Read Online Before the Fact by Francis Iles - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Francis Iles
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works there. Do you live near here, Mr. Thwaite?” Lina asked politely.
For some reason Mr. Thwaite seemed to consider this an admirable joke. He laughed heartily. “Good God, no! What? I mean ... Near here? My goodness, no. My place is in Yorkshire. Oh, I see what you mean. No, I was at school with Johnnie. Shared a study. Bosom pals and all that sort of rot. Only seen him about twice since we left. Ran into him at Newbury last year. He’d dropped a packet. Still following the gees, I expect?”
“Johnnie?” said Lina. “No, I don’t think he ever goes racing now.” She thought idly that it was odd that she should not have heard of this visit to Newbury.
“What? Oh, rot. Fact? Good God, poor old bean. Must have changed a bit, what? Marriage, I expect, eh? Told me he was married last time I saw him. ‘Oh, rot,’ I said. ‘Not come down to that, old bean, have you?’ ‘Don’t you worry,’ he said. ‘She’ll be worth a packet one day.’ ‘Oh,’ I said, ‘that’s different.’ Hullo! P’raps I ought not to have said that. What? Putting my foot in it, was I?”
“Not in the least,” Lina said, concealing her surprise. “Johnnie and I quite understand one another.” But she did not think it very nice that Johnnie should have boasted of the money that would come to her.
“That’s the scheme,” Mr. Thwaite said with enthusiasm. “Makes marriage almost bearable if you can do that, what? I remember Johnnie said what a topper you were, too. What ho! Well, how is the old bean, anyhow? Estate agent, or something equally ghastly, isn’t he? Good God! What?”
“I didn’t say anything,” Lina said faintly.
“No, of course you didn’t. Expect I said ‘what,’ what? Always saying ‘what.’ God knows why. Silly habit, really. Well, anyhow, how is the old bean? Fit and hearty? I haven’t seen him for ages. Oh, I told you that. Yes, I was passing through, or as near as dash it, so thought I’d get off and give the old bean a call. I say, I’m not butting in or anything, am I? You haven’t got a tea fight on, or a bazaar to open, or what not, what? What?”
“Of course not,” Lina said, as brightly as she could manage. “I’m always delighted to see any of Johnnie’s old friends. Tea will be coming in a minute. Of course you must stop and see him. I know he’ll be back for it to-day.”
“Will he, by Jove! Same old slacker, I’ll bet. What?”
Ethel, entering with the tea tray, saved Lina from replying. The interruption did not, however, disconcert Mr. Thwaite. He boomed away through the clatter as merrily as any bittern.
Lina had hardly poured out the tea when she heard Johnnie’s key in the front door. Excusing herself, she ran out to intercept him.
“Johnnie, I thought I’d better warn you. There’s a most extraordinary man here called Thwaite, who says he was at school with you.”
“What, old Beaky Thwaite? Whatever brought him here?”
“He says he was passing, so got off to see you,” Lina explained. “Is he quite mad?”
“Not quite,” Johnnie grinned. “Pretty nearly, perhaps. Won’t say a word, eh?”
“Won’t say a word? Won’t he! Come and listen to him.”
“That’s funny. He used to be painfully shy, as a boy. He stayed with us once or twice in the holidays, and my people used to say he never uttered a word from the moment he entered the house to the moment he left it.”
“Well, he’s making up for lost time now,” Lina giggled. “Hurry up and wash, darling, and help me out. I can’t
bear
it any longer alone.”
Johnnie looked back at her over his shoulder as he mounted the stairs. “Be kind to him, monkeyface, anyhow.”
“I have been. Why particularly?”
“He’s got more money than he knows what to do with. I always feel one should be kind to people like that.”
“He might get you a better job,” Lina said, promptly and hopefully.
Johnnie shrugged his shoulders and went on upstairs.
Three minutes later Lina was witnessing
For some reason Mr. Thwaite seemed to consider this an admirable joke. He laughed heartily. “Good God, no! What? I mean ... Near here? My goodness, no. My place is in Yorkshire. Oh, I see what you mean. No, I was at school with Johnnie. Shared a study. Bosom pals and all that sort of rot. Only seen him about twice since we left. Ran into him at Newbury last year. He’d dropped a packet. Still following the gees, I expect?”
“Johnnie?” said Lina. “No, I don’t think he ever goes racing now.” She thought idly that it was odd that she should not have heard of this visit to Newbury.
“What? Oh, rot. Fact? Good God, poor old bean. Must have changed a bit, what? Marriage, I expect, eh? Told me he was married last time I saw him. ‘Oh, rot,’ I said. ‘Not come down to that, old bean, have you?’ ‘Don’t you worry,’ he said. ‘She’ll be worth a packet one day.’ ‘Oh,’ I said, ‘that’s different.’ Hullo! P’raps I ought not to have said that. What? Putting my foot in it, was I?”
“Not in the least,” Lina said, concealing her surprise. “Johnnie and I quite understand one another.” But she did not think it very nice that Johnnie should have boasted of the money that would come to her.
“That’s the scheme,” Mr. Thwaite said with enthusiasm. “Makes marriage almost bearable if you can do that, what? I remember Johnnie said what a topper you were, too. What ho! Well, how is the old bean, anyhow? Estate agent, or something equally ghastly, isn’t he? Good God! What?”
“I didn’t say anything,” Lina said faintly.
“No, of course you didn’t. Expect I said ‘what,’ what? Always saying ‘what.’ God knows why. Silly habit, really. Well, anyhow, how is the old bean? Fit and hearty? I haven’t seen him for ages. Oh, I told you that. Yes, I was passing through, or as near as dash it, so thought I’d get off and give the old bean a call. I say, I’m not butting in or anything, am I? You haven’t got a tea fight on, or a bazaar to open, or what not, what? What?”
“Of course not,” Lina said, as brightly as she could manage. “I’m always delighted to see any of Johnnie’s old friends. Tea will be coming in a minute. Of course you must stop and see him. I know he’ll be back for it to-day.”
“Will he, by Jove! Same old slacker, I’ll bet. What?”
Ethel, entering with the tea tray, saved Lina from replying. The interruption did not, however, disconcert Mr. Thwaite. He boomed away through the clatter as merrily as any bittern.
Lina had hardly poured out the tea when she heard Johnnie’s key in the front door. Excusing herself, she ran out to intercept him.
“Johnnie, I thought I’d better warn you. There’s a most extraordinary man here called Thwaite, who says he was at school with you.”
“What, old Beaky Thwaite? Whatever brought him here?”
“He says he was passing, so got off to see you,” Lina explained. “Is he quite mad?”
“Not quite,” Johnnie grinned. “Pretty nearly, perhaps. Won’t say a word, eh?”
“Won’t say a word? Won’t he! Come and listen to him.”
“That’s funny. He used to be painfully shy, as a boy. He stayed with us once or twice in the holidays, and my people used to say he never uttered a word from the moment he entered the house to the moment he left it.”
“Well, he’s making up for lost time now,” Lina giggled. “Hurry up and wash, darling, and help me out. I can’t
bear
it any longer alone.”
Johnnie looked back at her over his shoulder as he mounted the stairs. “Be kind to him, monkeyface, anyhow.”
“I have been. Why particularly?”
“He’s got more money than he knows what to do with. I always feel one should be kind to people like that.”
“He might get you a better job,” Lina said, promptly and hopefully.
Johnnie shrugged his shoulders and went on upstairs.
Three minutes later Lina was witnessing
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