This action decided Deborah. She made a dash for the door, tore out, and they could hear her running up the stairs.
‘A bit precipitate, weren’t you?’ said Miss Topas. ‘Say when.’
‘Make it a good one,’ the young man responded. ‘I’ve been obeying orders, that is all.’
‘Whose?’
‘Aunt Adela’s. She told me she wanted Deborah in the family — Oh, I say, when!’
‘There you are, then. And did your Aunt Adela advise you on procedure?’
‘Well, no. But I’ve wanted to do that to Deborah since that week-end — you remember? — at Carey’s. Anyway, I seem to have mucked it. Do you suppose I’ve put her off for good? She wouldn’t agree to marry me when we were there, so I thought I’d try other methods.’
‘Well, you’d better not have more than one drink. Women don’t like being made love to by a stink of whisky. You drink that, and make it last, and I’ll go up and bring her down again. And you’d better be a little more gentle. Deborah’s not a Rugby football player, you know. She’s nervous and highly strung, and all those other things that you’ve probably previously connected only with racehorses and prize pumpkins.’
With this delicate admonition, she went upstairs to her bedroom. Deborah was seated in front of the dressing-table tidying her hair. Her hands were shaking.
‘Let me,’ said Miss Topas; but instead of taking the comb she took Deborah by the shoulders, held her firmly for a minute and then said: ‘Well, and do you want him?’
‘Of course I want him,’ said Deborah.
‘Come on down, then, and say so.’
‘I can’t meet him again tonight’
‘Rot. Don’t be girlish.’
‘I can’t go down there. Tell him — tell him — ’
‘Tell him yourself. Come on. Don’t be a coward.’
‘I’m not. You don’t — Look here, why did you ask him to come here tonight?’
Miss Topas laughed, and made for the door.
‘There’s nobody at home to make scandal. I’ll send him up,’ she said.
Deborah tried to detain her, failed, and, mistrustful of her sense of humour, followed. She found Jonathan alone. He was seated on the settee, staring gloomily at his whisky, which he had not touched. He put it down and stood up when she came in.
Deborah backed away, but heard the key turn in the lock behind her. Miss Topas was taking no chances of her match-making going astray.
‘Deborah,’ said Jonathan. ‘Look here, come and sit down. No, honestly, I won’t do it again. At least, I won’t do it without warning you! I’m sorry I rushed at you like that. Silly to frighten you, but my courage failed me. I say, Deborah, you will marry me, won’t you?’
‘But, it’s so silly! I hardly know you. In fact, I don’t know you at all!’
‘Yes, you do. What about that Saturday afternoon at half-term? What about the Monday? Besides, you know my aunt, and what could be more respectable than that? You like Aunt Adela, don’t you?’
‘I love her. She’s been a darling, but…’
‘Well, you could love me, too. It’s perfectly easy. My parents have managed it for years, and they’re not terribly talented. And I’m more of a darling than Aunt Adela. And if you know her, you know me. We’re exactly alike. The same noble, generous natures; the same acute psychological insight, the same brains, the same brawn…’
‘Yes, you’ve got the same brawn,’ admitted Deborah, beginning to laugh. ‘But she hasn’t your amount of classic impudence!’
‘Hasn’t she?’ said the young man. ‘Look here, giving you due warning, I am about to repeat my effects, after which, I will tell you just how much classic impudence my aunt has got! Ready?’
‘No!’ said Deborah, putting up an ineffective hand. The young man removed it.
‘What are you afraid of? Not of me,’ he said gently. ‘Come on! Don’t be a chump. It only messes your hair up when we fight, and I like it best as it is.’
Whilst these preparations were being made to enlarge her already wide circle of relatives, Mrs Bradley was putting in some grim work, with the assistance of George and the policemen. Athelstan was empty of servants, for all were helping over at the College, with permission to watch or join in the dancing. Mrs Bradley had decided to put this clear field to the test. Did it, or did it not, she inquired of the police, conceal the body of Miss Murchan?
Having put in her brief appearance at the dance, she returned to the house to meet the inspector, and, having changed from the garment of Kitty’s choosing into workaday clothes, she and the inspector commenced the search.
By a quarter-past ten nothing had been discovered by the inspector, although Mrs Bradley had made one notable find, and Miss Topas, who had been taken into her confidence and who had already ‘popped over’ once or twice ‘to see whether there was anything doing’, appeared again in time to take back a message to the Principal, and to give Mrs Bradley the news that Deborah was engaged to be married. She made this announcement in characteristic fashion. ‘By the way,’ she said, ‘you are by way of adding a niece to your collection. Do you mind?’
‘Deborah?’ said Mrs Bradley, grinning. ‘How did you manage it?’
‘I invited Jonathan over to Columba, as you suggested, and prevailed on her to come over with me for a drink. All unsuspecting, she came. I told him he would have to work fast.’
‘He must have taken you at your word. Is everything settled?’
‘Oh, yes.’
‘Well, heaven knows what her parents will think of him! But there! It’s no business of theirs,’ said Mrs Bradley. ‘I’m glad Kitty did Deborah’s hair,’ she added, with apparent irrelevance.
‘From what I saw, I don’t really believe it made the slightest difference,’ said Miss Topas. ‘They’ll make rather a lovely couple — he so overriding and Deborah so devilish obstinate.’
They contemplated this picture of married loveliness in silence but appreciatively. Then Miss Topas said briskly: ‘Well, you’ll have to pack up the researches. The students will be coming over in about a quarter of an hour, unless you want me to ask the Principal for another extension, but, if I do, some of the intelligent young will smell a rat, and you don’t want that, I suppose?’
‘No, I don’t want that,’ said Mrs Bradley. ‘I showed the inspector the only result I obtained. He is greatly disgusted. Should you like to see what I found?’
‘Is it gruesome?’
‘Yes and no.’
‘Then I’d like to see it. By the way, have Miss Menzies and Miss Cartwright their orders respecting Miss Cornflake, or shall I go along and let her out?’
‘No. They will do it. How is she? Very angry?’
‘No. She seems cheerful enough. Of course, I haven’t spoken to her myself. I’ve been over in company with the Chief Engineer. He’s been very good. He explained that he cannot let her out because the students responsible for the rag have the only key. I think she believes him all right. Did you have to tell him everything?’
‘Well, almost. He’s been in the Army, so it didn’t excite him too much.’
‘About poor Miss Murchan, do you mean?’
‘No, I didn’t need to tell him anything much about her. He decided long ago that she had been murdered, and he is firm that the grandfather did it.’
‘I think myself it’s quite a possible thing, you know, although I see the difficulties in the way of such a theory. Much depends now, I suppose, on your being able to trace a connexion between Miss Cornflake and the school where the child was killed.’
‘Everything, I suppose, depends on that. I am going there tomorrow. The school does not break up until Wednesday week. Their term is longer than ours. Now where’s this Sub-Warden of mine? Still over at Columba?’
‘Yes. I’ll send them both over. But what about your promise? Forward to the Chamber of Horrors, please.’
‘Well, not a bad show,’ said Laura, ‘and the water’s hot, thank heaven.’