j
Seven
:
Mystery
(
By
Agatha
Christie
;',
,
Copyright
by
Public
ledger.
'-I
-run
.,.
Hit
Jj'JqTi..
V
.
1
01
unf
PAGE
FOUR
INSTALMENT
IX
Bundle
turned
to
Loraine
"Yoi
were
just
going
to
tell
m"
"Oh.
yes.
First,
about
the
lelt'
Shp
spoks
to
Jimmy.
"Qerry
left
a
letter.
Lady
Eileen
"
"Bundle."
"Bundle
foitid
it."
She
explained
the
circumstances
in
a
few
words.
Jimmy
listened,
keenly
interested.
This
was
the
ftrst
he-
had
heard
of
the
letter.
Loraine
took
it
from
her
bag
and
handed
it
to
him.
He
read
it,
then
looked
across
at
her.
'This
is
where
you
can
help
us.
What
was
it
Gerry
wanted
you
to
forget??
;
Lbralne's
brows
wrinkled
a
little
In
perplexity,,
A
Letter
to
Gerry
"It's
hard
to
remember
exacts
now.
I
opened
a
letter
of
Gerry's
by
mistake.
It
was
written
on
cheap
sort
of
paper.
I
remember,
and
very
illiterate
handwriting.
had
some
address
in
Seven
Dial!
at
the
head
of
it.
I
realized
it
wasn't
for
me.
so.
J
put
It
back
in
the
envelope
without
reading
if
"Sure?"
asked
Jimmy
very
gent,
ly.
Loraine
laughed
for
the
first
time.
,
"I
know
what
you
think,
and
I
admit
that
women
are
curious.
But,
you
see,
this
didn't
even
look
interesting,,
It
was
a
kind
of
list,
names
and
dates."
.
?
"Names
and
dates,4
said
Jimmy
thoughtfully.
"Gerry
didn't
seem
to
mind
much,"
continued
Loraine.
"He
laughed,
He
asked
me
It
I
had
ever
heajd
of
the
Mafia,
and
then
said
it
would
be
queer
if
a
society
like
the
Mafia
started
la
Englandhut
that
that
kind
of
a
secret
society
didn't
take
on
much
with
English
peoples
'Our
criminals,
he.
said,
'haien't
got
a
picturesque,
imagin-,
ation.'"
Jimmy
pursed
up
his
tips
into
a
whistle.
Tm
beginning
to
see,"
he
said
"Seven
Dials
must
be
the
head-
quarters
of
sqme
secret
society.
As
he
says
In
his
letter
to
you,
he
thought
It
rather
a
Joke
to
start
with.
But
evidently
it
wasn't
a
Joke
he
says
as
much.
And
there's
something
else;
his
arii
xlety
that
you
should
forget
what
he'd
told
you.
There
can
be
only
one
reason
for
that
If
that
so
ciety
suspected
that
you
had
any
knowledge
of
Its
activity,
you
tod
would
be
in
danger.
Gerald
reallz
ed
the
peril,
and
he
was
terribly
anxious
for
you."
ue
stopped,
men
ne
went
on
quietly:
"I
rather
fancy
that
we're
all
going
to
be
In
danger
if
we
KO
on
with
this."
i&
U
?"
cried
Bundle
imlfgi
nantly.
.
-,'.
"I'm
talking
ol
yqu.twp.
different
for
me.
I
waswpooiif
old
Itonny's
pal.
He
looked
at
Bundle.
"You've
done
your
bit.
You've
amverea
me
message
ne
sent
me.
No;
for
Ood's
sake
keep
out
ofjt?
How
to
Begin?
Bundle
looked
questioning!!
'.
,af
A
1
1
1
m
.
-l
1
uie
ouier
girt,
tier
own
mina
was
definitely
made
up,
but
she
gav
no
indication
of
it
Just
then.'
Shftj
had
no
with
to
push
Loraine
Wad
Into
a
dangerous
undertaking.
But
Loralne's
small
face
was
alight
at
once
witn
indignation.
"You
say
that
I
Dq
you
think
for
one
minute
I'd
be
contented
to
keep
out
of
it
when
they
killed.
Oerry
my
own
dear
Qerry,
the
best
and
dearest
and
kindest
brather
any
girl
ever
had.
The
ojily
person
belonging
to
me
I
had
mune
wnoie
wonai"
i,
ftJtfjmmy
cleared
his.
throat
un
comfortably.
Lorain,
he
thought.
was
wonderful;
simply
wonder
ful.
-
'Look
here,"
he
said
awkwardly.
yotiVmustn't
say
that.
About
be
ing
alone
in
the
world
all
that
rot
You've
got
lots
of
friends-only;
too
glad
to
do
what
they
can,
See
what
I
mean?"
It
Is
possible
that
Loraine
did,
for
she
suddenly
blushed,
and
to
cover
he
confusion
began
to
talk
nervously.
-
v.
That's
settled-
she
saldr
"I'm
.
golngto
help.
Nobody's
going
to
stop
me."
"And
so
am
I,
of
course,"-
said
Bundle.
They
both
looked
at
Jimmy.
"Yes,"
he
said
slowly.
"Yes,
quite1
so."
V
'
'
V.
-.
.
Th.ey
looked
at
him
inquiringly.
"I
was
Just
wondering"'"
said1
Jimmy,
"how
we
were
going
to
begin,"
PWNa
"Don't
be
so
impatient,"
said
Jimmy
to
Bundle.
VAU
the
besi
sleuths
approach
a
case
this
way,
by
eliminating
unnecessary
and
unprofitable
investigation.
I'm
pnjlrjg
now
tp
t,he
third,
alterna
UTe-Gerald's
'death.
"Now
that
we
know
it
was
mur
derby
the
way,
you
do"
both
be
lieve
that,
don't'
you?"
"Yes,"
said
Loraine.
"Yes,"
said
Bundle.
"Good.
So
do
I.
Well,
it
seems
to
Jimmy's
vords.
lifted
the
discus-
tha
there
f
d0
,f
and
some
slon.
at
once
into
a
more
practical
J?""
'T
l,
V
I.
didn't
take
st,here.
J
the
chloral
himself.
"All
things,
considered,"
ho-saidJSQmeon
mustf
a.vff
got
'nto,h,j
"nd
"
there-dissolved
"we
haven't
got
muen
to
go
on.
I'
fut
fact.
Just
the-
words
Seven
Dials.
11
V
e
gltSS
f
?
he
woke
he
drank
it
off.
As
matter
of.
fact
I
don't
even
f1?1
"P
kikm
exactly
wheie
Seven
Dials
is.
And;
?'
courseule"
the,
emPy
box
well,01
boU1"
r.
wh.a
,ever
11
was'
You
But.
anyway,
we
can't
very
comb,
out
the-
whole
of
that
dis-l
"VT
.
tjlct,
house
by
house."
"We
could,'
said
Bundle.
,"WlL
perhaps
we
could
even
tually
though
Im
not
so
sure.
I
Imagine
it's
a
well-populated
area.
But
It
wouldn't
be
very
subtle."
The
word
reminded
him
of
the
girl
Socks
and
he
smiled.
"Then,
of
course,
there's
the
part
ot
the
country
where
Ronny
was
shot.
We
could
nose
around
there
But.
the
police
ate
probably
doing
everything
we
could
do,
and
doing
It
much
better."
"What
I
like
about
you,"
said
Bundle
sarcastically,
"Is
your
cheerful
and
optimistic
disposi
tion.
"Never
mind
her,
Jimmy,"
said
Loraine
softly.
"Go,
on."
'But
c-cbl
5uiu
nuncue
siowiy.
How;
About
Servants
BRINGING
UP
FATHER
lltE
DAILY
NEWS
'lihctey,
January
1
Exactly
that's
"what
I
am
get
tlnir
at
You"
h
addressed
Butt
die-i."must
go
Into
all
that,
jfiid
outvwhen
new
servants
were
en
gaged-what
about
footmen,
for
instance?"
--"One
of
the
-footmen
-
if.
newt
John,
his
name
Is."
HWeir,
maltfe
'Inquiries
about
him
And
about
any
others
who
have
come
recently."
"I
suppose,"
said
Bundle
slowly
"it
must
have
been
a
servant.
It
couldn't
have
been
one
of
the
guests?"
"I
doh.'t
see
how
that's
passible."
"Who
were
there
exactly?"
"WeU,
there
were
'three
girl-
Nancy
and
Helen
and
ocks
"Socks
Daventry?
I
know
her..'
"May
have
been.
Girl
who
was
always
-saying
things
were
-subtle.'
'."mat's
socks
an
right.
Subtle
is
one
of
her
words."
"And
then
there
were
Gerry
Wade
and
me
and
Bill
Eversleigh
"Wait
And
that
some
one
must
1
and
Ronny.
And,
of
course.
Sir
have
been
In'
the
house
at
the
(Oswald
and
Lady
Coote.
Oh!
and
time".
It
can't
very
well
have
been
seme
one
from
outside."
"No,"
agreed
Bundle,
more
read
ily
this
time.
"Very
wen
Now,
that
narrows
down
things
considerably.
To
begin
with,
I
suppose
a
good
many
of
the
servants
are
family
ones
they're
your
lot,
I
mean."
'Yes'
said
Bundle.
"Practically
all
the
staff
stayed
when
we
let
It
All
the
principal
ones
are
there
still
of
course,
there
have
been
changes
among
the
-
Pongo.'
Who's
Pongo?"
"Chap
called
Bateman
secre
tary
to
old
Coote.
Solemn
sort
of
cove
but
very
conscientious.
I
was
at
school
with
him."
"There
doesn't
seem
anything
very
suspicious
there,"
remarked
Loraine.
"As
you
say,
well
have.
to
look
among
the
servants.
By
the
wajr,
you
don't
suppose
that
clock
being
thrown
out
of
the
window
had
anything
to
do
with
it."
'
"A
clock
thrown
out
of
the
wln-
Pi?
d.l
C"1
AM
6
toaup
dow,"
said
Jimmy,
staring.
It
was
the
first
he
had
heard
of
it.
Tbe
Seven
Clocks
I
can't
see
how
it
can
anything
to
do
with
It,"
said
Bun
dle.
"But
it's
oddvsomehow.
There
teems
no
sense
in
It.'
"I
remember,"
sftld
Jimmy
slow
ly.
"I
went
In
to
to
see
poor
old
Gerry,
and
there
were
the
clocks
Coi'dial
Itb
meat
artft
drink
to
you
Before
going
out
in-to
the
cold,
or
after
coming
in
steaminf
hot
"OXO"
makct
such
a
warming,
deli,
cious
drink.
And
it'i
ready
in
a
minute-so
simple,
so
inexpensive,
so
invigorating
I
Quickly
removes
'Sorry.
But
somehow
those
creasing
vehemence
clocks
have
always
given
me
the
"It
must
be.
It
can
bs
J
shivers.
I
dream
of
them
some-
cldence.
.
1
y
tJ
1
a
.
1
.
.
1
m.
.
.
.
r
.
,
.
.
1
have!
K
w
ngni.
ij;
room
in
me
aaric
ana
see
mem
my
mesiger
at
last
r
u
there
In
a
row."
dashed
odd'
"You
wouldn't
be
able
to
seei
Bundle
started
questionlmi
them
If
it
were
dark,"
said
Bundle
practically.
"Not
unlets
they
had
luminous
dialsoh
I"
She
gave
a
ranged
along
the
mantelpiece.
I
i
sudden
gasp
and
color
rushed
Into
remember
noticing
there
were
on-
h'r
cheeks.
"Don't
you
see?
Seven
y
seven
not
eight."
He
gave
a
sudden
shiver
and
ex
plained
himself
apologetically.
Dials!"
The
othets
looked
at
her
but
she
insisted
with
In
eagerly.
"Who
bought
the
clocks'"
"All
of
us.'
'
'
"Who
thought
of
thHij
"All
of
us."
"Nonsense,
somebody
v.,vA
thought
of
them
first
(To
Be
Continued
Tomorrn
I
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