Confused, shaken, and racked with pain, she felt acutely grateful to Jacob Tanios in that moment. The relief of feeling oneself in capable hands. He gave you just that feeling of assuranceof confidencethat a doctor ought to give.
There was somethingsomething she couldnt quite get hold ofsomething vaguely disquietingbut she wouldnt think of it now. She would drink this and go to sleep as they told her.
But surely there was something missingsomeone.
Oh well, she wouldnt think Her shoulder hurt her She drank down what she was given.
She heard Dr Tanios sayand in what a comfortable assured voiceShell be all right, now.
She closed her eyes.
She awoke to a sound that she knewa soft, muffled bark.
She was wide awake in a minute.
Bobnaughty Bob! He was barking outside the front doorhis own particular out all night very ashamed of himself bark, pitched in a subdued key but repeated hopefully.
Miss Arundell strained her ears. Ah, yes, that was all right. She could hear Minnie going down to let him in. She heard the creak of the opening front door, a confused low murmurMinnies futile reproachesOh, you naughty little doggiea very naughty little Bobsie She heard the pantry door open. Bobs bed was under the pantry table.
And at that moment Emily realized what it was she had subconsciously missed at the moment of her accident. It was Bob. All that commotionher fall, people runningnormally Bob would have responded by a crescendo of barking from inside the pantry.
So that was what had been worrying her at the back of her mind. But it was explained nowBob, when he had been let out last night, had shamelessly and deliberately gone off on pleasure bent[74]. From time to time he had these lapses from virtue[75]though his apologies afterwards were always all that could be desired.
So that was all right. But was it? What else was there worrying her, nagging at the back of her head? Her accidentsomething to do with her accident.
Ah, yes, somebody had saidCharlesthat she had slipped on Bobs ball which he had left on the top of the stairs
The ball had been therehe had held it up in his hand
Emily Arundells head ached. Her shoulder throbbed. Her bruised body suffered
But in the midst of her suffering her mind was clear and lucid. She was no longer confused by shock. Her memory was perfectly clear.
She went over in her mind all the events from six oclock yesterday evening She retraced every step.. .till she came to the moment when she arrived at the stairhead and started to descend the stairs
A thrill of incredulous horror shot through her
Surelysurely, she must be mistaken One often had queer fancies after an event had happened. She tried earnestly she triedto recall the slippery roundness of Bobs ball under her foot
But she could recall nothing of the kind[76].
Instead
Sheer nerves, said Emily Arundell. Ridiculous fancies.
But her sensible, shrewd, Victorian mind would not admit that for a moment. There was no foolish optimism about the Victorians. They could believe the worst with the utmost ease.
Emily Arundell believed the worst.
CHAPTER 4. Miss Arundell Writes a Letter
It was Friday.
The relations had left.
They left on the Wednesday as originally planned. One and all[77], they had offered to stay on. One and all they had been steadfastly refused. Miss Arundell explained that she preferred to be quite quiet.
During the two days that had elapsed since their departure, Emily Arundell had been alarmingly meditative. Often she did not hear what Minnie Lawson said to her. She would stare at her and curtly order her to begin all over again.
Its the shock, poor dear, said Miss Lawson.
And she added with the kind of gloomy relish in disaster which brightens so many otherwise drab lives:
I dare say shell never be quite herself again.
Dr Grainger, on the other hand, rallied her heartily.
He told her that shed be downstairs again by the end of the week, that it was a positive disgrace she had no bones broken, and what kind of patient was she for a struggling medical man? If all his patients were like her, he might as well take down his plate straight away.
Emily Arundell replied with spirit[78]she and old Dr Grainger were allies of long standing[79]. He bullied and she defiedthey always got a good deal of pleasure out of each others company!
But now, after the doctor had stumped away, the old lady lay with a frown on her face, thinkingthinking responding absent-mindedly to Minnie Lawsons well-meant fussingand then suddenly coming back to consciousness and rending her with a vitriolic tongue.
Poor little Bobsie, twittered Miss Lawson, bending over Bob who had a rug spread on the corner of his mistresss bed. Wouldnt little Bobsie be unhappy if he knew what hed done to his poor, poor Missus?
Miss Arundell snapped:
Dont be idiotic, Minnie. And wheres your English sense of justice? Dont you know that everyone in this country is accounted innocent until he or she is proved guilty?
Oh, but we do know
Emily snapped:
We dont know anything at all. Do stop fidgeting, Minnie. Pulling this and pulling that. Havent you any idea how to behave in a sick-room? Go away and send Ellen to me.
Meekly Miss Lawson crept away.
Emily Arundell looked after her with a slight feeling of self-reproach. Maddening as Minnie was, she did her best.
Then the frown settled down again on her face.
She was desperately unhappy. She had all a vigorous strong-minded old ladys dislike of inaction in any given situation. But in this particular situation she could not decide upon her line of action.
There were moments when she distrusted her own faculties, her own memory of events. And there was no-one, absolutely no-one in whom she could confide.
Half an hour later, when Miss Lawson tiptoed creakingly into the room, carrying a cup of beef-tea, and then paused irresolute at the view of her employer lying with closed eyes, Emily Arundell suddenly spoke two words with such force and decision that Miss Lawson nearly dropped the cup.
Mary Fox, said Miss Arundell.
A box, dear? said Miss Lawson. Did you say you wanted a box?
Youre getting deaf, Minnie. I didnt say anything about a box. I said Mary Fox. The woman I met at Cheltenham last year. She was the sister of one of the Canons[80] of Exeter Cathedral. Give me that cup. Youve spilt it into the saucer. And dont tiptoe when you come into a room. You dont know how irritating it is. Now go downstairs and get me the London telephone book.
Can I find the number for you, dear? Or the address? If Id wanted you to do that Id have told you so. Do what I tell you. Bring it here, and put my writing things by the bed.
Miss Lawson obeyed orders.
As she was going out of the room after having done everything required of her, Emily Arundell said unexpectedly:
Youre a good, faithful creature, Minnie. Dont mind my bark. Its a good deal worse than my bite. Youre very patient and good to me.
Miss Lawson went out of the room with her face pink and incoherent words burbling from her lips.
Youre a good, faithful creature, Minnie. Dont mind my bark. Its a good deal worse than my bite. Youre very patient and good to me.
Miss Lawson went out of the room with her face pink and incoherent words burbling from her lips.
Sitting up in bed, Miss Arundell wrote a letter. She wrote it slowly and carefully, with numerous pauses for thought and copious underlining. She crossed and recrossed the pagefor she had been brought up in a school that was taught never to waste notepaper. Finally, with a sigh of satisfaction, she signed her name and put it into an envelope. She wrote a name upon the envelope. Then she took a fresh sheet of paper. This time she made a rough draft and after having reread it and made certain alterations and erasures, she wrote out a fair copy. She read the whole thing through very carefully, then satisfied that she had expressed her meaning she enclosed it in an envelope and addressed it to William Purvis, Esq[81]., Messrs[82] Purvis, Purvis, Charlesworth and Purvis, Solicitors, Harchester.
She took up the first envelope again, which was addressed to M. Hercule Poirot, and opened the telephone directory[83]. Having found the address she added it.
A tap sounded at the door.
Miss Arundell hastily thrust the letter she had just finished addressingthe letter to Hercule Poirotinside the flap of her writing-case[84].
She had no intention of rousing Minnies curiosity. Minnie was a great deal too inquisitive.
She called Come in and lay back on her pillows with a sigh of relief.
She had taken steps to deal with the situation.
CHAPTER 5. Hercule Poirot Receives a Letter
The events which I have just narrated were not, of course, known to me until a long time afterwards. But by questioning various members of the family in detail, I have, I think, set them down[85] accurately enough.
Poirot and I were only drawn into[86] the affair when we received Miss Arundells letter.
I remember the day well. It was a hot, airless morning towards the end of June.
Poirot had a particular routine when opening his morning correspondence. He picked up each letter, scrutinized it carefully and neatly slit the envelope open[87] with his paper-cutter[88]. Its contents were perused and then placed in one of four piles beyond the chocolate-pot. (Poirot always drank chocolate for breakfasta revolting habit.) All this with a machine-like regularity!
So much was this the case that the least interruption of the rhythm attracted ones attention.
I was sitting by the window, looking out at the passing traffic. I had recently returned from the Argentine and there was something particularly exciting to me in being once more in the roar of London.
Turning my head, I said with a smile:
Poirot, Ithe humble Watsonam going to hazard a deduction.
Enchanted, my friend. What is it?
I struck an attitude[89] and said pompously:
You have received this morning one letter of particular interest!
You are indeed the Sherlock Holmes! Yes, you are perfectly right.
I laughed.
You see, I know your methods, Poirot. If you read a letter through twice it must mean that it is of special interest.
You shall judge for yourself[90], Hastings.
With a smile my friend tendered me the letter in question.