Canon Pennyfather looked at Chief-Inspector Davy andInspector Campbell, and Chief-Inspector Davy and Inspector Campbell looked at him. CanonPennyfather was at home again. Sitting in the big armchair in his library, a pillow behindhis head and his feet up on a pouffe, with a rug over his knees to emphasise his invalidstatus.
"I'm afraid,"he was saying politely, "that I simplycannot remember anything at all."
"You can't rememberthe accident when the car hit you?"
"I'm really afraidnot."
"Then how did you know a car did hit you?"demanded Inspector Campbell acutely.
"The woman here, Mrs. – Mrs. – was her name Wheeling? – told me about it."
"And how did she know?"
Canon Pennyfather looked puzzled.
"Dear me, you are quite right. She couldn't have known, could she? I suppose she thought it was what must havehappened."
"And you really cannot remember anything? How didyou come to be in Milton St. John?"
"I've no idea,"said Canon Pennyfather. "Even the name isquite unfamiliar to me."
Inspector Campbell'sexasperation was mounting, but Chief-Inspector Davy said in his soothing, homely voice:
"Just tell us again the last thing you doremember, sir."
Canon Pennyfather turned to him with relief. Theinspector's dry scepticism had made him uncomfortable.
"I was going to Lucerne to a congress. I took ataxi to the airport – at least to Kensington Air Station."
"Yes. And then?"
"That's all. I can't remember any more. The next thing I remember is the wardrobe."
"What wardrobe?" demandedInspector Campbell.
"It was in the wrong place."
Inspector Campbell was tempted to go into questionof a wardrobe in the wrong place. Chief-Inspector Davy cut in.
"Do you remember arriving at the air station, sir?"
"I suppose so," saidCanon Pennyfather, with the air of one who has a great deal of doubt on the matter.
"And you duly flew to Lucerne."
"Did I? I don'tremember anything about it if so."
"Do you remember arriving back at Bertram's Hotelthat night?"
"No."
"You do remember Bertram's Hotel?"
"Of course. I was staying there. Very comfortable.I kept my room on."
"Do you remember travelling in a train?"
"A train? No, I can'trecall a train."
"There was a hold-up. The train was robbed.Surely, Canon Pennyfather, you can remember that."
"I ought to, oughtn'tI?" said Canon Pennyfather. "Butsomehow –」 he spoke apologetically, - "I don't." He lookedfrom one to the other of the officers with a bland gentle smile.
"Then your story is that you remember nothingafter going in a taxi to the air station until you woke up in the Wheelings' cottage at Milton St. John."
"There is nothing unusual in that," the Canon assured him. "It happens quite often incases of concussion."
"What did you think had happened to you when youwoke up?"
"I had such a headache I really couldn't think. Then of course I began to wonder where I was and Mrs. Wheelingexplained and brought me some excellent soup. She called me 'love'and 'dearie,' and'ducks,'" said the Canon withslight distaste, "but she was very kind. Very kind indeed."
"She ought to have reported the accident to thepolice. Then you would have been taken to hospital and properly looked after," said Campbell.
"She looked after me very well," the Canon protested, with spirit, "and Iunderstand that with concussion there is very little you can do except keep the patientquiet."
"If you should remember anything more, CanonPennyfather –」
The Canon interrupted him.
"Four whole days I seem to have lost out of mylife," he said. "Very curious.Really very curious indeed. I wonder so much where I was and what I was doing. The doctortells me it may all come back to me. On the other hand it may not. Possibly I shall neverknow what happened to me during those days." His eyesflickered. "You'll excuse me. Ithink I am rather tired."
"That's quite enoughnow," said Mrs. McCrae, who had been hovering by the door,ready to intervene if she thought it necessary. She advanced upon them. "Doctor says he wasn't to be worried," she said firmly.
The policemen rose and moved towards the door. Mrs.McCrae shepherded them out into the hall rather in the manner of a conscientioussheep-dog. The Canon murmured something and Chief-Inspector Davy who was the last to passthrough the door wheeled round at once.
"What was that?" heasked, but the Canon's eyes were now closed.
"What did you think he said?" said Campbell as they left the house after refusing Mrs. McCrae's lukewarm offer of refreshment.
Father said thoughtfully:
"I thought he said 'thewalls of Jericho'."
"What could he mean by that?"
"It sounds biblical," saidFather.
"Do you think we'llever know," asked Campbell, "howthat old boy got from the Cromwell Road to Milton St. John?"
"It doesn't seem as ifwe shall get much help from him," agreed Davy.
"That woman who says she saw him on the trainafter the hold-up. Can she possibly be right? Can he be mixed up in some way with theserobberies? It seems impossible. He's such a thoroughlyrespectable old boy. Can't very well suspect a Canon ofChadminster Cathedral of being mixed up with a train robbery, can one?"
"No," said Fatherthoughtfully, "no. No more than one can imagine Mr. JusticeLudgrove being mixed up with a bank hold-up."
Inspector Campbell looked at his superior officercuriously.
The expedition to Chadminster concluded with a shortand unprofitable interview with Dr. Stokes.
Dr. Stokes was aggressive, unco-operative and rude.
"I've known theWheelings quite a while. They're by way of being neighbours ofmine. They'd picked some old chap off the road. Didn't know whether he was dead drunk, or ill. Asked me in to have a look. I toldthem he wasn't drunk – that it wasconcussion –」
"And you treated him after that."
"Not at all. I didn'ttreat him, or prescribe for him or attend him. I'm not adoctor – I was once, but I'm notnow – I told them what they ought to do was ring up thepolice. Whether they did or not I don't know. Not my business.They're a bit dumb, both of them – butkindly folk."
"You didn't think ofringing up the police yourself?"
"No, I did not. I'mnot a doctor. Nothing to do with me. As a human being I told them not to pour whisky downhis throat and keep him quiet and flat until the police came."
He glared at them and, reluctantly, they had toleave it at that.
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