Book II
Chapter 1 A Long Time Ago

Tuppence was selecting birthday cards. It was a wet afternoon and thepost office was almost empty. People dropped letters into the post box out-side or occasionally¹ made a hurried purchase of stamps. Then they usuallydeparted to get home as soon as possible. It was not one of those crowdedshopping afternoons. In fact, Tuppence thought, she had chosen this par-ticular day very well.
Gwenda, whom she had managed to recognize easily from Beatrice’s de-scription, had been only too pleased to come to her assistance². Gwendarepresented the household shopping side of the post office. An elderly wo-man with grey hair presided³ over the government business of HerMajesty’s mails. Gwenda, a chatty girl, interested always in new arrivals tothe village, was happy among the Christmas cards, valentines, birthdaycards, comic postcards, note paper and stationery⁴, various types of chocol-ates and sundry⁵ china articles of domestic⁶ use. She and Tuppence werealready on friendly terms.
‘I’m so glad that the house has been opened again. Princes Lodge⁷, Imean.’
‘I thought it had always been The Laurels⁸.’
‘Oh no. I don’t think it was ever called that. Houses change names a lotaround here. People do like giving new names to houses, you know.’
‘Yes, they certainly seem to,’ said Tuppence thoughtfully⁹. ‘Even we havethought of a name or two. By the way, Beatrice told me that you knewsomeone once living here called Mary Jordan.’
‘I didn’t know her, but I have heard her mentioned. In the war it was,not the last war. The one long before that when there used to be zep-pelins.’

分享到：