Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1946-02-08
CHAPTER iii

the radio knob. The radio mourned
that there were no flowers in its gar
den of love, offered her a remedy
for acid indigestion and inquired per-
suasively if she was troubled by
nagging pains in the small of her
back. With wrinkling of her nose,
Elizabeth switched off the voices
and decided to read until it was time
to get out the makings of the dinner
cocktails. If she started now she
could probably finish her novel.
Stretching out on the chaise-longue,
she took up the book and found the
place where she had left off last
night. 1t was not an intellectual
treat, but it was interesting-after
reading All This and Heaven Too
she had learned that the English
author who wrote under the pseudo
nym of Joseph Shearing had pub
lished, several years before, another
fictionized version of the Praslin
murder, and Elizabeth was well
enough acquainted with the sinister
Shearing heroines to be sure that
the governesS as portrayed here
would not be a fit companion for
anybody's children. She had not been
disappointed. Having begun an evil
career on page one, the damsel was
now behaving most wickedly, de-
mure in her bonnet and shawl while
she dreamed up yet more sins. Alb
sorbed in the lady's beruffled iniq-
uity, she was annoyed when she
heard the buzz of her telephone. This
phone was not connected with the
others in the house and it's number
was known only to her best friends,
so the call could be for nobody
but herself. She pulled her attention
out of the book, put her cigarette into
the ashtray and reached reluctantly
for the phone. Spratt's voice greet
ed her.
Elizabeth, are we having any,
body to dinner tomorrow night?"
mo, do you want to bring in
somebody's"
"Kessler. I've just been talking
to him. He's got an idea for clear
ing up this story. So don't have any
body else around. want to 60 into
it with him after dinner
"All right, tell him tomorrow at
seven-thirty. Has he got Hollywood
ulcers, or can he eat anything?"
He can eat anything, so far as
know, but remember what l told
you-only one hand Have some
thing that won't be too awkward"
"Oh yes, I'm glad you reminded
me. Soup to start with, and what
about chicken patties? Then he
won't have to use a knife and fork at
once"
Sounds fine to me-"
"And one thing more-has he got
wife or anything that I should call
up and invite with him?"
mo wife-come to think of it,
though, l did hear him mention a
daughter, but l don't know how old
she is. IN find out if she's grown
and let you know. You'd better tell
Dick to stay around and take her
out of the way after dinner so kess-
Ter and 1 can talk"
"Oh DEAR" exclaimed Elizabeth,
ooh dear. Does the girl speak Eng
Esh?"
I've no idea," Spratt laughed
penitently. Tell him my heart
bleeds for him, but this is the way
l make a living for my family and
there's no way out"
YOU'D better start your heart
bleeding for me. I'm the one who'll
have to break the news to him. All
right, III do my best, dinner, Dick
and everything"
81 know you will. I've got to go
now, three people waiting for me-
Thanks" said Spratt, and hung up.
Elizabeth screwed up her face as
she reached for her desk calendar
to make note of tomorroW's din
ner. She did not mind it, for she
was used to entertaining Spratt's
colleagues, but she felt sorry for
Dick. He could take the girl to a
show, if she understood the language
well enough. She ought to, Spratt
had said something at lunch about
Kessler's having been two or three
years in this country. Elizabeth
hoped Miss Kessler would at least
be pretty. Flipping the leaves of the
calendar, she tried to remember
what the date was. Sunday, Mon
day, Tuesday-today was Monday,
so here was the page for tomorrow,
blank but for note reminding her
self of an appointment with the hair
dresser. She was scribbling "Kess-
Ter to dinner $780," when the date
at the bottom of the page leaped up
at her, and struck her and glared
at her and made her start backward
to put the calendar down quickly,
but she could still see the date and
she put her arm over her eyes as
though by doing that she could shut
it out of sight of her mind. October
6, 1912. Her imagination was max
ing such fierce effort to adjust it.
self that even with her eyes covered