Frequent Hearses Part 2

aYouare not the one,a he said, aas came and took away Mr. Mauriceas medicine bottle. Donat you try any tricks on me, now.a aStop arguing and let me in. It was one of my subordinates who was here before.a aA nice character you are to aave subordinates,a said the butler resentfully. aIall bet they love you like a fathera Well, Iall aave to admit you, I sapose. Come on in and donat keep me standing ere aalf the night.a Thus graciously inducted, Humbleby climbed the three shallow treads to the threshold and stepped inside. A ma.s.s of gleaming white statuary confronted him; the room, large and high as a gymnasium, was disposed about it like a frame. Faraday, the statuary might be; or Samuel Rogers; or just conceivably Palmerstone. Seated, it stared apprehensively at the door, as though antic.i.p.ating the arrival of duns or bailiffs. Its base pinned a large though inferior Turkey carpet to the parquet floor. Portraits in ponderous gilt frames conversed wordlessly, and with the effect of administering a decisive snub, across the top of its head. A number of well-polished but clearly functionless tablesa"of the sort described as aoccasionala, but whose occasion somehow never arisesa"were ranged about the roomas periphery like sitters-out at a ball. And the only other furniture consisted of two immense Victorian hat and umbrella stands which, flanking the door, flourished a multiplicity of k.n.o.b-crowned arms, Vishnu-like, at the ceiling.

aYou just wait aere,a said the butler brusquely, aand Iall go and find out whatas to be done about you.a He departed, and Humbleby resigned himself patiently to waiting; his profession had long since inured him to kicking his heels in ante-rooms at the pleasure of householders a great deal less cultivated and estimable than himselfa"and one usually, he reflected, got oneas own back on them in the end. Comforted by this inexplicit prospect of retribution, Humbleby glanced idly up at the ceiling, where a number of ethereally graceful G.o.ds and G.o.ddesses were rioting about in one of those complicated and implausible intrigues which were apparently the main preoccupation of Olympusa waking hours. Angelica Kaufmann, perhaps; it was quite good enough for that. And to judge from this hallway, the rest of Lanthorn House would probably exhibit a very similar mingling of the aesthetically desirable and the aesthetically nulla It did not belong to Mrs. Crane, of course: she had rented it six months ago from Lord Boscoign, latest and probably last holder of an irremediably obscure barony, whose grandfather had refurnished it in its present style by dint of selling the near-by village, and who was now living precariously on its rent in a Harrogate boarding-house. A place as large as this, Humbleby reflected, must cost a good deal to run these days. So also must racehorsesa"and he had learned that these were Mrs. Craneas chief interest in life. So a windfall of fifty thousand pounds would very likely come in useful, anda But at this point Humblebyas meditations were interrupted by the reappearance of the butler.

aTheyall see you,a said the butler, with the air of one whose good news is much against his inclination. aTheyall see you now.a He observed that Humbleby was removing his hat and coat. aChuck those down anywhere. And get a move on, will you? Iave got other things than you to attend to.a aUntil I choose to be ready, you most certainly havenat,a said Humbleby.

aBossy, arenat you?a the aged creature snarled, aYou just wait till the revolution, thatas all. Thatall finish you and your sort.a aThere is not going to be any revolution.a aNo, I donat think so either,a said the butler unexpectedly. aAnd moreas the pitya Donat you go trying to make a complaint about me,a he warned. aThey wonat listen to you, because if they sacked me theyad never get another like me.a aAnd thankful,a said Humbleby.

The butler considered this, and when he spoke again his tone was confiding.

aNo, youare wrong there,a he said. aTheyare sn.o.bs, see? Theyad rather have a stinking rotten butler like me,a he said with candour, athan none at all.a aYes, well, stop talking and take me to see them.a aAll right, c.o.c.k.a The advance of old age had apparently induced in the butler that volatility of temperament most commonly a.s.sociated with youth, and by now he was quite affable. aKeep your wool on. Iall look after you, never fear. This way, this way. And watch out for the mats, or youall trip and do yourself a mischief.a He tottered cheerfully away, and Humbleby followed.

The reception-room into which he was conducted was about the size and shape of an average cinema. The gallery of a mezzanine floor encircled it on three sides. There were more pictures in gilt framesa"one of a horse, one of a blurred, crepuscular landscape, one of an eighteenth-century actor, more than twice life-size, starting up in exaggerated terror from a satin-covered couch. These, presumably, represented the taste of the present Lord Boscoignas grandfather. But there was also, withdrawn in a corner as if attempting to dissociate itself from the general decorative scheme, what looked very much like a Veronese. And there was more statuarya"though here it was on an altogether discreeter and less forbidding scale than the nineteenth-century notability who so remorselessly scrutinised the inside of the front door. Faded, indifferent tapestry covered such of the wall-s.p.a.ce as the paintings had been able to spare; an eight-foot settee and a variety of chairs stood in front of the fireplace; and in the fireplace itselfa"at whose sides two nude figures of surprisingly indeterminate s.e.x struggled courageously to sustain, on the napes of their necks, an elaborate overmantela"there was a small log fire which hissed and flared sulkily.

Inside the door the butler halted, made a feeble attempt to look imposing, and after a little thought said: aaEre ae is. This is aim.a This task performed, he retired, inadvertently slamming the door behind him; and across broad acres of carpet Humbleby advanced on the group of people who stood or sat by the fire.

Nicholas Crane, sprawled on the long settee, looked up as he approached.

aHallo, Inspector,a he said. aCome and join the conference. And have some sherry.a aI wonat for the moment, thank you, sir.a Humbleby had not intended to speak stiffly, but after the Mercuryas revelations he could feel no enthusiasm for Nicholas, and the words sounded unfriendly despite himself. aNot for the moment,a he reiterated in more mollifying tones.

aWell, anyway, sit down.a Humbleby sat down and surveyed the gathering. Apart from Nicholas, Medesco was the only person present whom he knewa"and he was slightly surprised to find Medesco on such intimate terms with the family that he could be admitted to an a.s.sembly whose purpose was clearly to discuss the Mercuryas thunderbolt. Medesco sat with his great height and bulk overflowing a small chair, and with a cigar in the corner of his mouth; his small saurian eyes, framed between the formidable brow and the smooth, fat cheeks, gazed on Humbleby coldly and unblinkingly.

aWell, Inspector,a he said. aWeare in the thick of it, as youall have guessed. You shall sit by and pick up the crumbs.a Nicholas nodded.

aIam sorry weare not able to help you by having Madge here as well,a he said. aIf she was here, all the dirty linen could be washed at one go. But she hasnat got in touch with us, and thereas no reply from the Doon Island number. Probably she hasnat even seen the blasted paper.a A little bald man, who was hovering at his side, gave a monitory cough.

aNow, now, Mr. Crane,a he interposed. aWe must be careful what we say, mustnat we? Very, very careful indeed.a Nicholas sighed.

aThis is my lawyer,a he said to Humbleby. aMr. Cloud. Heas quite a nice chap in the normal way, but at the moment heas just a quivering ma.s.s of legal circ.u.mspection.a aIn your own interests, Mr. Crane!a Mr. Cloud burst out. aIn your own interests! If we are going to sue this newspapera"a aWeare not,a said Nicholas briefly.

aBut this is absurd! An action would lie. I can a.s.sure you that an action would lie. The greater the truth, the greater the libel. This is to say thata"a Mr. Cloud checked himself, belatedly conscious that in the present context his utterance of this forensic saw had been scarcely tactful. And Nicholas laughed.

aYou donat spare my feelings, do you, Cloud?a he said. aBut never mind. The Mercuryas imputation is true, and for that reasona"a aMr. Crane, I beg of youa"a aa"for that reason, I shanat attempt to contest it.a Nicholas smiled wryly. aThis scandal is no more than I deservea Do you believe in atonement, Inspector?a aAs a Christian of sorts,a said Humbleby cautiously, aI must.a aWell, putting up with this will be my atonement for that wretched girlas death. Not a very adequate one, Iam afraid, but thoroughly deserved.a aYou think the scandal will affect your career?a Humbleby asked.

aIt will finish my career,a said Nicholas simply. aThere are a great many very decent people in film business, and theyad no more work with me after this than theyad work with a leper.a Humbleby looked at him curiously. His reaction was unexpected but inspiriting; it seemed that he was by no means lost to all decent feeling. And Nicholas, perhaps sensing the trend of Humblebyas thought, s.h.i.+fted and reddened uncomfortably.

aNot that I want to make a great thing about it,a he added. aBut you must understand quite clearly, Cloudaa"his voice sharpeneda"athat Iam not going to bring an action for libel. Thatas definite. If you try to argue about it, youall simply be wasting your efforts.a His mother, who was standing in front of the fire and watching him thoughtfully, for the first time spoke.

aMadge will probably sue,a she said in a naturally husky voice. aAnd what will happen then?a Eleanor Crane was a tall womana"as tall, almost, as Medesco, but slim and stately. She had a lean, greyish face, untidy hair in which streaks of white mingled with the dull gold, and pale green eyes with a certain glint of humour in them. Humbleby had expected her to be in mourning for her son Maurice, but in fact she wore a coat and skirt of purplish-brown tweed, with rough wool stockings and brogue shoes.

aNo, Iam not in black, Inspector.a She had rightly interpreted his appraising glance. aMaurice was only my step-son, and I had no great liking for him, Iam afraid. He was a rake, and stupid.a aYou agreed,a said Humbleby, ato his bringing Miss Scott to stay here at Christmas.a aCertainly. But as soon as she arrived I took her aside and warned her directly of what she could expect if she didnat look out for herself. I told her of Mauriceas habits, and I told her that if she gave in to him she neednat look forward to either marriage or advancement in films as a reward. She took,a said Eleanor Crane coolly, avery great offence at my suggestions. And I understand that she paid no attention to my warnings. But if she wanted an ally against Mauriceas intentions, she knew where to come, so I donat consider I s.h.i.+rked my obligations at alla Where apparently I have s.h.i.+rked them is in my childrenas upbringing. Theyare all deplorable in one way or anothera"except, of course, David, who is merely dim.a David Crane was the only person there who had not yet opened his mouth. He was a young, thick-set man, going prematurely bald, of a type that emanates social uncertainty like ectoplasm.

aOh, l-look here, m-mother,a he protested.

aBut letas get back to the point,a said Eleanor Crane tranquilly; she was more immediately prepossessing, Humbleby thought, than any other member of the family he had encountered so far. aThe point is, as Iave said, that Madge will probably sue. And that means that if you, Nicholas dear, are going to persist in your very creditable policy of self-sacrifice, youall have to go into the witness-box against her. It will make a very depressing spectacle, and one which I think ought to be avoided if possible. Mr. Cloud, what line would my daughteras lawyer be likely to take in a libel action against The Evening Mercury?a Mr. Cloud, gratified at being appealed to, puffed himself up importantly.

aThe publication of this letter,a he said, ais calculated to bring Miss Crane into hatred, ridicule and contempt. So much is obvious, there would be no difficulty in proving it, and for that reason the action might possibly succeed. I refer, of course, to a civil action only. Alternatively, or in addition, Miss Crane might apply to a police court for a summons for criminal libel. If she does that, then the defendants will not have to prove that the letter is truea"since in criminal libel that matter is largely irrelevanta"and it is conceivable that Mr. Crane here would not be involved at all. On the other handa"a aQuite so, Mr. Cloud.a With some address, Eleanor Crane nipped this nascent homilectic in the bud. aBut what Iam trying to ascertain is whether a civil action brought by my daughter would be likely to succeed. You say it amight possiblya. What could prevent it from succeeding?a aProof,a Mr. Cloud answered gloomily, athat the letter was true.a aWell, youare acquainted with the circ.u.mstances of the affair. Could such proof in fact be produced?a aYes, I rather think it could,a said Mr. Cloud even more gloomily. aSo long as Mr. Crane persists in a.s.serting the letteras veracity, that is. Now, if he were to join Miss Crane in bringing the actiona"a aI am not,a said Nicholas firmly, agoing to do anything of the sort.a aAnd in that case,a said his mother, amy daughteras action would probably fail?a Mr. Cloud nodded. aIam afraid that that is so, yes.a aWell, if you think that, no doubt her lawyer will think it also. And I believe she has just sufficient sense to take his advice. The remaining problem is, will she apply for a summons for criminal libel?a aAs an act of vengeance, perhaps,a said Mr. Cloud somewhat histrionically. aShe could not, of course, by that method obtain monetary rest.i.tution, and I doubt if it would help to salvage her reputation.a aThen the position is clear at last.a Eleanor Crane took her sherry from a niche in the overmantel and sipped it. aNicholas is intent on immolation and will not take any sort of action. And Madge cannot succeed in a civil suit without his co-operation, and a summons for criminal libel would do her no earthly good. I think that since thatas so sheall cut her losses and keep quieta"donat you, Aubrey?a Medesco grunted. aThe girlas a conceited, over-s.e.xed little a.s.s,a he opined dispa.s.sionately, aand the power she wields over everyone in film business has gone to her head. In my view sheas perfectly capable of cutting off her nose to spite her face. But I suggest that the thing to do is to stop theorising about it and wait until we can get in touch with her.a aAnd in the meantime?a Nicholas asked.

aIn the meantime,a said Humbleby, aI think you should take certain precautions, Mr. Crane.a aPrecautionsa? Oh, ah. Yes, I see what you mean. Your Professor Fen made the same suggestion on Sat.u.r.day. Your idea is that in view of what the Mercury has published Iam likely to be the poisoneras next victima"or possibly Madge.a aThere is that possibility,a said Humbleby seriously, aand it would be silly to neglect it.a He frowned. aIn fact, your failure to get through to Miss Crane at Doon Island is worrying me slightly. If youall be so good as to take me to a telephone I think Iall ring up the Doon Island police and ask them to pay her a visit simply as a precaution.a It was Nicholas who led him to the telephone. Humbleby returned, having done what was necessary, in five minutes, and found them silent and embarra.s.seda"a consequence, perhaps, of something that had been discussed while he was away.

aSo you still have no notion, Inspector,a said Eleanor Crane, aas to who killed Maurice?a aIam afraid not, Mrs. Crane. Weare doing everything that can be done.a aVengeance.a Almost imperceptibly she s.h.i.+vered. aIs that your theory about the motive?a aItas an idea Iam keeping in mind,a said Humbleby reservedly as he sat down again.

Eleanor Crane laughed, suddenly and harshly, but not without amus.e.m.e.nt.

aAnother,a she said, abeing that I get control of Mauriceas money. You knew that, didnat you? Yes, of course you did. I told that pleasant young man you sent here on Sat.u.r.day afternoon.a Humbleby remained impa.s.sive and said nothing. But: aOh, l-look here, m-mother, thatas absurd,a said David Crane. aItas s-silly to put ideas into p-peopleas heads. I know you n-never p-pay any attention to what I say, b-butaa aDavid dear, your loyalty does you credit but not, Iam afraid, your intelligencea And I may as well admit, Inspector, that I need that money. Iave had heavy losses recently on the tracks, and I was beginning to wonder if Iad ever be able to meet my obligations.a aIndeed, maaam.a The investigations of his subordinates had made Humbleby acquainted with this fact twenty-four hours ago, and the admission did not interest him. What did interest him was the presence here of Aubrey Medesco, and he went on to say casually: aI was a little surprised to find this gentleman with you.a aThere is absolutely no limit,a said Medesco, ato the things that surprise the police. Their capacity for amazement makes Candide look like the most degenerate of urban sophisticates.a aMr. Medesco,a said Eleanor pleasantly, ais an old friend of the family, Inspector.a aW-well, n-not an old friend, m-mother.a David seemed anxious to be helpful. aB-because when I c-came back from the U.S.A. t-two years ago we didnat know him, and I remember w-when you said you w-were going to m-marry him I s-said to m-myselfaa aDavid!a said Eleanor in good-humoured exasperation. aI thought I told you that my engagement to Mr. Medesco was to remain a secret for the present.a aOh; s-sorry, m-mother. I only thoughtaa aNo, dear. You only failed to think.a There was a hint of real annoyance underlying Eleanor Craneas tolerant smile. aWell, thatas one cat out of the bag, Inspector.a aMy congratulations, sir,a said Humbleby gravely. aAnd to you, maaam, every happiness.a He was not surprised that they had wanted to keep the engagement a secret, for a mariage de convenance is always apt to arouse the worldas scorn, and particularly if it is between elderly people; but he was also not surprised that in this instance it had been arranged, since he had sensed from the firsta"little though they had spoken to one anothera"a very definite sympathy between Medesco and Mrs. Crane. Whether this posture of affairs would prove to have any importance in the case he did not know; there was the point, of course, thata"

And Mrs. Crane caught up his train of thought at precisely the stage where she interrupted it.

aSo there is the point,a she said, athat Aubrey, too, had a motive for killing Mauricea"since presumably he would prefer to marry a wife who was not impecunious.a Medesco looked up at her, and it was the first time Humbleby had seen him smile.

aMy dear girl,a he said, aIad marry you if you were a barmaid.a Eleanor Crane had crossed to the table on which the sherry decanter stood, and was refilling her gla.s.s. aApposite,a she commented. aPerfect timing. Are you sure you wonat have a drink, Inspector? If you donat like sherry our insufferable butler could be made to produce something else. Or is it a regulation that you mustnat drink when youare on duty?a Having a.s.sured her that no such regulation existed, Humbleby accepted sherry and pledged her very courteously in it.

aAnd now,a she said, aweave been holding you up for too long with chatter about our personal affairs. Tell us why you came.a aTo investigate in detail, Iam afraid, this whole affair of Miss Scottas contract.a Humbleby turned to Nicholas. aIf youad prefer to talk about it in private, siraa aNo, no,a said Nicholas wearily. aWe may as well drag the whole squalid business out into the open, and be done with it.a At this, Mr. Cloud became vastly agitated.

aI have to advise you, Mr. Crane,a he said perturbedly, athat you are not under any obligation to answer the Inspectoras questions. And indeed, in your own interestsa"a aHush, Cloud.a Nicholas wagged a finger at him. aI appreciate your efforts, but theyare misplaced. Your job is to protect me from the Pressa And by the way, where is the Press? Theyare being remarkably discreet. I expected hordes of reporters, and not a single one has turned up so fara"though they have rung me up to ask for a statement.a aThey are obliged to go carefully,a said Mr. Cloud. aThe situation is delicate, and they are obliged to go very, very carefully indeed. We might take a hint from them, eh, Mr. Crane?a Nicholas groaned. aSit down, Cloud,a he said. aStop fidgeting about. Drink your sherry.a aVery well, sir.a Mr. Cloud was clearly offended. aBut if you will not be ruled by me I can take no responsibility, none whatever.a He sat down heavily and mopped his brow. aPlease understand that this statement is not made with my approval.a aMea maxima culpa,a said Nicholas. aYou shall have a signed exoneration, Cloud, signed and witnesseda And now, Inspector, letas get on with it.a An expectant silence fell upon the group. Eleanor Crane had her shoulder against the mantelpiece, and was staring absently at the Veronese in the corner. Medesco remained immobile, his small eyes almost closed. Mr. Cloud, deflated, sipped his sherry as though it were unspeakably distasteful to him. And only David Crane seemed unaffected by the atmosphere: he had picked up an ill.u.s.trated magazine and was turning its pages attentively, as if, cat-like, he had for the time being completely forgotten what was going forward.

aIam sorry to have to probe this matter, sir,a said Humbleby. aBut for one thing, itas obviously bound up with Miss Scottas suicide, and for another, thereas Mr. Maurice Craneas death to consider. You seea"a aYes, yes, Inspector,a Nicholas interrupted. aThereas no need to apologise. I donat suspect you of having come down here out of mere idle curiosity.a He paused to light a cigarette, inhaled deeply, and went on: aThis is what happened.

aMadge was at the bottom of it alla"I donat say that to excuse myself, but the fact remains that she was the prime mover. She hated poor Gloria; and the reason for that, of course, was Stuart North.

aStuart and Gloria were both in Visa for Heaven, which I directed. Gloria only had a tiny part, but her scene in the film involved Stuart as well, and that was how they met. Stuart fell for her, in a mild way. I donat know whether she was genuinely interested in him, but anyway, it flattered her to be touted about by a star.a aYes, and that raises a point I donat quite understand,a said Eleanor Crane. aWhat on earth made her go after Maurice as well? Did she seriously imagine she could run both of them simultaneously?a aWell, I donat know, but Iave an idea she left Stuart for Maurice as soon as she found out how much Stuart detested films. Specifically a film career was what she was after, and from that point of view Maurice was a more promising ally than Stuart, who wanted to get away from films as soon as he possibly could. But where all thatas concerned your guess is as good as mine.

aWe finished Visa for Heaven at the end of November, and it was about then that Stuart met Madge for the first time. I donat pretend to be able to interpret my precious sisteras motives, but anyway, she made a dead set at Stuart. And unluckily for her, Gloria had got in first.

aThat, no doubt, made her keener than ever. Sheas got a nice technique of persuasion, has Madge. You see, apart from Leiper himself, sheas easily the most important person at the studios, and no one who doesnat want to risk losing his job dares offend her. Even Leiper has to handle her carefully, because sheas a fabulous money-maker, and if he lost her to Rank or Korda his profitsad drop like an express lift.

aBut the trouble about Stuart, from her point of view, was that she couldnat put this technique into action against him, for the simple reason that head much rather be on the stage than in films. So if Madge wanted him for an inamorato, shead have to rely on her unaided charms. And with Gloria about, they didnat seem to work very well.a Outside the two high windows that flanked the fireplace it was almost completely dark, and the rising wind blew a spatter of raindrops against the panes. The huge rooma"surely, in origin, a ballrooma"was dimly lighted; only round the fire was there a circle of greater radiance, and this waxed and waned perceptibly with the pulse of the engine that supplied it. The fire was burning low, and Nicholas got up to throw another log on to it before going on.

aWell, that was the situation,a he said. aUntil The Unfortunate Lady, my sweet sister couldnat do anything nasty to Gloria, for the simple reason that Gloria didnat have a job. Then the question of casting Martha Blount came up, and I recommended Gloria for the part. Jocelyna"Jocelyn Stafford, that isa"is a bit other-worldly where studio scandal is concerned; he had no idea there was any antagonism between Madge and Gloria, and I didnat go out of my way to tell him. So he interviewed the girl and signed her up. I thought that when Madge heard about it shead just resign herself to making the best of a bad job. I was wrong. I honestly hadnat a notion how much she loathed Gloria. If I had had, I certainly wouldnat have suggested Gloria for that part. She deserved to get it, mind youa"but my encouragement of young actresses normally stops short if it seems likely to create a first-cla.s.s, flaming row.

aAnd thatas just what it did create. When Madge heard what had happened, she cornered me and issued an ultimatum. If Gloriaas contract wasnat revoked, she said, shead go to Leiper and tell him that if I didnat leave his organisation she would. And we, were both well aware which of us head choose to keep. I wasnat signed up for anything after The Unfortunate Lady, and if Iad ignored Madgeas orders I should have been out on my neck.a aMy dear boy,a said his mother, asurely with your reputation, ranka"a But Nicholas shook his head.

aUnlikely,a he interrupted. aThe industryas at a low ebb at the moment, and the other companies have got many more directors on tap than they can use. Iad quite definitely have been out of a joba"and that possibility didnat please me a bit.a He looked at them wryly.

aCowardice, you think? Yes, I admit it was. But I couldnat possibly have foreseen that Gloria would kill herself, could I? And I swear to youaa"he leaned forward and spoke very earnestlya"aI swear to you that I meant to make it up to Gloria afterwards in some way Madge couldnat interfere with.

aThe plan was Madgeas. Even for her sake Leiper probably wouldnat have gone back on that contract once it was signeda"and in any case, she wasnat at all anxious to have it known that she was doing Gloria down. The basic idea, of course, was to leave the dirty work to me. And the circ.u.mstances were all in favour. Marcia Bloom was playing the lead in Loveras Luck. Her father had died, and she wanted to go to Ireland for the funeral, and that meant a stand-in for last Tuesday eveningas performance, and just as it happened, her understudy had been taken off to hospital with appendicitis or something. And Jedda"Loveras Luck is his showa"is a man I know fairly well. It all fitted very nicely.

aYou know what the idea was. People who have contracts with a film company have to have permission from the company to appear on the stage or the radio. Itas nearly always given, so really the thingas little more than a formality. Still, if you donat observe that formality youave broken your contract, and youare capable of being sued.

aIn their own interests theatrical managers generally see to it that that permission has been given.a Here Nicholas grew perceptibly uneasy. aBut as Jedd knew me, he was prepared to take my word for it and didnat ask for any other evidence.a aIn your letter,a Humbleby interposed mildly, athere is a sentence which suggests thata"a aMr. Crane!a Cloud, who had been following the narrative with an air of hypnotised gloom, now sat upright so abruptly that he upset his sherry on to his knee. aIt would be undesirable for us to enter into detail at this point. Very, very undesirable. We donat want to give the Inspector the idea that weare an accessory after a fact, do we now? We donat wanta"a aCalm yourself, Cloud,a said Nicholas. aAnd wipe your trousers. Thereas no question of my being an accessory after a fact. Where Jeddas concerned, there isnat a fact. To my knowledge, heas never done anything in the least criminal.a aThen,a Humbleby prompted, athe reason why you a.s.sured Miss Crane that he would not give thea"uma"conspiracy away wasa"a aWas to do with his private life. A matter of marital infidelity.a Cloud gave vent to a loud moan. aMr. Crane, Mr. Crane! We must not lay ourselves open to any imputation of blackmail. We must nota"a aOnce and for all, Cloud,a said Nicholas in exasperation, awill you be quieta I merely told Jedd that I should like Gloria to have the opportunity of standing in for Marcia Bloom, and after head talked to her he agreed to give her the chance.a Eleanor Crane raised her eyebrows.

aTheatrical managers,a she observed dryly, aare obviously more trusting nowadays than they used to be.a Her son brushed this sarcasm peremptorily aside. aNone the less, that is what happened. And youall understand that Gloria herself wasnat at all averse to the idea when I put it up to hera I was contemptible enough,a said Nicholas steadily, ato tell her shead be doing me a favour by standing in for Marcia; and G.o.d help me, she was very anxious to do me any favour she coulda aWell, it was all arranged. I told Gloriaa"not in front of witnessesa"that Iad see to getting the companyas permission for her to appear, that she could leave all that side of it to me. Of course she trusted me.a Nicholas gave a short, toneless laugh. aWhy shouldnat she? I liked her and Iad always done what I could for her.a Eleanor Crane made a movement of impatience.

aThese self-tormentings may be all very well, Nicholas,a she said, abut a public exhibition of them strikes me as being in poorish taste. Youave a.s.sured us several times how badly you feel about it all, and we quite believe you. So for the moment just confine yourself to the facts.a Nicholas looked at her queerly.

aVery well, mother,a he answered in a dull, uninflected voice. aIall confine myself to the factsa aThe next fact is that Gloria slaved for four days to get the part up. Iam told she was very good in it, though I didnat see her myself.

aAnd then, of course, I had to tell her what shead let herself in for.

aThat was really why I asked her to my party. When everyone else had gone, I kept her behind to talk to her.

aThereas no need to tell you in detail what I said. I should have liked to have put the blame on Madge, but I didnat dare. And anyway, by that time I was quite as culpable as she was.

aBut the really horrible thing is that what I said to Gloria was almost pure bluff. It wasnat that shead been tricked into an impossible position; it was that I deceived her into imagining she had. In other words, I was trading on her relative ignorance of film business. My line, you see, was that shead broken her contract by appearing in Loveras Luck; and that if she didnat want to be sued for breach shead better let me arrange for the contract to be cancelleda"a thing I could quite easily do. But the point is that if shead just dug her heels in and said aLet them suea, I was foxed, because I knew d.a.m.n well how unlikely it was that they would.a Grimacing, Medesco threw the b.u.t.t of his cigar into the fire.

aAnd she realised, no doubt,a he observed, athat if she fought your obvious intention of gerrymandering her out of her contract, youad see to it that she never got another. So whether she believed you or whether she thought you were bluffing, it all came to the same thing from her point of view: she was finished in films.a aOh, G.o.d, I hadnat thought of that.a Nicholas closed his eyes and with his thumb and forefinger ma.s.saged their lids, like a man in the last stages of physical exhaustion. aWell, anyway, you know how it worked out,a he went on after a momentas pause. aIa"I knew shead be upset, naturally. But I never dreamed shead take it as badly as she did. Her reaction was so violent and horrible that I could scarcely believe she wasnat just acting. But her face went grey, it looked pinched and frightful, and you canat act that sort of thing. When Iad finished she didnat say anythinga"anything at all. She just turned and ran out of the flat.

aAnd thena aWell, then she went away and killed herself.a For a long half-minute there was complete silence.

Nicholasa final words had sounded thin and bloodless in that huge room, and the shadows which on three sides beleaguered the group by the fire seemed now to be darker and more pervasive. Draughts fingered the worn tapestries on the walls, and the effect of the ebb and flow of the light had become mesmeric. You could hear that now it was raining in real earnest; though you could not see it, because the window-panes were as dull and black as if they had been coated with creosote. The bal.u.s.trade of the mezzanine gallery was ghostly in the upper darkness.

And the drowned girl, it seemed to Humbleby, stood among them as vividly as an actual phantom. Except perhaps for David, everyone there had her in his mindas eye. A tag from Voltaire drifted irrelevantly into Humblebyas mind: aMake love like fools when you are young, and, work like devils when you are old: it is the only way to livea. And that, it occurred to him, enabled one to diagnose accurately enough what had been the defect in Gloria Scott: while still in her teens she had been an uncompromising arriviste, and about such a figure there is something inevitably pathetic and incongruous. First and foremost the young should always concern themselves simply with living, with experiencing. Let them be ambitious, yes; but what is preciousa"Humbleby had a sentimental liking for this poem of Spenderas which Fen might not have approveda"what is precious is never to forget the delight of the blood drawn from ageless springs breaking through rocks in worlds before our earth. And arrivisme is always and everywhere a denial of thata Humbleby pulled himself together. Nebulous, amateurish excursions into mysticism might be all very well, but this was not the moment for them.

aThank you, Mr. Crane,a he said; and as if the words had been a signal, the group round the fire s.h.i.+fted and broke. David threw aside his magazine. Medesco heaved himself out of his chair and moved his great bulk, not without a certain feline grace, to a position in front of the hearth, where he stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Eleanor, glancing at her watch, excused herself briefly and left the room on some domestic errand. Nicholas got to his feet, replenished his gla.s.s with sherry, drank it at a gulp, and filled again. Only Cloud, subdued by what he had heard, and ruminating, perhaps, some opposition between his professional advantage and his personal sense of moral fitnessa"only Cloud remained motionless.

aWell, thatas that,a Nicholas said with an attempt at levity. aThe confessional is now closed for the night, and the repentant sinner will direct three Government doc.u.mentaries by way of expiationa Is that funny? No, I suppose in the circ.u.mstances it isnat.a Humbleby was regarding him speculatively.

aI think,a he said, athat I must have missed Professor Fenas warning to you.a aWarning?a Nicholas echoed vaguely.

aYou said earlier on that on Sat.u.r.day he advised you to take certain precautions.a aOh, thata Yes, he did. He said he thought itad be a good thing if Madge and I didnat eat or drink anything except what other people were eating and drinking.a aAnd have you been taking his advice?a aI have, yes. Heas got something of a reputation as a criminologist, I understand, so I thought that probably he had reason for the warning. And besides that, he said another thing which made me decide that he must be rather a perceptive sort of person.a aWhat was that?a aA plain hint that head guessed there was hanky-panky about Gloriaas contract. It canat possibly have been anything except a guess, but it was an uncomfortably accurate one.a aAnd did you pa.s.s on his warning to your sister?a aI did. But I doubt if sheas been paying any attention to it. Sheas probably reached that stage of megalomania at which you begin to fancy youare immortal. And in any case,a Nicholas added, dropping to a more prosaic level, asheas one of those people who quite automatically do the opposite of what theyare advised to do. If I wanted her to go to Iceland for a holiday, I should tell her that the suns.h.i.+ne of Italy was what she needed, and the next thing I knew shead be at Reykjavik or the North Pole, chucking soap into geysers for the benefit of the newsreel cameras.a aI seea What precautions have you yourself taken?a aWell, Iave been having all my meals and drinks out, at restaurants and bars, thatas really what it amounts to. And even before you found out that Mauriceas tonic had been poisoned, I gave up taking my own medicinea Look here, Inspector, was Mauriceas death an act of revenge?a aI canat say more than I said before, sir, and that is that thereas a fifty-fifty chance it was.a Nicholas considered this. aThen letas suppose that thanks to the Mercury the poisoner wants to get at me as well. He canat put his stuff in the drinks at my flat without breaking open the sideboard, because the woman who cleans for me is slightly dipso, and I have to keep them locked up. He can put it in the odds and ends of food and drink I keep there, and he can put it in my medicinea"provided, of course, that he can get into the flata As a matter of fact, Iave got the medicine with mea No, no, Iam not intending to take it, my dear chap. But Iave got a chemist friend in Aylesbury and it occurred to me to ask him to test it for me. One does like to know where one stands. I forgot to take it to him on the way down here, but I can drop it in tomorrow morning.a aIf you care to let me have it, sir, I can test it for colchicine straight away.a aTest it for what?a aColchicine. Thatas what killed your brother.a ad.a.m.ned if Iave ever heard of it.a aItas rare, certainly. And even if your medicine has been poisoned, that particular toxin may not have been useda"though poisoners usually tend to stick to their formula.a aItas like a dream, isnat it?a said Nicholas a little dazedly. aDispa.s.sionate, civilised chat about whether someone is trying to kill one or nota Well, Iall get you the medicine. When you say you can test it straight away do you mean here and now?a aIf you can give me a room to work in.a aYes, of course we can. Iall consult Mamma about it. Oh, here she is now. Mother, the Inspector wants a room to do chemical experiments in.a aGood heavens.a Eleanor Craneas astonishment was pleasantly artificial. aNot trying to isolate bloodstains, surely?a Nicholas explained the position to her and she nodded. aYes,a she said, athat can certainly be managed. Thereas a sort of box-room that might do, with a table and a chair and a washbasin and a gas fire that works. You must have a look at it, Inspector, and see if it suits you.a aIall fetch the stuff and bring it back here,a said Nicholas, and departed.

aBut first, how about dinner?a said Eleanor. aWe usually dine at eight, and itas after nine, and our cook pretends to take pride in the food she serves up, revolting though it generally is, and sheas muttering about giving notice. Inspector, youall dine with us, I hope?a aThank you, maaam,a said Humbleby urbanely. aItas kind of you to ask me, but Iad rather go ahead with this job. Perhaps, if it wouldnat be too much trouble, a sandwichaa aBy all means. Mr. Cloud, youall stay, of course?a The lawyer stood up slowly. His face had a strained, vacant look.

aThank you, Mrs. Crane, but I should prefer not to,a he said. aIn the usual way I donat allow my personal feelings to intrude upon my business, but in this instancea"in this caseaa The little manas struggle to express himself at once honestly and tactfully was not without dignity. After a fractional hesitation he went on: aIam sorry to say that after what Iave heard I shall never again be able to devote myself wholeheartedly to Mr. Craneas affairs. And I think, therefore, that it would be best for him to have some other legal adviser. Ia"if you will pardon me, Iall leave now, and write to him about it in the morning.a aI can see your point of view, Mr. Cloud,a said Eleanor gravely, aand I quite sympathise with it.a aYouare very kind, Mrs. Crane. Very kinda No, please donat ring. I can let myself out. Good evening, Mrs. Crane. Good evening to you allaa He bowed himself through the door. And by the time Nicholas returned, David, too, had lefta"in order, as he was at pains to inform them, to wash his hands in readiness for the impending meal. The medicine proved to be a milky fluid in the usual graded bottle; about a third of it had been used.

aWhat is it prescribed for?a Humbleby asked.

Nicholas grinned. aWhat they call nervous dyspepsiaa"though when I look at poor old Evan George, with all his bellyaches, I feel quite ashamed of making a fuss about ita I imagine itas mostly bicarbonate. Thatas what it tastes like, anyway.

aAh. Well, Iall get my bag out of my car, and then, if youad be so kind as to show me to this roomaa Ten minutes later he was alone there. It was small, bare and inhospitable, high up among the attics, but quite suitable for his purpose. Beyond its uncurtained windows, in a darkness unrelieved by moon or stars, the tops of tall trees sighed and whispered in the steady downpour. The aged but mercurial butler brought him substantial quant.i.ties of sandwiches and beer.

aSome scandal, eh?a he said affably. aDriving poor honest working girls to suicide. But thatas the boss cla.s.s all over.a aMiss Scott worked only spasmodically,a said Humbleby, aand there is no evidence that she was honest.a The butler ignored this. aBut Mr. Maurice, ae got what was coming to aim,a he observed. aSeduced er, ae did. Droy de saygnur, thatas what they called it in the bad old days of laysez-feera"I dare say you donat know French, so Iall translate that for you. It means working girls being forced by law to go to bed with the upper cla.s.ses, see?a aYou know what youare like?a said Humbleby. aYouare like some ghastly relic left over from the earliest origins of the Fabian Movement.a The butler ignored this, too.

aSo I can tell what youare saying to yourself, he pursued. aYouare saying to yourself: aNow, aow does it come about that a straightforward chap like old Syd Primrose works for a lot of degenerate capitalists like the Cranes?a Youare saying to yourselfa"a aIam saying to myself that I shouldnat be surprised to find you licking the boots of people who torture little children for the fun of it.a The butler took this observation in very bad part. His face became suffused with senile fury.

aYou shut yer trap,a he snarled, transported. aAnd keep it shut. Donat think you can malinger me,a he shouted, aand get away with it. Just you wait till we aave the revolution. Just youa"a aYou said earlier,a Humbleby pointed out, athat we werenat going to have a revolution.a aNever you mind what I said, Mr. Bossy. Castina a manas words in ais teeth. Spittina in a poor old chapas eye. Whya"a aIall boot a poor old chap hard in the backside,a said Humbleby, aif he doesnat get out of here and leave me alone. For G.o.das sake, go away and read The New Statesman or something. Iam busy.a The ancient Primrose summoned up his energies for an annihilating blast of invective. None, however, came. It was not that he had thought better of it; rather it was as if he had suddenly lost all recollection of what was being talked about. His face smoothed itself out, and he nodded agreeably.

aSo thatas settled, then,a he remarked inconsequently. aGot all you want, aave you? Youave only got to ring if you need anything.a He made for the door and paused there. aAbout torturing children,a he said earnestly. aI donat aold with it.a He adopted a lecture-room posture, one finger upraised. aNowa"a aGet,a said Humbleby, aout.a Primrose went.

Thereupon Humbleby settled down to work. He enjoyed playing with chemicals, and applied himself single-mindedly to the task in hand. From his case he took test-tubes, nitric acid, sulphuric acid and caustic potash, and for ten minutes was pleasantly occupied with them. Then he sat back and pensively considered the results.

To both the tests he had applied the reaction had been positive. One needed a control experiment, of course, using medicine that was known to be unadulterated; but it was very unlikely that a prescription for dyspepsia would contain any substance capable of provoking the same chemical reactions as colchicinea"unlikely, indeed, that any such substance existed. Zeiselas reaction (which was rather too complicated for Humbleby to perform at the moment) would clinch the matter, but even without that there was no doubt in his mind that Nicholas Craneas medicine contained colchicine.

It looked, then, as if Fenas original reading of the casea"his interpretation of it as an act of vengeancea"might well be correct. But there were two other possibilitiesa"the first, that a murderer unconnected with Gloria Scott had reason for killing Nicholas as well as Maurice; and the second, that Nicholas had killed Maurice from a motive yet to be discovered, and was now attempting to disarm suspicion by simulating a scheme for murdering himself. Neither of these alternatives, however, struck Humbleby as being particularly convincing, since neither accounted for the obliteration of Gloria Scottas true ident.i.ty by the ransacking of her rooms in Stamford Street. The girlas motive for committing suicide was now plain; on no conceivable hypothesis could the invasion of her rooms have helped to keep that motive secret; therefore the Stamford Street affaira"unless it were wholly irrelevant and accidental, which Humbleby simply refused to believea"must be connected with the murders. And the only connection which Humbleby could imagine was precisely that which Fen had adumbrated in the first instancea"the theory of an avenging murderer, a.s.sociated with Gloria Scott at the time when she was using her proper name, and anxious (naturally enough) to occlude that connection before initiating his ghastly vendetta.

Thus Humbleby meditated, while he munched sandwiches and gulped beer. And the urgent problem, he saw, was how far-reaching this vendetta was likely to be. Since it included Nicholas, thanks to the Mercuryas informative ways, it would presumably be bound to include Madge as well. And further than that? Well, it might prove to be a vendetta in the strict sense of the worda"an indiscriminate attack on the entire family, regardless of whether they had harmed Gloria Scott or no. In that case, Humbleby reflected, it was going to be very difficult to deal with indeed. Better, on the whole, a.s.sume that the poisoners malevolence was directed against specific people until events proved otherwisea And upon this callous decisiona"since the aeventsa he contemplated would almost certainly be homicidala"Humbleby finished his viands, pushed the tray aside, and began repacking his chemicals and apparatus. The next step, anyway, was clear: he must find out what opportunity there had been for poisoning Nicholasa medicine.

In the event, however, this enterprise was slightly delayed. Humbleby met Nicholas coming up the stairs to report a telephone call from the police at Doon Island.

aAh, yes, I asked them to ring me back as soon as theyad made sure Miss Crane was all right,a said Humbleby.

Nicholas turned and they went down to the hall together.

aYouave completed your tests?a Nicholas enquired.

aYes.a aAnd the result? Or maynat I ask?a aOf course you may. After all, it does concern you very intimatelya The bottle of medicine you gave me was in fact poisoned.a aWith this colchicine muck?a aYes.a Nicholas whistled.

aWell, at least I know where I am now,a he said wryly. aWhat happens next?a aI must talk to you about opportunity for poisoning the medicine. Are you nearly at the end of dinner?a aYes. Weave been gobbling away in an unsociable silence. I can be with you as soon as youave finished talking on the phone. Weall have some coffee in the boudoira"thatas that door there.a Inspector Berkeley, on Doon Island, seemed disposed to be chatty.

aYes, sheas as safe as houses,a he said in answer to Humblebyas first query. aI interviewed her personallya"luscious bit of flesh, isnat she?a Humbleby frowned at this familiarity; he did not, he said, want to waste time evaluating the merely aphrodisiac properties of the girl. What had happened at the interview?

aWell, I told her there was a possibility she was in danger,a pursued Berkeley, chastened, aand to be short about it, she just laughed at me.a aGood heavens above, you canat have been very impressive with her, can you? Had she seen the Mercury?a aOh, yes. There was a copy there in the room. She was pretty brazen about it all, but I could see she was on edge.a aWith your discernment, you should have been a psychiatrist.a aYes, but itas a useful gift when youare in the Force, too,a said Berkeley, unaware of the irony. aShe was on edge all right. And of course, when I say she laughed at me, I donat mean she actually laughed.a aNo. You just put that bit in to confuse me.a aShe wasnat in a jolly mood, thatas to say. And small wonder, if you ask me.a aSmall wonder indeed,a said Humbleby heavily, awith a libidinous flatfoot like you goggling at her.a aHey,a said Berkeley indignantly. aThatas a slanderaa A new thought struck him. aI tell you what, though. Her legs are a disappointment.a aWith your imaginings, youad probably find any real pair of legs a disappointmenta This is serious, man. Did you manage to impress on her that sheas got to look after herself? Since I phoned you first, new evidence has come up which makes it even more urgent. She really is in very grave danger of being killed.a aCripes,a said Berkeley soberly. aWell, all I can say is that I did my best.a aYou warned her about food and drink and medicines and that sort of thing?a aYes, I did that. I donat think that sheas going to pay any attention, though.a aAnd even if she does, we canat just leave it at that. Our X may try a more direct approach. You must have a man stationed outside the house night and day.a aRight,a said Berkeley briskly. aIall deal with that at once. Anything else?a aLetas seea Is the house burglar-proof?a aFar from it. Itas only a little cottage.a aWell, try and see to it that she locks the doors and shuts the windows when she goes to bed. You canat force her to, of course, but with a little tact you may be able to manage ita Oh, look here, Iad better telephone her myself.a aYou can try, but I doubt if youall get through. The thing rang three times while I was with her, and she didnat answer it once. Seems to be a policy.a aBlast the girl. Well, I canat spare the time to come down and argue with her, so youall have to take complete responsibility. Iall get the A.C. to contact your Chief Constable so that you can have all the men and facilities you need.a aOh, for G.o.das sake donat do that,a wailed Berkeley. aI donat want Sir Cyril hanging round the station all day. I can manage it easily on my own. Itas a slack time here.a aAll right, thena Oh, now I come to think of it, youad better have two men at the cottage: one to follow hera"in a car, if necessarya"whenever she goes out.a aSheas not going to like that, you know. What do I do if she turns nasty?a aStick to your gunsa"but politely, of course. If she makes a fuss at a higher level, Iall shoulder the blamea Is she alone?a aNo. Got her secretary with her. Grim, hatchet-faced female. As far as I can gather, the secretaryas doing all the cooking and whatnot.a aMm. Get her on your side if you can. And for the Lordas sake, Berkeley, donat trip up on the job. Thereas a murderer loose, and if he gets a chance at Madge Crane thereall be a national uproar.a And that, thought Humbleby as he replaced the receiver, is about as much as, I can do along those lines. Now for Nicholas.

Nicholas, it was obvious, had devoted the interregnum of Humblebyas telephoning to putting his evidence in order. After a brief, incurious enquiry as to his sisteras safety he embarked on it.

aThe first thing,a he said, ais that my flat is practically impossible to break into. And up to the time I left it this afternoon it hadnat been broken into, I can a.s.sure you of that.a aGood. And then?a aWell, as you know, Thursday was the night of the wretched party, so I suppose Iad better start from there. After Gloria had gone, I locked up the flat and went to bed. And early on Friday I came on here; when I get sick of my own company I sometimes do that, and stay a night or two, and I wasnat feeling at all fond of my own company after that ghastly business with Gloria.a aLet me get just one thing clear: youare not working at the moment?a aNot apart from The Unfortunate Lady conferences, no. Iam between films.a aJust so. Go on, then.a aWell, the thing is, you see, that there are burglar alarms on the door and windows of the flat; they ring in the porteras office on the ground floor, and thereas always a man there. The fellow who had the flat before me was a diamond merchant, and it was him had the alarms installed. I always switch them on when I go away from the flat for more than a few hours, because Iave got one or two picturesa"a Cezanne and a Pica.s.soa"thatad be quite worth stealinga Anyway, what it all amounts to is that up to the time I went back to the flata"thatas to say, Sat.u.r.day afternoon, after Mauriceas deatha"no one could possibly have got at that medicine. And after that, for reasons I neednat go into in detail, no one could have got at it till this morning.a aThis morning, then: how was it accessible this morning?a aI told you Iave been having my meals out, didnat I? Yes. Well, this morning I got up early and strolled up to a sort of snack-bar place in North Row for breakfast. They do you delicious home-made sausages there, with little crisp bits of raw onion in thema However.

aThe point is that I didnat shut the front door of the flat properly. When I got back I found it was opena"not wide open, mind you, but not latched. At first I imagined someone might have got hold of a duplicate key somehow, but then it struck me that if someone had, theyad certainly have been careful to close the door properly when leaving, so as not to suggest that the place had been entered; and besides, I remembered vaguelya"the way one doesa"that the door hadnat clicked properly when I shut it on the way out.a aYou mentioned duplicate keys. Are there any?a aOnly the one my servant has. And heas been away on holiday for the past week, and I got his key off him before he went. Here it is, with mine.a Nicholas produced a key-ring, and displayed two elaborate, identical Yale keys. aAs you can see, itas a very special sort of locka"thatas the jewel merchantas doing againa"and I think any other keys besides these two are out of the question. Whatas more, I can guarantee that these havenat been out of my possession for a single moment.a Humbleby nodded. aGood enough. When did you leave the flat for breakfast and how long were you away?a aI can remember that. I left at almost exactly seven a.m. and I got back at almost exactly eight.a aAnd you looked round, no doubt, to see if anything had been disturbed?a aI most certainly did. But there was nothing out of place that I could discover. And in any case my policy was not to eat or drink anything that was kept in the flat, so it was just a question of carrying on with that. There was no proof, of course, that anyone had entered the flat at all.a aDid you ask your porter about that?a aYes. But he was shut up in his rooma"they arenat expected to hang about the entrance hall all daya"and wouldnat have seen or heard anyone go in or out. So that was no help.a Humbleby consumed his thimbleful of black coffee, asked for more, and, having received it, lit a cheroot. aAnd then?a aWell, after that our poisoner didnat get another chance till I arrived here.a aWhen was that?a aAbout five this afternoon.a aAnd what sort of a chance did he have then?a aI unpacked and dozed for a bit on the bed. Then about six I came downstairsa"I should think it must have been about an hour later when it suddenly occurred to me that it wasnat very sensible to leave the medicine lying about in my bedroom for anyone to get at. So I went up and locked it away; and it stayed locked away till I got it out to give to you.a aThen what it all adds up to,a said Humbleby slowly, ais this: colchicine could have been introduced into the medicine either before your party and Miss Scottas suicide, or between seven and eight this morning, or between six and seven this evening. Is that right?a aPerfectly. And presumably number one can be ruled out.a aI think so, yes.a aAnd number two as well? The Mercury didnat appear till three this afternoon, and I take it the attempt to poison me was a result of the publication of that unfortunate letter.a Humbleby considered acquainting him with his theory of a literal vendetta, and decided against it; it was not a contingency which he liked to contemplate himself.

aThat is probable,a he agreed. aSo by far our likeliest time is between six and seven this evening. Now, just what were Xas chances of getting at the medicine then and remaining unseen?a They had been considerable, he elicited; and subsequent questioning of Eleanor, David, Medesco and the servants confirmed this. The overgrown condition of the estate made an un.o.btrusive approach to the house perfectly feasible; at any one of a dozen open doors and windows an outsider could have made his entry; and inside, there were innumerable places where he could have concealed himself in an emergency. A very vulnerable place, Humbleby reflected, with the vendetta theory nagging at the back of his mind; the only snag was how, without searching all the bedrooms (a perilous though not impossible course), X could have known where Nicholas was sleepinga"for the Cranes had only occupied the house for a few months, and the location of Nicholasa room could not have been at all widely known, except to the family and domestic staff. However, an enterprising person could have solved that problem without excessive difficulty; and the strength of those who killed for vengeance rather than gain, as well as their weakness, was that commonly they were prepared to run abnormal risksa It was after eleven when at last Humbleby took his departure. Nicholas walked out with him to his car. The rain was temporarily holding off, and here and there a drowned star winked blearily through a gap in the clouds. The gravel was loud underfoot, and an acc.u.mulation of water gurgled and dripped in the gutters. Humbleby was by this time thoroughly exhausteda"and so also, he guessed, was Nicholas, for the tic on his check had become more frequent and p.r.o.nounced, and at each spasm his face screwed up with the pain.

aWell, thatas that,a he said. aAnd I hope youare able to make sense of it, because I donat want to go in fear of sudden death for the rest of my daysa By the way, have you any idea how the Mercury got hold of that b.l.o.o.d.y letter?a Humbleby told him.

aWhy my idiot sister didnat burn the thing,a he commented when the story was finished, aI simply cannot imagine. But women are like that. They can none of them ever bring themselves to destroy anything.a Humbleby opened tire car door and climbed in. Through the window he said: aAnd youare quite certain you donat want police protection? It can easily be arranged.a aNo, I can look after myself, thanks. Iave got my pistol, I shall sleep with my bedroom door locked, and from now on Iall do all my eating and drinking at pubs in Aylesbury.a aThen youare going to stay on here?a aFor a day or two, till I see how things turn out.a Humbleby grunted. aWell, be careful. For the Lordas sake, be careful.a aDonat worry,a said Nicholas, laughing. aIave no intention of dying yet awhilea Good night.a Humbleby drove off. Once, just before trees and bushes screened the carriageway finally from the house, he looked back. Beneath the wan, fluctuating bulb outside the pedimented front door Nicholas was standing alone and motionless, his hands thrust hard into the pockets of his obtrusively well-cut dinner jacket, staring blankly after the retreating cara And that was the last time Humbleby saw him alive.

Chapter Four.

Morose and mistrustful, Tuesdayas dawn loitered in from the east like a trade unionist contemplating a strike. From the bedroom window of her Bloomsbury flat Judy Flecker looked out at it, and at the damp prospects it revealed, and sleepily sighed. Then she stripped off her pyjamas, bathed, dressed, cooked and ate her breakfast, and by eight oaclock was in the street. A short walk brought her to a bus stop at which, while waiting, she was able unemotionally to contemplate the ma.s.sive colonnades of the British Museum; and the bus took her to Marylebone, most restful and appealing of the London termini, where she embarked on a train for Long Fulton.

By ten oaclock of a day which was to be the most eventfula"as also the most sheerly terrifyinga"of her life, Judy had cleared up such routine work as the Music Department could provide, and was in Sound Stage Number Two, listening while the Philharmonia Orchestra, under Griswoldas direction, rehea.r.s.ed and recorded the score for Ticket for h.e.l.l. Upon the screen in front of her two lovers, bereft of their sound-track, mouthed preposterously at each other; in the sound engineeras gla.s.s-fronted control-room, behind her, the composer sat complacently imbibing through a substantial loudspeaker the noises he had contrived. The ticker on the wall spelled out the seconds; Griswold, with headphones adjusted and a cigarette in his mouth, glanced rapidly and continuously from the players to the score to the ticker to the screen; and music appropriate to its erotic contexta"susurration of strings, plangency of French horns, the oily sweetness of tubular bells and the aqueous ripple of harpsa"filled and overflowed the room. Not a bad score, Judy conceded: in his concert works Napier was a somewhat acrid modernist, but like most such composers he unb.u.t.toned, becoming romantic and sentimental, when he was writing for the films.

Presently the take ended and the lights went up again. Someone came and sat down rather heavily in the canvas chair next to Judyas, but for the moment, since the filmas Chief Editor had b.u.t.tonholed her and was talking shop, she had no idea who it was. Only when the Chief Editor had taken himself off did she turn round to identify the newcomer.

It was David Crane.

His appearance there did not surprise Judy particularly, since in recent months he had developed the habit of drifting into her office at odd times of the day for a purpose which he seemed at a loss to isolate and define but which struck Judy as being in all probability fundamentally amorous. These irruptions were a nuisance, but with David Crane it was impossible ever to be seriously exasperateda"and, moreover, his diffidence was such that it usually drove him away again, inchoately apologising, within five minutes of his arrival. Of all the Cranes, David, in spite of his intolerable gaucherie, was the one Judy liked best. The air of blank misgiving with, which he habitually faced the world aroused her protective and maternal instincts. He got little sympathy, she suspected, from his fellow-workers in the Script Department, and was consequently obliged to forage abroad for that commodity.

ah.e.l.lo,a she said pleasantly. aHow are things?a aG-good morning, M-Miss Flecker.a Despite the studio vice of always using Christian names, he had never addressed her in terms less formal than these. aI hope Iam n-not in your w-way.a Judy laughed. aOf course not. Iam slacking.a She stretched her long legs out luxuriously, noting in amused but not scornful tribute to his solid conventionality that he was wearing black. aAnd you?a aI b-beg your pardon?a aI mean, has the Script Department given you an hour off?a Rather a condescending turn of phrase, Judy reflected: he wasnat, after all, an office-boy. But David, it seemed, had been born to be victimised, even by those who wished him well, and in his presence oneas language seemed to mould itself automatically into shapes of unintended derogation. Fortunately, he seemed qu