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

polite to rude women, calling them Madam, pulling frocks over their heads, smilingand swallowing their damned cheek whatever they like to say to one--well, onedoes want to cuss! You know, Henrietta, I always wonder why people think it's sohumiliating to go 'into service5 and that it's grand and independent to be in ashop. One puts up with far more insolence in a shop than Gudgeon or Simmons orany decent domestic does." "It must be foul, darling. I wish you weren't so grandand proud and insistent on earning your own living ..." "Anyway, Lucy's an angel.I shall be gloriously rude to everyone this weekend." "Who's here?" saidHenrietta as she got out of the car. "The Christows are coming." Midgepaused and then went on: "Edward's just arrived." "Edward? How nice! Ihaven't seen Edward for ages. Anybody else?" "David Angkatell. That, accordingto Lucy, is where you are going to come in useful. You're going to stop him bitinghis nails." "It sounds very unlike me," said Henrietta. "I hate interfering withpeople and I wouldn't dream of checking their personal habits. What did Lucyreally say?" "It amounted to that! He's got an Adam's apple, too!" "I'm notexpected to do anything about that, am I?" asked Henrietta, alarmed. "And you'reto be kind to Gerda.""How I should hate Lucy if I were Gerda!" "And someone who solves crimes iscoming to lunch tomorrow." "We're not going to play the Murder Game, arewe?" "I don't think so. I think it is just neighbourly hospitality." Midge'svoice changed a little. "Here's Edward coming out to hunt us." "Dear Edward,"thought Henrietta with a sudden rush of warm affection. Edward Angkatell wasvery tall and thin. He was smiling now as he came towards the two young women."Hullo, Henrietta. I haven't seen you for over a year." "Hullo, Edward."How nice Edward was! That gentle smile of his, the little creases at the corners of hiseyes. And all his nice knobbly bones ... I believe it's his bones I like so much, thoughtHenrietta. The warmth of her affection for Edward startled her. She had forgotten thatshe liked Edward so much. . . . After lunch Edward said, "Come for a walk,Henrietta." It was Edward's kind of walk—a stroll. They went up behind thehouse, taking a path that zigzagged up through the trees. Like the woods atAinswick, thought Henrietta . . . Dear Ainswick 3 what fun they had hadthere! She began to talk to Edward about Ainswick. They revived old memories."Do you remember our squirrel? The one with the broken paw? And we kept it in acage and it got well?" "Of course. It had a ridiculous name— what was itnow?" "Cholmondeley-Marj oribanks!'? "That's it." They both laughed."And old Mrs. Bondy, the housekeeper —she always said it would go up the chimneyone day." "And we were so indignant ..." "And then it did ..." "She made it,"said Henrietta positively. "She put the thought into the squirrel's head." Shewent on: "Is it all the same, Edward? Or is it changed? I always imagine it as justthesame." "Why don't you come and see, Henrietta? It's a long, long time since