Silence in Court (11 page)

“Meaning Miss Silence, or Mrs. Maquisten?”

“Mrs. Maquisten. But it wasn't just an ordinary whisper—she sounded as if she was choking with rage. And I couldn't be sure what she said, but it was something about being deceived—and Miss Silence was saying, ‘Please, Cousin Honoria,' and that sort of thing, trying to soothe her down. And the next thing I really heard was Mrs. Maquisten, very angry indeed, saying Miss Silence was to ring up Mr. Aylwin at once, and he was to come round and bring her will because she was going to alter it. Mr. Aylwin is her solicitor, and some sort of a relation as well. She's made quite a lot of wills since I've been here—she's always changing them.”

“And what did Miss Silence say?”

She kept on trying to soothe her, which was quite the wrong way with Mrs. Maquisten. She'd had her own way all her life, and it wasn't any good trying to stop her—I could have told Miss Silence that. She only made her a great deal worse. She said, ‘Ring him up and say he's to come round at once and bring my will—the last one.' Miss Silence said, ‘But, Cousin Honoria—' and Mrs. Maquisten fairly raged at her. She said she'd been deceived, and deceit was what she wouldn't put up with and wouldn't forgive, and Mr. Aylwin must come round at once, because she was going to alter her will.”

McGillivray made the Scottish sound which is usually written “Imphm.”

“And was it Miss Silence she was accusing of deceit?”

“I couldn't say, I'm sure.”

“From the way the conversation went, it might have been Miss Silence?”

“I suppose it might. She was so angry you couldn't tell.”

“Ye couldn't tell whether the anger was directed against Miss Silence?”

“Well, I wouldn't like to say. Mrs. Maquisten had a very violent temper. She went on saying she had been deceived, and Miss Silence was to ring up Mr. Aylwin. And Miss Silence kept trying to put her off, which I didn't think at all wise of her, because the more she tried to stop her, the more excited Mrs. Maquisten got.”

“Imphm. Miss Silence tried to stop her sending for Mr. Aylwin—ye're definite about that?”

“Oh, yes. And I was just thinking that I should have to go in, when Mrs. Maquisten shouted out in a tremendous voice, ‘I won't put up with deceit, and I won't put up with disobedience, Carey! Either you ring Mr. Aylwin up at once, or I send for Magda to do it! You needn't think you can stop me, and you needn't think you can make me change my mind!' Then Miss Silence rang up, and Mr. Aylwin was up in Scotland, so Mrs. Maquisten said Mr. Hood, his managing clerk, was to come. And he came round at half past three and was with her for about half an hour.”

“Imphm. And was the door still that wee bit open whilst Mr. Hood was there?”

Magda's calm was unruffled. “No. She sent me out to change her library book, and she told me to shut the door.”

“Mr. Hood was there at the time?”

“Yes.”

“And when ye came back?”

“He was still there, but he went away soon afterwards.”

“And the door was still shut?”

“Yes.”

“And after Mr. Hood was gone?”

“I went in to her, but she didn't say anything. Mrs. Hull had tea with her, and afterwards Miss King came home, and she saw her too. I didn't hear anything that passed between them. Mr. Harland came home last about six o'clock and stayed about half an hour. But they weren't talking all the time—I mean they weren't alone, because I thought I had better go in and say that of course I shouldn't be taking my evening off as Mrs. Maquisten was so upset. But she was very angry about that, so in the end I thought it best to give way. You see, that old maid of hers would be there and as Mr. Harland said, there was no reason why Ellen shouldn't give her her sleeping-draught if I put it all ready.”

“Was she in the habit of taking a sleeping-draught?”

“Oh, no. But Dr. Adams thought it advisable if she had been overexcited, so I thought I would leave it all ready. The tabloids had to be dissolved for her.”

“How many?”

“Just one as a rule, but if she didn't get off by eleven or so, I would give her another.”

“Then it was one tabloid ye dissolved and left for her?”

“Yes.”

“And then ye went out? What time would that be?”

Magda took a moment.

“I think about seven o'clock. Mr. Harland was with her till half past six, and then I had to change.”

“And what time was it when ye came in?”

“Half past ten. I passed Miss Silence on the stairs.”

“Did ye go in to Mrs. Maquisten at all?”

“I went into my own room, and through the bathroom to listen at the bedroom door. I could tell by her breathing that she was asleep, so I shut the door and came away. I didn't go in. The medicine-glass had been washed and put back on the bathroom shelf. I went to bed. Next morning at half past seven Ellen Bridling came in and said she had taken up Mrs. Maquisten's tea as usual, but she didn't seem to wake up. So I went in in a hurry and found her dead.”

“Imphm. Now about this medicine-glass, Nurse. Ye dissolved one tabloid?”

“Yes—one.”

“In how much water?”

“About a third of a glass. She took it filled up with coffee and a dash of brandy.”

“And ye left it where?”

“In the bathroom, on the shelf over the wash-basin.”

He leaned forward, reddish-grey eyebrows drawn together over bright blue eyes.

“And where did ye leave the tabloids?”

“In the glass-fronted cupboard over the shelf.”

“Would this be the bottle?”

The small flat bottle lay on the table between them. The top left-hand corner of the label had been torn off. The bottle was nearly empty. Magda looked at it.

“Yes—that's the one.”

“Take it up in yer hand! Take a look at it! Did ye notice the number of tabloids when you took out the one ye dissolved?”

Magda picked up the bottle and turned it over. There were only three tabloids in it. She said without any expression in her voice, “There were certainly more than that.”

“Could ye say how many more?”

She said steadily, “I tilted out three on my hand and took one of them. There were quite a few left in the bottle—there must have been eight or nine altogether.”

“Sure of that, Nurse?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Ye'd swear to it?”

Magda said, “Yes.”

“Imphm.… There's just one thing more. Ye didn't happen to wipe the bottle when ye put it away?”

“No—why should I?”

“I can't tell ye that. But somebody wiped it—clean as a whistle. Not a fingermarrk on it. Sure it wasn't you?”

Magda looked at him coldly.

“Quite sure.”

The sharp blue look dwelt on her for a minute before he let her go. Left alone he transferred it to the bottle lying there on the blotting-pad. After a moment he once more repeated the old Scotch word.

“Imphm.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

McGillivary went on with his interviewing. He saw Robert Maquisten, correct, concerned, a little stiff, a little with the air of having to remind himself that these questions about family affairs were put with the voice of authority, and that it behoved him as a good citizen to answer them.

Actually, he seemed to have very little to contribute. He had dropped in to see his aunt at tea-time on Sunday the 15th. His cousins were there, and Miss Silence. There was no sign of friction or strain. He went away soon after five o'clock. That was the last time he saw Mrs. Maquisten alive. He did not visit the house at all on Monday the 16th. Mr. Harland rang up at about nine o'clock on Tuesday morning and informed him that their aunt had died in her sleep. Questioned as to Mrs. Maquisten's propensity for altering her will, he replied that no one in the family took it very seriously. There was a touch of dignity in his manner as he added that they were all convinced of her affection and her desire to benefit them.

“Any alterations or readjustments that she may have made from time to time were not, I think, taken seriously by any of us.”

McGillivary asked whether he was aware of the provisions of the latest will. There was no hesitation about the reply.

“Not in detail. I believe Mr. Aylwin and I are executors. She has not, as far as I know, made any change in that for some years now. I know that she wished to make a bequest to Miss Silence, and I suppose that she has done so.”

“Do ye know the amount of the bequest?”

“No, but it would be substantial. My aunt was warmhearted and impulsive, and she had taken a great fancy to Miss Silence.”

McGillivray let him go.

He saw Dennis Harland, Nora Hull, Honor King, and Carey Silence—in that order. Each assured him separately that Mrs. Maquisten had given no clue as to the authorship of the letter she had received or the identity of the person whom that letter accused. All agreed that she was in great anger and disturbance of mind. All admitted to knowing that they were legatees under a will executed only a week before.

He took each of them through his or her movements during the afternoon and evening of the 16th.

Mr. Harland lunched out in company with Miss Silence, returned at 6 o'clock, had half an hour with Mrs. Maquisten, and an hour in the study with Miss Silence. At half past seven he went to his room to change, coming down to the study again at 8 o'clock. Dinner was a little late, as they waited for Mrs. Hull. After dinner, at Mrs. Maquisten's request, they went up to have coffee in her room, Mrs. Hull and Miss King going up to their bedrooms first and Mr. Harland visiting the cloakroom. Miss Silence was the first to reach Mrs. Maquisten's' room, where she found the coffee-tray set and Ellen Bridling in attendance.

Mrs. Hull, who had been out driving for General Ferguson, came in at half past four, spent twenty minutes with her aunt, during which time they both had tea, and then went out again to drive the General to an engagement in the country, returning at eight o'clock, when she went in to dinner with the rest of the party. On receiving Mrs. Maquisten's summons she decided to change, as her aunt greatly disliked seeing her in uniform. She told Miss King that she had better change also, and the two of them went upstairs together. Their bedrooms are next door to each other. They went up together, but Miss King was ready first and came down alone.

Miss King came back from packing parcels for prisoners of war at about a quarter past five. She was told that Mrs. Maquisten wished to see her and went straight up to her room. She was there a much shorter time than any of the others, her own account being that she found her aunt very angry and excited, and that she got away as soon as she could. Mrs. Maquisten did not say why she was angry, only vague things about being deceived and altering her will. After she left her aunt she went up to her own room and stayed there until just before dinner. Ellen Bridling was with Honor King from half past seven to eight o'clock. After dinner she went upstairs with Mrs. Hull to change her dress, the latter having pointed out that their aunt greatly disliked the one she was wearing. Their bedrooms are next door to each other. She was ready first, so came down alone. Ellen Bridling was on the landing. They walked along the corridor together.

Miss Silence lunched with Mr. Harland and returned home at half past two. Her account of her interview with Mrs. Maquisten does not differ materially from that given by Nurse Brayle. She, however, denies emphatically that Mrs. Maquisten accused her of deceit. She admits that her cousin was very angry, but says that this anger was caused by her reluctance to ring up Mr. Aylwin. She explains this reluctance by saying that Mrs. Maquisten was very much excited, that she thought this excitement was bad for her, and she hoped that with a little more time for reflection the whole thing might blow over. She asseverates that she had no idea as to the identity of the person who was to be cut out of the will. On leaving the bedroom she went up to her room to take off her outdoor things, and afterwards to the study, where she remained until half past seven, Mr. Harland being there with her from half past six onwards. At half past seven she went to her room to change. She dined with the others, left the table after Mrs. Hull and Miss King, and preceded Mr. Harland to Mrs. Maquisten's room.

All these four persons give the same description of what happened after they had assembled in Mrs. Maquisten's room. Ellen was rung for and told to fetch the sleeping-draught. She is a privileged person, and she was in a bad temper. She refused, saying she didn't hold with sleeping-draughts and offering a hop pillow instead. She finally said, “Why don't you ask Miss Carey or Miss Nora?” (Mrs. Hull), whereupon Mrs. Maquisten sent Carey Silence for the draught and Ellen left the room. Mr. Harland, Mrs. Hull, and Miss King agree that Miss Silence went through the communicating door into the bathroom and came back without any delay at all. They say, and Miss Silence agrees, that the medicine-glass she brought back with her was more than half full. Nurse Brayle affirms that she dissolved one tabloid and left the glass not more than one-third full. Something, then, had been added to it. Mrs. Maquisten directed Miss Silence to take the glass to Miss King to be filled up with coffee, milk and sugar. She then added a dash of brandy herself from a flask brought to her by Miss Silence from the table beside her bed. After drinking the mixture she asked for and drank a cup of coffee with milk, sugar and a dash of brandy in it. She then informed her relatives that she expected them all to attend upon her next day at a quarter to two, when Mr. Hood would be bringing her the draft of her new will. She informed them that she would have something to say to them before she signed it, that this will was to be final, and that she intended to fill in the names and certain details upon the draft, and to sign it without waiting for Mr. Aylwin's return, adding that neither he nor anyone else would turn her from her purpose. She then dismissed them, telling Mrs. Hull to send Ellen in to put her to bed.