Read Online Adders on the Heath by Gladys Mitchell - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Gladys Mitchell
Tags: Mystery
Ads: Link
corpse,' said Denis, 'because he knew him beforehand and they had a bit of a row-none of Tom's seeking-on a cross-country run, and, also, another small fracas .'
'Was there bloodshed?' asked Dame Beatrice. 'You did not mention these feuds just now.'
'No,' said Tom, 'no bloodshed.'
'Threats uttered in front of witnesses?'
'There weren't any witnesses the first time except a few cows.'
'And the testimony of cows, rendered, if at all, in a language not recognised in a court of law, would be valueless, you think? You may be right. Why, then, are we cast down?'
'Somebody's got it in for me,' said Tom, 'else why pick on my tent both times?'
'Your tent was conveniently to hand, I should imagine, and that was one reason for making free with it. The interesting thing to find out will be why it was not used a third time. That would have been delightful.'
Richardson looked at her incredulously and Denis laughed.
'You mustn't mind Aunt Adela,' he said. 'Her mind functions like that.' He turned to Laura, who had worked out the sequence of events as told by the curtains. 'What say you, dear Dog?'
'Where did this cross-country run take place?' asked Laura. 'Anywhere at all in this neighbourhood?'
'Well, no, not really. It was Winchester way. We started from that bridge by the old mill at King Alfred's end of the high street and we were sent off in twos, one from each team. It was very different from the ordinary cross-country free-for-all, because all you had to do was beat your opposite number. There were only a dozen members in each team and we were sent off at five-minute intervals.'
'So it took an hour before the last pair could be sent off,' commented Laura.
'And you and this Mr Colnbrook were the last to go, I take it,' said Dame Beatrice.
'We were; but how do you know?'
'It was merely a guess. I went by the fact that you say there were no witnesses of your quarrel except the cows. In cross-country running, so different from sub-four-minute miling, five-minute intervals are not long ones and, in open country, over which some of your way surely would have taken you, the pair, if any, behind you must surely have seen something of the fracas , for you and your opponent stopped short, no doubt, in order to settle your differences. I deduce, therefore, that nobody was behind you.'
'Yes, I see.'
'And how did this cross-country competition come about?'
'The fixture was made at their request. Their secretary wrote that they had a vacant date and would like to meet us.'
'Was the unusual nature of the match mentioned in the correspondence?'
'No. Until we met them we had concluded that it would be the ordinary cross-country run, with the usual points system of scoring.'
'And that is?'
'Roughly speaking, the first man home counts as one, the second two, and so on. The team with the smallest number of points is the winner.'
'And what did your team think of the new arrangement?'
'Oh, the blokes didn't mind. In cross-country running you go for the fun of it. At least, I always do. I think everybody thought it was quite an idea. Of course, if it ever became the usual thing, you'd need to seed your runners if both teams were to get the ultimate out of it.'
'The best against the best, the weakest against the weakest, I suppose?'
'That's it. But, as I say, we didn't really mind what the arrangements were. They were the hosts, you see, and I must say they did their stuff nobly afterwards.'
'You imply?'
'The drinks and the supper, and so on.'
'Is the other team based on Winchester?'
'Oh, no. Somewhere near Southampton. I went there-yes, I went there once, I remember, with other of our officials.' His voice tailed off, but Dame Beatrice appeared not to notice this. She went on:
'And your team? Where do all of you come from?'
'We come from all over the place. Berks, Bucks and Oxon mostly. Our secretary lives in Surrey and the treasurer hangs out in Kent. A representative body, one might say, take us all in all.'
'Do you have
'Was there bloodshed?' asked Dame Beatrice. 'You did not mention these feuds just now.'
'No,' said Tom, 'no bloodshed.'
'Threats uttered in front of witnesses?'
'There weren't any witnesses the first time except a few cows.'
'And the testimony of cows, rendered, if at all, in a language not recognised in a court of law, would be valueless, you think? You may be right. Why, then, are we cast down?'
'Somebody's got it in for me,' said Tom, 'else why pick on my tent both times?'
'Your tent was conveniently to hand, I should imagine, and that was one reason for making free with it. The interesting thing to find out will be why it was not used a third time. That would have been delightful.'
Richardson looked at her incredulously and Denis laughed.
'You mustn't mind Aunt Adela,' he said. 'Her mind functions like that.' He turned to Laura, who had worked out the sequence of events as told by the curtains. 'What say you, dear Dog?'
'Where did this cross-country run take place?' asked Laura. 'Anywhere at all in this neighbourhood?'
'Well, no, not really. It was Winchester way. We started from that bridge by the old mill at King Alfred's end of the high street and we were sent off in twos, one from each team. It was very different from the ordinary cross-country free-for-all, because all you had to do was beat your opposite number. There were only a dozen members in each team and we were sent off at five-minute intervals.'
'So it took an hour before the last pair could be sent off,' commented Laura.
'And you and this Mr Colnbrook were the last to go, I take it,' said Dame Beatrice.
'We were; but how do you know?'
'It was merely a guess. I went by the fact that you say there were no witnesses of your quarrel except the cows. In cross-country running, so different from sub-four-minute miling, five-minute intervals are not long ones and, in open country, over which some of your way surely would have taken you, the pair, if any, behind you must surely have seen something of the fracas , for you and your opponent stopped short, no doubt, in order to settle your differences. I deduce, therefore, that nobody was behind you.'
'Yes, I see.'
'And how did this cross-country competition come about?'
'The fixture was made at their request. Their secretary wrote that they had a vacant date and would like to meet us.'
'Was the unusual nature of the match mentioned in the correspondence?'
'No. Until we met them we had concluded that it would be the ordinary cross-country run, with the usual points system of scoring.'
'And that is?'
'Roughly speaking, the first man home counts as one, the second two, and so on. The team with the smallest number of points is the winner.'
'And what did your team think of the new arrangement?'
'Oh, the blokes didn't mind. In cross-country running you go for the fun of it. At least, I always do. I think everybody thought it was quite an idea. Of course, if it ever became the usual thing, you'd need to seed your runners if both teams were to get the ultimate out of it.'
'The best against the best, the weakest against the weakest, I suppose?'
'That's it. But, as I say, we didn't really mind what the arrangements were. They were the hosts, you see, and I must say they did their stuff nobly afterwards.'
'You imply?'
'The drinks and the supper, and so on.'
'Is the other team based on Winchester?'
'Oh, no. Somewhere near Southampton. I went there-yes, I went there once, I remember, with other of our officials.' His voice tailed off, but Dame Beatrice appeared not to notice this. She went on:
'And your team? Where do all of you come from?'
'We come from all over the place. Berks, Bucks and Oxon mostly. Our secretary lives in Surrey and the treasurer hangs out in Kent. A representative body, one might say, take us all in all.'
'Do you have
Similar Books
