The Hollow

"The basket I took down to the farm. The pistol was in it, and then I put the eggs in on top of the pistol and forgot all about it.

And when we found poor John Christow dead by the pool, it was such a shock I let go of the basket and Gudgeon just caught it in time (because of the eggs, I mean. If I'd dropped it they would have been broken), and he brought it back to the house. And later I asked him about writing the date on the eggs-a thing I always do-otherwise one eats the fresher eggs sometimes before the older ones-and he said all that had been attended to-and now that I remember, he was rather emphatic about it. And that is what I mean by being feudal. He found the pistol and put it back in here-I suppose really because there were police in the house.

Servants are always so worried by police, I find. Very nice and loyal-but also quite stupid, because, of course. Inspector, it's the truth you want to hear, isn't it?"

And Lady Angkatell finished up by giving the Inspector a beaming smile.

"The truth is what I mean to get," said

Grange rather grimly.

Lady Angkatell sighed.

"It all seems such a fuss, doesn't it?" she said. "I mean, all this hounding people down. I don't suppose whoever it was that shot John Christow really meant to shoot him-not seriously, I mean. If it was Gerda, I'm sure she didn't. In fact, I'm really surprised that she didn't miss-it's the sort of thing that one would expect of Gerda. And I she's really a very nice, kind creature. And if you go and put her in prison and hang „ her, what on earth is going to happen to the (children? If she did shoot John, she's probably dreadfully sorry about it now. It's bad enough for children to have a father who's that you yourself have some further knowledge about the matter?"

"Of course. Gudgeon didn't find it in the hall at all. He found it when he took the eggs out."

"The eggs?" Inspector Grange stared at her.

"Out of the basket," said Lady Angkatell.

She seemed to think that everything was now quite clear. Sir Henry said gently:

"You must tell us a little more, my dear.

Inspector Grange and I are still at sea."

"Oh!" Lady Angkatell set herself to be explicit. "The pistol you see was in the basket, under the eggs."

"What basket and what eggs. Lady Angkatell?"

"The basket I took down to the farm. The pistol was in it, and then I put the eggs in on top of the pistol and forgot all about it.

And when we found poor John Christow dead by the pool, it was such a shock I let go of the basket and Gudgeon just caught it in time (because of the eggs, I mean. If I'd dropped it they would have been broken), and he brought it back to the house. And later I asked him about writing the date on the eggs-a thing I always do-otherwise one eats the fresher eggs sometimes before the older ones-and he said all that had been attended to-and now that I remember, he was rather emphatic about it. And that is what I mean by being feudal. He found the pistol and put it back in here-I suppose really because there were police in the house.

Servants are always so worried by police, I find. Very nice and loyal-but also quite stupid, because, of course. Inspector, it's the truth you want to hear, isn't it?"

And Lady Angkatell finished up by giving the Inspector a beaming smile.

"The truth is what I mean to get," said

Grange rather grimly.

Lady Angkatell sighed.

"It all seems such a fuss, doesn't it?" she said. "I mean, all this hounding people down. I don't suppose whoever it was that shot John Christow really meant to shoot him-not seriously, I mean. If it was Gerda, I'm sure she didn't. In fact, I'm really surprised that she didn't miss-it's the sort of thing that one would expect of Gerda. And she's really a very nice, kind creature. And if you go and put her in prison and hang her, what on earth is going to happen to the children? If she did shoot John, she's probably dreadfully sorry about it now. It's bad enough for children to have a father who's been murdered-but it will make it infinitely worse for them to have their mother hanged for it. Sometimes I don't think you policemen think of these things."

"We are not contemplating arresting anyone at present. Lady Angkatell."

"Well, that's sensible at any rate. But I have thought all along. Inspector Grange, that you were a very sensible sort of man."

Again that charming, almost dazzling smile.

Inspector Grange blinked a little. He could not help it, but he came firmly to the point at issue.

"As you said just now. Lady Angkatell, it's the truth I want to get at. You took the pistol from here-which gun was it, by the way?"

Lady Angkatell nodded her head towards the shelf by the mantelpiece. "The second from the end. The Mauser.25." Something in the crisp, technical way she spoke jarred on Grange. He had not, somehow, expected Lady Angkatell, whom up to now he had labelled in his own mind as "vague" and "just a bit batty," to describe a firearm with such technical precision.

"You took the pistol from here and put it in your basket. Why?"