Read Online Let Him Lie by Ianthe Jerrold - Free Book Online Page A

with an emphasis somehow more damaging than a denial. “Everybody liked him. High and low, rich and poor. Everybody .”
    Somewhat to her own consternation, Jeanie found herself responding abruptly:
    â€œExcept you.”
    Miss Wills seemed quite unperturbed. Her dark eyes gleamed behind gleaming spectacles. She gave a little shrug and a falsetto laugh.
    â€œOh well!” she said deprecatingly, and yet another mutilated chrysanthemum was crammed into a vase already overfull. “You see, I’m very fond of Agnes.”
    â€œWhat does that mean, exactly?” asked Jeanie somewhat distastefully. It was quite hard work being amiable to Tamsin Wills.
    â€œWell, really, only that Mr. Molyneux, like most irresistible men, hadn’t much resistance himself! Of course, it must be very nice to be irresistible at fifty-two, and have quite young people falling in love with one. Naturally, one would take it as a sort of joke, I dare say. But not such a joke for one’s wife, after all.” 
    â€œOh surely!” uttered Jeanie, “Mr. Molyneux wasn’t— didn’t—he wasn’t that sort of man at all!”
    She flushed hotly at the unexpectedness of this attack on poor Molyneux, whom she had liked.
    Lifting the jammed bunch of flowers and giving them a good shake as if they were naughty children, Miss Wills said primly:
    â€œOh, don’t you think so? But perhaps you didn’t know him so very well! I did. Poor Marjorie!”
    â€œMarjorie?”
    â€œMarjorie Dasent, you know. She’ll miss her riding. I don’t suppose Agnes’ll keep many horses going.”
    â€œI suppose not. Miss Dasent’s a great rider, isn’t she?” said Jeanie, glad to turn the subject, as she thought.
    â€œOh, very horsy indeed! Rides to hounds, you know, and comes in all gleeful and girlish, talking at the top of her voice. Oh yes, I’m afraid our Diana of the Chase will miss the Cleedons mounts a good deal.”
    Tamsin buried her nose in the chrysanthemums, and glanced sideways over them at Jeanie.
    â€œBut even more she’ll miss her guide, philosopher and friend! Though I believe he was doing his best to resign from all three posts! These police inquiries are horrible, aren’t they, Miss Halliday? They make one feel so treacherous. Yet what can one do? Do you think one’s justified, ever, in keeping anything back?”
    Jeanie hesitated.
    â€œI suppose not.”
    She was about to qualify this, but Tamsin did not give her time.
    â€œI’m so glad! I hoped you’d say that! I had to decide very quickly, you see. Superintendent Finister was here early this morning, asking questions about—well, about Mr. Molyneux’s habits and so on, and I had to decide all in a moment, and I thought, yes, it’s my duty to tell everything I know. I’m so glad you think I did rightly.”
    Jeanie was not at all sure that she did think so. She did not like the complacent tone of Tamsin’s voice. It was pretty obvious that somebody had received a nasty stab in the back and that Jeanie was being manoeuvred into condoning it.
    â€œYou mean,” said Jeanie slowly, unable to endure Miss Wills’s circumlocutory method of telling what was evidently going to be an unpleasing story, “that the police have been inquiring into Mr. Molyneux’s friendship with Miss Dasent?”
    â€œIsn’t it horrible for poor Agnes? Only, when the superintendent asked me directly whether I’d ever seen or heard anything, well, what could I do? I felt an absolute traitor. But I’m so glad you think I did right! I don’t feel quite so awful now.”
    â€œSurely you hadn’t anything to tell them!”
    Miss Wills turned upon Jeanie a pained, would-be ingenuous look.
    â€œWell, I just told him what I’d heard. In the stable. Last Friday. Not quite a week ago. And it seems like a century.”
    â€œWell?” asked