"The Widow" Bertha

Through the window of the study, one can just see the scene in the garden.The weather was bad tonight, and Bertha opened the curtains, only to see a vague female figure in the garden, which should be Mrs. Ward.

She hesitated for a moment, then sighed, and made up her mind to leave the study.

Mycroft was quite right, and Bertha was indeed guilty.

Whether Sir Ward was a member of the Truth Society or not, at least Mrs. Ward didn't know, did she?Even if she ignorantly helped her husband approve countless experiments to persecute the poor people and was guilty of being an accomplice, then her two children are also innocent.

If Bertha didn't know Mrs. Ward, it would be worth sacrificing the happiness of the family in exchange for the pacification of the souls of more than a dozen people who died of drug testing.

But now, Bertha and Mrs. Ward have chatted, drank afternoon tea, and shared the troubles and joys of work, so she is not a cold number.

After getting along, this lady is kind and has her own ideas, but Bertha wants to use her.

This fact made her feel a little complicated.

Of course, guilt belongs to guilt, what should be done or what should be done.

So Bertha walked out of the gate of the manor and came to the small garden at the back. She deliberately stepped heavily, and her shoes made a rustling sound on the lawn, making the lady in the darkness turn around in time: "Who is it?"

"Ma'am," said Bertharon, "are you all right?"

"...Miss Marple."

Mrs. Ward sounded a little surprised. In the dark, she saw the slender girl stepping forward. She didn't get to see her gorgeous and profound face until she was three steps away: "Why are you here?"

Bertha laughed softly: "Don't forget that I'm in charge of investigating the disappearance of Dr. Lang En. Everyone present here, including myself, is a suspect. Naturally, I want to know everyone's location and movements."

Mrs. Ward was taken aback for a moment, and then said apologetically, "I'm sorry, did I cause you trouble again?"

Bertha: "Where is it, ma'am! If you don't let people leave the manor, you will cause trouble to everyone. I am not skilled enough to solve the case in time. I should apologize to you."

As she spoke, she took out her handkerchief and handed it to Mrs. Ward.

"...thank you," said Mrs. Ward with genuine gratitude, "that's all right, miss."

This is what it means to refuse a handkerchief.

But Bertha clearly heard the remnants of crying in her voice. Why does a decent and noble lady wander alone in the dark garden?Naturally, it was because she couldn't let her husband see her cry, and she couldn't let other people in the manor see her lose her composure.

Mrs. Ward accepted Bertha's kindness, but did not accept the veil she handed over. Perhaps this is the bottom line set for her by aristocratic education: no matter how sad she is, she cannot show her vulnerable side to others.

Bertha prides herself on not being able to do this. She is not aristocratic, but she is not so cultivated.

"Sir Ward didn't make things difficult for you," said Bertha cautiously. "If you think my question is too presumptuous, just pretend that I never said it."

"Not so far, miss, it has nothing to do with James."

Even though she was still a little sad, Mrs. Ward still laughed because of Bertha's concern: "Although you and I haven't met a few times, we hit it off very well. You met before, miss... My daughter Anna is stubborn , let you see the joke."

"Children always need education," reassured Bertha, "otherwise what would parents do?"

"Anna has been restless these days, and James is under a lot of pressure," Mrs. Ward sighed. "He is still thinking about the political meeting a few days later. This accident will inevitably delay many things. His worry is It's normal, the external pressure is heavy, and I haven't managed the family well internally, and now I can't even go back, so he... is a little impatient."

Bertha understood.

In the final analysis, it was because the husband was in a bad mood that he quarreled, and he blamed the wife as he talked, thinking that everything was because she couldn't take care of the family well and didn't take care of her daughter's responsibility.Mrs. Ward put it mildly, but Bertha raised her eyebrows in the darkness.

"You are a kind and generous man, madam," said Bertha sincerely, "I cannot do that."

If Bertha's husband had dared to accuse herself of this, no matter who it was, she would have tied him to a rock and sank to the bottom of the Thames with the foul water.

Mrs. Ward's mood has calmed down a lot. Hearing that Bertha was on her side, not only did she not complain, but she began to reflect on herself: "I really didn't do well enough. In any case, James' accusation is not groundless. Anna's With a stubborn and willful personality, and she can't return in time right now, after these few days, she will definitely be destroyed."

Bertha: "..."

Wait a moment.

She knew that Mrs. Ward's emotion came from her husband's accusation, and the key was anxiety, so anxiety, why did she suddenly quarrel because of the child?Perhaps it was just that Bertha was thinking too much, but she felt that she couldn't let go of this doubt.

It was only a blink of an eye, and Bertha was already thinking about it.

"Your worry is very reasonable, ma'am," she said, "forgive me for not having children, so I can't appreciate it. But there are so many guests in the manor, and there are always women who have children like you. I don't think Zhou should give everyone a chance to communicate with the outside world."

"What does Miss Marple mean?"

"Well," Bertha said with a smile, "I would like to propose to Mr. Lancaster that all guests in the Manor tomorrow can send letters to their homes, and if they have needs for medicine and daily necessities, they can also ask for it, and a special person will be responsible for purchasing .It's just that the content of the letter needs to be inspected publicly, so it's better not to write too personal content, what do you think?"

"That, that's really great!"

Although she still couldn't leave the manor, Bertha's words could be said to be a concession specifically for Mrs. Ward.This made the noble lady, who was still worried just now, finally let go of her faint worries.

She turned her head to look at the lady beside her. Under the night, the dim light covered Bertha's face with a layer of veil, and at the same time softened her sharp eyebrows and strong temperament, making her look much more humane than before. .

"Thank you, miss," Mrs. Ward said gratefully, "I won't write anything too extreme. James said, that is, to remind the tutor, let her tell Anna to practice the piano well, and he will check it himself when he returns. practice progress."

tutor?

Bertha put a question mark in her heart.

She dealt with the relevant affairs and returned to the guest room that belonged to her and Mycroft.

Mycroft Holmes did not go out, but he was still well dressed.A tall man stood by the window, with a straight back and broad shoulders. Even though there was no moonlight in the sky tonight, it still made the man look like a standing tree waiting for the sky.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, he didn't look back: "I will send someone to keep an eye on Sir Ward's house."

Well, Bertha would not ask how he knew.

"If Sir Ward does release the news," Bertha said, "it proves that he wants to alert the Society of Truth through contact with the outside world."

"It also proved that he didn't know Colonel Dent. Then congratulations, Bertha. If it goes well, you will complete the purpose of preparing the murder case."

"Could things be so simple?" Bertha was not very optimistic.

"I wish it was that simple."

After finishing speaking, Mycroft turned around slowly. He walked to the table in the guest room, picked up a bottle of whiskey and shook it: "My dear accomplice, would you like to have a drink with me?"

Bertha raised the corner of her mouth: "I like this title, why not?"

***

Colonel Dent's apartment front street early the next morning.

Colonel Dent's residence in London is located in a fairly prosperous neighborhood. There are bachelor apartments on the left and right. Most of the colonel's neighbors are single and promising local youths just like him.

There were several carriages parked on Qianjie Street early in the morning, and after breakfast, the driver's business was always very good.Several coachmen gathered together to smoke and chat. While chatting, they saw a young lady with the brim of her hat down walking on the sparsely populated street.

"Hey, look, what's going on?"

The driver named Mickey spoke London dialect and poked his companion: "What are you doing here so early in the morning? You don't look like a lady who lives nearby."

——If something new happens on the street, or if there is any abnormality, no one can grasp the situation in time better than the coachmen.

As soon as Mickey reminded, all the coachmen looked at the lady who covered most of her face with the brim of her hat. She walked in a hurry, her posture was tense, and she was wearing a relatively simple dress. She looked like a tutor or housekeeper of a rich family. Nor should it appear in a place where such single men gather.

The lady looked around, and after realizing that no one was following her, she suddenly turned to an apartment and dropped a letter into a mailbox in the apartment.

"Deliver the letter in person? I don't understand that."

"Wait, I know her," cried one of the coachmen. "Isn't this the governess of Sir Ward's daughter? I drove her out!"

"What is Sir Ward's governess doing here?"

Mickey reacted the fastest: "Does Colonel Dent live in this apartment?"

When he finished his words, everyone remembered that there was a little boy named Charlie Berry who dressed like a newsboy, but he was full of dirty words about street thieves, and he gave them a lot of cigarettes and juniper berries Wine, asking the coachmen to help keep an eye on Colonel Dent.

The coachmen helped to stare at it for a long time, but they didn't see why, but Colonel Dent was not at home recently, but someone came instead?

"No way, there are so many residents in the apartment," another coachman retorted, "Maybe this lady is here to deliver a letter to her lover!"

"You don't have to come in person to deliver the letter."

The more Mickey thought about it, the more wrong he became, he couldn't help muttering: "Let's tell that little guy, after all, we are short-handed."

When he said this, the other coachmen fell silent.

And when Charlie heard the news—

"Where's the mailbox?!"

"Wait a minute, boy," Mickey strode forward, grabbing Charlie who was about to run towards the Colonel's apartment, "You want to steal a letter?! The apartment manager will beat you to death!"

"He can't hit me."

Charlie blinked, and took out today's newspaper from his satchel: "I just said that Colonel Dent hasn't come to pick up the newspaper for a long time, so I'll put it in the mailbox for him—Mickey, can you read? "

"how?"

"I stole the letter here, please help me see what is written on it."

After speaking, Charlie ran away. He was good-looking and well-dressed. He walked to the door of the apartment and said something to the manager.Mickey watched with trepidation, afraid that he would be recognized, but unexpectedly the manager laughed, even patted Charlie on the head, and let him in to check the mailbox.

Not long after, the little boy swaggered over and took out the stolen letter from his satchel: "Come and see!"

Mickey looked suspicious, he took the letter and opened it.

After seeing the above content clearly, Mickey the coachman's face changed drastically, and he threw the envelope and letter back to Charlie Berry as if the paper was hot: "Stinky boy, who did you provoke? After reading this kind of thing, what do you think?" Are we both dead?!"

Unexpectedly, his panicked appearance was replaced by Charlie's bright smile.

The pretty little boy tilted his head, and then blinked slyly: "I know, if you read the letter, it means you've boarded a pirate ship."

"you--"

Charlie Berry spread his hands and said with a smile, "Mickey, if you become prosperous in the future, don't forget that I introduced you to Mrs. Thames."