Patricia Wentworth - The Case of William Smith

Katharine came to the end of what she had started out to say. She came to an end, and she stopped.

Miss Silver said, ‘Yes?’ on an enquiring note.

Katharine drew in her breath again.

‘It doesn’t get easier – it gets more difficult.’

‘Nevertheless I beg that you will continue.’

Katharine bent her head. However difficult it was, she must go on – she knew that. She went on.

‘When William came out into the street he almost ran into someone who was coming in. He didn’t know who it was, but I do. It was Mr. Davies, the Eversleys’ head clerk. He has been with them for about thirty years. When he saw William he nearly dropped down in a faint. He caught at William’s arm to steady himself. I don’t know what he said – William couldn’t make anything of it. He held him up till the giddiness went off. The first thing he really said was, “Who are you?” William said, “I’m William Smith – Tattlecombe’s Toy Bazaar, Ellery Street.” Mr. Davies said “What?” and William repeated it. He wanted Mr. Davies to go in and sit down, but he wouldn’t. He didn’t want to see anyone, he wanted to get away. He went to a call-box and rang me up.’

Miss Silver coughed.

‘Mr. Davies rang you up?’

‘Yes. I wasn’t in the flat I’m in now – I was in my own flat.’ Her voice went down low. ‘The telephone bell rang – just like any telephone bell ringing. I lifted the receiver, and there was Mr. Davies telling me he had just seen William – ’

Miss Silver said, ‘Yes?’

Katharine looked at her, but she didn’t really see her. She saw a room with a shaded lamp, and her own hand lifting the receiver. She heard Mr. Davies’ shaken voice. Her own voice shook as his had done.

‘He said, “I’ve just seen Mr. William.” I said, “What do you mean?” He said, “I took hold of his arm, and it was real. It was in the street outside the office. I nearly dropped. I took hold of his arm to save myself, and it felt real. But he didn’t know me – he didn’t know me at all – not at all.” He kept on repeating that. I said, “You’re not well,” and he said, “No – it’s been a shock – it’s been a great shock. He didn’t know me at all – we were there, right under the light, and he did’t know what I said. I’d some kind of idea I was seeing a spirit – but his arm felt real. I said, ‘Who are you?’ and he said, ‘William Smith – Tattlecombe’s Toy Bazaar, Ellery Street.’ That’s what he said. I couldn’t have thought of that if he hadn’t said it, could I? He said he was William Smith, Tattlecombe’s Toy Bazaar, Ellery Street. And he didn’t know me at all. He wanted to take me into the office, but I wouldn’t go. I didn’t want to see anyone – I wanted to get away. When I’d walked a little, I thought about you.” ’ She took a long breath. ‘I told him to go home and rest.’ She stopped again.

Miss Silver did not speak. Her needles clicked above the pale blue wool.

Katharine said, ‘I don’t know how I lived until the morning. I knew I couldn’t do anything till then – the shops would all be shut – I knew I must wait. I went down to Ellery Street at half-past nine. The Toy Bazaar had a window full of William’s toys. As soon as I saw them I knew that Mr. Davies hadn’t made any mistake. William always liked drawing queer animals. There was a draper’s shop on one side and a cleaner’s on the other. The girl in the cleaner’s was quite pleased to talk – it’s a boring job waiting for people to come in. I asked about having something dyed and looked at patterns. And then I asked about the toys in the window next door, and she told me all about William, and how he’d worked the business up. She said he’d been in a Prisoners of War camp with Mr. Tattlecombe’s grandson who died there, and she said he’d lost his memory, and Mr. Tattlecombe thought the world of him. I asked her whether there would be any chance of getting a job there, and she said there might be. She thought they were short-handed. So I went home and made my plans.’

Miss Silver coughed.

‘What plans did you make?’

Katharine smiled – a brief, rather tremulous smile.

‘I rang up a friend who was looking for a flat and told her she could have mine. And I rang up another friend who was just going abroad and asked if I could have hers. I told her I didn’t want anyone to know where I was, and she said, “All right.” I told my relations I had let my flat and was taking a job, and I didn’t say where. And I wrote to Mr. Davies at his private address and told him not to say anything to anybody, because it was my affair and I wanted to manage it my own way. In the afternoon I drove to Victoria Station with my luggage, and when the taxi had gone I took another to Carol’s flat in Rasselas Mews. And then I went to Ellery Street to ask if they wanted an assistant at Tattlecombe’s Toy Bazaar. And it was Thursday – I’d forgotten all about Thursday being early closing in those outlying places. All the shops were shut. I didn’t feel as if I could bear it, but there just wasn’t anything to be done. I had to go back and get through another perfectly interminable night. That was the night Mr. Tattlecombe had his accident – but of course I didn’t know about it until afterwards. That left them very short-handed indeed. In the morning I went back to Ellery Street and went into the shop to ask if they wanted an assistant. There was a Miss Cole there.’ Katharine gave a little laugh. ‘She didn’t like me a bit – it stuck out all over her. And then’ – her voice checked, steadied, and went on again – ‘William came in.’

There was rather a long silence. Then Katharine leaned forward and said,

‘He didn’t know me, but – he fell in love with me. He didn’t remember me, but he remembered loving me.’

Miss Silver looked across her knitting and smiled the smile which had won her many confidences, many friends. The dowdy little governess wasn’t there any more. Intelligence, understanding, a sustaining and comprehensive sympathy, just blotted her out. It was rather like seeing the light come through a stained-glass window.

Katharine experienced a sense of release. It wasn’t going to be difficult any more. She could say anything, and what she said would be understood – she could let go and say just what came into her mind. Everything in her was quieted. She said,

‘Miss Cole was horrified because William engaged me on the spot. She couldn’t help seeing that he had fallen for me, and she thought I was a vamp. I went to work next day. William and I painted toys together. We were frightfully happy.’

‘Yes?’

‘I gave my real name, Katharine Eversley. Cyril and Brett are – distant cousins. Even the name didn’t mean anything to William – things that happened before ’42 just don’t exist. But he fell in love with me all over again.’

Miss Silver looked at her.

‘Why did you not tell him?’

The bright colour came up.

‘How could I? He’d forgotten me. I couldn’t say, “You loved me – you’ve forgotten.” That was at first. Then when I knew that he was loving me again, I thought if he remembered that, he would remember me. Every time he kissed me I thought he would remember. And then I didn’t care. I only wanted us to have this time together. You see, when he knows who he is there will be a lot of business, a lot of worry. It’s going to be a shock to the people who thought he was dead, and who won’t be particularly glad to find that he is alive – ’ She broke off with that startled glance. ‘I oughtn’t to have said that – I don’t know that it would be like that. Things come into your mind – you can’t help it. If you put them into words it makes too much of them. You see, I haven’t anything to go on. I don’t know that they wouldn’t be glad, so I oughtn’t to say so.’