Nemesis - Agatha Christie [42]
‘An accident?’ Miss Marple stared. ‘You mean — to the coach? There has been an accident on the road? Someone has been hurt?’
‘No. No, it was not the coach. There was no trouble there. It was in the course of the expedition yesterday afternoon. There was a great deal of wind you may remember, though I don’t think that had anything to do with it. People strayed about a bit, I think. There is a regular path, but you can also climb up and go across the downs. Both ways lead to the Memorial Tower on the top of Bonaventure — where they were all making for. People got separated a bit and I suppose, really, there was no one actually guiding them or looking after them which, perhaps, there ought to have been. People aren’t very sure-footed always and the slope overhanging the gorge is very steep. There was a bad fall of stones or rocks which came crashing down the hillside and knocked someone out on the path below.’
‘Oh dear,’ said Miss Marple, ‘I am sorry. I am most terribly sorry. Who was it who was hurt?’
‘A Miss Temple or Tenderdon, I understand.’
‘Elizabeth Temple,’ said Miss Marple. ‘Oh dear, I am sorry. I talked to her a good deal. I sat in the next seat to her on the coach. She is, I believe, a retired school-mistress, a very well known one.’
‘Of course,’ said Clotilde, ‘I know her quite well. She was Headmistress of Fallowfield, quite a famous school. I’d no idea she was on this tour. She retired as Headmistress, I think a year or two ago, and there is a new, rather young Headmistress there now with rather advanced progressive ideas. But Miss Temple is not very old, really, she’s about sixty, I should think, and very active, fond of climbing and walking and all the rest of it. This really seems most unfortunate. I hope she’s not badly hurt. I haven’t heard any details yet.’
‘This is quite ready now,’ said Miss Marple, snapping down the lid of her suitcase. ‘I will come down at once and see Mr Price.’
Clotilde seized the suitcase.
‘Let me. I can carry this perfectly. Come down with me, and be careful of the stairs.’
Miss Marple came down. Emlyn Price was waiting for her. His hair was looking even wilder than usual and he was wearing a splendid array of fancy boots and a leather jerkin and brilliant emerald green trousers.
‘Such an unfortunate business,’ he said, seizing Miss Marple’s hand. ‘I thought I’d come along myself and — well, break it to you about the accident. I expect Miss Bradbury-Scott has told you. It’s Miss Temple. You know. The school dame. I don’t know quite what she was doing or what happened, but some stones, or rather boulders, rolled down from above. It’s rather a precipitous slope and it knocked her out and they had to take her off to hospital with concussion last night. I gather she’s rather bad. Anyway, the tour for today is cancelled and we are stopping on here tonight.’
‘Oh dear,’ said Miss Marple, ‘I am sorry. I’m very sorry.’
‘I think they’ve decided not to go on today because they really have to wait and see what the medical report is, so we are proposing to spend one more night here at the Golden Boar and to rearrange the tour a little, so that perhaps we shall miss out altogether going to Grangmering which we were going to do tomorrow, and which is not very interesting really, or so they say. Mrs Sandbourne has gone off early to the hospital to see how things are this morning. She’s going to join us at the Golden Boar for coffee at 11 o’clock. I thought perhaps you’d like to come along and hear the latest news.’
‘I’ll certainly come along with you,’ said Miss Marple. ‘Of course. At once.’
She turned to say goodbye to Clotilde and Mrs Glynne who had joined her.
‘I must thank you so much,’ she said. ‘You have been so kind and it has been so delightful to have these two nights here. I feel so rested and everything. Most unfortunate this has occurred.’
‘If you would like to spend another night,’ said Mrs Glynne, ‘I am sure — ’ She looked at Clotilde.
It occurred to Miss Marple, who had as sharp a sideways glance as anyone could desire, that Clotilde had a slightly disapproving