Fifteen
VERITY¹
I“V erity,” said Miss Marple.
Elizabeth Margaret Temple had died the evening before. It had been a peaceful death. Miss Marple, sitting oncemore amidst the faded chintz of the drawing room in The Old Manor² House, had laid aside the baby’s pink coat whichshe had previously³ been engaged in knitting and had substituted a crocheted⁴ purple scarf. This half-mourning touchwent with Miss Marple’s early Victorian ideas of tactfulness in face of tragedy.
An inquest was to be held on the following day. The vicar had been approached and had agreed to hold a briefmemorial service in the church as soon as arrangements could be made. Undertakers suitably attired⁵, with propermourning faces, took general charge of things in liaison⁶ with the police. The inquest was to take place on thefollowing morning at 11 o’clock. Members of the coach tour had agreed to attend the inquest. And several of them hadchosen to remain on so as to attend the church service also.
Mrs. Glynne had come to the Golden Boar and urged Miss Marple to return to The Old Manor House until shefinally returned to the tour.
“You will get away from all the reporters.”
Miss Marple had thanked all three sisters warmly and had accepted.
The coach tour would be resumed after the memorial service, driving first to South Bedestone, thirty-five milesaway, where there was a good class hotel which had been originally chosen for a stopping place. After that the tourwould go on as usual.
There were, however, as Miss Marple had considered likely, certain persons who were disengaging themselves andreturning home, or were going in other directions and not continuing on the tour. There was something to be said infavour of either decision. To leave what would become a journey of painful memories, or to continue with thesightseeing that had already been paid for and which had been interrupted only by one of those painful accidents thatmay happen on any sightseeing expedition. A lot would depend, Miss Marple thought, on the outcome of the inquest.
Miss Marple, after exchanging various conventional remarks proper to the occasion with her three hostesses, haddevoted herself to her purple wool and had sat considering her next line of

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