15- MISS MARPLE - Agatha Christie - short stories

hundreds and thousands and gave them to her with instructions how to use them. Gladys Linch died a week ago. Her child died at birth and Jones had deserted her for another woman. When she was dying she confessed the truth." There was a few moments' silence and then Raymond said: "Well, Aunt Jane, this is one up to you. I can't think how on earth you managed to hit upon the truth. I should never have thought of the little maid in the kitchen being connected with the case." "No, dear," said Miss Marple, "but you don't know as much of life as I do. A man of that Jones's type--coarse and jovial. As soon as I heard there was a pretty young girl in the house I felt sure that he would not have left her alone. It is all very distressing and painful, and not a very nice thing to talk about. I can't tell you the shock it was to Mrs. Hat~ graves, and a nine days' wonder in the village." The Idol House of Astarte A d now, Dr. Pender, what are you going ro tell us?" The old clergyman smiled gently. "My life has been passed in quiet places," he said. "Very few eventful happenings have come my way. Yet once, when I was a young man, I had one very strange and tragic experience." "Ah!" said Joyce Lemprire encouragingly. "I have never forgotten it," continued the clergyman. "It made a profound impression on me at the time, and to this day by a slight effort of memory I can fed again the aw and horror of that terrible moment when I saw a man stricken to death by apparently no mortal agency." "You make me feel quite creepy, Pender," complained Sir Henry. "It made me feel creepy, as you call it," replied the other. "Since then I have never laughed at the people who use the word atmosphere. There is such a thing. There are certain places imbued and saturated with good or evil influences which can make their power felt." "That house, The Larches, is a very unhappy one," remarked Miss Marple. "Old Mr. Smithers lost all his money and had to leave it, then the Carslakes took it and Johnny