The Key

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

AT FOUR O’CLOCK that afternoon Janice came hurrying down the track from Prior’s End. She was not conscious of hurrying. She was not really, conscious of her body at all, only of immeasurable disaster and the need she had to find Garth. She was bareheaded, and her white dress was too thin for the day, which had turned suddenly bleak, as days are apt to do in an English September.

She came into the village street, found it alive with children, and remembered with a kind of shock that it was Saturday afternoon. When something violent and abnormal has jolted your world out of focus, it is difficult to realise that life is going on quite normally for other people.

As she crossed the road she almost ran into Mrs Mottram, who immediately clutched her and said, ‘Darling, how dreadful! Don’t tell me it’s true. The baker said so, but I can’t believe it? Have they really arrested Mr Madoc?’

‘Yes, it’s true.’

Mrs Mottram’s blue eyes rolled.

‘Darling, how devastating! Of course you mustn’t stay there a single moment. You must come to me. I’m afraid I’ve only got a most uncomfortable camp bed and no carpet on the floor, because I’ve never really furnished the room, but you must come down at once. I’ll just go straight back and put the sheets to air.’

‘It’s very kind of you, but I couldn’t leave Miss Madoc.’

‘Darling, you must! You can’t possibly stay there! Do you know I always did think there was something peculiar about Mr Madoc. You mustn’t dream of staying.’

Janice shook her head.

‘I can’t leave her, Ida. You couldn’t yourself, so it’s no use asking me. And for goodness sake don’t go about saying Mr Madoc was peculiar, because he didn’t do it.’

Mrs Mottram had quite a pretty mouth except when it fell open. It fell open now, all on one side.

‘Don’t you think so?’

Janice stamped her foot.

‘I know he didn’t! Why should he? Mr Harsch was the one person in this world he never quarrelled with. He thought a lot of him – he really cared for him. When you live in the house with people you can’t make a mistake about that sort of thing.’

Ida Mottram had the happy faculty of always believing what she was told. It made her very popular with men. She gazed confidingly at Janice and said, ‘I suppose you do. But, my dear, how devastating if he’s innocent – and how dreadful for Miss Madoc! Are you sure he didn’t do it?’

‘Of course I’m sure.’

‘Darling, I do hope you’re right, because it really wouldn’t be at all nice to feel you’d been living with a murderer. But if he didn’t do it, who did? And how are you going to find out? Because of course the police wouldn’t have arrested him unless they were quite, quite sure he’d done it, and it would be too, too dreadful if they were to hang him when he was innocent. I remember Billy saying that innocent people did get hanged – or as good as. Billy Blake – he was a great friend of Robin’s and of mine too, and he was a barrister before he went into the RAF, so of course he knows. Did you meet him when he was down the other day – because I want you to so much. But he’ll be coming again quite soon, and then you simply must. Of course he always says he only wants to see me, but I know you’ll adore him… Oh, where was I? I know – I was thinking what we could do to prevent Mr Madoc being hanged. You’re quite, quite sure that he didn’t do it? Because of course I quite loved Mr Harsch. He had that sad, noble kind of look like someone in a film – and of course when they look like that you know they’re going to die, so I always have a hanky ready-’ She broke off suddenly and clutched at Janice with the other hand. A dreamy skyward gaze was replaced by one of considerable animation. ‘Darling, I know – Miss Silver!’

Janice said, ‘You’re pinching me!’ And then, ‘Who is Miss Silver?’

‘Darling! She’s too marvellous! I can’t tell you what she did for me. I daresay you’ll think it was only a tiny little thing, but Robin’s mother is so suspicious. She never liked his marrying me, you know, and she would never have believed that I hadn’t sold it. But I can’t tell you about it, because I simply swore to Robin that I would never tell anyone – in case of his mother getting to know, you know. Anyhow Miss Silver put it all right in the most marvellous way. And you may say it was only a little thing – only of course not for me – but how I heard about Miss Silver was from a girl who was in a perfectly dreadful murder case, and Miss Silver put it all right and found out who had really done it. so don’t you see, you must have her down at once and get poor Mr Madoc out of prison. And then you’ll be able to come and stay with me, because Miss Madoc will be quite all right as soon as he gets home. I’m so glad I thought about it, and I shall love to see her again. She’s just like a governess, you know, only rather an angel. Darling, I really must rush. I’m going to tea with Mr Everton, and I shall get into dreadful trouble if I’m late. You won’t forget, will you – Miss Maud Silver, 15 Montague Mansions… Oh, yes, London, of course, but I never can remember whether it’s S.E. or S.W. But they’ll look it up for you at the post office – they always do for me.’