The Croaking Raven by Gladys Mitchell

Author:Gladys Mitchell [Mitchell, Gladys]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781477869093
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Published: 2014-03-18T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

A Cleric’s Evidence

“ ‘What matter is this?’ said the Bishop;

‘Or for whom do you make this ado?

Or why do you kill the King’s ven’son,

When your company is so few?’ ”

Robin Hood and the Bishop of Hereford

“I am at a loss where to begin,” said Charlock.

“In such case, the advice of the King of Hearts to the White Rabbit might be followed with advantage. ‘Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop,’ ” suggested Dame Beatrice.

“The beginning would be my acceptance of the surprising invitation from the Dyseys to dine here at the castle.”

“Surprising invitation?”

“Most surprising. It was the first time anything of the sort had come my way. The Thomas Dyseys paid me a courtesy visit after my induction as incumbent of the parish, but, until this invitation came along, I had seen nothing more of him or his wife. The only time I called here I was told that they were not at home. As I knew that they were both in residence, I took this to mean that they did not wish to entertain my presence, so I troubled them no further.”

“But you were not inclined to refuse their invitation to dinner?”

“It would not have been becoming in me to nourish ill-feeling, although I am afraid I agreed with my wife’s reading of the summons.”

“And that was?”

“She thought that some other couple had failed to accept an invitation to the function, and that we were being used as a stopgap.”

“But this was not the case?”

“I hardly know what to think. The party was an extremely small one, and the atmosphere could have been delightfully informal had the guests been better matched or the Dyseys more gifted as hosts.”

“You found the atmosphere uncongenial?”

“That is not quite the word. It is difficult, by this time, for me to remember exactly what I felt. I know that the food was not very good, and I know that Mrs. Dysey, our hostess, seemed to be on edge. I put this down to the customary anxiety of an inexperienced hostess that the dinner should go off well. I wonder now, though, whether there might have been some more sinister explanation of her state of mind.”

“What were the seating arrangements at table?”

“My wife was on Mr. Thomas Dysey’s right, and she sat between him and his brother Eustace. Next to Eustace was Mrs. Binns, the doctor’s wife, then came Cyril Dysey, who was therefore next to Mrs. Dysey. She sat at the end of the table opposite her husband. I was on her right, next to a young woman, one of her second cousins, I believe, and the doctor sat between this girl and her sister.”

“I heard that the Chief Constable of the county and his wife had also been invited, but could not accept,” said Dame Beatrice.

“Ah, well, that probably accounts for our own invitation, then. We must have been right in what we thought at first.”

“It may equally well be that the stopgaps, if any, were

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