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第21章

beasts and superbeasts-第21章

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pardonable but rather embarrassing mistake on the part of 

a lady who had wriggled her way with unstayable 

determination towards the bareheaded Cyprian; and was now 

breathlessly demanding the sale price of a handbag which 

had taken her fancy。



〃There now;〃 exclaimed Adela to herself; 〃she takes 

him for one of the shop assistants because he hasn't got 

a hat on。  I wonder it hasn't happened before。〃



Perhaps it had。  Cyprian; at any rate; seemed 

neither startled nor embarrassed by the error into which 

the good lady had fallen。  Examining the ticket on the 

bag; he announced in a clear; dispassionate voice:



〃Black seal; thirty…four shillings; marked down to 

twenty…eight。  As a matter of fact; we are clearing them 

out at a special reduction price of twenty…six shillings。  

They are going off rather fast。〃



〃I'll take it;〃 said the lady; eagerly digging some 

coins out of her purse。



〃Will you take it as it is?〃 asked Cyprian; 〃it will 

be a matter of a few minutes to get it wrapped up; there 

is such a crush。〃



〃Never mind; I'll take it as it is;〃 said the 

purchaser; clutching her treasure and counting the money 

into Cyprian's palm。



Several kind strangers helped Adela into the open 

air。



〃It's the crush and the heat;〃 said one sympathiser 

to another; 〃it's enough to turn anyone giddy。〃



When she next came across Cyprian he was standing in 

the crowd that pushed and jostled around the counters of 

the book department。  The dream look was deeper than ever 

in his eyes。  He had just sold two books of devotion to 

an elderly Canon。





THE QUINCE TREE





〃I'VE just been to see old Betsy Mullen;〃 announced 

Vera to her aunt; Mrs。 Bebberly Cumble; 〃she seems in 

rather a bad way about her rent。  She owes about fifteen 

weeks of it; and says she doesn't know where any of it is 

to come from。〃



〃Betsy Mullen always is in difficulties with her 

rent; and the more people help her with it the less she 

troubles about it;〃 said the aunt。  〃I certainly am not 

going to assist her any more。  The fact is; she will have 

to go into a smaller and cheaper cottage; there are 

several to be had at the other end of the village for 

half the rent that she is paying; or supposed to be 

paying; now。  I told her a year ago that she ought to 

move。〃



〃But she wouldn't get such a nice garden anywhere 

else;〃 protested Vera; 〃and there's such a jolly quince 

tree in the corner。  I don't suppose there's another 

quince tree in the whole parish。  And she never makes any 

quince jam; I think to have a quince tree and not to make 

quince jam shows such strength of character。  Oh; she 

can't possibly move away from that garden。〃



〃When one is sixteen;〃 said Mrs。 Bebberly Cumble 

severely; 〃one talks of things being impossible which are 

merely uncongenial。  It is not only possible but it is 

desirable that Betsy Mullen should move into smaller 

quarters; she has scarcely enough furniture to fill that 

big cottage。〃



〃As far as value goes;〃 said Vera after a short 

pause; 〃there is more in Betsy's cottage than in any 

other house for miles round。〃



〃Nonsense;〃 said the aunt; 〃she parted with whatever 

old china ware she had long ago。〃



〃I'm not talking about anything that belongs to 

Betsy herself;〃 said Vera darkly; 〃but; of course; you 

don't know what I know; and I don't suppose I ought to 

tell you。〃



〃You must tell me at once;〃 exclaimed the aunt; her 

senses leaping into alertness like those of a terrier 

suddenly exchanging a bored drowsiness for the lively 

anticipation of an immediate rat hunt。



〃I'm perfectly certain that I oughtn't to tell you 

anything about it;〃 said Vera; 〃but; then; I often do 

things that I oughtn't to do。〃



〃I should be the last person to suggest that you 

should do anything that you ought not to do to … 〃 began 

Mrs。 Bebberly Cumble impressively。



〃And I am always swayed by the last person who 

speaks to me;〃 admitted Vera; 〃so I'll do what I ought 

not to do and tell you。〃



Mrs。 Bebberley Cumble thrust a very pardonable sense 

of exasperation into the background of her mind and 

demanded impatiently:



〃What is there in Betsy Mullen's cottage that you 

are making such a fuss about?〃



〃It's hardly fair to say that I'VE made a fuss about 

it;〃 said Vera; 〃this is the first time I've mentioned 

the matter; but there's been no end of trouble and 

mystery and newspaper speculation about it。  It's rather 

amusing to think of the columns of conjecture in the 

Press and the police and detectives hunting about 

everywhere at home and abroad; and all the while that 

innocent…looking little cottage has held the secret。〃



〃You don't mean to say it's the Louvre picture; La 

Something or other; the woman with the smile; that 

disappeared about two years ago?〃 exclaimed the aunt with 

rising excitement。



〃Oh no; not that;〃 said Vera; 〃but something quite 

as important and just as mysterious … if anything; rather 

more scandalous。〃



〃Not the Dublin … ?〃



Vera nodded。



〃The whole jolly lot of them。〃



〃In Betsy's cottage?  Incredible!〃



〃Of course Betsy hasn't an idea as to what they 

are;〃 said Vera; 〃she just knows that they are something 

valuable and that she must keep quiet about them。  I 

found out quite by accident what they were and how they 

came to be there。  You see; the people who had them were 

at their wits' end to know where to stow them away for 

safe keeping; and some one who was motoring through the 

village was struck by the snug loneliness of the cottage 

and thought it would be just the thing。  Mrs。 Lamper 

arranged the matter with Betsy and smuggled the things 

in。〃



〃Mrs。 Lamper?〃



〃Yes; she does a lot of district visiting; you 

know。〃



〃I am quite aware that she takes soup and flannel 

and improving literature to the poorer cottagers;〃 said 

Mrs。 Bebberly Cumble; 〃but that is hardly the same sort 

of thing as disposing of stolen goods; and she must have 

known something about their history; anyone who reads the 

papers; even casually; must have been aware of the theft; 

and I should think the things were not hard to recognise。  

Mrs。 Lamper has always had the reputation of being a very 

conscientious woman。〃



〃Of course she was screening some one else;〃 said 

Vera。  〃A remarkable feature of the affair is the 

extraordinary number of quite respectable people who have 

involved themselves in its meshes by trying to shield 

others。  You would be really astonished if you knew some 

of the names of the individuals mixed up in it; and I 

don't suppose a tithe of them know who the original 

culprits were; and now I've got you entangled in the mess 

by letting you into the secret of the cottage。〃



〃You most certainly have not entangled me;〃 said 

Mrs。 Bebberly Cumble indignantly。  〃I have no intention 

of shielding anybody。  The police must know about it at 

once; a theft is a theft; whoever is involved。  If 

respectable people choose to turn themselves into 

receivers and disposers of stolen goods; well; they've 

ceased to be respectable; that's all。  I shall telephone 

immediately … 〃



〃Oh; aunt;〃 said Vera reproachfully; 〃it would break 

the poor Canon's heart if Cuthbert were to be involved in 

a scandal of this sort。  You know it would。〃



〃Cuthbert involved!  How can you say such things 

when you know how much we all think of him?〃



〃Of course I know you think a lot of him; and that 

he's engaged to marry Beatrice; and that it will be a 

frightfully good match; and that he's your ideal of what 

a son…in…law ought to be。  All the same; it was 

Cuthbert's idea to stow the things away in the cottage; 

and it was his motor that brought them。  He was only 

doing it to help his friend Pegginson; you know … the 

Quaker man; who is always agitating for a smaller Navy。  

I forget how he got involved in it。  I warned you that 

there were lots of quite respectable people mixed up in 

it; didn't I?  That's what I meant when I said it would 

be impossible for old Betsy to leave the cottage; the 

things take up a good bit of room; and she couldn't go 

carrying them about with her other goods and chattels 

without attracting notice。  Of course if she were to fall 

ill and die it would be equally unfortunate。  Her mother 

lived to be over ninety; she tells me; so with due care 

and an absence of worry she ought to last for another 

dozen years at least。  By that time perhaps some other 

arrangements will have been made for disposing of the 

wretched things。〃



〃I shall speak to Cuthbert about it … after the 

wedding;〃 said Mrs。 Bebberly Cumble。



〃The wedding isn't till next year;〃 said Vera; in 

recounting the story to her best girl friend; 〃and 

meanwhile old Betsy is living rent free; with soup twice 

a week and my aunt's doctor to see her whenever she has a 

finger ache。〃



〃But how on earth did you get to know about it all?〃 

asked her friend; in admiring wonder。



〃It was a mystery … 〃 said Vera。



〃Of course it was a mystery; a mystery that baffled 

everybody。  What beats me is how you found out … 〃



〃Oh; about the jewels?  I invented that part;〃 

explained Vera; 〃I mean the mystery was where old Betsy's 

arrears of rent were to come from; and she would have 

hated leaving that jolly quince tree。〃





THE FORBIDDEN BUZZARDS





〃IS matchmaking at all in your line?〃



Hugo Peterby asked the question with a certain 

amount of personal interest。



〃I don't specialise in it;〃 said Clovis; 〃it's all 

right while you're doing it; but the after…effects are 

sometimes so disconcerting … the mute reproachful looks 

of the people you've aided and abetted in matrimonial 

experiments。  It's as bad as selling a man a horse with 

half a dozen latent vices and watching him discover them 

piecemeal in the course of the hunting season。  I suppose 

you're thinking of the Coulterneb girl。  She's certainly 

jolly; and quite all right as far as looks go; and I 

believe a certain amount of money adheres to her。  What I 

don't see is how you will ever manage to propose to her。  

In all the time I've known her I don't remember her to 

have stopped talking for three consecutive minutes。  

You'll have to race her six times round the grass paddock 

for a bet; and then blurt your proposal out before she's 

got her wind back。  The paddock is laid up for hay; but 

if you're really in love with her you won't let a 

consideration of that sort stop you; especially as it's 

not your hay。〃



〃I think I could manage the proposing part right 

enough;〃 said Hugo; 〃if I could count on being left alone 

with her for four or five hours。  The trouble is that I'm 

not likely to get anything like that amo

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