Postern of Fate by Agatha Christie Read Free Book Online Page A

nowadays because everything is so odd in shops. The prices are odd and everything is difficult. But if I were you and you want to pay something extra, well perhaps you'd better give the money to what's-her-name - Gladys something. She can put the money in the till or somewhere.'
    'Oh well, I don't know as I'd like to do that because she might keep it, you see. I mean, if she kept the money, oh well, I mean it wouldn't be difficult would it, because I suppose I've stolen the money and I wouldn't have stolen it really. I mean, then it would have been Gladys who stole it, wouldn't it, and I don't know that I trust her all that much. Oh dear.'
    'Yes' said Tuppence, 'life is very difficult, isn't it? I'm terribly sorry, Beatrice, but I really think you've got to make up your own mind about this. If you can't trust your friend -'
    'Oh, she's not exactly a friend. I only buy things there. And she's ever so nice to talk to. But I mean, well, she's not exactly a friend, you know. I think she had a little trouble once before the last place she was in. You know, they said she kept back money on something she'd sold.'
    'Well in that case,' said Tuppence, in slight desperation, 'I shouldn't do anything.'
    The firmness of her tone was such that Hannibal came into the consultation. He barked loudly at Beatrice and took a running leap at the Hoover which he considered one of his principal enemies. 'I don't trust that Hoover,' said Hannibal. 'I'd like to bite it up.'
    'Oh, be quiet, Hannibal. Stop barking. Don't bite anything or anyone,' said Tuppence. 'I'm going to be awfully late.'
    She rushed out of the house.
    'Problems,' said Tuppence, as she went down the lull and along Orchard Road. Going along there, she wondered as she'd done before if there'd ever been an orchard attached to any of the houses. It seemed unlikely nowadays.
    Mrs Barber received her with great pleasure. She brought forward some very delicious-looking éclairs.
    'What lovely things,' said Tuppence. 'Did you get them at Betterby's?'
    Betterby's was the local confectionery shop.
    'Oh no, my aunt made them. She's wonderful, you know. She does wonderful things.'
    'Éclairs are very difficult things to make,' said Tuppence. 'I could never succeed with them.'
    'Well, you have to get a particular kind of flour. I believe that's the secret of it.'
    The ladies drank coffee and talked about the difficulties of certain kinds of home cookery.
    'Miss Bolland was talking about you the other day, Mrs Beresford.'
    'Oh?' said Tuppence. 'Really? Bolland?'
    'She lives next to the vicarage. Her family has lived here a long time. She was telling us the other day how she'd come and stayed here when she was a child. She used to look forward to it. She said, because there were such wonderful gooseberries in the garden. And greengage trees too. Now that's a thing you practically never see nowadays, not real greengages. Something else called gage plums or something, but they're not a bit the same to taste.'
    The ladies talked about things in the fruit line which did not taste like the things used to, which they remembered from their childhood.
    'My great-uncle had greengage trees,' said Tuppence.
    'Oh yes. Is that the one who was a canon at Anchester? Canon Henderson used to live here, with his sister, I believe. Very sad it was. She was eating seed cake one day, you know, and one of the seeds got the wrong way. Something like that and she choked and she choked and she choked and she died of it. Oh dear, that's very sad, isn't it?' said Mrs Barber. 'Very sad indeed. One of my cousins died choking,' she said. 'A piece of mutton. It's very easy to do, I believe, and there are people who die of hiccups because they can't stop, you know. They don't know the old rhyme,' she explained. 'Hic-up, hic-down, hic to the next town, three hics and one cup sure to cure the hiccups. You have to hold your breath while you say it.'

Postern of Fate

Chapter 7
    MORE PROBLEMS
    'Can I speak to you a moment,