Fifth instalment of our new murder serial 'No Flowers By Request' and the third author takes over
WIDOWED Mrs Merton takes a job as cook-housekexper. It is a strange household in an old rectory. Her employer has an afling wile, and his race, who lives there, helps in the house. On the nurse's night our the widow is indoors with the invalid and the niece.... The patient goes into a coma, and despite prompt attention, she dies mortem is ordered.
T
The death room is sealed, and a post-
THE CHINA MAIL," THURSDAY, APRIL 11,1957
There were at least
two scared people now
MURDER
by Poison
HE post-mortem examination had the most frightful consequences, Mrs Carringford had been poisoned. To my horror, I had to attend the inquest, but the matter was so grave that after the body had been identified by poor Marcus Carringford and the medical evidence had been taken, the proceedings were adjourned.
The following days were like a nightmare, We had to put up with the police ed, of course — but worse, to my mind, than any police was the general atmosphere of
fear.
"I looked with frank curio- sity."
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that one had expect suspicion, distrust and
By GLADYS MITCHELL
As day Fucceeded day I could txt help becoming aware that I by was being used as a foll every member of the household, I had felt that I was being used on a confdante it would have been different, but it was not a bit like that. I was being used as a go-between,
The first to come was Philippa Deane, on the excuse of asking whether had any stale bread with which she could feed the birds,
suppose you'll leave us Doon as the situation is cleared
she said, accepting the heel of the lout with a nod of thanks," with you food not, but I hardly think you'd care to stay on, would you?"
I looked ut her in surprise, It may seem odd to say so, but the idea of leaving the Carring- lords' house had never occurred to me.
NO PLANS
"I have no plana at present," 1 replied. This is no the, in my opinion, to think of in- self."
and potatoes will do for lunch, and for diner we had better have peas, if there are enough. Can you manage soNIC Tasp berries today?"
JOY'S SECRET
"Yes, certainly. And now. took here, if you wouldn's mund dropping a hint to Philippa Deane that i can do my work without any supervision from her, I'd be more than grateful." But again I was careful to make uo promises;“
All that same, I thought it not a bad iden to keep an сус on our bird fancier. That there was a rift between the two girls was had obviates, but whether
Hod
been made mutually or only by Joy Barnslow i was not so cer- tai There were wheels with- in wheels in the relationships. Of this, of course, I had been aware from the first. 1 recol- lected my eariler thoughts about certain members of the house- hold. Odd.
Peculiar. Queer, Pathological. Neurotic. Malad- Justed. Seared
in
On. but we've all got to the comparatively
As I prepared the lunch
short inter- haven't we?" ahe demanded.
alloited to me "There's this wretched inquest vol of peace
to come up again, I've tried daily
to round Tom Grayling,
bus "did
while Mrs Hutchinson I turned the upstairs," over in my mind all that I knew won't give away a thing.
the two Have you had a talk with him of Ruessed concerning
girls.
he
"Well, no, but, then, I scarce- Joy, I realised, was funda- tu know Ductor Grayling. mentally a thwarted, unhappy (Tom, I thought to myself. So pemon. I put her age as around that's the way the wind blows. 25. does it?)
"I suppose not, but that's
to
I was not prepared to believe why he that her ingenuous. rough- all the more reason might
con- face out
the skinned "open-air" 10 things he's keeping from 1LB. cealed secrets which could be The inquest, so far, was so un- damaging if they were known. satisfactory."
"I don't see that it was
lefactory.”
quietly
well,
THE
THORNEYCROFT'S BUDGET
"TRYING TO NEGOTIATE WITH STRINGS,HEY?”
Worht Copyright by nzzangement with the Manchester Guardian
The only trouble about looking up
is how down it makes you feel
RIESTLEY is 62 and a little more retound about the
PRIESTLE
middle than most of the men in the whisky ads.
His pipe projects from his mouth at an upward
She could not be afraid of angle, a permanently cocked snoot at the world. Beneath her employer, for Marcus
1172-
was
1 interrupted
It
He was only too anxious
the broad-brimmed hat he favours, his face has a slightly
no slave-driver; very for fromto hell with the world" but not unkindly look.
the doctors didn't
to let everything slide which "did they?"
greed that Mrs Car- and not Interfere with him and had been suffering
his own work,
one
man
And there are those who want to kick him swiftly from the rear when he abandons his kindly, perceptive, probings of the human condition to preach,
There are those who find him and his crusade, against the machine age a slightly comic figure. had seen a good dval of the ¦ There are those who find him downright rude, from digitalis poisoning. The latter, for there were always only thing they did not agree rough sketches as well its on was whether the digitalin finished Illustrations lying about war sufficient to cause death, in the room he used a den, At least, that's how I under-
and very early in my term of stood it."
office as cook-housekeeper he "Well, I want to know what had begged me not to let Mrs Tom really thinks," she in Hutchinson loose in there.
"She means well," ""ff heif he should sinted.
he said. tell you anything, I wish you'd "but her only idea of straight- let me know. I have a right ming-up, as she calls it, is to i can't much knowledgeű
ut everything where
I don't mind if the better right than you imagine." And it.
But life as I could conceive room never
gets done
to the
of Doctor Grayling confiding provided that my stuff is
in me or, indeed, in anyone alone."
Clee, if I had summed him up
rightly Was making
promises.
Just the
window,
who
no
at all,
loft
BITTER LAUGH
The case of JOHN BOYNTON PRIESTLEY Priestley V
Ho detosts 20th century mass produced
civilisation, the
spattered with gadgets, deluged with advertising, driven. by giant ongines of mass communication.
the Industrial Revolution has its roots deep in
Ho wan born in Brod- ford,
tho of a strug- gling school-
master &nd
raised against
the dreary
den
AAOS
He
He would rather see' mon work a little harder, and preserve more of themselves. Ho would rather see life less comfortablo, more exciting.
background of a Northem mill towsk
pleased Cambridge brought him a now
then Joy Barnslow went I could not leave it at that, past my kitchen
and so I promised to do the Philippa Deane,
had myself on any day that been crumbling the stale bread most convenient to him. nervously on to Mrs Hutchin- seemed extraordinarily
nice, clean floor, started for the door with the remains of the looL Scarcely had she disap peared when Joy come back and tapped at the kitchen window.
when I sold this, and thanked me more heartily than the occasion warranted.
"I'm quite accustomed young.
men and their untidy I sold, teoloy, some "What do you
want for what embarrassed by his plea- lunch and dinner?” she asked
sure and
the warmth with "Come round,” I replied.
which he expressed it, she said, in the
turned He
away and then forthcoming, militant
valce suddenly tured back. "Young which she used in speaking to Men!" he said with Trend.
Philppa and myself, that acemed slightly bitter. that woman and her bird- "Don't you know, Mra Mer-
Why does she keep atching nie while I'm at work? on, that I'm 5074
He gave me a queer look, and She stands there fiddling about went out without another word. with bits of bread and chopped- Mrs Hutchinson had taken and kindly to the idea that I was up fat meat and pretends
sced!
cats
น
laugh
and draws
Les Armour By Les
worshippers of his early books which preached a conventional bourgoola morality and extailed the virtues of quiet homeliness.
do not These people often realise that their idol is now their enemy and this is perhaps most infuriating of all.
But this is the price of the Priestley position..
world. But the contrast was shattering and the First World
In his end smoke his own cigar. Then War in which he served with the just another tyranny?
Toronto's chief Duke of Wellingtce's and Devon Socialist days he campaigned in he blew up regiments, burnt itself deeply books, on the radio, and in the librarian, kindly and quiet. Dr press for a society ordered to All Charles Banderson, for reading into his mind.
human needs rather than to a passage from "The Good Com- penions." He asked whether he Toynbee saw in the rises and satisfy individual greed.
must always be identified with falls of civilisations
a forward
Political theory, however, his "The Good Companions," to movement which he likened
not always been his strong point,
He detests Twentieth Century the forward movement of on and his opponents, at least, wore Finally, since the luncheon oxcart which progresses while often at a loss to discover just was connected with a "book mass produced civilisation, spat
*deluged its wheels turn. Priestley has
for good fered with gadgets, he added tended to believe that the cart is how it was that Socialism was week,"
to bring about this desirable measure that he hated book with advertising, driven by giant
ho inden with dung and headed for state of affairs.
re engines of mass communication. weeks. Afterwards hell."
fused to autograph copies of his He battled manfully against books. But there are ways and ways the forces in society which were of making the point,
currently pushing men around
-triumphant seemed to convince him that The Common Man
men
He would rather see work a little harden and préserve more of themselves. He would Aher see life less comfortable and more exciting,
Above all, be belloves in de
rather than com- co-operation petition, and in the intrinsic
tachment of thought, in economie
Canadians did not take kindly to be foot the to some of her work for her,
but he seemed to be advocating to this display. Neither did the birds, but it's me she's got her "Some of W's so rule," sho
organisers of the lunch. eyes on. What's the up to?" informed me. "He draws them The Common Man Just another sort of pushing." "I'm sure she isn't
Five years of British Socialism Up to young ladies first, anything," I answered. #She the cloes on 'ein afterwards.
being pushed by bureaucracy is needs an occupation, songs, I it if he knowed
something I'm sure my Bert wouldn't like some of the
North His early
Country not necessarily better than being think. She te very highly-strung sights I've seen in that there novels (typified by "The Good pushed by capitalists.
Companions" of which he is not The last soVON yours he has and nervous, and the ideas of room carringford has to get now, it seeing, very fund) sought devoted to his private crude rather smug, self-antisfled bour- at most times prefer the caster
to take her mind
having the police in the house, *MY
and "The
-just smug
value of the individual.
Of course, Canadians are a The difficulty is that most me
sages out
and being questioned, and of the anatomy right" I pointed to make the point by portraying typified by a series of articles in geois breed and wholly likely to way. Most men are afraid of
striving I human beings having to look forward to a re- out, although I must confess
Stateeman Now
and make you drink ice water and detachment and afraid, above sumption of the inquest have was a little startled by her ne struggling against their dreary Nation" headed "Thoughts in the amoks your own elgar. (I know, all, of loneliness. They like to
mark. Could there be something backgrounds and triumphing as Wilderness." bean preying on her mind **
Furthermore, book feel at one with the millions of I am one), 1. "A
Deta they might" pathological about a commercial human beings despite reforted Joy.
artist who had this passion for
Unfortunately, his old friends werks must drive even the most whose who read the masscircula
calm and unprotosling writer up to newspapers; to own motor: Some of his carlier plays, had become his now enomics and the wall and it is probably re- cars just like those owned by "Whatever
do you
mean?" nudes? I dismissed the thought
and particularly his trilogy of plays he continued to assault hir old volting to have the same pas- millions of others, and to dress I inquiredt She dushed, ait and duly cleaned, swept
of the same dusted the den and looked with about time, sought to show that enemies as well.. and looked obɣlinate,
early exactly like the man next door. just what "I
she frank curiosity at any drawings there might be a better world of The resultant isolation may novel read at you year after
the mind which mon
Priestley is perfectly well answered.
And bliter he is Milo bitar.
Aware of all this. He box made perceive. If only they shook on ve tended to make the man a year,
at times.
But the significance of the the point himena ovaj and nyan their trivial distractions.
Last year in Toronto he was outburst is that Priestley has again, t The two approaches, how ever, have sot mailed the man, invited to speak at a literary worked himself into an isolated
organised by his ad corner In which he is in a state It just that he finds it luncheon org
of open conflict with almost : derned annoying. And, Bornes He became a Sociallat and reïbestɔ by: lashing his-hools everyone." In particular, he is imos he can't control his in-
left lying about.
Now my bump of curiosity "No children, and an invalid, is strong, and I was dying for fretful wife" i thought. "Poor her to tell me what she meant, Mr Carringfords Poor, hand- but a sense of caution refused some frustrated Marette, my so allow me to questions ber
deart
"You are asking about TOMORROW----Mr Carring
vegetables for fer funch
coud
mained one until 1950 when he
dinner," 1 mid, "Runner beans, ford's strange behaviour. | decided that Socialism might be for making him drink don water in a state of open war with the noyance at the human Face,(**