She Came Back

A

“What a rigmarole! What is it all supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know.”

She had said what she had come to say. It horrified her. Things were worse when you had said them-they took shape. She had thought she would be able to get rid of them. No, not thought-that was too definite. She had had a frightened, clinging hope that A

A

“You say you don’t know what you mean. I am sure I don’t. So it’s rather difficult-isn’t it? I don’t quite know what to say about it. We have had a good deal of publicity lately- I shouldn’t have thought you’d have wanted to bring any more of it down on us. You used to say that you were fond of me, and-” she gave a little laugh-“anyone can see you are fond of Philip. May I ask you why you want to spread a damaging story about us? I should really like to know.”

Lyndall had turned too. The fire leapt brightly behind A

“I haven’t spread any story. I haven’t spoken of it to anyone but you.”

“Well, that’s something. Because, you see, you really might do a great deal of harm-to Philip. To put it frankly, we can’t afford to be in the papers any more at present. Philip is ambitious-I expect you know that. He’s got the sort of job they only give to a rising man, and the wrong sort of publicity would be very damaging for him. Now I’m going to tell you all there is to tell, and trust to your friendship and common sense not to go on making mountains out of molehills. Nellie Collins knew the Joyces-I believe they lodged with her. About a week or ten days ago I had a letter from her. She had been reading all the stuff in the papers, and she said now that she realized A

“The police-”

The anger was gone from A

“Yes. Miss Collins seems to have talked about coming up to see me. Wishful thinking, I should say. I certainly never invited her. But she seems to have talked, and there it is. Why she went to Ruislip, and how she got herself run over, I’ve naturally no idea. As for your story of overhearing a conversation about her in a hairdresser’s shop-well really, darling, if you don’t mind my saying so, it sounds completely mad. Of course Collins is a very common name. You might have heard it anywhere-I suppose you might have heard it at your hairdresser’s. But why you should fasten this crazy conversation on to me-come, Lyn, are you prepared to swear you saw me?”

“No-I thought it was you-”

“And you thought you heard me speak. Is that a thing you would swear to-a voice through a shut door? Are you sure it was my voice, Lyn?”

Lyndall said steadily,

“No, I’m not sure. I thought it was your voice.”

A

“Perhaps.”

A

“Well, darling, there doesn’t seem to be much left of your story, does there? I think I’d keep quiet about it if I were you. If you’ll forgive my saying so, you don’t come out of it any too well. I’m sure you didn’t mean it that way, but there’s a sort of spying sound about it-” She put out a hand. “No, that’s horrid of me. I didn’t mean it. But-honestly, Lyn, I don’t want Philip to have any more bothers just now.”

Lyndall said nothing at all. When A

It appeared that A

“Well, we’ll leave it at that. I think we’ve been getting a little intense. It’s just that Philip and I do hate all this publicity, and it would be too tiresome to have it starting all over again just when we hoped it was dying down. So you won’t mind my asking you not to go round telling people that you thought you heard me talking about poor Miss Collins in the back of a hairdresser’s shop.”

“I haven’t told anyone but you. I think it was silly of me to tell you. I won’t tell anyone else.”

As she spoke she felt again the cold breath of fear which had sent her ru

A

“Have another cup of tea, darling.”

CHAPTER 23

Philip Jocelyn came home early that evening. As he let himself in with his key he could hear A

She hung up the receiver and turned from the study table to see Philip in the doorway.

“I didn’t hear you come in.”

He said, “You had your head in the telephone.”

“I was just making an appointment about my hair.”

She had gone over to the window and was straightening the curtains there.

“So I heard. What endless time women spend having their hair done.”

She came back to the table, half smiling.

“Mine has got into such a bad state-I do want to get it right again. This man is said to be very good, but the stuff he gave me to rub in isn’t suiting me at all.”

“Then I shouldn’t use it.”

“I’ve just been making an appointment to tell him he must give me something else. Why are you home so early?”

He had come up to the table and set an attaché case on it.

“I’ve got something I can work on here. I shall probably be late.”

“What time would you like di

“Oh, the usual. I’d like some coffee in here afterwards if it wouldn’t be a trouble.”

“Of course it wouldn’t.” She smiled at him again and went out of the room.