understand! Just have to get these things straight, y’know. Go on with what you were telling us, Henry … feller obviously a complete stranger.’
Sir Daynes relapsed into some throat-clearing and Somerhayes, unmoved, proceeded to relate the events leading up to the tragedy. He had sent his car to pick up Earle at Merely Halt on the evening of the 23rd. The young man had arrived at some time after eleven, when the rest of the household had retired. Somerhayes had ordered him some supper and chatted with him while he ate it. He had been in high spirits, talking gaily of his experiences in London and of a certain ‘amusing old buffer’ – here Somerhayes’s strange little smile again found Gently – who had travelled down with him. They had retired together to the north-east wing, where Somerhayes had given him a room in hisown suite. In the morning Earle’s high spirits had continued. He had begun the day by going round with a piece of mistletoe and kissing, it was understood, every female member of the household, including the housekeeper, who was fifty-nine. Later on he had gone to the workshop in the company of Mrs Page and Mr Brass, and had made a start at setting up a low-warp machine on which he was purposing to weave a cartoon, or pattern, of his own design. During the afternoon he had accompanied Mrs Page on a walk through the park to the folly, and during the evening he had made one of a party in the north-east wing, which was in communal use during the holiday.
‘He was full enough of horse-play then, as I can testify,’ grunted Sir Daynes. ‘Young devil led me a caper or two.’
After Sir Daynes had left with Lady Broke and Gently, Earle had wanted to continue with the fun. In view of the morrow, however, the party broke up shortly after midnight. The tapissiers had retired to their quarters in the south-east wing, which adjoined the workshop, Mr Brass to his rooms in the south-west wing, and shortly afterwards, Mrs Page to the suite she occupied in the north-west wing.
‘So that for a short time there were yourself, Earle and Mrs Page alone in the … where was it?’ murmured Gently from his corner of the hearth.
Somerhayes paused directly in his statement. ‘The yellow drawing room, Mr Gently. Yes, that is perfectly correct, though the three of us were together foronly a few minutes while my cousin finished some Sauternes she was drinking.’
‘Would you remember the conversation?’
‘I’m not certain that I would. I believe Lieutenant Earle was describing to us the advantages of a visit to Missouri, which he would have liked to have persuaded us to make. But as I said, my cousin did not remain with us longer than it took her to finish her drink.’
‘After which Lieutenant Earle and yourself were left together?’
Somerhayes looked Gently straight in the eyes.
‘Yes,’ he said.
They had sat by the dying fire until Somerhayes had been called away by Thomas, his butler-valet, with some question about the laying-out of presents in the wing breakfast room. When he returned to the yellow drawing room Earle was still there, and they had had a night-cap together. Then Earle had gone up to his room, at about one a.m., and Somerhayes had followed him ten minutes later, after giving some final instructions to Thomas.
‘Was Thomas there, sir, when the deceased retired?’ enquired Dyson quickly.
Somerhayes shook his head. ‘Thomas was busy in the breakfast room. I returned to him there after seeing Lieutenant Earle go up. As you probably know, in this wing one passes the stairs to the first floor on the way from the yellow drawing room to the breakfast room.’
‘And you left Thomas in the breakfast room when you retired, sir?’
‘Yes. I left him putting out the silver.’
Dyson nobly restrained himself from jumping down his distinguished informant’s throat, but it was with a visible effort.
‘Like that, sir, you were the last person to see him alive?’ he suggested
Sir Daynes relapsed into some throat-clearing and Somerhayes, unmoved, proceeded to relate the events leading up to the tragedy. He had sent his car to pick up Earle at Merely Halt on the evening of the 23rd. The young man had arrived at some time after eleven, when the rest of the household had retired. Somerhayes had ordered him some supper and chatted with him while he ate it. He had been in high spirits, talking gaily of his experiences in London and of a certain ‘amusing old buffer’ – here Somerhayes’s strange little smile again found Gently – who had travelled down with him. They had retired together to the north-east wing, where Somerhayes had given him a room in hisown suite. In the morning Earle’s high spirits had continued. He had begun the day by going round with a piece of mistletoe and kissing, it was understood, every female member of the household, including the housekeeper, who was fifty-nine. Later on he had gone to the workshop in the company of Mrs Page and Mr Brass, and had made a start at setting up a low-warp machine on which he was purposing to weave a cartoon, or pattern, of his own design. During the afternoon he had accompanied Mrs Page on a walk through the park to the folly, and during the evening he had made one of a party in the north-east wing, which was in communal use during the holiday.
‘He was full enough of horse-play then, as I can testify,’ grunted Sir Daynes. ‘Young devil led me a caper or two.’
After Sir Daynes had left with Lady Broke and Gently, Earle had wanted to continue with the fun. In view of the morrow, however, the party broke up shortly after midnight. The tapissiers had retired to their quarters in the south-east wing, which adjoined the workshop, Mr Brass to his rooms in the south-west wing, and shortly afterwards, Mrs Page to the suite she occupied in the north-west wing.
‘So that for a short time there were yourself, Earle and Mrs Page alone in the … where was it?’ murmured Gently from his corner of the hearth.
Somerhayes paused directly in his statement. ‘The yellow drawing room, Mr Gently. Yes, that is perfectly correct, though the three of us were together foronly a few minutes while my cousin finished some Sauternes she was drinking.’
‘Would you remember the conversation?’
‘I’m not certain that I would. I believe Lieutenant Earle was describing to us the advantages of a visit to Missouri, which he would have liked to have persuaded us to make. But as I said, my cousin did not remain with us longer than it took her to finish her drink.’
‘After which Lieutenant Earle and yourself were left together?’
Somerhayes looked Gently straight in the eyes.
‘Yes,’ he said.
They had sat by the dying fire until Somerhayes had been called away by Thomas, his butler-valet, with some question about the laying-out of presents in the wing breakfast room. When he returned to the yellow drawing room Earle was still there, and they had had a night-cap together. Then Earle had gone up to his room, at about one a.m., and Somerhayes had followed him ten minutes later, after giving some final instructions to Thomas.
‘Was Thomas there, sir, when the deceased retired?’ enquired Dyson quickly.
Somerhayes shook his head. ‘Thomas was busy in the breakfast room. I returned to him there after seeing Lieutenant Earle go up. As you probably know, in this wing one passes the stairs to the first floor on the way from the yellow drawing room to the breakfast room.’
‘And you left Thomas in the breakfast room when you retired, sir?’
‘Yes. I left him putting out the silver.’
Dyson nobly restrained himself from jumping down his distinguished informant’s throat, but it was with a visible effort.
‘Like that, sir, you were the last person to see him alive?’ he suggested
Similar Books
