Doctor," he said. "It's about this girl Urchin,
of course. Mr Faberdown won't let the matter rest. I've been trying
to work out some means of passing it off lightly, with the help of Dr
Holinshed here. But . . ."
"Are you going to prefer charges against the girl?"
"I don't see much alternative," Hofford sighed.
Holinshed broke in, his voice brittle. "Inspector Hofford is prepared
to co-operate in every possible way, but apparently it's largely up to
us. As I understand it, the tidiest course is to certify the girl unfit
to plead."
"Except," Hofford murmured, "that when we spoke before, Doctor, you gave
me the impression you thought she might have been . . . ah . . . temporarily
upset by attempted rape, rather than mentally deranged, in which case
the whole affair takes on a different complexion."
"Is Faberdown sticking to his story?" Paul asked.
"Like a leech, sir," Hofford grunted. "And I gather you haven't yet
found an interpreter to tell us the girl's side of it, so she's in no
position to contradict him, is she?"
Paul turned over the alternatives in his mind.
-- Well, it would certainly be cruel to put her on show in a public
court, which is what I suppose it would come to. But there's something
so dreadfully final about the piece of paper which sets it down in
black and white: so-and-so is clinically insane. It revolts me. Mirza
is right. Even the worst of our patients remains a little bit sane.
"Inspector, is this very urgent?" he inquired.
"Of course we'd like to clear the whole business up as quickly as we can,
but . . . well, no, not what you'd call urgent. Mr Faberdown is still in
the hospital himself and certainly won't be out until after the weekend,
and I take it the girl will remain here."
Holinshed coughed gently. "You sound worried, Fidler. May I know the reason?"
"Frankly, sir, I wouldn't be prepared to certify her unfit. I honestly
don't think anyone could."
"But I gather from Matron that she's been behaving in a hr'm! --
disorderly manner in the ward today."
-- What was I thinking earlier about lunatics making their own version
of truth? Why specify lunatics?
"The way it was reported to me, sir, she was in fact attacked by another
patient, and the nurse stated she made no attempt to retaliate. Matron
insisted that I sedate her, but I refused."
-- Oh-oh. I think I just went a step too far.
A frigid light gleamed in Holinshed's eyes. "If I follow you correctly,
you're implying that she's a miserable victim of circumstances and
the salesman despite his denials is the one who should be arraigned
in court. Now this," he continued, raising a hand to forestall
Paul's indignant interruption, "strikes me as a highly speculative
standpoint. Where are the traces of this attempted rape? I didn't find
them in the admission report. And in any case, according to Inspector
Hofford, this leads to enormous complications."
"Well, yes," the latter agreed. "To take the worst aspect of the problem,
she's presumably an alien, and once we try to establish what a foreigner
is doing wandering around a Shropshire wood without clothes, let alone
identification, we get mixed up with the immigration authorities, the
Home Office, and lord knows who."
"Have you checked with Missing Persons?"
"That's one of the reasons I called here today. I'd like to arrange for
a photograph of her."
"Well, she's going to Blickham General tomorrow for a head X-ray. They
have an arrangement with a local photographer; I can probably organise
it through them."
"I'd be much obliged," Hofford said, and made to rise. "I think that's
as far as we can take matters today then, Dr Holinshed," he added.
"Just a moment," Holinshed put in, eyes on Paul. "Does Dr Alsop share
your view that the girl is actually normal, Fidler?"
"That's not what
of course. Mr Faberdown won't let the matter rest. I've been trying
to work out some means of passing it off lightly, with the help of Dr
Holinshed here. But . . ."
"Are you going to prefer charges against the girl?"
"I don't see much alternative," Hofford sighed.
Holinshed broke in, his voice brittle. "Inspector Hofford is prepared
to co-operate in every possible way, but apparently it's largely up to
us. As I understand it, the tidiest course is to certify the girl unfit
to plead."
"Except," Hofford murmured, "that when we spoke before, Doctor, you gave
me the impression you thought she might have been . . . ah . . . temporarily
upset by attempted rape, rather than mentally deranged, in which case
the whole affair takes on a different complexion."
"Is Faberdown sticking to his story?" Paul asked.
"Like a leech, sir," Hofford grunted. "And I gather you haven't yet
found an interpreter to tell us the girl's side of it, so she's in no
position to contradict him, is she?"
Paul turned over the alternatives in his mind.
-- Well, it would certainly be cruel to put her on show in a public
court, which is what I suppose it would come to. But there's something
so dreadfully final about the piece of paper which sets it down in
black and white: so-and-so is clinically insane. It revolts me. Mirza
is right. Even the worst of our patients remains a little bit sane.
"Inspector, is this very urgent?" he inquired.
"Of course we'd like to clear the whole business up as quickly as we can,
but . . . well, no, not what you'd call urgent. Mr Faberdown is still in
the hospital himself and certainly won't be out until after the weekend,
and I take it the girl will remain here."
Holinshed coughed gently. "You sound worried, Fidler. May I know the reason?"
"Frankly, sir, I wouldn't be prepared to certify her unfit. I honestly
don't think anyone could."
"But I gather from Matron that she's been behaving in a hr'm! --
disorderly manner in the ward today."
-- What was I thinking earlier about lunatics making their own version
of truth? Why specify lunatics?
"The way it was reported to me, sir, she was in fact attacked by another
patient, and the nurse stated she made no attempt to retaliate. Matron
insisted that I sedate her, but I refused."
-- Oh-oh. I think I just went a step too far.
A frigid light gleamed in Holinshed's eyes. "If I follow you correctly,
you're implying that she's a miserable victim of circumstances and
the salesman despite his denials is the one who should be arraigned
in court. Now this," he continued, raising a hand to forestall
Paul's indignant interruption, "strikes me as a highly speculative
standpoint. Where are the traces of this attempted rape? I didn't find
them in the admission report. And in any case, according to Inspector
Hofford, this leads to enormous complications."
"Well, yes," the latter agreed. "To take the worst aspect of the problem,
she's presumably an alien, and once we try to establish what a foreigner
is doing wandering around a Shropshire wood without clothes, let alone
identification, we get mixed up with the immigration authorities, the
Home Office, and lord knows who."
"Have you checked with Missing Persons?"
"That's one of the reasons I called here today. I'd like to arrange for
a photograph of her."
"Well, she's going to Blickham General tomorrow for a head X-ray. They
have an arrangement with a local photographer; I can probably organise
it through them."
"I'd be much obliged," Hofford said, and made to rise. "I think that's
as far as we can take matters today then, Dr Holinshed," he added.
"Just a moment," Holinshed put in, eyes on Paul. "Does Dr Alsop share
your view that the girl is actually normal, Fidler?"
"That's not what
Similar Books
