I
Miss Marple got out of her train at Paddington andsaw the burly figure of Chief-Inspector Davy standing on the platform waiting for her.
He said, "Very good ofyou, Miss Marple," put his hand under her elbow and pilotedher through the barrier to where a car was waiting. The driver opened the door, MissMarple got in, Chief-Inspector Davy followed her and the car drove off.
"Where are you taking me, Chief-Inspector Davy?"
"To Bertram's Hotel."
"Dear me, Bertram's Hotel again. Why?"
"The official reply is: because the police thinkyou can assist them in their inquiries."
"That sounds familiar, but surely rathe sinister?So often the prelude to an arrest, is it not?"
"I am not going to arrest you, Miss Marple."Father smiled. "You have an alibi."
Miss Marple digested this in silence. Then she said,"I see."
They drove to Bertram's Hotel in silence. MissGorringe looked up from the desk as they entered, but Chief-Inspector Davy piloted MissMarple straight to the lift.
"Second floor."
The lift ascended, stopped, and Father led the wayalong the corridor.
As he opened the dor of No. 18 Miss Marple said:
"This is the same room I had when I was stayinghere before."
"Yes," said Father.
Miss Marple sat down in the armchair.
"A very comfortable room," she observed, looking round with a slight sigh.
"They certainly know what comfort is here,"Father agreed.
"You look tired, Chief-Inspector," said Miss Marple unexpectedly.
"I've had to getaround a bit. As a matter of fact I've just got back fromIreland.
Indeed. From Ballygowlan?"
"Now how the devil did you know about Ballygowlan?I'm sorry – I beg your pardon."
Miss Marple smiled forgiveness.
"I suppose Michael Gorman happened to tell you hecame from there – was that it?"
"No, not exactly," saidMiss Marple.
"Then how, if you'llexcuse me asking you, did you know?"
"Oh dear," said MissMarple, "it's really veryembarrassing. It was just something I – happened to overhear."
"Oh, I see."
"I wasn'teavesdropping. It was in a public room – at least technicallya public room. Quite frankly, I enjoy listening to people talking. One does. Especiall
en one is old and doesn't get about very much. I mean, ifpeople are talking near you, you listen."
"Well, that seems to me quite natural," said Father.
"Up to a point, yes," saidMiss Marple. "If people do not choose to lower their voices,one must assume that they are prepared to be overhead. But of course matters may develop.The situation sometimes arises when you realise that though it is a public room, otherpeople talking do not realise that there is anyone else in it. And then one has to decidewhat to do about it. Get up and cough, or just stay quite quiet and hope they won't realise you've been there. Either way isembarrassing."
Chief-Inspector Davy glanced at his watch.
"Look here," he said, "I want to hear more about this – but I've got Canon Pennyfather arriving at any moment. I must go and collect him.You don't mind?"
Miss Marple said she didn't mind. Chief-Inspector Davy left the room.
II
Canon Pennyfather came through the swing doors intothe hall of Bertram's Hotel. He frowned slightly, wondering what it was that seemed alittle different about Bertram's today. Perhaps it had been painted or done up in someway? He shook his head. That was not it, but there was something. It did not occur to himthat it was the difference between a six foot commissionaire with blue eyes and dark hairand a five foot seven commissionaire with sloping shoulders, freckled and a sandy thatchof hair bulging out under his commissionaire's cap. He justknew something was different. In his usual vague way he wandered up to the desk. MissGorringe was there and greeted him.
"Canon Pennyfather. How nice to see you. Have youcome to fetch your baggage? It's all ready for you. If you'd only let us know we could have sent it to you to any address you like."
"Thank you," saidCanon Pennyfather, "thank you very much. You're always most kind, Miss Gorringe. But as I had to come up to London anywaytoday I thought I might as well call for it."
"We were so worried about you," said Miss Gorringe. "Being missing, you know.Nobody able to find you. You had a car accident, I hear?"
"Yes," said CanonPennyfather. "Yes. People drive much too fast nowadays. Mostdangerous. Not that I can remember much about it. It affected my head. Concussion, thedoctor says. Oh well, as one is getting on in life, one'smemory –」 he shook his head sadly. "And how are you, Miss Gorringe?"
"Oh, I'm very well,"said Miss Gorringe.
At that moment it struck Canon Pennyfather that MissGorringe also was different. He peered at her, trying to analyse where the difference lay.Her hair? That was the same as usual. Perhaps even a little frizzier. Black dress, largelocket, cameo brooch. All there as usual. But there was a difference. Was she perhaps alittle thinner? Or was it – yes, surely, she looked worried.It was not often that Canon Pennyfather noticed whether people looked worried, he was notthe kind of man who noticed emotion in the faces of others, but it struck him today,perhaps because Miss Gorringe had so invariably presented exactly the same countenance toguests for so many years.
"You've not been ill,I hope?" he asked solicitously. "Youlook a little thinner."
"Well, we've had agood deal of worry, Canon Pennyfather."
"Indeed. Indeed. I'msorry to hear it. not due to my disappearance, I hope?"
"Oh no," said MissGorringe. "We were worried, of course, about that, but as soonas we heard that you were all right – She broke off and said,No. no – it's this – well, perhaps you haven't read about it in thepapers. Gorman, our outside porter, got killed."
"Oh yes," said CanonPennyfather. "I remember now. I did see it mentioned in thepaper – that you had had a murder here."
Miss Gorringe shuddered at this blunt mention of theword murder. The shudder went all up her black dress.
"Terrible," she said, "terrible. Such a thing has never happened at Bertram's. I mean, we're not the sort of hotel where murders happen."
"No, no, indeed," saidCanon Pennyfather quickly. "I'msure you're not. I mean it would never have occurred to methat anything like that could happen here."
"Of course it wasn'tinside the hotel," said Miss Gorringe. "Cheering up a little as this aspect of the affair struck her. It was outsidein the street."
"So really nothing to do with you at all,"said the Canon helpfully.
That apparently was not quite the right thing tosay.
"But it was connected with Bertram's. we had tohave the police here questioning people, since it was our commissionaire who was shot."
"So that's a new manyou have outside. D'you know, I thought somehow things lookeda little strange."
"Yes, I don't knowthat he's very satisfactory. I mean, not quite the style we're used to here. But of course we had to get someone quickly."
"I remember all about it now," said Canon Pennyfather, assembling some rather dim memories of what he hadread in the paper a week ago. "But I thought it was a girl whowas shot."
"You mean Lady Sedgwick's daughter? I expect you remember seeing her here with her guardian, ColonelLuscombe. Apparently she was attacked by someone in the fog. I expect they wanted tosnatch her bag. Anyway they fired a shot at her and then Gorman, who of course had been asoldier and was a man with a lot of presence of mind, rushed down, got in front of her andgot shot himself, poor fellow."
"Very sad, very sad," saidthe Canon, shaking his head.
"It makes everything terribly difficult,"complained Miss Gorringe. "I mean, thepolice constantly in and out. I suppose that's to be expected,but we don't like it here, though I must say Chief-InspectorDavy and Sergeant Wadell are very respectable-looking. Plain clothes, and very good style,not the sort with boots and mackintoshes like one sees one films. Almost like one of us."
"Er – yes," said Canon Pennyfather.
"Did you have to go to hospital?" inquired Miss Gorringe.
"No," said the Canon, "some very nice people, really good Samaritans – amarket gardener, I believe – picked me up and his wife nursedme back to health. I'm most grateful, most grateful. It isrefreshing to find that there is still human kindness in the world. Don't you think so?"
Miss Gorringe said she thought it was veryrefreshing. "After all one reads about the increase in crime,"she added, "all those dreadful young menand girls holding up banks and robbing trains and ambushing people". She looked up and said, "There's Chief-Inspector Davy coming down the stairs now. I think he wants to speakto you."
"I don't know why heshould want to speak to me," said Canon Pennyfather, puzzled. "He's already been to see me, you know," he said, "at Chadminster. He was verydisappointed, I think, that I couldn't tell him anythinguseful."
"You couldn't?"
The Canon shook his head sorrowfully.
"I couldn't remember.The accident took place somewhere near a place called Bedhampton and really I don't understand what I can have been doing there. The Chief-Inspector keptasking me why I was there and I couldn't tell him. Very odd,isn't it? he seemed to think I'dbeen driving a car from somewhere near a railway station to a vicarage."
"That sounds very possible," said Miss Gorringe.
"It doesn't seempossible at all," said Canon Pennyfather. "I mean, why should I be driving about in a part of the world that I don't' really know?"
Chief-Inspector Davy had come up to them.
"So here you are, Canon Pennyfather," he said. "Feeling quite yourself again?"
"Oh, I feel quite well now," said the Canon, but rather inclined to have headaches still. "And I've been told not to do too much. But Istill don't seem to remember what I ought to remember and thedoctor says it may never come back."
"Oh well," saidChief-Inspector Davy, "we mustn'tgive up hope. He led the Canon away from the desk. There's alittle experiment I want you to try, he said. You don't mindhelping me, do you?"
III
When Inspector Campbell Davy opened the door ofNumber 18, Miss Marple was still sitting in the armchair by the window.
"A good many people in the street today,"she observed. "More than usual."
"Oh well – this is away through to Berkeley Square and Shepherd Market."
"I didn't mean onlypassers-by. Men doing things – road repairs, a telephonerepair van – meat trolley – acouple of private cars –」
"And what – may I ask –do you deduce from that?"
"I didn't say that Ideduced anything."
Father gave her a look. Then he said:
"I want you to help me."
"Of course. That is why I am here. What do youwant me to do?"
"I want you to do exactly what you did on thenight of November 19th. You were asleep – you wokeup – possibly awakened by some unusual noise. You switched onthe light, looked at the time, got out of bed, opened the door and looked out. Can yourepeat those actions?"
"Certainly," said MissMarple. "She got up and went across to the bed."
"Just a moment."
Chief-Inspector Davy went and tapped on theconnecting walls of the next room.
"You'll have to dothat louder," said Miss Marple. "Thisplace is very well built."
The Chief-Inspector redoubled the force of hisknuckles.
"I told Canon Pennyfather to count ten," he said, looking at his watch. "Now then, off yougo."
Miss Marple touched the electric lamp, looked at animaginary clock, got up, walked to the door, opened it and looked out. To her right, justleaving his room, walking to the top of the stairs, was Canon Pennyfather. He arrived atthe top of the stairs and started down them. Miss Marple gave a slight of her breath. Sheturned back.
"Well?" saidChief-Inspector Davy.
"The man I saw that night can't have been Canon Pennyfather," said Miss Marple."Not if that's Canon Pennyfathernow."
"I thought you said –」
"I know. He looked like Canon Pennyfather. Hishair and his clothes and everything. But he didn't walk thesame way. I think – I think he must have been a younger man. I'm sorry, very sorry, to have misled you, but it wasn't Canon Pennyfather that I saw that night. I'mquite sure of it."
"You really are quite sure this time, Miss Marple."
"Yes," said MissMarple. "I'm sorry," she added again, "to have misled you."
"You were nearly right. Canon Pennyfather did comeback to the hotel that night. Nobody saw him come in – butthat wasn't remarkable. He came in after midnight. He came upstairs, he opened the door of his room next door and he went in. what he saw or whathappened next we don't know, because he can't or won't tell us. If there was only some way wecould jog his memory…」
"There's that Germanword of course," said Miss Marple, thoughtfully.
"What German word?"
"Dear me, I'veforgotten it now, but –」
There was a knock at the door.
"May I come in?" saidCanon Pennyfather. He entered. "Was it satisfactory?"
"Most satisfactory," saidFather. "I was just telling Miss Marple – you know Miss Marple?"
"Oh yes," said CanonPennyfather, really slightly uncertain as to whether he did or not.
"I was just telling Miss Marple how we have tracedyour movements. You came back to the hotel that night after midnight. You came upstairsand you opened the door of your room and went in –」 Hepaused.
Miss Marple gave an exclamation.
"I remember now," shesaid, "what that German word is. Doppelganger!"
Canon Pennyfather uttered an exclamation. "But of course," he said, "of course! How could I have forgotten? You'requite right, you know. After that film, The Walls of Jericho I came back here and I cameupstairs and I opened my room and I saw – extraordinary, Idistinctly saw myself sitting in a chair facing me. As you say, dear lady, a doppelganger.How very remarkable! And then – let me see –」 He raised his eyes, trying to think.
"And then," saidFather, "startled out of their lives to see you, when theythought they were safely in Lucerne, somebody hit you on the head."
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