Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen

"You know," said Chief Inspector Davy thoughtfully, "I don't like that fellow Humphreys very much." "Think there's something wrong with him?" Campbell asked. "Well—" said "Father" apologetically, "you know, it's just a weird feeling. One of those flattering types. I don't know if he's the owner of the restaurant or just the operator. " "I can ask him." Campbell turned around and started to walk to the counter. "Don't do that, don't ask him," said "Pop," "find out the answer—quietly."

Campbell looked at him curiously. "Are you concerned, sir?" "Nothing," said "Pop," "I just thought I'd like more information about this place. I'd like to know who's running it, how it's doing financially, and so on." Campbell shook his head. "I should say that if there is one place in London that is absolutely beyond doubt..." "I know, I know," said "Pop," "how useful it must be to have such a reputation!" Campbell shook his head again and walked away. "Pop" walked down the corridor to the smoking room.General Radley had just woken from his sleep.A copy of The Times slipped from his lap, a little messy. "Pop" picked up the newspaper, rearranged the pages and handed it to him.

"Thank you, sir. You are very kind," said General Radley gruffly. "Are you General Radley?" "yes." "I'm sorry to disturb you," said "Pop," raising his voice, "but I wanted to talk to you about Canon Pennyfather." "Uh, what?" The general put a hand behind his ear. "Canon Pennyfather," cried "Pop." "My father? He died many years ago." "Canon Pennyfather." "Oh. What's the matter with him? I saw him a few days ago. He lives here." "He was going to give me an address. He said he'd put it with you."

The words were more difficult for General Radley to understand, but he managed at last. "He never gave me an address. Must have confused me with someone else. Stupid old fool, always. You know, he's one of those pedantic types. They're always absent." "Pop" persisted for a while longer, but soon found that talking to General Radley was next to impossible and almost certainly fruitless.He walked into the lounge and found a seat at Miss Marple's table and sat down. "Tea, sir?" "Pop" looked up, as impressed as anyone by Henry's personality traits.Although tall and fat, he appeared like an air-like elf who could appear and disappear at will, although on the surface he was very different from such elves. "Father" ordered tea.

"I see you have muffins here, don't you?" he asked. Henry smiled kindly. "Yes, sir. Our muffins are very good indeed--if I may say so. I like them all. Would you like a muffin, sir? Is it an Indian tea or a Chinese tea?" "Chain tea," said Father, "or Ceylon tea, if you have it." "Of course we have Ceylon tea, sir." Henry made a very inconspicuous gesture with his fingers, and one of his men, a pale young man, turned to fetch Ceylon tea and muffins.Henry walked away amiably. "You're a character, you are," thought Papa. "Wonder how they hold you and pay you. Big bag, I bet, and you're worth that much." He Watch as Henry stands paternally bent over an old woman.He wondered what Henry thought of his "father" - if he had any. "Father" thought he was just right for Bertram's Hotel.He may have been a wealthy gentleman farmer, or he may have been an aristocrat who bet on horse races. "Papa" knew two people who looked like that.All in all, he thought, he got through, but he also felt he might not have fooled Henry. "Yes, you are a character, you are." "Father" said again in his heart.

Tea and muffins were served. Papa took a big bite, butter running down his chin.He wiped it off with a bandanna.He drank two cups of tea with a lot of sugar.Then he leaned forward and spoke to the lady in the chair next to him. "I'm sorry," he said, "but aren't you Miss Jane Marple?" Miss Marple looked away from her knitting and looked at Chief Inspector Davy. "Yes," she said, "I am Miss Marple." "I hope you don't mind me talking to you. Actually, I'm a policeman." "Really? I hope there's nothing serious here?"

"Father" hurriedly tried his best to reassure her like an elder. "Oh, don't worry, Miss Marple," he said, "it's not at all the kind of thing you're referring to, there's been no theft or anything of the kind. It's just some trouble with an absent-minded clergyman, that's all." That's all. I think he's a friend of yours—Canon Pennyfather." "Oh, Canon. Father Penny. He was here a few days ago. Yes, I've known him for years, but not very well. As you say, he's really very absent-minded." She was interested again. Added without hesitation: "What did he do again?"

"Well, so to speak, he got lost." "Oh dear," said Miss Marple, "where should he go?" "Back to his home at Clos Cathedral," said Father, "but he didn't." "He told me," said Miss Marple, "that he was going to Lucerne for a conference. I think a conference on the Dead Sea literature. You know, he's a great Hebrew and Aramaic scholar. " "Yes," said "Pop," "you're right. That's him—well, that's where people thought he'd go." "You mean he hasn't been there?"

"No," said "Pop," "he didn't go." "Oh," said Miss Marple, "I think he got the date wrong." "Very likely, very likely." "I'm afraid," said Miss Marple, "that this is not the first time something like this has happened. Once when I went to have tea with him in Chaderminster and he was not at home, his housekeeper told me how absent-minded he was." of." "I suppose he didn't say anything to you while he was here that might give us a clue?" asked Father, speaking in a light, trusting tone. "You know what I'm referring to, any friends he's met or some plans he's made besides this Lucerne meeting?"

"No. He only mentioned the Lucerne meeting. I think he said it was the nineteenth, didn't he?" "That's the date of the Lucerne meeting, yes." "I didn't pay particular attention to the date. I mean--" Miss Marple, like most older women, was worried now--"I think he said the nineteenth or he might have said the nineteenth." , and at the same time he might mean the nineteenth and it might actually be the twenty. I mean, he might think that the twenty is the nineteenth, or that the nineteenth is the twenty." "Well—" said "Pop," feeling a little dizzy.

"I'm terrible at expressing it," said Miss Marple. "I mean, people like Canon Penney Father, if they say go somewhere on Thursday, you should expect that they don't mean Thursday, they might actually mean Wednesday or Friday. Usually they catch it in time, but sometimes they don’t. I was thinking, it must have happened again.” "Father" looked a little puzzled. "It sounds like you already know, Miss Marple, that Canon Pennyfather is not in Lucerne." "I know he's not in Lucerne on Thursday," said Miss Marple, "he's here all - or most of the day. That's why I think so. Of course, though he may have said Thursday to me, he means It was actually Friday. He must have left here on Thursday night with his BEA handbag." "very true." "I thought he was going to the airport," Miss Marple said, "so I was surprised to see him back." "Excuse me, what do you mean 'back again'?" "Oh, I mean he's back here again." "Now, let's get this thing straightened out," said "Pop," carefully, in a pleasant, reminiscing voice, sounding like it wasn't too important, "you see the old--I I mean, you saw Mr. Canon leave here early in the evening with the overnight duffel bag - as you think - for the airport. Is that so?" "That's right. I think it's about six-thirty or a quarter to seven." "But you say he's back again." "Maybe he missed the plane. That's probably why he came back." "When did he come back?" "Well, I don't know. I didn't see him come back." "Oh," said "Pop," startled, "I thought you said you did see him." "Oh, I saw him afterwards," said Miss Marple. "I mean, I didn't see him go into this hotel." "Did you see him later? When?" Miss Marple thought for a moment. "Let me see. It was about three o'clock. I didn't sleep well and something woke me up. It was a sound. There are lots and lots of strange noises in London. I glanced at my little alarm clock and it was Ten past three. For some reason—I'm not sure what—I was uneasy. There were, perhaps, footsteps outside my door. Living in the country, if I heard footsteps in the middle of the night, it would be It was nerve-wracking. So I opened the door and looked out. Canon Pennyfather was coming out of his room—I live next door to him—and going down the stairs in his overcoat." "He came out of his room in his coat at three o'clock in the morning and went downstairs?" "Yes," said Miss Marple, and added, "I thought it was very strange." "Father" looked at her for a moment. "Miss Marple," he said, "why didn't you tell anyone about this before?" "No one ever asked me," said Miss Marple innocently.