The Red House MysteryMilne, A. A. (Alan Alexander)
General
The Red House Mystery
Milne, A. A. (Alan Alexander)
Detective and mystery stories; England -- Fiction
The “Temple” was a brick summer-house, in the gardens at the back of
the house, about three hundred yards away. Here Mark meditated
sometimes before retiring to the “office” to put his thoughts upon
paper. The thoughts were not of any great value; moreover, they were
given off at the dinner-table more often than they got on to paper, and
got on to paper more often than they got into print. But that did not
prevent the master of The Red House from being a little pained when a
visitor treated the Temple carelessly, as if it had been erected for
the ordinary purposes of flirtation and cigarette-smoking. There had
been an occasion when two of his guests had been found playing fives in
it. Mark had said nothing at the time, save to ask with a little less
than his usual point—whether they couldn’t find anywhere else for their
game, but the offenders were never asked to The Red House again.
Audrey walked slowly up to the Temple, looked in and walked slowly
back. All that walk for nothing. Perhaps the master was upstairs in his
room. “Not well-dressed enough for the drawing-room.” Well, now,
Auntie, would _you_ like anyone in _your_ drawing-room with a red
handkerchief round his neck and great big dusty boots, and—listen! One
of the men shooting rabbits. Auntie was partial to a nice rabbit, and
onion sauce. How hot it was; she wouldn’t say no to a cup of tea. Well,
one thing, Mr. Robert wasn’t staying the night; he hadn’t any luggage.
Of course Mr. Mark could lend him things; he had clothes enough for
six. She would have known him anywhere for Mr. Mark’s brother.
She came into the house. As she passed the housekeeper’s room on her
way to the hall, the door opened suddenly, and a rather frightened face
looked out.
“Hallo, Aud,” said Elsie. “It’s Audrey,” she said, turning into the
room.
“Come in, Audrey,” called Mrs. Stevens.
“What’s up?” said Audrey, looking in at the door.
“Oh, my dear, you gave me such a turn. Where have you been?”
“Up to the Temple.”
“Did you hear anything?”
“Hear what?”
“Bangs and explosions and terrible things.”
“Oh!” said Audrey, rather relieved. “One of the men shooting rabbits.
Why, I said to myself as I came along, ‘Auntie’s partial to a nice
rabbit,’ I said, and I shouldn’t be surprised if—”
“Rabbits!” said her aunt scornfully. “It was inside the house, my
girl.”
“Straight it was,” said Elsie. She was one of the housemaids. “I said
to Mrs. Stevens—didn’t I, Mrs. Stevens?—‘That was in the house,’ I
said.”
Audrey looked at her aunt and then at Elsie.
“Do you think he had a revolver with him?” she said in a hushed voice.
“Who?” said Elsie excitedly.
“That brother of his. From Australia. I said as soon as I set eyes on
him, ‘You’re a bad lot, my man!’ That’s what I said, Elsie. Even before
he spoke to me. Rude!” She turned to her aunt. “Well, I give you _my_
word.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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