Grave Mistake. Ngaio Marsh

      

      Grave Mistake

      Ngaio Marsh

       Copyright

      HARPER

      an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

       www.harpercollins.co.uk

      Published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2009

      FIRST EDITION

      Grave Mistake first published in Great Britain by Collins 1978

      Ngaio Marsh asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of these works

      Copyright © Ngaio Marsh Ltd 1978

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      Source ISBN: 9780006512301

      Ebook Edition © DECEMBER 2009 ISBN: 9780007344857

      Version: 2019-02-04

       For Gerald Lascelles

       Cast of Characters

      Verity Preston—Of Keys House, Upper Quintern

      The Hon. Mrs Foster (Sybil)—Of Quintern Place, Upper Quintern

      Claude Carter—Her stepson

      Prunella Foster—Her daughter

      Bruce Gardener—Her gardener

      Mrs Black—His sister

      The Rev. Mr Walter Cloudesley—Vicar of St Crispin-in-Quintern

      Nikolas Markos—Of Mardling Manor, Upper Quintern

      Gideon Markos—His son

      Jim Jobbin—Of Upper Quintern Village

      Mrs Jim—His wife. Domestic helper

      Dr Field-Innis, MB—Of Upper Quintern

      Mrs Field-Innis—His wife

      Basil Schramm (neé Smythe)—Medical incumbent, Greengages Hotel

      Sister Jackson—His assistant

      G. M. Johnson Marleena Biggs }—Housemaids, Greengages Hotel

      The Manager—Greengages Hotel

      Daft Artie—Upper Quintern Village

      Young Mr Rattisbon—Solicitor

      Chief Superintendent Roderick Alleyn—CID

      Detective-Inspector Fox—CID

      Detective-Sergeant Thompson—CID Photographic Expert

      Sergeant Bailey—CID Fingerprint Expert

      Sergeant McGuiness—Upper Quintern Police Force

      PC Dance—Upper Quintern Police Force

      A Coroner

      A Waiter

      Table of Contents

       Cover Page

       Title Page

Copyright

       Dedication

Cast of Characters

CHAPTER 1 Upper Quintern

CHAPTER 2 Greengages (I)

       CHAPTER 3 Alleyn

       CHAPTER 4 Routine

       CHAPTER 5 Greengages (II) Room 20

       CHAPTER 6 Point Marked X

       CHAPTER 7 Graveyard (I)

       CHAPTER 8 Graveyard (II)

       CHAPTER 9 Graveyard (III)

       BY THE SAME AUTHOR

       About the Publisher

       CHAPTER 1 Upper Quintern

      ‘ “Bring me,” ’ sang the ladies of Upper Quintern, ‘ “my Bow of Burning Gold.” ’

      ‘ “Bring me,” ’ itemized the Hon. Mrs Foster, sailing up into a thready descant, ‘ “my Arrows of Desire.” ’

      ‘ “Bring me,” ’ stipulated the vicar’s wife, adjusting her pince-nez and improvising into seconds, ‘ “my Chariot of Fire.” ’

      Mrs Jim Jobbin sang with the rest. She had a high soprano and a sense of humour and it crossed her mind to wonder what Mrs Foster would do with Arrows of Desire or how nice Miss Preston of Keys House would manage a Spear, or how the vicar’s wife would make out in a Chariot of Fire. Or for a matter of that how she herself, hard-working creature that she was, could ever be said to rest or stay her hand, much less build Jerusalem here in Upper Quintern or anywhere else in England’s green and pleasant land.

      Still, it was a good tune and the words were spirited if a little far-fetched.