Vanishing Point

Lucy Cu

Miss Cu

“I’m sure I don’t know how you can sit in such a hot room, Marian, but I shall be all right when I get some of these things off. The temperature must be at least sixty-five. There-I’m down to my jumper! I made it myself, and Nicholas is very rude about it, but I like the colour-it reminds me of moss. Of course Henry never notices what one has on. Well, my dear Marian, I’m sorry if I am late, but just as I was putting on my hat I saw that dreadful cat of Mrs. Parson’s sharpening its claws on the standard Alberic Barbier which Nicholas gave me for Christmas-one of those weeping ones, you know. So of course I had to go out and shoo him away… Oh, yes, I’ve met Miss Silver. Don’t you remember, you introduced us at the bus stop. How do you do? You and Marian were at school together, weren’t you? So nice to meet one’s old friends.”

It was clear that when not held in check by Miss Crewe, Lucy Cu

Rosamond was talking to Mrs. Merridew, and Craig Lester was joining in, when Miss Lucy interrupted her own remarks about the very unsatisfactory eggs she had procured for setting last year, “Only three hatched out of the dozen, and I told her quite plainly that they were stale,” to say with a sudden change of voice,

“Oh dear, hasn’t Miss Holiday turned up yet?”

Mrs. Merridew shook her head. Rosamond said,

“No, she hasn’t. It’s the most extraordinary thing. We can’t think what has happened.”

“ Lydia must be dreadfully put out,” said Lucy Cu

It became clear that it was from this angle that she viewed the disappearance, the burden of her remarks being that of course Miss Holiday would turn up, but that meanwhile Lydia was being inconvenienced, and that if you had to go away in a hurry, the least you could do was to let your employer know.

“Only that’s the last thing they ever think about. I suppose she didn’t have words with Mrs. Bolder? A wonderful cook, but oh, my dear, what a temper! It couldn’t have been that could it?”

Rosamond said reluctantly,

“I don’t know-there may have been something. Mrs. Bolder didn’t seem so very much surprised when she didn’t turn up this morning-just tossed her head and said something like ‘Oh, she’ll get over it.’ So I thought perhaps-but that was before we knew about her not having been home all night.”

Miss Cu

“Well, I daresay they’d had a tiff, but I don’t suppose it amounted to anything. And she’s been coming to you for some time-she ought to be used to Mrs. Bolder by now. It can’t be the first time she’s had the rough side of her tongue. I can’t imagine-I really can’t-what could possibly have taken her away. When there’s a family, of course, you never know, but she hasn’t got a relation in the world-she often said so. And she was quite all right when I met her.”

“Oh, when was that?” Rosamond and Mrs. Merridew spoke together.

Miss Lucy beamed.

“When I was on my way up to you, my dear. You know I couldn’t come to tea, and then I was later than I meant to be because of going in to see Mrs. Stubbs about the broody hen, so it must have been all of half past five if not more-but I don’t suppose that matters-She was just coming out of the drive as I turned in, and she seemed perfectly all right then.”

Miss Silver regarded her with interest.

“Did you speak to her?” she enquired.

Miss Cu

“A most unfortunate accident,” said Miss Silver, “but I believe there will be no ill effects. Now, what were we talking about? Oh, yes that poor Miss Holiday. You had met her coming away from her work, and you said she seemed quite as usual. You spoke to her, then?”

“Oh, just a few words,” said Lucy Cu

CHAPTER 16

The tea-party broke up rather early. Rosamond was uneasy about Je

“I did ask Henry to keep an eye on the garden, but you know what men are, they become immersed. And cats are so determined. If it wants to sharpen its claws on that particular tree it will persevere.”

“Well, I don’t see how you are going to stop it, my dear.”

“A squirtful of water,” said Miss Cu

When they had gone Mrs. Merridew allowed herself a little indignation.

“I can’t imagine why Lucy should expect the Parsons’s cat to be sitting there waiting for her to come home and fill a squirt. It seems ridiculous to me, and I very nearly told her so. Dear me-who on earth can this be!”

She had been looking in the direction of the window to watch Miss Lucy go. She now saw a tall, elegant young man come up the flagged path and disappear behind the jasmine on the porch. Miss Silver had a premonition. She was therefore not really surprised when Florrie looked round the edge of the door, a habit of which Mrs. Merridew had tried in vain to break her, and a

Miss Silver picked up her knitting-bag and made haste to forestall the invitation which she saw rising to Mrs. Merridew’s lips.

“An old friend who, I believe, may have called on a matter of business. You will not mind if I see him in the dining-room, Marian?”

Mrs. Merridew was disappointed. She would have liked to meet her schoolfellow’s old friend. She said so as Miss Silver withdrew, but she was not at all sure that her remark had been heard. The door closed, and she was left to wonder what the old friend’s business could be.

In the dining-room Miss Silver took a chair. When Frank Abbott had also seated himself she said,

“I must not stay too long, or my kind hostess will feel hurt. If you can spare the time before you go, I should like to introduce you. I did not really like to neglect her offer to bring you into the drawing-room, but in the light of recent developments it occurred to me that you might wish to see me privately.”

He nodded.

“Yes, of course. I take it you are well up to date in the matter of this latest disappearance. Well, it is fairly fluttering the official dovecotes. You see, it may be important, or it may be nothing at all. They don’t like to neglect the first possibility, but they don’t want to make fools of themselves by treating it as a matter of urgency, and then find out that the lady has just gone off on a jaunt.”