Read Online The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin - Free Book Online

arrived at Manchester in pouring rain and found the theatre had been bombed the night before. So we had to go straight on to Bradford and open about an hour after the train came in …’
    â€˜â€¦ so my agent said to Gielgud: “A splendid reliable all-round man. He can do anything, except act …”’
    â€˜Bit of a bloody type, eh, old man? …’
    â€˜Oh, well; takes all sorts, you know …’
    â€˜â€¦ then Shaw
re-integrated
the hero …’
    â€˜I
wish
I didn’t feel so sick …’
    Nicholas sat immovably in his corner, talking to Richard about Berkeleyan metaphysics; whenever one of the younger women came near him, he beckoned her solemnly over, kissed her equally solemnly on the lips, and then dismissed her with an airy wave of his hand and continued the conversation. Donald Fellowes was sulking on his own. Yseut was attached to Robert, saying:
    â€˜Darling, you must be nice to me this evening, you must! Please don’t spoil the party for me, Robert darling! Darling!’ She was already very drunk.
    Nigel sought out Helen early in the evening, and with a few breaks stayed with her until the end. The row and the heat of the room were beginning to give him a headache. There was a good deal of horse-play going on, and he had no wish to become involved in it. He looked at his watch, discovered that he had already been there two hours, and suggested to Helen that they should go.
    â€˜In a minute, darling. I must look after Yseut; she’ll never get home on her own.’
    Nigel looked for Yseut, and was alarmed to see her in the middle of a large group, waving a heavy army revolver.
    â€˜Look what I’ve found,’ she was shouting, ‘look what little me’s found!’
    Peter Graham elbowed his way through the group.
    â€˜Now, Yseut dear,’ he said, ‘you’d better give me that; damn dangerous, you know.’
    â€˜Nonsense, ’s not dangerous! Hasn’t got ’ny bullets in.’
    â€˜All the same, old girl, better let me have it. Never know what’ll happen.’ He took it away from her, more or less by force, and said soothingly: ‘Now, we’ll put it away in the drawer with the cartridges, and forget all about it. There!’
    â€˜Beast!’ said Yseut glumly; then suddenly turned on him and tried to claw viciously at his face with her long nails.
    â€˜Now, now!’ he said, catching hold of her arms. ‘Can’t have that sort of thing, you know. All friends here,’ he added a trifle vaguely.
    Yseut became petulant. ‘Let me go!’ she said, tugging her arms away from him. ‘Let me go, you great – lout!’ She turned suddenly to Robert and flung her arms round his neck.
    â€˜Darling,’ she whined, ‘did you see what the swine did to me, darling? He tried to – to – molest me, darling.’ She grinned foolishly. ‘Go ’n – knock him down – if you’re a man. Go ’n knock the swine down.’
    Robert, acutely embarrassed, tried to detach her arms, but she was so far gone that she would have dropped if he let her go. Helen went across to her.
    â€˜Come on, Yseut,’ she said brusquely. ‘We’re going now. Hang on to me.’ She supported Yseut to the door, refusing vague and unenthusiastic offers of assistance. ‘Good night, everyone,’ she said with remarkable
sang-froid
. ‘Thank you, Peter, for a lovely party.’ And went.
    Nigel followed to see if he could help. He met them coming out of the lavatory, Yseut pale, sweating and shivering. Helen flushed with sudden embarrassment when she saw him.
    â€˜Here, let me help,’ said Nigel.
    â€˜No, thanks, Nigel. I can manage. You go back and enjoy yourself.’ None the less, he went with them to the door of the hotel.
    â€˜Good night, darling,’ said Helen, pressing his hand. ‘If this doesn’t cure me of going to