Pilgrim’s Rest Read Online Free PDF

chiefly. They used to say he’d get all right, but he doesn’t, you know.”
    Miss Silver coughed.
    “Major Pilgrim, I am obliged to ask you-is your cousin at all mentally unbalanced?”
    The stare was repeated.
    “Jerome? Oh, good lord no! I mean-no of course he isn’t, poor chap.”
    Miss Silver left it at that. If at this stage of the proceedings it occurred to her that an explanation of the incidents narrated by Roger Pilgrim might not be far to seek, she had a constitutional caution which warned her against accepting too easy a solution. She contented herself with underlining Captain Jerome Pilgrim’s name, and enquired,
    “Are those all the inmates of Pilgrim’s Rest?”
    Roger disliked the word inmates. Coming on the top of being asked whether poor old Jerome was off his head, it produced a definitely irritated feeling. He had found it a relief to talk. Now he began to wish he hadn’t come. It was in a slightly sulky voice that he replied,
    “No-there’s Miss Elliot, and the little girl.”
    He met an encouraging look and a questioning “Yes?” He explained.
    “She’s come down to help in the house. One of the village girls who came in has been called up, and the other is only fifteen.”
    “And what age is Miss Elliot?”
    “Oh, quite young. Her name’s Judy. About twenty-two, I should think. She isn’t called up because of the little girl. It’s her sister’s and there isn’t anyone else to look after it. The father and mother were killed in an air raid.”
    Miss Silver inclined her head.
    “A tragic bereavement.”
    She wrote, “Miss Judy Elliot,” and paused with suspended pencil for the name of the little girl.
    “Oh, Penny Fossett. She’s about three. And they couldn’t have had anything to do with what’s been happening, because they’ve only just come.”
    “I see. Major Pilgrim-who would succeed to your property if you were to meet with a fatal accident?”
    He looked startled. Then his frown deepened.
    “Oh, my brother Jack. But we don’t know whether he’s alive or not. He was in hospital in Singapore the last we heard of him, just before the Japs walked in. And of course we hope he’s all right, but we can’t tell.”
    “So that if either of those accidents had had a fatal result, the sale of the property would have been indefinitely postponed?”
    “I suppose it would. As a matter of fact it couldn’t be sold as long as there was no proof one way or another about Jack.”
    “And if there was proof of your brother’s death-who would inherit then?”
    “Oh, Jerome.”
    There was quite a pause. When she thought it had lasted long enough Miss Silver said in a serious voice,
    “What do you wish me to do? If I am to help you, it will be necessary for me to be on the spot. I could either come down openly as an enquiry agent, or, which would be preferable, as an ordinary visitor. Do you think it would be possible to confide in one of your aunts? Because if so, I could be paying a visit in the character of an old friend-perhaps an old schoolfellow.”
    He said in a doubtful voice,
    “I might tell Aunt Collie. Not Aunt Netta-she’d get in a flap. Or I might tell Lona-she could say you were her aunt or something.”
    Miss Silver glanced at her list of names.
    “Miss Lona Day-the nurse? No, I do not think that would be desirable. It would be better to confide in Miss Columba. People who spend their time gardening are as a rule very reliable. The qualities of industry, patience and perseverance are fostered, and they usually have calm and steady nerves. I do not think that you gave me Miss Day’s age.”
    “Lona? Didn’t I? Well, as a matter of fact I don’t know it. She’d be somewhere over thirty, you know. She’s an awfully good nurse, and I don’t know what we’d do without her. Now I come to think of it, she must be nearer forty than thirty, because there was something said about her age when she came. Three years ago it would be, because it wasn’t very long