Chapter 5 5. Model Maid

Um, madam, if you will allow me to talk to you? This request is somewhat absurd, since Ina, Miss Marple's little maid, is in fact talking to her mistress. Miss Marple knew that this was her catchphrase, and immediately replied: Of course you can, Ina.You come in and close the door.What's the matter? Aina obediently entered the room and closed the door, fiddling with the hem of the apron with both hands.Several times she hesitated to speak. What's the matter, Ina?said Miss Marple, encouragingly. Oh ma'am, it's my cousin Gladys. My God, Miss Marple immediately thought of the worst. Unfortunately, that was the most likely conclusion.She didn't cause trouble, did she?

Aina quickly reassured her. Oh no, ma'am, not at all.Glady was not that kind of girl.She's just in a bad mood.You know, she lost her job. God, I feel so sorry for her.She was supposed to be working at the Old Ouyuan, serving those two Miss Skieners, wasn't she? Yes, madam, you are absolutely right.She was sad, very, very sad. However, didn't Gratti often change jobs before? Oh yes, madam.She's the kind of person who loves change and never seems to be able to settle down, if you know what I mean.But, you know, every time before, she resigned on her own initiative! And this time, someone else fired her?asked Miss Marple, teasingly.

Yes, ma'am, and Gladys is very sorry for that. Miss Marple was a little taken aback.In her impression, Gladys is a girl with a stout figure and a pleasant smile, with such a good temper that she will never be unhappy.Sometimes she would come to Miss Marple's kitchen for afternoon tea on holidays. Ina went on: You know, ma'am, because of an incident and Miss Skiner's attitude. Miss Skinner, Miss Marple asked patiently.What kind of attitude? This time Aina spoke very fluently: Oh, ma'am, this is such a shock to Gladys.Miss Ollie dropped a brooch, you know, and yelled and searched for it.Of course, no one wants that to happen, and it's very uncomfortable, if you know what I mean, ma'am.Glady also helped to find it, and searched everywhere.Miss Lavigne was going to call the police, but the brooch was found, stuffed in the back of a dresser drawer.Gladys was overjoyed.

The next day, Gladys broke a plate.This kind of thing had happened before, but Miss Lavigne immediately jumped up and told Glady to leave the job in a month.Glady felt that it was impossible because of the plate, and Miss Lavigne was just making use of it.They must have thought Gladys had stolen the brooch and put it back when they heard the police were coming.But Gladys would not do such a thing, absolutely not.She felt that this matter would be spread, which would be very detrimental to her.You know, ma'am, that's a serious charge for a girl. Miss Marple nodded.Although she may not particularly like this lively and self-centered Gladys, she definitely believes in the girl's honest nature.She could imagine how sad this incident made her.

Ina said hopefully: Ma'am, I was wondering if you could do something about this matter?Gladys is distraught now. Tell her not to be stupid, and Miss Marple answered simply.If she didn't have the brooch I'm sure she needn't be upset. I'll tell her, Ina said, disappointed in her tone. Miss Marple said again: I, uh, I'm going out this afternoon.I'll go and talk to the two Miss Skieners. Oh thank you ma'am!Ina said. Old Europe Park is a Victorian mansion surrounded by woods and parkland.The mansion was neither rentable nor easy to sell, so an entrepreneurial speculator divided it into four apartments sharing a central hot water system and the open space around the house for the residents to share.This approach has been very successful.A lonely rich old lady lives in one of them with her maid. The old lady loves birds so much that she takes pleasure in feeding them all day long.A retired Indian judge and his wife rented the second room; a newlyweds lived in the third room, and the fourth room was rented only two months ago by two old ladies named Skirner.The four tenants respect each other like ice because they have nothing in common.I heard the landlord thinks this is the best.He was most afraid of the friendship between the tenants and then the conflicts and disputes, and finally ran to him to complain.

Miss Marple knew all these families, but none of them.Sister Skirner's older sister, Miss Lavigne, was the head of the family, and her younger sister, Miss Ollie, lay in bed almost all day long suffering from various ailments, although the villagers of St. Mary Mead believed that these Most of the pain came from her own imagination.Only Lavigne believed in her sister, believing that she was in pain and torment.She willingly ran in and out of the village to buy all kinds of things that popped into my sister's mind. The people of St. Mary Mead thought that if Miss Ollie was half as miserable as she claimed she should have sent for Dr. Hodak.But whenever someone hinted at her like this, she closed her eyes in disdain, and murmured that her disease was not so simple, and even the best experts in London could not do anything about it.She recently found a new top-notch doctor who is treating her with state-of-the-art medical care, and she really hopes that her health will improve as a result.It is impossible for ordinary general practitioners to understand her disease.

In my opinion, said the frank Miss Hana.It would be wise for her not to call Dr. Hodak; he would tell her softly: You are not sick at all.You should get out of bed and move around, stop making a fuss!It's good for her! Of course Miss Ollie would not accept such an arbitrary prescription.She was still lying on the sofa, surrounded by all kinds of small pill boxes of strange shapes.She almost never eats food that has been cooked for her, except for something else that is usually rare and hard to come by. Gladys opened the door for Miss Marple.It never occurred to Miss Marple that Gladys could be so melancholy.Miss Lavigne, who was in the small drawing room (a corner of the original drawing room; the former large drawing room was now divided into a dining room, a small drawing room, a bathroom, and a maid's quarters), rose, and stepped forward to greet Miss Marple.

Lavigne.Skinner was fifty years old, tall, bony, and gaunt.Her voice was hoarse and her manners rough. Nice to meet you, she said.Ou Li is lying down. She is in a bad mood today, poor sister.I wish she could meet you, it would make her happy, but sometimes she doesn't want to see anyone.Poor sister, she is so strong. Miss Marple replied in a regular manner.In St. Mary Mead, servants were a big topic of conversation after dinner, so it wasn't hard to take the conversation in that direction.Miss Marple said she heard that good girl Gladys.Holmes was leaving their house.Miss Lavigne nodded.

You know, last Wednesday she broke stuff.I can't stand it. Miss Marple said with a sigh that everyone has to live with something these days.It was hard to find a girl willing to work in the country, and did Miss Skiener really think it wise to quit Gladys? I also know it's not easy to find someone, Miss Lavigne admitted.The Devereaus couldn't find half a word. No wonder they couldn't find anyone; they quarreled all day long, listened to jazz all night, and wanted to eat whenever and wherever. That girl doesn't know anything about housework, I feel sorry for her husband!The Larkins' servants had just left, too.Of course, it was partly because of the Judge's Indian temper that he had tea at six o'clock in the morning, and partly because Mrs. Larkin was always making a fuss, so I didn't find it surprising.Jenny of Mrs. Carmichael's family is very stable, although in my opinion, she is the most difficult kind of woman to get along with, and she will definitely bully the old lady Carmichael.

So, are you going to reconsider your decision to fire Gratti?She is really a nice girl.I know all her family, they are very honest and have good moral character. Miss Lavigne shook her head. I have my reasons, she said cautiously. Miss Marple said in a low voice: I know, you lost a brooch. Who said this?I think it's Gladys.Frankly, I can almost guarantee that she was the one who took the brooch and put it back out of fear. Of course, I wouldn't say that if I wasn't sure.She changed the subject.Miss Marple, come and see Ollie.I believe it is good for her. Miss Marple followed Lavigne meekly to a door.Lavigne knocked on the door, and when she heard an invitation to come in, she led Miss Marple into the best room of the house.The outside light was mostly blocked by the half-closed shutters, and Miss Ollie lay on the bed, enjoying the semi-darkness and her own never-ending illness.

In the hazy light a thin, morose figure loomed, with burnt-blond hair disheveled and knotted at the ends.The whole room looked like a bird's nest, except that no self-respecting bird would be proud of it.The room smelled of cologne, stale biscuits, and mothballs. Ollie.Skinner explained in a weak voice with half-closed eyes that this was a bad day for her. The saddest thing about being physically ill is, Ollie said in a sad tone.You know that you will be a burden to others. Lavigne is very good to me Dear Lavigne, I really don't want to make trouble, but this thermos just doesn't suit my needs. If it's too full, I can't lift it, but if it's not full, the water will get cold immediately. ! I'm so sorry, dear.Give it to me and I'll pour some of the water out. Since you're going to do that, wouldn't it be better to just refill it?I guess there are no pretzels in the house?No, no, it's okay, I can get by without cookies.Some green tea and a slice of lemon No lemon?Seriously, I literally can't drink it without the lemon.I think the milk this morning is a bit stale, so I dare not add it to my tea.It's okay, I can get by without tea.It's just, I feel really weak.They say oysters are very nutritious, can I have a few?No, no, it's too troublesome to go shopping at this late hour.I'm fine with not eating until tomorrow. As Lavigne left the room, she muttered that she was going to the village by bicycle. Ou Li smiled weakly at the guests, saying that she really didn't want to cause trouble for others. Miss Marple told Ina that night that she might have been in vain. She found that rumors of Glady's dishonesty had spread in the village, and she was quite worried about it. At the post office Miss Wetherby had this to say about her: Dear Jane, they wrote a letter of recommendation for her, saying that she is serious and responsible, but she is not honest and honest.In my opinion, this is the most important thing!I heard that the Skirners lost their brooch, and I thought there must be something to it.You know, unless something serious happens these days, most people won't fire employees because it's so hard to find someone.Girls would definitely not be willing to go to Guouyuan to do things, they were worried that they would not be able to go home on the rest day.Just watch it, Sister Skirner can't find anyone.Having said that, maybe that younger sister who has a terrible paranoia will have to get out of bed to do some housework in the future! But to the great disappointment of the villagers, the Skeina sisters found another maid through an agency company, and in all respects, the maid was perfect. A letter of introduction with three years' seniority was full of praise for her, saying she liked the country life and asking for a lower salary than Gladys.I think we are so lucky. Miss Lavigne revealed these details to Miss Marple at the fish stand.Miss Marple said: Oh, indeed.But it seems too good to be true. Everyone in the village believed that this model maid would definitely back down at the last moment.She won't be reporting. None of these prophecies came true.On the contrary, everyone saw this girl named Mary.Higgins' expert housekeeper, took a taxi from Rhett Motors through the village to Guouyuan.Everyone had to admit that this man had a very decent appearance, an awe-inspiring appearance, and his clothes were clean and tidy. In order to find a sponsor for the booth of the church fair, Miss Marple visited the Old Europe Garden again.This time it's Mary.Higgins opened the door.Marie, about forty years old, was indeed a decent-looking woman, with neatly combed black hair, rosy cheeks, a plump figure wrapped in black, a white apron around her waist, and a white hat: exactly the sort of A well-trained traditional domestic servant, Miss Marple said afterward.Her respectful, well-mannered soft-spoken voice also contrasted sharply with Glady's loud voice and thick accent. Miss Lavigne seemed more at ease than in the past, and although she couldn't set up a booth at the fair because she had to take care of her younger sister, she made a handsome donation and promised to provide a supply of pen erasers and baby socks. Miss Marple said she seemed very content. I really think I owe Mary a lot.I am also very glad that I decided to fire Gratti in the first place.Marie was invaluable, a great cook, a wonderful waitress, who kept our little house spotless and the mattresses turned every day.And she is really kind to Oli! Miss Marble hurriedly inquired about Ollie's recent situation. Oh, poor sister, she's been sick lately.Of course, she can't help herself, but sometimes she is really difficult.She obviously said she wanted to eat something, but when you finished it, she said she didn't want to eat it, and half an hour later she wanted to eat it again, and the food was broken at this time, so she had to redo it.Of course, she wasted a lot of our time like this, and luckily, Mary didn't seem to care at all.She said that she is very used to serving patients and understands their psychology very well.So comforting. Goodness, said Miss Marple.You are so lucky. really.I really think that Mary is here, God is answering our prayers. It sounds to me, said Miss Marple.She seemed too good to be true.If I were you, I'd uh, I'd be careful. Lavigne obviously didn't hear the implication of these words.she says: Oh, I promise you, I will do my best to make her happy.I don't know what to do if she leaves us. "I'm sure she won't leave until she's ready," said Miss Marple, keeping her eyes on Lavigne. Lavigne says: It's a relief for a woman not to have to worry about housework, don't you think?How is your little Ina doing? She is doing well.Of course, unlike your Mary, she doesn't plan for the future.But I know her well.She was a country girl after all. As soon as she was out of the room and into the corridor, she heard the sick man shouting at the top of his voice: How did you let the compress dry?Dr. Allerton specifically advised to keep it moist.All right, leave it alone.I want a cup of tea and a hard-boiled egg. Remember, it can only be boiled for three and a half minutes!Get me Miss Lavigne. Capable Mary came out of the bedroom and said to Lavigne: "Miss Ollie, please come over, madam."Then he opened the door for Miss Marple, helped her put on her coat and handed her the umbrella, and her every move was impeccable. Miss Marple took the umbrella and accidentally dropped it on the ground. She was about to bend to pick it up, but dropped the handbag on the ground again, and the things scattered all over the floor.Mary helped politely to pick up the odds and ends, a handkerchief, a blotter, an old-fashioned leather purse, two shillings, threepence, and a peppermint hard candy with its wrapper peeled off. Miss Marple took the peppermint hard candy with a puzzled look on her face. Oh, my God, it must be Mrs. Clermont's youngest son.I remembered that he was holding the piece of candy, and took my leather bag to play. He must have put the candy in the leather bag.Sticky as hell, don't you think? Madam, shall I throw it away? Oh that's great, thank you so much. Mary stooped to pick up the last thing, a small mirror.Miss Marple took the mirror and looked at it, and couldn't help but exclaimed: Fortunately, the mirror was not broken. She just turned and left.Mary stood politely by the door, holding the candy in her hand, with no expression on her face. For ten days the villagers of St. Mary Mead endured all kinds of compliments for Mary from Sister Skinner. On the morning of the eleventh day, a big news shocked the whole village. Mary, the model maid, has disappeared!She hadn't gone to bed at all the night before, and the front door was ajar.She took advantage of the night to slip away silently. It wasn't just Mary who had disappeared.Miss Lavigne's two brooches and five rings, and Miss Ollie's three rings, a pair of earrings, a bracelet and four brooches also disappeared. This is just the prelude to a series of disasters. The diamonds that the young Madame de Fureau had kept in an unlocked drawer and several precious furs that had been given to her as a wedding present disappeared; the judge and his wife lost jewelry and a sum of money.Mrs. Carmichael suffered the worst loss. She lost not only some extremely valuable jewels, but also a large sum of cash left in the house.Jenny happened to be off that night, and Mrs. Carmichael, as usual, went for a walk in the garden at dusk, calling the birds and throwing crumbs.It is obvious that Mary, the model maid, has the keys to every house. Admittedly, some in the village of St. Mary Mead were gloating instead.Who told Miss Lavigne to boast about her Mary? My God, she was a thief from beginning to end! The next discovery was even more interesting.Not only did Mary disappear without a trace, even the agency that introduced her and sponsored her was horrified to find that she had been cheated.The Mary who applied to them and submitted a letter of recommendation.Higgins, in fact, does not exist.The real Mary.Higgins was an honest housemaid who lived quietly in Cornwall with a vicar's sister. This whole scheme was too clever, Officer Shrek had to admit it.If you ask me, I'd say that woman must have wings.A very similar burglary had occurred in Northumberland a year earlier.The stolen goods were never found, and she was never caught.However, our Macchibanhan Village will do better than them! Officer Shrek is always so confident. But the weeks passed, Mary.Higgins remains at large.This somewhat insulted Officer Shrek's reputation, but even if he redoubled his efforts, it was in vain. Miss Lavigne kept tearing up.Miss Ou Li was also depressed. She was extremely worried about her condition, so she really invited Dr. Hodak. Miss Ollie claimed to be seriously ill, and the whole village was eager to know the doctor's opinion, but it was inconvenient to ask him.However, the villagers still got satisfactory information. It was Mr. Mick, the pharmacist's assistant, and Price.Clara, Mrs Raleigh's maid, said it when they were walking together.Dr. Hodak prescribed a mixture of asafoetida and valerian root, which, according to Mr. Meek, is a decoction used by soldiers in the army who specialize in feigning illness! It didn't take long for everyone to hear that Miss Ollie didn't appreciate this kind of treatment. She also talked about her health. She should live closer to the London specialist who understood her condition, so as to be fair to Lavigne. The house is thus vacant, waiting to be rented out. A few days later, Miss Marple came to the Marchbanham Police Station with a red face and inexplicable excitement, and asked to see Officer Shrek. Officer Shrek didn't like Miss Marple, but he knew that Colonel Umezaki, the director of the bureau, admired her very much, so he reluctantly accepted her. Good afternoon, Miss Marple, what can I do for you? Oh, my God, said Miss Marple.I'm afraid you are busy right? A lot of work, said Officer Shrek.But I can spare a few minutes. Oh, my God, said Miss Marple.I hope I've made my point clear.You know, it's hard to explain yourself clearly, don't you think?Oh, maybe you don't think so, but, you know, I have no modern education except a governess who only taught me the dates of the Kings of England's birth and death and general knowledge, such as who is Dr. Brewer, Wheat There are three kinds of diseases: blight, mildew, hey, what is the third one?Is it smut? Are you coming to talk about smut?Officer Shrek blurted out and then blushed. Oh, no, no, Miss Marple hastened to clarify, denying that she wanted to talk about smut.I'm just giving an example, you know.And how needles are made, and so on.You know, all over the place, there's just no point.I hope I get to the point.You know, I'm here for Gratti, Miss Skiener's maid. Mary.Higgins, said Officer Shrek. Oh yes, she is the second maid.But I'm talking about Gladys.Holmes, an impulsive, overly optimistic girl, but she is absolutely honest.This is very important and everyone should know. As far as I know, no adverse charges have been filed against her so far, the officer said. Yes, I know no one has filed a complaint, but it just makes it worse.Because, you know, people are going to keep guessing.Oh man, I knew I was going to talk shit.In fact, my focus is to find Mary.Higgins is all that matters. Of course, Officer Shrek said.What do you think about this case? Well, frankly, I do, said Miss Marple.Can I ask you a question?Are fingerprints useless to you? Ah, said Officer Shrek.This is where she is cunning.She wore either rubber gloves or servant gloves on her hands when she did the crime, and she was very careful, wiping off the fingerprints left on the bedroom and sink afterwards.You won't find any fingerprints at all on site! If you do find fingerprints, does that help the case? Most likely it will help.Scotland Yard may have her fingerprints on file.I dare say, this is definitely not her first crime! Miss Marple nodded happily, and took out a small cardboard box from her handbag.A layer of cotton was spread in the carton, and a small mirror lay on it. It fell out of my bag, said Miss Marple.Mary's fingerprints are on it.I think this fingerprint will satisfy you that she got something sticky on her hand before touching the mirror. Officer Shrek opened his eyes wide: You took her fingerprints on purpose? of course. Did you suspect her then? Oh, you know, she strikes me as, unbelievably perfect.I actually told Miss Lavigne, but she just didn't accept my hint!You know, Mr. Constable, I don't believe at all that there are so-called role models in the world.Most people have flaws, and they are most easily revealed when doing housework! Oh, Officer Shrek recovered from the shock.Really appreciate you very much.We'll take the stuff to Scotland Yard and see what they say. He stopped talking.Miss Marple tilted her head slightly and looked at him meaningfully. Police officer, I don't think you would consider conducting an investigation in the nearest village! Miss Marple, what do you mean by that? It's hard to explain, but when you encounter things that don't make sense, you naturally notice.Having said that, unreasonable things often appear in the details.I am deeply touched by this.I mean Gladys and the brooch.She was an honest girl, and she hadn't stolen the brooch, but why did Miss Skiner insist that she did?Miss Skiner is no fool, absolutely not!But why was she so eager to fire a good girl like Gladys, especially when servants were so hard to find?You know, it's very unreasonable.I am very puzzled, very puzzled.Then I noticed another anomaly.Miss Ou Li is a hypochondriac, but she is the first hypochondriac who does not seek medical attention immediately when she is ill.Hypochondria patients love to find a doctor, but Ms. Ou Li is not! What are you implying, Miss Marple? Well, I mean, you know, Miss Lavigne and Miss Ollie are weird people.Miss Ollie stayed almost all day in a dark room.If her hair wasn't a wig, I'd eat the wig on the back of my head!I would say that this thin, pale, grey-haired, whining woman and that dark-haired, ruddy, buxom woman are most likely the same person.So far, I haven't found anyone who has seen Miss Ollie and Mary.Higgins appeared together. They had plenty of time to get the key molds of several other families and find out their routines, and then they fired Glady.One night, Miss Ollie walked briskly through the countryside, and the next day she met Mary.Higgins' identity appeared at the station.Mary.Higgins disappeared at the right time, and the villagers' cursing and accusations against her were also silenced.Officer, I can tell you where to find her Ollie.On Miss Skiner's sofa!If you don't believe me, you can take her fingerprints for verification, and you will find that I am right!These are a pair of clever thieves Skirner sisters, and they're no doubt hooked up with some syndicate, doing smoke screens for them, harboring stolen goods, you name it.But this time they can't escape!I won't allow the reputation of a girl in the village to be ruined like that!Everyone will know, Gladys.Holmes has an honest nature, which can be learned from the sun!good afternoon! Before Police Officer Shrek came back to his senses, Miss Marple had strode out. Alas, he murmured.I don't know if what she said is right? He soon discovered that Miss Marple was right again. Colonel Meizaki congratulated Shrek on quickly solving the case, and Miss Marple called Glady to drink tea with Aina, and told her solemnly that if she found a good job, she should calm down and settle down!