By the Pricking of My Thumbs - Agatha Christie [91]
‘You mean Mrs Johnson or Miss Bligh–whichever you call her–’
‘Well, of course, she’s always Nellie Bligh to me. But for some reason or other–to facilitate things, she says–she calls herself Mrs Johnson now and then. But she’s never been married, you know. Oh no. She’s a regular spinster.’
A sound of knocking came to them from below.
‘Dear me,’ said Mrs Lancaster, ‘that must be the Perrys back again. I’d no idea they were going to be back so soon.’
The knocking went on.
‘Perhapswe ought to let them in,’ suggested Tuppence.
‘No, dear, we won’t do that,’ said Mrs Lancaster. ‘I can’t stand people always interfering. We’re having such a nice little talk up here, aren’t we? I think we’ll just stay up here–oh dear, now they’re calling under the window. Just look out and see who it is.’
Tuppence went to the window.
‘It’s Mr Perry,’ she said.
From below, Mr Perry shouted,
‘Julia! Julia!’
‘Impertinence,’ said Mrs Lancaster. ‘I don’t allow people like Amos Perry to call me by my Christian name. No, indeed. Don’t worry, dear,’ she added, ‘we’re quite safe here. And we can have a nice little talk. I’ll tell you all about myself–I’ve really had a very interesting life–Eventful–Sometimes I think I ought to write it down. I was mixed up, you see. I was a wild girl, and I was mixed up with–well, really just a common gang of criminals. No other word for it. Some of them very undesirable people. Mind you, there were nice people among them. Quite good class.’
‘Miss Bligh?’
‘No, no, Miss Bligh never had anything to do with crime. Not Nellie Bligh. Oh no, she’s very churchy, you know. Religious. All that. But there are different ways of religion. Perhaps you know that, do you?’
‘I suppose there are a lot of different sects,’ Tuppence suggested.
‘Yes, there have to be, for ordinary people. But there are others besides ordinary people. There are some special ones, under special commands. There are special legions. Do you understand what I mean, my dear?’
‘I don’t think I do,’ said Tuppence. ‘Don’t you think we ought to let the Perrys into their own house? They’re getting rather upset–’
‘No, we’re not going to let the Perrys in. Not till–well, not till I’ve told you all about it. You mustn’t be frightened, my dear. It’s all quite–quite natural, quite harmless. There’s no pain of any kind. It’ll be just like going to sleep. Nothing worse.’
Tuppence stared at her, then she jumped up and went towards the door in the wall.
‘You can’t get out that way,’ said Mrs Lancaster. ‘You don’t know where the catch is. It’s not where you think it is at all. Only I know that. I know all the secrets of this place. I lived here with the criminals when I was a girl until I went away from them all and got salvation. Special salvation. That’s what was given to me–to expiate my sin–The child, you know–I killed it. I was a dancer–I didn’t want a child–Over there, on the wall–that’s my picture–as a dancer–’
Tuppence followed the pointing finger. On the wall hung an oil painting, full length, of a girl in a costume of white satin leaves with the legend ‘Waterlily’.
‘Waterlily was one of my best roles. Everyone said so.’
Tuppence came back slowly and sat down. She stared at Mrs Lancaster. As she did so words repeated in her head. Words heard at Sunny Ridge. ‘Was it your poor child?’ She had been frightened then, frightened. She was frightened now. She was as yet not quite sure what she was frightened of, but the same fear was there. Looking at that benignant face, that kindly smile.
‘I had to obey the commands given me–There have to be agents of destruction. I was appointed to that. I accepted my appointment. They go free of sin, you see. I mean, the children went free of sin. They were not old enough to sin. So I sent them to Glory as I was appointed to do. Still innocent. Still not knowing evil. You can see what a great honour it was to be chosen. To be one of the specially chosen. I always loved children. I had none of my own. That was very cruel, wasn’t it, or it seemed cruel. But it was retribution really for what