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Authors: Patricia Wentworth
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him. Her eyes had a dark fire. He saw them recede into a mist. They burned there. She spoke, but he couldn’t see her any more. The words meant nothing.
And then the first shock passed. The mist began to clear. Mildred Blake came back into focus again, sitting there with her hand on her collecting-book. He found himself saying,
“I don’t know what you mean.”
In her deep, resonant voice she said,
“You know perfectly well. I thought you were going to faint just now. You don’t do that for nothing. Would you like a glass of water?”
“No, thank you.”
“Very well then. I was in the church last night. I came on from the Vicarage work-party. I was going to speak to you about the hymns and chants for Sunday week. I came in through the side door, and you were talking to William Jackson. I heard everything that was said.”
He sat and looked at her. Her face showed a kind of fierce pleasure. He couldn’t think of anything to say. There wasn’t anything to say.
After what seemed like a very long time he said,
“He was drunk.”
She nodded.
“A little. Enough to put the words into his mouth, but not enough to make him invent them. He said your brother James made a later will than the one under which you inherit, and that he made it because he had become convinced that Edward was still alive. James said he had had a dream. Well, people had dreams in the Bible, didn’t they? Anyhow he made another will, and he called Billy Stokes and William Jackson in from the garden to witness it. Very inconvenient for you of course. What did you do with that will?”
He put up a hand.
“Mildred, I give you my word—”
Her long nose twitched in a silent sniff.
“You may not have known about it at first. Perhaps it wasn’t found until after the first will had been proved. It must have been a very nasty shock. Perhaps it wasn’t found until after Edward came back, and you thought you would just wait and see what happened. Billy Stokes was dead, and William might not think anything but that the will he witnessed was the one that had been proved. You didn’t know that he had been passing the window and had seen your brother James actually signing quite a different-looking will from the one he was asked to witness a week before James died. And you didn’t know that James had told him about having dreamed that Edward was alive. And not knowing those things, you might think it would be quite safe just to wait and see what happened. If the worst came to the worst and William put two and two together, you could have a search made and find the will.”
Her eyes had never moved from his face. He had the horrified feeling that they could read his most secret thought. She went on.
“When nothing happened, you began to feel safe, but you couldn’t have felt very happy when you heard that Edward was coming back as Lord Burlingham’s agent. And then that business in the church last night. It was a great pity you should have lost your temper. It showed William that you were afraid of him. And really, Arnold, you shocked me. Such language— and in church! I hurried away as fast as I could.”
He made an impatient gesture.
“It was enough to make anyone lose his temper. He was trying to blackmail me.”
“Very foolish of him!” There was a mocking spark in her eyes. It came, and went again. “Very foolish indeed!”
He said in a controlled voice,
“What are you going to do?”
“My dear Arnold, what can I do? I shall have to tell my story at the inquest.”
He stared.
“At the inquest?”
“Naturally. I overhear a serious accusation concerning the suppression of a will, followed by an attempt at blackmail and a violent quarrel. I hurry from the spot. Early next morning the blackmailer is discovered drowned in a shallow pool quite close to the scene of the quarrel. Naturally it is my duty to inform the police. I suppose there is no need for me to tell you what conclusions they are bound to draw.”
He sat
And then the first shock passed. The mist began to clear. Mildred Blake came back into focus again, sitting there with her hand on her collecting-book. He found himself saying,
“I don’t know what you mean.”
In her deep, resonant voice she said,
“You know perfectly well. I thought you were going to faint just now. You don’t do that for nothing. Would you like a glass of water?”
“No, thank you.”
“Very well then. I was in the church last night. I came on from the Vicarage work-party. I was going to speak to you about the hymns and chants for Sunday week. I came in through the side door, and you were talking to William Jackson. I heard everything that was said.”
He sat and looked at her. Her face showed a kind of fierce pleasure. He couldn’t think of anything to say. There wasn’t anything to say.
After what seemed like a very long time he said,
“He was drunk.”
She nodded.
“A little. Enough to put the words into his mouth, but not enough to make him invent them. He said your brother James made a later will than the one under which you inherit, and that he made it because he had become convinced that Edward was still alive. James said he had had a dream. Well, people had dreams in the Bible, didn’t they? Anyhow he made another will, and he called Billy Stokes and William Jackson in from the garden to witness it. Very inconvenient for you of course. What did you do with that will?”
He put up a hand.
“Mildred, I give you my word—”
Her long nose twitched in a silent sniff.
“You may not have known about it at first. Perhaps it wasn’t found until after the first will had been proved. It must have been a very nasty shock. Perhaps it wasn’t found until after Edward came back, and you thought you would just wait and see what happened. Billy Stokes was dead, and William might not think anything but that the will he witnessed was the one that had been proved. You didn’t know that he had been passing the window and had seen your brother James actually signing quite a different-looking will from the one he was asked to witness a week before James died. And you didn’t know that James had told him about having dreamed that Edward was alive. And not knowing those things, you might think it would be quite safe just to wait and see what happened. If the worst came to the worst and William put two and two together, you could have a search made and find the will.”
Her eyes had never moved from his face. He had the horrified feeling that they could read his most secret thought. She went on.
“When nothing happened, you began to feel safe, but you couldn’t have felt very happy when you heard that Edward was coming back as Lord Burlingham’s agent. And then that business in the church last night. It was a great pity you should have lost your temper. It showed William that you were afraid of him. And really, Arnold, you shocked me. Such language— and in church! I hurried away as fast as I could.”
He made an impatient gesture.
“It was enough to make anyone lose his temper. He was trying to blackmail me.”
“Very foolish of him!” There was a mocking spark in her eyes. It came, and went again. “Very foolish indeed!”
He said in a controlled voice,
“What are you going to do?”
“My dear Arnold, what can I do? I shall have to tell my story at the inquest.”
He stared.
“At the inquest?”
“Naturally. I overhear a serious accusation concerning the suppression of a will, followed by an attempt at blackmail and a violent quarrel. I hurry from the spot. Early next morning the blackmailer is discovered drowned in a shallow pool quite close to the scene of the quarrel. Naturally it is my duty to inform the police. I suppose there is no need for me to tell you what conclusions they are bound to draw.”
He sat
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