Read Online Jumping Jenny by Anthony Berkeley - Free Book Online

Chalmers, however, was a cautious man. He never acted on impulse. Before taking action, he would weigh the fors and againsts not once but several times. It is possible that had he been a little less deliberate, he might have shut his eyes, taken a deep breath, and proceeded to administer the more practical rehabilitation for which he was being asked. As it was, consideration showed him that to embrace Ena Stratton would probably make him physically ill. He therefore contented himself, but not her, with reaching out his sound hand, patting her paternally on the shoulder, and saying with bluff joviality:
    “Nonsense, Ena. Of course David would mind. Besides, you know you wouldn’t like me to do anything of the sort. Would you? It would spoil— h’m —everything.”
    Ena paused for a moment. Then she nodded solemnly.
    “Yes, Phil. You’re quite right. I shouldn’t like it at all. Oh dear, how I wish all men were like you.”
    “You mustn’t say that.” said Dr. Chalmers, much encouraged. “I don’t expect they’re so bad really, you know. Anyhow, Ena, I want you to do me a favour. Will you?”
    “What, Phil?”
    Dr. Chalmers laid his pipe on the table beside him, and spoke with deliberation.
    “I want you to give up this idea of writing to the King’s Proctor about Ronald, and I want you to put quite out of your head this idea about David and Elsie Griffiths, and not say a word to him about it. You’ll only upset him very much, you know, without any cause at all.”
    Ena shook her head. “No, I’m sorry, Phil. I can’t do that. I feel it’s really my duty to write to the King’s Proctor. After all, what are laws for unless we all help to enforce them?”
    “Well, well, we can talk about that again tomorrow. There’s no hurry, and you mustn’t do anything without thinking it over very carefully first. And as for David …”
    Ena’s thin lips set in an ugly line. “As for David,” she said sharply, “you must leave that to me. No, I’m sorry, Phil. It was decent of you to try to shield him, but I must have that out with him myself.”
    “Not tonight, at any rate,” Dr. Chalmers pleaded.
    “Yes, tonight. There’s no point in losing time. I only heard about it this evening.”
    Dr. Chalmers wondered savagely which of the local busybodies had laid up this trouble for David.
    “But listen, Ena. You—”
    “It’s stifling in here,” Ena said abruptly. “I want some air.” She jumped up, and almost ran up on to the roof.
    Dr. Chalmers followed gloomily. He had thought she was landed, and she had wriggled away once more. He knew it was no good appealing to her again. For months now, possibly for years, she would be throwing Elsie Griffiths up at David, till she had succeeded in driving him almost as insane as herself.
    “Oh, curse the woman!” muttered Dr. Chalmers, who never swore.
    He followed her to where she was leaning over the railing.
    “You’ll catch cold, Ena,” he said mechanically.
    “I don’t care if I do. I wish I could catch pneumonia, and die. Could I catch pneumonia, if I stayed up here long enough, Phil? David would be glad. He could have Elsie all right then.”
    “Don’t talk such nonsense, Ena.”
    “It isn’t nonsense. You know it isn’t. David would be glad. Oh, Phil, aren’t men brutes? I’ve given David everything. Everything a woman can! And now he’s got it all, he doesn’t want it any longer. Oh, what’s the good of going on living, Phil?”
    “Now Ena, you know you don’t mean that.”
    “Yes, I do. I often think how wonderful it would be to end it all, if only one could find an easy way out. Nobody’s really fond of me—no, Phil, not even you, really. I’m sick of life. I’ve a good mind to jump over this railing here and now. Shall I?” She looked round at Dr. Chalmers wildly.
    “That wouldn’t be a very easy way out,” said Dr. Chalmers with bluff common sense.
    “Oh, I wouldn’t mind a little pain. It would be worth it. It’s terribly