The Witness for the Prosecution: And Other Stories. Агата Кристи

See now, if I ask you to, you would go down on your knees before me now on the grass.”

      ‘“You are absurd,” said Felicie uneasily.

      ‘“But, yes, you will do it. You will. To please me. Down on your knees. I ask it of you, I, Annette. Down on your knees, Felicie.”

      ‘Whether it was the wonderful pleading in the voice, or some deeper motive, Felicie obeyed. She sank slowly to her knees, her arms spread wide, her face vacant and stupid.

      ‘Annette flung her head back and laughed—peal upon peal of laughter.

      ‘“Look at her, with her stupid face! How ridiculous she looks. You can get up now, Felicie, thank you! It is of no use to scowl at me. I am your mistress. You have to do what I say.”

      ‘She lay back on her pillows exhausted. Felicie picked up the tray and moved slowly away. Once she looked back over her shoulder, and the smouldering resentment in her eyes startled me.

      ‘I was not there when Annette died. But it was terrible, it seems. She clung to life. She fought against death like a madwoman. Again and again she gasped out: “I will not die—do you hear me? I will not die. I will live—live—”

      ‘Miss Slater told me all this when I came to see her six months later.

      ‘“My poor Raoul,” she said kindly. “You loved her, did you not?”

      ‘“Always—always. But of what use could I be to her? Let us not talk of it. She is dead—she so brilliant, so full of burning life …”

      ‘Miss Slater was a sympathetic woman. She went on to talk of other things. She was very worried about Felicie, so she told me. The girl had had a queer sort of nervous breakdown, and ever since she had been very strange in manner.

      ‘“You know,” said Miss Slater, after a momentary hesitation, “that she is learning the piano?”

      ‘I did not know it, and was very much surprised to hear it. Felicie—learning the piano! I would have declared the girl would not know one note from another.