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Authors: Michael Innes
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the circumstances.’
‘I see. You said , you know, into the business .’ Hissey was mildly reproachful. ‘One can’t be too careful with tramps.’
‘Tramps?’ Appleby looked rather blankly at his former preceptor.
‘They may appear innocent and even deserving. But as likely as not they are concerned to rob you – and prepared to offer violence if you resist.’ And Hissey shook his head, very worldly wise. ‘Of course I should never refuse a tramp a shilling or two if he asked for it. It is quite clear from the accounts that they give of themselves that they have a very hard time. It would be uncharitable to refuse. But when I walk in the country I always carry a big stick.’
‘I see.’ Appleby watched the fish go. ‘And you think that Pluckrose–’
‘Pluckrose?’ Hissey spoke as if some quite new term had been introduced into the discussion. ‘Killed by tramps, poor chap. I suppose the police will send up to investigate. Do you always see the Hellenic Review ?’
At the Royal, the King’s, the Lyceum the first houses would be in full swing. Life, in fact, is extremely various. Perhaps the best technique for tackling its problems is a thoroughgoing inconsequence. ‘Not always,’ Appleby said. ‘Do many people at the university keep pets?’
‘No,’ said Hissey. He appeared wholly unsurprised. ‘I don’t think many people do.’ He considered. ‘The head porter keeps a tortoise.’
‘You disappoint me,’ said Appleby. ‘Keenly.’
‘I am extremely sorry.’ Hissey looked benevolently across the table at this extravagant animal-lover. ‘But I am really afraid that nobody else keeps–’
‘You mistake me. I mean I am disappointed that the porter should keep a tortoise. I thought it might have something to do with Pluckrose – and Aeschylus.’
Professor Hissey laid down his knife and fork. ‘My dear Merryweather – Appleby, I mean – there are no eagles round about Nesfield. Nor was Pluckrose bald.’
Appleby chuckled to himself. Lead the old boy to his own ground and his mind became instantly cogent. ‘I didn’t mean quite that. I don’t suppose that Pluckrose was killed as Aeschylus was by having an eagle drop a tortoise on his bald head in mistake for a stone. I was thinking of something rather symbolical.’
‘Dear me,’ said Hissey.
‘There was an oracle – wasn’t there? – which said that Aeschylus would die by a blow from heaven. Now Pluckrose – despite your very interesting theory about tramps – appears to have died something like that. A meteorite fell on him. You could call that a blow from heaven, more or less. And in the court where they found his body I stumbled over a tortoise. It occurred to me that if the manner of his killing had some symbolical significance the person responsible might have dropped the tortoise out of the Aeschylus story, so to speak, just by way of underlining the blow-from-heaven idea.’
‘Dear me,’ said Hissey again. His features assumed a courteous consideringness. ‘ Dear me.’
In fact, thought Appleby, he is not impressed. Their minds don’t work in that sort of way. Nor would mine have, perhaps, if it hadn’t been for Sir David Evans and Sisyphus. The death of Pluckrose isn’t wrapped up in Greek and Latin and Freudian complexes and the Law of Falling Bodies. It is wrapped up in one or more of the usual things: a woman, blackmail, drink, drugs, and the rest. A policeman’s lot is not a happy one. Appleby looked across at Hissey. Hissey had grown abstracted; his eye appeared to be on the open page of an invisible Hellenic Review . Nevertheless when he spoke it was to ask mildly: ‘Have you any clues?’
‘I don’t know that I have. Not now that the tortoise is gone.’
‘The tortoise has gone ?’ Hissey was interested.
‘I mean not now that we have eliminated the possibility of the presence of the tortoise’s having had a special significance in regard–’
‘I understand you,’ said Hissey
‘I see. You said , you know, into the business .’ Hissey was mildly reproachful. ‘One can’t be too careful with tramps.’
‘Tramps?’ Appleby looked rather blankly at his former preceptor.
‘They may appear innocent and even deserving. But as likely as not they are concerned to rob you – and prepared to offer violence if you resist.’ And Hissey shook his head, very worldly wise. ‘Of course I should never refuse a tramp a shilling or two if he asked for it. It is quite clear from the accounts that they give of themselves that they have a very hard time. It would be uncharitable to refuse. But when I walk in the country I always carry a big stick.’
‘I see.’ Appleby watched the fish go. ‘And you think that Pluckrose–’
‘Pluckrose?’ Hissey spoke as if some quite new term had been introduced into the discussion. ‘Killed by tramps, poor chap. I suppose the police will send up to investigate. Do you always see the Hellenic Review ?’
At the Royal, the King’s, the Lyceum the first houses would be in full swing. Life, in fact, is extremely various. Perhaps the best technique for tackling its problems is a thoroughgoing inconsequence. ‘Not always,’ Appleby said. ‘Do many people at the university keep pets?’
‘No,’ said Hissey. He appeared wholly unsurprised. ‘I don’t think many people do.’ He considered. ‘The head porter keeps a tortoise.’
‘You disappoint me,’ said Appleby. ‘Keenly.’
‘I am extremely sorry.’ Hissey looked benevolently across the table at this extravagant animal-lover. ‘But I am really afraid that nobody else keeps–’
‘You mistake me. I mean I am disappointed that the porter should keep a tortoise. I thought it might have something to do with Pluckrose – and Aeschylus.’
Professor Hissey laid down his knife and fork. ‘My dear Merryweather – Appleby, I mean – there are no eagles round about Nesfield. Nor was Pluckrose bald.’
Appleby chuckled to himself. Lead the old boy to his own ground and his mind became instantly cogent. ‘I didn’t mean quite that. I don’t suppose that Pluckrose was killed as Aeschylus was by having an eagle drop a tortoise on his bald head in mistake for a stone. I was thinking of something rather symbolical.’
‘Dear me,’ said Hissey.
‘There was an oracle – wasn’t there? – which said that Aeschylus would die by a blow from heaven. Now Pluckrose – despite your very interesting theory about tramps – appears to have died something like that. A meteorite fell on him. You could call that a blow from heaven, more or less. And in the court where they found his body I stumbled over a tortoise. It occurred to me that if the manner of his killing had some symbolical significance the person responsible might have dropped the tortoise out of the Aeschylus story, so to speak, just by way of underlining the blow-from-heaven idea.’
‘Dear me,’ said Hissey again. His features assumed a courteous consideringness. ‘ Dear me.’
In fact, thought Appleby, he is not impressed. Their minds don’t work in that sort of way. Nor would mine have, perhaps, if it hadn’t been for Sir David Evans and Sisyphus. The death of Pluckrose isn’t wrapped up in Greek and Latin and Freudian complexes and the Law of Falling Bodies. It is wrapped up in one or more of the usual things: a woman, blackmail, drink, drugs, and the rest. A policeman’s lot is not a happy one. Appleby looked across at Hissey. Hissey had grown abstracted; his eye appeared to be on the open page of an invisible Hellenic Review . Nevertheless when he spoke it was to ask mildly: ‘Have you any clues?’
‘I don’t know that I have. Not now that the tortoise is gone.’
‘The tortoise has gone ?’ Hissey was interested.
‘I mean not now that we have eliminated the possibility of the presence of the tortoise’s having had a special significance in regard–’
‘I understand you,’ said Hissey
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