Read Online The Riddle of Sphinx Island by R. T. Raichev - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: R. T. Raichev
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edition of Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
‘I’m so terribly sorry,’ Sybil said. ‘I do feel responsible. Something’s got to be done about John … Do go on, Nellie.’
‘Oswald remained rooted to the spot, but he turned incredibly pale, which was hardly surprising. The Garrison-Gore woman and Maisie started asking him how he was. They clutched at his arms. They seemed to be checking for bullet holes. He remained completely unresponsive. You wouldn’t believe it, my dear, but it was I who managed to disarm John!’
‘You disarmed him?’
‘Yes! I addressed him by the special name your darling mother had for him, you see. I remembered how it always used to calm him down. It was clever of me, wasn’t it? I may even have mimicked her voice a little, I am not sure, but it seemed to do the trick. It had the most extraordinary effect. It brought him to his senses at once. It made me feel like one of those Indian snake charmers.’
‘John adored mama. She was the only one who “understood” him and she certainly indulged him. I remember her saying once that he would end up either a Chancellor of the Exchequer or in Colney Hatch … But weren’t you at all frightened, Nellie?’
Lady Grylls said that at her age there were very few things that frightened her. ‘Actually I didn’t stop to think. John stared back at me in a glazed kind of way. I know he might have shot me. He might have let rip. You might have found me lying in cold storage resembling the proverbial sieve. But I didn’t stop to think. I ordered him to submit the gun at once – which he did – he hung down his head – he suddenly looked confused and terribly sheepish.’
‘What did you do with the gun?’
Lady Grylls explained that she had handed it over to Doctor Klein, who had locked it in the tall Chinese cupboard in the library. ‘He did it most resolutely and with startling agility. He’s got such small hands, have you noticed?’
‘I have. As dainty as a geisha’s. Most peculiar. What happened next?’
‘Oswald Ramskritt went on sitting in his chair. Maisie and the Garrison-Gore went on fussing over him. I believe he asked for a bottle of champagne. Feversham got hold of John’s arms and marched him off to his room. John went like a lamb. I followed them. I wanted to make sure things were done properly.’
‘Did he say anything?’
‘Only that he’d seen it as his duty to protect his property. I believe he referred to Oswald Ramskritt as “that blasted interloper” and said something about Oswald being wrong if he imagined he could ever rule over Sphinx. He then said he wanted to wear his father’s tartan gloves and would we go and look for them? He said his father’s tartan gloves imparted special powers to whoever put them on, or words to that effect.’
‘He’ll never have papa’s gloves, never!’ Sybil cried.
‘Then Ella suddenly appeared and she was holding a syringe. It seems she’s got some nursing qualification or other, which came as another surprise. She gave him an injection, some powerful sedative, and it seemed to take an instant effect as he keeled over and went to sleep. We then locked him in, to be on the safe side, and that, as they say, was that.’ Lady Grylls produced the key. ‘Here you are, my dear. Now you are in charge.’
Sybil said she really didn’t know what was to be done about John.
‘Why don’t you have him certified and put away?’
‘It’s a frightfully hard thing to do, apparently. I did consult with a doctor chum of mine. Notions of madness aren’t what they used to be.’
‘I couldn’t agree more. You only have to turn on the box and out pop utterly unstable people with common accents and names like Norton, Russell and Ross. We live in dangerous times.’ After a pause Lady Grylls asked if Sybil had been successful in her mission. Were Antonia and Hugh coming?
‘I believe so,’ Sybil said abstractedly.
‘I told you they’d find the
‘I’m so terribly sorry,’ Sybil said. ‘I do feel responsible. Something’s got to be done about John … Do go on, Nellie.’
‘Oswald remained rooted to the spot, but he turned incredibly pale, which was hardly surprising. The Garrison-Gore woman and Maisie started asking him how he was. They clutched at his arms. They seemed to be checking for bullet holes. He remained completely unresponsive. You wouldn’t believe it, my dear, but it was I who managed to disarm John!’
‘You disarmed him?’
‘Yes! I addressed him by the special name your darling mother had for him, you see. I remembered how it always used to calm him down. It was clever of me, wasn’t it? I may even have mimicked her voice a little, I am not sure, but it seemed to do the trick. It had the most extraordinary effect. It brought him to his senses at once. It made me feel like one of those Indian snake charmers.’
‘John adored mama. She was the only one who “understood” him and she certainly indulged him. I remember her saying once that he would end up either a Chancellor of the Exchequer or in Colney Hatch … But weren’t you at all frightened, Nellie?’
Lady Grylls said that at her age there were very few things that frightened her. ‘Actually I didn’t stop to think. John stared back at me in a glazed kind of way. I know he might have shot me. He might have let rip. You might have found me lying in cold storage resembling the proverbial sieve. But I didn’t stop to think. I ordered him to submit the gun at once – which he did – he hung down his head – he suddenly looked confused and terribly sheepish.’
‘What did you do with the gun?’
Lady Grylls explained that she had handed it over to Doctor Klein, who had locked it in the tall Chinese cupboard in the library. ‘He did it most resolutely and with startling agility. He’s got such small hands, have you noticed?’
‘I have. As dainty as a geisha’s. Most peculiar. What happened next?’
‘Oswald Ramskritt went on sitting in his chair. Maisie and the Garrison-Gore went on fussing over him. I believe he asked for a bottle of champagne. Feversham got hold of John’s arms and marched him off to his room. John went like a lamb. I followed them. I wanted to make sure things were done properly.’
‘Did he say anything?’
‘Only that he’d seen it as his duty to protect his property. I believe he referred to Oswald Ramskritt as “that blasted interloper” and said something about Oswald being wrong if he imagined he could ever rule over Sphinx. He then said he wanted to wear his father’s tartan gloves and would we go and look for them? He said his father’s tartan gloves imparted special powers to whoever put them on, or words to that effect.’
‘He’ll never have papa’s gloves, never!’ Sybil cried.
‘Then Ella suddenly appeared and she was holding a syringe. It seems she’s got some nursing qualification or other, which came as another surprise. She gave him an injection, some powerful sedative, and it seemed to take an instant effect as he keeled over and went to sleep. We then locked him in, to be on the safe side, and that, as they say, was that.’ Lady Grylls produced the key. ‘Here you are, my dear. Now you are in charge.’
Sybil said she really didn’t know what was to be done about John.
‘Why don’t you have him certified and put away?’
‘It’s a frightfully hard thing to do, apparently. I did consult with a doctor chum of mine. Notions of madness aren’t what they used to be.’
‘I couldn’t agree more. You only have to turn on the box and out pop utterly unstable people with common accents and names like Norton, Russell and Ross. We live in dangerous times.’ After a pause Lady Grylls asked if Sybil had been successful in her mission. Were Antonia and Hugh coming?
‘I believe so,’ Sybil said abstractedly.
‘I told you they’d find the
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