behind her. It did not occur to her to offer him any sort of thanks or to ask him to sit down.
âMy brother is extremely clever,â she remarked, her clear even voice caressing the words. âOf its kind a most ingenious mind. He prepares all the crossword puzzles for the
Literary Weekly
in his spare time, although his real work, which will be completed in a year or two now, is on the Origins of Arthur.â
Mr Campionâs brows shot up. So that was it. Of course, the man had talked in crossword puzzle clues with an occasional unsolvable family reference thrown in. He wondered if they all did it, and if so, how often.
âLawrence has so many subjects,â Miss Palinode continued. âOf us all he has always been the least exclusive in his interest.â
âAmong which he includes horticulture, no doubt,â said Mr Campion pointedly.
âHorticulture? Oh, yes.â She laughed gently as she took the allusion to the heliotropium and the daisies. âIncluding horticulture, but only on paper, Iâm afraid.â
Mr Campion was informed. The obscurity had been deliberate. It occurred to him that the Palinode family did little that was not deliberate. Meanwhile a certain amount of muttering had reached them from the passage, not all of it amicable. Now a door closed sharply and Lawrence reappeared. He looked crestfallen.
âYou were quite right,â he said. âI ought to have Cawnthroped. By the way, Iâve got this thing for you. Iâve worked it out. As Iâve always said, the foreign wheat was completely witless.â
He put the book in her lap as he spoke, but avoided her eyes. She let her big soft hands close round it, but she was annoyed.
âDoes it matter now?â she reproved him gently, and added, smiling a little as if she were making a bitter little joke, âAfter all, the sheaves are gathered.â
âForeign wheat â alien corn â Ruth?â reflected Mr Campion. Well, Miss Ruth Palinode, or part of her, poor lady, was at this moment in Sir Dobermanâs laboratory. He arrived at that point in time to hear Lawrence catch his breath.
âAll the same I had to test it. You will allow that?â he was saying fiercely to his sister.
As he turned away his thick lenses focused on Campion standing a few feet from him, and suddenly, as if in apology for ignoring him so long, he gave him the sweetest and shyest of smiles. Then he went quietly out, closing the door gently behind him.
Campion collected the tray and, as he bent to take it up, he caught sight of the title of the book on Miss Palinodeâs Paisley-covered knees. The markers bristled from it like so many tapers.
It was
Ruffâs Guide to the Turf
.
6. Bedtime Story
MR CAMPION SAT straight up out of sleep, turned on his elbow and waited.
âThereâs a light-switch by your side, ducky,â said Miss Roperâs voice softly. âTurn it on. Iâve got a letter for you.â
He found the button, noted his watch on the bedside table said forty-five minutes past two, and glanced up to find her already half-way across the room, looking like a travesty of something out of the lesser chapters of his youth. She wore a gay little happi-coat, over pink fairy-wool pyjamas, and a lace-and-ribbon boudoir cap. Moreover, in her arms, were a syphon, a bottle of Scotch, half full, and two large tumblers. The blue envelope was lightly caught between her knuckles. The note was on official police paper, but was written in longhand apparently by a hasty-tempered schoolboy.
Dear Sir,
re Ruth Palinode, deceased.
Sir Dobermanâs report to hand 0.30 hours this morning. Organs contain two-thirds grain hyoscine in available material, indicating much larger dose. Probably administered in form hyoscine hydrobromide but no evidence to show if taken subcutaneously or by mouth. Normal medicinal dose one-hundredth to one-fiftieth grain.
Re Edward Bon Chretin Palinode,
âMy brother is extremely clever,â she remarked, her clear even voice caressing the words. âOf its kind a most ingenious mind. He prepares all the crossword puzzles for the
Literary Weekly
in his spare time, although his real work, which will be completed in a year or two now, is on the Origins of Arthur.â
Mr Campionâs brows shot up. So that was it. Of course, the man had talked in crossword puzzle clues with an occasional unsolvable family reference thrown in. He wondered if they all did it, and if so, how often.
âLawrence has so many subjects,â Miss Palinode continued. âOf us all he has always been the least exclusive in his interest.â
âAmong which he includes horticulture, no doubt,â said Mr Campion pointedly.
âHorticulture? Oh, yes.â She laughed gently as she took the allusion to the heliotropium and the daisies. âIncluding horticulture, but only on paper, Iâm afraid.â
Mr Campion was informed. The obscurity had been deliberate. It occurred to him that the Palinode family did little that was not deliberate. Meanwhile a certain amount of muttering had reached them from the passage, not all of it amicable. Now a door closed sharply and Lawrence reappeared. He looked crestfallen.
âYou were quite right,â he said. âI ought to have Cawnthroped. By the way, Iâve got this thing for you. Iâve worked it out. As Iâve always said, the foreign wheat was completely witless.â
He put the book in her lap as he spoke, but avoided her eyes. She let her big soft hands close round it, but she was annoyed.
âDoes it matter now?â she reproved him gently, and added, smiling a little as if she were making a bitter little joke, âAfter all, the sheaves are gathered.â
âForeign wheat â alien corn â Ruth?â reflected Mr Campion. Well, Miss Ruth Palinode, or part of her, poor lady, was at this moment in Sir Dobermanâs laboratory. He arrived at that point in time to hear Lawrence catch his breath.
âAll the same I had to test it. You will allow that?â he was saying fiercely to his sister.
As he turned away his thick lenses focused on Campion standing a few feet from him, and suddenly, as if in apology for ignoring him so long, he gave him the sweetest and shyest of smiles. Then he went quietly out, closing the door gently behind him.
Campion collected the tray and, as he bent to take it up, he caught sight of the title of the book on Miss Palinodeâs Paisley-covered knees. The markers bristled from it like so many tapers.
It was
Ruffâs Guide to the Turf
.
6. Bedtime Story
MR CAMPION SAT straight up out of sleep, turned on his elbow and waited.
âThereâs a light-switch by your side, ducky,â said Miss Roperâs voice softly. âTurn it on. Iâve got a letter for you.â
He found the button, noted his watch on the bedside table said forty-five minutes past two, and glanced up to find her already half-way across the room, looking like a travesty of something out of the lesser chapters of his youth. She wore a gay little happi-coat, over pink fairy-wool pyjamas, and a lace-and-ribbon boudoir cap. Moreover, in her arms, were a syphon, a bottle of Scotch, half full, and two large tumblers. The blue envelope was lightly caught between her knuckles. The note was on official police paper, but was written in longhand apparently by a hasty-tempered schoolboy.
Dear Sir,
re Ruth Palinode, deceased.
Sir Dobermanâs report to hand 0.30 hours this morning. Organs contain two-thirds grain hyoscine in available material, indicating much larger dose. Probably administered in form hyoscine hydrobromide but no evidence to show if taken subcutaneously or by mouth. Normal medicinal dose one-hundredth to one-fiftieth grain.
Re Edward Bon Chretin Palinode,