And when she came back, she looked very much younger.
Altogether, she'd had a lot of face treatment and you know, she looked so pretty in these wigs with curls on them. Rather as though she'd got a new lease of life." "And General Ravenscroft?" "He was a very nice gentleman and I never heard or knew of any scandal about him and I don't think there was any.
People say things, but then they want to say something when there's been a tragedy of any kind. It seems to me perhaps as he might have had a blow on the head in India or something like that, I had an uncle or a great-uncle, you know, who fell off his horse there once. Hit it on a cannon or something and he was very queer afterwards. All right for about six months and then they had to put him into an asylum because he wanted to take his wife's life the whole time. He said she was persecuting him and following him and that she was a spy for another nation. Ah, there's no saying what things happen or can happen in families." "Anyway, you don't think there was any truth in some of the stories about them that I have happened to hear of, bad feeling between them so that one of them shot the other and then shot himself or herself?" "Oh, no, I don't." "Were her children at home at the time?" "No. Miss-er-oh, what was her name now, Rosie? No.
Penelope?" "Celia," said Mrs. Oliver. "She's my goddaughter." "Oh, of course she is. Yes, I know that now. I remember you coming and taking her out once. She was a high-spirited girl, rather bad-tempered in some ways, but she was very fond of her father and mother, I think. No, she was away at a school in Switzerland when it happened. I'm glad to say, because it would have been a terrible shock to her if she'd been at home and the one who saw them." "And there was a boy, too, wasn't there?" "Oh, yes. Master Edward. His father was a bit worried about him, I think. He looked as though he disliked his father." "Oh, there's nothing in that. Boys go through that stage, I think. Was he very devoted to his mother?" "Well, she fussed over him a bit too much, I think, which he found tiresome. You know, they don't like a mother fussing over them, telling them to wear thicker vests or put an extra pullover on. His father, he didn't like the way he wore his hair. It was-well, they weren't wearing hair like the way they are nowadays, but they were beginning to, if you know what I mean." "But the boy wasn't at home at the time of the tragedy?" "No." "I suppose it was a shock to him?" "Well, it must have been. Of course, I wasn't going to the house any more at that time, so I didn't hear so much. If you ask me, I didn't like that gardener. What was his name now- Fred, I think. Fred Wizell. Some name like that. Seems to me if he'd done a bit of-well, a bit of cheating or something like that and the General had found him out and was going to sack him, I wouldn't put it past him." "To shoot the husband and wife?" "Well, I'd have thought it more likely he'd just have shot the General. If he shot the General and the wife came along, then he'd have had to shoot her, too. You read things like that in books." "Yes," said Mrs. Oliver thoughtfully, "one does read all sorts of things in books." "There was the tutor. I didn't like him much." "What tutor?" "Well, there was a tutor for the boy earlier. You know, he couldn't pass an exam and things at the earlier school he was at-prep school or something. So they had a tutor for him. He was there for about a year, I think. Lady Ravenscroft liked him very much. She was musical, you know, and so was this tutor. Mr. Edmunds, I think his name was. Rather a nambypamby sort of young man, I thought myself, and it's my opinion that General Ravenscroft didn't care for him much." "But Mrs. Ravenscroft did." "Oh, they had a lot in common, I think. And I think she was the one really that chose him rather more than the General, Mind you, he had very nice manners and spoke to everyone nicely and all that-" "And did-what'shis-name?" "Edward? Oh, yes, he liked him all right, I think. In fact, he was quite a bit soft on him, I think. Almost a bit of hero worship. Anyway, don't you believe any stories you hear about scandals in the family or her having an affair with anyone or General Ravenscroft with that rather pie-faced girl who did filing work for him and all that sort of thing. No.
Whoever that wicked murderer was, it's one who came from outside. The police never got on to anyone, no car was seen near there and there was nothing to it and they never got any further. But all the same, I think one ought to look about for somebody perhaps who'd known them in Malaya or abroad or somewhere else, or even when they were first living at Bournemouth. One never knows." "What did your husband think about it?" said Mrs. Oliver.
"He wouldn't have known as much about them as you would, of course, but still he might have heard a lot." "Oh, he heard a lot of talk, of course. In the George and Flag, of an evening, you know. People saying all sorts of things. Said as she drank and that cases of empty bottles had been taken out of the house. Absolutely untrue, that was, I know for a fact. And there was a nephew as used to come and see them sometimes. Got into trouble with the police in some way, he did, but I don't think there was anything in that. The police didn't, either. Anyway, it wasn't at that time." "There was no one else really living in the house, was there, except the General and Lady Ravenscroft?" "Well, she had a sister as used to come sometimes, Lady Ravenscroft did. She was a half-sister, I think. Something like that. Looked rather like Lady Ravenscroft but not very goodlooking and a year or two older, I should say. She made a bit of trouble between them, I always used to think, when she came for a visit. She was one of those who likes stirring things up, if you know what I mean. just said things to annoy people." •§r "Was Lady Ravenscroft fond of her?" "Well, if you ask me, I don't think she was really. I think the sister more or less wished herself on to them sometimes and she didn't like not to have her, but I think she found it pretty trying to have her there. The General quite liked her because she played cards well. Played chess and things with him and he enjoyed that. And she was an amusing woman in a way. Mrs. Jerryboy or something like that, her name was.
She was a widow, I think. Used to borrow money from them, I think, too." "Did you like her?" "Well, if you don't mind my saying so, ma'am, no, I didn't like her. I disliked her very much. I thought she was one of those troublemakers, you know. But she hadn't been down for some time before the tragedy happened. I don't really remember very much what she was like. She had a son as came with her once or twice. Didn't like him very much. Shifty, I thought." "Well," said Mrs. Oliver. "I suppose nobody will really ever know the truth. Not now. Not after all this time. I saw my goddaughter the other day." "Did you now, ma'am. I'd be interested to hear about Miss Celia. How is she? All right?" "Yes. She seems quite all right. I think she's thinking perhaps of getting married. At any rate she's got a-" "Got a steady boy friend, has she?" said Mrs. Buckle. "Ah, well, we've all got that. Not that we all marry the first one we settle on. Just as well if you don't, nine times out of ten." "You don't know a Mrs. Burton-Cox, do you?" asked Mrs.
Oliver.
"Burton-Cox? I seem to know that name. No, I don't think so. Wasn't living down here or come to stay with them or anything? No, not that I remember. Yet I did hear something.
Some old friend of General Ravenscroft, I think, which he'd known in India. But I don't know." She shook her head.
"Well," said Mrs. Oliver, "I mustn't stay gossiping with you any longer. It's been so nice to see you and Marlene."