chapter 30 miss viner gives judgment

katherine looked out of miss viner's bedroom window. it was raining, not violently, but with a quiet, well-bred persistence. the window looked out on a strip of front garden with a path down to the gate and neat little flower-beds on either side, where later roses and pinks and blue hyacinths would bloom. miss viner was lying in a large victorian bedstead. a tray with the remains of breakfast had been pushed to one side and she was busy opening

her correspondence and making various caustic comments upon it.

katherine had an open letter in her hand and was reading it through for the second time. it was dated from the ritz hotel, paris.

"chère mademoiselle katherine (it began),

"i trust that you are in good health and that the return to the english winter has not proved too depressing. me, i prosecute my inquiries with the utmost diligence. do not think that it is the holiday that i take here. very shortly i shall be in england, and i hope then to have the pleasure of meeting you once more. it shall be so, shall it not? on arrival in london i shall write to you. you remember that we are the colleagues in this affair? but indeed i think you know that very well.

"be assured, mademoiselle, of my most respectful and devoted sentiments.

"hercule poirot."

katherine frowned slightly. it was as though something in the letter puzzled and intrigued her.

"a choir boys' picnic indeed," came from miss viner. "tommy saunders and albert dykes ought to be left behind, and i shan't subscribe to it unless they are. what those two boys think they are doing in church on sundays i don't know. tommy sang, 'o god, make speed to save us,' and never opened his lips again, and if albert dykes wasn't sucking a mint humbug, my nose is not what it is and always has been."

"i know, they are awful," agreed katherine.

she opened her second letter, and a sudden flush came to her cheeks. miss viner's voice in the room seemed to recede into the far distance.

when she came back to a sense of her surroundings miss viner was bringing a long speech to a triumphant termination.

"and i said to her, 'not at all. as it happens, miss grey is lady tamplin's own cousin.' what do you think of that?"

"were you fighting my battles for me? that was very sweet of you."

"you can put it that way if you like. there is nothing to me in a title. vicar's wife or no vicar's wife, that woman is a cat. hinting you had bought your way into society."

"perhaps she was not so very far wrong."

"and look at you," continued miss viner. "have you come back a stuck-up fine lady, as well you might have done? no, there you are, as sensible as ever you were, with a pair of good balbriggan stockings on and sensible shoes. i spoke to ellen about it only yesterday. 'ellen,' i said, 'you look at miss grey. she has been hobnobbing with some of the greatest in the land, and does she go about as you do with skirts up to her knees and silk stockings that ladder when you look at them, and the most ridiculous shoes that ever i set eyes on'."

katherine smiled a little to herself; it had apparently been worth while to conform to miss viner's prejudices. the old lady went on with increasing gusto.

"it has been a great relief to me that you have not had your head turned. only the other day i was looking for my cuttings. i have several about lady tamplin and her war hospital and what not, but i cannot lay my hand upon them. i wish you would look, my dear; your eyesight is better than mine. they are all in a box in the bureau drawer."

katherine glanced down at the letter in her hand and was about to speak, but checked herself, and going over to the bureau found the box of cuttings and began to look over them. since her return to st mary mead her heart had gone out to miss viner in admiration of the old woman's stoicism and pluck. she felt that there was little she could do for her old friend, but she knew from experience how much those seemingly small trifles meant to old people.

"here is one," she said presently. "'viscountess tamplin, who is running her villa at nice as an officers' hospital, has just been the victim of a sensational robbery, her jewels having been stolen. amongst them were some very famous emeralds, heirlooms of the

tamplin family.'"

"probably paste," said miss viner, "a lot of these society women's jewels are."

"here is another," said katherine. "a picture of her, 'a charming camera study of viscountess tamplin with her little daughter lenox.'"

"let me look," said miss viner. "you can't see much of the child's face, can you? but i dare say that is just as well. things go by contraries in this world and beautiful mothers have hideous children. i dare say the photographer realized that to take the back of the child's head was the best thing he could do for her."

katherine laughed.

"'one of the smartest hostesses on the riviera this season is viscountess tamplin, who has a villa at cap martin. her cousin, miss grey, who recently inherited a vast fortune in a most romantic manner, is staying with her there.'"

"that is the one i wanted," said miss viner. "i expect there has been a picture of you in one of the papers that i have missed, you know the kind of thing. mrs somebody or other jones-williams, at the something or other point-to-point, usually carrying a shooting- stick and having one foot lifted up in the air. it must be a trial to some of them to see what they look like."

katherine did not answer. she was smoothing out the cutting with her finger, and her face had a puzzled, worried look. then she drew the second letter out of its envelope and mastered its contents once more. she turned to her friend.

"miss viner? i wonder - there is a friend of mine, someone i met on the riviera, who wants very much to come down and see me here?"

"a man," said miss viner.

"yes."

"who is he?"

"he is secretary to mr van aldin, the american millionaire."

"what is his name?"

"knighton, major knighton."

"hm - secretary to a millionaire. and wants to come down here. now, katherine, i am going to say something to you for your own good. you are a nice girl and a sensible girl, and though you have your head screwed on the right way about most things, every woman makes a fool of herself once in her life. ten to one what this man is after is your money."

with a gesture she arrested katherine's reply. "i have been waiting for something of this kind. what is a secretary to a millionaire? nine times out of ten it is a young man who likes living soft. a young man with nice manners and a taste for luxury and no brains and no enterprise, and if there is anything that is a softer job than being a secretary to a millionaire it is marrying a rich woman for her money. i am not saying that you might not be some man's fancy. but you are not young, and though you have a very good complexion you are not a beauty, and what i say to you is, don't make a fool of yourself; but if you are determined to do so, do see that your money is properly tied up on yourself. there, now i have finished. what have you got to say?"

"nothing," said katherine, "but would you mind if he did come down to see me?"

"i wash my hands of it," said miss viner. "i have done my duty, and whatever happens now is on your own head. would you like him to lunch or to dinner? i dare say ellen could manage dinner - that is, if she didn't lose her head."

"lunch would be very nice," said katherine. "it is awfully kind of you, miss viner. he asked me to ring him up, so i will do so and say that we shall be pleased if he will lunch with us. he will motor down from town."

"ellen does a steak with grilled tomatoes pretty fairly," said miss viner. "she doesn't do it well, but she does it better than anything else. it is no good having a tart because she is heavy handed with pastry; but her little castle puddings are not bad, and i dare say you could find a nice piece of stilton at abbot's. i have always heard that gentlemen like a nice piece of stilton, and there is a good deal of father's wine left, a bottle of sparkling moselle, perhaps."

"oh no, miss viner; that is really not necessary."

"nonsense, my child. no gentleman is happy unless he drinks something with his meal. there is some good pre-war whisky if you think he would prefer that. now do as i say and don't argue. the key of the wine-cellar is in the third drawer down in the dressing-table, in the second pair of stockings on the left-hand side."

katherine went obediently to the spot indicated.

"the second pair, now mind," said miss viner. "the first pair has my diamond earrings and my filigree brooch in it."

"oh," said katherine, rather taken aback, "wouldn't you like them put in your jewel-case?"

miss viner gave vent to a terrific and prolonged snort.

"no, indeed! i have much too much sense for that sort of thing, thank you. dear, dear, i well remember how my poor father had a safe built in downstairs. pleased as punch he was with it, and he said to my mother, 'now, mary, you bring me your jewels in their case every night and i will lock them away for you.' my mother was a very tactful woman, and she knew that gentlemen like having their own way, and she brought him the jewel-case locked up just as he said.

"and one night burglars broke in, and of course - naturally - the first thing they went for was the safe! it would be, with my father talking up and down the village and bragging about it until you might have thought he kept all king solomon's diamonds there. they made a clean sweep, got the tankards, the silver cups, and the presentation gold plate that my father had had presented to him, and the jewel-case."

she sighed reminiscently. "my father was in a great state over my mother's jewels. there was the venetian set and some very fine cameos, and some pale pink corals, and two diamond rings with quite large stones in them. and then, of course, she had to tell him that, being a sensible woman, she had kept her jewellery rolled up in a pair of corsets, and there it was still as safe as anything."

"and the jewel-case had been quite empty?"

"oh no, dear," said miss viner, "it would have been too light a weight then. my mother was a very intelligent woman, she saw to that. she kept her buttons in the jewel-case, and a very handy place it was. boot buttons in the top tray, trouser buttons in the second tray, and assorted buttons below. curiously enough, my father was quite annoyed with her. he said he didn't like deceit. but i mustn't go chattering on; you want to go and ring up your friend, and mind you choose a nice piece of steak, and tell ellen she is not to have holes in her stockings when she waits at lunch."

"is her name ellen or helen, miss viner? i thought -"

miss viner closed her eyes.

"i can sound my h's, dear, as well as anyone, but helen is not a suitable name for a servant. i don't know what the mothers in the lower classes are coming to nowadays."

the rain had cleared away when knighton arrived at the cottage. the pale fitful sunshine shone down on it and burnished katherine's head as she stood in the doorway to welcome him. he came up to her quickly, almost boyishly.

"i say, i hope you don't mind. i simply had to see you again soon. i hope the friend you are staying with does not mind."

"come in and make friends with her," said katherine. "she can be most alarming, but you will soon find that she has the softest heart in the world."

miss viner was enthroned majestically in the drawing-room, wearing a complete set of the cameos which had been so providentially preserved in the family. she greeted knighton with dignity and an austere politeness which would have damped many

men. knighton, however, had a charm of manner which was not easily set aside, and after about ten minutes miss viner thawed perceptibly. luncheon was a merry meal, and ellen, or helen, in a new pair of silk stockings devoid of ladders performed prodigies of waiting. afterwards, katherine and knighton went for a walk and they came back to have tea tête-a-tête, since miss viner had gone to lie down.

when the car had finally driven off katherine went slowly upstairs. a voice called her and she went in to miss viner's bedroom.

"friend gone?"

"yes. thank you so much for letting me ask him down."

"no need to thank me. do you think i am the sort of old curmudgeon who will never do anything for anybody?"

"i think you are a dear," said katherine affectionately.

"humph," said miss viner mollified.

as katherine was leaving the room she called her back.

"katherine?"

"yes."

"i was wrong about that young man of yours. a man when he is making up to anybody can be cordial and gallant and full of little attentions and altogether charming. but when a man is really in love he can't help looking like a sheep. now, whenever that young man looked at you he looked like a sheep. i take back all i said this morning. it is genuine."

第三十章 瓦伊尼小姐参加便宴

卡泰丽娜坐在瓦伊尼小姐的卧室里，遥望着窗外的远方。天下着雨，虽然不大，但可以说是典型的英国天气。

瓦伊尼小姐躺在一个老式的木床上。她刚吃完早点。正在翻阅着早晨的报纸。

卡泰丽娜拆开手中的一封信。信是从巴黎的里茨饭店寄来的，内容如下：

“亲爱的卡泰丽娜小姐！我希望，英国的冬天不会使您意志消沉下去。我

还在办我们那桩案子。您相信吗？我将休假。我不久将去英国，并希望能够拜

访您，那将是我的享受。您不会忘记吧？我们是同事。始终是您忠实的、可信

赖的朋友赫库勒·波洛。”

信中某种使她不安的东西，但究竟是什么，她自已也说不清楚。她又拆开了第二封信，脸上立刻泛起了红晕。瓦伊尼小姐的声音突然响了起来，象是从外面传进来的。

“亲爱的卡泰丽娜。”这位老女士说，“您见了大世面，却没有堕落下去，这对我来说是再高兴也没有的了，我刚刚把我的剪报又看了一遍。我有一大堆关于坦普林女士和她的战时医院的剪报，还有别的，应有尽在。您一会儿翻出来看看，我的眼睛不管事了。它们都放在我的写字台的抽屉里。”

卡泰丽娜到写字台那边找剪报去了。老女友的坚韧不拔的勇气使她感到惊异。卡泰丽娜为她做了不少事，但按她的生活经验，有些小事却能给老年人带来乐趣。

“我看到一份剪报。”卡泰丽娜说，“坦普林女士把她的别墅变成了战地医院，并成了小偷手中的牺牲品。她收藏的宝石被盗窃了，其中还有坦普林家族的家传宝石。”

“那一定是复制品。”瓦伊尼小姐说道。“现今的女士不管什么玩意儿都往身上戴！”

“又有一份！”卡泰丽娜说。“上面有一张很引人注目的照片：坦普林女士同她的女儿雷诺斯。”

“拿过来给我瞧瞧。”瓦伊尼小姐说道。“如果摄影师给孩子们拍照，就只照他们的后脑壳。他们自己也知道这是为什么。”

卡泰丽娜大笑起来。

“在今年的利维埃拉旅游季节里，坦普林女士是其中最标致的主人之一，她在马丁角有一栋别墅，她的堂妹，格蕾小姐，以最浪漫的方式成为一大笔财产的占有者，今年曾在她那里坐过客。”

卡泰丽娜不再往下翻了。她犹豫了一会儿，从信封里抽出那第二封信。

“瓦伊尼小姐！请您听着，我在利维埃拉认识的一位熟人问我，是不是可以到这里来做客。”

“他是谁？”

“他是冯·阿丁的私人秘书，也就是那个美国百万富翁的秘书。”

“他叫什么？”

“奈顿少校。”

“这一着儿我还没想到。他到底怎样？长得很漂亮的年轻人？喜欢过奢侈的生活！他一定是看上您的钱了！我这并不是说不许您去爱男人。可是您到底不是那种年轻姑娘了，也不算很漂亮。若是您找那么一个小伙子，那将来一定得同您分家。我就是想同您谈谈这些。您还有什么要说的吗？”

“没有。”卡泰丽娜说。“可是，到底让不让他来啊？”

“我不管您的事。我已经尽了职，今后发生那种事可别怪罪我。是不是想让我请他吃饭？”

“我想，请他吃午饭最好。”卡泰丽娜说。“要是那样，您可就太伟大和可爱了。

瓦伊尼小姐。如果您允许的话，那么我就打电话告诉他，说很高兴请他来吃午饭。他开小汽车来，从伦敦到我们这里。”

中午，当奈顿来到乡下这座土房时，雨停了。冬天的太阳耀眼地照着卡泰丽娜，她在房前的花园里迎接了奈顿。他急忙跑到卡泰丽娜的面前。“我想，您不会生我的气吧，我就是来看看您的。希望不会打扰您的主人。”

“请您进屋同她认识一下。她个性很强，但心地比任何人都好。”

瓦伊尼小姐坐在老式的沙发上，象个女皇。周围摆着各种摆设各装饰品。她冷冰冰地接待了他，而奈顿却以自己特有的方式表现出他的可爱和忠诚，使老小姐在十分钟之后一直很不舒服。午饭很令人兴奋，埃伦正有机会来显示一下他的烹调技术。饭后不久，老小姐就去休息了，卡泰丽娜同奈顿散了很长时间的步。

傍晚时分，当汽车开走的之后，卡泰丽娜悄悄地走进了瓦伊尼的卧室。

“您的男朋友走了吗？”

“是的，再次衷心感谢您。”

“不用谢了。您是不是把我看成一个母老虎了，孩子？”

过了一会儿，当卡泰丽娜要离开女主人时，老小姐又把她叫住了。

“卡泰丽娜。”

“嗯？”

“我错怪了这位年轻人。一个男人如果是那样殷勤、那样的细心和有那么多的客气话，那很可能是装腔作势和故弄玄虚。可是如果一个男人真的是在热恋之中，那他看起来就象一只绵羊。他爱怎么样就怎么样吧！今天，每当这位年轻人看您的时候，他真象一只小绵羊。我收回我今天早晨所说的一切。他似乎很真挚。”