Chapter 6 Chapter Six

1 "Elvira." "Hello, Bridget." The Honorable Elvira Black pushed open the door of 180 Onslow Place and walked in - her friend Bridget had seen her through the window and rushed downstairs to open it for her. "Let's go upstairs," said Elvira. "Yeah, it's better. Or we're going to get Mum around." The two girls rushed up the stairs, thus avoiding Bridget's mother, who came out of her bedroom into the stair hall too late. "You're lucky you don't have a mother," said Bridget, a little out of breath, as she led her friend into her bedroom, shutting the door tightly behind her, "I mean, mother is a lovely thing." Man, but look at the questions she asks! Morning, noon and night. Where have you been, who have you met? Are they cousins ​​of another man with that name who lives in Yorkshire? Nonsense like that .”

"I reckon they don't have anything else to think about," said Elvira vaguely. "Listen, Bridget, I've got to do something very important, and you've got to help me." "Well, I'll help if I can. What—a man?" "No, not really." Bridget looked a little disappointed. "I have to leave for Ireland twenty-four hours maybe longer, and you'll have to cover me." "To Ireland? Why?" "I can't tell you everything now. I don't have time. I'm going to meet my guardian, Colonel Luscombe, at the Prunier's at half past one, and have lunch with him."

"How did you deal with Mrs. Carpenter?" "Evaded her at Debenham." Bridget giggled. "After lunch, they're going to take me to the Melfords'. I'm going to live with them until I'm twenty-one." "It's terrible!" "I think I'll do it. Cousin Mildred is such a deceit. I'm supposed to go to some lectures and activities. There's a place called 'The World Today'. They take you to lectures and museums , art galleries, House of Lords, etc. The key point is that no one will know if you are where you should be! We will try to do a lot of things."

"I think we will," said Bridget, giggling. "We managed to do it in Italy, didn't we? Old McCallone thought she was very strict. She hardly knew we were Tried and tested." The two girls laughed heartily at their successful prank. "But, that does require a lot of planning," Elvira said. "And some pretty lies," said Bridget. "Have you got Guido's letter?" "Oh, yes. He wrote me a long letter, signed Ginevra, as if he were a girl friend. But I really hope you don't talk too much, Bridget. We have a lot to do, But only an hour and a half to do it.

First of all, listen to me, I have an appointment at the dentist tomorrow.That's easy, I can call and put it off - and you can do it from here too.Then, at noon, you can call the Melfords' house pretending to be your mother and explain that the dentist wants me to come back the next day, so I'm going to spend the night with you. " "They should be sure of that. They'll say endless compliments about how kind you are. But what if you don't come back the next day?" "Then you'll have to call again." Bridget looked puzzled. "We'll have a lot of time to figure out what to do before then," Elvira said impatiently. "Now my concern is...money. I guess you don't have much?" Elvira didn't hold back. How much hope to say.

"Only about two pounds." "That's no use at all. I'll have to buy a plane ticket. I've checked the flight and it's only going to take two hours. It's a question of how much time I'm going to spend there." "Can't you tell me what you plan to do?" "No, you can't. But it's very, very important." Elvira's voice changed so much that Bridget was a little surprised to see her. "Is there really trouble, Elvira?" "Yes, not bad." "Is it something that no one should know?" "Yes, that's the thing. Very, very confidential. I have to find out if something is completely true. The annoying thing is the money. And the painful thing is that I'm actually very rich. My guardian like this Told me. But all they give me is a little stipend for clothes. I seem to spend the money as soon as I get it."

"Won't your guardian, Colonel what, lend you a little money?" "That wouldn't work at all. He'd ask a lot of questions about what I was going to do with the money." "Geez, I think he would. I can't figure out why everyone asks so many questions. You know what? Mom has to ask who you are every time someone calls me? But that's none of her business! " Elvira agreed with her, but her thoughts turned in another direction. "Have you ever been anything, Bridget?" "Never. I don't think I know how to pawn." "It must be very simple," Elvira said. "You guys go to that jeweler with the three balls on the door, don't you?"

"I don't think I have anything of value to pawn," said Bridget. "Didn't your mother keep some jewelry somewhere?" "I think we'd better not ask her for help." "No, maybe not—but we might be able to sneak something." "Oh, I don't think we can do that," said Bridget, shocked. "No? Well, maybe you're right. But I bet she won't notice. We'll be able to put it back before she realizes it's missing. I see, let's go find Mr. Bollard." "Who is Mr. Pollard?" "Oh, he's the family jeweler. I've often sent him my watch for repairs. He's known me since I was six. Come on, Bridget, we'll be there right away. We've just got enough time."

"We'd better go out the back door," Bridget said, "so Mom won't ask where we're going." Outside the historic Pollard and Whitley store on Bond Street, the girls make their final arrangements. "Surely you understand, Bridget?" "I suppose so," said Bridget, not at all pleased. "First," said Elvira, "we check the time on our watches." Bridget brightened slightly.This familiar literary phrase has an uplifting effect.They checked their watches gravely, and Bridget set hers by a minute. "The time to act is exactly twenty-five minutes," said Elvira.

"Then I have plenty of time. Maybe more than I need, but it's good." "But what if—" Bridget paused. "What if?" Elvira asked. "Well, I mean, what if I do get hit by a car?" "You won't get hit," Elvira said. "You know how quick you are, and London cars are used to sudden braking. It'll be all right." It looks like Bridget is far from convinced. "You won't let me down, Bridget, will you?" "Well," said Bridget, "I won't let you down." "Okay," Elvira said. Bridget walked to the other side of Bond Street while Elvira pushed past the doors of Mr. Pollard and Mr. Whitley, the long-established jeweler and watchmaker.There is a quiet and peaceful atmosphere inside, which makes people feel good.A noble-looking man in a frock coat came forward and asked Elvira what he could do for her.

"Can I see Mr. Pollard?" "Mr. Pollard? What's your name?" "Miss Elvira Black." The aristocratic person disappeared, and Elvira moved to a counter.Beneath thick panes of glass, brooches, rings and bracelets displayed their bejeweled parts against appropriate shades of velvet in slightly different shades. Not long after, Mr. Pollard appeared.He is a senior partner of this company, and he is an old man in his sixties.He greeted Elvira with warmth and friendliness. "Ah, Miss Black, you've come to London. It's a pleasure to see you. What can I do for you?" Elvira produced a small, delicate night watch. "This watch isn't going right," Elvira said. "Can you fix it?" "Oh, sure, no problem at all." Mr. Pollard took it from her. "Where are we going to send it?" Elvira gave him the address. "There is another matter," she said, "that my guardian, Colonel Luscombe—you know him—" "Yes, yes, of course." "He asked me what kind of gift I wanted for Christmas," Elvira said. "He suggested that I come here and see something different. He asked me if I wanted him to come with me, and I said I wanted to do it myself first." Come here—because I always find that embarrassing, don't I? I mean the price or something." "Well, that's one aspect, of course," said Mr. Pollard with a genial grin. "What do you think, Miss Blake? A brooch, a bracelet, or a ring?" "I think the brooch would be more useful," said Elvira, "but I don't know—can I see more?" She looked up at him earnestly.He smiled sympathetically. "Of course, of course. It's no fun making a decision too quickly, is it?" She had a great time for the next five minutes.For Mr. Pollard, nothing should be tiresome.He took from box after box, brooches and bracelets in a heap on a piece of velvet in front of Elvira.From time to time she turned and looked in the mirror to try on a brooch or a pendant.At last, in great doubt, she set aside a pretty little bracelet, a little jeweled watch, and two brooches. "We'll make a note of this," said Mr. Bollard, "so that when Colonel Luscombe comes to London later, he may come in and see what he himself wants to buy you." "I think it would be nice to do that," said Elvira, "and he'd feel more like a gift he chose for me, wouldn't it?" She looked up, her clear blue eyes focused on the jeweler's face.It was just before the scheduled start of action twenty-five minutes later. There were screeching brakes and a girl screaming outside.Inevitably, all eyes in the store are turned to the shop windows looking out onto Bond Street.Elvira put her hands on the counter into the pockets of her neat tailor-made coat and skirt, her movements so swift and unobtrusive that they were barely noticeable despite everyone watching. arrive. "Whoa, whoa," said Mr. Pollard, turning his attention away from his gaze in the street outside, "nearly an accident. Silly girl! Crossing the road like that!" Elvira was ready to head for the gate.She looked at her watch and let out an exclamation. "Why, I've been here too long. I'll miss the train back to the country. Thank you very much, Mr. Pollard. You don't forget what those four things are, do you?" A minute later she was outside the door, took two quick left-hand turns, and stopped in the arcade of a shoe store until Bridget, out of breath, came to join her. "Oh," said Bridget, "I was scared to death! I thought I'd be run over. And I got a hole in my stocking too. " "It's okay," Elvira said, walking briskly down the street with her friend, making another right turn. "Hurry up!" "Now—just now—everything went well?" Elvira quietly reached into her pocket and took out the diamond and sapphire bracelet. "Oh, Elvira, you are so bold!" "Now, Bridget, you'll have to go to the pawn shop we've got in mind, and see how much this bracelet is worth. You want a hundred." "You think... if they say... I mean... I mean it might be on the list of stolen items..." "Don't be an idiot! How did it get on the list so quickly? They haven't noticed it's gone yet." "But, Elvira, when they do find it lost, they think—perhaps they know—that you must have taken it." "They might think so - if they find out soon enough." "Then they'll call the police, and—" She didn't go on, because Elvira shook her head slowly, her flaxen hair bouncing back and forth, and a mysterious smile appeared on her lips. "They won't call the police, Bridget, and they certainly won't call the police if they think I took it." "Why... you mean—?" "I told you I'll have a lot of money when I'm twenty-one. I'll buy a lot of jewels from them. They won't make such a scandal. Pawn your bracelets, Get the money in hand. Then go to Ringers Airways to book tickets—I have to take a taxi to the Prunier Hotel. I'm already ten minutes late. See you tomorrow morning at ten-thirty." "Oh, Elvira, I do hope you don't take such terrible risks," said Bridget, whimpering. Elvira, however, had already called a taxi. 2 Miss Marple had a great time at Robinson and Cleaver.Not only did she buy beautiful, albeit expensive, sheets—she loved the texture and sober color of the linen sheets—but she also bought some fine glass gauze with a red border.It's so hard to get nice glass gauze these days!Instead, what you get are colorful tablecloths that can also be used as decoration, printed with various patterns: radishes, lobsters, the Eiffel Tower or Trafalgar Square, or lemons and oranges scattered here and there.Miss Marple left her address in St. Mary Mead, and took a bus on the way to the Military Consumption Cooperative. Years ago, Miss Marple's aunt had been a regular at the Military Consumers' Cooperative.Of course, compared with the old days, there have been some changes here.Miss Marple's thoughts went back to the past: Aunt Helen sat comfortably in a chair, wearing a bonnet and a cape she always called "black poplin", looking for her favorite in the department store.What followed was a long, leisurely hour. Aunt Helen thought of all the groceries that could be bought and stored for future use.Christmas supplies are packed, and sometimes even distant Easter supplies are thought of. Little Jane became a little restless, and Aunt Helen sent her to visit the crockery department to amuse her. After shopping, Aunt Helen began to ask the salesman she chose carefully about his mother, wife, second son and disabled sister-in-law.After spending a pleasant morning in this way, Aunt Helen would say in a joking tone popular in that era: "How does a little girl feel about lunch?" So they took the elevator to the fifth floor for lunch, and the lunch ended with It's a strawberry ice cream. Then they bought a half-pound of pralines and took the four-wheeler to an afternoon show. Of course, the Military Consumer Cooperative has been remodeled and refurbished many times since then and, in fact, looks nothing like it used to.It looks more regal.Although Miss Marple enjoys reminiscing about the past, she is not opposed to enjoying the present.There is still a restaurant here, where she often has lunch. As she pored over the menu to decide what to order, she glanced around the room, startled.What a coincidence!The lady sitting there she had just met yesterday, though she had seen this lady many times before that from various pictures of her in the papers--at the races, in Bermuda, or standing in the next to her private jet or car.Yesterday Miss Marple saw herself for the first time.And now, as is often the case, she had met this lady again in the most unexpected place.For some reason, she couldn't connect the Military Consumption Cooperative with this Mrs. Bess Sedgwick.Miss Marple would not be surprised if she showed up at a house in Stud in evening gown and a diamond-encrusted tiara, or walked out of London's Central Opera House.But for some reason, she didn't seem to be in the military consumer cooperative.It seemed to Miss Marple that the patrons were and always were soldiers, their wives, daughters, aunts and grandmothers.Anyway, there sat Bess Sedgwick, looking as good-looking as ever, in a black suit and bright green shirt, having lunch with a man.The man was very young, with a thin face and a hooked nose, and he was wearing a black leather jacket.They were leaning forward, chatting enthusiastically, eating big mouthfuls without seeming to notice what they were eating. Maybe a tryst?Yes, most likely a tryst.The man must have been fifteen or twenty years younger than she was—but Bess Sedgwick was a very attractive woman. Miss Marple studied the young man and concluded that he was exactly what she called a "handsome boy".At the same time, she also found that she didn't have much affection for him. "Like Harry Russell," said Miss Marple to herself, drawing an archetype from memory, as usual, "never ended well, nor did any woman with whom he had relations. .” "She won't listen to my advice," thought Miss Marple, "but I can advise her." However, other people's affairs have nothing to do with her, and, according to previous records, Beth Sedgwick had no one else to worry about. Miss Marple sighed, ate her lunch, and thought about a visit to the stationery department. Curiosity, or, as she herself prefers to say, "interest in other people's affairs", is undoubtedly one of Miss Marple's character traits. Miss Marple deliberately left her gloves on the table, stood up, and walked to the checkout counter.Her chosen route was close to Bess Sedgwick's table.After paying the bill, she "discovered" that she had forgotten her gloves, and went back to get them—unfortunately dropping her handbag on the floor along the way.The handbag was opened, and various items were scattered all over the place.A waitress hurried over to help her pick it up, and Miss Marple made a trembling look again, and the change and keys just picked up fell to the ground again. Her little tricks didn't come off much, but they weren't all in vain either—it's funny how the two of her curious minds didn't have time to glance at the frantic old woman . As Miss Marple waited for the elevator to come down, she recited the short fragment of dialogue she had heard: "What did the weather report say?" "Good. No fog." "Is everything arranged in Lucerne?" "It's arranged. The plane leaves at nine forty." It was the first time she could hear it.When she came back, she heard the conversation a little longer. Bess Sedgwick was very angry when she spoke. "How did you come to Bertram yesterday—you shouldn't be near this place." "No problem. I'm just asking if you're there, because everyone knows we're good friends anyway." "That's not the problem. Bertram is fine with me, not with you. You're so out of place there. Everyone's staring at you." "Let them go!" "What an idiot you are, why—why? What reason do you have? You have a reason - I know you..." "Calm down, Bess." "you liar!" It was all she could hear.She finds it very interesting.