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

Chapter VIIAs they got into the car and Lewis shut the front door of the Harley Street house,Gerda felt the pang of exile go through her. That shut door was so final. She wasbarred out --this awful week-end was upon her. And there were things, quite a lotof things, that she ought to have done before leaving. Had she turned off that tapin the bathroom? And that note for the laundry--she'd put it-- where had she putit? Would the children be all right with Mademoiselle? Mademoiselle was so--so--Would Terence, for instance, ever do anything that Mademoiselletold him to? French governesses never seemed to have any authority. She gotinto the driving seat, still bowed down by misery, and nervously pressed the starter.She pressed it again and again. John said, "The car will start better, Gerda, if youswitch on the engine." 03 "Oh, dear, how stupid of me." She shot a quickalarmed glance at him. If John was going to become annoyed straight away— Butto her relief he was smiling. That's because, thought Gerda, with one of her flashesof acumen, he's so pleased to be going to the Angkatells'. Poor John, he worked sohard! His life was so unselfish, so completely devoted toothers. No wonder he looked forward to this long week-end. And, her mind harkingback to the conversation at lunch, she said, as she let in the clutch rather toosuddenly so that the car leapt forward from the curb: "You know, John, youreally shouldn't make jokes about hating sick people. It's wonderful of you tomake light of all you do, and I understand. But the children don't. Terry, inparticular, has such a very literal mind." "There are times," said John Christow,"when Terry seems to me almost human— not like Zena! How long do girls go on beinga mass of affectation?" Gerda gave a little, quite sweet laugh. John, she knew, wasteasing her. She stuck to her point. Gerda had an adhesive mind."I really think, John, that it's good for f\A children to realize the unselfishnessand devotion of a doctor's life." "Oh, God!" said Christow. Gerda wasmomentarily deflected. The traffic lights she was approaching had been green fora long time. They were almost sure, she thought, to change before she got to them.She began to slow down . . . Still green . . . John Christow forgot his resolutions ofkeeping silent about Gerda's driving and said, "What are you stopping for?" "Ithought the lights might change--" She pressed her foot on the accelerator, the carmoved forward a little, just beyond the lights, then, unable to pick up, the enginestalled. The lights changed. The cross traffic hooted angrily. John said, butquite pleasantly: "You really are the worst driver in the world, Gerda!" "Ialways find traffic lights so worrying. One doesn't know just when they are goingto change." John cast a quick sideways look at Gerda's anxious unhappy face.Everything worries Gerda, he thought, and tried to imagine what it must feel liketo live in that state. But since he was not a nc man of much imagination, he couldnot picture it at all. "You see," Gerda stuck to her point, "I've always impressedon the children just