Chapter 19 Chapter Nineteen

"Just listen to me," said Mrs. Sweetiman. Edna gasped.She had been listening to Mrs. Sweetiman honestly.It was a hopeless conversation, going around in circles again and again to no avail.Mrs. Sweetiman repeated the same words several times, but the way of phrasing was slightly changed. Even so, the changes were not great, and the same words were always repeated over and over again.Edna gasped heavily and cried from time to time. Throughout the conversation, she only repeatedly explained two points: First, she couldn't!Second, Papa would skin her alive, and he would. "It's possible," said Mrs. Sweetiman, "but to kill is to kill, and to see is to see, and you can't escape."

Edna just gasped. "You did exactly what you were supposed to do—" Without finishing her sentence, Mrs. Sweetiman went to greet Mrs. Wetherby, who came in for knitting needles and an ounce of wool. "Haven't seen you for a while, ma'am," said Mrs. Sweetiman warmly. "Yes, I've been quite ill lately," said Mrs. Weatherby. "I've had a bad heart, you know," she sighed deeply, "and I've had to lie down." "I hear you've found a helper at last," said Mrs. Sweetiman. "You should use a darker needle with this light wool."

"Yes. The new helper is very capable and cooks a good meal. But her behavior! The appearance! Dyed hair and wearing a tight dress that doesn't fit at all." "Well," said Mrs. Sweetiman, "girls don't learn how to serve well these days. My mother, who started helping at thirteen, got up every morning at four-forty-five. In the end, She had three maids under her. She trained them one by one to be obedient. But there's no one like that now--girls aren't trained these days, they're educated, like Edna Same." Both women looked at Edna, who was leaning against the post office counter, sucking a mint while panting, looking bewildered.As an example of being educated, she hardly embodies the credibility of the educational system.

"It's a dreadful thing about Mrs. Upward, isn't it?" Mrs. Sweetiman continued casually, as Mrs. Wetherby was picking out needles of various colours. "It was horrible," said Mrs. Weatherby. "They were almost afraid to tell me. When they told me, my heart skipped a beat. I'm so sensitive." "We were all in shock," said Mrs. Sweetiman. "As for her son, Mr. Upward, he was terrified. The authoress held him in her arms and waited until the doctor arrived to give him a sedative." He was relieved by the potion. Now he's moved to the Long Meadow, paying as a lodger, and doesn't think he can live in the room himself - I didn't know until later. Janet Groom has gone home to find her nephew, the police have the keys to the house. The lady who wrote the murder novel has gone back to London, but she will be back to investigate."

Mrs. Sweetiman described all this with embellishment.She prides herself on being well informed.Mrs. Wetherby's choice of knitting needles, driven perhaps by a desire to know something new, paid quickly. "It's so sad," she said, "that the whole village is in such danger. There must be a madman lurking around here. When I think that my own daughter was out that night, she herself may Will be attacked, maybe killed." Mrs. Wetherby closed her eyes and stamped her feet.Mrs. Sweetiman watched her with interest but without alarm.Mrs. Wetherby opened her eyes again, and said solemnly: "This place should be patrolled. No young man is allowed to go about after dark. All doors must be fastened and locked. You know in 'Long Grass' Hotel, Mrs. Somerhays never locks her doors. No doors, not even at night. She leaves the back door and the parlor window open to let her cats and dogs come in and out. My own opinion That's pure madness, but she said that's what they've always done, and that if burglars really want to break in, they'll always find a way."

"Come to think of it, there wasn't much in the Long Meadow that a burglar would pick up," said Mrs. Sweetiman. Mrs. Wetherby shook her head mournfully, and took her purchases and left. Mrs. Sweetiman and Edna continued their argument. "You know it doesn't do any good to keep your mouth shut," Mrs. Sweetiman said. "Justice is justice and murder is murder. Tell the truth and condemn the devil. That's where I stand." "Daddy will skin me alive, he will, for sure," Edna said. "I'll talk to your father," Mrs. Sweetiman said.

"I can't," Edna said. "Mrs. Upward is dead," said Mrs. Sweetiman, "and you've seen things the police don't know about yet. You're employed by the Post Office, aren't you? You're a government employee. You have to perform Your duty. You must go to Albert Helling—” Edna's sobbing suddenly became louder. "Not to Albert. I can't. How can I go to Albert anyway? It's all over." Mrs. Sweetiman said hesitantly: "And that foreign gentleman—" "Don't look for foreigners, I won't tell foreigners. Don't look for foreigners."

"You can't talk to foreigners. Maybe you are right on this point." There was a screech of brakes outside the post office, and a car stopped. Mrs. Sweetiman's face lit up. "It's Major Summerhays, that's him. You tell him all about it, and he'll tell you what to do." "I can't," Edna said, but not so firmly. Johnny Summerhays walked into the post office, staggering with three cardboard boxes on his back. "Hello, Mrs. Sweetiman," he greeted cheerfully, "I hope these boxes are not overweight." Mrs. Sweetiman went about her post office routinely.As Summerhays pasted the stamp, she spoke:

"Excuse me, sir, but there is something I should like to hear from you." "Oh, Mrs. Sweetiman?" "Because you have been here for generations, sir, and you should know the best thing to do." Summerhays nodded yes.The remaining feudal ideas of the English countryside had always intrigued him.Little was known about him in the village, but since his father, his grandfather, and his grandfather's grandfather had lived in the Long Meadow for generations, the villagers thought it only natural that he should advise them when something happened. When asked for his advice, he should give them direction on what to do.

"It's about Edna," said Mrs. Sweetiman. Edna gasped heavily. Johnny Summerhays gave Edna a questioning look.He thought to himself that he had never seen such an unattractive girl.As thin as a skinny rabbit.It also looks heartless, half-dumb and not stupid.She certainly won't have encountered the so-called "trouble" of our workers.No, Mrs. Sweetiman would not have asked him for advice in that case. "Well," he said kindly, "what's the problem?" "About the murder, sir. What Edna saw on the night of the murder." Johnny Summerhays moved his wide, black eyes from Edna to Mrs. Sweetiman and back to look at Edna again.

"What did you see, Edna?" he asked. Edna began to sob.Mrs. Sweetiman took it up and said: "Of course, we've heard this and that from this and that. Some rumours, some truths. But, sure enough, there was a lady having coffee with Mrs. Upward that night. That's what it is, yes. No, sir?" "Yes, I believe so." "I know it's true because we heard it from Albert Helling." Albert Helling was the local superintendent, and Summerhays knew him well.He speaks slowly and always has an air of conceit. "I see," Summerhays said. "But they don't know who the lady is, do they? Ah, Edna saw her." Johnny Summerhays looked at Edna.He pursed his lips, as if about to whistle, and asked: "You saw her, didn't you, Edna? When you went in—or came out?" "While going in," Edna said.A sense of her own importance made her speak more, "I was standing across the road, under a tree. It was at the corner of a small alley, and it was very dark there. I saw her. She walked to the door, up the steps, stood a moment at the door, and then—then she went in." Johnny Summerhays's brow brightened. "Yes," he said, "that's Miss Deirdre Henderson. The police are fully aware of the situation. She's gone to tell them." Edna shook her head. "That's not Miss Henderson," she said. "No—then who is she?" "I don't know. I didn't see her face. Her back was turned to me. She walked up the path and stood there. But it wasn't Miss Henderson." "But how do you know it's not Miss Henderson if you haven't seen her face?" "Because she's fair. Miss Henderson is dark." Johnny Summerhays looked in disbelief. "It was a very dark night and you could barely see the color of people's hair." "But I could see it all the same. The light on the porch was on, and it was left on when people left, because Mr. Robin was out with the detective lady. She was Standing right under the lamp. She was wearing a black coat and no hat, and her hair was golden and shining. I saw it." Johnny whistled slowly.His eyes are very serious now. "What time was that?" he asked. Edna gasped: "I don't know the exact time." "You know what time it is," said Mrs. Sweetiman. "Not nine o'clock. I should have heard the church bells then. It was after eight-thirty." "It was between eight-thirty and nine. How long was she there?" "I don't know, sir. Because I didn't wait any longer. I heard nothing. No moan or cry, nothing." Edna spoke a little aggrieved. But, indeed, there were no groans or shouts.Johnny Summerhays knows this.He said seriously: "Well, there's only one thing you can do. The Superintendent must hear about it." Edna suddenly gasped and whimpered incessantly. "Daddy will skin me alive," she cried, "he will." She cast begging eyes on Mrs. Sweetiman, and hastily fled into the back room to hide.Mrs. Sweetiman took up the conversation: "Well, sir," she said, looking into Somerhays's inquiring eyes, "Edna has always been such a fool. Her father was strict, maybe a little too strict, but it's hard to say in today's society. What's the best way to do it. There's a nice guy in Caravon who gets along well with Edna and has a stable relationship, and her dad is happy about it, but Ricky's a slow guy , you know what girls are like these days, and Edna's been getting on with Charley Masters again lately." "Masters? Is it a farmer nearby?" "By the way, sir. A farm laborer. A married man with two children. He's always chasing girls, and he's a bad guy in every way. Edna has no brains at all, and her father put this Cut off. Well done. So, you see, Edna was going to Caravon to go to the movies with Ricky that night—at least that's what she told her dad. But she was actually Go out to meet the Masters. She was waiting for him at the corner of the alley, which seems to be where they used to date. Turns out, he didn't come. Maybe his wife wouldn't let him out of the house, or maybe he chased him again. Fucked another girl. But that's the way it is. Edna waited there and finally she gave up. But, you can understand, she was supposed to take the bus to Karafon, but she was waiting there, explained that It was really embarrassing for her to get up." Johnny Summerhays nodded.He had inadvertently had an extraneous thought of amazed that the unattractive Edna should have been attractive to both men, and he had given concrete consideration to the circumstances of the matter. "That's why she didn't want to talk to Albert Helling about it," he said very understandingly. "Exactly, sir." Summerhays thought about it quickly. "I'm afraid the police must know about this," he said softly. "That's what I told her," said Mrs. Sweetiman. "But they're probably going to play it safe. Maybe she doesn't have to give evidence. What she tells them, they'll keep a secret. I can call Spence up here--no, I'd better use My car is taking Edna to Kiltchester. If she reports it to the police there, there's no need to know about it here. I'll ring them first and we'll be right there." Just like that, after a brief phone call, Edna, who was still breathing heavily, fastened the buttons of her coat firmly. Mrs. Sweetiman patted her on the back as a sign of encouragement, and then she stepped forward He got into Summerhays's car and drove towards Kilchester.