stood by us during these last tragic weeks, don’t you think we ought to raise their
salaries all round?”
“Certainly not,” snapped Percival Fortescue.
“Quite uncalled for and unnecessary.”
Inspector Neele noticed the gleam of
devilry in Lance’s eyes. Percival, however, was far too much upset to notice it.
“You always had the most extraordinarily
extravagant ideas,” he stuttered. “In the state
in which this firm has been left, economy is
our only hope.”
Inspector Neele coughed apologetically.
“That’s one of the things I wanted to talk
to you about, Mr. Fortescue,” he said to
Percival.
“Yes, Inspector?” Percival switched his
attention to Neele.
“I want to put certain suggestions before
you, Mr. Fortescue. I understand that for the
278
past six months or longer, possibly a year, your father’s general behaviour and conduct
has been a source of increasing anxiety to
you.”
“He wasn’t well,” said Percival, with
finality. “He certainly wasn’t at all well.”
“You tried to induce him to see a doctor
but you failed. He refused catagorically?”
“That is so.”
“May I ask you if you suspected that your
father was suffering from what is familiarly
referred to as G.P.I. General Paralysis of the
Insane, a condition with signs of megalomania
and irritability which terminates
sooner or later in hopeless insanity?”
Percival looked surprised. “It is remarkably
astute of you. Inspector. That is exactly what
I did fear. That is why I was so anxious for
my father to submit to medical treatment.”
Neele went on:
“In the meantime, until you could persuade
your father to do that, he was capable
of causing a great deal of havoc to the
business?”
“He certainly was,” Percival agreed.
“A very unfortunate state of affairs,” said
the Inspector.
279
“Quite terrible. No one knows the anxiety I
have been through.”
Neele said gently:
“From the business point of view, your
father’s death was an extremely fortunate
circumstance.”
Percival said sharply:
“You can hardly think I would regard my
father’s death in that light.”
“It is not a question of how you regard it,
Mr. Fortescue. I’m speaking merely of a
question of fact. Your father died before his
finances were completely on the rocks.”
Percival said impatiently:
“Yes, yes. As a matter of actual fact, you
are right.”
“It was a fortunate occurrence for your
whole family, since they are dependent on
this business.”
“Yes. But really Inspector, I don’t see what
you’re driving at . . .” Percival broke off.
“Oh, I’m not driving at anything, Mr.
Fortescue,” said Neele. “I just like getting
my facts straight. Now there’s another thing.
I understood you to say that you’d had no
communication of any kind with your brother
here since he left England many years ago.
»?
“Quite so,” said Percival.
280
“Yes, but it isn’t quite so, is it, Mr.
Fortescue? I mean that last spring when you
were so worried about your father’s health,
you actually wrote to your brother in Africa,
told him of your anxiety about your father’s
behaviour. You wanted, I think, your brother
to combine with you in getting your father
medically examined and put under restraint,
if necessary.”
“I—I—really, I don’t see . . .” Percival was
badly shaken.
“That is so, isn’t it, Mr. Fortescue?”
“Well, actually, I thought it only right.
After all, Lancelot was a junior partner.”
Inspector Neele transferred his gaze to
Lance. Lance was grinning.
“You received that letter?” Inspector Neele
asked.
Lance Fortescue nodded.
“What did you reply to it?”
Lance’s grin widened.
“I told Percy to go and boil his head and to
let the old man alone. I said the old man
probably knew what he was doing quite
well.”
Inspector Neele’s gaze went back again to
Percival.
281
“Were those the terms of your brother’s
answer?”
“I—I—well, I suppose roughly, yes. Far
more offensively couched, however.”
“I thought the Inspector had better have a
bowdlerised version,” said Lance. He went
on, “Frankly, Inspector Neele, that is one of
the reasons why, when I got a letter from my
father, I came home to see for myself what I
thought. In the short interview I had with my
father, frankly I couldn’t see anything much