Thirteen

CATASTROPHE

IThe third weekend after the opening of term followed the usual plan. It was the first weekend onwhich parents were allowed to take pupils out. As a result Meadowbank was left almost deserted.

On this particular Sunday there would only be twenty girls left at the school itself for themidday meal. Some of the staff had weekend leave, returning late Sunday night or early Mondaymorning. On this particular occasion Miss Bulstrode herself was proposing to be absent for theweekend. This was unusual since it was not her habit to leave the school during term time. But shehad her reasons. She was going to stay with the Duchess of Welsham at Welsington Abbey. Theduchess had made a special point of it and had added that Henry Banks would be there. HenryBanks was the Chairman of the Governors. He was an important industrialist and he had been oneof the original backers of the school. The invitation was therefore almost in the nature of acommand. Not that Miss Bulstrode would have allowed herself to be commanded if she had notwished to do so. But as it happened, she welcomed the invitation gladly. She was by no meansindifferent to duchesses and the Duchess of Welsham was an influential duchess, whose owndaughters had been sent to Meadowbank. She was also particularly glad to have the opportunity oftalking to Henry Banks on the subject of the school’s future and also to put forward her ownaccount of the recent tragic occurrence.

Owing to the influential connections at Meadowbank the murder of Miss Springer had beenplayed down very tactfully in the Press. It had become a sad fatality rather than a mysteriousmurder. The impression was given, though not said, that possibly some young thugs had brokeninto the Sports Pavilion and that Miss Springer’s death had been more accident than design. It wasreported vaguely that several young men had been asked to come to the police station and “assistthe police.” Miss Bulstrode herself was anxious to mitigate any unpleasant impression that mighthave been given to these two influential patrons of the school. She knew that they wanted todiscuss the veiled hint that she had thrown out of her coming retirement. Both the duchess andHenry Banks were anxious to persuade her to remain on. Now was the time, Miss Bulstrode felt,to push the claims of Eleanor Vansittart, to point out what a splendid person she was, and howwell fitted to carry on the traditions of Meadowbank.

On Saturday morning Miss Bulstrode was just finishing off her correspondence with AnnShapland when the telephone rang. Ann answered it.

“It’s the Emir Ibrahim, Miss Bulstrode. He’s arrived at Claridge’s and would like to takeShaista out tomorrow.”

Miss Bulstrode took the receiver from her and had a brief conversation with the Emir’s equerry.

Shaista would be ready anytime from eleven thirty onwards on Sunday morning, she said. The girlmust be back at the school by eight p.m.

She rang off and said:

“I wish Orientals sometimes gave you a little more warning. It has been arranged for Shaista togo out with Giselle d’Aubray tomorrow. Now that will have to be cancelled. Have we finished allthe letters?”

“Yes, Miss Bulstrode.”

“Good, then I can go off with a clear conscience. Type them and send them off, and then you,too, are free for the weekend. I shan’t want you until lunchtime on Monday.”

“Thank you, Miss Bulstrode.”

“Enjoy yourself, my dear.”

“I’m going to,” said Ann.

“Young man?”

“Well—yes.” Ann coloured a little. “Nothing serious, though.”

“Then there ought to be. If you’re going to marry, don’t leave it too late.”

“Oh this is only an old friend. Nothing exciting.”

“Excitement,” said Miss Bulstrode warningly, “isn’t always a good foundation for married life.

Send Miss Chadwick to me, will you?”

Miss Chadwick bustled in.

“The Emir Ibrahim, Shaista’s uncle, is taking her out tomorrow Chaddy. If he comes himself,tell him she is making good progress.”

“She’s not very bright,” said Miss Chadwick.

“She’s immature intellectually,” agreed Miss Bulstrode. “But she has a remarkably mature mindin other ways. Sometimes, when you talk to her, she might be a woman of twenty-five. I supposeit’s because of the sophisticated life she’s led. Paris, Teheran, Cairo, Istanbul and all the rest of it.

In this country we’re inclined to keep our children too young. We account it a merit when we say:

‘She’s still quite a child.’ It isn’t a merit. It’s a grave handicap in life.”

“I don’t know that I quite agree with you there, dear,” said Miss Chadwick. “I’ll go now and tellShaista about her uncle. You go away for your weekend and don’t worry about anything.”

“Oh! I shan’t,” said Miss Bulstrode. “It’s a good opportunity, really, for leaving EleanorVansittart in charge and seeing how she shapes. With you and her in charge nothing’s likely to gowrong.”

“I hope not, indeed. I’ll go and find Shaista.”

Shaista looked surprised and not at all pleased to hear that her uncle had arrived in London.

“He wants to take me out tomorrow?” she grumbled. “But Miss Chadwick, it is all arranged thatI go out with Giselle d’Aubray and her mother.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to do that another time.”

“But I would much rather go out with Giselle,” said Shaista crossly. “My uncle is not at allamusing. He eats and then he grunts and it is all very dull.”

“You mustn’t talk like that. It is impolite,” said Miss Chadwick. “Your uncle is only in Englandfor a week, I understand, and naturally he wants to see you.”

“Perhaps he has arranged a new marriage for me,” said Shaista, her face brightening. “If so, thatwould be fun.”

“If that is so, he will no doubt tell you so. But you are too young to get married yet awhile. Youmust first finish your education.”

“Education is very boring,” said Shaista.

II

Sunday morning dawned bright and serene — Miss Shapland had departed soon after MissBulstrode on Saturday. Miss Johnson, Miss Rich and Miss Blake left on Sunday morning.

Miss Vansittart, Miss Chadwick, Miss Rowan and Mademoiselle Blanche were left in charge.

“I hope all the girls won’t talk too much,” said Miss Chadwick dubiously. “About poor MissSpringer I mean.”

“Let us hope,” said Eleanor Vansittart, “that the whole affair will soon be forgotten.” She added:

“If any parents talk to me about it, I shall discourage them. It will be best, I think, to take quite afirm line.”

The girls went to church at 10 o’clock accompanied by Miss Vansittart and Miss Chadwick.

Four girls who were Roman Catholics were escorted by Angèle Blanche to a rival religiousestablishment. Then, about half past eleven, the cars began to roll into the drive. Miss Vansittart,graceful, poised and dignified, stood in the hall. She greeted mothers smilingly, produced theiroffspring and adroitly turned aside any unwanted references to the recent tragedy.

“Terrible,” she said, “yes, quite terrible, but, you do understand, we don’t talk about it here. Allthese young minds—such a pity for them to dwell on it.”

Chaddy was also on the spot greeting old friends among the parents, discussing plans for theholidays and speaking affectionately of the various daughters.

“I do think Aunt Isabel might have come and taken me out,” said Julia who with Jennifer wasstanding with her nose pressed against the window of one of the classrooms, watching the comingsand goings on the drive outside.

“Mummy’s going to take me out next weekend,” said Jennifer. “Daddy’s got some importantpeople coming down this weekend so she couldn’t come today.”

“There goes Shaista,” said Julia, “all togged up for London. Oo-ee! Just look at the heels on hershoes. I bet old Johnson doesn’t like those shoes.”

A liveried chauffeur was opening the door of a large Cadillac. Shaista climbed in and wasdriven away.

“You can come out with me next weekend, if you like,” said Jennifer. “I told Mummy I’d got afriend I wanted to bring.”

“I’d love to,” said Julia. “Look at Vansittart doing her stuff.”

“Terribly gracious, isn’t she?” said Jennifer.

“I don’t know why,” said Julia, “but somehow it makes me want to laugh. It’s a sort of copy ofMiss Bulstrode, isn’t it? Quite a good copy, but it’s rather like Joyce Grenfell or someone doing animitation.”

“There’s Pam’s mother,” said Jennifer. “She’s brought the little boys. How they can all get intothat tiny Morris Minor I don’t know.”

“They’re going to have a picnic,” said Julia. “Look at all the baskets.”

“What are you going to do this afternoon?” asked Jennifer. “I don’t think I need write toMummy this week, do you, if I’m going to see her next week?”

“You are slack about writing letters, Jennifer.”

“I never can think of anything to say,” said Jennifer.

“I can,” said Julia, “I can think of lots to say.” She added mournfully, “But there isn’t reallyanyone much to write to at present.”

“What about your mother?”

“I told you she’s gone to Anatolia in a bus. You can’t write letters to people who go to Anatoliain buses. At least you can’t write to them all the time.”

“Where do you write to when you do write?”

“Oh, consulates here and there. She left me a list. Stamboul is the first and then Ankara and thensome funny name.” She added, “I wonder why Bully wanted to get in touch with Mummy sobadly? She seemed quite upset when I said where she’d gone.”

“It can’t be about you,” said Jennifer. “You haven’t done anything awful, have you?”

“Not that I know of,” said Julia. “Perhaps she wanted to tell her about Springer.”

“Why should she?” said Jennifer. “I should think she’d be jolly glad that there’s at least onemother who doesn’t know about Springer.”

“You mean mothers might think that their daughters were going to get murdered too?”

“I don’t think my mother’s quite as bad as that,” said Jennifer. “But she did get in quite a flapabout it.”

“If you ask me,” said Julia, in a meditative manner, “I think there’s a lot that they haven’t toldus about Springer.”

“What sort of things?”

“Well, funny things seem to be happening. Like your new tennis racquet.”

“Oh, I meant to tell you,” said Jennifer, “I wrote and thanked Aunt Gina and this morning I gota letter from her saying she was very glad I’d got a new racquet but that she never sent it to me.”

“I told you that racquet business was peculiar,” said Julia triumphantly, “and you had aburglary, too, at your home, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but they didn’t take anything.”

“That makes it even more interesting,” said Julia. “I think,” she added thoughtfully, “that weshall probably have a second murder soon.”

“Oh really, Julia, why should we have a second murder?”

“Well, there’s usually a second murder in books,” said Julia. “What I think is, Jennifer, thatyou’ll have to be frightfully careful that it isn’t you who gets murdered.”

“Me?” said Jennifer, surprised. “Why should anyone murder me?”

“Because somehow you’re mixed up in it all,” said Julia. She added thoughtfully, “We must tryand get a bit more out of your mother next week, Jennifer. Perhaps somebody gave her somesecret papers out in Ramat.”

“What sort of secret papers?”

“Oh, how should I know,” said Julia. “Plans or formulas for a new atomic bomb. That sort ofthing.”

Jennifer looked unconvinced.

III

Miss Vansittart and Miss Chadwick were in the Common Room when Miss Rowan entered andsaid:

“Where is Shaista? I can’t find her anywhere. The Emir’s car has just arrived to call for her.”

“What?” Chaddy looked up surprised. “There must be some mistake. The Emir’s car came forher about three-quarters of an hour ago. I saw her get into it and drive off myself. She was one ofthe first to go.”

Eleanor Vansittart shrugged her shoulders. “I suppose a car must have been ordered twice over,or something,” she said.

She went out herself and spoke to the chauffeur. “There must be some mistake,” she said. “Theyoung lady has already left for London three-quarters of an hour ago.”

The chauffeur seemed surprised. “I suppose there must be some mistake, if you say so, madam,”

he said. “I was definitely given instructions to call at Meadowbank for the young lady.”

“I suppose there’s bound to be a muddle sometimes,” said Miss Vansittart.

The chauffeur seemed unperturbed and unsurprised. “Happens all the time,” he said.

“Telephone messages taken, written down, forgotten. All that sort of thing. But we pride ourselvesin our firm that we don’t make mistakes. Of course, if I may say so, you never know with theseOriental gentlemen. They’ve sometimes got quite a big entourage with them, and orders get giventwice and even three times over. I expect that’s what must have happened in this instance.” Heturned his large car with some adroitness and drove away.

Miss Vansittart looked a little doubtful for a moment or two, but she decided there was nothingto worry about and began to look forward with satisfaction to a peaceful afternoon.

After luncheon the few girls who remained wrote letters or wandered about the grounds. Acertain amount of tennis was played and the swimming pool was well patronized. Miss Vansittarttook her fountain pen and her writing pad to the shade of the cedar tree. When the telephone rangat half past four it was Miss Chadwick who answered it.

“Meadowbank School?” The voice of a well- bred young Englishman spoke. “Oh, is MissBulstrode there?”

“Miss Bulstrode’s not here today. This is Miss Chadwick speaking.”

“Oh, it’s about one of your pupils. I am speaking from Claridge’s, the Emir Ibrahim’s suite.”

“Oh yes? You mean about Shaista?”

“Yes. The Emir is rather annoyed at not having got a message of any kind.”

“A message? Why should he get a message?”

“Well, to say that Shaista couldn’t come, or wasn’t coming.”

“Wasn’t coming! Do you mean to say she hasn’t arrived?”

“No, no, she’s certainly not arrived. Did she leave Meadowbank then?”

“Yes. A car came for her this morning—oh, about half past eleven I should think, and she droveoff.”

“That’s extraordinary because there’s no sign of her here … I’d better ring up the firm thatsupplies the Emir’s cars.”

“Oh dear,” said Miss Chadwick, “I do hope there hasn’t been an accident.”

“Oh, don’t let’s assume the worst,” said the young man cheerfully. “I think you’d have heard,you know, if there’d been an accident. Or we would. I shouldn’t worry if I were you.”

But Miss Chadwick did worry.

“It seems to me very odd,” she said.

“I suppose—” the young man hesitated.

“Yes?” said Miss Chadwick.

“Well, it’s not quite the sort of thing I want to suggest to the Emir, but just between you and methere’s no—er—well, no boyfriend hanging about, is there?”

“Certainly not,” said Miss Chadwick with dignity.

“No, no, well I didn’t think there would be, but, well one never knows with girls, does one?

You’d be surprised at some of the things I’ve run into.”

“I can assure you,” said Miss Chadwick with dignity, “that anything of that kind is quiteimpossible.”

But was it impossible? Did one ever know with girls?

She replaced the receiver and rather unwillingly went in search of Miss Vansittart. There was noreason to believe that Miss Vansittart would be any better able to deal with the situation than sheherself but she felt the need of consulting with someone. Miss Vansittart said at once,“The second car?”

They looked at each other.

“Do you think,” said Chaddy slowly, “that we ought to report this to the police?”

“Not to the police,” said Eleanor Vansittart in a shocked voice.

“She did say, you know,” said Chaddy, “that somebody might try to kidnap her.”

“Kidnap her? Nonsense!” said Miss Vansittart sharply.

“You don’t think—” Miss Chadwick was persistent.

“Miss Bulstrode left me in charge here,” said Eleanor Vansittart, “and I shall certainly notsanction anything of the kind. We don’t want anymore trouble here with the police.”

Miss Chadwick looked at her without affection. She thought Miss Vansittart was beingshortsighted and foolish. She went back into the house and put through a call to the Duchess ofWelsham’s house. Unfortunately everyone was out.