CHAPTER XXXVI

Miss Silver remained in the Blue Room. She was considering what she would do next. An interview with Frederick? If she rang the bell in this room, he would answer it. But she would rather choose a more natural opportunity. She had no wish to startle him or to increase his obvious nervousness. Since this room appeared to be his charge, he would probably come in presently in order to attend to the fire. She decided to remain where she was and see what would happen.

It was a little later that the telephone bell rang. It was not, of course, her business to answer it, but since she was there on the spot, she did so. Frank Abbott’s voice said, ‘Hullo!’

‘Miss Silver speaking.’

‘I’m just off to meet the Chief. This is to let you know that I asked Newbury the question you suggested, and he says yes, the sister has a bicycle. He noticed it when he was there. That’s all. Goodbye. Love to the Chief, I suppose?’

He had rung off before Miss Silver could reprove this impertinence. The whole encounter had passed so quickly that it was over by the time Marsham had reached the extension in his pantry and lifted the receiver.

With a look of satisfaction Miss Silver resumed her seat. She had felt sure that there would be a bicycle. She took up her knitting, and had made good progress when Frederick came in with a basket of logs. Drilled by Marsham always to shut a door behind him, he did so now, and knelt down before the hearth to make up the fire. Miss Silver was struck afresh by his pallor. Either the boy was ill, or he had something on his mind. The something on his mind might be Gloria Good, or it might not. It might be something a great deal more serious.

Sitting to one side of the hearth, she had a good view of Frederick ’s profile. Now, as she addressed him, he turned towards her.

‘You have not been here very long, have you?’

‘No, miss.’

She coughed gently.

‘This is a very disturbing and terrible thing to have happened in a house. It must have upset you very much.’

The hand in which he was balancing a log of wood shook perceptibly. The log slipped and fell clattering upon the andirons. Since no other answer appeared to be necessary, Miss Silver continued.

‘I can see that it has upset you. But you must not let it weigh upon you too much. All this will pass-for you. There are others who may be more sadly and more permanently affected. It will be a terrible thing if any suspicion should continue to rest upon Miss Lila Dryden.’

A distressed flush came up into Frederick ’s face. The words which he had used to Ray Fortescue sprang to his lips.

‘She never did it!’

The atmosphere of friendliness which emanated from Miss Silver had gained her many confidences in the past. It was neither calculated nor insincere, but the natural outcome of a deep interest in other people’s problems and a warm desire to help them. She felt a true concern for Frederick. She said in her kindest voice,

‘I do not think that anyone who knows her would believe her capable of violence.’

‘Oh, no, miss-they wouldn’t! That’s what I said to-to- somebody-only they didn’t see it that way.’

‘You were talking about it to a friend?’

‘Well, I was, miss. When a thing is weighing on you like, it seems as if you’ve got to talk about it to someone-only she didn’t see it that way.’

Miss Silver smiled.

‘It was a girl then. Perhaps she did not know Miss Lila.’

‘Well, not to say know, miss. She seen her of course. We’ve been going together ever since we were kids. She works for Mrs. Considine, and what I say is, she did ought to stay on there till she’s a bit older.

‘She’s only sixteen, and Mrs. Considine’s learning her to cook lovely.’

‘And that will be so very useful when she has a home of her own.’

‘That’s what I was thinking,’ said Frederick artlessly. ‘But Gloria wants to go into a shop in Emsworth, and I don’t like it for her-not winter evenings, with that long road back in the dark, and you can’t always get on a bus just when all the shops come out.’

Miss Silver said in an indulgent tone,

‘I should not say too much against it if I were you, Frederick. Girls like to have their own way, you know, and it is a pity for a discussion to become a quarrel.’

He looked worried.

‘That’s right-we had ever such a quarrel about it Saturday.’

Miss Silver continued to knit. She gazed with interest at Frederick and said,

‘A quarrel should never be allowed to go on. I hope you were able to make it up without delay.’

The colour rushed up under his pale skin. He turned his head away and fumbled with the wood.

‘Oh, we made it up all right,’ he said.

‘On the Saturday night?’ said Miss Silver.

There was a horrid pause. She repeated her question.

‘On Saturday night, Frederick?’

‘Oh, miss!’ The words came out with a gulp. Miss Silver said with gentle authority,

‘You slipped out of the house and went down to see her and make it up, did you not? When the house was quiet and you thought everyone had gone to bed? Pray do not be so much alarmed, my dear boy. You were breaking a rule, but I would not readily believe that you have done anything that is really wrong. I am sure that you only wanted to make it up with Gloria, but I think when you were coming, or going, that you may have seen or noticed something which is weighing upon you, and which you should not now keep to yourself.’

Frederick stared with bolting eyes. Sweat broke out upon him. From his wet and sticky hands a log dropped unregarded upon the hearth-rug. Miss Silver’s mild gaze appeared to him in the terrifying aspect of a searchlight. That stealthy passage from his room, the even more stealthy return, and all the horror that lay between, were most startlingly revealed by it. In a moment the thing which no one knew-that he hardly dared to think about-the thing that came walking into his dreams to wake him drenched with fear, would be trumpeted aloud. In the next moment, here in this room, he would have to hear the words against which he stopped his ears in the night, cramming the blankets over his head and cowering down in his bed, shaking with terror as he was shaking now.

Miss Silver laid down her knitting and leaned forward to put a hand on his arm.

‘My poor boy! Pray do not be so much distressed. No one is going to harm you, and you can harm no one who is innocent.’ The kindness which flowed from her completed the overthrow of Frederick ’s self-control. He broke into tears and stammered between sobs.

‘That Miss Lila-she never done it-she’s the innocent one- she wouldn’t harm anyone-not for the world she wouldn’t. I did ought to have said so before-it didn’t seem as if I could. It wasn’t just getting into trouble with Mr. Marsham-though I’d have done that all right, sneaking out in the night, and he’d have thought worse about it than what it was. There wasn’t any harm in it, miss-I’ll take my Bible oath there wasn’t-only to see Gloria and make it up.’

The words came out between choking gulps. There were tears and rending sniffs, there was a hasty fumbling for a handkerchief which could not be found. Always equal to the occasion, Miss Silver produced a clean one of her own, neatly folded and of a most sensible size. Under its ministrations and her steadying air of calm the sobs lessened in violence and the words with which they were interspersed became more coherent.

When her experience informed her that a suitable moment had arrived she said briskly,

‘And now suppose you tell me all about it.’

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