The Lady Vanishes Page #3

Grimmett was bowling.

-May l trouble you for the sugar?

-What?

The sugar, please.

Thank you so much.

l'd try to get a little sleep,

it'll make you feel quite well.

There's a most intriguing acrostic

in the ''Needlewoman''.

l'm going to try and

unravel it before you wake up.

Reservations for lunch, please.

-Madame has booked for lunch?

-My friend did. She's got the tickets.

Have you seen my friend?

My friend, where is she?

La signora inglese.

The English lady.

There has been no

English lady here.

What?

There has been

no English lady here.

But there has.

She sat there in the corner.

You saw her, you spoke to her,

she sat next to you.

ls ridiculous. She took

me to the dining car...

-and came back here with me.

-You went and came back alone.

Maybe you don't understand.

The lady who looked after

me when l was knocked out.

Perhaps it make you forget?

lf this is some sort of a joke

l'm afraid l don't see the point.

-You served me tea just now.

-Yes, Madame.

-Have you seen the lady l was with?

-But Madame was alone.

Pardon, Madame.

He make mistake.

He must remember the English lady.

She ordered tea and paid for it.

No, it was you

who paid for it.

He says to look

at the bill. l will look.

She gave you a special

packet of tea.

The tea was ours.

l received no packet.

-But you did. l know it happened.

-Pardon, the bill. Tea for one.

But that's not right.

-Would you care to examine the bills?

-No. The whole thing's absurd.

Please, have you seen

a lady pass through?

Old Stinker! lf l thought

you were on this train...

l'd have stayed a week

at the hotel. Lady? No, why?

lt doesn't matter. You probably

wouldn't recognise one anyway.

-Hello! Feeling queer?

-lt's that pipe of yours, George.

Why don't you throw your old socks

away? Thanks for the help.

Come on, sit down.

What's the trouble?

-Something fell on my head.

-When? lnfancy?

-At the station.

-Bad luck! Can l help?

No, only by going away.

My father taught me

not to dessert a lady in trouble.

He even married mother.

Did you see a little lady last night

in the hotel in tweeds?

l saw one but she

was hardly in tweeds.

She was with me,

and now l can't find her.

She must still be on the train.

We haven't stopped.

-Of course she is.

-All right. Nobody said she isn't.

-But that's what they say.

-Who?

The people in the compartment

and the steward.

They insist they never saw her.

All of them.

-You said you got a knock on the head.

-What do you mean?

-Never mind. Do you talk the lingo?

-No.

Maybe they thought you tried

to borrow money.

Let's knock the idea out of their

heads. A most unfortunate remark.

That's one of them.

The little dark man.

There is a misunderstanding. This

lady seems to have lost her friend.

Yes, l have heard. The gentleman

has been explaining to me.

l think under the circumstances

we shall introduce ourselves.

l am an ltalian citizen.

My wife and child.

How do you do. Bonny little chap.

How old is he?

And the lady in the corner

is the Baroness Athona.

l met her husband, he presented

prizes at the Folk Dances Festival.

Minister of Propaganda.

l am Dr Egon Hartz of Prague.

You may have heard of me.

-Not the brain specialist?

-The same.

You went to England to operate

on one of our cabinet ministers.

-Yes.

-Did you find anything?

-A slight cerebral contusion.

-That's better than nothing.

l am picking up a similar case at the

next station, but more complicated.

l shall operate at the

National Hospital tonight.

Among other things a cranial fracture

with completion. You understand?

-Yes, a wallop on the bean.

-l suppose you haven't seen my friend?

-Unfortunately no.

-l'll take a word with the Baroness.

-What do they say?

-Both say they've never seen her.

That's not true.

She was sitting there.

-Can you describe her?

-lt's difficult.

-She was middle-aged and ordinary.

-What was she wearing?

Tweeds, oatmeal flecked with brown,

a coat with patch pockets...

a scarf, felt hat, brown shoes,

a tussle shirt...

and a small blue handkerchief in her

breast pocket. l can't remember.

You could've been paying attention.

You both went along to tea?

-Yes.

-Surely you met somebody.

Right you are.

Now let's dig him out.

Pardon. May l come with you?

This is most interesting.

We don't like people muscling in,

but we'll make you a member.

Wait. There was somebody else.

As we passed this compartment...

Miss Froy stumbled in and there

was a tall gentleman and a lady.

lf we can really find someone

who saw her...

we'll have

the place searched.

-Can l be of any assistance?

-That's the gentleman.

Do you remember seeing this young lady

pass with a little English woman?

l'm afraid not.

You must! She almost fell

into your compartment.

Surely you haven't forgotten.

lt's very important.

Everybody's saying she wasn't here,

but l'm going to find her...

even if

l have to stop the train.

Caldicott, it's Charters.

Can l come in?

That girl we saw in the hotel,

she's kicking up a fuss.

-Says she lost her friend.

-She hasn't been in here, old man.

-She's threatening to stop the train.

-Lord!

lf we miss our connection in Basle,

we'll never make Manchester in time.

-This is serious.

-Let's hide in here.

l haven't the faintest recollection.

You must be making a mistake.

He obviously doesn't remember.

Let's look for the other fellow.

-Who were you talking to outside?

-People in the corridor, arguing.

-There he is. That's the man.

-l wonder if you can help us.

-How?

-l was having tea an hour ago...

with an English lady.

You saw her, didn't you?

-l was talking to my friend.

-lndubitably.

Yes, but you were at the next table.

She borrowed the sugar.

-l recall passing the sugar.

-Then you saw her.

We were in deep conversation,

discussing cricket.

How a thing like cricket

can make you forget seeing people?

lf that's your attitude,

there's nothing more to say.

Come, Caldicott.

Thing like cricket.

Wrong tactic. We should have told him

we were looking for a cricket ball.

Yes, but he spoke to her.

There must be some explanation.

There is.

Please forgive me.

l'm quite possibly wrong

but l have known cases...

when a sudden shock or blow has

induced the most vivid impressions.

-l understand. You don't believe me.

-lt's not a question of belief.

Even a concussion may have curious

effects upon an imaginative person.

l can remember every little detail.

Her name. Miss Froy. Everything.

So interesting.

lf one had time...

one could trace the cause

of the hallucination.

-Hallucination?

-Precisely. There is no Miss Froy.

-Just a vivid subjective image.

-But l met her last night at the hotel.

-You thought you did.

-What about her name?

A past association. An advertisement,

a character subconsciously remembered.

No, there is no reason to be afraid,

if you are quiet and relaxed.

Thank you very much.

Dravake. lf you will excuse me, this

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