Postern of Fate

‘Oh,’ said Tommy, ‘bulbs.’

‘Tulips,’ said Tuppence. ‘I’ll go and talk to old Isaac about them.’

‘Where are you going to put them?’

‘I think along the centre path in the garden.’

‘Poor old fellow, he looks as if he might drop dead any minute,’ said Tommy.

‘Not at all,’ said Tuppence. ‘He’s enormously tough, is Isaac. I’ve discovered, you know, that gardeners are like that. If they’re very good gardeners they seem to come to their prime when they’re over eighty, but if you get a strong, hefty-looking young man about thirty-five who says, “I’ve always wanted to work in a garden,” you may be quite sure that he’s probably no good at all. They’re just prepared to brush up a few leaves now and again and anything you want them to do they always say it’s the wrong time of year, and as one never knows oneself when the right time of year is, at least I don’t, well then, you see, they always get the better of you. But Isaac’s wonderful. He knows about everything.’ Tuppence added, ‘There ought to be some crocuses as well. I wonder if they’re in the parcel, too. Well, I’ll go out and see. It’s his day for coming and he’ll tell me all about it.’

‘All right,’ said Tommy, ‘I’ll come out and join you presently.’

Tuppence and Isaac had a pleasant reunion. The bulbs were unpacked, discussions were held as to where things would show to best advantage. First the early tulips, which were expected to rejoice the heart at the end of February, then a consideration of the handsome fringed parrot tulips, and some tulips called, as far as Tuppence could make out, viridiflora, which would be exceptionally beautiful with long stems in the month of May and early June. As these were of an interesting green pastel colour, they agreed to plant them as a collection in a quiet part of the garden where they could be picked and arranged in interesting floral arrangements in the drawing-room, or by the short approach to the house through the front gate where they would arouse envy and jealousy among callers. They must even rejoice the artistic feelings of tradesmen delivering joints of meat and crates of grocery.

At four o’clock Tuppence produced a brown teapot full of good strong tea in the kitchen, placed a sugar basin full of lumps of sugar and a milk jug by it, and called Isaac in to refresh himself before departing. She went in search of Tommy.

I suppose he’s asleep somewhere, thought Tuppence to herself as she looked from one room into another. She was glad to see a head sticking up on the landing out of the sinister pit in the floor.

‘It’s all right now, ma’am,’ said the electrician, ‘no need to be careful any more. It’s all fixed.’ He added that he was starting work on a different portion of the house on the following morning.

‘I do hope,’ said Tuppence, ‘that you will really come.’ She added, ‘Have you seen Mr Beresford anywhere?’

‘Aye, your husband, you mean? Yes, he’s up on an upper floor, I think. Dropping things, he was. Yes, rather heavy things, too. Must have been some books, I think.’

‘Books!’ said Tuppence. ‘Well I never!’

The electrician retreated down into his own personal underworld in the passage and Tuppence went up to the attic converted to the extra book library at present devoted to children’s books.

Tommy was sitting on the top of a pair of steps. Several books were around him on the floor and there were noticeable gaps in the shelves.

‘So there you are,’ said Tuppence, ‘after pretending you weren’t interested or anything. You’ve been looking at lots of books, haven’t you? You’ve disarranged a lot of the things that I put away so neatly.’

‘Well, I’m sorry about that,’ said Tommy, ‘but, well I thought I’d perhaps just have a look round.’

‘Did you find any other books that have got any underlined things in them in red ink?’

‘No. Nothing else.’

‘How annoying,’ said Tuppence.

‘I think it must have been Alexander’s work, Master Alexander Parkinson,’ said Tommy.

‘That’s right,’ said Tuppence. ‘One of the Parkinsons, the numerous Parkinsons.’

‘Well, I think he must have been rather a lazy boy, although of course, it must have been rather a bother doing that underlining and all. But there’s no more information re Jordan,’ said Tommy.

‘I asked old Isaac. He knows a lot of people round here. He says he doesn’t remember any Jordans.’

‘What are you doing with that brass lamp you’ve got by the front door?’ asked Tommy, as he came downstairs.

‘I’m taking it to the White Elephant Sale,’ said Tuppence.

‘Why?’

‘Oh, because it’s always been a thorough nuisance. We bought it somewhere abroad, didn’t we?’

‘Yes, I think we must have been mad. You never liked it. You said you hated it. Well, I agree. And it’s awfully heavy too, very heavy.’

‘But Miss Sanderson was terribly pleased when I said that they could have it. She offered to fetch it but I said I’d run it down to them in the car. It’s today we take the thing.’

‘I’ll run down with it if you like.’

‘No, I’d rather like to go.’

‘All right,’ said Tommy. ‘Perhaps I’d better come with you and just carry it in for you.’

‘Oh, I think I’ll find someone who’ll carry it in for me,’ said Tuppence.

‘Well, you might or you might not. Don’t go and strain yourself.’

‘All right,’ said Tuppence.

‘You’ve got some other reason for wanting to go, haven’t you?’

‘Well, I just thought I’d like to chat a bit with people,’ said Tuppence.

‘I never know what you’re up to, Tuppence, but I know the look in your eye when you are up to something.’

‘You take Hannibal for a walk,’ said Tuppence. ‘I can’t take him to the White Elephant Sale. I don’t want to get into a dog-fight.’

‘All right. Want to go for a walk, Hannibal?’

Hannibal, as was his habit, immediately replied in the affirmative. His affirmatives and his negatives were always quite impossible to miss. He wriggled his body, wagged his tail, raised one paw, put it down again and came and rubbed his head hard against Tommy’s leg.

‘That’s right,’ he obviously said, ‘that’s what you exist for, my dear slave. We’re going out for a lovely walk down the street. Lots of smells, I hope.’

‘Come on,’ said Tommy. ‘I’ll take the lead with me, and don’t run into the road as you did the last time. One of those awful great “long vehicles” was nearly the end of you.’

Hannibal looked at him with the expression of ‘I’m always a very good dog who’ll do exactly what I am told.’ False as the statement was, it often succeeded in deceiving even those people who were in closest contact with Hannibal.

Tommy put the brass lamp into the car, murmuring it was rather heavy. Tuppence drove off in the car. Having seen her turn the corner, Tommy attached the lead to Hannibal’s collar and took him down the street. Then he turned up the lane towards the church, and removed Hannibal’s lead since very little traffic came up this particular road. Hannibal acknowledged the privilege by grunting and sniffing in various tufts of grass with which the pavement next to the wall was adorned. If he could have used human language it was clear that what he would have said was: ‘Delicious! Very rich. Big dog here. Believe it’s that beastly Alsatian.’ Low growl. ‘I don’t like Alsatians. If I see the one again that bit me once I’ll bite him. Ah! Delicious, delicious. Very nice little bitch here. Yes—yes—I’d like to meet her. I wonder if she lives far away. Expect she comes out of this house. I wonder now.’

‘Come out of that gate, now,’ said Tommy. ‘Don’t go into a house that isn’t yours.’

Hannibal pretended not to hear.

‘Hannibal!’