A Murder Is Announced

‘And sad affliction bravely borne,’ murmured Miss Bunner, her eyes suffusing with tears. ‘I always think of that verse. True patience; true resignation. Such courage and patienceought to be rewarded, that is what I say. What I feel is thatnothing is too good for dear Miss Blacklock, and whatever good things come to her, she trulydeserves them.’

‘Money,’ said Miss Marple, ‘can do a lot to ease one’s path in life.’

She felt herself safe in this observation since she judged that it must be Miss Blacklock’s prospects of future affluence to which her friend referred.

The remark, however, started Miss Bunner on another train of thought.

‘Money!’ she exclaimed with bitterness. ‘I don’t believe, you know, that until one has really experienced it, one can know what money, or rather the lack of it,means.’

Miss Marple nodded her white head sympathetically.

Miss Bunner went on rapidly, working herself up, and speaking with a flushed face:

‘I’ve heard people say so often “I’d rather have flowers on the table than a meal without them.” But how many meals have those people ever missed? They don’t know what it is-nobody knows who hasn’t been through it-to be reallyhungry. Bread, you know, and a jar of meat paste, and a scrape of margarine. Day after day, and how one longs for a good plate of meat and two vegetables. And theshabbiness. Darning one’s clothes and hoping it won’t show. And applying for jobs and always being told you’re too old. And then perhaps getting a job and after all one isn’t strong enough. One faints. And you’re back again. It’s therent -always therent -that’sgot to be paid-otherwise you’re out in the street. And in these days it leaves so little over. One’s old age pension doesn’t go far-indeed it doesn’t.’

‘I know,’ said Miss Marple gently. She looked with compassion at Miss Bunner’s twitching face.

‘I wrote to Letty. I just happened to see her name in the paper. It was a luncheon in aid of Milchester Hospital. There it was in black and white, Miss Letitia Blacklock. It brought the past back to me. I hadn’t heard of her for years and years. She’d been secretary, you know, to that very rich man, Goedler. She was always a clever girl-the kind that gets on in the world. Not so much looks-ascharacter. I thought-well, I thought-perhaps she’ll remember me-and she’s one of the people Icould ask for a little help. I mean someone you’ve known as a girl-been at school with-well, they doknow about you-they know you’re not just a-begging letter-writer-’

Tears came into Dora Bunner’s eyes.

‘And then Lotty came and took me away-said she needed someone to help her. Of course, I was very surprised-verysurprised-but then newspapers do get things wrong. How kind she was-and howsympathetic. And remembering all the old days so well…I’d do anything for her-I really would. And I tryvery hard, but I’m afraid sometimes I muddle things-my head’s not what it was. I make mistakes. And I forget and say foolish things. She’s very patient. What’s so nice about her is that she always pretends that Iam useful to her. That’s real kindness, isn’t it?’

Miss Marple said gently: ‘Yes, that’s real kindness.’

‘I used to worry, you know, even after I came to Little Paddocks-about what would become of me if-if anything were to happen to Miss Blacklock. After all, there are so many accidents-these motors dashing about-one never knows, does one? But naturally I neversaid anything-but she must have guessed. Suddenly, one day she told me that she’d left me a small annuity in her will-and-what I value far more-all her beautiful furniture. I was quiteovercome…But she said nobody else would value it as I should-and that is quite true-I can’t bear to see some lovely piece of china smashed-or wet glasses put down on a table and leaving a mark. I do really look after her things. Some people-some people especially, are so terribly careless-and sometimes worse than careless!

‘I’m not really as stupid as I look,’ Miss Bunner continued with simplicity. ‘I can see, you know, when Letty’s being imposed upon. Some people-I won’t name names-but they takeadvantage. Dear Miss Blacklock is, perhaps, just a shade tootrusting.’

Miss Marple shook her head.

‘That’sa mistake.’

‘Yes, it is. You and I, Miss Marple, know the world. Dear Miss Blacklock-’ She shook her head.

Miss Marple thought that as the secretary of a big financier Miss Blacklock might be presumed to know the world too. But probably what Dora Bunner meant was that Letty Blacklock had always been comfortably off, and that the comfortably off do not know the deeper abysses of human nature.

‘That Patrick!’ said Miss Bunner with a suddenness and an asperity that made Miss Marple jump. ‘Twice, at least, to my knowledge, he’s got money out of her. Pretending he’s hard up. Run into debt. All that sort of thing. She’s far too generous. All she said to me when I remonstrated with her was: “The boy’s young, Dora. Youth is the time to have your fling.”’

‘Well, that’s true enough,’ said Miss Marple. ‘Such a handsome young man, too.’