Lonesome Road Read Free Page A

everything else.”
    Miss Silver’s needles clicked.
    “A fire is always unpleasant,” she pronounced.
    Miss Treherne sat back in her chair.
    “The worst thing happened four days ago. It is what brought me here, but I’ve been wondering whether I could tell you about it. It’s so vile—” She said the last words in a slow, almost bewildered manner.
    Miss Silver picked up her pink ball and unwound a handful of wool.
    “It would really be much better if you did not keep breaking off,” she said in her most practical manner. “Pray continue.”
    At another time Rachel Treherne would have been tempted to laugh. Even now a flicker of humor crossed her mood. She said,
    “I know. I will tell you about it as quickly as possible. On Saturday I did some shopping in Ledlington. One of the things I brought home was a box of chocolates. I am the only one in the family who likes soft centers, so I chose a good hard mixture, but I made them take out just a few and put in some of the ones I like myself. The chocolates were the sort that have the name stamped on them so that you can tell what you are taking. I handed them round after dinner, and they were very good. I had two with soft centers, and enjoyed them. I took the box up to my room because Louisa Barnet is fond of chocolates too. She is like me, she doesn’t care for the hard centers. She was with me when I bought them, and I knew she would expect her share, so I told her to help herself. She took one, and almost immediately ran into the bathroom and spat it out. When she had rinsed her mouth she came back. She was terribly upset. She said, ‘That chocolate was as bitter as gall—there’s someone trying to harm you, Miss Rachel! You can’t get from it.’ She brought the box of chocolates over to me, and we examined them thoroughly. The ones with hard centers were all right, and we put them aside. There were about a dozen left with soft centers. Three of these had had a little hole made in the bottom and filled up again. It was quite cleverly done, but you could see it. I touched the filling of one of these chocolates with my tongue, and, it had a strong bitter taste. I burnt all the chocolates that were left.”
    “A very foolish proceeding,” said Miss Silver briskly. “You should have had them analysed.”
    Rachel answered with a hopeless gesture and a single word. Her hand lifted from her knee and fell again. She said,
    “Impossible.”
    Chapter Three
    Miss Silver waited. No other words followed. She knitted to the end of her row, and then remarked,
    “This is for Hilary Cunningham’s baby. A sweet color— so very delicate.”
    Rachel Treherne’s dark eyes rested for a moment upon the pale pink wool. She said in an absent voice,
    “I didn’t know that Hilary had a baby.”
    “Not till January.” Miss Silver began another row. “And now, Miss Treherne, I think we had better proceed. I asked you to tell me three things. Firstly, why should anyone want to kill you? You have not really replied to this, unless your statement that you are Rollo Treherne’s daughter, and that he has left you discretionary powers over his very large fortune, is an answer.”
    Miss Treherne said without looking at her,
    “It might be.”
    “I asked you, secondly, whether any attempt had been made on your life, and if so, in what circumstances. To this you have replied very fully. Thirdly, I inquired who it was that you suspected. It is very necessary for me to have an answer to that third question.”
    Rachel said, “I suppose so,” and then remained silent for quite a long time. Her hands were once more clasped in her lap. She looked down at them, and when she began to speak she did not raise her eyes.
    “Miss Silver, I believe that I can trust you. My difficulty is this—I do not see how you can help me unless I am frank with you, unless I tell you everything. But that is the trouble. With the best will in the world, one can’t tell everything. I look at the problem,