Nemesis - Agatha Christie [40]
‘I hope they didn’t take away anything of particular interest.’
‘No, I don’t think so. It’s not really a very old church.’
‘There did not seem to be many tablets or brasses or anything of that kind,’ agreed Miss Marple.
‘You are quite interested in ecclesiastical architecture?’
‘Oh, I don’t make a study of it or anything like that, but of course in my own village, St Mary Mead, things do rather revolve round the church. I mean, they always have. In my young days, that was so. Nowadays of course it’s rather different. Were you brought up in this neighbourhood?’
‘Oh, not really. We lived not very far away, about thirty miles or so. At Little Herdsley. My father was a retired serviceman — a Major in the Artillery. We came over here occasionally to see my uncle — indeed to see my great-uncle before him. No. I’ve not even been here very much of late years. My other two sisters moved in after my uncle’s death, but at that time I was still abroad with my husband. He only died about four or five years ago.’
‘Oh, I see.’
‘They were anxious I should come and join them here and really, it seemed the best thing to do. We had lived in India for some years. My husband was still stationed there at the time of his death. It is very difficult nowadays to know where one would wish to — should I say, put one’s roots down.’
‘Yes, indeed. I can quite see that. And you felt, of course, that you had roots here since your family had been here for a long time.’
‘Yes. Yes, one did feel that. Of course, I’d always kept up with my sisters, had been to visit them. But things are always very different from what one thinks they will be. I have bought a small cottage near London, near Hampton Court, where I spend a good deal of my time, and I do a little occasional work for one or two charities in London.’
‘So your time is fully occupied. How wise of you.’
‘I have felt of late that I should spend more time here, perhaps. I’ve been a little worried about my sisters.’
‘Their health?’ suggested Miss Marple. ‘One is rather worried nowadays, especially as there is not really anyone competent whom one can employ to look after people as they become rather feebler or have certain ailments. So much rheumatism and arthritis about. One is always so afraid of people falling down in the bath or an accident coming down stairs. Something of that kind.’
‘Clotilde has always been very strong,’ said Mrs Glynne. ‘Tough, I should describe her. But I am rather worried sometimes about Anthea. She is vague, you know, very vague indeed. And she wanders off sometimes — and doesn’t seem to know where she is.’
‘Yes, it is sad when people worry. There is so much to worry one.’
‘I don’t really think there is much to worry Anthea.’
‘She worries about income tax, perhaps, money affairs,’ suggested Miss Marple.
‘No, no, not that so much but — oh, she worries so much about the garden. She remembers the garden as it used to be, and she’s very anxious, you know, to — well, to spend money in putting things right again. Clotilde has had to tell her that really one can’t afford that nowadays. But she keeps talking of the hot-houses, the peaches that used to be there. The grapes — and all that.’
‘And the Cherry Pie on the walls?’ suggested Miss Marple, remembering a remark.
‘Fancy your remembering that. Yes. Yes, it’s one of the things one does remember. Such a charming smell, heliotrope. And such a nice name for it, Cherry Pie. One always remembers that. And the grapevine. The little, small, early sweet grapes. Ah well, one must not remember the past too much.’
‘And the flower borders too, I suppose,’ said Miss Marple.
‘Yes. Yes, Anthea would like to have a big well kept herbaceous border again. Really not feasible now. It is as much as one can do to get local people who will come and mow the lawns every fortnight. Every year one seems to employ a different firm. And Anthea would like pampas grass planted again. And the Mrs Simpkin pinks. White, you know. All