夜雨聆风slip of the tongue. But it frightened Charlotte. Andso it went on. Poor Dora could not stop herself talking. That day we hadcoffee together in the Bluebird, I had the oddest impression that Dora wastalking about two people, not one—and so, of course, she was. At one mo-ment she spoke of her friend as not pretty but having so much character—but almost at the same moment she described her as a pretty lightheartedgirl. She’d talk of Letty as so clever and so successful—and then say what asad life she’d had, and then there was that quotation about stern afflictionbravely borne—which really didn’t seem to fit Letitia’s life at all. Charlottemust, I think, have overheard a good deal that morning she came into thecafé. She certainly must have heard Dora mention about the lamp havingbeen changed—about its being the shepherd and not the shepherdess. Andshe realized then what a very real danger to her security poor devotedDora Bunner was.
“I’m afraid that that conversation with me in the café really sealedDora’s fate—if you’ll excuse such a melodramatic expression. But I think itwould have come to the same in the end … Because life couldn’t be safefor Charlotte while Dora Bunner was alive. She loved Dora—she didn’twant to kill Dora—but she couldn’t see any other way. And, I expect (likeNurse Ellerton that I was telling you about, Bunch) she persuaded herselfthat it was almost a kindness. Poor Bunny—not long to live anyway andperhaps a painful end. The queer thing is that she did her best to makeBunny’s last day a happy day. The birthday party—and the special cake….”
“Delicious Death,” said Phillipa with a shudder.