Miss Silver inclined her head. She had cast on the stitches for little Josephine’s third vest, which would complete the set. A pale pink frill about half an inch in depth now showed upon the needles.
Finding that she did not speak, Frank went on.
‘Just let us see what we have got in plain words. Marsham comes into the study at an hour which suggests that he had been waiting about until everyone except Haile had gone to bed. That is the first point. He wanted to see Haile on a matter of urgency, and he wanted to be sure they wouldn’t be interrupted. I think that’s a fair enough inference.’
‘I think so.’
‘Well then, he manoeuvres for position. He doesn’t want to stay on with Haile, but he doesn’t say so. He lets Haile think that he would like to stay on. Obviously he wants to find out whether Haile knows that he was under notice to leave, and why. Whitall may have told his cousin that he was dismissing Marsham for peculation. Haile evidently didn’t believe that commission story, and nor do I. There was something more than that, and he had to find out whether Haile knew about it-either by word of mouth or because there was some evidence which might have come into his possession. So he asked what Haile is going to do about the house and the staff.’
Miss Silver coughed.
‘That is quite a fair summary.’
Frank leaned forward from the arm of the chair on which he was sitting and pitched a log upon the fire. A shower of sparks flew high, and the smell of apple-wood came drifting back into the room.
‘Well, Haile comes across with a good hard punch. Says his cousin told him Marsham had been fleecing him-an expression which Marsham characterizes as derogatory and not at all a suitable way of describing the comparatively harmless if irregular practice of taking commission. You will have noticed how skilfully Marsham’s side of this conversation is conducted. Just the right amount of Lord St. Osbert, just a hint that he had condescended to a mere third baronet, and all the time the most perfect decorum of speech and manner. Is that how it struck you?’
‘You have put it very well.’
‘To continue. Mr. Haile gives Marsham to understand that he doesn’t believe the story about the commission. Says in effect that Whitall must have had some much more serious reason for sacking an excellent butler and a first-class cook.’
Miss Silver stopped knitting for a moment and said with emphasis,
‘She is more than that, Frank-she is quite outstanding. You will not, I know, overlook the importance of this factor. It explains Sir Herbert’s determination to retain the Marshams in his service and makes it credible.’
‘You believe Marsham’s yarn about Sir Herbert’s threatening to put the police on him if he persisted in leaving?’
‘Yes, I think so. You see it would be all in character. Miss Whitaker was an invaluable secretary. We know that he was thwarting her desire to leave him by the employment of threats. I see no reason to suppose that he would scruple to do the same in the case of the Marshams. From what I have learned of his character since I have been in this house, I can believe that he would derive a perverted pleasure from using this kind of restraint. He could not have been unaware of Lila Dryden’s feelings, yet he was determined to marry her. His conduct towards Miss Whitaker was not only cruel but in the worst possible taste. She had been his mistress, and she very properly desired to leave his employment before his marriage to Lila Dryden. He was using threats to induce her to remain. I can readily believe that he would employ the same method of retaining the Marshams’ services.’
Frank regarded her quizzically.
‘In other words you thought Marsham was telling the truth.’
‘With regard to that incident I should be inclined to think so.’
‘But Haile doesn’t seem to have been impressed. Marsham says Whitall threatened that if he left, it would be without a character and with the police on his heels.’
Miss Silver said thoughtfully,
‘I feel convinced that Marsham would not have originated such an expression. It is foreign to his whole manner of talking. I received the very strongest impression that he was repeating what had been actually said to him by Sir Herbert.’
Frank gave a little nod.
‘That’s a point,’ he said. ‘And here’s another one. Haile comes back with, “All on account of a little matter of commission? If I were to hand this story of yours to the police, how far do you suppose it would take you?” And now we come to what might, or might not, be a counter threat. I’ve got it all down as you told it me, and none of it’s evidence. But Marsham says a piece to the effect that quite a number of people in the house might have been about their own private business on the night of the murder, and that he would consider it inadvisable to import the police into the matter-they’ve got nasty suspicious minds, and so forth and so on. Well, if that and what follows doesn’t mean that Marsham has got something on Haile, I’ll eat my hat. The bother is, it might be almost anything-an intrigue with Lady Dryden, a surreptitious raid on the whisky, or half a dozen other things. I don’t suppose Haile has ever gone in for the white flower of a blameless life-to dish up the revered Tennyson’s most hackneyed quotation. But there really isn’t anything you can put your finger on. All it boils down to is, Marsham knows something which Haile would prefer to keep dark, and they agree to part friends and mutually bury the past. If I have them up one at a time and put them through it, I don’t suppose I shall get a thing. Marsham won’t give Haile away because he doesn’t want to be given away himself, and the same goes for Haile. They’ve both got good headpieces and any amount of nerve. Marsham will probably admit to the commission, which is neither here nor there in a murder case, and Haile will say what we know, that his cousin was inclined to be too severe, and that he himself took a more lenient view and didn’t want to be hard on the fellow, who really was a most excellent butler. You see, we shouldn’t get anywhere. And if I tell the Chief all this, he’ll tell me I’ve got high-falutin notions and can’t see what’s under my nose-there are two perfectly obvious suspects in Lila Dryden and Bill Waring, and why don’t I get on with it and arrest them? I’ve had him on the telephone this morning-very British, full of the bulldog spirit, and totally lacking in bonhomie. Says I got my promotion too quick and it’s given me wind in the head-setting up my fancy opinions against my lawful superiors, and so on. I hope he felt better when he had got it off his chest-I didn’t. He can’t get away today, but he’ll be down bright and early tomorrow just to see I don’t make a total mess of things. So if you can pull any rabbits out of the hat before then, I’m your slave for ever.’
Miss Silver coughed reprovingly.
‘My dear Frank!’ she said.
CHAPTER XXXIV
Emerging from the Blue Room a little later, Miss Silver encountered Ray Fortescue. The day was a blowy one, and she was very becomingly and suitably attired in a brown tweed skirt and a soft yellow cardigan and jumper. A scarf which repeated these two colours was tied over her dark curls. Miss Silver approached her with a smile.
‘I see that you are going out. I wondered if I might speak to you for a moment. But I should not wish to detain you if you have an appointment.’
Ray’s colour came up brightly.
‘Oh, no, it doesn’t matter at all. I-I just thought it would be nice to get some Mr. There’s something about this house-I suppose it’s the central heating. It’s very nice of course but-I expect you know what I mean.’