drive, keeping in the
shade of the trees that lined it - for the moon, which before had filled her
with such rapture, now, by the light it gave, terrified her - till she came to the
gates. Here she stood. She was sick at heart when she thought of the
interminable time she must still wait. But suddenly she heard footsteps, and
panic-stricken she cowered back into the shadows. It was someone coming up the
steep flight of steps which led from the bottom of the hill to the villa and
which till the road had been made was its on],,, means of access. Whoever it
was, was coming to the villa and seemed to hurry. A man came out of the
darkness and she saw it was Rowley. Her relief was overwhelming.
`Thank God, you've come. How did you get here so quickly?’
`The night porter was asleep, so I borrowed his bike.
I've hidden it at the bottom. I thought I'd get here more quickly by the steps.’
`Come.’
He peered into her face.
`I say, what's the matter? You look like hell.’
She shook her head. She couldn't tell him. She seized his
arm and walked quickly back to the house.
`Be as quiet as you can,' she whispered when they got
inside.
`Don't speak.’
She led him to her room. She opened the door and he
followed her in. She closed and locked it. For a moment she could not bring
herself to turn on the light, but there was no help for it. She touched the
switch. A great chandelier hung from the ceiling and at once the room was
brilliantly alight. Rowley gave a violent start when his eyes fell on the body
of a man lying on the floor near one of the two big windows.
`My God!' he cried. He turned and stared at her .` What does it mean?’
`He's dead.’
`It looks damned well like it'
He knelt and pulled down one of the man's eyelids, then,
as Mary had done, put his hand on his heart
`He's dead all right.’ The revolver was still clasped in
the man's hand. `He killed himself.’
`Did you think I'd killed him?’
`Where are the servants? Have you sent for the police?’
`No,' she gasped.
`But you must. He can't be left there. You must do
something.’
Mechanically, without thinking what he was doing, he
loosened the revolver from the man's hand. He looked at it.
`That looks damned like the gun you showed me in the car.’
, It is., He stared at her. He couldn't understand. How
could he understand? The situation was incomprehensible.
`Why did he shoot himself?”
‘For God's sake don't ask me questions.’
`Do you know who he is?”
‘No.’
She was pale and trembling. She looked as if she were
going to faint.
`You'd better pull yourself together, Mary. No good
getting jittery, you know. Wait a minute, I'll go along to the dining-room and
get you some brandy. Where is it?' He started to go, but with a cry she stopped
him.
`Don't leave me. I'm afraid to stop here by myself.’
`Come along, then,' he said abruptly. He put his arm
round her shoulders to support her and led her from the room. The candles were
still burning in the dining-room and the first thing he saw when he entered was
what remained of the supper they had eaten, the two plates, the two glasses,
the bottle of wine and the frying-pan in which Mary had cooked eggs and bacon.
Rowley walked up to the table. By the side of the chair in which Karl had sat
was his shabby felt hat. Rowley picked it up, looked at it and then turned to
look at Mary. She could not meet his eyes.
`It wasn't true when I said I didn't know him’
`That, I must say, is almost painfully obvious.’
`For God's sake don't talk like that, Rowley. I'm so
terribly unhappy.’ I’m sorry,' he said gently.
`Who is he, then?’
`The violinist. At the restaurant. The man who came round
with the plate. Don't you remember?”
‘I thought his face was vaguely familiar. He was dressed
like a Neapolitan fisherman, wasn't he? That's why I didn't recognize him. And
of course he looks different now. How did he happen to be here?' Mary hesitated.
`I met
shade of the trees that lined it - for the moon, which before had filled her
with such rapture, now, by the light it gave, terrified her - till she came to the
gates. Here she stood. She was sick at heart when she thought of the
interminable time she must still wait. But suddenly she heard footsteps, and
panic-stricken she cowered back into the shadows. It was someone coming up the
steep flight of steps which led from the bottom of the hill to the villa and
which till the road had been made was its on],,, means of access. Whoever it
was, was coming to the villa and seemed to hurry. A man came out of the
darkness and she saw it was Rowley. Her relief was overwhelming.
`Thank God, you've come. How did you get here so quickly?’
`The night porter was asleep, so I borrowed his bike.
I've hidden it at the bottom. I thought I'd get here more quickly by the steps.’
`Come.’
He peered into her face.
`I say, what's the matter? You look like hell.’
She shook her head. She couldn't tell him. She seized his
arm and walked quickly back to the house.
`Be as quiet as you can,' she whispered when they got
inside.
`Don't speak.’
She led him to her room. She opened the door and he
followed her in. She closed and locked it. For a moment she could not bring
herself to turn on the light, but there was no help for it. She touched the
switch. A great chandelier hung from the ceiling and at once the room was
brilliantly alight. Rowley gave a violent start when his eyes fell on the body
of a man lying on the floor near one of the two big windows.
`My God!' he cried. He turned and stared at her .` What does it mean?’
`He's dead.’
`It looks damned well like it'
He knelt and pulled down one of the man's eyelids, then,
as Mary had done, put his hand on his heart
`He's dead all right.’ The revolver was still clasped in
the man's hand. `He killed himself.’
`Did you think I'd killed him?’
`Where are the servants? Have you sent for the police?’
`No,' she gasped.
`But you must. He can't be left there. You must do
something.’
Mechanically, without thinking what he was doing, he
loosened the revolver from the man's hand. He looked at it.
`That looks damned like the gun you showed me in the car.’
, It is., He stared at her. He couldn't understand. How
could he understand? The situation was incomprehensible.
`Why did he shoot himself?”
‘For God's sake don't ask me questions.’
`Do you know who he is?”
‘No.’
She was pale and trembling. She looked as if she were
going to faint.
`You'd better pull yourself together, Mary. No good
getting jittery, you know. Wait a minute, I'll go along to the dining-room and
get you some brandy. Where is it?' He started to go, but with a cry she stopped
him.
`Don't leave me. I'm afraid to stop here by myself.’
`Come along, then,' he said abruptly. He put his arm
round her shoulders to support her and led her from the room. The candles were
still burning in the dining-room and the first thing he saw when he entered was
what remained of the supper they had eaten, the two plates, the two glasses,
the bottle of wine and the frying-pan in which Mary had cooked eggs and bacon.
Rowley walked up to the table. By the side of the chair in which Karl had sat
was his shabby felt hat. Rowley picked it up, looked at it and then turned to
look at Mary. She could not meet his eyes.
`It wasn't true when I said I didn't know him’
`That, I must say, is almost painfully obvious.’
`For God's sake don't talk like that, Rowley. I'm so
terribly unhappy.’ I’m sorry,' he said gently.
`Who is he, then?’
`The violinist. At the restaurant. The man who came round
with the plate. Don't you remember?”
‘I thought his face was vaguely familiar. He was dressed
like a Neapolitan fisherman, wasn't he? That's why I didn't recognize him. And
of course he looks different now. How did he happen to be here?' Mary hesitated.
`I met
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