CHAPTER XLV
ALL THAT MRS 'ENDERSON KNEW
Mrs Henderson put her hands under her apron and smirked.
'Well, Mr Phillips, it do sound strange to 'ear you talkin' to me likethat. Anybody'd think I'd done something as I didn't ought to 'a' doneto 'ear you going on. As for what's 'appened, I'll tell you all I knowwith the greatest willingness on earth. And as for bein' careful, thereain't no call for you to tell me to be that, for that I always am, asby now you ought to know.'
'Yes,--I do know. Is that all you have to say?'
'Rilly, Mr Phillips, what a man you are for catching people up, yourilly are. O' course that ain't all I've got to say,--ain't I justa-comin' to it?'
'Then come.'
'If you presses me so you'll muddle of me up, and then if I do 'appento make a herror, you'll say I'm a liar, when goodness knows thereain't no more truthful woman not in Limehouse.'
Words plainly trembled on the Inspector's lips,--which he refrainedfrom uttering. Mrs Henderson cast her eyes upwards, as if she soughtfor inspiration from the filthy ceiling.
'So far as I can swear it might 'ave been a hour ago, or it might 'avebeen a hour and a quarter, or it might 'ave been a hour and twentyminutes--'
'We're not particular as to the seconds.'
'When I 'ears a knockin' at my front door, and when I comes to open it,there was a Harab party, with a great bundle on 'is 'ead, bigger nor'isself, and two other parties along with him. This Harab party says,in that queer foreign way them Harab parties 'as of talkin', "A roomfor the night, a room." Now I don't much care for foreigners, and neverdid, especially them Harabs, which their 'abits ain't my own,--so I asmuch 'ints the same. But this 'ere Harab party, he didn't seem to quitefoller of my meaning, for all he done was to say as he said afore, "Aroom for the night, a room." And he shoves a couple of 'arf crowns intomy 'and. Now it's always been a motter o' mine, that money is money,and one man's money is as good as another man's. So, not wishing to bedisagreeable--which other people would have taken 'em if I 'adn't, Ishows 'em up 'ere. I'd been downstairs it might 'ave been 'arf a hour,when I 'ears a shindy a-coming from this room--'
'What sort of a shindy?'
'Yelling and shrieking--oh my gracious, it was enough to set your bloodall curdled,--for ear-piercingness I never did 'ear nothing like it. Wedo 'ave troublesome parties in 'ere, like they do elsewhere, but Inever did 'ear nothing like that before. I stood it for about a minute,but it kep' on, and kep' on, and every moment I expected as the otherparties as was in the 'ouse would be complainin', so up I comes and Ithumps at the door, and it seemed that thump I might for all the noticethat was took of me.'
'Did the noise keep on?'
'Keep on! I should think it did keep on! Lord love you! shriek aftershriek, I expected to see the roof took off.'
'Were there any other noises? For instance, were there any sounds ofstruggling, or of blows?'
'There weren't no sounds except of the party hollering.'
'One party only?'
'One party only. As I says afore, shriek after shriek,--when you putyour ear to the panel there was a noise like some other partyblubbering, but that weren't nothing, as for the hollering you wouldn'thave thought that nothing what you might call 'umin could 'ave kep' upsuch a screechin'. I thumps and thumps and at last when I did thinkthat I should 'ave to 'ave the door broke down, the Harab says to mefrom inside, "Go away! I pay for the room! go away!" I did think thatpretty good, I tell you that. So I says, "Pay for the room or not payfor the room, you didn't pay to make that shindy!" And what's more Isays, "If I 'ear it again," I says, "out you goes! And if you don't goquiet I'll 'ave somebody in as'll pretty quickly make you!"'
'Then was there silence?'
'So to speak there was,--only there was this sound as if some party wasa-blubbering, and another sound as if a party was a-panting for hisbreath.'
'Then what happened?'
'Seeing that, so to speak, all was quiet, down I went again. And inanother quarter of a hour, or it might 'ave been twenty minutes, I wentto the front door to get a mouthful of hair. And Mrs Barker, what livesover the road, at No. 24, she comes to me and says, "That there Arabparty of yours didn't stop long." I looks at 'er, "I don't quite folleryou," I says,--which I didn't. "I saw him come in," she says, "andthen, a few minutes back, I see 'im go again, with a great bundle on'is 'ead he couldn't 'ardly stagger under!" "Oh," I says, "that's newsto me, I didn't know 'e'd gone, nor see him neither---" which I didn't.So, up I comes again, and, sure enough, the door was open, and it seemsto me that the room was empty, till I come upon this pore young manwhat was lying be'ind the bed,'
There was a growl from the doctor.
'If you'd had any sense, and sent for me at once, he might have beenalive at this moment.'
''Ow was I to know that, Dr Glossop? I couldn't tell. My finding 'imthere murdered was quite enough for me. So I runs downstairs, and Inips 'old of 'Gustus Barley, what was leaning against the wall, and Isays to him, "'Gustus Barley, run to the station as fast as you can andtell 'em that a man's been murdered,--that Harab's been and killed abloke." And that's all I know about it, and I couldn't tell you nomore, Mr Phillips, not if you was to keep on asking me questions notfor hours and hours'
'Then you think it was this man'--with a motion towards the bed--'whowas shrieking?'
'To tell you the truth, Mr Phillips, about that I don't 'ardly knowwhat to think. If you 'ad asked me I should 'ave said it was a woman. Iought to know a woman's holler when I 'ear it, if any one does, I've'eard enough of 'em in my time, goodness knows. And I should 'ave saidthat only a woman could 'ave hollered like that and only 'er when shewas raving mad. But there weren't no woman with him. There was onlythis man what's murdered, and the other man,--and as for the other manI will say this, that 'e 'adn't got twopennyworth of clothes to cover'im. But, Mr Phillips, howsomever that may be, that's the last HarabI'll 'ave under my roof, no matter what they pays, and you may mark mywords I'll 'ave no more.'
Mrs Henderson, once more glancing upward, as if she imagined herself tohave made some declaration of a religious nature, shook her head withmuch solemnity.
The Beetle: A Mystery Page 45