The Puzzle of the Silver Persian by Stuart Palmer

Author:Stuart Palmer [Palmer, Stuart]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781784087708
Publisher: Head of Zeus Ltd
Published: 2013-03-29T20:16:00+00:00

Chapter X

The Scream of the Gull

PADDINGTON STATION HAS NEVER been noted for being a place of rest and quiet, and the advent that morning of the Honorable Emily, Candida Noring, Leslie Reverson, together with their accumulated boxes, coats, and baggage, did not serve to make the hectic scene any more peaceful. Tobermory squalled shrilly and profanely from his carrying case, stretching a furious and gleaming-taloned paw from the opening and slashing at thin air. Dicon, the pessimistic robin, who was traveling in his bird cage covered with newspaper wrappings, vented a “cheep-cheep” now and then and jumped heavily from trapeze to floor and back again, beating against the newspaper with heavy wings.

The Honorable Emily, like all her countrymen, more at home traveling than otherwise, marshaled her forces around her. She dispatched Candida for magazines, Leslie to discover their reservations in the first-class carriage, and then stood guard over the tremendous mound of suitcases until a porter had splashed stickers marked “Penzance” over them and carted them away.

Candida returned with an armful of reading matter, and the two women marched on down the platform toward where Leslie stood waving his arms. He came forward to greet them. “This is the one,” he said. “But we’ve got to change to another compartment. That loathsome fat Hammond child is in there—”

“Oh,” said the Honorable Emily. “Didn’t I tell you? When Mrs. Hammond rang me up to say that she was following my advice and sending her son to Tenton Hall today, I thought it would be kind to offer—”

“Offer?” said Leslie bitterly.

His aunt looked away. “As a matter of fact, she did hint at it herself. But it’s only for a few hours, you know. He’s too young to take the trip by himself, and his mother couldn’t take him herself because she had an engagement somewhere and had to leave London yesterday. She said she thought she could arrange with her hotel to keep him last night and send him over here this morning.”

“Ugh!” said Reverson “Well, there he is—cutting his initials in the windowpane with a glass-cutter or something.”

“He’s only a child,” said the Honorable Emily. She turned to Candida. “You won’t mind his being with us?”

“Not at all,” said Candida Noring. “It ought to be jolly.”

Jolly wasn’t the word for it. They were finally arranged in the compartment, Leslie and the terrible Gerald next the windows, the Honorable Emily and Candida facing each other next the corridor, and Dicon hanging from the luggage rack. Tobermory made valiant swipes at Candida’s stocking from where his case had been placed on the floor, but for the time being she was just beyond the reach of his claws.

The Honorable Emily, feeling the duties of a combined hostess and tour manager resting heavily upon her shoulders, attempted to start things off on the right foot by making introductions all around. “Treat children as adults and you win their everlasting confidence and esteem,” she had heard somewhere. But it did not work with Gerald.

“This is Miss Noring, and this is Mr.

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