Джозефина Тэй - To Love and Be Wise

‘I am sorry most of all for what Liz must have suffered.’

‘It was gratuitously wicked of you to stage that quarrel at the Swan, wasn’t it?’

‘Yes. Yes, it was unforgivable. But he maddened me so. He was so smug. So unconsciously smug. Everything had always been easy for him.’ She saw the comment in his face, and protested: ‘Yes, even Marguerite’s death! He went straight from that into Liz’s arms. He never really knew desolation. Or fear. Or despair. Or any of the big, grinding things in life. He was quite convinced that nothing irretrievable would ever happen to him. If his “Marguerite” died there would always be a “Liz” there. I wanted him to suffer. To be caught in something that he couldn’t get out of. To meet trouble and for once be stuck with it. And you can’t say I wasn’t right! He’ll never be so smug again. Will he? Will he, then!’

‘No, I suppose not. Indeed, I’m sure not.’

‘I’m sorry Liz had to be hurt. I would go to prison if I could undo that. But I’ve given her a much better Walter than the one she was going to marry. She really is in love with that poor egotistical wretch of a creature, you know. Well, I’ve made him over for her. I’ll be surprised if he isn’t a new man from now on.’

‘If I don’t go, you’ll be proving to me that you are a public benefactor instead of an offender under breach-of-the-peace.’

‘What happens to me now? Do I just sit and wait?’

‘A constable will no doubt serve you solemnly with a summons to appear at a magistrate’s court. Have you a lawyer, by the way?’

‘Yes, I have an old man in a funny little office who keeps my letters till I want them. He’s called Bing, Parry, Parry, and Bing, but I don’t think he is any of them, actually.’

‘Then you had better go and see him and tell him what you have done.’

‘All of it?’

‘The relevant bits. You can probably leave out the quarrel at the Swan, and anything else that you’re particularly ashamed of.’ She reacted to that, he noticed. ‘But don’t leave out too much. Lawyers like to know; and they are almost as unshockable as the police.’

‘Have I shocked you, Inspector?’

‘Not noticeably. You’ve been a pleasant change from the armed robberies and the blackmail and the confidence tricks.’

‘Shall I see you when I am charged?’

‘No. A lowly sergeant will be there to give evidence, I expect.’

He took his hat and prepared to go, looking once more at the one-man show of the West Highlands.

‘I really ought to take a picture with me as a souvenir,’ he said.

‘You can have any one you want. They are going to be obliterated anyhow. Which would you like?’ It was obvious that she did not quite know whether he was serious or not.

‘I don’t know. I like Kishorn, but I can’t remember Kishorn being as aggressive as that. And if I took the Cooling there would be no room for me in the room too.’

‘But it’s only thirty inches by–’ she was beginning, and then understood. ‘Oh. I see. Yes, it is intrusive.’

‘I don’t think I have time to wait and choose. I must leave it, I’m afraid. But thank you for the offer.’

‘Come back one day when you have more time and choose at your leisure,’ she said.

‘Thank you. I may do that.’

‘When the court has made an honest woman of me.’ She went to the stairs with him. ‘It’s a bit of an anti-climax, isn’t it? To set out to kill someone and end with breach of the peace.’

The detachment in this caught his attention, and he stood for a long moment looking at her. After a little he said, as one giving judgment: ‘You’re cured.’

‘Yes, I’m cured,’ she said sadly. ‘I shall never be green again. It was lovely while it lasted.’

‘It’s nice grown-up, too,’ Grant said comfortingly, and went away down the stairs. When he opened the door he looked back to find that she was still there watching him. ‘By the way,’ he said, ‘what are accessories?’

‘What? Oh!’ She laughed a little. ‘Belts and bibs and bows and brash little bouquets for women to put in their hair.’

‘Goodbye,’ Grant said.

‘Goodbye, Detective Inspector Grant. I am grateful to you.’

He went away into the sunlight, at peace with the world.

As he walked down to the bus stop a lovely mad notion came to him. He would ring up Marta and ask her if she wanted another woman for Saturday night, and she would say yes, bring anyone you would like, and he would bring them Lee Searle.

But of course he could not do that. It would be sadly unbecoming in an officer of the Criminal Investigation Department; indicating a lightness of mind, a frivolity, that could only be described as deplorable in the circumstances. It was all very well for the Lee Searles of this world, people who had not yet quite grown up, to indulge their notions, but for adults, and sober adults at that, there were the convenances.

And of course there were compensations. Life was entirely constructed of compensations.

The fantastical was for adolescents; for adults there were adult joys.

And no joy of his ‘green’ years had ever filled his breast with a more tingling anticipation than the thought of Superintendent Bryce’s face when he made his report this morning.

It was a glorious and utterly satisfying prospect.

He could hardly wait.

THE END

Josephine Teyis the pen name of Elizabeth Mackintosh, a Scottish mystery writer who also used the pseudonym Gordon Daviot. A physical education teacher, Tey turned to writing after leaving her profession as a teacher to care for her aging father. Her most popular series of mystery novels featured Scotland Yard Inspector Alan Grant, the most famous of which, The Daughter of Time , was voted the greatest mystery novel of all time by the British Crime Writer’s Association. Tey died in 1952.

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