The Voice of the Corpse by Max Murray

Author:Max Murray
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Galileo Publishing
Published: 2024-05-06T18:24:22+00:00

11

The Reverend Henry Holland was coming out of the church door as Firth came strolling back along the path.

‘My dear chap,’ he called out, ‘how nice to see you.’

He hurried forward to shake hands. ‘You know I feel very remiss about you. I promised myself that I would invite you in for a meal, and now my housekeeper is in bed. I don’t know if it’s ‘flu or too much excitement for the old body. Dr Daw tells me she has a temperature, so of course she must stay in bed.’

‘It is disconcerting, isn’t it? I hope you aren’t enjoying too much chaos.’

‘Oh no, no. Her daughter Millie is filling in the gap. Millie thinks she can cook, but she is quite mistaken of course. It means that I can’t ask anyone else to share my distress.’

‘Let’s hope that the ’flu or excitement abate quickly.’

‘Yes, indeed. The tragedy is that I myself am an excellent chef. But if I went into the kitchen I’m afraid that Millie would be deeply hurt. There is one thing I can offer you, however, and that is an extremely palatable sherry.’

‘That sounds very agreeable.’

‘Splendid, splendid. Come along this minute, my dear chap.’

He took Firth’s arm and propelled him eagerly along the path.

The vicar’s study faced the sunlight of the south. At this moment the room was full of it, pouring through the long French windows that gave on to the lawn.

Firth looked about him with satisfaction. ‘I envy you the room,’ he said.

‘I have to thank Mrs Sim for that. She took me out of a place I was pleased to call my den. It was very dark and very stuffy and had rather unpleasant imitation leather chairs.’

He poured the sherry into two glasses and it shone like old gold in the sunlight.

‘Do sit down, my boy, and we shall make ourselves comfortable.’ He settled himself facing his guest and looked appreciatively at the liquid in his glass. ‘This is the one hour of the day when I behave with deliberate conscious self-indulgence. Literally, I am outraged if anyone disturbs me.’ He cocked his eye as Firth took a sip from his glass.

‘Do you approve of it?’

‘I should think I do. It’s delicious.’

‘Truthfully, one can taste the sun of the Spanish hillsides.’

‘I shouldn’t deprive you of this,’ Firth said. ‘In these days it’s very hard to come by.’

‘Ah no, you may not know, but in my own small way I am quite an authority on sherry. I have been called into consultation many, many times with shippers and connoisseurs who value my opinion. It is perhaps a strange hobby for a vicar, but I can assure you it is a most enjoyable one.’

Firth laughed. ‘Yes, indeed, I’m sure it is.’

‘The added advantage,’ the vicar said, ‘is that you can’t call a man into consultation about a shipment of wine without letting him have a case, at least, to meditate upon. No, my boy, you have no need to fear that you will drink me dry.

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