魔手35

IV

I was a little nervous of meeting Joanna but I found when I got home that Ineedn’t have worried. She was out and she did not return for lunch. Thisaggrieved Partridge a good deal, who said sourly as she proffered two loinchops in an entrée dish: “Miss Burton said specially as she was going to bein.”

I ate both chops in an attempt to atone for Joanna’s lapse. All the same, Iwondered where my sister was. She had taken to be very mysteriousabout her doings of late.

It was half past three when Joanna burst into the drawing room. I hadheard a car stop outside and I half expected to see Griffith, but the cardrove on and Joanna came in alone.

Her face was very red and she seemed upset. I perceived that somethinghad happened.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

Joanna opened her mouth, closed it again, sighed, plumped herselfdown in a chair and stared in front of her.

She said:

“I’ve had the most awful day.”

“What’s happened?”

“I’ve done the most incredible thing. It was awful—”

“But what—”

“I just started out for a walk, an ordinary walk—I went up over the hilland on to the moor. I walked miles—I felt like it. Then I dropped downinto a hollow. There’s a farm there—A God-forsaken lonely sort of spot. Iwas thirsty and I wondered if they’d got any milk or something. So Iwandered into the farmyard and then the door opened and Owen cameout.”

“Yes?”

“He thought it might be the district nurse. There was a woman in therehaving a baby. He was expecting the nurse and he’d sent word to her toget hold of another doctor. It—things were going wrong.”

“Yes?”

“So he said—to me. ‘Come on, you’ll do—better than nobody.’ I said Icouldn’t, and he said what did I mean? I said I’d never done anything likethat, that I didn’t know anything—

“He said what the hell did that matter? And then he was awful. Heturned on me. He said, ‘You’re a woman, aren’t you? I suppose you can doyour durnedest to help another woman?’ And he went on at me—said I’dtalked as though I was interested in doctoring and had said I wished I wasa nurse. ‘All pretty talk, I suppose! You didn’t mean anything real by it, butthis is real and you’re going to behave like a decent human being and notlike a useless ornamental nitwit!’

“I’ve done the most incredible things, Jerry. Held instruments and boiledthem and handed things. I’m so tired I can hardly stand up. It was dread-ful. But he saved her—and the baby. It was born alive. He didn’t think atone time he could save it. Oh dear!”

Joanna covered her face with her hands.

I contemplated her with a certain amount of pleasure and mentally tookmy hat off to Owen Griffith. He’d brought Joanna slap up against realityfor once.

I said, “There’s a letter for you in the hall. From Paul, I think.”

“Eh?” She paused for a minute and then said, “I’d no idea, Jerry, whatdoctors had to do. The nerve they’ve got to have!”

I went out into the hall and brought Joanna her letter. She opened it,glanced vaguely at its contents, and let it drop.

“He was—really—rather wonderful. The way he fought—the way hewouldn’t be beaten! He was rude and horrible to me—but he was wonder-ful.”

I observed Paul’s disregarded letter with some pleasure. Plainly, Joannawas cured of Paul.

 

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