Into these dark imaginings a breath of the commonplace came with almost
ludicrous effect.
A man came into the lounge,caught sight of the Boyntons and came across to
them.He was a pleasant middle-aged American of a strictly conventional type.He
was carefully dressed,with a long clean-shaven face and he had a
slow,pleasant,somewhat monotonous voice.
"I was looking around for you all,"he said.
Meticulously he shook hands with the entire family."And how do you find
yourself,Mrs Boynton?Not too tired by the journey?"
Almost graciously,the old lady wheezed out: "No,thank you.My health's never
good,as you know -"
"Why,of course,too bad -too bad."
"But I'm certainly no worse."
Mrs Boynton added with a slow reptilian smile:"Nadine,here,takes good care
of me,don't you Nadine?"
"I do my best."Her voice was expressionless.
"Why,I bet you do,"said the stranger heartily."Well,Lennox,and what do you
think of King David's city?"
"Oh,I don't know."
Lennox spoke apathetically -without interest.
"Find it kind of disappointing,do you?I"ll confess it struck me that way at
first.But perhaps you haven't been around much yet?"
Carol Boynton said: "We can't do very much because of mother."
Mrs Boynton explained: "A couple of hours"sightseeing is about all I can
manage every day."
The stranger said heartily: "I think it's wonderful you manage to do all you
do,Mrs Boynton"
Mrs Boynton gave a slow,wheezy chuckle;it had an almost gloating sound.
"I don't give in to my body!It's the mind that matters!Yes,it's the
mind......"
Her voice died away.Gerard saw Raymond Boynton give a nervous jerk.
"Have you been to the Wailing Wall yet,Mr Cope?"he asked.
"Why,yes,that was one of the first places I visited.I hope to have done
Jerusalem thoroughly in a couple more days,and I'm letting them get me out an
itinerary at Cook's so as to do the Holy Land thoroughly -
Bethlehem,Nazareth,Tiberias,the Sea of Galilee.It's all going to be mighty
interesting.Then there's Jerash,there are some very interesting ruins there -
Roman,you know.And I'd very much like to have a look at the Rose Red City of
Petra,a most remarkable natural phenomenon,I believe that is -and right off the
beaten track -but it takes the best part of a week to get there and back,and do
it properly."
Carol said: "I'd love to go there.It sounds marvellous."
"Why,I should say it was definitely worth seeing -yes,definitely worth
seeing."Mr Cope paused,shot a somewhat dubious glance at Mrs Boynton,and then
went on in a voice that to the listening Frenchman was palpably uncertain:
"I wonder now if I couldn't persuade some of you people to come with
me?Naturally I know you couldn't manage it,Mrs Boynton,and naturally some of
your family would want to remain with you,but if you were to divide forces,so to
speak -"
He paused.Gerard heard the even click of Mrs Boynton's knitting needles.Then
she said:
"I don't think we'd care to divide up.We're a very homey group."She looked
up."Well,children,what do you say?"
There was a queer ring in her voice.The answers came
promptly."No,Mother.""Oh,no.""No,of course not."
Mrs Boynton said,smiling that very odd smile of hers: "You see -they won't
leave me.What about you,Nadine?You didn't say anything."
"No,thank you,Mother,not unless Lennox cares about it."
Mrs Boynton turned her head slowly towards her son.
"Well,Lennox,what about it,why don"you and Nadine go?She seems to want to."
He started -looked up."I -well -no,I -I think we'd better all stay
together."
Mr Cope said genially: "Well,you are a devoted family!But something in his
geniality rang a little hollow and forced.
"We keep to ourselves,"said Mrs Boynton.She began to wind up her ball of
wool."By the way,Raymond,who was that young woman who spoke to you just now?"
Raymond started nervously.He flushed,then went white.
"I -I don't know her name.She -she was on the train the other night."
Mrs Boynton began slowly to try to heave herself out of her chair.
"I don't think we"ll have much to do with her,"she said.
Nadine rose and assisted the old woman to struggle out of her chair.She did
it with a professional deftness that attracted Gerard's attention.
"Bedtime,"said Mrs Boynton."Good night,Mr cope."
;Good night,Mrs Boynton.Good night,Mrs Lennox."
They went off -a little procession.It did not seem to occur to any of the
younger members of the party to stay behind.
Mr Cope was left looking after them.The expression on his face was an odd
one.
As Dr Gerard knew by experience,Americans are disposed to be a friendly
race.They have not the uneasy suspicion of the travelling Briton.To a man of Dr
Gerard's tact making the acquaintance of Mr Cope presented few difficulties.The
American was lonely and was,like most of his race,disposed to friendliness.Dr
Gerard's card-case was again to the fore.
Reading the name on it,Mr Jefferson cope was duly impressed.
"Why,surely,Dr Gerard,you were over in the States not very long ago?"
"Last autumn.I was lecturing at Harvard."
"Of course.Yours,Dr Gerard,is one of the most distinguished names in your
profession.You're pretty well at the head of your subject in Paris."
"my dear sir,you are far too kind!I protest."
"No,no,this is a great privilege -meeting you like this.As a matter of
fact,there are several very distinguished people here in Jerusalem just at
present.There's yourself and there's Lord Welldon,and Sir Gabriel Steinbaum,the
financier.Then there's the veteran English archaeologist,Sir Manders Stone.And
there's Lady Westholme,who's very prominent in English politics.And there's that
famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot."
"Little Hercule Poirot?Is he here?"
"I read his name in the local paper as having lately arrived.Seems to me all
the world and his wife are at the Solomon Hotel.A mighty fine hotel it
is,too.And very tastefully decorated."
Mr Jefferson Cope was clearly enjoying himself.Dr Gerard was a man who could
display a lot of charm when he chose.Before long the two man had adjourned to
the bar.
After a couple of highballs Gerard said: "tell me,is that a typical American
family to whom you were talking?"
Jefferson Cope sipped his drink thoughtfully.Then he said: "Why,no,I
wouldn't say it was exactly typical."
"No?A very devoted family,I thought."
Mr Cope said slowly: "You mean they all seem to revolve round the old
lady?That's true enough.She's a very remarkable old lady,you know."
"Indeed?"
Mr Cope needed very little encouragement.The gentle invitation was enough.
"I don't mind telling you,Dr Gerard,I've been having that family a good deal
on my mind lately.I've been thinking about them a lot.If I may say so,it would
ease my mind to talk to you about the matter.If it won't bore you,that is?"
Dr Gerard disclaimed boredom.Mr Jefferson Cope went on slowly,his pleasant
clean-shaven face creased with perplexity.
"I"ll tell you straight away that I'm just a little worried.Mrs Boynton,you
see,is an old friend of mine.That is to say,not the old Mrs Boynton,the young
one,Mrs Lennox Boynton."
"Ah,yes,that very charming dark-haired young lady."
"that's right.That's Nadine.Nadine Boynton,Dr Gerard,is a very lovely
character.I knew her before she was married.She was in hospital then,working to
be a trained nurse.Then she went for a vacation to stay with the Boyntons and
she married Lennox."
"Yes?"
Mr Jefferson Cope took another sip of highball and went on:
"I'd like to tell you,Dr Gerard,just a little of the Boynton family
history."
"Yes?I should be most interested."
"Well,you see,the late Elmer Boynton -he was quite a well-known man and a
very charming personality -was twice married.His first wife died when Carol and
Raymond were tiny toddlers.The second Mrs Boynton,so I've been told,was a
handsome woman when he married her,though not very young.Seems odd to think she
can ever have been handsome to look at her now,but that's what I've been told on
very good authority.Anyway,her husband thought a lot of her and adopted her
judgement on almost every point,.He was an invalid for some years before he
died,and she practically ruled the roost.She's a very capable woman with a fine
head for business.A very conscientious woman,too.After Elmer died,she devoted
herself absolutely to these children.There's one of her own,too,Ginevra -pretty
red-haired girl,but a bit delicate.Well,as I was telling you,Mrs Boynton devoted
herself entirely to her family.She just shut out the outside world entirely.Now
I don't know what you think,Dr Gerard,but I don't think that's always a very
sound thing."
"I agree with you.It is most harmful to developing mentalities."
"Yes,I should say that just about expresses it.Mrs Boynton shielded these
children from the outside world and never let them make any outside contacts.The
result of that is that they've grown up -well,kind of nervy.They're jumpy,If you
know what I mean,Can't make friends with strangers.It's bad,that."
"It is very bad."
"I've no doubt Mrs Boynton meant well.It was just over-devotion on her
part."
"they all live at home?"asked the doctor.
"Yes."
"do neither of the sons work?"
"Why,no.Elmer Boynton was a rich man.He left all his money to Mrs Boynton
for her lifetime -but it was understood that it was for the family upkeep
generally."
"so they are dependent on her financially?"
"that is so.And she's encouraged them to live at home and not go out and
look for jobs.Well,maybe that's all right,there's plenty of money,they don't
need to take a job,but I think for the male sex,anyway,work's a good
tonic.Then,there's another thing -they've none of them got any hobbies.They
don't play golf.They don't belong to any country club.They don't go around to
dances or do anything with the other young people.They live in a great barrack
of a house way down in the country miles from an
ere.I tell you,Dr Gerard,it seems all wrong to me."
"I agree with you,"said Dr Gerard.
"Not one of them has got the least social sense.The community spirit -that's
what's lacking!They may be a very devoted family,but they're all bound up in
themselves."
"there has never been any question of one or other of them branching out for
him or herself?"
"Not that I've heard of.They just sit around."
"do you put the blame for that on them or on Mrs Boynton?"
Jefferson Cope shifted uneasily.
"Well,in a sense,I feel she is more or less responsible.It's bad bringing-up
on her part.All the same,when a young fellow comes to maturity it's up to him to
kick over the traces of his own accord.No boy ought to keep on being tied to his
mother's apron strings.He ought to choose to be independent."
Dr Gerard said thoughtfully: "that might be impossible."
"Why impossible?"
"there are methods,Mr Cope,of preventing a tree from growing."
Cope stared.'they're a fine healthy lot,Dr Gerard."
"the mind can be stunted and warped as well as the body."
"they're bright mentally,too."
Jefferson Cope went on: "No,Dr Gerard,take it from me,a man has got the
control of his own destiny right there in his own hands.A man who respects
himself strikes out on his own and makes something of his life.He doesn't just
sit round and twiddle his thumbs.No woman ought to respect a man who does that."
Gerard looked at him curiously for a minute or two.Then he said: "You refer
particularly,I think,to Mr Lennox Boynton?"
"Why,yes,it was Lennox I was think of Raymond's only a boy still.But Lennox
is just on thirty.Time he showed he was made of something."
"It is a difficult life,perhaps,for his wife?"
"Of course it's a difficult life for her!Nadine is a very fine girl.I admire
her more than I can say.She's never let drop one word of complaint.But she's not
happy,Dr Gerard.She's just as unhappy as she can be."
Gerard nodded his head.
"Yes,I think that well might be."
"I don't know what you think about it,Dr Gerard,but I think that there's a
limit to what a woman ought to put up with!If I were Nadine I'd put it to young
Lennox straight.Either he sets to and proves what he's made of,or else -"
"Or else,you think,she should leave him/"
"she's got her own life to live,Dr Gerard.If Lennox doesn't appreciate her
as she ought to be appreciated -well,there are other men who will."
"there is -yourself,for instance?"
The American flushed.Then he looked straight at the other with a certain
simple dignity.
"that's so,"he said."I'm not ashamed of my feeling for that lady.I respect
her and I am very deeply attached to her.All I want is her happiness.If she were
happy with Lennox,I'd sit right back and fade out of the picture."
"But as it is?"
"But as it is I'm standing by!If she wants me,I'm here!"
"You are,in fact,the parfait gentil knight,"murmured Gerard.
"Pardon?"
"my dear sir,chivalry only lives nowadays in the American nation!You are
content to serve your lady without hope of reward!It is most admirable,that!What
exactly do you hope to be able to do for her?"
"my idea is to be right here at hand if she needs me."
"And what,may I ask,is the older Mrs Boynton's attitude towards you?"
Jefferson Cope said slowly: "I'm never quite sure about that old lady.As
I've told you,she isn't fond of making outside contacts.But she's been different
to me,she's always very gracious and treats me quite like one of the family."
"In fact,she approves of your friendship with Mrs Lennox?"
"she does."
Dr Gerard shrugged his shoulders.
"that is,perhaps,a little odd?"
Jefferson Cope said stiffly: "Let me assure you,Dr Gerard,there is nothing
dishonorable in that friendship.It is purely platonic."
"my dear sir,I am quite sure of that.I repeat,though,that for Mrs Boynton to
encourage that friendship is a curious action on her part.You know,Mr cope,Mrs
Boynton interests me -she interests me greatly."
"she is certainly a remarkable woman.She has great force of character -a
most prominent personality.As I say,Elmer Boynton had the greatest faith in her
judgement."
"so much so that he was content to leave his children completely at her
mercy from the financial point of view.In my country,Mr Cope,it is impossible by
law to do such a thing."
Mr Cope rose."In America,"he said,"we're great believers in absolute
freedom."
Dr Gerard rose also.He was unimpressed by the remark.He had heard it made
before by people of many different nationalities.The illusion that freedom is
the prerogative of one's own particular race is fairly widespread.
Dr Gerard was wiser.He knew that no race,no country and no individual could
be described as free.But he also knew that there were different degrees of
bondage.
He went up to bed thoughtful and interested.
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