Show NIN U U 11 or mafa ra H dij bj leit lenore ore glean glenn 4 u SRI clarien ix THE STORY titus THUS returning r r rom visit with da ako k e bl lili u n todd mckinnon and nd small daug liter darby stepped to CHAPTER IX she stood there at tile the table tu turning riling and turning t the he handle of the egg boater and listening while dodds todds easy low flow of words came from the corner where he was carefully keeping out of the way and then dropped casually into the middle of an outline of this plot the question by the way wa Y several people have mentioned the name of Serena as if I 1 should recognize it who was she nella did not start nor seem troubled nor I 1 hesitate 1 esi tate she looked round ai at him her face sweeter than ever in its absolute calm oh poor serena she taught us all what tragedy was dying so young the first one out of our generation to go why she was gilberts sister she was much younger than he but when he got out of college they set up housekeeping housekeep ir g together he simply adored her and gilberts sister er died how long 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 the most beautiful thing you ever saw and it broke her heart to be so dependent on gilbert and know that ile he was vas going deeper and deeper into debt over her III illness ness and such pain its no sin I 1 hope to say that it was the most blessed relief when she died to all of us thanks mrs wyeth those egg whites are just right now yes dreadful pain 1 I todd Is said a d almost absently tell me how much suffering can they spare the patient do they let him have morphia or 1 I dont believe so nella said as it if she were trying to recall georgine went vent to wash her hands and stood drying them for a long time until unta the paper towel was a lump of wet pulp against her palms she thought horace said I 1 could draw my own conclusions well I 1 dont like any of them A blessed relief gilbert adored her lie was going deeper and deeper into debt he and nella had been so patient so patient for all those years and he have left an invalid sister to fend for herself it if you ca can n persuade yourself he think thin of it as a crime nella looked about he her swooped on a forgotten spoon and n put it to soak with the rest of her cooking utensils shant we go into the sitting room im through here for the present oh no im sorry 1 I 1 have to take something over to rose kinter she knew she was having twins but of course youre never really prepared with all the things you need two of everything they stood on the front porch and watched her go down the street walking sedately under the towering elms her slight grace graceful ful body dappled with their shade todd said slowly lets stroll up and down the walk for a few minutes id like to make sure nobody can hear us she glanced at him and agreed tell me again will you what horace said lord yes he said when she had finished that puts the lid on means a drug right at hand maybe three or four tablets left over from the sedative his sister had taken and the suggestion of a painless elimination already in his mind motive love and gain mixed opportunity any one of three times the visit in the morning interesting suggestion about the candy or the two in the after noon two todd did you forget Vird ettes story about the door that opened and shut and susies report of the visitor who came a lile after two yes but I 1 knew what you were thinking about so coming along the back lane unseen and up the enclosed stairs but I 1 thought that would spoil the case against gilbert somehow that said todd remotely could have been gilbert too he might have made the second visit an hour or so later to ses see if shed been affected by the drug as yet ill admit its not likely but then this poor guy seems to have hare behaved oddly all along if that was someone else gilbert may have done the drugging when he went in at three it have taken the old lady very long to go under todd I 1 dont like it I 1 wish you had never made that promise to nella they were in front of the house at the moment she glanced up at its monstrous facade and winced as if in physical pain 1 I keep seeing him she added piteously tall and homely and dressed up in a hollywood sports outfit that suit him film I 1 see him paying those patient duty visits to an old lady and running her errands for her and remembering mem bering beling jokes to tell when he I 1 I 1 1 it 11 III 1 at AIM 1 0 re tin afro V a b 0 d y told them about the tha death ol of A adeline d e 11 n a tiey they decided to stay oer and get married todd canted to t it lie benth of 0 all TIll tillott olt they talked with called and 1 I can cant t bear to think that he or must IV I 1 she faced todd with sudden hope are all the returns in just about they reached th the line of great maple trees and he swung her about t to 0 pace back in the other direction just about Gc georgine Goor orgine gino theres a good hypothetical case against gilbert peabody his potentialities of character his actions 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 dear said georgine Georg lne nobody could make that mild phrase sound as fierce as sho she wit what at proof is there that serena serana J plain die none at all none for miss adeline e either one or the other 0 or r both could have been natural natura 1 but said todd his gaze directed far down the tunnel of spring greens the whispers can go on from now till doomsday nella was w as right ight what is there for him to CU come m e 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 georgine georgane Georg lne her eyes blazing and y yet et when she just smiles away all the implications of what ashes asked or told it gives me the most horrible ornale feeling like talking to a deaf person trying to impress impre sd s som something serious on him an and slaving 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 and then everyone said therl then was poison but what poison saying thanks for her hospitality and leaving indeed I 1 cant theres only one thing to do make out the case against gilbert and at the same time make one of your fiction cases against everyone else who could have been involved you can cant YO you u 1 I wondered if think of that ill make some wild guesses in good fiction form and leave it there but take the edge off gilbert georganes Geor gines heart felt lighter than it had for hours good enough she said there was no way to out of the attic here it was monday morning and a cool overcast day barby who had been overtired over tired yesterday should certainly devote hers herself elf to quiet pursuits this morning and r she 1 I had pleaded and clamored for the promised ransacking of old trunks why of course said mrs peabody gently ill go up with you for a while and show you what you can play with though I 1 dont believe theres a thing 3 you ou could hurt dont you want to come too mrs wyeth I 1 hate it georgine Georg toe told herself standing at the top of the attic stairs I 1 hate every inch of it and I 1 dont know why rob every corner of the room of unknown terrors and be well on the way to being sensible that bed must have been b een miss ade lines said eaid georgee Geor 1 gme looking straight down the attic to its far end leaning against the wall which was hardly high enough to accommodate it was a tremendous headboard the matching foot of D dr C crane re no former husband ot of alary mar 0 helen o as ai well as u helen and susan labaro nurse of at miss bliss Till sit mary nho uh im as interested la in dyke I 1 he seems to be mallog to ta talk the bedstead was turned upside de down on the floor below so that 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 waa miss adelinis Ad Ado elines lines said nella seating herself on a rickety chair one of the things id like to sell if I 1 hear from gilbert that im to do so its solid walnut and im told the carving is very good the Till sits had it shipped around tile the horn from new england its beautiful once you get over the first shock and is that said georgine gesturing with awe at another piece of furniture is that to be sold too 11 what would you call it she wondered a bureau there was not muc much h drawer space at the foot of this tower of mirror and carved shelves A vanity scarcely with all those side shelves fretted and carved and soaring to the skies A whatnot it was probably a combination of all threet three and the most stupendous piece of furniture she had ever seen yes to 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 adeli adeline ne 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 I 1 ern em all on one after the other she said with a loving look at the jet and erle and faded purple silks shirred sherred into tight bunches and smelling of years year s and storage and theres trunks and trunks full yet she dived into the depths of the tha round topped trunk with the go dey ey print pasted inside the lid the funny shoes mamma pointed just like needles and this georgine gave a loud scream put it down barby oh heaves heavens its a dead rat dont touch it why not barby turned look ing puzzled the horrid hairy object dangled from her upraised hand georgine swallowed repenting 1 I dont know dear I 1 have no idea what it is ask mrs peabody 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 she said wetting her ups lips 1 I did put away a few of gilberts things in the bottom of the trunk its its his toupee georgine was attacked by a desire to laugh poor nella look so embarrassed I 1 lots of the tha best people wear am them she said soothingly look at fred astaire and boyer oh I 1 know but everyone laughed at gilbert so and he had to wear it to look well a bald headed artist seems so silly ha need it in in the army 01 ol course why they have hava left him alone here said nella passionately everyone from aunt adeline down making fun of him and georgine caught her breath audibly she sank down on one of the tha trunks and sat gazing at nella the tha gray eyes wide and piteous returned her look take taho that thing off your heal head be yourself that had seemed the one bit ol oi evidence that was totally meaning less ess 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 barby to open that trunk and show 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 husbands guilt and had wanted to gather the evidence against him for for what md did she want vant to believe him guilty or innocent and still nella peabody sat there looking totally unconscious that shed made a damaging statement looking only troubled because two years ago her husband had been discomfited by laughter once more she gave her head a hard shake to clear it warmth imprisoned in the sunbaked sun baked old boards seemed to be creeping round her until she was almost suffocated 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 go down now barbas used to playing by herself sheu shell be happy rummaging in au all these trunks f TO BB CONTINUED |