T here is little more to be told. Miss Marple’s plan succeeded. Lawrence Redding was not an innocent man, and thehint of a witness of the change of capsule did indeed cause him to do “something foolish.” Such is the power of an evilconscience.
He was, of course, peculiarly placed. His first impulse, I imagine, must have been to cut and run. But there was hisaccomplice to consider. He could not leave without getting word to her, and he dared not wait till morning. So he wentup to Old Hall that night—and two of Colonel Melchett’s most efficient officers followed him. He threw gravel1 atAnne Protheroe’s window, aroused her, and an urgent whisper brought her down to speak with him. Doubtless theyfelt safer outside than in—with the possibility of Lettice waking. But as it happened, the two police officers were ableto overhear the conversation in full. It left the matter in no doubt. Miss Marple had been right on every count.
The trial of Lawrence Redding and Anne Protheroe is a matter of public knowledge. I do not propose to go into it. Iwill only mention that great credit was reflected upon Inspector2 Slack, whose zeal3 and intelligence had resulted in thecriminals being brought to justice. Naturally, nothing was said of Miss Marple’s share in the business. She herselfwould have been horrified4 at the thought of such a thing.
Lettice came to see me just before the trial took place. She drifted through my study window, wraithlike5 as ever.
She told me then that she had all along been convinced of her stepmother’s complicity. The loss of the yellow berethad been a mere6 excuse for searching the study. She hoped against hope that she might find something the police hadoverlooked.
“You see,” she said in her dreamy voice, “they didn’t hate her like I did. And hate makes things easier for you.”
Disappointed in the result of her search, she had deliberately7 dropped Anne’s earring8 by the desk.
“Since I knew she had done it, what did it matter? One way was as good as another. She had killed him.”
I sighed a little. There are always some things that Lettice will never see. In some respects she is morally colourblind.
“What are you going to do, Lettice?” I asked.
“When—when it’s all over, I am going abroad.” She hesitated and then went on. “I am going abroad with mymother.”
I looked up, startled.
She nodded.
“Didn’t you ever guess? Mrs. Lestrange is my mother. She is—is dying, you know. She wanted to see me and soshe came down here under an assumed name. Dr. Haydock helped her. He’s a very old friend of hers—he was keenabout her once—you can see that! In a way, he still is. Men always went batty about mother, I believe. She’s awfullyattractive even now. Anyway, Dr. Haydock did everything he could to help her. She didn’t come down here under herown name because of the disgusting way people talk and gossip. She went to see father that night and told him shewas dying and had a great longing9 to see something of me. Father was a beast. He said she’d forfeited10 all claim, andthat I thought she was dead—as though I had ever swallowed that story! Men like father never see an inch before theirnoses!
“But mother is not the sort to give in. She thought it only decent to go to father first, but when he turned her downso brutally11 she sent a note to me, and I arranged to leave the tennis party early and meet her at the end of the footpathat a quarter past six. We just had a hurried meeting and arranged when to meet again. We left each other before halfpast six. Afterwards I was terrified that she would be suspected of having killed father. After all, she had got a grudgeagainst him. That’s why I got hold of that old picture of her up in the attic12 and slashed13 it about. I was afraid the policemight go nosing about and get hold of it and recognize it. Dr. Haydock was frightened too. Sometimes, I believe, hereally thought she had done it! Mother is rather a—desperate kind of person. She doesn’t count consequences.”
She paused.
“It’s queer. She and I belong to each other. Father and I didn’t. But mother—well, anyway, I’m going abroad withher. I shall be with her till—till the end….”
She got up and I took her hand.
“God bless you both,” I said. “Some day, I hope, there is a lot of happiness coming to you, Lettice.”
“There should be,” she said, with an attempt at a laugh. “There hasn’t been much so far—has there? Oh, well, Idon’t suppose it matters. Good-bye, Mr. Clement14. You’ve been frightfully decent to me always—you and Griselda.”
Griselda!
I had to own to her how terribly the anonymous15 letter had upset me, and first she laughed, and then solemnly readme a lecture.
“However,” she added, “I’m going to be very sober and Godfearing in future—quite like the Pilgrim fathers.”
I did not see Griselda in the r?le of a Pilgrim father.
She went on:
“You see, Len, I have a steadying influence coming into my life. It’s coming into your life, too, but in your case itwill be a kind of—of rejuvenating16 one—at least, I hope so! You can’t call me a dear child half so much when we havea real child of our own. And, Len, I’ve decided17 that now I’m going to be a real ‘wife and mother’ (as they say inbooks), I must be a housekeeper18 too. I’ve bought two books on Household Management and one on Mother Love, andif that doesn’t turn me out a pattern I don’t know what will! They are all simply screamingly funny—not intentionally,you know. Especially the one about bringing up children.”
“You haven’t bought a book on How to Treat a Husband, have you?” I asked, with sudden apprehension19 as I drewher to me.
“I don’t need to,” said Griselda. “I’m a very good wife. I love you dearly. What more do you want?”
“Nothing,” I said.
“Could you say, just for once, that you love me madly?”
“Griselda,” I said—“I adore you! I worship you! I am wildly, hopelessly and quite unclerically crazy about you!”
My wife gave a deep and contented20 sigh.
Then she drew away suddenly.
“Bother! Here’s Miss Marple coming. Don’t let her suspect, will you? I don’t want everyone offering me cushionsand urging me to put my feet up. Tell her I’ve gone down to the golf links. That will put her off the scent—and it’squite true because I left my yellow pullover there and I want it.”
Miss Marple came to the window, halted apologetically, and asked for Griselda.
“Griselda,” I said, “has gone to the golf links.”
An expression of concern leaped into Miss Marple’s eyes.
“Oh, but surely,” she said, “that is most unwise—just now.”
And then in a nice, old-fashioned, ladylike, maiden21 lady way, she blushed.
And to cover the moment’s confusion, we talked hurriedly of the Protheroe case, and of “Dr. Stone,” who hadturned out to be a well-known cracksman with several different aliases22. Miss Cram23, by the way, had been cleared of allcomplicity. She had at last admitted taking the suitcase to the wood, but had done so in all good faith, Dr. Stonehaving told her that he feared the rivalry24 of other archaeologists who would not stick at burglary to gain their object ofdiscrediting his theories. The girl apparently25 swallowed this not very plausible26 story. She is now, according to thevillage, looking out for a more genuine article in the line of an elderly bachelor requiring a secretary.
As we talked, I wondered very much how Miss Marple had discovered our latest secret. But presently, in a discreetfashion, Miss Marple herself supplied me with a clue.
“I hope dear Griselda is not overdoing28 it,” she murmured, and, after a discreet27 pause, “I was in the bookshop inMuch Benham yesterday—”
Poor Griselda—that book on Mother Love has been her undoing29!
“I wonder, Miss Marple,” I said suddenly, “if you were to commit a murder whether you would ever be found out.”
“What a terrible idea,” said Miss Marple, shocked. “I hope I could never do such a wicked thing.”
“But human nature being what it is,” I murmured.
Miss Marple acknowledged the hit with a pretty old-ladyish laugh.
“How naughty of you, Mr. Clement.” She rose. “But naturally you are in good spirits.”
She paused by the window.
“My love to dear Griselda—and tell her—that any little secret is quite safe with me.”
Really Miss Marple is rather a dear….
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1
gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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wraithlike
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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earring
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| n.耳环，耳饰 | |
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longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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forfeited
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| （因违反协议、犯规、受罚等）丧失，失去( forfeit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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brutally
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| adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地 | |
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attic
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| n.顶楼，屋顶室 | |
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slashed
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| v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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clement
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| adj.仁慈的；温和的 | |
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anonymous
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| adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的 | |
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rejuvenating
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| 使变得年轻，使恢复活力( rejuvenate的现在分词 ) | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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housekeeper
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| n.管理家务的主妇，女管家 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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aliases
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| n.别名，化名( alias的名词复数 ) | |
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cram
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| v.填塞，塞满，临时抱佛脚，为考试而学习 | |
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rivalry
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| n.竞争，竞赛，对抗 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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plausible
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| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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discreet
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| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
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overdoing
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| v.做得过分( overdo的现在分词 )；太夸张；把…煮得太久；（工作等）过度 | |
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undoing
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| n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭 | |
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