got rather "rightened, she ended. &And 3 thought 3&d co!e up to

(ondon$get away "ro! it all. 6nly, you see, 3 couldn&t get away "ro! it. 3t

"ollowed !e. (ast night$& she shut her eyes and gulped re!iniscently.

&(ast night)& pro!pted


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&7hy did 3 say that)&she said. &7hy did 3 say Helen) 3 don&t now any Helen &

%he dropped her hands with a gesture o" despair.

&2ou see, she said, &3&! !ad 3 i!agine things 3 go a'out seeing things that

aren&t there. :irst it was only wallpapers$'ut now it&s dead 'odies. %o 3&!

getting worse.&

&*ow don&t rush to conclusions, !y dear$&

&6r else it&s the house. The house is haunted$or 'ewitched or so!ething... 3

see things that have happened there$or else 3 see things that are going to

happen there$and that would 'e worse. /erhaps a wo!an called Helen is

going to 'e !urdered there... 6nly 3 don&t see i" it&s the house that&s haunted

why 3 should see these aw"ul things when 3 a! away "ro! it. %o 3 thin really

that it !ust 'e !e that&s going queer. And 3&d 'etter go and see a psychiatrist

at once$this !orning.&

&7ell, o" course, Gwenda dear, you can always do that when you&ve

e+hausted every other line o" approach, 'ut 3 always thin !ysel" that it&s

'etter to e+a!ine the si!plest and !ost co!!onplace e+planations "irst. (et

!e get the "acts quite clear. There were three de"inite incidents that upset

you. A path in the garden that had 'een planted over 'ut that you "elt was

there, a door that had 'een 'ric ed up, and a wallpaper which you i!aginedcorrectly and in detail without having seen it) A! 3 right)&

&2es.&

&7ell, the easiest, the !ost natural e+planation would 'e that you had seen

the! 'e"ore.&


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&3n another li"e, you !ean)&

&7ell no, dear. 3 !eant in this li"e. 3 !ean that they !ight 'e actual

!e!ories.&

& ut 3&ve never 'een in #ngland until a !onth ago,


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the 'oat. %he scolded !e when 3 cried 'ecause the Captain issed !e and 3

didn&t li e his 'eard.&

&*ow that&s very interesting, dear, 'ecause you see you are !i+ing up two

di""erent voyages. 3n one, the Captain had a 'eard and in the other he had a

red "ace and a scar on his chin.&

&2es,& Gwenda considered, &3 suppose 3 !ust 'e.&

&3t see!s possi'le to !e,& said


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thin ing there was a door through "ro! the drawing-roo! to the dining-roo!.

ut surely it&s quite i!possi'le that 3 should co!e to #ngland and actually

'uy the identical house 3&d lived in long ago)&

&3t&s not i!possi'le, !y dear. 3t&s ust a very re!ar a'le coincidence$and

re!ar a'le coincidences do happen. 2our hus'and wanted a house on the

south coast, you were loo ing "or one, and you passed a house that stirred

!e!ories, and attracted you. 3t was the right si=e and a reasona'le price and

so you 'ought it. *o, it&s not too wildly i!pro'a'le. Had the house 'een

!erely what is called perhaps rightly0 a haunted house, you would have

reacted di""erently, 3 thin . ut you had no "eeling o" violence or repulsion

e+cept, so you have told !e, at one very de"inite !o!ent, and that was when

you were ust starting to co!e down the staircase and loo ing down into the

hall.&

%o!e o" the scared e+pression ca!e 'ac into Gwenda&s eyes. %he said8

&2ou !ean$that$that Helen$that that&s true too)&


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they don&t understand, they don&t tal a'out it. They 'ottle it up. %ee!ingly,

perhaps, they "orget it. ut the !e!ory is still there deep down.&

Gwenda drew a deep 'reath.

&And you thin that&s what happened to !e) ut why don&t 3 re!e!'er it all

now)&

&6ne can&t re!e!'er to order. And o"ten when one tries to, the !e!ory goes

"urther away. ut 3 thin there are one or two indications that that is what did

happen. :or instance when you told !e ust now a'out your e+perience in

the theatre last night you used a very revealing turn o" words. 2ou said you

see!ed to 'e loo ing through the 'anisters $'ut nor!ally, you now, one

doesn&t loo down into a hall through the 'anisters 'ut over the!. 6nly a

child would loo through.&

&That&s clever o" you,& said Gwenda appreciatively. &These little things are very

signi"icant.& & ut who was Helen)& as ed Gwenda in a 'ewildered way. &Tell

!e, !y dear, are you still quite sure it was Helen)&

&2es... 3t&s "right"ully odd, 'ecause 3 don&t now who Helen is$'ut at the

sa!e ti!e 3 do now$3 !ean 3 now that it was Helen lying there... How

a! 3 going to "ind out !ore)&

&7ell, 3 thin the o'vious thing to do is to "ind out de"initely i" you ever were in

#ngland as a child, or i" you could have 'een. 2our relatives$&

Gwenda interrupted. &Aunt Alison. %he would now, 3&! sure.&


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&Then 3 should write to her 'y air !ail. Tell her circu!stances have arisen

which !a e it i!perative "or you to now i" you have ever 'een in #ngland.

2ou would pro'a'ly get an answer 'y air !ail 'y the ti!e your hus'and

arrives.&

&6h, than you,


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&3&! delighted to !eet you,


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'ac with hi! to #ngland. He said he hoped we would at so!e ti!e co!e

over and visit hi! there.

3 understand that on the voyage ho!e, your "ather !et a young wo!an,

'eca!e engaged to her, and !arried her as soon as he got to #ngland. The

!arriage was not, 3 gather, a happy one, and 3 understand they parted a'out

a year later. 3t was then that your "ather wrote to us and as ed i" we were still

willing to give you a ho!e. 3 need hardly tell you, !y dear, how happy we

were to do so. 2ou were sent out to us in the charge o" an #nglish nurse, and

at the sa!e ti!e your "ather settled the 'ul o" his estate upon you and

suggested that you !ight legally adopt our na!e. This, 3 !ay say, see!ed a

little curious to us, 'ut we "elt that it was indly !eant$and intended to !a e

you !ore one o" the "a!ily$we did not, however, adopt that suggestion.

A'out a year later your "ather died in a nursing ho!e. 3 sur!ise that he had

already received 'ad news a'out his health at the ti!e when he sent you out

to us.

3&! a"raid 3 cannot tell you where you lived whilst with your "ather in #ngland.

His letter naturally had the address on it at the ti!e 'ut that is now eighteen

years ago and 3&! a"raid one doesn&t re!e!'er such details. 3t was in the

%outh o" #ngland, 3 now$and 3 "ancy 9ill!outh is correct. 3 had a vague

idea it was 9art!outh, 'ut the two na!es are not unli e. 3 'elieve your

step!other !arried again, 'ut 3 have no recollection o" her na!e, nor even o"her un!arried na!e, though your "ather had !entioned it in the original letter

telling o" his re!arriage. 7e were, 3 thin , a little resent"ul o" his !arrying

again so soon, 'ut o" course one nows that on 'oard ship the in"luence o"

propinquity is very great$and he !ay also have thought that it would 'e a

good thing on your account.


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3t see!ed stupid o" !e not to have !entioned to you that you had 'een in

#ngland even i" you didn&t re!e!'er the "act, 'ut, as 3 say, the whole thing

had "aded "ro! !y !ind. 2our !other&s death in 3ndia and your su'sequently

co!ing to live with us always see!ed the i!portant points.

3 hope this is all cleared up now)

3 do trust Giles will soon 'e a'le to oin you. 3t is hard "or you 'oth 'eing

parted at this early stage.

All !y news in !y ne+t letter, as 3 a! sending this o"" hurriedly in answer to

your wire.

2our loving aunt,

Alison 9an'y.

/%. 2ou do not say what your worrying e+perience was) &2ou see, said

Gwenda. &3t&s al!ost e+actly as you suggested.&


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&7hich 3 have, said Giles.

&And the house) 7hat do you "eel a'out the house)& as ed


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&*ot hinting, dear. ust advising you 'ecause 3&ve lived a long ti!e and now

how very upsetting hu!an nature can 'e0 to let well alone. That&s !y advice8

let well alone.&

& ut it isn&t letting well alone.& Giles&s voice held a di""erent note, a sterner

note. &Hillside is our house, Gwenda&s and !ine, and so!eone was !urdered

in that house, or so we 'elieve. 3&! not going to stand "or !urder in !y house

and do nothing a'out it, even i" it is eighteen years ago &


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&2ou&ve ust 'een away "or three wee s.&

&3 now. ut to (ondon which, as you say, is enervating. And then up *orth$

a !anu"acturing district. *ot li e 'racing sea air.&

9r Haydoc pac ed up his 'ag. Then he turned round, grinning.

&(et&s hear why you sent "or !e,& he said. & ust tell !e what it&s to 'e and 3&ll

repeat it a"ter you. 2ou want !y pro"essional opinion that what you need is

sea air$&

&3 new you&d understand,& said


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&/retty little place. Rather dull. 7hy 9ill!outh)&

:or a !o!ent or two


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outwardly at least all goes well. /erhaps that was so in the case o"


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&%o that&s what you&re doing with your e+cuses to get to 9ill!outh.


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&9r Haydoc thin s it would 'e advisa'le.&

&7ell, Haydoc &s not such a "ool as so!e doctors,& ad!itted


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and won&t charge very !uch. 7ith good coo ing and sea air you&ll soon pic

up.&

&Than you, 9olly, said


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& ut loo here, Gwenda. This isn&t a ind o"


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&3 don&t thin any child could do that. *ot unless you heard it in conditions o"

great stress$and i" that was the case we&re 'ac again where we were$

hold on, 3&ve got it. 3t was the paws you drea!t. 2ou saw the 'ody and heard

the words and you were scared sti"" and then you had a night!are a'out it,

and there were waving !on eys& paws too$ pro'a'ly you were "rightened o"

!on eys.&

Gwenda loo ed slightly du'ious$she said slowly8 &3 suppose that !ight 'e

it...&

&3 wish you could re!e!'er a 'it !ore... Co!e down here in the hall. %hut

your eyes. Thin ... 9oesn&t anything !ore co!e 'ac to you)&

&*o, it doesn&t, Giles... The !ore 3 thin , the "urther it all goes away... 3 !ean,

3&! 'eginning to dou't now i" 3 ever really saw anything at all. /erhaps the

other night 3 ust had a 'rainstor! in the theatre.&

&*o. There was so!ething.


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a syste!atic way. 7e&ve !ade a 'eginning$3&ve loo ed through the /arish

registers o" deaths. There&s no Helen o" the right age a!ongst the!. 3n "act

there doesn&t see! to 'e a Helen at all in the period 3 covered$#llen /ugg,

ninety-"our, was the nearest. *ow we !ust thin o" the ne+t pro"ita'le

approach. 3" your "ather, and presu!a'ly your step!other, lived in this house,

they !ust either have 'ought it or rented it.&

&According to :oster, the gardener, so!e people called #lworthy had it 'e"ore

the Hengraves and 'e"ore the!


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&3&! a"raid it&s not possi'le to tell you,


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A thin !iddle-aged wo!an with suspicious eyes ca!e into the roo!.

Giles e+plained hi!sel" quic ly, and the e+pression o" one who e+pects to

have a vacuu! cleaner pushed at her le"t


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now$perhaps you&d li e to see !y "ather. 3 don&t now that it&s one o" his

good days$&

%he led the! into a s!all 'lac study. Here, propped up in a 'ig sha''y

leather chair sat an old gentle!an with a white walrus !oustache. His "ace

was pulled slightly sideways. He eyed Gwenda with distinct approval as his

daughter !ade the introductions.

&new a 'oy at school in

2or shire$'ut that&s seventy-odd years ago.&

&He rented Hillside, we thin ,& said Giles.

&Hillside) 7as it called Hillside then)& new that old

rascal


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&That&s right, !y dear$Halliday.


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&Got it,& he e+clai!ed enthusiastically, when the e+pected reply arrived.

:ro! the covering letter he e+tracted a certi"ied copy o" a !arriage

certi"icate.

&Here we are, Gwenda. :riday, Aug. Kth >ensington Registry 6""ice. >elvin

a!es Halliday to Helen %penlove >ennedy.&

Gwenda cried out sharply

&Helen)&

They loo ed at each other.

Giles said slowly8 & ut$'ut$it can&t 'e her. 3 !ean$they separated, and

she !arried again$and went away.&

&7e don&t now, said Gwenda, &that she went away...& %he loo ed again at

the plainly written na!e8

Helen %penlove >ennedy. Helen...

Chapter K 9r >ennedy

A "ew days later Gwenda, wal ing along the #splanade in a sharp wind,

stopped suddenly 'eside one o" the glass shelters which a thought"ul

Corporation had provided "or the use o" its visitors.

&


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:or indeed ennedy, co!!unicate

etc. 3 should thin , don&t you, that we&re 'ound to get so!e answers.&

&3 should thin so, !y dear$yes, 3 should thin so.&


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Galls Hill 7oodleigh olton.

9ear %ir,

3n answer to your advertise!ent in The Ti!es, Helen %penlove >ennedy is

!y sister. 3 have lost touch with her "or !any years and should 'e glad to

have news o" her.

2o urs "aith"ully, a!es >ennedy, ennedy scorned such !odern

innovations as central heating. The wo!an who opened the door was dar

and rather "or'idding. %he led the! across the rather 'are hall, and into a

study where 9r >ennedy rose to receive the!. 3t was a long, rather highroo!, lined with well-"illed 'oo shelves.


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9r >ennedy was a grey-haired elderly !an with shrewd eyes under tu"ted

'rows. His ga=e went sharply "ro! one to the other o" the!.

&


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&2es,& she said. &3&! Gwennie.&

&God 'less !y soul. Grown up and !arried. How ti!e "lies 3t !ust 'e$what

$"i"teen years$no, o" course, !uch longer than that. 2ou don&t re!e!'er

!e, 3 suppose)&

Gwenda shoo her head.

&3 don&t even re!e!'er !y "ather. 3 !ean, it&s all a vague ind o" 'lur.&

&6" course$Halliday&s "irst wi"e ca!e "ro! *ew 5ealand$3 re!e!'er his

telling !e so. A "ine country, 3 should thin .&

&3t&s the loveliest country in the world$'ut 3&! quite "ond o" #ngland, too.&

&6n a visit$or settling down here)& He rang the 'ell. &7e !ust have tea.&

7hen the tall wo!an ca!e, he said, &Tea, please$and$er$hot 'uttered

toast, or$or ca e, or so!ething.&

The respecta'le house eeper loo ed veno!ous, 'ut said, &2es, sir,& and went

out. &3 don&t usually go in "or tea,& said 9r >ennedy vaguely. & ut we !ustcele'rate.&

&3t&s very nice o" you,& said Gwenda. &*o, we&re not on a visit. 7e&ve 'ought a

house.& %he paused and added, &Hillside.&


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9r >ennedy said vaguely, &6h yes. 3n 9ill!outh. 2ou wrote "ro! there.& &3t&s

the !ost e+traordinary coincidence,& said Gwenda. &3sn&t it, Giles)& &3 should

say so,& said Giles. &Really quite staggering.&

&3t was "or sale, you see,& said Gwenda, and added in "ace o" 9r >ennedy&s

apparent non-co!prehension, &3t&s the sa!e house where we used to live

long ago.&

9r >ennedy "rowned. &Hillside) ut surely$6h yes, 3 did hear they&d changed

the na!e. Bsed to 'e %t %o!ething or other$i" 3&! thin ing o" the right

house$on the (eaha!pton road, co!ing down into the town, on the right-

hand side)&

&2es.&

&That&s the one. :unny how na!es go out o" your head. 7ait a !inute. %t

Catherine&s$ that&s what it used to 'e called.&

&And 3 did live there, didn&t 3)& Gwenda said.

&2es, o" course you did.& He stared at her, a!used. &7hy did you want to

co!e 'ac there) 2ou can&t re!e!'er !uch a'out it, surely)&

&*o. ut so!ehow$it "elt li e ho!e.&

&3t "elt li e ho!e,& the doctor repeated. There was no e+pression in the words,

'ut Giles wondered what he was thin ing a'out.

&%o you see,& said Gwenda, &3 hoped you&d tell !e a'out it all$a'out !y"ather and Helen and$& she ended la!ely$&and everything...&


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He loo ed at her re"lectively.

&3 suppose they didn&t now very !uch$out in *ew 5ealand. 7hy should

they) 7ell, there isn&t !uch to tell. Helen$!y sister$was co!ing 'ac "ro!

3ndia on the sa!e 'oat with your "ather. He was a widower with a s!all

daughter. Helen was sorry "or hi! or "ell in love with hi!. He was lonely, or

"ell in love with her. 9i""icult to now ust the way things happen. They were

!arried in (ondon on arrival, and ca!e down to 9ill!outh to !e. 3 was in

practice there, then. >elvin Halliday see!ed a nice chap, rather nervy and

run down$'ut they see!ed happy enough together$then.&

He was silent "or a !o!ent 'e"ore he said, &However, in less than a year, she

ran away with so!eone else. 2ou pro'a'ly now that)&

&7ho did she run away with)& as ed Gwenda. He 'ent his shrewd eyes upon

her.

&%he didn&t tell !e,& he said. &3 wasn&t in her con"idence. 3&d seen$couldn&t

help seeing$ that there was "riction 'etween her and >elvin. 3 didn&t now

why. 3 was always a strait-laced sort o" "ellow$a 'eliever in !arital "idelity.

Helen wouldn&t have wanted !e to now what was going on. 3&d heard

ru!ours$one does$'ut there was no !ention o" any particular na!e. Theyo"ten had guests staying with the! who ca!e "ro! (ondon, or "ro! other

parts o" #ngland. 3 i!agined it was one o" the!.&

&There wasn&t a divorce, then)&


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&Helen didn&t want a divorce. >elvin told !e that. That&s why 3 i!agined,

perhaps wrongly, that it was a case o" so!e !arried !an. %o!eone whose

wi"e was an RC perhaps.&

&And !y "ather)&

&He didn&t want a divorce, either.&

9r >ennedy spo e rather shortly.

&Tell !e a'out !y "ather,& said Gwenda. &7hy did he decide suddenly to send

!e out to *ew 5ealand)&

>ennedy paused a !o!ent 'e"ore saying, &3 gather your people out there

had 'een pressing hi!. A"ter the 'rea -up o" his second !arriage, he

pro'a'ly thought it was the 'est thing.&

&7hy didn&t he ta e !e out there hi!sel")&

9r >ennedy loo ed along the !antelpiece searching vaguely "or a pipe

cleaner.

&6h, 3 don&t now... He was in rather poor health.&

&7hat was the !atter with hi!) 7hat did he die o")&

The door opened and the scorn"ul house eeper appeared with a laden tray.

There was 'uttered toast and so!e a!, 'ut no ca e. 7ith a vague gesture9r >ennedy !otioned Gwenda to pour out. %he did so. 7hen the cups were


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"illed and handed round and Gwenda had ta en a piece o" toast, 9r >ennedy

said with rather "orced cheer"ulness8 &Tell !e what you&ve done to the house)

3 don&t suppose 3&d recogni=e it now$a"ter you two have "inished with it.&

&7e&re having a little "un with 'athroo!s, ad!itted Giles. Gwenda, her eyes

on the doctor, said8 &7hat did !y "ather die o")&

&3 couldn&t really tell, !y dear. As 3 say, he was in rather poor health "or a

while, and he "inally went into a %anatoriu!$so!ewhere on the east coast.

He died a'out two years later.&

&7here was this %anatoriu! e+actly)&

&3&! sorry. 3 can&t re!e!'er now. As 3 say, 3 have an i!pression it was on the

east coast.&

There was de"inite evasion now in his !anner. Giles and Gwenda loo ed at

each other "or a 'rie" second.

Giles said, &At least, sir, you can tell us where he&s 'uried) Gwenda is$

naturally$very an+ious to visit his grave.&

9r >ennedy 'ent over the "ireplace, scraping in the 'owl o" his pipe with apen ni"e.

&9o you now,& he said, rather indistinctly, &3 don&t really thin 3 should dwell

too !uch on the past. All this ancestor worship$it&s a !ista e. The "uture is

what !atters. Here you are, you two, young and healthy with the world in

"ront o" you. Thin "orward. *o use going a'out putting "lowers on the graveo" so!eone who!, "or all practical purposes, you hardly new.&


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Gwenda said !utinously8 &3 should li e to see !y "ather&s grave.&

&3&! a"raid 3 can&t help you.& 9r >ennedy&s tones were pleasant 'ut cold. &3t&s a

long ti!e ago, and !y !e!ory isn&t what it was. 3 lost touch with your "ather

a"ter he le"t 9ill!outh. 3 thin he wrote to !e once "ro! the %anatoriu! and,

as 3 say, 3 have an i!pression it was on the east coast$'ut 3 couldn&t really

'e sure even o" that. And 3&ve no idea at all o" where he is 'uried.&

&How very odd,& said Giles.

&*ot really. The lin 'etween us, you see, was Helen. 3 was always very "ond

o" Helen. %he&s !y hal"-sister and very !any years younger than 3 a!, 'ut 3

tried to 'ring her up as well as 3 could. The right schools and all that. ut

there&s no gainsaying that Helen$well, that she never had a sta'le

character. There was trou'le when she was quite young with a very

undesira'le young !an. 3 got her out o" that sa"ely. Then she elected to go

out to 3ndia and !arry 7alter :ane. 7ell, that was all right, nice lad, son o"

9ill!outh&s leading solicitor, 'ut "ran ly, dull as ditchwater. He&d always

adored her, 'ut she never loo ed at hi!. %till, she changed her !ind and

went out to 3ndia to !arry hi!. 7hen she saw hi! again, it was all o"". %he

wired to !e "or !oney "or her passage ho!e. 3 sent it. 6n the way 'ac , she

!et >elvin. They were !arried 'e"ore 3 new a'out it. 3&ve "elt, shall we say,apologetic "or that sister o" !ine. 3t e+plains why >elvin and 3 didn&t eep up

the relationship a"ter she went away.& He added suddenly8 &7here&s Helen

now) Can you tell !e) 3&d li e to get in touch with her.&

& ut we don&t now,& said Gwenda. &7e don&t now at all.&


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&6h 3 thought "ro! your advertise!ent$& He loo ed at the! with sudden

curiosity. &Tell !e, why did you advertise)&

Gwenda said8 &7e wanted to get in touch$& and stopped.

&7ith so!eone you can hardly re!e!'er)& 9r >ennedy loo ed pu==led.

Gwenda said quic ly8 &3 thought$i" 3 could get in touch with her$she&d tell

!e$a'out !y "ather.&

&2es$yes$3 see. %orry 3 can&t 'e o" !uch use. ennedy standing 'y the !antelpiece, pulling his

gri==led !oustache and loo ing trou'led.


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&He nows so!ething he won&t tell us,& said Gwenda, as they got into the car.

&There&s so!ething$oh, Giles 3 wish$3 wish now that we&d never started...&

They loo ed at each other, and in each !ind, unac nowledged to the other,

the sa!e "ear sprang.

&ennedy wouldn&t tell us 'ecause he

wanted to 'e ind$'ut that sort o" 'usiness is no good. 7e&ll have to go on

and "ind out what really happened. #ven i"$even i"$it was !y "ather who...&

ut she couldn&t go on.

Chapter L >elvin Halliday&s 9elusion

They were in the garden on the "ollowing !orning when ennedy on the telephone.&

(eaving Gwenda in consultation with old :oster, Giles went into the house

and pic ed up the telephone receiver.

&Giles Reed here.&


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she !arried. ut 3 'elieve she run o"" with so!e chap$always wild she was,

they said. 9on&t now as 3 ever laid eyes on her !ysel". 3 was in a o' over to

/ly!outh "or a while, you now.&

Gwenda said to Giles as they wal ed to the end o" the terrace, &7hy is he

co!ing)&

&7e&ll now at three o&cloc .&

9r >ennedy arrived punctually. (oo ing round the drawing-roo! he said8

&%ee!s odd to 'e here again.&

Then he ca!e to the point without prea!'le.

&3 ta e it that you two are quite deter!ined to trac down the %anatoriu!

where >elvin Halliday died and learn all the details you can a'out his illness

and death)&

&9e"initely, said Gwenda.

&7ell, you can !anage that quite easily, o" course. %o 3&ve co!e to the

conclusion that it will 'e less shoc to you to hear the "acts "ro! !e. 3&! sorry

to have to tell you, "or it won&t do you or any'ody else a 'it o" good, and it willpro'a'ly cause you, Gwennie, a good deal o" pain. ut there it is. 2our "ather

wasn&t su""ering "ro! tu'erculosis and the %anatoriu! in question was a

!ental ho!e.&

&A !ental ho!e) 7as he out o" his !ind, then)& Gwenda&s "ace had gone

very white.


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&He was never certi"ied. And in !y opinion he was not insane in the general

!eaning o" the ter!. He had had a very severe nervous 'rea down and

su""ered "ro! certain delusional o'sessions. He went into the nursing ho!e

o" his own will and volition and could, o" course, have le"t it at any ti!e he

wanted to. His condition did not i!prove, however, and he died there.&

&9elusional o'sessions)& Giles repeated the words questioningly. &7hat ind

o" delusions)& 9r >ennedy said drily, &He was under the i!pression that he

had strangled his wi"e.& Gwenda gave a sti"led cry. Giles stretched out a hand

quic ly and too her cold hand in his. Giles said, &And$and had he)&

h)& 9r >ennedy stared at hi!. &*o, o" course he hadn&t. *o question o" such

a thing.& & ut$'ut how do you now)& Gwenda&s voice ca!e uncertainly.

&


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Gwenda 'ro e in, &The 'edroo!)& Her voice held pure astonish!ent. 9r

>ennedy loo ed "aintly surprised.

&2es, yes, that&s where it all happened. 7ell, o" course when we got up there

$there was nothing at all *o dead wo!an lying across the 'ed. *othing

distur'ed$the coverlets not even ru!pled. The whole thing had 'een an

hallucination.&

& ut what did !y "ather say)&

&6h, he persisted in his story, o" course. He really 'elieved it, you see. 3

persuaded hi! to let !e give hi! a sedative and 3 put hi! to 'ed in the

dressing-roo!. Then 3 had a good loo round. 3 "ound a note that Helen had

le"t cru!pled up in the wastepaper 'as et in the drawing-roo!. 3t was quite

clear. %he had written so!ething li e this8 This is Good'ye. 3&! sorry$'ut

our !arriage has 'een a !ista e "ro! the 'eginning. 3&! going away with the

only !an 3&ve ever loved. :orgive !e i" you can. Helen. &

vidently >elvin had co!e in, read her note, gone upstairs, had a ind o"

e!otional 'rainstor! and had then co!e over to !e persuaded that he had

illed Helen.&

&Then 3 questioned the house!aid. 3t was her evening out and she had co!e

in late. 3 too her into Helen&s roo! and she went through Helen&s clothes,

etc. 3t was all quite clear. Helen had pac ed a suitcase and a 'ag and had

ta en the! away with her. 3 searched the house, 'ut there was no trace o"

anything unusual$certainly no sign o" a strangled wo!an.&


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&3 had a very di""icult ti!e with >elvin in the !orning, 'ut he reali=ed at last

that it was a delusion$or at least he said he did, and he consented to go into

a nursing ho!e "or treat!ent.&

&A wee later 3 got, as 3 say, a letter "ro! Helen. 3t was posted "ro! iarrit=,

'ut she said she was going on to %pain. 3 was to tell >elvin that she did not

want a divorce. He had 'etter "orget her as soon as possi'le.&

&3 showed the letter to >elvin. He said very little. He was going ahead with his

plans. He wired out to his "irst wi"e&s people in *ew 5ealand as ing the! to

ta e the child. He settled up his a""airs and he then entered a very good

private !ental ho!e and consented to have appropriate treat!ent. That

treat!ent, however, did nothing to help hi!. He died there two years later. 3

can give you the address o" the place. 3t&s in *or"ol . The present

%uperintendent was a young doctor there at the ti!e, and will pro'a'ly 'e

a'le to give you "ull details o" your "ather&s case.&

Gwenda said8 &And you got another letter "ro! your sister$a"ter that again)&

&6h yes. A'out si+ !onths later. %he wrote "ro! :lorence$gave an address

poste restante as ennedy . %he said she reali=ed that perhaps it was

un"air to >elvin not to have a divorce$though she hersel" did not want one. 3"

he wanted a divorce and 3 would let her now, she would see that he had thenecessary evidence. 3 too the letter to >elvin. He said at once that he did not

want a divorce. 3 wrote to her and told her so. %ince then 3 have never heard

any !ore. 3 don&t now where she is living, or indeed i" she is alive or dead.

That is why 3 was attracted 'y your advertise!ent and hoped that 3 should

get news o" her.&


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He added gently8 &3&! very sorry a'out this, Gwennie. ut you had to now. 3

only wish you could have le"t well alone...&

Chapter D Bn nown :actor)

7hen Giles ca!e 'ac "ro! seeing 9r >ennedy o"", he "ound Gwenda sitting

where he had le"t her. There was a 'right red patch on each o" her chee s,

and her eyes loo ed "everish. 7hen she spo e her voice was harsh and

'rittle.

&7hat&s the old catchphrase) 9eath or !adness either way) That&s what this

is$death or !adness.&

&Gwenda$darling.& Giles went to her$put his ar! round her. Her 'ody "elt

hard and sti"".

&7hy didn&t we leave it all alone) 7hy didn&t we) 3t was !y own "ather who

strangled her. And it was !y own "ather&s voice 3 heard saying those words.

*o wonder it all ca!e 'ac $no wonder 3 was so "rightened. ennedy he had strangled his wi"e, didn&the)&

& ut >ennedy is quite positive he didn&t$&

& ecause he didn&t "ind a 'ody. ut there was a 'ody$and 3 saw it.&

&2ou saw it in the hall$not the 'edroo!.&


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&7hat di""erence does that !a e)&

&7ell, it&s queer, isn&t it) 7hy should Halliday say he strangled his wi"e in the

'edroo! i" he actually strangled her in the hall)&

&6h, 3 don&t now. That&s ust a !inor detail.&

&3&! not so sure. /ull your soc s up, darling. There are so!e very "unny

points a'out the whole set-up. 7e&ll ta e it, i" you li e, that your "ather did

strangle Helen. 3n the hall. 7hat happened ne+t)&

&He went o"" to 9r >ennedy.&

&And told hi! he had strangled his wi"e in the 'edroo!, 'rought hi! 'ac

with hi! and there was no 'ody in the hall$or in the 'edroo!. 9ash it all,

there can&t 'e a !urder without a 'ody. 7hat had he done with the 'ody)&

&/erhaps there was one and 9r >ennedy helped hi! and hushed it all up$

only o" course he couldn&t tell us that,

Giles shoo his head.

&*o, Gwenda$3 don&t see >ennedy acting that way. He&s a hard-headed,

shrewd, une!otional %cots!an. 2ou&re suggesting that he&d 'e willing to put

hi!sel" in eopardy as an accessory a"ter the "act. 3 don&t 'elieve he would.

He&d do his 'est "or Halliday 'y giving evidence as to his !ental state$that,

yes. ut why should he stic his nec out to hush the whole thing up) >elvin

Halliday wasn&t any relation to hi!, nor a close "riend. 3t was his own sister who had 'een illed and he was clearly "ond o" her$even i" he did show


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slight ;ictorian disapproval o" her gay ways. 3t&s not, even, as though you

were his sister&s child. *o, >ennedy wouldn&t connive at concealing !urder. 3"

he did, there&s only one possi'le way he could have set a'out it, and that

would 'e deli'erately to give a death certi"icate that she had died o" heart

"ailure or so!ething. 3 suppose he !ight have got away with that$'ut we

now de"initely that he didn&t do that. ecause there&s no record o" her death

in the /arish registers, and i" he had done it, he would have told us that his

sister had died. %o go on "ro! there and e+plain, i" you can, what happened

to the 'ody.&

&/erhaps !y "ather 'uried it so!ewhere$in the garden)&

&And then went to >ennedy and told hi! he&d !urdered his wi"e) 7hy) 7hy

not rely on the story that she&d le"t hi! )&

Gwenda pushed 'ac her hair "ro! her "orehead. %he was less sti"" and rigid

now, and the patches o" sharp colour were "ading.

&3 don&t now,& she ad!itted. &3t does see! a 'it screwy now you&ve put it that

way. 9o you thin 9r >ennedy was telling us the truth)&

&6h yes$3&! pretty sure o" it. :ro! his point o" view it&s a per"ectly

reasona'le story. 9rea!s, hallucinations$"inally a !a or hallucination. He&sgot no dou't that it was a hallucination 'ecause, as we&ve ust said, you can&t

have a !urder without a 'ody. That&s where we&re in a di""erent position "ro!

hi!. 7e now that there was a 'ody.&

He paused and went on8 &:ro! his point o" view, everything "its in.


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Gwenda stirred.

&Those letters. How do we e+plain those)&

&7e don&t$'ut we&ve got to. 3" we assu!e that >ennedy was telling us the

truth and as 3 say, 3&! pretty sure that he was0, we&ve got to e+plain those

letters.&

&3 suppose they really were in his sister&s handwriting) He recogni=ed it)&

&2ou now, Gwenda, 3 don&t 'elieve that point would arise. 3t&s not li e a

signature on a dou't"ul cheque. 3" those letters were written in a reasona'ly

close i!itation o" his sister&s writing, it wouldn&t occur to hi! to dou't the!.

He&s already got the preconceived idea that she&s gone away with so!eone.

The letters ust con"ir!ed that 'elie". 3" he had never heard "ro! her at all$

why, then he !ight have got suspicious. All the sa!e, there are certain

curious points a'out those letters that wouldn&t stri e hi!, perhaps, 'ut do

stri e !e. They&re strangely anony!ous. *o address e+cept a poste

restante. *o indication o" who the !an in the case was. A clearly stated

deter!ination to !a e a clean 'rea with all old ties. 7hat 3 !ean is, they&re

e+actly the ind o" letters a !urderer would devise i" he wanted to allay any

suspicions on the part o" his victi!&s "a!ily. 3t&s the old Crippen touch again.

To get the letters posted "ro! a'road would 'e easy.&

&2ou thin !y "ather$&

&*o$that&s ust it$3 don&t. Ta e a !an who&s deli'erately decided to get rid o"

his wi"e. He spreads ru!ours a'out her possi'le un"aith"ulness. He stages

her departure$note le"t 'ehind, clothes pac ed and ta en. (etters will 'ereceived "ro! her at care"ully spaced intervals "ro! so!ewhere a'road.


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Actually he has !urdered her quietly and put her, say, under the cellar "loor.

That&s one pattern o" !urder$and it&s o"ten 'een done. ut what that type o"

!urderer doesn&t do is to rush to his 'rother-in-law and say he&s !urdered his

wi"e and hadn&t they 'etter go to the police) 6n the other hand, i" your "ather

was the e!otional type o" iller, and was terri'ly in love with his wi"e and

strangled her in a "it o" "ren=ied ealousy$6thello "ashion$ and that "its in

with the words you heard0 he certainly doesn&t pac clothes and arrange "or

letters to co!e, 'e"ore he rushes o"" to 'roadcast his cri!e to a !an who

isn&t the type li ely to hush it up. 3t&s all wrong, Gwenda. The whole pattern is

wrong.&

&Then what are you trying to get at, Giles)&

&3 don&t now... 3t&s ust that throughout it all, there see!s to 'e an un nown

"actor$call hi! M. %o!eone who hasn&t appeared as yet. ut one gets

gli!pses o" his technique.&

&M)& said Gwenda wonderingly. Then her eyes dar ened. &2ou&re !a ing that

up, Giles. To co!"ort !e.&

&3 swear 3&! not. 9on&t you see yoursel" that you can&t !a e a satis"actory

outline to "it all the "acts) 7e now that Helen Halliday was strangled

'ecause you saw$&

He stopped.

&Good (ord 3&ve 'een a "ool. 3 see it now. 3t covers everything. 2ou&re right.

And >ennedy&s right, too. (isten, Gwenda. Helen&s preparing to go away with

a lover$who that is we don&t now.&


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& ut how could you possi'ly tell) A child o" 'arely three.& %he loo ed at hi!

queerly.

&3 thin one can tell$'etter than i" one was older. 3t&s li e dogs$they now

death and throw 'ac their heads and howl. 3 thin children$ now death...&

&That&s nonsense$that&s "antastic&

The ring o" the "ront-door 'ell interrupted hi!. He said, &7ho&s that, 3

wonder)&

Gwenda loo ed dis!ayed.

&3 quite "orgot. 3t&s


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The gentle gossiping voice went on. Her landlady was so ind$and !ade

her so co!"orta'le$&and really delicious coo ing. %he was "or so!e years

with !y old "riend


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&That was what you !eant in (ondon, wasn&t it)& Gwenda as ed 'reathlessly.

&2ou thought, then, that$that !y "ather !ight 'e involved)&


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&M & said Gwenda.

&The un nown "actor, said


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& ehind the "ireplace, she 'reathed. & ut don&t say 3 told you.&

At this !o!ent, a white uni"or!ed !aid ca!e into the roo! and requested

Giles and Gwenda to "ollow her.

They were shown into 9r /enrose&s study, and 9r /enrose rose to greet

the!.

9r /enrose, Gwenda could not help thin ing, loo ed a little !ad hi!sel". He

loo ed, "or instance, !uch !adder than the nice old lady in the drawing-roo!

$'ut perhaps psychiatrists always loo ed a little !ad.

&3 had your letter, and 9r >ennedy&s,& said 9r /enrose. &And 3&ve 'een loo ing

up your "ather&s case history,


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great !any o" the usual signs in these cases were a'sent, and 3 don&t !ind

telling you "ran ly,


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hi! a certain a!ount o" sleeping ta'lets. 7hilst pretending to ta e the!, he

actually ept the! until he had accu!ulated a su""icient a!ount and$&

He spread out his hands.

&7as he so dread"ully unhappy)&

&*o. 3 do not thin so. 3t was !ore, 3 should udge, a guilt co!ple+, a desire

"or a penalty to 'e e+acted. He had insisted at "irst, you now, on calling in

the police, and though persuaded out o" that, and assured that he had

actually co!!itted no cri!e at all, he o'stinately re"used to 'e wholly

convinced. 2et it was proved to hi! over and over again, and he had to

ad!it, that he had no recollection o" co!!itting the actual act.& 9r /enrose

ru""led over the papers in "ront o" hi!. &His account o" the evening in question

never varied. He ca!e into the house, he said, and it was dar . The servants

were out. He went into the dining-roo!, as he usually did, poured hi!sel" out

a drin and dran it, then went through the connecting door into the drawing-

roo!. A"ter that he re!e!'ered nothing-nothing at all, until he was standing

in his 'edroo! loo ing down at his wi"e who was dead$strangled. He new

he had done it$&

Giles interrupted. +cuse !e, 9r /enrose, 'ut why did he now he had done

it)&

&There was no dou't in his !ind. :or so!e !onths past he had "ound hi!sel"

entertaining wild and !elodra!atic suspicions. He told !e, "or instance, that

he had 'een convinced his wi"e was ad!inistering drugs to hi!. He had, o"

course, lived in 3ndia, and the practice o" wives driving their hus'ands insane

'y datura poisoning o"ten co!es up there in the native courts. He hadsu""ered "airly o"ten "ro! hallucinations, with con"usion o" ti!e and place. He


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denied strenuously that he suspected his wi"e o" in"idelity, 'ut nevertheless 3

thin that that was the !otivating power. 3t see!s that what actually occurred

was that he went into the drawing-roo!, read the note his wi"e le"t saying she

was leaving hi!, and that his way o" eluding this "act was to pre"er to ill

her. Hence the hallucination.&

&2ou !ean he cared "or her very !uch)& as ed Gwenda.

&6'viously,


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history. 2our "ather&s case, you now, appears in 9r


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9id she give !e drugs in !y "ood) Those queer aw"ul night!ares. *ot

ordinary drea!s... living night!ares... 3 now it was drugs... 6nly she could

have done that... 7hy)... There&s so!e !an... %o!e !an she was a"raid o"...

(et !e 'e honest. 3 suspected, didn&t 3, that she had a lover) There was

so!eone$3 now there was so!eone$%he said as !uch to !e on the

'oat... %o!eone she loved and couldn&t !arry... 3t was the sa!e "or 'oth o"

us... 3 couldn&t "orget


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%lowly, Gwenda nodded her head. %he loo ed down at the diary. There was

so!eone$3 now there was so!eone...

Chapter 11 The


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&2es,& said


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&2es. He was ho!e "ro! 3ndia. They had a very good coo $she gave !e a

wonder"ul recipe "or 'a ed apple pudding$and also, 3 thin , "or ginger'read.

3 o"ten wonder what 'eca!e o" her.&

&3 e+pect you !ean #dith /agett, !ada!. %he&s still in 9ill!outh. %he&s in

service now$at 7indrush (odge.&

&Then there were so!e other people$the :anes. A lawyer, 3 thin he was &

&6ld


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&3 was always so sorry "or poor


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"ive !inutes to go 'e"ore !eeting those two young things at the Ginger Cat. 3

hope they didn&t "ind things too upsetting at the %anatoriu!.&

Giles and Gwenda sat together at a corner ta'le at the Ginger Cat. The little

'lac note'oo lay on the ta'le 'etween the!.


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Gwenda said8 &2ou advised us once$do you re!e!'er)$not to go on. 3 can

see why you did. ut we did go on$and this is where we&ve got to. 6nly now,

it see!s as though we&d got to another place where one could$i" one li ed$

stop... 9o you thin we ought to stop) 6r not)&


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Giles 'egan &3t see!s to !e$& and stopped. elvin Halliday&s rooted

'elie" that he had illed his wi"e, and it would square with the !issing

suitcase and clothes and with the note that 9r >ennedy "ound. ut it leaves

certain points unaccounted "or. 3t doesn&t e+plain why >elvin was convinced

he strangled his wi"e in the 'edroo!. And it doesn&t cover the one, to !y

!ind, really staggering question$where is Helen Halliday now) ecause it

see!s to !e against all reason that Helen should never have 'een heard o"

or "ro! again. Grant that the two letters she wrote are genuine, what

happened a"ter that) 7hy did she never write again) %he was on

a""ectionate ter!s with her 'rother, he&s o'viously deeply attached to her and

always has 'een. He !ight disapprove o" her conduct, 'ut that doesn&t !ean

that he e+pected never to hear "ro! her again. And i" you as !e, that point

has o'viously 'een worrying >ennedy hi!sel". (et&s say he accepted at theti!e a'solutely the story he&s told us. His sister&s going o"" and >elvin&s

'rea down. ut he didn&t e+pect never to hear "ro! his sister again. 3 thin ,

as the years went on, and he didn&t hear, and >elvin Halliday persisted in his

delusion and "inally co!!itted suicide, that a terri'le dou't 'egan to creep up

in his !ind. %upposing that >elvin&s story was true) That he actually had

illed Helen) There&s no word "ro! her$and surely i" she had diedso!ewhere a'road, word would have co!e to hi!) 3 thin that e+plains his


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eagerness when he saw our advertise!ent. He hoped that it !ight lead to

so!e account o" where she was or what she had 'een doing. 3&! sure it&s

a'solutely unnatural "or so!eone to disappear as$as co!pletely as Helen

see!s to have done. That, in itsel", is highly suspicious.&

&3 agree with you, said elvin Halliday didn&t ill his wi"e, 'ut genuinely

thought he had done so. That&s what 9r /enrose, who see!s a decent sort o"'lo e, o'viously wants to thin . His "irst i!pression o" Halliday was that here

was a !an who had illed his wi"e and wanted to give hi!sel" up to the

police. Then he had to ta e >ennedy&s word "or it that that wasn&t so, so he

had per"orce to 'elieve that Halliday was a victi! o" a co!ple+ or a "i+ation or

whatever the argon is$'ut he didn&t really li e that solution. He&s had a good

e+perience o" the type and Halliday didn&t square with it. However, onnowing Halliday 'etter he 'eca!e quite genuinely sure that Halliday was not


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the type o" !an who would strangle a wo!an under any provocation. %o he

accepted the "i+ation theory, 'ut with !isgivings. And that really !eans that

only one theory will "it the case$Halliday was induced to 'elieve that he had

illed his wi"e, 'y so!eone else. 3n other words, we&ve co!e to M.&

&Going over the "acts very care"ully, 3&d say that that hypothesis is at least

possi'le. According to his own account, Halliday ca!e into the house that

evening, went into the dining-roo!, too a drin as he usually did$and then

went into the ne+t roo!, saw a note on the des and had a 'lac out$&

Giles paused and


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&And so he hated !y "ather,& said Gwenda. &And he wanted hi! to su""er.&

&%o that&s where we co!e up against it,& said Giles. &7e now what ind o" a

girl Helen was$& he hesitated.

&


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Gwenda e+clai!ed8 &/erhaps he "ollowed her 'ac here)& &He !ay have

done. 7e don&t now.& Giles was loo ing curiously at the old lady. &How did

you "ind all this out)&


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&Anyway, we&ve got two possi'ilities, said Giles.

&7e !ight, 3 thin , in"er a third, said


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%he and


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&*ot wildly in love, she said. & ut attracted... and then there was !e. They

were 'oth unhappy... and they consoled each other.


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possi'ility. 2ou eep harping on who the !en were in her li"e. 7ell, we&ve got

three o" the!. 7alter :ane, and so!e young !an whose na!e we don&t

now, and a !arried !an$&

&7ho! we don&t now e+ists,& "inished Giles.

&7e&ll "ind out,& said Gwenda. &7on&t we,


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i!'le spread a couple o" old newspapers on the itchen ta'le in

readiness "or draining the chipped potatoes which were hissing in the pan.

Hu!!ing tunelessly a popular !elody o" the day she leaned "orward

ai!lessly studying the newsprint spread out 'e"ore her.

Then suddenly she stopped hu!!ing and called8 & i!$ i!. (isten here, will

you)&

i! >i!'le, an elderly !an o" "ew words, was washing at the scullery sin .

To answer his wi"e, he used his "avourite !onosylla'le.

&Ar)& said i! >i!'le.

&3t&s a piece in the paper. 7ill anyone with any nowledge o" Helen %penlove

Halliday, nee >ennedy, co!!unicate with ennedy, hi! as always said 3 ought to have had !y adenoids

out.&


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There was a !o!entary pause as i!'le ad usted the "rying chips with

an e+pert touch. i! >i!'le was snorting into the roller towel as he dried his

"ace.

&Course, it&s an old paper, this,& resu!ed i!'le. %he studied its date.

&*igh on a wee or !ore old. 7onder what it&s all a'out) Thin as there&s any

!oney in it, i!)&

i!'le said, &Ar,& nonco!!ittally.

&


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the cine!a along o" !e, she did, though she wasn&t supposed to leave the

nursery$'ut there, 3 said, the child never wa es up$good as gold she was,

always, in her 'ed at night. And !ada! never co!es up to the nursery in

the evening, 3 says. *o'ody will now i" you slip out with !e. %o she did.

And when we got in there was ever such a sche!o==le going on. 9octor was

there and the !aster ill and sleeping in the dressing-roo!, and the doctor

loo ing a"ter hi!, and it was then he as ed !e a'out the clothes, and it

see!ed all right at the ti!e. 3 thought she&d gone o"" all right with that "ellow

she was so een on$and hi! a !arried !an, too$and #die said she did

hope and pray we wouldn&t 'e !i+ed up in any divorce case. 7hat was his

na!e now) 3 can&t re!e!'er. egan with an


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%he saw a rather tired-loo ing !an o" a'out "i"ty, with a gentle, nondescript

"ace. The sort o" !an, Gwenda thought, that you would "ind it a little di""icult

to recollect i" you had ust !et hi! casually... A !an who, in !odern phrase,

lac ed personality. His voice, when he spo e, was slow and care"ul and

pleasant. /ro'a'ly, Gwenda decided, a very sound lawyer.

%he stole a glance round the o""ice$the o""ice o" the senior partner o" the

"ir!. 3t suited 7alter :ane, she decided. 3t was de"initely old-"ashioned, the

"urniture was sha''y, 'ut was !ade o" good solid ;ictorian !aterial. There

were deed 'o+es piled up against the walls$'o+es with respecta'le County

na!es on the!. %ir ohn ;avasour-Trench. (ady essup. Arthur :"oul es,

#sq. 9eceased.

The 'ig sash windows, the panes o" which were rather dirty, loo ed into a

square 'ac yard "lan ed 'y the solid walls o" a seventeenth-century ad oining

house. There was nothing s!art or up to date anywhere, 'ut there was

nothing sordid either. 3t was super"icially an untidy o""ice with its piled-up

'o+es, and its littered des , and its row o" law 'oo s leaning croo edly on a

shel"$'ut it was actually the o""ice o" so!eone who new e+actly where to

lay his hand upon anything he wanted.

The scratching o" 7alter :ane&s pen ceased. He s!iled his slow, pleasant

s!ile.

&3 thin that&s all quite clear,


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7alter :ane said, glancing down at his notes, &2es, you gave !e the

address...&

There was no change in the even tenor o" his voice.

&3t&s a very nice house,& said Gwenda. &7e love it.&

&3ndeed)& 7alter :ane s!iled. &3s it on the sea)&

&*o,& said Gwenda. &3 'elieve the na!e has 'een changed. 3t used to 'e %t

Catherine&s.&


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7alter :ane nodded.

&2es, quite a sound view to ta e. 7ell, 3 thin this is all quite clear,


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&6h, 3 see. How stupid o" !e. 3&ve got it all wrong. 3t was Helen$!y

step!other. 6" course it&s all long 'e"ore 3 re!e!'er. 3 was only a child when

!y "ather&s second !arriage 'ro e up. ut 3 heard so!eone say that you&d

once 'een engaged to


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&3 re!e!'er the house, said 7alter :ane. Again he gave that slow, pleasant

s!ile. &2ou !ay not re!e!'er !e,


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Giles !et his wi"e on the sea"ront. &7ell)& he as ed.

&He was here in 9ill!outh at the ti!e, said Gwenda. & ac "ro! 3ndia, 3

!ean. ecause he gave !e piggy'ac s. ut he couldn&t have !urdered

anyone$not possi'ly. He&s !uch too quiet and gentle. ;ery nice, really, 'ut

the ind o" person you never really notice. 2ou now, they co!e to parties,

'ut you never notice when they leave. 3 should thin he was "right"ully upright

and all that, and devoted to his !other, and with a lot o" virtues. ut "ro! a

wo!an&s point o" view, terri'ly dull. 3 can see why he didn&t cut any ice with

Helen. 2ou now, a nice sa"e person to !arry$'ut you don&t really want to.&

&/oor devil,& said Giles. &And 3 suppose he was ust cra=y a'out her.&

&6h, 3 don&t now... 3 shouldn&t thin so, really. Anyway, 3&! sure he wouldn&t

'e our !alevolent !urderer. He&s not !y idea o" a !urderer at all.&

&2ou don&t really now a lot a'out !urderers, though, do you, !y sweet)&

&7hat do you !ean)&

&7ell$3 was thin ing a'out quiet (i==ie orden$only the ury said she didn&t

do it. And 7allace, a quiet !an who! the ury insisted did ill his wi"e, though

the sentence was quashed on appeal. And Ar!strong who every'ody said"or years was such a ind unassu!ing "ellow. 3 don&t 'elieve !urderers are

ever a special type.&

&3 really can&t 'elieve that 7alter :ane$& Gwenda stopped. &7hat is it)&

&*othing.&


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ut she was re!e!'ering 7alter :ane polishing his eyeglasses and the

queer 'lind stare o" his eyes when she had "irst !entioned %t Catherine&s.

&/erhaps,& she said uncertainly, &he was cra=y a'out her...&

Chapter 1F #dith /agett


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Gwenda stared hard at the upright "igure and the red chee s and 'lac eyes,

trying to re!e!'er$to re!e!'er$'ut nothing ca!e.


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'o+, and Tho!as was !ad a'out it. Ran o"" into the garden and ru''ed

through the 'ushes until he got it o"". Cats don&t li e tric s 'eing played on

the!.&

&A 'lac and white cat.&

&That&s right. /oor old To!!y. Caught !ice so!ething 'eauti"ul. A real

proper !ouser.& #dith /agett paused and coughed pri!ly. +cuse !e

running on li e this, !&a!. ut tal ing 'rings the old days 'ac . 2ou wanted

to as !e so!ething)&

&3 li e hearing you tal a'out the old days,& said Gwenda. &That&s ust what 3

want to hear a'out. 2ou see, 3 was 'rought up 'y relations in *ew 5ealand

and o" course they could never tell !e anything a'out$a'out !y "ather, and

!y step!other. %he$she was nice, wasn&t she)&

&;ery "ond o" you, she was. 6h yes, she used to ta e you down to the 'each

and play with you in the garden. %he was quite young hersel", you

understand. *othing 'ut a girl, really. 3 o"ten used to thin she en oyed the

ga!es as !uch as you did. 2ou see she&d 'een an only child, in a !anner o"

spea ing. 9r >ennedy, her 'rother, was years and years older and always

shut up with his 'oo s. 7hen she wasn&t away at school, she had to play 'y

hersel"...&


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she sold it and 'ought the little "ancy shop at the end o" the High %treet. 2es,

3&ve lived here all !y li"e.&

&And 3 suppose you now all a'out everyone in 9ill!outh)&

&7ell, o" course it used to 'e a s!all place, then. Though there used always

to 'e a lot o" su!!er visitors as long as 3 can re!e!'er. ut nice quiet

people who ca!e here every year, not these trippers and chara'ancs we

have nowadays. Good "a!ilies they were, who&d co!e 'ac to the sa!e

roo!s year a"ter year.&

&3 suppose,& said Giles, &that you new Helen >ennedy 'e"ore she was


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&That&s true enough, !&a!.&

&And you see, we are very an+ious to$to "ind her. %he went away "ro! here

$and she see!s to have 'een quite lost sight o". 7e don&t now where she

is living now, or even i" she is alive. And there are reasons$&

%he hesitated and Giles said quic ly, &(egal reasons. 7e don&t now whether

to presu!e death or$or what.&

&6h, 3 quite understand, sir.


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&2ou didn&t now,& said Giles. & ut could you !a e a guess) *ow that it&s all

so long ago, it wouldn&t !atter $even i" the guess is all wrong. 2ou !ust,

surely, have had so!e suspicion.&

&7ell, we had our suspicions... 'ut !ind you, it wasn&t !ore than suspicions.

And as "ar as 3&! concerned, 3 never saw anything at all. ut (ily who, as 3

told you, was a sharp ind o" girl, (ily had her ideas$had had the! "or a long

ti!e.


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Gwenda as ed, &7ere they still here$at the Royal Clarence$when$when

Helen$!y step!other went away)&

&As "ar as 3 recollect they went away ust a'out the sa!e ti!e, a day earlier or

a day later$anyway, it was close enough to !a e people tal . ut 3 never

heard anything de"inite. 3t was all ept very quiet i" it was so. ?uite a nine

days& wonder


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The words ca!e out quite naturally, yet at the sound o" the! the three

people listening again sti""ened to attention.

Giles said, &2ou don&t thin she wanted to go to *or"ol to 'e near this$the

!an whose na!e you can&t re!e!'er)&

#dith /agett loo ed distressed.

&6h indeed, sir, 3 wouldn&t li e to thin that. And 3 don&t thin it, not "or a

!o!ent. esides 3 don&t thin that$3 re!e!'er now$they ca!e "ro! up

*orth so!ewhere, that lady and gentle!an did. *orthu!'erland, 3 thin it

was. Anyway, they li ed co!ing south "or a holiday 'ecause it was so !ild

down here.&

Gwenda said8 &%he was a"raid o" so!ething, wasn&t she) 6r o" so!eone)


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& And she sounded scared too, (ily said. 3&ve 'een a"raid o" you "or a long

ti!e. 2ou&re !ad. 2ou&re not nor!al. Go away and leave !e alone. 2ou !ust

leave !e alone. 3&! "rightened. 3 thin , underneath, 3&ve always 'een

"rightened o" you... &

&%o!ething o" that ind$o" course 3 can&t say now to the e+act words. ut

(ily, she too it very seriously, and that&s why, a"ter it all happened, she$&

#dith /agett stopped dead. A curious "rightened loo ca!e over her "ace.

&3 didn&t !ean, 3&! sure$& she 'egan. +cuse !e, !ada!, !y tongue runs

away with !e.&

Giles said gently8 &/lease tell us, #dith. 3t&s really i!portant, you see, that we

should now. 3t&s all a long ti!e ago now, 'ut we&ve got to now.&

&3 couldn&t say, 3&! sure,& said #dith helplessly.


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up to see she$you, 3 !ean, ennedy ca!e out

in the itchen and as ed !e where (ily was and 3 said it was her night o"" 'ut

she&d 'e in any !inute now and sure enough she ca!e in that very !inute

and he too her upstairs to the !istress&s roo!. 7anted to now i" she&d

ta en any clothes away with her, and what. %o (ily loo ed a'out and told hi!

and then she co!e down to !e. All agog she was. %he&s hoo ed it, she

said. Gone o"" with so!eone. The !aster&s all in. Had a stro e or so!ething.

Apparently it&s 'een a terri'le shoc to hi!.


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'rassiere, nor the slip that goes with it, and she too her gold 'rocade

evening shoes, not the silver strap ones. And she too her green tweed$

which she never wears until late on in the autu!n, 'ut she didn&t ta e that

"ancy pullover and she too her lace 'louses that she only wears with a town

suit. 6h and her undies, too, they were a o' lot. 2ou !ar !y words, #die,

(ily said. %he&s not gone away at all. The !aster&s done her in. &

&7ell, that !ade !e wide awa e. 3 sat right up and as ed her what on earth

she was tal ing a'out.&

& ust li e it was in the *ews o" the 7orld last wee , (ily says. The !aster

"ound she&d 'een carrying on and he illed her and put her down in the cellar

and 'uried her under the "loor. 2ou&d never hear anything 'ecause it&s under

the "ront hall. That&s what he&s done, and then he pac ed a suitcase to !a e

it loo as though she&d gone away. ut that&s where she is$under the cellar

"loor. %he never le"t this house alive. 3 gave her a piece o" !y !ind then,

saying such aw"ul things. ut 3&ll ad!it 3 slipped down to the cellar the ne+t

!orning. ut there, it was all ust as usual and nothing distur'ed and no

digging 'een done$and 3 went and told (ily she&d ust 'een !a ing a "ool o"

hersel", 'ut she stuc to it as the !aster had done her in. Re!e!'er, she

says, she was scared to death o" hi!. 3 heard her telling hi! so. And that&s

ust where you&re wrong, !y girl, 3 said, 'ecause it wasn&t the !aster at all.

ust a"ter you&d told !e, that day, 3 loo ed out o" the window and there wasthe !aster co!ing down the hill with his gol"-clu's, so it couldn&t have 'een

hi! who was with the !istress in the drawing-roo!. 3t was so!eone else. &

The words echoed lingeringly in the co!"orta'le co!!on-place sitting-roo!.

Giles said so"tly under his 'reath, &3t was so!eone else...&

Chapter 1 An Address


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The Royal Clarence was the oldest hotel in the town. 3t had a !ellow 'ow-

"ronted "acade and an old-world at!osphere. 3t still catered "or the type o"

"a!ily who ca!e "or a !onth to the seaside.

ing

stayed here once when he was /rince o" 7ales, and /rincess Adle!ar o"

Holstein-Rot= used to co!e every winter with her lady-in-waiting. And we&ve

had so!e very "a!ous novelists, too, and


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2es, here surely was the entry he was see ing.


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&%uppose they&re dead$or gone away and so!e'ody else is living there)&

Giles shrugged his shoulders.

&Then we co!e 'ac and go on with our other leads. 3&ve written to >ennedy,

'y the way, and as ed hi! i" he&ll send !e those letters Helen wrote a"ter she

went away$i" he&s still got the!$and a speci!en o" her handwriting.&

&3 wish,& said Gwenda, &that we could get in touch with the other servant$with

(ily$the one who put the 'ow on Tho!as$&

&:unny your suddenly re!e!'ering that, Gwenda.&

&2es, wasn&t it) 3 re!e!'er To!!y, too. He was 'lac with white patches

and he had three lovely ittens.&

&7hat) Tho!as)&

&7ell, he was called Tho!as$'ut actually he turned out to 'e Tho!asina.

2ou now what cats are. ut a'out (ily$3 wonder what&s 'eco!e o" her)

#dith /agett see!s to have lost sight o" her entirely. %he didn&t co!e "ro!

round here$and a"ter the 'rea -up at %t Catherine&s she too a place in

Torquay. %he wrote once or twice 'ut that was all. #dith said she&d heardshe&d got !arried 'ut she didn&t now who to. 3" we could get hold o" her we

!ight learn a lot !ore.&

&And "ro! (eonie, the %wiss girl.&

&/erhaps$'ut she was a "oreigner and wouldn&t catch on to !uch o" what went on. 2ou now, 3 don&t re!e!'er her at all. *o, it&s (ily 3 "eel would 'e


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use"ul. (ily was the sharp one... 3 now, Giles, let&s put in another

advertise!ent$an advertise!ent "or her$(ily A''ott, her na!e was.&

&2es,& said Giles. &7e !ight try that. And we&ll de"initely go north to!orrow

and see what we can "ind out a'out the #rs ines.&

Chapter 1I


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They discussed 9orothy&s ail!ents or i!agined ail!ents and went on to


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a"raid he doesn&t go out as !uch as he should. He reads Thac eray to !e in

the evenings, and we usually have a ga!e o" picquet. 7alter is a real ho!e

'ird.&

&How very nice, said


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no !oney and no prospects, and not the ind o" girl one wanted as a

daughter-in-law. %till, what can a !other do) 7alter proposed to her and she

re"used hi!, and then he got this silly idea into his head

agatha chritstie: sleeping murder

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