The Lodger

It was not late even now, for the inquest had begun very punctually, but Mrs. Bunting felt that no power on earth should force her to go to Ealing. She felt quite tired out and as if she could think of nothing.

Pacing along very slowly, as if she were an old, old woman, she began listlessly turning her steps towards home. Somehow she felt that it would do her more good to stay out in the air than take the train. Also she would thus put off the moment—the moment to which she looked forward with dread and dislike—when she would have to invent a circumstantial story as to what she had said to the doctor, and what the doctor had said to her.

Like most men and women of his class, Bunting took a great interest in other people’s ailments, the more interest that he was himself so remarkably healthy. He would feel quite injured if Ellen didn’t tell him everything that had happened; everything, that is, that the doctor had told her.

As she walked swiftly along, at every corner, or so it seemed to her, and outside every public-house, stood eager boys selling the latest edition of the afternoon papers to equally eager buyers. “Avenger Inquest?” they shouted exultantly. “All the latest evidence!” At one place, where there were a row of contents-bills pinned to the pavement by stones, she stopped and looked down. “Opening of the Avenger Inquest. What is he really like? Full description.” On yet another ran the ironic query: “Avenger Inquest. Do you know him?”

And as that facetious question stared up at her in huge print, Mrs. Bunting turned sick—so sick and faint that she did what she had never done before in her life—she pushed her way into a public-house, and, putting two pennies down on the counter, asked for, and received, a glass of cold water.

As she walked along the now gas-lit streets, she found her mind dwelling persistently—not on the inquest at which she had been present, not even on The Avenger, but on his victims.

Shudderingly, she visualised the two cold bodies lying in the mortuary. She seemed also to see that third body, which, though cold, must yet be warmer than the other two, for at this time yesterday The Avenger’s last victim had been alive, poor soul—alive and, according to a companion of hers whom the papers had already interviewed, particularly merry and bright.

Hitherto Mrs. Bunting had been spared in any real sense a vision of The Avenger’s victims. Now they haunted her, and she wondered wearily if this fresh horror was to be added to the terrible fear which encompassed her night and day.

As she came within sight of home, her spirit suddenly lightened. The narrow, drab-coloured little house, flanked each side by others exactly like it in every single particular, save that their front yards were not so well kept, looked as if it could, aye, and would, keep any secret closely hidden.

For a moment, at any rate, The Avenger’s victims receded from her mind. She thought of them no more. All her thoughts were concentrated on Bunting—Bunting and Mr. Sleuth. She wondered what had happened during her absence—whether the lodger had rung his bell, and, if so, how he had got on with Bunting, and Bunting with him?

She walked up the little flagged path wearily, and yet with a pleasant feeling of home-coming. And then she saw that Bunting must have been watching for her behind the now closely drawn curtains, for before she could either knock or ring he had opened the door.

“I was getting quite anxious about you,” he exclaimed. “Come in, Ellen, quick! You must be fair perished a day like now—and you out so little as you are. Well? I hope you found the doctor all right?” He looked at her with affectionate anxiety.

And then there came a sudden, happy thought to Mrs. Bunting. “No,” she said slowly, “Doctor Evans wasn’t in. I waited, and waited, and waited, but he never came in at all. ’Twas my own fault,” she added quickly. Even at such a moment as this she told herself that though she had, in a sort of way, a kind of right to lie to her husband, she had no sight to slander the doctor who had been so kind to her years ago. “I ought to have sent him a card yesterday night,” she said. “Of course, I was a fool to go all that way, just on chance of finding a doctor in. It stands to reason they’ve got to go out to people at all times of day.”

“I hope they gave you a cup of tea?” he said.

And again she hesitated, debating a point with herself: if the doctor had a decent sort of servant, of course, she, Ellen Bunting, would have been offered a cup of tea, especially if she explained she’d known him a long time.

She compromised. “I was offered some,” she said, in a weak, tired voice. “But there, Bunting, I didn’t feel as if I wanted it. I’d be very grateful for a cup now—if you’d just make it for me over the ring.”

“’Course I will,” he said eagerly. “You just come in and sit down, my dear. Don’t trouble to take your things off now—wait till you’ve had tea.”

And she obeyed him. “Where’s Daisy?” she asked suddenly. “I thought the girl would be back by the time I got home.”

“She ain’t coming home to-day”—there was an odd, sly, smiling look on Bunting’s face.

“Did she send a telegram?” asked Mrs. Bunting.

“No. Young Chandler’s just come in and told me. He’s been over there and,—would you believe it, Ellen?—he’s managed to make friends with Margaret. Wonderful what love will do, ain’t it? He went over there just to help Daisy carry her bag back, you know, and then Margaret told him that her lady had sent her some money to go to the play, and she actually asked Joe to go with them this evening—she and Daisy—to the pantomime. Did you ever hear o’ such a thing?”

“Very nice for them, I’m sure,” said Mrs. Bunting absently. But she was pleased—pleased to have her mind taken off herself. “Then when is that girl coming home?” she asked patiently.

“Well, it appears that Chandler’s got to-morrow morning off too—this evening and to-morrow morning. He’ll be on duty all night, but he proposes to go over and bring Daisy back in time for early dinner. Will that suit you, Ellen?”

“Yes. That’ll be all right,” she said. “I don’t grudge the girl her bit of pleasure. One’s only young once. By the way, did the lodger ring while I was out?”

Bunting turned round from the gas-ring, which he was watching to see the kettle boil. “No,” he said. “Come to think of it, it’s rather a funny thing, but the truth is, Ellen, I never gave Mr. Sleuth a thought. You see, Chandler came in and was telling me all about Margaret, laughing-like, and then something else happened while you was out, Ellen.”

“Something else happened?” she said in a startled voice. Getting up from her chair she came towards her husband: “What happened? Who came?”

“Just a message for me, asking if I could go to-night to wait at a young lady’s birthday party. In Hanover Terrace it is. A waiter—one of them nasty Swiss fellows as works for nothing—fell out just at the last minute and so they had to send for me.”

His honest face shone with triumph. The man who had taken over his old friend’s business in Baker Street had hitherto behaved very badly to Bunting, and that though Bunting had been on the books for ever so long, and had always given every satisfaction. But this new man had never employed him—no, not once.

“I hope you didn’t make yourself too cheap?” said his wife jealously.

“No, that I didn’t! I hum’d and haw’d a lot; and I could see the fellow was quite worried—in fact, at the end he offered me half-a-crown more. So I graciously consented!”

Husband and wife laughed more merrily than they had done for a long time.

“You won’t mind being alone, here? I don’t count the lodger—he’s no good—” Bunting looked at her anxiously. He was only prompted to ask the question because lately Ellen had been so queer, so unlike herself. Otherwise it never would have occurred to him that she could be afraid of being alone in the house. She had often been so in the days when he got more jobs.

She stared at him, a little suspiciously. “I be afraid?” she echoed. “Certainly not. Why should I be? I’ve never been afraid before. What d’you exactly mean by that, Bunting?”

“Oh, nothing. I only thought you might feel funny-like, all alone on this ground floor. You was so upset yesterday when that young fool Chandler came, dressed up, to the door.”

“I shouldn’t have been frightened if he’d just been an ordinary stranger,” she said shortly. “He said something silly to me—just in keeping with his character-like, and it upset me. Besides, I feel better now.”

As she was sipping gratefully her cup of tea, there came a noise outside, the shouts of newspaper-sellers.

“I’ll just run out,” said Bunting apologetically, “and see what happened at that inquest to-day. Besides, they may have a clue about the horrible affair last night. Chandler was full of it—when he wasn’t talking about Daisy and Margaret, that is. He’s on to-night, luckily not till twelve o’clock; plenty of time to escort the two of ’em back after the play. Besides, he said he’ll put them into a cab and blow the expense, if the panto’ goes on too long for him to take ’em home.”

“On to-night?” repeated Mrs. Bunting. “Whatever for?”