Show 0 O 1 to I 1 nime C 5 lestore wh v 4 IX IN lalli STORY THUS FAM returning from ft a visit with dyko dyke Hinnon we lili uncle todd mckinnon McKI onon georgina wyeth kail and entail dough boughter ter Illar byg stopped to CHAPTER IX she stood there at the table turning and turning the th e handle of the egg beater and listening while while I 1 todds dodds easy flow of words came from the corner where lie he was carefully keeping out oi of the way and then dropped casually into the middle of an outline of this plot the questions question ID by y the way several people have mentioned the i name of serena as it if I 1 sl should recognize it who was shey she nella did not start nor seem troubled nor hesitate silo she looked round at him liar her face sweeter than ever in its absolute calm oh poor serenal serena 1 she thu taught glit us ab all all what tragedy ws was dying so young the farst one out of our generation to go why she was gilberts sister she was much younger than lie he but when he got out of college they set up housekeeping together ile he simply adored her 14 and gilberts sister died how 10 long ng ajo ago todd asked oh five years ago her illness was long and terribly painful inflammatory flam matory rheumatism of course gilbert gave her every care poor serena she was tho the most beautiful thing you ever saw antl and it broke her heart hear tito to bo be so dependent on gilbert an and d know that he was 9 going 0 deeper and deeper into debt over her ill illness ness and such pain its no sin I 1 hope to say that it was tho the most i blessed relief when she died to all of us thanks mrs wyeth those egg whites are just right now of yes tibits dreadful pain todd said almost absently tell roe how much suffering can they spare the patient T do they let him have morphia or 1 I dont believe so BO nella said as it if she were trying to recall giorgino went to wash her hands and stood drying them for a long time antu Uthe the paper towel was a lump of wet pulp against her I 1 palms aarns she thought horace said aShL I 1 coul could draw rny my own conclusions well I 1 dont li keany of them A blessed relief gilbert adored berhe was going deeper and deeper into deathe and nella had been so patient so patient for all those scars and ho he T i have left an invalid sister to fend for herself it if you can pe persuade yourself fhe be think of it as a crime alme j nolla nella looked about her swoope swooped on a forgotten spoon and put it to soak with the rest of her cooking V utensils sils shant we wa go into the sitting room ini im through here 1 l for the present oh 1 no im sorry 1 I 1 have to take som something ething over to IR rose 91 se kinter she ehe knew she was having twins but of course youre never ever really prepared with aalthe all the things things you need two of every athing thing i they stood on the front porch and watched her go gb down the street walking sedat sedately ply under the towering elms her slight graceful body dappled with their shade had todd said slowly U up and down tho the walk for foi a few m minutes n id like to make sure nobody can hear us she glanced at him and agreed it tell me again will vill you what at horace orace said lord yes he had finished that puts the lt on lad means a drug right at hand maybe three or tour four tablets left over efrom the sedative his slater had taken and the suggestion of oc a painless elimination already in his frind mind motive love and gain mixed opportunity tusi ty any ono one of three times the visit in the momi ing interesting suggest suggestion iori about the candy or the two in the after noon two todd did you forget Virde ites story about the door that opened and shut and susies report of the vis aitor who came a lile after two yes but buti 1 knew what you were thinking about so corning coming along tho the back lane unseen and up tho the enclosed stairs but I 1 thought that would spoil the alie case against gilbert Gilbort somehow that said todd remotely could havo have been gilbert too ho he might have made the second visit an hour or so later to see if shed X been affected by tho the drug as aa yet ill admit its not likely but then this thia poor guy seems to have behaved oddly all along if that waa iwas someone else gilbert may have done the drugging when ho went in at three it i havo have taken tho the old lady very long to go under 4 todd I 1 dont like it I 1 wish you ou h had ad never made that promise to nella I 1 they were in front of the hauselt hau house seat at the moment she glanced up at its monstrous fa cade and winced as it in physical pain 1 I keep seeing him k 1 she added Phou piously slY tall and homely and dressed up in ili a hollaw hollywood sports outfit that suit him I 1 seo sao him paying those patient duty visits to mi an old lady and run n rung I 1 ng her errands tor for her and re A jokes to tell when he PA j dwi visit mith mrs mm peabody Ica hody alto aln peabody told them about the ilia death of adeline tillott rill Till olt lt they decided to stay over anil and get married todd goihl wanted to investigate the death of kin bliss Tills lt they talked with called and I 1 cant bear to think that he or must IVI I 1 she faced todd with sudden hope are arc all the returns in I 1 just about they tea reached clied the una itne of great maple trees and ho he swung her about to pace back in ili the other direction just about georgina Georg lne theres a good hypothetical case against gilbert peabody Pc ills is potentialities of character his a octlona I 1 ns after the fact everything and this about his sister makes me understand a lile better why everyone thought of him as a possible murderer oh dearl dear said georgina Georg lne noody nobody b could make that mild phrase sound as aa fierce as aa eho alic proof Is thero there that serena just plain die none nona at all none for miss adeline either cither ono one or the other or doth both could have been natural but said todd his gaze directed far down the tunnel of spring can on oil from now till doomsday nella nelia was right chatis what Is there for him to come back to in this town and just as theres no proof theres nothing to refute I 1 see it makes me furious for her said georgina Georg lne her bar eyes blazing and yet when she just smiles away all the implications of what ashes shed asked or told it gives me the most horrible feeling like balki talking ng to a leaf deaf person trying to impress something serious on him I 1 and having him simply nod and smile theres a hint of lunacy about it what are you going to tell her todd nella I 1 dont quite know he walked on soberly can you see us cheerfully making out a case against her husband that seems to damn him up and down an and then 11 7 7 W I 1 0 epergne everyone said then them was polson poison but ut what poison saying thanks for her hospitality and leaving indeed I 1 cant theres only one thing to do mako make out the case against gilbert and at the tha same time make one of your fiction cases against everyone else who co could uld havo have been involved you can cant you 1 I wondered it if think of that ill make some wild guesses in good fiction form and leave it there but take the edge off gilbert georganas Georgl Geor ginas nos heart felt lighter than it had for hours good enough she said there was no way to keep barby out of the attic I 1 here it was monday morning and a cool overcast day barby who had been overtired over tired yesterday should certainly devote herself to quiet q UL pursuits purs alts this morning and sho he had pleaded and clamored for t tho he promised ransacking of old trunks why of course said mrs airs peabody gently ill go up with you for a while and show you what youl you can play with though I 1 dont believe theres a tiling thing you could hurt dont you want to como come too mrs wyeth I 1 hate anto it georgino told herself hersel f standing at the top of the attic stairs I 1 liate hate every inch of bf it and I 1 dont know why rob every corner of the room of unknown terrors and be well on the way wa to being sensible that bed must have been miss aliss ade lines sold said georgine Georg lne looking straight down the attic to its far end leaning caning Li against the wall which was hardly high enough to accommodate it was a tremendous headboards headboard the matching foot of dr crane former arnier husband ol of mary blary ei as well BI as nod and susan labare nurse nune ot of bliss tillott Till olt mary alary helen nho mho too ai interested to in dyke seems eem to be willing to talk the bedstead was turned upside down on the floor below so th that at you saw a ten foot expanse of walnut so carved and medallion ed and knobbed that the eye could scarcely take it in that was miss Adell adelinem Ad elines neo said nella seating herself on a rickety chair one of the things id like to sell I 1 if I 1 hear from gil bert that im to do so its solid walnut and im told the carving Is very good the Till sits had it shipped around the horn from fro now new england its beautiful once you get gei over the first shock and Is that said georgina Gc orgine gesturing with awe at another piece of furniture Is that to be sold too what would you call it she wondered a bureau there was not much drawer space at tho the foot of this tower of mirror and carved shelves A vanity scarcely with all those side shelves fretted and and to the skies A whatnot it was probably a combination of all three and the most stupendous piece 0 of furniture sho she had ever seen of yes to bo be sold I 1 have to clean it out again before I 1 show it to a dealer though nellas sweet heart shaped face was alight with interest my dear you never saw such rubbish as miss adeline had put away in all those drawers and hidy holes patent medicines in the cupboards that would lock barby gravely exhibited a pile of clothing hats and mantles and trailing skirts im going to try em am all on one after the other she said with a loving look at the jet and ede and faded purple silks shirred sherred into tight bunches and smelling of years and storage and theres trunks and trunks full yet she dived into the depths of the round roun topped trunk run with tho the go dey oprina print pasted aste inside tho the lid 10 lo tit t the e funny s shoes oes mamma pointed just like ne ediest and w ats this t Is georgine gave a loud scream put it down barbyl barby oh heavens its a dead rat dont touch why not barby turned look ing puzzled the horrid hairy object dangled from her upraised hand georgine swallowed repenting 1 I dont amow dear I 1 I 1 leave I 1 ave no idea what it is ask mrs peabody j she glanced at nella and was startled at the fixed look in the tha gray eyes mrs peabody sat down again on a three cornered chair of dull yellow plush and grasped at its worn arms id forgotten that was there slie she said wetting her lips 1 I did put away a few of gilberts things in the bottom of the trunk its Ps its his hig toupee georgine Georg lne was attacked by a desire to laugh poor nella look so embarrassed I 1 lots of the tha best people wear them she said soothingly look at pred fred astaire Ast alre and boyer oh I 1 knowl know but everyone eve laughed at gilbert so ond and he had to wear it to look well a bald headed artist seems so silly he ha need it in in tho the arm army oi 01 course why they t ley hava rave left hun him alone here sald eald nella passionately everyone from aunt adeline down making fun of him and P georgine Georg lne caught her breath audibly she sank down on oil one of the tha trunks and sat gazing at nella the tha gray eyes wide vide and piteous returned turn ad lier liar look Take that thing off your licad head lie ba yourself that had seemed the one bit ol of evidence that was totally meaningless that had nothing to do with gilbert peabody and now nella remembered this when for the first time she heard susan repeat that cryptic sentence she make the connection now it possible that she had deliberately led darby barby to open that trunk and show shiow the absurd bundle of gauze and hair to her mother so that georgina should know but that would mean that nella had all along been convinced of her I 1 husbands lus bands guilt and had wanted to gather the evidence against him for for what did sh want to believe him guilty or innocent and still nella peabody sat there looking totally unconscious that shed made a damaging statement looking only troubled b because e two years ago her husband had been discomfited by laughter once more she gave lier her lead head a hard shake to clear it warmth imprisoned in the sunbaked sun baked old boards seemed to be creeping round liar her until she was almost suffocated sho she made her voice come out steadily there was scarcely a pause between nellas last remark and her answer that seems awfully petty dont you think well lets lo go down now dalbys used to playing by herself sheu shell be happy aging til ill an all these trunks 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