II
Leo Argyle signed the last of the letters which Gwenda Vaughan placed infront of him.
“Is that the last?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“We’ve not done too badly today.”
After a minute or two when Gwenda had stamped and stacked the let-ters, she asked:
“Isn’t it about time that you—took that trip abroad?”
“Trip abroad?”
Leo Argyle sounded very vague. Gwenda said:
“Yes. Don’t you remember you were going to Rome and to Siena.”
“Oh, yes, yes, so I was.”
“You were going to see those documents from the archives that CardinalMassilini wrote to you about.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“Would you like me to make the reservations by air, or would yourather go by train?”
As though coming back from a long way away, Leo looked at her andsmiled faintly.
“You seem very anxious to get rid of me, Gwenda,” he said.
“Oh no, darling, no.”
She came quickly across and knelt down by his side.
“I never want you to leave me, never. But—but I think—oh, I think itwould be better if you went away from here after—after….”
“After last week?” said Leo. “After Dr. Calgary’s visit?”
“I wish he hadn’t come here,” said Gwenda. “I wish things could havebeen left as they were.”
“With Jacko unjustly condemned¹ for something he didn’t do?”
“He might have done it,” said Gwenda. “He might have done it any time,and it’s a pure accident, I think, that he didn’t do it.”
“It’s odd,” said Leo, thoughtfully. “I never really could believe he did doit. I mean, of course, I had to give in to the evidence—but it seemed to meso unlikely.”
“Why? He always had a terrible temper, didn’t he?”
“Yes. Oh, yes. He attacked other children. Usually children rather smal-ler than himself. I never really felt that he would have attacked Rachel.”
“Why not?”
“Because he was afraid of her,” said Leo. “She had great authority, youknow. Jacko felt it just like everybody else.”
“But don’t you think,” said Gwenda, “that that was just why—I mean—”
She paused.
Leo looked at her questioningly. Something in his glance made the col-our come up into her cheeks. She turned away, went over to the fire andknelt down in front of it with her hands to the blaze. “Yes,” she thought toherself, “Rachel had authority all right. So pleased with herself, so sure ofherself, so much the queen bee bossing us all. Isn’t that enough to makeone want to take a

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