Chapter 2 Chapter two

This should have been a sensational announcement.Yet mediocre.Calgary had expected panicked reactions, unbelievable joy mixed with puzzlement, eager questions... nothing.It seems that there is only awakening and doubt.Gwenda Fern frowned.Hester stared at him with wide eyes.Oh, perhaps that's natural—such an announcement is hard to understand right away. Leo Argyle said hesitantly: "You mean, Dr. Calgary, you agree with me? You don't think he is responsible for his actions?" "I mean he didn't do it! Don't you get it, man? He didn't. It couldn't have been. He might have proved it if it weren't for the most unusual and unfortunate combination of circumstances. He's innocent. I might have proven him innocent."

"you?" "I'm the man in that car." He said it so simply that they didn't understand it for a while.Before they could recover, someone broke in.The door opened, and the woman with a plain face strode in.She went straight to the point and cut to the chase. "I heard it passing the outer door. This man was saying that Jack didn't kill Mrs. Argyle. Why did he say that? How did he know?" Her aggressive and ferocious face suddenly shrunk. "I must listen too," she said sadly. "I can't stay out and not know." "Of course, Kirsty. You're family." Leo Argyle introduced her.

"Miss Lindstrom, Dr. Calgary. Dr. Calgary is saying something very unbelievable." Calgary was puzzled by Kirsty's Scottish name.Her English is excellent, but with a slightly foreign accent. She spoke to him reproachfully. "You shouldn't come here and say things like that—upset people. They've suffered. Now you're upsetting them with what you said. What happened in the past was God's will." He was disgusted by the complacency and eloquence with which she spoke.Perhaps, he thought, she was one of those terrorists who wished for disaster.Look at it, I can't help her to act wild.

He spoke quickly and nonchalantly. "Five minutes to seven that evening, I gave a lift to a young man on the main road from Hongming to Gankou. I drove him to Gankou. We talked, and he was a pleasant, Lovely young man, I think." "Jack is charming," Gwenda said. "Everyone finds him charming. His temper does him a disservice. And he's not straight, of course," she went on musingly. "It's going to take a while to find out though." Miss Lindstrom turned to her. "Others are dead, you shouldn't say that." Leo Argyll said in a slightly caustic tone:

"Go on, Dr. Calgary. Why didn't you show up then?" "Yes." Hester seemed out of breath. "Why are you keeping yourself out of the way? There's a plea in the paper—advertising. How can you be so selfish, so bad—" "Hester—Hester—" her father stopped her. "Dr. Calgary hasn't finished talking yet." Calgary addressed Hester directly. "I know how you feel all too well. I know how I feel—what I will always feel..." He continued, concentrating: "Continuing my story: There were a lot of cars on the road that evening. I didn't send the young man whose name I don't know to Gankou to let him get off the car until after half past seven. This, as far as I know, is completely cleared. He was charged because the police were pretty sure the crime took place between seven and seven-thirty."

"Yes," said Hester. "But you—" "Please be patient. Just to make you understand. I must recall a little bit more. I lived for a day or two in the apartment of a friend in Gankou. The friend was a sailor and was out at sea. He parked him in The car in the private garage was also lent to me. "On the 9th of November I had to go back to London. I decided to take the evening train back, and use the afternoon to see an old Nan whom my family was very fond of, who lived about forty miles west of Drymouth. In a small house in Pogasser. Although very old and distracted, she recognized me and was very happy to see me, and very excited because she had read in the paper that I was going to the South Pole. I Stayed with her only for a while, so as not to tire her, and decided not to follow the coastal road directly back to Gankou when I left, but to go up to Hongming to see old Cannon Pismash, who had some Very rare books, including an early treatise on navigation, a chapter of which I was in a hurry to make a copy of. The old gentleman refused to have a telephone installed, which he considered a devil's device, against radio, television, cinema equipment and jets so I had to try my luck to find him at his house. I had no luck. His door was locked and he was obviously away. I stayed in the cathedral for a while, and then went back to the main road by the main road. Thus completing the last leg of the triangle itinerary, I saved ample time to go back to the apartment to collect my luggage, lock the car back in the garage, and catch the train.

"On the way, as I have already told you, I gave an unknown man a lift, and after dropping him off in the city, I continued with my plan. When I got to the train station, I had time to spare, and walked out of the station. Went down the street to buy some cigarettes. As I was crossing the road, a van came round the corner and knocked me over. "According to passers-by, I stood up, apparently unscathed and acting perfectly normal. I said I was perfectly fine and I had to catch a train, and hurried back to the station. I was unconscious when the train arrived at Paddington. An ambulance was taken to the hospital, and tests revealed a concussion - apparently something that happened after the fact was not unusual.

"When I came to my senses, it was a few days later, and I had no recollection of the accident, nor how I got to London. The last thing I remember was leaving to visit me at Pogasser. Old Nan. Then, there was a complete blank. The doctor repeatedly reassured me that this phenomenon was a perfectly normal thing. It seemed that there was no reason to believe that the few hours of my life lost in my memory were of any importance. I myself or No one else knew that I was driving past Hongming on the main road leading to Gankou that evening. "There was so little time before I had to leave England. I was left in the hospital completely calm and unable to read the newspaper. When I was discharged, I drove straight to the airport and flew to Australia to join the expedition. There had been doubts. Whether I was fit to go or not, but I dismissed that doubt. I was too anxious and too busy with preparations to pay attention to the reports of the murder, and anyway, after the arrest, the fever was over. faded, and the case went to court, and by the time the case was fully reported, I was off to Antarctica."

He paused.They all listened intently. "I just found out about a month ago, right after I got back to England. I wanted some old newspapers to wrap my specimens in. My landlady brought me a bunch of old newspapers from her boiler room. I put a ;The newspaper was spread out on the table, and there was a picture of a young man on it, and the face seemed very familiar to me. I tried to remember where I had seen him and who he was. I couldn't remember, but, Very strange, I remember having a conversation with him - about the eel. He was fascinated by my story about the adventures of the eel's life. But when? Where? I looked at the report and saw this young man It was Jack Argyle, accused of murder, seen telling the police he hitched a ride with a man in a big black sedan.

"At that moment, all of a sudden, the memory of that little piece of my life that I had lost came back. I gave this exact young man a lift, drove him to Drymouth, dropped him off, and went back to the apartment—walking across the street to buy cigarettes.All I remember of that van is a glimpse of it when it hit me - and then nothing, until the hospital.I still have no memory of going to the train station to catch a train to London.I watched that report over and over again.The trial was more than a year ago, and the case has all but been forgotten. 'A young man killed his mother,' my landlady remembered vaguely. ' I don't know what happened to it - think they hanged him. 'I went through the newspaper archives from that period and went to Marshall Law Firm, who were defense attorneys for the accused.I know I am too late to save this unfortunate child.He died in prison of pneumonia.Although justice was not upheld during his lifetime, at least justice can be done in his memory.I went to the police with Mr. Marshall.The case is being handled by the prosecutor.Marshall was pretty sure he would report to the Secretary of the Interior.

"Of course, you will receive a full report from him. His delay is only because I am eager to be the first to let you know the truth. I feel I have a moral obligation to pass this ordeal. I believe , you know I'll always be deeply guilty. If I'd been more careful crossing the street—" he broke off. "I know you can never feel well about me—although, legally speaking, I am not to blame—you, all of you, must blame me." Sister Guan Fern spoke quickly, with a warm and kind voice: "Of course we don't blame you. It's just - one of those things. Tragedy - unbelievable - happened." Hester said: "Do they trust you?" He looked at her in surprise. "The police—do they believe you? Why can't you make this up?" He couldn't help smiling to himself. "I'm a very prestigious witness," he said mildly. "I don't have any selfish motives, and they've scrutinized what I've said; details from dry mouth, medical proof. Oh yes. Marshall is careful, of course, like all lawyers. He was in I don’t want to stir up your hopes until I’m quite sure of success.” Leo Argyle made a stir in his chair and spoke for the first time. "What the hell do you mean 'successful'?" "I apologize," Calgary said quickly. "That's not the right word to use. Your son was charged with a crime he didn't commit, tried, sentenced—and died in prison. Justice came too late for him. Yet it was done, almost You can be sure it will be done and the world will see it done. The Home Secretary may advise the Queen to declare a pardon." Hester laughed. "Amnesty—for something he didn't do?" "I know. Those terms have always seemed unrealistic. But I know that it is customary to ask questions in Parliament and the answers will make it clear that Jack Argyle did not commit the crime for which he was sentenced and that the press is free to report the facts .” He stops.No one spoke.This probably came as a big shock to them.However.It was a happy shock after all. He stood up. "I'm afraid," he said uncertainly, "that there's nothing more to say--repeating how sorry I am, how sorry I am, asking your forgiveness--you must know all too well. It's over." The tragedy of my own life has clouded my own. But at least"—he complained— "Of course it makes sense--knowing he didn't do this horrible thing--his reputation--your reputation--will be cleared in the eyes of the world..." If he wanted an answer, he didn't. Leo Argyle sank into his chair.Gwenda's eyes fell on Leo's face. Hester sat staring ahead, eyes wide and miserable.Miss Lindstrom muttered something under her breath and shook her head. Calgary stood helplessly by the door, looking back at them. The man in charge was Gwenda Fern.She walked up to him, put her hand on his arm, and whispered: "You'd better go now, Dr. Calgary. The shock is too great. They need time to understand." He nodded and walked out.At the landing Miss Lindstrom joined him. "I'll take you out," she said. Before the door closed, he became aware of Gwenda Fern kneeling beside Leo Argyle's chair.This surprised him a little. On the landing, facing him, Miss Lindstrom stood talking to him fiercely like a guard. "You can't bring him back to life. So why bring that all back into their minds? Up until now, they've resigned themselves to not thinking about it. Now they're going to suffer again. It's always better not to." she said dissatisfied. "His memory must be cleared," Arthur Calgary said. "Good sense! It's all right. But you don't really think about it all. What does it mean. Men, they never think." She stamped her foot. "I love them. I came here to help Mrs. Argyle, in 1940--when she used it as a war-time nursery--to house children whose homes had been bombed. Everything was done for them. That It was nearly eighteen years ago. But, even after she died, I stayed - took care of them - kept the house clean and comfortable, and made sure they had good food. I loved them all - yes, I Love them . . . and Jack - he's no good! Oh yes, I love him too. But - he's no good!" She turned abruptly away.It seems that she seems to have forgotten that she offered to send him out.Calgary went downstairs slowly.As he fumbled with an unknown security lock on the front door, he heard light footsteps on the stairs.Hester sprinted down. She removed the latch from the door and opened it.They stood there looking at each other. He couldn't understand even more than before why she was looking at him with that tragic, accusing look. She said as if she was just blowing: "Why did you come? Oh, why did you come?" He looked at her helplessly. "I don't understand you. Don't you want your brother's name cleared? Don't you want justice for him?" "Oh, justice!" she cried to him. He repeated: "I don't understand..." "Still talking about justice! What does it matter to Jack now? He's dead. It's not Jack that matters. It's us!" "What do you mean?" "It's not the guilty people that matter. It's the innocent people." She grabbed his arm, fingers deep into it. "It's us that matter. Don't you see what you've done to us all?" He looked at her with wide eyes. In the darkness outside the door, the figure of a man gradually appeared. "Dr. Calgary?" he said. "Your taxi is here, sir. To take you to Gankou." "Oh—uh—thank you." Calgary turned again to Hester, but she had already retreated into the house. The front door slammed shut.