Miss Silver 13 - Eternity Ring by Wentworth Patricia

Author:Wentworth, Patricia [Wentworth, Patricia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

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chapter 20

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The rain-storm which had turned Mrs. Caddie back to Rectory Cottage had, after the first ten minutes, subsided into a drizzle. Mrs. Caddie, who had hung her coat in the scullery in order that it might not drip on the kitchen floor, now put it on again and, accepting the loan of Miss Alvina's second-best umbrella, went out into the dusk and resumed her homeward way.

It was about a quarter of an hour later that Cicely Hathaway, answering the telephone, heard an agitated voice enquire if Mr. Frank was at home.

"I'm afraid he isn't. It's Miss Vinnie, isn't it?"

"Oh, yes. Oh dear--what shall I do!"

"Is there anything wrong?"

She heard Miss Alvina catch her breath.

"Oh, my dear, yes! I'm afraid so--I'm really dreadfully afraid so. But I don't know what to think--I feel I must have someone to advise me. It's too much responsibility, and I'm afraid it may be very serious indeed. I don't like to think what it may mean, only of course one can't help--and I did so hope that Mr. Frank would come down--"

"But, Miss Vinnie, what is it?"

"My dear, I couldn't possibly say--on the telephone--so public. I have always said that it was a very bad arrangement, and it's no good pretending that there are not people who take advantage of it, because we all know that there are. I wouldn't like to mention any names, but everybody knows--" The sentence ended in a sob.

"Miss Vinnie--"

There was a faint twitter from the other end of the line.

"Oh, my dear, I don't know what to do. I feel quite giddy."

"Miss Vinnie, listen! I could drive Miss Silver down in my car. If you're worried about anything, I expect she would be able to help you. Frank thinks a tremendous lot of her."

Miss Vinnie gulped.

"I must tell someone," she said.

Miss Alvina had not much more than ten minutes to wait, but they were the most dreadful ten minutes of her life. She would herself have piously excepted the time spent at her father's deathbed, but it was not in nature that the peaceful departure of a good old man should raise the feelings of horror and distress which now invaded her. Until she had spoken to Cicely on the telephone she had not found it possible to realize the full implications of her discovery, but in these endless minutes of waiting this realization became more and more dreadfully clear.

She was white-faced and shaking as she opened the door to Miss Silver. Cicely Hathaway, it appeared, had gone on to the church. "She won't need me," she told Miss Silver. "I want some of the music to take home, and I can always put in an odd half hour practising. I'll leave the little side door open and the light on, and you can just let me know when you are ready."

Miss Silver came into the cottage with a reassuring air of competency and calm. There was something so ordinary, so everyday, so perfectly

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