Home Random Page


CATEGORIES:

BiologyChemistryConstructionCultureEcologyEconomyElectronicsFinanceGeographyHistoryInformaticsLawMathematicsMechanicsMedicineOtherPedagogyPhilosophyPhysicsPolicyPsychologySociologySportTourism






Checking Comprehension

Say why:

1)Favell came to see Max de Winter.

2) he did not believe that Rebecca had committed suicide.

3) he showed Rebecca's note to Maxim.

4) he was sure that Maxim would not dare ring up Colonel Julian.

5) Colonel Julian began to doubt that the verdict of the court was true.

6) Colonel Julian did not believe Favell.

7) Daphne felt all the colour fading away from her face.

8) Maxim agreed to bring Ben.

Discussion Tasks

Imagine that youare Favell. Speak aboutyour re­lations withRebecca, the noteshe wrote toyou, the verdict of thecourt, your attempt to come to an agreement with Maxim de Winter and the meeting with Colonel Julian.

CHAPTER 22

Half an hour later the door opened, and Frank came in with Ben. "All right, Ben," he said quietly. "Mr. de Winter wants to give you some cigarettes. There's noth­ing to be frightened of."


Ben glanced foolishly around, blinking his small eyes.

"I don't want to go to the asylum," he said. "I want to stay home. I done nothing,"

"That's all right, Ben," said Colonel Julian. "No one's going to put you in the asylum. You remember Mrs. de Winter, don't you?"

Ben glanced doubtfully towards me.

"No," said Colonel Julian gently, "not this lady. The other lady, who used to go to the cottage."

Ben blinked his eyes. "She's gone," he said.

"Yes, we know that," said Colonel Julian. "She used to sail the boat, didn't she? Were you on the beach when she sailed in the boat the last time?"

Ben glanced at Frank, and then at Maxim. "Eh?" he said.

"You were there, weren't you?" said Favell, leaning forward. "You saw Mrs. de Winter come down to the cottage, and presently you saw Mr. de Winter. He went into the cottage after her. What happened then? Go on. What happened?"

Ben shrank back against the wall. "I seen nothing," he said. "I want to stay home. I'm not going to the asy­lum. I never seen you and she in the woods."

"Your witness does not seem to have helped you," said Colonel Julian. "Do you want to ask him anything else?"

"It's a plot," shouted Favell. "A plot against me. Someone's paid this idiot, I tell you. Paid him to tell his dirty lies."

"I think Ben may be allowed to go home," said Colo­nel Julian.

"All right, Ben," said Maxim. "Robert shall take you back. Tell Robert to find something in the kitchen," he added to Frank. "Some cold meat, whatever he likes."


"Payment for services, eh?" said Favell. "He's done a good work for you, Max, hasn't he?"

Colonel Julian glanced at Favell. "You can't prove your story, can you?"

"Can't I?" said Favell. I saw him smile. He came across to the fireplace and rang the bell. "Ask Mrs. Dan-vers to come here," he said.

We all waited, watching the door. And Mrs. Dan-vers came into the room. She stood by the door, fold­ing her hands in front of her, looking from one to the



other of us.

"Good evening, Mrs. Danvers," said Colonel Julian.

"Good evening, sir," she said. Her voice was that dead, mechanical one I had heard so often.

"I want to ask you a question," said Colonel Julian, "and the question is this. Can you think of any reason why Mrs. de Winter should have taken her own life?"

Mrs. Danvers shook her head. "No," she said. "No."

"There, you see?" Favell said swiftly. "It's impossi­ble. I've told you already."

"Be quiet... will you?" said Colonel Julian. "Let Mrs. Danvers read the note. She may be able to throw light on it." Favell shrugged his shoulders. He felt in his pocket for the note and threw it on the floor at Mrs. Danvers's feet. She picked it up and read it twice. Then she shook her head. "I don't know what she meant. If there was something important she had to tell Mr. Jack, she would have told me first."

"Did you see her that night?"

"No, I was out. I was spending the afternoon and evening in Kerrith. I shall never forgive myself for that. Never till my dying day."

"Does anybody know how she spent that day in Lon­don?"


 




Nobody answered.

"I've got her engagement diary in my room," said Mrs. Danvers slowly. "It's possible she may have written down her appointments for that day. I can go and fetch the diary."

"Well, de Winter?" said Colonel Julian. "Do you mind us seeing this diary?"

"Of course, not," said Maxim. "Why on earth should I?"

We were waiting, knowing in our hearts that Max­im was standing trial here for his life. I turned round when I heard the soft closing of the door. It was Mrs. Danvers. She had come back again with the diary in her hand.

"I was right," she said quietly. "She had marked down the engagements. Here they are on the date she died."

She gave the diary to Colonel Julian. I dug my nails in my hands. I could not look at Maxim. Surely Colonel Julian heard my heart beating loudly in my breast.

"Ah!" he said. His finger was in the middle of the page. "Yes, here it is. Hair at twelve. And a cross be­side it. She kept her appointment, then. Lunch at the club, and a cross beside that. What have we here? Bak­er, two o'clock. Who was Baker?" He looked at Maxim. Maxim shook his head.

"Baker?" repeated Mrs. Danvers. "She knew no one called Baker. I've never heard this name."

"Well, here it is," said Colonel Julian, handing her the diary. "You can see for yourself. Baker. And she put a big cross beside it as though she wanted to break the pencil. She evidently saw this Baker, whoever he was."

Mrs. Danvers was staring at the name and the black cross beside it. "Baker," she repeated, "Baker."

"She had no enemy, no one she was afraid of?" asked Colonel Julian.


"Mrs. de Winter afraid?" said Mrs. Danvers. "She was afraid of nothing and no one. Only one thing ever wor­ried her, and that was the idea of getting old, of ill­ness, of dying in her bed. 'When I go, Danny,' she used to say, 'I want to go quickly, to light out like the flame of a candle.' It was the only thing that consoled me, after she died. They say drowning is painless, don't

they?"

"What the hell is the use of all this?" said Pavell.

"Who cares about this Baker fellow? What's he got to

do with it? If he had been anyone important, Danny

would know him. Rebecca had no secrets from Danny."

I was watching Mrs. Danvers. She had the book in her hands and was turning the leaves. Suddenly she gave an exclamation.

"There's something here," she said, "right at the back among the telephone numbers. Baker. And there's a number beside it. Mayfair 0488."

"Well?" said Maxim, lighting his first cigarette. "Frank,

go and phone Mayfair 0488."

Frank went to a telephone. He left the door open and

I could hear him speak.

"Hallo. Is that Mayfair 0488? Can you tell me if anyone of the name of Baker lives here? Yes, I under­stand. Yes, it's rather important." He put on the receiv­er and turned to us. "There are no residents there at all. The place is used during the day as a doctor's consulting room. Apparently Baker's given up practice, and left six months ago. But the night porter gave me his address. He said this Baker was a very well-known women's spe­cialist."

It was then that Maxim looked at me. He looked

at me for the first time that evening. And in his eyes I read a message of farewell.


"Well, Mrs. Danvers," said Colonel Julian, "can you throw any light on the matter now?"

Mrs. Danvers shook her head. "Mrs. de Winter never needed a doctor. I've never heard her speak of this Doc­tor Baker, she never mentioned his name to me."

"Perhaps she didn't want to worry you," said Colonel Julian.

"And the note to Mr. Jack," said Mrs. Danvers sud­denly. '/ have something important to tell you/ Perhaps she was going to tell him."

"Of course, there's no doubt about it," said Colonel Julian, turning to Maxim. "She was going to tell Favell the result of that interview with this Doctor Baker. I think we must see him privately and get out of him as much information as possible. What do you say, de Winter?"

Maxim turned round from the window. "I'm ready to do anything you suggest," he said.

"Anything, eh?" said Favell; "a lot can be done in twenty-four hours, can't it? Trains can be caught, ships can sail, aeroplanes can fly."

I saw Mrs. Danvers look sharply from Favell to Maxim, and I realized then that Mrs. Danvers had not known about FavelPs accusations. At last she was beginning to understand. I could tell it from the expression on her face, where wonder and hatred mixed with convic­tion.

Maxim did not notice her. He was talking to Colonel Julian. "What do you suggest?" he said. "Shall I go in the morning to this address?"

"He can't go alone," said Favell with a short laugh. "I have a right to insist on that."

"If I go with de Winter, and stay with him, will that satisfy you?" said Colonel Julian.


Favell looked at Maxim and then at Colonel Julian. "Yes," he said slowly, "but for safety do you mind if I come with you too? I am sure this Doctor Baker is go­ing to prove my case, after all."

Colonel Julian looked at Maxim. "When can you be

ready?"

"Any time you say," said Maxim.

"How do we know he won't run away in the night?"

said Favell.

A flash came over Maxim's face. I saw the pulse beat­ing on his forehead. "Mrs. Danvers," he said slowly, "when Mrs. de Winter and I go to bed tonight, will you come up and lock the door on the outside? And call us yourself, at seven in the morning?"

"Yes, sir," said Mrs. Danvers, keeping her eyes on

him.

Colonel Julian came up to me and took my hand. "Good night," he said. "Get your husband to bed early, if you can. It's going to be a long day."

Favell crossed the room to the door, waving his hand to Maxim by the window. "So long, old man," he said, "pleasant dreams. Make the most of your night behind the locked door.1" He turned and laughed at me, and then went out of the room. Mrs. Danvers followed him.

Maxim and I were alone.

"I'm coming with you in the morning," I said. Max­im did not answer for a moment. He went on looking out of the window. Then "Yes" without expression. "Yes, we must be together."

He put his arms round me and we began to kiss, fe-

Make the most of your night behind the locked door. —

Âîñïîëüçóéñÿ ñâîåé íî÷üþ çà çàïåðòîé äâåðüþ êàê ìîæíî ëó÷øå.


 




verishly, desperately, like guilty lovers who had not kissed before.

Activities

? Pre-reading Task

Practise the pronunciation of the following words:

prove, diary, practice, farewell, privately, aeroplanes, forehead, guilty.

[pru:v] ['darcn] ['prsektis] ['fea'wel] ['prarvatli] ['esrspleinz] ['fond] ['gilti]


Date: 2015-12-18; view: 1490


<== previous page | next page ==>
Imagine that you are Daphne. Tellus about your visit to the morning-room. | The North Wind’s Daughter
doclecture.net - lectures - 2014-2024 year. Copyright infringement or personal data (0.007 sec.)