Have His Carcase

to say, “Ma, when my ship comes in, I’ll give you a tiara stuck full of diamonds and make you housekeeper to royalty.” Oh, dear, many’s the laugh we’ve had together over it. Not but what there was a time when I could have had tiaras and necklaces if I’d wanted. ’em. One of these days I’ll show you my newspaper critiques. Airy-fairy-Lilian they used to call me when I was principal boy in old Rosenbaum’s shows, though you mightn’t think it to look at me now, dearie, for my figure’s spread a bit, there ain’t no denying.’

Harriet admired and sympathised, and led Mrs Lefranc gently back to the subject of the foreign letters.

‘Well, dearie, there was one of them come two days before this dreadful thing happened. It, must have been a long one, for he was shut up hours and hours with it. Working out his position, he used to call it. Well I think there, must have been, bad news in it, though he didn’t let on. But he was queer all that day and the next. Seemed as though he didn’t see you. or hear, you when you spoke to him. And laughing

hysterical, I should call it, if he’d been a girl. He kissed me on the Wednesday night when, he went up to his bed. joking he was and talking wild,’ but I didn’t pay attention. That was rather his way, you know. “One of these days,” he said, “you’ll find I’ve opened my wings and gone.” Little did I think — oh, dear me! Poor boy! I can see now that was just his way of breaking it to me. I heard him about in his room all night. Burning his papers, he was, poor dear lad. He’d had a dreadful disappointment and he didn’t want anybody to know. And in the morning he gave me his week’s money. “I know it’s a bit early,” he said — because, of course, it wasn’t due till Saturday, ‘but if I give it to you now, it’ll be safe,” he, said. “If I took it out with me, I might spend it.” Of course I know what was in his mind, poor dear. He knew he was going out and he didn’t want me to suffer; he always was considerate. But when I think now that a word, might have saved him-’

Mrs Lefranc burst into tears.

‘I did think he might, have been going away sudden to see after his speculations, but he didn’t pack up anything, so of course I put that out of my mind. And as for him doing what he did do how could I have thought it? He seemed in such high spirits. But there! I might have guessed, if my mind hadn’t been full of other things — only what with the girl giving notice as she did that morning and one thing and another, I didn’t pay attention. But they often do seem to be in high spirits before they put an end to themselves. There was poor Billy Carnaby — he was just the same. Gave an oyster-and-champagne party to the whole cast on his last night with his last penny and him the life and soul of it, making us split our sides and then went off and blew his brains out in the gentlemen’s lavatory.’

Mrs Lefranc cried bitterly for a few moments.

‘But there!’ she exclaimed, suddenly pulling herself together and blowing her nose, ‘life’s a funny thing and you can’t account for it, can you? Let’s be happy while we can. We’ll all be having a little white stone over us before long and it don’t matter so much how or when. When was, you wanting to take the room, dearie?’

‘I’ll be coming in. tonight,’ said Harriet. — ‘I don’t know whether I’ll want my board or not, but if I leave my suitcase and pay you the twelve — shillings for the room in advance, that’ll be all right, won’t it?’

‘That’s O.K. dearie,’ said Mrs Lefranc, obviously cheered. ‘Just you come; when you like, you’ll be happy with Ma Lefranc. There, now, you’ll think I’ve been talking enough to fetch the hind leg off a donkey, but what I say is, a good, cry now and again does you good when the world ain’t using you well. All my young people brings their troubles to me. I only wish poor Mr Alexis had told me all his worries and he’d be here now. But he was a foreigner, when all’s said and done and they aren’t like us, are they? Mind’ that dustpan, dearie. Time and again. I tell them not to leave things on the stairs, but you might as well talk to the cat. Five mice she left on my door-mat yesterday morning, if you’ll believe me, not that they ever come upstairs, dearie; and don’t you think it, but the cellars is overrun with them, the dirty little beasts. Well, so long, dear e, and by the way, here’s your latch-key. It’s lucky I had a new one cut; poor Mr Alexis took his away with him when he went and goodness knows where it is now. I let my visitors come in when and how they like; you’ll find yourself comfortable here.’

Chapter XVI. The Evidence Of The Sands

‘This is the oft-wished hour, when we together

May walk upon the sea-shore.’

— Death’s Jest-Book

Tuesday, 23 June