|
|
|
|
|
|
The general paused half-way up, turned around, and bellowed down the hill, "Harriet, tell one of the maids to send a man for the police and a doctor." Then he came up the rest of the way and glared around. "Heard the gun go off." He spotted it in Peter's hand. "Damn fool," he growled, "give that thing to me to clean. Hurry up. You want the police to see you carrying it?'' |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"You knew too?" Linda gasped. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"Poor child," the general said more gently, "what a shock you've had. Take her back to the house and get her a drink, Peter. Here, give me that gun." He took it from Peter's nerveless fingers. "You'd better have a drink yourself." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"I should have stayed in the gazebo," Peter repeated dully. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"Now don't you be a fool, young man," the General boomed. "She was gettin' worse and worse. If she had hurt you, she would have had to be locked up. This is better. I was gettin' damned worried, I can tell you." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"I would never have locked her up," Peter said, "no matter what. For years she was so wonderful. When I first came to England, you don't know how wonderful she was. So she had a stroke six months agoso she got a little queer. I couldn't have locked her up like a mad dog." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"Know Emmeline a good deal longer than you do," General Barthemeles said harshly. "Know what she did for me when m'wife was dyin' by inches. My memory's no shorter than yours, so I was willin' to keep my mouth shut and watch |
|
|
|
|
|