Chapter 4 Section 4

The name Lucy Esborough was already well known in certain circles. Lucy Esborough is thirty-two years old.When she was studying at Oxford, she was first in mathematics.Everyone admits that she has a good mind and believes that she will have outstanding academic achievements in the future. But Lucy Esborough had, in addition to her academic brilliance, good, adequate common sense at her core.She could not help noticing that it would be foolish to be paid exceptionally little for a lifetime of academic eminence.She doesn't want to teach at all, but she likes to meet people who are not as talented as her.In short, she was interested in people—all kinds of people—and not always in contact with the same people.Quite frankly, she also likes money.In order to make money, one must exploit the phenomenon of scarcity.

Lucy Esborough at once saw a very serious want--a dearth of persons skilled in any kind of housework.So Lucy Esborough entered the world of housekeeping.To the astonishment of her friends and colleagues in the academic world. She immediately and unquestionably succeeded.By now, after a few years, her name had spread throughout the British Isles.It is not uncommon for a wife to say happily to her husband, "That's all right. I can go to America with you. I have Lucy Esborough at home!" Such a situation is already very common.The good thing about Lucy Esborough was that all the cares and chores vanished as soon as she arrived in a home.Lucy Esborough does everything, handles everything, arranges everything.It is hard to believe that in every respect imaginable she was competent.She took care of the elderly, took care of the children, nursed the sick, and cooked good food.She gets on well with any old servants in the house (often there aren't).She can deal with people who are intolerable to her very tactfully.She can soothe a regular alcoholic.The dog also listens to her very well.The best part is that she doesn't care about anything.She scrubbed the floors and cultivated the garden.Remove dogs and carry coal.

She has a rule of never accepting long-term jobs.Two weeks was a period she usually accepted—in exceptional cases, a month at most.You get a lot of money for those two weeks' work.But, during those two weeks, your life becomes paradise.You can do it with total ease.You can go out of town, or stay at home, and do whatever pleases you.With Lucy Esborough at the command of your rear, everything is calm and you can rest easy. Therefore, there are naturally many people who need her help.If she likes it, she may book the next three years with someone.Someone offered a large sum of money for her to sign a permanent contract.But Lucy wasn't planning on taking on a permanent job, nor was she willing to book for longer than half a year.During that period of time, she always leaves some leisure time and takes a luxurious short vacation (because her job pays well, food and lodging are good, and other things don't cost much), or she temporarily accepts a job she likes. Work, either because she likes the nature of the job, or because she "likes the people."All this was unknown to those clients who clamored to invite her.She was always at liberty to pick and choose among those noisy and noisy people who wanted to invite her.She is based entirely on personal likes and dislikes.Just being rich doesn't necessarily get Lucy Esborough.She can be selective, and she is selective.She loved her life and could always find joy in it.

Lucy Esborough read and read Miss Marple's letter.She met Miss Marple two years ago.That's when the novelist Raymond West kept her.He wanted her to take care of his elderly aunt, who was suffering from pneumonia.Lucy took the job and came to St. Mary's Heath.She liked Miss Marple very much, but what about Miss Marple? She caught a glimpse from the bedroom window of Lucy Esborough digging the soil to plant sweet peas, and she leaned back in her chair and sighed.She ate the appetizing food that Lucy Esborough served, and listened to something the grumpy old maid had to say to her."I taught that Miss Esborough a knitting pattern she didn't know," she said. Miss Marple was astonished and delighted.Moreover, her family physician was amazed by the speed of her recovery that time.

Miss Marple wrote that she wondered if Miss Esborough could do one thing for her--something out of the ordinary.Maybe Miss Esborough can arrange a time to talk face to face. Lucy Esborough frowned for a minute as she considered the matter.In fact, her time is fully booked.But the words "unusual" on the letter, and Miss Marple's personality in memory, won out.She called right away to say she couldn't come to St. Mary's Ranch because she was currently working.But she is free to-morrow afternoon between two and four, and can meet Miss Marple anywhere in London.She advises in her own club.It was a somewhat indescribable place, but there was an upside.There were a few small dark offices there, which were often very empty.

Miss Marple accepts her proposal, and the next day, the two meet. After exchanging pleasantries, she led her guest into a darkest office."I'm afraid I'm all booked at the moment," she said. "But perhaps you can tell me what you want me to do." "It's actually very simple," said Miss Marple. "Unusual, but simple. I I want you to find a corpse." There was a momentary suspicion in Lucy Esborough's mind that Miss Marple had lost her mind.However, she immediately dismissed the idea.Miss Marple was very sober.What she said counted. "What kind of corpse?" asked Lucy Esborough, very calmly. "The body of a woman," said Miss Marple, "the body of a woman who was murdered on a train—strangled, actually."

Lucy raised her eyebrows slightly. "Oh, that's really unusual. Tell me what happened." Miss Marple told her about it.Lucy Esborough listened intently without interrupting her.At the end, she said: "It all depends on what your friend sees—or does she think she sees—?" She didn't finish that sentence, leaving a question. "Esbeth McGillicuddy never imagined what she saw," said Miss Marple, "and that's why I believed what she said, and if it was Dorothy Cartwright, it would be another time Dorothy is always telling you a thing so vividly, and often she believes it to be true. But there's always a bit of fact, and beyond that, there's nothing. But Elsby It's hard for this kind of person to believe that anything special and unusual is going to happen. She's almost immune to suggestion, almost rock-solid." "Oh," said Lucy thoughtfully, "well Well, let's just take her word for it. So, what am I going to do?" "I've been very impressed with you," said Miss Marple, "and you know I don't have the strength to get around now. " "Do you want me to investigate? Do you want me to do anything of that sort? But don't the police do that? Or do you think they're moving too slowly?" "Oh, no," said Miss Marple. , "They didn't relax. Just because I had an idea about the woman's body. I thought, the body must be somewhere. If the body was not found on the train, it must have been pushed off or thrown out of the car." — but so far, none on the railway line. So I took a ride on the same line to see if there was a place where I might drop the car and not find it — and found it. The railroad was approaching There is a sharp turn at the edge of a high embankment at Brackhamton. If a body were dropped there when the train leaned at an angle, it would be thrown right under the embankment." "But the body—even if Is it there—still to be found?" "Ah, yes. The body must be removed so that no one can find it. But, we'll get to that in a moment. On this map—this is the place."

Lucy bent down to study Miss Marple's fingers. "The place is in the outskirts of Brackhamton," said Miss Marble, "but there used to be a cottage there. With a very large game and grounds. It's still there, unchanged--it's surrounded by dwellings under construction now." and a small country house. The place is called Loserzin Lodge. The house was built in 1884 by a man named Crackenthorpe. He was a very wealthy manufacturer, and it turned out that the Rickinthorpe's son, now very old, still lives there with a daughter. The railroad circles most of the cottage industry." "Well, what do you want me to do—what?"

Miss Marple answered at once. "I want you to get a job there. Everyone is in desperate need of competent people to help with the housework. I don't think there will be any difficulty." "Yes, I don't think there will be any difficulty." "I listen Said that the local people said that Mr. Crackenthorpe was a bit stingy. If you can accept the low salary, I will make up for you. I think it will always be more than the usual salary." "That's because the job Is it difficult?" "It's not so much difficult as it is dangerous. You know, the work may be dangerous. I think I should explain to you first." "I think," said Lucy thoughtfully, "that it is dangerous." Thoughts don't frighten me." "I don't think so," said Miss Marple, "you're not that sort of person." "I suppose you think maybe this even interests me? I don't think so." I haven't encountered any danger in my life. But do you really think it is dangerous?" "One person," Miss Marple pointed out, "one person killed another person very well. No one called for the murderer, no real suspicion, Two old women reported an unlikely event. The police investigated and found nothing. So all was well and quiet. I think that man, whoever he was, would not have wished this Something to discover—especially if you're successful." "Exactly, what do you want me to look for?" "Looking for evidence of any kind around that embankment. A piece of clothing, a shrub Fragments—things like that."

Lucy nodded. "And then?" "I'll be near you, wherever I can find it," said Miss Marple. "I have an old maid, the faithful Florence, who lives in Brackhamton, She took care of her parents for several years. Now, they are both dead. So, she used to take boarders-mostly decent people. Now she has arranged for me, giving me a few rooms and her Live together, she will serve me attentively. I think I should be close to you, I suggest you just say that you have an old aunt who lives nearby, and you hope to find a job in a place close to her. At the same time Explain that there will be quite a bit of extra time, and you can visit her often."

Lucy nodded again. "I was scheduled to go to Taomina on vacation the day after tomorrow," she said. "Now, I can postpone it until later. But I can only promise you three weeks, and the time after that has been booked with someone else." "Three A week is enough," said Miss Marple, "and if we don't find anything after three weeks, we'll have to treat the matter like a spectacle and give it up." Miss Marple left.Lucy thought for a moment, then called an employment agency in Brahamton.She knew the female manager there very well, and she explained that she wanted to find a job in that area, so that she could be closer to her "aunt".The manager proposed several places with better conditions, and it was a bit difficult to refuse, but she still refused with many clever excuses.Then, the other party mentioned the name of Losaijin Villa. The employment agency spoke to Miss Crackenthorpe, and Miss Crackenthorpe called Lucy. Two days later, Lucy left London, on her way to Loserzine Lodge. Lucy Esborough turned in her own car through two large iron gates.Inside the iron gate, there is a hut that used to be a gatehouse. It is unknown whether it was damaged during the war, or it was just management negligence. It has been abandoned. The real reason is difficult to determine.A long winding drive, through some dull heather bushes, led to the villa.When she saw the small house like Windsor Castle, she gasped in surprise.The stone steps in front of the door have not been cleaned, and the turn of the gravel road has been covered with green grass because no one has tidied it up. She rang the old wrought-iron doorbell, which echoed inside.A slovenly woman, wiping her hands in her apron, opened the door and looked at her questioningly. "You've got an appointment, haven't you?" she said. "She told me it was a Miss Burrow." "Yes," said Lucy. It was very cold inside.Her guide leads her through a dark hall and opens a door on the right.To Lucy's mild surprise it turned out to be a very comfortable sitting-room, furnished with books and calico-covered chairs. "I'll tell her," said the woman, after she had cast a cold look at Lucy, and closed the door. A few minutes later, the door opened again.From the very beginning Lucy thought she liked Emma Crackenthorpe. What she saw was a middle-aged woman with no obvious features, neither good-looking nor ugly, wearing very practical flowery clothes and pullovers.Brown hair was brushed back from the forehead, she had deep, hazel eyes, and a melodious voice. "Miss Esborough?" she said, holding out her hand at the same time. Then, she showed a hesitant look. "Don't know," he said, "if that's the job you're really looking for. I don't need a butler to run everything. I need someone who actually does the work." Lucy says that's all most people need. Emma Crackenthorpe said apologetically: "You know, a lot of people seem to think that a little cleaning is enough. But I can do a little cleaning myself." "I know." Lucy Say, "You need someone to cook, do the laundry, do the housework, look after the boiler, that's all right, that's what I can do, I'm not at all afraid of labor." "It's a big house, I'm afraid it won't be easy to clean. Of course, we only lived in one part of the house - my father and I. He was a sick person, so to speak. We lived very simply, with an Aka gas stove. I had several brothers. However, they were not often here , two women come to help. One is Mrs. Kedder, in the morning. One is Mrs. Hart, three times a week, to clean copper, etc. Do you have a car yourself?" "Yes. If there is no place to park, you can Put it in an open place, and the car is used to parked outside." "Oh, we have plenty of old stables here, so that's no problem." She frowned slightly, and after a while, she said, "Esborough—— Not a very common name. Some of my friends told me about a Lucy Esborough—it was the Kennedys." "Yes, I went to New Devon to help Mrs. Kennedy when she gave birth. They take care of the housework." Emma Crackenthorpe laughed. "I know they've never been happier when you've been doing all the housework with them. But, I remember they said you wanted a good fee, the amount I mentioned—" "That's all right," Lucy said. "You know, I'm looking for work in particular around Brackhamton. I've got an aunt who's in very bad health. I'm going to work close to her. So how much you're paid is a secondary question. I can't help but do something, and I wonder if I can be sure I'll have more time off?" "Oh, sure. You can take it until six o'clock every afternoon if you want." "That would be wonderful." Miss Crackenthorpe hesitated for a moment, then added: "My father is old, sometimes a little—difficult, he likes to save, and sometimes his words can make people angry. I hope I don't—" Lucy interrupted at once: "I'm used to all kinds of old people, and I can always get on well with them." Emma Crackenthorpe looked relieved. "My trouble is my father's problem?" She pointed out the family's troubles. "I dare say he is the most difficult old man to deal with!" She was assigned a large, dark bedroom.There is an electric heater inside, and it is not warm enough when turned on to the highest.She was led around by the mistress again, it was a large and uncomfortable mansion, and as they passed a pair of doors in the hall, they heard a growling sound. "Is that you, Emma? Is the new woman there? Bring her in, I want to see her." Emma blushed and looked at Lucy regretfully. The two women entered the room.The room, richly adorned with drapes and chair covers of brown velvet, let in little light through the narrow windows, was filled with Victorian furniture of heavy mahogany. Old Mr. Crackenthorpe leaned back in a wheelchair, with a silver-tipped cane on one side. He was a tall, gaunt old man; the flesh on his face hung loosely in creases.He had a bulldog face, and a fierce jaw.He had thick brown hair, now gray, and suspicious eyes. "Let me see you, girl." Lucy walked forward, poised and smiling. "There's only one thing you'd better know right away, don't think we have money just because we live in a big house, we don't have money, our lives are simple--did you hear?--very simple! You If there is too much hope, then there is no good in doing things here. On any day, if you eat fish, cod is as good as halibut, don't forget this, I do not approve of waste. I live here because this house is my father's Made it, and I love it. After I die, if they're going to sell it, they'll be selling it - as far as I'm guessing they'll be, no family values. The house is well built - solid. Surrounded by our own land so that we feel undisturbed, there may be a lot of buildings there, but not when I live. You have to drag my feet out before you can drive me out .” He glared at Lucy. "Your house is your castle, no trespassing," said Lucy. "Are you laughing at me?" "Of course not. I think it would be exciting to have a real urban forest." "Yeah, you can't see another house from here. Can you see it? Only Saw fields with cattle in them. It's in the middle of Brackhamton and when the wind blows from there you can hear traffic going by, otherwise it's all quiet country." Without pausing or changing his tone, he said to his daughter again, "Call that stupid doctor and tell him the last medicine didn't help at all." Lucy and Emma withdrew. "Also, don't let that damned woman do the cleaning, she messed up all my books." Lucy asked: "Has Mr. Crackenthorpe been ill for a long time?" Emma said somewhat evasively: "Ah, it's been a few years now... this is the kitchen." The kitchen is big with a big stove.Cold and uncaring.There is an Aka gas stove next to it, which looks a bit inconspicuous. Lucy asked her meal time, then checked the pantry.So she happily said to Emma Crackenthorpe: "I know everything now, leave it all to me." When Emma Crackenthorpe went upstairs to rest that night, she gave a sigh of relief. "The Kennedys were right," she said. "She's fine!" Lucy rose at six the next morning, cleaned the house, gathered together the greens for use, cooked and served breakfast.She made the bed with Mrs. Kidder.At eleven o'clock they sat down in the kitchen to drink strong tea and eat biscuits.Mrs. Kidder was comforted by finding that Lucy "had no airs," and by having a strong and delicious tea.So she began to chat easily.She was a small, thin woman with quick eyes and a tight mouth. "What a miser he is, how much Miss Emma has to put up with! Still, she is not what I would call an oppressed woman. She can stand her ground when necessary, and when the men come back, she will always be in charge Give them something decent to eat." "Men?" "It was a big family, the oldest, Mr. Edmund, he's dead. The second is Mr. Cedric, who lives somewhere in a foreign country. He's not married. He often paints all over the country." Mr. Harold lived in London—married to a Countess, and Mr. Alfred. He was a good man, but a bit of a prodigal, and once or twice got into trouble. And Edith's Husband Mr. Brian, very nice. She died some years ago, but he is still a member of the family. And Master Alexander, Miss Edith's son, who is still at school and always comes here For a while, Miss Emma is very fond of him." Lucy grasped the gist of all this information, and kept urging her informant to drink tea.At last Mrs. Kidder forced herself to her feet. "We had a great time talking this morning," she said curiously, "Honey, do you need my help peeling potatoes?" "It's already peeled." "Ah, you are so quick! It's over, I think I'd better go." Mrs. Kidder was gone, and Lucy still had time to scrub the kitchen table, which she had long wanted to do, but had put off until now, lest Mrs. Kidder should be displeased, as it would have been her job. thing.Then she polished the silver until it shone brightly.She cooked lunch, cleaned up, washed her hands, and by two-thirty she was ready to investigate.She put the afternoon tea items on a tray and covered the sandwiches, bread, and cheese with a damp cloth to keep it moist. She went to the garden first, which can be said to be a normal activity in her spare time.The vegetable garden has only been cultivated briefly, and a little vegetable has been planted.The conservatory was in ruins, and the paths were overgrown with weeds.The edge near the house with herbaceous perennials is the only weed-free, well-kept spot.Lucy guessed that Emma probably sorted it out.The gardener, who was very old and deaf, and who only pretended to be working, Lucy talked to him pleasantly, lived in a cottage next to the big stable. From the stables there was a back drive, across the game grounds, under a railway arch, to a back lane.There are fences on both sides of the driveway. Every few minutes, a train rumbles by on the main rail above the arch.Lucy watched the car as it decelerated from the sharp turn around Crackenthorpe.She walked through the arch of the railway and up the path.That seemed like a pretty useless path.On one side is the embankment of the railway, on the other is a high wall surrounding some tall factory buildings.Lucy followed the path until she came to a street with many small houses, and she could hear a train passing by on the main line not far away.She looked at her watch, and when a woman came out of a house, she stopped her. "Excuse me, can you tell me if there is a payphone around here?" "The post office is just around the bend in the road." Lucy thanked her and went on, until she reached the post office, which was a combined shop and post office.There was a telephone booth at one side of the house, and Lucy went in to make a call. She asked to speak to Miss Marple, and a woman said loudly, "She's resting. I can't disturb her. She needs a rest—she's an old lady." Madam, do you want me to tell her who is calling?" "Miss Esborough. There is no need to alarm her, just tell her that I have arrived and everything is going well, and I will tell her when I have any news. " She put the telephone receiver back where it was, and went back to Losaijin Villa.