subject. For the rest, we talked of other things.’
‘I remember you said that he seemed concerned with Mr Crawford’s reaction,’ I said.
‘Oh, yes, that is true,’ he answered, ‘now that I cast my mind back to that evening. He did speak of Crawford – said that his new discovery would be a shocking revelation to him. But he also enjoined me not to mention anything of it to him directly. I believe he wished to complete his work before springing it onto the only other local expert in the field.’
‘Mr Crawford is an expert on the same problem – the n-body problem?’
‘I suppose so, at least as far as Cantabrigians are concerned,’ he amended. ‘England holds no experts like the French and Germans, on these subjects. Anyway, the police then expressed suspicion about why I should walk home with him, as it is not on my way. I told them that I found the colleges extraordinarily beautiful, and it was a crisp, moonlit night, and it is not so very far out of my way, and that I greatlyfelt the need of a walk after our copious dinner; I always do.’
‘How did you come to dine with him at all, Arthur? Everybody seems to have considered him a highly unpleasant sort of fellow.’
‘Yes, Akers was not well-liked, he was very concerned with himself and his reputation, and his tongue was acid enough. But he never angered me; I thought it was rather amusing, even, at times. He seemed to get along well enough with me; it was he who invited me to dine, on the very same day. I came across him in the mathematics library, actually, and he seemed all pleased and hugging himself, and he said something like “Ah, Weatherburn, Weatherburn, lovely day isn’t it, heh, heh.” And I said “You seem in a very good mood,” and he said “I certainly am, got reason to be, heh, heh, heh. Let’s dine tonight, what do you say? Meet at eight for dinner at the Irish pub?” And I said “Why not?” and that was it. It’s a nice place; leather booths where one can discuss mathematics and even get out paper and write things down if one wants to, without the people at the neighbouring tables thinking one is quite mad. The police even wanted to know what we ate! I had to tell them that we started with whisky, and then we ordered wine. Akers asked for water as well, as he had to take some medicine or other. Then we had Irish stew. It was quite succulent. I can’t think what they were after, though; perhaps proving I was drunk?’
‘Dear me,’ I said. ‘It all sounds so pleasant and ordinary. One simply
cannot
realise that poor Mr Akers died just immediately after it.’
‘No, I know! I c-c-cannot grasp it myself! And whyshould I be dining with them always just before? What does it all mean?’
‘Well, how did you come to be dining with Mr Beddoes, then?’ I wondered.
‘Oh, the police went into that endlessly. Why, it wasn’t even Beddoes who asked me at all. It was Crawford. He said why not make up a threesome to dine the following night.’
‘Really?!’ I exclaimed, struck by this piece of information. ‘But did he not come, then?’
‘No, in the late afternoon, he left me a message to say he felt unwell, and shouldn’t be able to make it in the evening, and that we two should go anyway and enjoy ourselves.’
‘So that is how you came to dine with Mr Beddoes, and find yourself in such a dreadfully compromising position,’ I said, my mind racing. ‘I remember now that at the garden party following Professor Cayley’s lecture, Mr Crawford said to Mr Beddoes that he wanted to dine with him soon.’
‘Yes, the police got quite excited about this idea of Crawford being involved, I don’t know why. They asked me where we were when Crawford spoke, who might have heard us, and so on and so forth. I suppose it might just possibly be an indication of my innocence, although really, I can hardly follow the reasoning; it all seems so absurd. After all, I suppose I might just as well have suddenly decided to murder my
‘I remember you said that he seemed concerned with Mr Crawford’s reaction,’ I said.
‘Oh, yes, that is true,’ he answered, ‘now that I cast my mind back to that evening. He did speak of Crawford – said that his new discovery would be a shocking revelation to him. But he also enjoined me not to mention anything of it to him directly. I believe he wished to complete his work before springing it onto the only other local expert in the field.’
‘Mr Crawford is an expert on the same problem – the n-body problem?’
‘I suppose so, at least as far as Cantabrigians are concerned,’ he amended. ‘England holds no experts like the French and Germans, on these subjects. Anyway, the police then expressed suspicion about why I should walk home with him, as it is not on my way. I told them that I found the colleges extraordinarily beautiful, and it was a crisp, moonlit night, and it is not so very far out of my way, and that I greatlyfelt the need of a walk after our copious dinner; I always do.’
‘How did you come to dine with him at all, Arthur? Everybody seems to have considered him a highly unpleasant sort of fellow.’
‘Yes, Akers was not well-liked, he was very concerned with himself and his reputation, and his tongue was acid enough. But he never angered me; I thought it was rather amusing, even, at times. He seemed to get along well enough with me; it was he who invited me to dine, on the very same day. I came across him in the mathematics library, actually, and he seemed all pleased and hugging himself, and he said something like “Ah, Weatherburn, Weatherburn, lovely day isn’t it, heh, heh.” And I said “You seem in a very good mood,” and he said “I certainly am, got reason to be, heh, heh, heh. Let’s dine tonight, what do you say? Meet at eight for dinner at the Irish pub?” And I said “Why not?” and that was it. It’s a nice place; leather booths where one can discuss mathematics and even get out paper and write things down if one wants to, without the people at the neighbouring tables thinking one is quite mad. The police even wanted to know what we ate! I had to tell them that we started with whisky, and then we ordered wine. Akers asked for water as well, as he had to take some medicine or other. Then we had Irish stew. It was quite succulent. I can’t think what they were after, though; perhaps proving I was drunk?’
‘Dear me,’ I said. ‘It all sounds so pleasant and ordinary. One simply
cannot
realise that poor Mr Akers died just immediately after it.’
‘No, I know! I c-c-cannot grasp it myself! And whyshould I be dining with them always just before? What does it all mean?’
‘Well, how did you come to be dining with Mr Beddoes, then?’ I wondered.
‘Oh, the police went into that endlessly. Why, it wasn’t even Beddoes who asked me at all. It was Crawford. He said why not make up a threesome to dine the following night.’
‘Really?!’ I exclaimed, struck by this piece of information. ‘But did he not come, then?’
‘No, in the late afternoon, he left me a message to say he felt unwell, and shouldn’t be able to make it in the evening, and that we two should go anyway and enjoy ourselves.’
‘So that is how you came to dine with Mr Beddoes, and find yourself in such a dreadfully compromising position,’ I said, my mind racing. ‘I remember now that at the garden party following Professor Cayley’s lecture, Mr Crawford said to Mr Beddoes that he wanted to dine with him soon.’
‘Yes, the police got quite excited about this idea of Crawford being involved, I don’t know why. They asked me where we were when Crawford spoke, who might have heard us, and so on and so forth. I suppose it might just possibly be an indication of my innocence, although really, I can hardly follow the reasoning; it all seems so absurd. After all, I suppose I might just as well have suddenly decided to murder my
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