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nydus/The Documents in the CasePublic

A man’s apparently accidental death soon arouses suspicions.

Page 84 of 295
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28

The Same to the Same

15a, Whittington Terrace, Bayswater 1st February, 1929

Bungie, my darling,

What, in God’s name, are you going to do with me if I get jealous and suspicious? Or I with you, if it happens that way? I ask this in damn sober earnest, old girl. I’ve got the thing right under my eyes here, and I know perfectly well that no agreement and no promise made before marriage will stand up for a single moment if either of us gets that ugly bug into the blood.

You remember⁠—months ago⁠—I passed on a cheerful little matrimonial dialogue that took place by the umbrella-stand. Tonight we had the pleasure of hearing the thing carried on to the next stage.

Harrison had the brilliant idea of inviting Lathom and me to dinner to taste his special way of frying chicken. Well, there we all were⁠—Miss Milsom frightfully kittenish in a garment she had embroidered herself with Persian arabesques. (“I don’t know what they mean, you know, Mr. Munting. Probably something frightfully improper! I copied them off a rug.”) Harrison who allows nobody to penetrate into “his” kitchen when he’s working out a masterpiece, was frying away amid a powerful odour of garlic. No Mrs. Harrison! We furiously make conversation⁠—enter H. ⁠—gives a black look round, and disappears again. I count the things on the mantelpiece⁠—two brass candlesticks, brass doorknocker representing the Lincoln imp⁠—two imitation brass mulling-cones⁠—ill-balanced pottery nude⁠—quaint clock and pair of Liberty nondescripts. Front door goes. Kitchen door in the distance heard to burst open. “Well,

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