The Mysterious Mr. Quin: A Short Story Collection by Agatha Christie

Author:Agatha Christie [Christie, Agatha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0062074431
Amazon: B007XJ70AO
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Published: 2010-02-10T06:00:00+00:00

Darling Margery (she wrote),

I am so glad you have that nice little Mr. Satterthwaite there. He is awfully clever and knows all the big-wig spook people. You must have them all down and investigate things thoroughly. I am sure you will have a perfectly marvellous time, and I only wish I could be there, but I have really been quite ill the last few days. The hotels are so careless about the food they give one. The doctor says it is some kind of food poisoning. I was really very ill.

Sweet of you to send me the chocolates, darling, but surely just a wee bit silly, wasn’t it? I mean, there’s such wonderful confectionery out here.

Bye-bye, darling, and have a lovely time laying the family ghosts. Bimbo says my tennis is coming on marvellously. Oceans of love.

Yours,

Barbara.

“Mother always wants me to call her Barbara,” said Margery. “Simply silly, I think.”

Mr. Satterthwaite smiled a little. He realized that the stolid conservatism of her daughter must on occasions be very trying to Lady Stranleigh. The contents of her letter struck him in a way in which obviously they did not strike Margery.

“Did you send your mother a box of chocolates?” he asked.

Margery shook her head. “No, I didn’t, it must have been someone else.”

Mr. Satterthwaite looked grave. Two things struck him as of significance. Lady Stranleigh had received a gift of a box of chocolates and she was suffering from a severe attack of poisoning. Apparently she had not connected these two things. Was there a connection? He himself was inclined to think there was.

A tall dark girl lounged out of the morning room and joined them.

She was introduced to Mr. Satterthwaite as Marcia Keane. She smiled on the little man in an easy good-humoured fashion.

“Have you come down to hunt Margery’s pet ghost?” she asked in a drawling voice. “We all rot her about that ghost. Hello, here’s Roley.”

A car had just drawn up at the front door. Out of it tumbled a tall young man with fair hair and an eager boyish manner.

“Hello, Margery,” he cried. “Hello, Marcia! I have brought down reinforcements.” He turned to the two women who were just entering the hall. Mr. Satterthwaite recognized in the first one of the two the Mrs. Casson of whom Margery had spoken just now.

“You must forgive me, Margery, dear,” she drawled, smiling broadly. “Mr. Vavasour told us that it would be quite all right. It was really his idea that I should bring down Mrs. Lloyd with me.”

She indicated her companion with a slight gesture of the hand.

“This is Mrs. Lloyd,” she said in a tone of triumph. “Simply the most wonderful medium that ever existed.”

Mrs. Lloyd uttered no modest protest, she bowed and remained with her hands crossed in front of her. She was a highly coloured young woman of commonplace appearance. Her clothes were unfashionable but rather ornate. She wore a chain of moonstones and several rings.

Margery Gale, as Mr. Satterthwaite could see, was not too pleased at this intrusion.

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