Agatha Christie The Hollow Chapter I At 6:13 a.m. ... - bzelbublive.info

understand why a doctor, who spent his time treating the ailments of others, could be soindifferent to the health of his own family. He always ridiculed any suggestion of illness."I sneezed eight times before lunch," said Zena importantly. "Heat sneeze!" saidJohn. "It's not hot," said Terence. "The thermometer in the hall is fifty-five."John got up. "Have we finished? Good, let's get on. Ready to start, Gerda?""In a minute, John, I've just a few things to put in." "Surely you could have donethat before. What have you beendoing all the morning?" He went out of the dining room fuming. Gerda hadhurried off into her bedroom. Her anxiety to be quick would make her muchslower. But why couldn't she have been ready? His own suit-case was packed and inthe hall. Why on earth-- Zena was advancing on him, clasping some rather stickycards. "Can I tell your fortune. Daddy? I know how. I've told Mother's andTerry's and Lewis's and Jane's and Cook's." "All right--" He wondered howlong Gerda was going to be. He wanted to get away from this horrible house andthis horrible street and this city full of ailing, sniffling, diseased people. He wantedto get to woods and wet leaves--and the graceful aloofness of Lucy Angkatell who always gave you the impressionshe hadn't even got a body. Zena was importantly dealing out cards. "That's youin the middle. Father, the King of Hearts. The person whose fortune's told isalways the King of Hearts. And then I deal the others face down. Two on the left ofyou and two on the right of you and one over your head--that has power over you, andone under your feet--you have power over it. And this one--covers you! "Now!"Zena drew a deep breath. "We turn them over. On the right of you is the Queen ofDiamonds--quite close." Henrietta, he thought, momentarily diverted and amusedby Zena's solemnity. "And the next one is the Knave ofClubs--he's some quite young man-- "On the left of you is the eight of spades--that's a secret enemy. Have you got a secret enemy. Father?" "Not that I knowof." "And beyond is the Queen of Spades-- that's a much older lady." "LadyAngkatell," he said to himself. "Now this is what's over your head and has powerover you--the Queen of Hearts. ..." Veronica, he thought. Veronica! And then:What a fool I am! Veronica doesn't mean a thing to me now. "And this is underyour feet and you have power over it--the Queen of Clubs ..." Gerda hurried intothe room."I'm quite ready now, John." "Oh, wait. Mother, wait, I'm telling Daddy'sfortune. Just the last card. Daddy--the most important of all. The one that coversyou." Zena's small sticky fingers turned it over. She gave a gasp. "Oo--it's theAce of Spades! That's usually a death--but--" "Your mother," said John, "is goingto run over someone on the way out of London. Come on, Gerda. Goodbye, youtwo. Try and behave."