Stephen. "This is Doctor - Don't think you told me your name, doctor?"
Dinah's face lightened. "Oh, good! My sister's feeling pretty bowled over, Dr Raymond, and I should think a strong brandy-and-soda wouldn't do Mrs. Twining any harm. In fact, that's what I came to get."
"I'll see Lady Billington-Smith in one moment," Raymond promised. "You're Miss Fawcett, I expect? If you'll lead the way, Mr - Halliday, isn't it? - I can just have a wash."
Dinah waited until he and Halliday had gone; then she turned to Guest again. "Stephen, this is going to be awful," she said. "It'll mean the police, won't it?"
"Fraid so," Guest replied. "It'll mean, unless I'm much mistaken, that no one will be catching that three-ten up to town. Think you can cope with the women?"
Finch gave a discreet cough. "If I might make a suggestion, sir, I could serve luncheon quietly in the dining-room now, for the visitors."
"It seems rather ghoulish," said Dinah dubiously. "Still - I suppose, one's got to eat, and anyway it would get Lola and Camilla out of the way."
"Has Lola come down yet?" inquired Guest.
A reluctant grin destroyed Miss Fawcett's gravity. "Yes, she has. I don't want to be flippant, but — but she's being rather good value. Only, of course, very trying for Fay. She seems to have made up her mind to be arrested for the crime. Camilla's merely hysterical. What I can't make out is where Geoffrey has got to. There's no sign of him, and it's already half past one."
Halliday and the doctor came back at that moment, and Dinah broke off to conduct Dr Raymond into the drawing-room.
Fay was seated beside Mrs. Twining on thee sofa, her hands clenched nervously together in her lap, her eyes unnaturally wide, as though she had caught a glimpse of some horror. Mrs. Twining, on the other hand, was as composed as ever, if a little white. Camilla Halliday was wrenching at a handkerchief, saying over and over again:
"I can't believe it! I simply can't believe it!" Lola, seated in a high-backed arm-chair, was looking bright-eyed and heroic. As the doctor came in, she was saying with great complacency: "For me this is an affair extremely terrible. It is known that the General - whom, however, I forgive, for I am a very good Christian, I assure you - has been most cruel to me. Certainly the police must ask themselves if it is not I who have stabbed the General."
Fay gave a shiver, but her fixed stare into space did not waver.
"Here's Dr Raymond," Dinah said, taking charge of (he situation. "Mrs. Halliday, Lola - will you come into the dining-room now? Dr Raymond would like to see my sister alone, and - and - I think Finch is serving lunch."
"Lunch!" Camilla cried wildly. "How can you be so awful? I should be sick if I had to look at food!"
Mrs. Twining got up. "Nonsense!" she said. "You must try not to let your feelings run away with you, Mrs. Halliday, and to help as much as you can by behaving quite normally." She exchanged a somewhat forced smile with Dr Raymond, and led the way to the door.
Before she had time to open it, a cry from Lola stopped her. "Ah, Dios!" Lola exclaimed, and pointed dramatically to the window.
Geoffrey stood there, looking hot and dishevelled and nerve-ridden.
"Geoffrey! Where on earth have you been?" said Dinah involuntarily.
He passed a hand across his brow. "What's that got to do with you?" he said. "I don't know. Miles away." He became aware of their eyes staring at him, and said sharply: "What are you all looking at me for? It's nothing to do with you where I've been, is it?"
Dr Raymond stepped up to him, and took him by the arm. "Steady, young man. You're a bit over-done. Sit down. Something rather shocking has happened. Your father has been - well, murdered, I'm afraid."
Geoffrey looked blankly up at him. "What? Father's been murdered?" He blinked rather dazedly. "Are you going potty? I - you don't mean it, do you?" He read the answer in the doctor's face, and suddenly got up. "Good God!" he said. His
Dinah's face lightened. "Oh, good! My sister's feeling pretty bowled over, Dr Raymond, and I should think a strong brandy-and-soda wouldn't do Mrs. Twining any harm. In fact, that's what I came to get."
"I'll see Lady Billington-Smith in one moment," Raymond promised. "You're Miss Fawcett, I expect? If you'll lead the way, Mr - Halliday, isn't it? - I can just have a wash."
Dinah waited until he and Halliday had gone; then she turned to Guest again. "Stephen, this is going to be awful," she said. "It'll mean the police, won't it?"
"Fraid so," Guest replied. "It'll mean, unless I'm much mistaken, that no one will be catching that three-ten up to town. Think you can cope with the women?"
Finch gave a discreet cough. "If I might make a suggestion, sir, I could serve luncheon quietly in the dining-room now, for the visitors."
"It seems rather ghoulish," said Dinah dubiously. "Still - I suppose, one's got to eat, and anyway it would get Lola and Camilla out of the way."
"Has Lola come down yet?" inquired Guest.
A reluctant grin destroyed Miss Fawcett's gravity. "Yes, she has. I don't want to be flippant, but — but she's being rather good value. Only, of course, very trying for Fay. She seems to have made up her mind to be arrested for the crime. Camilla's merely hysterical. What I can't make out is where Geoffrey has got to. There's no sign of him, and it's already half past one."
Halliday and the doctor came back at that moment, and Dinah broke off to conduct Dr Raymond into the drawing-room.
Fay was seated beside Mrs. Twining on thee sofa, her hands clenched nervously together in her lap, her eyes unnaturally wide, as though she had caught a glimpse of some horror. Mrs. Twining, on the other hand, was as composed as ever, if a little white. Camilla Halliday was wrenching at a handkerchief, saying over and over again:
"I can't believe it! I simply can't believe it!" Lola, seated in a high-backed arm-chair, was looking bright-eyed and heroic. As the doctor came in, she was saying with great complacency: "For me this is an affair extremely terrible. It is known that the General - whom, however, I forgive, for I am a very good Christian, I assure you - has been most cruel to me. Certainly the police must ask themselves if it is not I who have stabbed the General."
Fay gave a shiver, but her fixed stare into space did not waver.
"Here's Dr Raymond," Dinah said, taking charge of (he situation. "Mrs. Halliday, Lola - will you come into the dining-room now? Dr Raymond would like to see my sister alone, and - and - I think Finch is serving lunch."
"Lunch!" Camilla cried wildly. "How can you be so awful? I should be sick if I had to look at food!"
Mrs. Twining got up. "Nonsense!" she said. "You must try not to let your feelings run away with you, Mrs. Halliday, and to help as much as you can by behaving quite normally." She exchanged a somewhat forced smile with Dr Raymond, and led the way to the door.
Before she had time to open it, a cry from Lola stopped her. "Ah, Dios!" Lola exclaimed, and pointed dramatically to the window.
Geoffrey stood there, looking hot and dishevelled and nerve-ridden.
"Geoffrey! Where on earth have you been?" said Dinah involuntarily.
He passed a hand across his brow. "What's that got to do with you?" he said. "I don't know. Miles away." He became aware of their eyes staring at him, and said sharply: "What are you all looking at me for? It's nothing to do with you where I've been, is it?"
Dr Raymond stepped up to him, and took him by the arm. "Steady, young man. You're a bit over-done. Sit down. Something rather shocking has happened. Your father has been - well, murdered, I'm afraid."
Geoffrey looked blankly up at him. "What? Father's been murdered?" He blinked rather dazedly. "Are you going potty? I - you don't mean it, do you?" He read the answer in the doctor's face, and suddenly got up. "Good God!" he said. His
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