IM iss Marple got out of her train at Paddington and saw the burly figure of Chief-Inspector Davy standing1 on theplatform waiting for her.
He said, “Very good of you, Miss Marple,” put his hand under her elbow and piloted her through the barrier towhere a car was waiting. The driver opened the door, Miss Marple got in, Chief-Inspector Davy followed her and thecar drove off.
“Where are you taking me, Chief-Inspector Davy?”
“To Bertram’s Hotel.”
“Dear me, Bertram’s Hotel again. Why?”
“The official reply is: because the police think you can assist them in their inquiries2.”
“That sounds familiar, but surely rather sinister3? So often the prelude4 to an arrest, is it not?”
“I am not going to arrest you, Miss Marple.” Father smiled. “You have an alibi5.”
Miss Marple digested this in silence. Then she said, “I see.”
They drove to Bertram’s Hotel in silence. Miss Gorringe looked up from the desk as they entered, but Chief-Inspector Davy piloted Miss Marple to the lift.
“Second floor.”
The lift ascended6, stopped, and Father led the way along the corridor.
As he opened the door of No. 18 Miss Marple said:
“This is the same room I had when I was staying here before.”
“Yes,” said Father.
Miss Marple sat down in the armchair.
“A very comfortable room,” she observed, looking round with a slight sigh.
“They certainly know what comfort is here,” Father agreed.
“You look tired, Chief-Inspector,” said Miss Marple unexpectedly.
“I’ve had to get around a bit. As a matter of fact I’ve just got back from Ireland.”
“Indeed. From Ballygowlan?”
“Now how the devil did you know about Ballygowlan? I’m sorry—I beg your pardon.”
Miss Marple smiled forgiveness.
“I suppose Michael Gorman happened to tell you he came from there—was that it?”
“No, not exactly,” said Miss Marple.
“Then how, if you’ll excuse me asking you, did you know?”
“Oh dear,” said Miss Marple, “it’s really very embarrassing. It was just something I—happened to overhear.”
“Oh, I see.”
“I wasn’t eavesdropping7. It was in a public room—at least technically8 a public room. Quite frankly9, I enjoylistening to people talking. One does. Especially when one is old and doesn’t get about very much. I mean, if peopleare talking near you, you listen.”
“Well, that seems to me quite natural,” said Father.
“Up to a point, yes,” said Miss Marple. “If people do not choose to lower their voices, one must assume that theyare prepared to be overheard. But of course matters may develop. The situation sometimes arises when you realize thatthough it is a public room, other people talking do not realize that there is anyone else in it. And then one has to decidewhat to do about it. Get up and cough, or just stay quite quiet and hope they won’t realize you’ve been there. Eitherway is embarrassing.”
Chief-Inspector Davy glanced at his watch.
“Look here,” he said, “I want to hear more about this—but I’ve got Canon Pennyfather arriving at any moment. Imust go and collect him. You don’t mind?”
Miss Marple said she didn’t mind. Chief-Inspector Davy left the room.
II
Canon Pennyfather came through the swing doors into the hall of Bertram’s Hotel. He frowned slightly, wonderingwhat it was that seemed a little different about Bertram’s today. Perhaps it had been painted or done up in some way?
He shook his head. That was not it, but there was something. It did not occur to him that it was the difference betweena six foot commissionaire with blue eyes and dark hair and a five foot seven commissionaire with sloping shoulders,freckles and a sandy thatch10 of hair bulging11 out under his commissionaire’s cap. He just knew something was different.
In his usual vague way he wandered up to the desk. Miss Gorringe was there and greeted him.
“Canon Pennyfather. How nice to see you. Have you come to fetch your baggage? It’s all ready for you. If you’donly let us know we could have sent it to you to any address you like.”
“Thank you,” said Canon Pennyfather, “thank you very much. You’re always most kind, Miss Gorringe. But as Ihad to come up to London anyway today I thought I might as well call for it.”
“We were so worried about you,” said Miss Gorringe. “Being missing, you know. Nobody able to find you. Youhad a car accident, I hear?”
“Yes,” said Canon Pennyfather. “Yes. People drive much too fast nowadays. Most dangerous. Not that I canremember much about it. It affected12 my head. Concussion13, the doctor says. Oh well, as one is getting on in life, one’smemory—” He shook his head sadly. “And how are you, Miss Gorringe?”
“Oh, I’m very well,” said Miss Gorringe.
At that moment it struck Canon Pennyfather that Miss Gorringe also was different. He peeered at her, trying toanalyse where the difference lay. Her hair? That was the same as usual. Perhaps even a little frizzier. Black dress, largelocket, cameo brooch. All there as usual. But there was a difference. Was she perhaps a little thinner? Or was it—yes,surely, she looked worried. It was not often that Canon Pennyfather noticed whether people looked worried, he wasnot the kind of man who noticed emotion in the faces of others, but it struck him today, perhaps because MissGorringe had so invariably presented exactly the same countenance14 to guests for so many years.
“You’ve not been ill, I hope?” he asked solicitously15. “You look a little thinner.”
“Well, we’ve had a good deal of worry, Canon Pennyfather.”
“Indeed. Indeed. I’m sorry to hear it. Not due to my disappearance16, I hope?”
“Oh no,” said Miss Gorringe. “We were worried, of course, about that, but as soon as we heard that you were allright—” She broke off and said, “No. No—it’s this—well, perhaps you haven’t read about it in the papers. Gorman,our outside porter, got killed.”
“Oh yes,” said Canon Pennyfather. “I remember now. I did see it mentioned in the paper—that you had had amurder here.”
Miss Gorringe shuddered17 at this blunt mention of the word murder. The shudder18 went all up her black dress.
“Terrible,” she said, “terrible. Such a thing has never happened at Bertram’s. I mean, we’re not the sort of hotelwhere murders happen.”
“No, no, indeed,” said Canon Pennyfather quickly. “I’m sure you’re not. I mean it would never have occurred tome that anything like that could happen here.”
“Of course it wasn’t inside the hotel,” said Miss Gorringe, cheering up a little as this aspect of the affair struck her.
“It was outside in the street.”
“So really nothing to do with you at all,” said the Canon, helpfully.
That apparently19 was not quite the right thing to say.
“But it was connected with Bertram’s. We had to have the police here questioning people, since it was ourcommissionaire who was shot.”
“So that’s a new man you have outside. D’you know, I thought somehow things looked a little strange.”
“Yes, I don’t know that he’s very satisfactory. I mean, not quite the style we’re used to here. But of course we hadto get someone quickly.”
“I remember all about it now,” said Canon Pennyfather, assembling some rather dim memories of what he had readin the paper a week ago. “But I thought it was a girl who was shot.”
“You mean Lady Sedgwick’s daughter? I expect you remember seeing her here with her guardian20, ColonelLuscombe. Apparently she was attacked by someone in the fog. I expect they wanted to snatch her bag. Anyway theyfired a shot at her and then Gorman, who of course had been a soldier and was a man with a lot of presence of mind,rushed down, got in front of her and got shot himself, poor fellow.”
“Very sad, very sad,” said the Canon, shaking his head.
“It makes everything terribly difficult,” complained Miss Gorringe. “I mean, the police constantly in and out. Isuppose that’s to be expected, but we don’t like it here, though I must say Chief-Inspector Davy and Sergeant21 Wadellare very respectable-looking. Plain clothes, and very good style, not the sort with boots and mackintoshes like one seeson films. Almost like one of us.”
“Er—yes,” said Canon Pennyfather.
“Did you have to go to hospital?” inquired Miss Gorringe.
“No,” said the Canon, “some very nice people, really good Samaritans—a market gardener, I believe—picked meup and his wife nursed me back to health. I’m most grateful, most grateful. It is refreshing22 to find that there is stillhuman kindness in the world. Don’t you think so?”
Miss Gorringe said she thought it was very refreshing. “After all one reads about the increase in crime,” she added,“all those dreadful young men and girls holding up banks and robbing trains and ambushing23 people.” She looked upand said, “There’s Chief-Inspector Davy coming down the stairs now. I think he wants to speak to you.”
“I don’t know why he should want to speak to me,” said Canon Pennyfather, puzzled. “He’s already been to seeme, you know,” he said, “at Chadminster. He was very disappointed, I think, that I couldn’t tell him anything useful.”
“You couldn’t?”
The Canon shook his head sorrowfully.
“I couldn’t remember. The accident took place somewhere near a place called Bedhampton and really I don’tunderstand what I can have been doing there. The Chief-Inspector kept asking me why I was there and I couldn’t tellhim. Very odd, isn’t it? He seemed to think I’d been driving a car from somewhere near a railway station to avicarage.”
“That sounds very possible,” said Miss Gorringe.
“It doesn’t seem possible at all,” said Canon Pennyfather. “I mean, why should I be driving about in a part of theworld that I don’t really know?”
Chief-Inspector Davy had come up to them.
“So here you are, Canon Pennyfather,” he said. “Feeling quite yourself again?”
“Oh, I feel quite well now,” said the Canon, “but rather inclined to have headaches still. And I’ve been told not todo too much. But I still don’t seem to remember what I ought to remember and the doctor says it may never comeback.”
“Oh well,” said Chief-Inspector Davy, “we mustn’t give up hope.” He led the Canon away from the desk. “There’sa little experiment I want you to try,” he said. “You don’t mind helping24 me, do you?”
III
When Chief-Inspector Davy opened the door of No. 18, Miss Marple was still sitting in the armchair by the window.
“A good many people in the street today,” she observed. “More than usual.”
“Oh well—this is a way through to Berkeley Square and Shepherd Market.”
“I didn’t mean only passersby25. Men doing things—road repairs, a telephone repair van—meat trolley—a couple ofprivate cars—”
“And what—may I ask—do you deduce from that?”
“I didn’t say that I deduced anything.”
Father gave her a look. Then he said:
“I want you to help me.”
“Of course. That is why I am here. What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to do exactly what you did on the night of November 19th. You were asleep—you woke up—possiblyawakened by some unusual noise. You switched on the light, looked at the time, got out of bed, opened the door andlooked out. Can you repeat those actions?”
“Certainly,” said Miss Marple. She got up and went across to the bed.
“Just a moment.”
Chief-Inspector Davy went and tapped on the connecting walls of the next room.
“You’ll have to do that louder,” said Miss Marple. “This place is very well built.”
The Chief-Inspector redoubled the force of his knuckles26.
“I told Canon Pennyfather to count ten,” he said, looking at his watch. “Now then, off you go.”
Miss Marple touched the electric lamp, looked at an imaginary clock, got up, walked to the door, opened it andlooked out. To her right, just leaving his room, walking to the top of the stairs, was Canon Pennyfather. He arrived atthe top of the stairs and started down them. Miss Marple gave a slight catch of her breath. She turned back.
“Well?” said Chief-Inspector Davy.
“The man I saw that night can’t have been Canon Pennyfather,” said Miss Marple. “Not if that’s CanonPennyfather now.”
“I thought you said—”
“I know. He looked like Canon Pennyfather. His hair and his clothes and everything. But he didn’t walk the sameway. I think—I think he must have been a younger man. I’m sorry, very sorry, to have misled you, but it wasn’t CanonPennyfather that I saw that night. I’m quite sure of it.”
“You really are quite sure this time, Miss Marple?”
“Yes,” said Miss Marple. “I’m sorry,” she added again, “to have misled you.”
“You were very nearly right. Canon Pennyfather did come back to the hotel that night. Nobody saw him come in—but that wasn’t remarkable27. He came in after midnight. He came up the stairs, he opened the door of his room nextdoor and he went in. What he saw or what happened next we don’t know, because he can’t or won’t tell us. If therewas only some way we could jog his memory….”
“There’s that German word of course,” said Miss Marple, thoughtfully.
“What German word?”
“Dear me, I’ve forgotten it now, but—”
There was a knock at the door.
“May I come in?” said Canon Pennyfather. He entered. “Was it satisfactory?”
“Most satisfactory,” said Father. “I was just telling Miss Marple—you know Miss Marple?”
“Oh yes,” said Canon Pennyfather, really slightly uncertain as to whether he did or not.
“I was just telling Miss Marple how we have traced your movements. You came back to the hotel that night aftermidnight. You came upstairs and you opened the door of your room and went in—” He paused.
Miss Marple gave an exclamation28.
“I remember now,” she said, “what the German word is. Doppelg?nger!”
Canon Pennyfather uttered an exclamation. “But of course,” he said, “of course! How could I have forgotten?
You’re quite right, you know. After that film, The Walls of Jericho, I came back here and I came upstairs and I openedmy room and I saw—extraordinary, I distinctly saw myself sitting in a chair facing me. As you say, dear lady, adoppelg?nger. How very remarkable! And then—let me see—” He raised his eyes, trying to think.
“And then,” said Father, “startled out of their lives to see you, when they thought you were safely in Lucerne,somebody hit you on the head.”
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1
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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prelude
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| n.序言，前兆，序曲 | |
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alibi
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| n.某人当时不在犯罪现场的申辩或证明；借口 | |
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6
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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eavesdropping
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| n. 偷听 | |
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8
technically
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| adv.专门地，技术上地 | |
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9
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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thatch
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| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
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bulging
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| 膨胀； 凸出（部）； 打气； 折皱 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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concussion
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| n.脑震荡；震动 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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solicitously
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| adv.热心地，热切地 | |
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disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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17
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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ambushing
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| v.埋伏( ambush的现在分词 )；埋伏着 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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passersby
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| n. 过路人(行人,经过者) | |
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26
knuckles
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| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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