夜雨聆风No, Tiglath Pileser, you mustn’t … He really is awful. Look, he’s nearlybitten it through—it’s all frayed. Don’t you understand, you idiotic puss,that you may get a nasty electric shock if you do that?”
“Thank you, dear,” said Miss Marple, and put out a hand to turn on thelamp.
“It doesn’t turn on there. You have to press that silly little switchhalfway along the flex. Wait a minute. I’ll take these flowers out of theway.”
She lifted a bowl of Christmas roses across the table. Tiglath Pileser, histail switching, put out a mischievous paw and clawed Bunch’s arm. Shespilled some of the water out of the vase. It fell on the frayed area of flexand on Tiglath Pileser himself, who leapt to the floor with an indignanthiss.
Miss Marple pressed the small pear- shaped switch. Where the waterhad soaked the frayed flex there was a flash and a crackle.
“Oh, dear,” said Bunch. “It’s fused. Now I suppose all the lights in hereare off.” She tried them. “Yes, they are. So stupid being all on the samethingummibob. And it’s made a burn on the table, too. Naughty TiglathPileser—it’s all his fault. Aunt Jane—what’s the matter? Did it startle you?”
