Part three of our new mystery serial
*
THE STORY SO. FAR: Widow Mer ton, engaged - as house. keeper to the Carring fords, finds that she has Joined a strange house- hold with undercurrents of fear and “nerves." NOW read on. . . .
THE CHINA MAIL,” TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 1957.
No Flowers by Request
And in came
FEAR
WAS writing to my daughter Julia-the sort of letter
which assure
was that I
settled. But I just had to get some air.
comfortably
As I strolled slowly along the rather tangled her- baceous border, 1 tried to sort out my own sense of unease, the reston for the impulse which had flashed across my mind. "I can't stand this: there's something wrong here
The plain fact was that every member of the house
"Those hold seemed odd. "Odd. Queer. Peculiar.. were the words my generation had been taught to use: today they said Pathological... Neurotic... Mal- adjusted.
Somewhere from below the surface of my mind a phrase I'd learnt in child-
hood swam up: "
the
unruly wills and affections
of sinful men...
Marcus Carringford: he was Laughter-loving: kini, ciable,
14
remembered
Bucosful I ha own profes- was married to a sion; and he very unpleasant, ill-bred woman who had ngularly nasty tongue.
her
cackl after she had said: "He was luckier
(And it than some,** was my husband's death she'd been talking about. Why had Marcus Carringford brought his wife to live in this remote country place, when she was so obviously an urban product?
Remote look
to
BY E. C. R. LORAC
Philippa Deane was a beauti- what tui young woman-ard
Bome
ately faced with the problem of disposing of it and I walked of the garden on earth was she doing in this to the camer
where I had noticed compost household? Any girl with looks heap and bonfire behind and
could watlle fencing a figure like hers
there Wan choice of jobs in potting shed as well. take her London - receptionist, model, mannequin, air-hostess.
The Characters in the Case
Mrs
WIDOW MERTON, a "gentlewoman," who goes Her employer, work as a cook-housekeeper.
an INVALID MARCUS CARRINGFORD, who has WIFE. They live in a remote old rectory with their war-wounded nephew, TRENT CARRINGFORD, their niece, MRS PHILIPPA DEANE, and NURSE CUTLER. Also in the strange establishment is SENNACHERIB daily help-MRS_HUTCHIN- the cat, and there is SON. Mrs Carringford is visited by DR GRAYLING; a
helps in hofty blonde, JOY BARNSLOW, Carringfords' garden.
and
Doone
War
Lotter The door of the
and as I glanced in I open couldn't help sooing that Trent Canningford and Joy Barnslow were both inside the stred learing againet the potting bench, their heads very close together.
43
1 should very much have preferred to walk past though I hadn't seen them, but
caught mine.
I
"Lovely, fan't it? So nice for a little walk in the garden." the
no mention of
Carringford Mr passed Nurse Cutler on the lärding last husband: and the had that with
drawn, remote look... night?
Here I gave myself a mental shake- level-but
اشا
The bonfire
Д
BENT to pull up a flourist-
whose Ing groundsel,
floating
charwoman
I couldn't forget
TREETS
country:
were her streets,
the complacuity line of Cutler's voice when
"Theat shops, said
kidney cinemas, entes-net rutted lanes they oflen and "immemorini elma." And had coma,
I course.} my eye deceived me when
vt Nurse she had
CASCA BAMET about. into
(Quite true,
af.
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Having screwed the thing up in my hand, I was
immedi-
A
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His coat was almost electric
under my fingers..
o
now, and though her face was Trent's What a lovely after flushed she wa
Jonger called: noon, and would have walked crying.
Trent Emped off at a faster on, but Trent replied:
1 thon should have pace
him thought
capable of, unhapplly: And Joy sald "He's so bitter,"
"My dear, can you wonder?" lad has I replied "When a suffered like that and been half crippled it'd be astonishing he weren't bitter. And now tell me what I'm to do with these wretched weeds: I feel such fool walking about with a fistful of seeding groundset."
at Laughed She
that,
stood He came outside and by the door, so that he was be- tween me and Joy Barnslow Been doing a
and went on:
an
Are you ittle weeding? expert at gardening as well as cooking?
I couldn't tell from his face aneering or whather he
tť
2
Something in his expression told me that be
B very
affronted cat, somebody had dis-
his turbed him, turned him off comfortable sunny window-sill in Mrs Caringford's room.
A woman buys Rainier'syacht
-AND HIS VILLA
Paris.
AFTER nearly a year of negotiations with several
prospective buyers for the sale of his yacht, the Deo Juvante, and his villa, Iberia, at St Jean Cap Ferrat, Prince Rainier of Monaco has finally found a buyer for both.
Who is the buyer?
That, the Palace is not tell-
ing.
"It is a personal affair in the Prince's view," a Palace spokes-
TEL told
*He cannot
divulge the name,"
The buyer in foet is a very remarkable woman.
She is Mme. Milita Banac, a stateless Yugoslav, and the widow of a man who owned Yugoslavia's only major ship- ping line, the Yugoslav Lloydi, before the war.
Mme. Banac is between 15 and 07. She has been resident in Monaco for the past Пус yours, A woman of energy, and great business acumen, she has been running,
hus- since her band's death, with the ald of two.song from a previous mar- riage, what
of her husband's shipping fleet.
Two
sons
remains
The fleet now consists of six cargo vessels belonging to the Crest Shipping Company, plus three others under the Panama Bug and another three at pre- sent under construction.
PARIS NEWSLETTER
by Sam White
MME, BANAC
alt for a family cools.
intends to invite the
Pope to One of her sons, Vane Lourdes next year for the con- Ivanovic, runs the London alde lenary of the miracle of St of the business, while another Bernadette, M. Coty is going to
I picked him up to stroke him and found his coat wES almost electric under my · fingers-or | son, Vladimir, runs the New Rome on a state visit in Máy
and wi be received by
His che I was shivering, quite un-York end,
Her daughter iş married Lo Holiness, Such a visit would reasonably.
smiling, but I have very quick tremulously, bir laughing all the Slammed door Inverness, Nell McLean.
she had
samo.
cara I knew that behind him,
She took a fork and lifted in the darkness of the shed.
the top layer of half-burnt Joy Barnslow was crying.
weeds and 1 plunged my seed-
say Suckdenly sho emerged from ing pests into the ashes,
some the shed, pushing him aside;
Ing:
you burn "I sec
too-that in hand household, rubbish, got herself
isn't all garden rubbish, is it? I'm glad to know that, Disposal of household refuse can be
In problem quite a country, when the dust-carts don't come round very fre- quently."
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Startled
SHE looked up
startled
the
ot me in wary and per
eshes down
Mmo.
the Old Etonion, Tory MP for be truly sensational especially
the fact in view of
that the Banae is a close perderical and that the invitation
Republic is traditionally an sonal friend of Prince Pierre
bo Rainier's
would Polignac, Prince
approved by AFTER tea i finished off my do
Socialist government the mem A letter to Julla; I found myself | father.
Mme. Banac at present owns bers of which are acknowledged incapable of adding anything two Hats in Monte Carlo, one of free-thinkers. to it except that the weather them in a recently constructed . It would also be the first was perfect. I had meant to de-skyscraper which now deforms time a Pope had set foot on
French soil for 154 years, scribe the garden, with the love Monte Carlo Harbour. by wild flowers by the fence at the end, but that part of garden was now connected
Joy Baslow's my mind with unhappy face. Why had she been crying, why did she look
zored?
the
in
I
A sharp knock on, the door cut Actors
thoughts. my called "Come in" and Nurse
In the Art values
WITH the spring art shows
She will use the Deo Juvanta
pleasure cruising Mediterranean and intende to take it this summer for a family here is a brief stulle, to holiday cruise to Majorca,
Banc's husband the current market values of
fleet of brought he
ships to various Paris pointers, Braque Britain during the war and remains the highest-priced of resisted all efforts by Tlio to living painters, one of his bludgeon him into returning paintings having recently been them to Yugoslav ports,
sold for £20,000, Ho is followed He was given
the choice of by Pleasso, whoso Blue Period rammed the cold
Cutler appeared: she was DO roturning them or being sen- paintings are now of inestimable again, as she sald quickh
longen in uniform but in a very tenced to death. As a result of value and whoso medium-sized "Rubbish from the house is smart black suit, out to reveal | his refusal a Yugoslav court works sell anywhere, between burnt in the incinerator in the
her generous lines, and informally
£1.000 add £3,000, This is all maculale nylons.
of oid wash-house.
the younger
painters, Buffet Most of his ships saw service and Manessier often sell at garden rubbish-you've no idea
the £1,000 mark. what fantastle things you find "Sorry to intrude," she said with the Admiralty during the price over buried in old gardens: skeletons abruptly. "It's my evening of war and many of them were Among best investments in less-
of
known painters, the following of perished pets to skeletons
and God knows I need sunk. duty, Victorian corsets, and boliler it. I wondered if you'd be kind A considerable sum in insur are recommanded:.......Carzou, dy, Brayer, and galore, broken
and otherwise. enough to look in at my patient ance was paid to him after the Bottle necks seem indestruct after dinner,..."
war and It was this money
Financial which enabled him to set about
valuations ible,"
aro often deceptive because of the re-establishing a new fleet,
MITIC. Bariae is giving
habit of dealers to bid high at coming-out bail this season in London for Mrs McLean's twin daughters by a previous mar- ringe.
the
I patted her shoulder:.."AI
"I'm sorry," I said. "A nurse right, my dear, I think I can understand: you see I've been must have her, off-duty hours respected-but I'm afraid I'm kitchen-but turning out
not the answer. Surely Mr Car it's much easier to reduce kitchen
to order than a garden," ringford is the right person to be with your patient while you I spoke with no ulterior
are out?" thought in
but a my mind, scared look flashed over Joy's
"Him?" Her It mu face for a second
must have been awful," she paid volumes. "The last Treasure was a men- tal defective and she WOULD bury empty bottles in my com post heap. Oh dear, you must think we're a very queer
lot of_people."
I repeated this observation to myself as I walked back to the kichen to piat my sweet peas dr warter and to get the tea. Odd
Pecullar Neurotie
Qtheor Patitological
Maladjusted....
And then Sennacherib
camo
voice spoke
She slammed the door be- hind her and I heard her high heels topping noisily down the corridor.
• TOMORROW
comes to the old
What is the truth these frightened,
and rubbed round my anos, people?.
THE QUEEN
death.
sentenced
him
to
A
Mme. Banac is reputed to be extremely wealthy and is noted for her generosity to Yugoslav refugees. Embassy order
Paris,
public auctions for the works of sell in painters whom they order to increase, their, prestige. Things they say
QUOTES OF THE WEEK: Minister Former Foreign
M. Bidaulti "If we lost Algeria we would have to make a hero of Louis XV who lost នៅ
FASHION NOTE: The fashion house of Jacques Fath an- Canada." nounces that Lady Jebb, wife Author'・ Armand Balacrou: British Ambassador in "It's only when you have lived of Lho
has ordered seven a great deal that you learn how dresses, two coats, and three to be young." hats for the four-day Royal Incidental intelligencs visit to Paris.
There is a possibility, of an Death Pope invited
August harvest in the Cham-
this year" bo rectory, CONSIDERABLE emotion has pagne country
stirred here by cause of tho early rhild highly elrcumstantial reports, weather, neurotic from Rome that President of
This has not happened since the French Republic, M. Coły, 1803.
behind
ANNE GLIDEWELL tolls of Parisian pre- parations for the Queen's visit... about the royal, apartments... Prince Philip's bed Parisiennes practising the "reverence"
French etiquette...
about
« about
-puts Paris in a flutter
OME with me down works about this Royal visit he had provided the Prince
Etiquette is also really com
that 4,000 "French- coming
one of the most roman the Prince are here their city
During the time the Queen and just would not fitt tic and glamorous will be en fete. The streets are
It took him five days of hard women who have been invited streets in the world
in Paris antique to one or other of the six recep- the decorated The Boulevard de arching
another more tions to be given for the Queen. Rue du Faubourg St Honore. l'Opera has become a Mediter shops, to find
Boulevard with the suitable bed...two metros, five At the g dress designing bous mid the milliners the centimetres longt This is the street in which neon
talk, la all of suitable hals, wo off Fireworks the Queen and Prince Philip Lepota turned into palm
a. sword, you' at Etiquette is arrived yesterday, and in which night fron
The edict has gone out that they will stay for their memore, oner is in hall corner, Every hear zon, everybody's Hps in loves and dresses..
Parks these days. President Coly able State visit to Paris, and
Tlibits of information about daived into the etiquette of past long gloves must always be this is the street in which I arrangements for the tour that Royal visits and decided that a worn, and that at evening re have been staying, tool,
through the French security French lady-in-waiting, a dame coptions long dresses will be the hould be ap-rule although short gowns are On the, one side are the cloak are endlessly, discussed. a accompagner "
occopiable on the night the beautiful, and imposing build- i picco of information: pointed, for the Queen,
One ings of the British Embassy and about the Royal apartments As a
mood.
the Elysee Palaca: (the French that has mot with their amisso.: Crouy-the most. en*TED, for Frenchwoner
President's bmcial: home, inant it not their approbation, where the Queen will stay on the Business of Prince Philly's the other to a row of Tie, most. Ded),ness of P elegant
the Countess of Queen, sails down the Seine pe
The other big worry, of vied woman in Party.
Lucky Nobody is quite sure why she enough to be presented to the should be
"Is their" be that like the Pointed, except Quota,
́ahis is SPATE, marihuer (of foto), she has als
In fact, the most fashionablu with ready bees a presented to the excuse for not turning up at Kusinister Queon, and the Prince, and she party theme - That Dow
and
·'shopa"
Lin, Fraboo, The, me so there cannot
where dreams! Prince Falls, and
have in charge of the
had a mont ́les the Abbey 40 10W-
Caronationi
2.