九游娱乐体育下载 Dr. Blacklock, I think

was an old-fashioned, narrow-minded, tyran-nical and obstinate man. He didn’t believe in these operations. Charlottemust take it from him that nothing could be done—apart from dosagewith iodine and other drugs. Charlotte did take it from him, and I thinkher sister also placed more faith in Dr. Blacklock’s powers as a physicianthan he deserved.

“Charlotte was devoted to her father in a rather weak and soppy way.

She thought, definitely, that her father knew best. But she shut herself upmore and more as the goitre became larger and more unsightly, and re-fused to see people. She was actually a kindly affectionate creature.”

“That’s an odd description of a murderess,” said Edmund.

“I don’t know that it is,” said Miss Marple. “Weak and kindly people areoften very treacherous. And if they’ve got a grudge against life it saps thelittle moral strength that they may possess.

“Letitia Blacklock, of course, had quite a different personality. InspectorCraddock told me that Belle Goedler described her as really good—and Ithink Letitia was good. She was a woman of great integrity who found—asshe put it herself—a great difficulty in understanding how people couldn’tsee what was dishonest. Letitia Blacklock, however tempted, would neverhave contemplated any kind of fraud for a moment.

“Letitia was devoted to her sister. She wrote her long accounts ofeverything that happened in an effort to keep her sister in touch with life.

She was worried by the morbid state Charlotte was getting into.

“Finally Dr. Blacklock died. Letitia, without hesitation, threw up her pos-ition with Randall Goedler and devoted herself to Charlotte. She took herto Switzerland, to consult authorities there on the possibility of operating.

It had been left very late—but as we know the operation was successful.

The deformity was gone—and the scar this operation had left was easilyhidden by a choker of pearls or beads.

“The war had broken out. A return to England was difficult and the twosisters stayed in Switzerland doing various Red Cross and other work.

That’s right, isn’t it, Inspector?”

“Yes, Miss Marple.”

“They got occasional news from England—amongst other things, I ex-pect, they heard that Belle Goedler could not live long. I’m sure it would beonly human nature for them both to have planned and talked together ofthe days ahead when a big fortune would be theirs to spend. One has gotto realize, I think, that this prospect meant much more to Charlotte than itdid to Letitia. For the first time in her life, Charlotte could go about feelingherself a normal woman, a woman at whom no one looked with either re-pulsion or pity. She was free at last to enjoy life—and she had a whole life-time, as it were, to crowd into her remaining years. To travel, to have ahouse and beautiful grounds—to have clothes and jewels, and go to playsand concerts, to gratify every whim—it was all a kind of fairy tale cometrue to Charlotte.

“And then Letitia, the strong healthy Letitia, got flu which turned topneumonia and died within the space of a week! Not only had Charlottelost her sister, but the whole dream existence she had planned for herselfwas cancelled. I think, you know, that she may have felt almost resentfultowards Letitia. Why need Letitia have died, just then, when they had justhad a letter saying Belle Goedler could not last long? Just one more month,perhaps, and the money would have been Letitia’s—and hers when Letitiadied….