Postern of Fate (Tommy and Tuppence Series) - Agatha Christie [83]
‘Morning, missus,’ said Clarence. ‘Come to see if I could be any help.’
‘Well,’ said Tuppence, ‘of course we do want help in the garden. I believe you used to help Isaac at one time.’
‘Ah well, now and again I did. Not that I know very much. Don’t say that Isaac knew much neither. Lot of talk with him, lot of talking saying what a wonderful time he used to have. What a wonderful time it was for the people who employed him. Yes, he used to say he was the head gardener to Mr Bolingo. You know, as lives farther along the river. Great big house. Yes, it’s turned into a school now. Head gardener there, he said he used to be. But my grandmother says there isn’t a word of truth in that.’
‘Well, never mind,’ said Tuppence. ‘Actually, I wanted to turn a few more things out of that little greenhouse place.’
‘What d’you mean the shed, the glass shed? KK, isn’t it?’
‘Quite right,’ said Tuppence. ‘Fancy your knowing the proper name of it.’
‘Oh well, it was always used to be called that. Everybody says so. They say it’s Japanese. I don’t know if that’s true.’
‘Come on,’ said Tuppence. ‘Let’s go there.’
A procession formed consisting of Tommy, Tuppence, Hannibal, the dog, with Albert abandoning the washing up of breakfast for something more interesting bringing up the rear. Hannibal displayed a great deal of pleasure after attending to all the useful smells in the neighbourhood. He rejoined them at the door of KK and sniffed in an interested manner.
‘Hullo, Hannibal,’ said Tuppence, ‘are you going to help us? You tell us something.’
‘What kind of a dog is he?’ asked Clarence. ‘Somebody said as he is the kind of dog they used to keep for rats. Is that so?’
‘Yes, that’s quite true,’ said Tommy. ‘He’s a Manchester Terrier, an old English Black and Tan.’
Hannibal, knowing he was being talked about, turned his head, waggled his body, beat his tail with a good deal of exuberance. He then sat down and looked proud of himself.
‘He bites, doesn’t he?’ said Clarence. ‘Everyone says so.’
‘He’s a very good guard dog,’ said Tuppence. ‘He looks after me.’
‘That’s quite right. When I’m away he looks after you,’ said Tommy.
‘The postman said he nearly got bitten four days age.’
‘Dogs are rather like that with postmen,’ said Tuppence. ‘Do you know where the key of KK is?’
‘I do,’ said Clarence. ‘Hanging up in the shed. You know, the shed where the flower-pots are.’
He went off and returned shortly with the once rusty but now more or less oiled key.
‘Been oiling this key, Isaac must have,’ he said.
‘Yes, it wouldn’t turn very easily before,’ said Tuppence.
The door was opened.
The Cambridge china stool with the swan wreathed round it was looking rather handsome. Obviously Isaac had polished it up and washed it, with the idea of transferring it to the veranda when the weather was suitable for sitting out.
‘Ought to be a dark blue one too,’ said Clarence. ‘Isaac used to say Oxford and Cambridge.’
‘Is that true?’
‘Yes. Dark blue Oxford and pale blue Cambridge. Oh, and Oxford was the one that smashed, was it?’
‘Yes. Rather like the boat race, isn’t it?’
‘By the way, something’s happened to that rocking-horse, hasn’t it? There’s a lot of mess about in KK.’
‘Yes.’
‘Funny name like Matilda, hasn’t she?’
‘Yes. She had to have an operation,’ said Tuppence.
Clarence seemed to think this very amusing. He laughed heartily.
‘My Great-Aunt Edith had to have an operation,’ he said. ‘Took out part of her inside but she got well.’
He sounded slightly disappointed.
‘I suppose there’s no real way of getting inside these things,’ said Tuppence.
‘Well, I suppose you can smash them like the dark blue one was smashed.’
‘Yes. There’s no other way, is there? Funny those sort of S-kind of slits around the top. Why, you could post things in there, couldn’t you, like a post box.’
‘Yes,’ said Tommy, ‘one could. It’s an interesting idea. Very interesting, Clarence,’ he said kindly.
Clarence looked pleased.
‘You can unscrew ’em, you know,’ he said.
‘Unscrew