Postern of Fate tat-5 Read online

  'Ah,' said Tuppence, 'pleased to see your mother?'

  Hannibal said he was very pleased to see his mother. He leapt upon her with such force that he nearly knocked her to the ground.

  'Gently,' said Tuppence, 'gently. You don't want to kill me, do you?'

  Hannibal made it clear that the only thing he wanted to do was to eat her because he loved her so much.

  'Where's Master? Where's Father? Is he upstairs?'

  Hannibal understood. He ran up a flight, turned his head over his shoulder and waited for Tuppence to join him.

  'Well, I never,' said Tuppence as, slightly out of breath, she entered the book-room, to see Tommy astride a pair of steps, taking books in and out. 'Whatever are you doing? I thought you were going to take Hannibal for a walk.'

  'We have been for a walk,' said Tommy. 'We went to the churchyard.'

  'Why on earth did you take Hannibal into the churchyard? I'm sure they wouldn't like dogs there.'

  'He was on the lead,' said Tommy, 'and anyway I didn't take him. He took me. He seemed to like the churchyard.'

  'I hope he hasn't got a thing about it,' said Tuppence. 'You know what Hannibal is like. He likes arranging a routine always. If he's going to have a routine of going to the churchyard every day, it will really be very difficult for us.'

  'He's really been very intelligent about the whole thing,' said Tommy.

  'When you say he's intelligent, you just mean he's self-willed,' said Tuppence.

  Hannibal turned his head and came and rubbed his nose against the calf of her leg.

  'He's telling you,' said Tommy, 'that he is a very clever dog. Cleverer than you or I have been so far.'

  'And what do you mean by that?' asked Tuppence.

  'Have you been enjoying yourself?' asked Tommy, changing the subject.

  'Well I wouldn't go as far as that,' said Tuppence. 'People were very kind to me and nice to me and I think soon I shan't get them mixed up so much as I do at present. It's awfully difficult at first you know because people look rather alike and wear the same sort of clothes and you don't know at first which is which. I mean unless somebody is very beautiful or very ugly. And that doesn't seem to happen so noticeably in the country, does it?'

  'I'm telling you,' said Tommy, 'that Hannibal and I have been extremely clever.'

  'I thought you said it was Hannibal.'

  Tommy reached out his hand and took a book from the shelf in front of him.

  'Kidnapped,' he remarked. 'Oh yes, another Robert Louis Stevenson. Somebody must have been very fond of Robert Louis Stevenson. The Black Arrow, Kidnapped, Catriona and two others, I think. All given to Alexander Parkinson by a fond grandmother and one from a generous aunt.'

  'Well,' said Tuppence, 'what about it?'

  'And I've found his grave,' said Tommy.

  'Found what?'

  'Well, Hannibal did. It's right in the corner against one of the small doors into the church. I suppose it's the door to the vestry, something like that. It's very rubbed and not well kept up, but that's it. He was fourteen when he died. Alexander Richard Parkinson. Hannibal was nosing about there. I got him away from it and managed to make out the inscription, in spite of its being so rubbed.'

  'Fourteen,' said Tuppence. 'Poor little boy.'

  'Yes,' said Tommy, 'it's sad and -'

  'You've got something in your head,' said Tuppence. 'I don't understand.'

  'Well, I wondered. I suppose, Tuppence, you've infected me. That's the worst of you. When you get keen on something, you don't go on with it by yourself, you get somebody else to take an interest in it too.'

  'I don't quite know what you mean,' said Tuppence.

  'I wondered if it was a case of cause and effect.'

  'What do you mean, Tommy?'

  'I was wondering about Alexander Parkinson who took a lot of trouble, though no doubt he enjoyed himself doing it, making a kind of code, a secret message in a book. "Mary Jordan did not die naturally." Supposing that was true? Supposing Mary Jordan, whoever she was, didn't die naturally? Well then, don't you see, perhaps the next thing that happened was that Alexander Parkinson died.'

  'You don't mean - you don't think -'

  'Well, one wonders,' said Tommy. 'It started me wondering - fourteen years old. There was no mention of what he died of. I suppose there wouldn't be on a gravestone. There was just a text: In thy presence is the fullness of joy. Something like that. But - it might have been because he knew something that was dangerous to somebody else. And so - and so - he died.'

  'You mean he was killed? You're just imagining things,' said Tuppence.

  'Well, you started it. Imagining things, or wondering. It's much the same thing, isn't it?'

  'We shall go on wondering, I suppose,' said Tuppence, 'and we shan't be able to find out anything because it was all such years and years and years ago.'

  They looked at each other.

  'Round about the time we were trying to investigate the Jane Finn business,' said Tommy.

  They looked at each other again; their minds going back to the past.

  Chapter 6

  PROBLEMS

  Moving house is often thought of beforehand as an agreeable exercise which the movers are going to enjoy, but it does not always turn out as expected.

  Relations have to be reopened or adjusted with electricians, with builders, with carpenters, with painters, with wallpaperers, with providers of refrigerators, gas stoves, electric appliances, with upholsterers, makers of curtains, hangers-up of curtains, those who lay linoleum, those who supply carpets. Every day has not only its appointed task but usually something between four and twelve extra callers, either long expected or those whose coming was quite forgotten.

  But there were moments when Tuppence with sighs of relief announced various finalities in different fields.

  'I really think our kitchen is almost perfect by now,' she said. 'Only I can't find the proper kind of flour bin yet.'

  'Oh,' said Tommy, 'does it matter very much?'

  'Well, it does rather. I mean, you buy flour very often in three-pound bags and it won't go into these kind of containers. They're all so dainty. You know, one has a pretty rose on it and the other's got a sunflower and they'll not take more than a pound. It's all so silly.'

  At intervals, Tuppence made other suggestions.

  'The Laurels,' she said. 'Silly name for a house, I think. I don't see why it's called The Laurels. It hasn't got any laurels. They could have called it The Plane Trees much better. Plane trees are very nice,' said Tuppence.

  'Before The Laurels it was called Long Scofield, so they told me,' said Tommy.

  'That name doesn't seem to mean anything either,' said Tuppence. 'What is a Scofield, and who lived in it then?'

  'I think it was the Waddingtons.'

  'One gets so mixed,' said Tuppence. 'Waddingtons and then the Joneses, the people who sold it to us. And before that the Blackmores? And once, I suppose, the Parkinsons. Lots of Parkinsons. I'm always running into more Parkinsons.'

  'What way do you mean?'

  'Well, I suppose it's that I'm always asking,' said Tuppence. 'I mean, if I could find out something about the Parkinsons, we could get on with our - well, with our problem.'

  'That's what one always seems to call everything nowadays. The problem of Mary Jordan, is that it?'

  'Well, it's not just that. There's the problem of the Parkinsons and the problem of Mary Jordan and there must be a lot of other problems too. Mary Jordan didn't die naturally, then the next thing the message said was, "It was one of us." Now did that mean one of the Parkinson family or did it mean just someone who lived in the house? Say there were two to three Parkinsons and some older Parkinsons, and people with different names but who were aunts to the Parkinsons or nephews and nieces of the Parkinsons, and I suppose something like a housemaid and a parlour maid and a cook and perhaps a governess and perhaps - well, not an au pair girl, it would be too long ago for an au pair girl - but "one of us" must mean a
householdful. Households were fuller then than they are now. Well, Mary Jordan could have been a housemaid or a parlour maid or even the cook. And why should someone want her to die, and not die naturally? I mean, somebody must have wanted her to die or else her death would have been natural, wouldn't it? - I'm going to another coffee morning the day after tomorrow,' said Tuppence.

  'You seem to be always going to coffee mornings.'

  'Well, it's a very good way of getting to know one's neighbours and the people who live in the same village. After all, it's not very big, this village. And people are always talking about their old aunts or people they knew. I shall try and start on Mrs Griffin, who was evidently a great character in the neighbourhood. I should say she ruled everyone with a rod of iron. You know. She bullied the vicar and she bullied the doctor and I think she bullied the district nurse and all the rest of it.'

  'Wouldn't the district nurse be helpful?'

  'I don't think so. She's dead. I mean, the one who would have been here in the Parkinsons' time is dead, and the one who is here now hasn't been here very long. No sort of interest in the place. I don't think she even knew a Parkinson.'

  'I wish,' said Tommy desperately, 'oh, how I wish that we could forget all the Parkinsons.'

  'You mean, then we shouldn't have a problem?'

  'Oh dear,' said Tommy. 'Problems again.'

  'It's Beatrice,' said Tuppence.

  'What's Beatrice?'

  'Who introduced problems. Really, it's Elizabeth. The cleaning help we had before Beatrice! She was always coming to me and saying, "Oh madam, could I speak to you a minute? You see, I've got a problem," and then Beatrice began coming on Thursdays and she must have caught it, I suppose. So she has problems too. It's just a way of saying something - but you always call it a problem.'

  'All right,' said Tommy. 'We'll admit that's so. You've got a problem - I've got a problem - We've both got problems.'

  He sighed, and departed.

  Tuppence came down the stairs slowly, shaking her head. Hannibal came up to her hopefully, wagging his tail and wriggling in hopes of favours to come.

  'No, Hannibal,' said Tuppence. 'You've had a walk. You've had your morning walk.'

  Hannibal intimated that she was quite mistaken, he hadn't had a walk.

  'You are one of the worst liars among dogs I have ever known,' said Tuppence. 'You've been for a walk with Father.'

  Hannibal made his second attempt, which was to endeavour to show by various dog attitudes that any dog could have a second walk if only he had an owner who could see things in that light. Disappointed in this effort, he went down the stairs and proceeded to bark loudly and make every pretence of being about to make a sharp snap bite at a tousled-haired girl who was wielding a Hoover. He did not like the Hoover, and he objected to Tuppence having a lengthy conversation with Beatrice.

  'Oh, don't let him bite me,' said Beatrice.

  'He won't bite you,' said Tuppence. 'He only pretends he's going to.'

  'Well, I think he'll really do it one day,' said Beatrice. 'By the way, madam, I wonder if I could speak to you for a moment.'

  'Oh,' said Tuppence. 'You mean -'

  'Well, you see, madam, I've got a problem.'

  'I thought that was it,' said Tuppence. 'What sort of problem is it? And, by the way, do you know any family here or anyone who lived here at one time called Jordan?'

  'Jordan now. Well, I can't really say. There was the Johnsons, of course, and there was - ah yes, one of the constables was a Johnson. And so was one of the postmen. George Johnson. He was a friend of mine.' She giggled.

  'You never heard of a Mary Jordan who died?'

  Beatrice merely looked bewildered - she shook her head and went back to the assault.

  'About this problem, madam?'

  'Oh yes, your problem.'

  'I hope you don't mind my asking you, madam, but it's put me in a very queer position, you see, and I don't like -'

  'Well, if you can tell me quickly,' said Tuppence. 'I've got to go out to a coffee morning.'

  'Oh yes. At Mrs Barber's, isn't it?'

  'That's right,' said Tuppence. 'Now what's the problem?'

  'Well, it's a coat. Ever such a nice coat it was. At Simmonds it was, and I went in and tried it on and it seemed to me very nice, it did. Well, there was one little spot on the skirt, you know, just round near the hem but that didn't seem to me would matter much. Anyway, well, it - er -'

  'Yes,' said Tuppence, 'it what?'

  'It made me see why it was so inexpensive, you see. So I got it. And so that was all right. But when I got home I found there was a label on it and instead of saying £3.70 it was labelled £6. Well, ma'am, I didn't like to do that, so I didn't know what to do. I went back to the shop and I took the coat with me - I thought I'd better take it back and explain, you see, that I hadn't meant to take it away like that and then you see the girl who sold it to me - very nice girl she is, her name is Gladys, yes, I don't know what her other name is - but anyway she was ever so upset, she was, and I said, "Well, that's all right, I'll pay extra," and she said, "No, you can't do that because it's all entered up." You see - you do see what I mean?'

  'Yes, I think I see what you mean,' said Tuppence.

  'And so, she said, "Oh you can't do that, it will get me into trouble."'

  'Why should it get her into trouble?'

  'Well that's what I felt. I mean to say, well, I mean it'd been sold to me for less and I'd brought it back and I didn't see why it could put her in trouble. She said if there was any carelessness like that and they hadn't noticed the right ticket and they'd charged me the wrong price, as likely as not she'd get the sack for it.'

  'Oh, I shouldn't think that would happen,' said Tuppence. 'I think you were quite right. I don't see what else you could do.'

  'Well, but there it is, you see. She made such a fuss and she was beginning to cry and everything, so I took the coat away again and now I don't know whether I've cheated the shop or whether - I don't really know what to do.'

  'Well' said Tuppence, 'I really think I'm too old to know what one ought to do nowadays because everything is so odd in shops. The prices are odd and everything is difficult. But if I were you and you want to pay something extra, well perhaps you'd better give the money to what's-her-name - Gladys something. She can put the money in the till or somewhere.'

  'Oh well, I don't know as I'd like to do that because she might keep it, you see. I mean, if she kept the money, oh well, I mean it wouldn't be difficult would it, because I suppose I've stolen the money and I wouldn't have stolen it really. I mean, then it would have been Gladys who stole it, wouldn't it, and I don't know that I trust her all that much. Oh dear.'

  'Yes' said Tuppence, 'life is very difficult, isn't it? I'm terribly sorry, Beatrice, but I really think you've got to make up your own mind about this. If you can't trust your friend -'

  'Oh, she's not exactly a friend. I only buy things there. And she's ever so nice to talk to. But I mean, well, she's not exactly a friend, you know. I think she had a little trouble once before the last place she was in. You know, they said she kept back money on something she'd sold.'

  'Well in that case,' said Tuppence, in slight desperation, 'I shouldn't do anything.'

  The firmness of her tone was such that Hannibal came into the consultation. He barked loudly at Beatrice and took a running leap at the Hoover which he considered one of his principal enemies. 'I don't trust that Hoover,' said Hannibal. 'I'd like to bite it up.'

  'Oh, be quiet, Hannibal. Stop barking. Don't bite anything or anyone,' said Tuppence. 'I'm going to be awfully late.'

  She rushed out of the house.

  'Problems,' said Tuppence, as she went down the lull and along Orchard Road. Going along there, she wondered as she'd done before if there'd ever been an orchard attached to any of the houses. It seemed unlikely nowadays.

  Mrs Barber received her with great pleasure. She brought forward some very delicious-looking éclairs.

 
; 'What lovely things,' said Tuppence. 'Did you get them at Betterby's?'

  Betterby's was the local confectionery shop.

  'Oh no, my aunt made them. She's wonderful, you know. She does wonderful things.'

  'Éclairs are very difficult things to make,' said Tuppence. 'I could never succeed with them.'

  'Well, you have to get a particular kind of flour. I believe that's the secret of it.'

  The ladies drank coffee and talked about the difficulties of certain kinds of home cookery.

  'Miss Bolland was talking about you the other day, Mrs Beresford.'

  'Oh?' said Tuppence. 'Really? Bolland?'

  'She lives next to the vicarage. Her family has lived here a long time. She was telling us the other day how she'd come and stayed here when she was a child. She used to look forward to it. She said, because there were such wonderful gooseberries in the garden. And greengage trees too. Now that's a thing you practically never see nowadays, not real greengages. Something else called gage plums or something, but they're not a bit the same to taste.'

  The ladies talked about things in the fruit line which did not taste like the things used to, which they remembered from their childhood.

  'My great-uncle had greengage trees,' said Tuppence.

  'Oh yes. Is that the one who was a canon at Anchester? Canon Henderson used to live here, with his sister, I believe. Very sad it was. She was eating seed cake one day, you know, and one of the seeds got the wrong way. Something like that and she choked and she choked and she choked and she died of it. Oh dear, that's very sad, isn't it?' said Mrs Barber. 'Very sad indeed. One of my cousins died choking,' she said. 'A piece of mutton. It's very easy to do, I believe, and there are people who die of hiccups because they can't stop, you know. They don't know the old rhyme,' she explained. 'Hic-up, hic-down, hic to the next town, three hics and one cup sure to cure the hiccups. You have to hold your breath while you say it.'

  Chapter 7

  MORE PROBLEMS

  'Can I speak to you a moment, ma'am?'

  'Oh dear,' said Tuppence. 'Not more problems?'