Margery Allingham

Mystery Mile


Скачать книгу

me to lie down, and I rested on a heap of skins by the fire. There was a bear skin on the wall with a roughly stuffed head. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. It was terrible, grotesque, and out of shape. It’s one of my most usual nightmares. I don’t know how you knew,’ she finished, staring at the fortune teller, her dark eyes widening as she realized the wonder.

      The stranger smiled and went on. His voice revealed a soothing quality.

      ‘You will have your dark hour,’ he said, ‘but it will pass. There is serenity for you. Beware of strangers, although you will not marry one of your own people. Your domains will be wide, and you will know the peace which is the lowing of kine over small meadows. That is your fortune. It is a pity that I cannot promise as much to you all.’

      He spoke the last words softly, and although his tone was unchanged, the soothing effect of Isopel’s reading was completely spoiled, and an unpleasant flavour remained.

      He made his adieux immediately afterwards, and Giles and Marlowe settled with him, paying the trifling sum he demanded with some surprise.

      The car disappeared down the narrow road. As it passed, the whistle that had heralded its approach sounded once more from the garden. The seven cries were repeated one after the other, each fainter and farther off than the one before. Mr Campion and Giles were standing with Marlowe.

      ‘Seven,’ said Giles. ‘The Seven Whistlers. That means the end of the world, so they say.’

      ‘That means he’s gone,’ said Mr Campion with relief. ‘My respected friends George and ’Anry, with their five sons, have performed their spot of policing with great success. No one comes over the Stroud at night in future without our knowing on the moment. These blessed lads are posted every five hundred yards along the road. The moment a stranger passes any one of them—well, it’s Owl Friday. Trespassers will be persecuted, you see.’

      They went back towards the door laughing. Biddy met them on the threshold. Judge Lobbett and his daughter were behind her, and a stout perplexed old woman who had evidently entered by the back way hovered at her side.

      Biddy was pale and her brown eyes spoke unnamed terrors. There was something in her hand which she held out to her brother.

      ‘Giles,’ she said, ‘look at this. Alice has just brought it over.’

      The boy took the crumpled piece of paper and the big old-fashioned ring she gave him. It lay gleaming in his hand.

      ‘ “Giles and Albert come over alone,” ’ he read slowly.

      A look of horror suddenly dawned in his face.

      ‘St Swithin!’ he said breathlessly. ‘His ring! He would never part with that unless—’

      The words were silenced by a sound which reached them clearly through the open window, sharp and unmistakable. A gunshot on the night air.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4SBWRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABwESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUAAAABAAAAYgEbAAUAAAABAAAA agEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAiAAAAcgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAlIdpAAQAAAABAAAAqAAAANQACvyA AAAnEAAK/IAAACcQQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIENDIDIwMTkgKFdpbmRvd3MpADIwMjA6MDU6MDYg MTI6MzQ6NTkAAAOgAQADAAAAAf//AACgAgAEAAAAAQAAAligAwAEAAAAAQAAAyAAAAAAAAAABgED AAMAAAABAAYAAAEaAAUAAAABAAABIgEbAAUAAAABAAABKgEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAIBAAQAAAABAAAB MgICAAQAAAABAAAfHAAAAAAAAABIAAAAAQAAAEgAAAAB/9j/7QAMQWRvYmVfQ00AAv/uAA5BZG9i ZQBkgAAAAAH/2wCEAAwICAgJCAwJCQwRCwoLERUPDAwPFRgTExUTExgRDAwMDAwMEQwMDAwMDAwM DAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwBDQsLDQ4NEA4OEBQODg4UFA4ODg4UEQwMDAwMEREMDAwMDAwR DAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDP/AABEIAKAAeAMBIgACEQEDEQH/3QAEAAj/xAE/ AAABBQEBAQEBAQAAAAAAAAADAAECBAUGBwgJCgsBAAEFAQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAEAAgMEBQYHCAkK CxAAAQQBAwIEAgUHBggFAwwzAQACEQMEIRIxBUFRYRMicYEyBhSRobFCIyQVUsFiMzRygtFDByWS U/Dh8WNzNRaisoMmRJNUZEXCo3Q2F9JV4mXys4TD03Xj80YnlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1VmZ2hpam tsbW5vY3R1dnd4eXp7fH1+f3EQACAgECBAQDBAUGBwcGBTUBAAIRAyExEgRBUWFxIhMFMoGRFKGx QiPBUtHwMyRi4XKCkkNTFWNzNPElBhaisoMHJjXC0kSTVKMXZEVVNnRl4vKzhMPTdePzRpSkhbSV xNTk9KW1xdXl9VZmdoaWprbG1ub2JzdHV2d3h5ent8f/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/APKjyU7Wlzg1okuM AeZTHkrZ+qfTHdR6vUwfQrIc4nUcwkp7X6vf4p+mdQ6eM7PzL6W7dxDNgERLnb3sd7f7K53F+pmP X9TMj6zdVstpfa4V9KxWbQbXOPpse/eHPex7/fsZ6dnoUWW/4Ste1/ZMKvpFvTL37avszhkFp2ub XY19bny3+b+jZs/4tcn9ZscdZ+sXTvq5hhtXT+ksZZdU0ewWvbsxqPSG1v6rh+9vv/7VJKed+q3+ KfH6tgMy+oZN2OXAeysNMk/ynt/NWP0r6kYfVPrLn9LpuuGHiZD8eu72l7hW41ve6G+n+avZ8q6v o3Srr2Fpx+nY1lttYHud6bPUb+d7Pax647/F7hVdH6HkdZ6g4gU1PvvMS76Jvs1n3u+l7UlNF3+K j6mMvvxn9bsGRiVm7Jo9Sj1K6wGvddbVs9Sura9jt72/nrnfqj9Qendb6fb1DqOc7BxqButsO1rQ 0k7N1lv6Ov2e/wCkup+svWOl5f1Zry+hYn2LL+tVrqbXvrazIsx63P8AttrjS632Od+i97/5vIWx i9GycbpPRumjpo6hh5Nwu6o0urbW1kNFX2irI92QyrezJ9Ktv89iJKeE6v8AUn6o1WYeN0Xqzup5 WVbteKrabW11NaTZZZ9na7a91npV07lsX/4q/qdgV0/tXrjsK25u5rbraKpiN3p+sBu2ytLonTen dQ+ueblYGNTiYGG77NQyiplYd6BLci39DtZ78p1zPV/0LK1W/wAaFPWOpYbg3obaMbGvYx3V7X47 rHU7vRrrprDn5VVV+Ta1/t/Sf8H+ltYkpxel/wCLjofV+s5ONgZ11vTcctYzLaa3+o4NDrXVuawV uq9R3pM/4uxWeq/4tvqfh9J6jnY3WLMizpzSLK2Pps23T6dOPcypu5llt36HZ++un6Fb0/6n/VN3 Vc7caqw1pZU0b3EubWG1te9nqP3O/kexYH12ycEUdE6D0PGZ02jqWzqmXjen6Tg2GjFbkNrd6e7c y31q/f8ApcelJTWwv8U+F1Hoj8vDyb/tx9tLLSxtW47fdZ+jNnpt3e7auN+tvTei9K6u/pvSL7sp uKPTyr7du11wP6VtDa2j9FV9D3/4X1PzP0lnqX10+sV31Y+pmNj4lsZ/UB6NNjSWuYzbuyMin6X8 3urqr9/6N9/q/wCDXiaSlJJJJKf/0PKjyV6L/i4+qvWclr8zG6hZ0s6OaW1MtJ+PrfQXH/V3o13V +qV4zGyzd7zEj4dl9CdK6a7p3T6MWnY0tg3HadRHu2+76SSnzfqV31mH1xv6JX1q68V/ZbMvIOPQ CLGFuVisqra3Z6VW+uzZ9Cy31PUrU/rbkdY+qOTjM6b1m/I6z1ew25RtqxiNvtr3+maXvr3O/R0t a/0vTotYtX6j4jupdd6l19x3V5OVa+ovbr6Yca8YB2782lrFjdT6X1rrH+MN+T1Ch2PV9Hp7LIdN FR9IWNDXbq22v33+7/TpKT2dAv6f9Vet9ezur5Id1Gv1M2tlVLfWuJc2ir1fTvsZS/Iv9P8AQegz 03oP1X6f9ZPrd0Szp3Uer2UYFoBNDaKTLWuD2/pdtVzPexv561P8aeJ1W/puB0zEx3nptL2W52SI DASRjY1Tf0m93vss317P+46u32P+q31GsdU4MzsoNxsMtG13q2/o63t+n7sev1Mn/rCSnnui9A6h 17qm2vrN7cbowOH0zIFNRBppIq3trZtr91lf6O/9JbZX6HqK9l5n1u6ff19t31htGD0GmnZacWgv uvvrbbVjteaXfn2Mr+nv/TUrf+rVNH1b6BjG4DdkW0Y1TR7XF11leNUPc527b6nqP/4Nlixv8Yz2 XdRw/q9htO/NuHUeoFocdxa1uFhsOrWP3+h/Nu/7i0pKav1Q6Z1jD6C3Ns+so6PiAhjhbTQWbjDh +nzI/eQ+sHqXV+p4PR8f6zHq2OD9pvvopxiyt4PpYrd2L7brP5976LH/AOh/4NdW7pdTMvp/Sc/p wzOk4mK6y3ItFTsVt7i423X1ZDtzra/T/Q7K3/065Y/1ExcW7KzvrA2qrCwbrH201NrbUyupvso9 tZ9Jn6uxtl7tv876qSnI+s/SOs9Q6/0f6nXdZs6gHH7Xf6mPSxtLGB4Y/wDQt3W