[Mrs Bradley 45] - A Hearse on May Day

game was being played with cards, but, apart from the unusual fact that there were twelve players, for everybody held a hand, (Gemini having one between them), Fenella had never seen the kind of designs which were on the pack. Moreover, far more than the usual deck of fifty-two cards was being used, for, although she was unable to take a reliable count, it seemed to her that each player must be in possession of at least ten cards, of which none was discarded, but, as a point was won or lost, the cards simply changed hands and, in extraordinary silence except for a very faint and occasional rustling, the strange game went on as though it would never come to an end.

It was Fenella herself who finished it. A tickle in her throat made her give an involuntary cough. Immediately all the playing-cards were slammed face-downwards on to the table and Scorpio leapt to the switch and put on the electric light.

‘An interloper!’ he exclaimed harshly. The others hastily blew and pinched out their candles, pushed back their chairs and stood up, those with their backs to the door swinging round to face Fenella. She was considerably startled by the hostility in the eyes which glared at her through the masks.

‘I’m awfully sorry,’ she said. ‘I didn’t realise the room was occupied. I left a book here. I came along to fetch it. I didn’t like to interrupt when I saw that you were – that you were busy.’

‘She’s broken the magic number. She makes us thirteen,’ said Pisces, the fish listing heavily and a woman’s cultured voice coming slightly muffled through the mask.

‘She ain’t sat down, though, nor yet she hasn’t ate nor drunk,’ said Aquarius, and Fenella noticed the array of bottles and the dishes of food on the broad window-ledge and on the mantelpiece.

‘Best give ’er the book, whatever it is, and let ’er go,’ said Sagittarius.

‘Did we ought to swear her?’ asked Taurus.

‘Depends,’ said Leo. ‘What d’you reckon we be up to?’ he demanded of Fenella. ‘Answer, now, as at the Judgment Day.’

‘I imagine it’s something to do with Mayering Eve,’ she said, ‘but, as I haven’t the faintest idea what Mayering Eve is all about, I’ve no notion at all of what you’re up to, and I’m extremely sorry I….’

‘Oh, well, I reckon as ’ow the maiden meant no ’arm,’ said Capricorn. ‘You be a maiden and not a married ooman, I take it?’ he added, turning towards her.

‘Oh, well, yes. I mean, I’m not married,’ said Fenella, with what she hoped was a propitiatory smile. ‘I’ll just take my book, then, shall I? I can see where it is. It’s on the bottom shelf of the bookcase.’

‘You hold on a bit,’ said the short-haired half of Gemini. ‘I reckon us ought to look into this a bit more close, friends. Who might you be, anyway?’

‘Look,’ said his other half, ‘if anyone’s goin’ to question the young lady, it did ought to be one of us oomen, and not you clumsy great men. Frightenin’ the girl, you be, and her a stranger in our midst.’

‘Yes, and what’s she doin’ in our midst?’ demanded Taurus. ‘Let ’er give an account of ’erself – and it better be a good un.’

‘May I sit down?’ asked Fenella. Since her early childhood masks had always disturbed her and she was disturbed and rather frightened now. However, determined not to show what she was feeling, without waiting for an answer she took an armchair which had been pushed against the wall to make room for the extended table and seated herself in what she hoped was a composed and nonchalant manner. ‘Now, then, what do you want me to say?’ she asked. ‘I’ve apologised for gate-crashing your meeting. It was unintentional and, in any case, this is the only lounge in the place, and I am a guest in the hotel.’

‘And how come that about?’ demanded Libra. ‘This here ain’t an ’otel. It’s just a pub. Do you mean as Jem Shurrock has tooken you to be his lodger?’ At this, Aries gave a youthful, furtive snigger and with sudden recollection Fenella glanced at him.

‘Only for tonight. My car broke down. I shall be on my way tomorrow,’ she said, in reply to the question. Libra, judging by his voice, was a very old man, and she spoke soothingly.

‘I suppose it’s all right,’ said the peace-making Aquarius. ‘Us don’t know the maiden and her don’t know us. I reckon no harm done, friends. So be as she keep out of our way from now onwards, I take it we say no more about it. Time march on and there’s plenty of work ahead of us before the young folks starts their Mayerin’, which, as we all knows to our cost, be liable to get goin’ in the earliest hours of the mornin’. While we goes on a-quizzin’ of this here maiden, there’s precious minutes goin’ beggin’. Us ’aven’t even begun the proper discussion of the evenin’, and the cards ’aven’t ’elped us none, so far as I can make out.’

‘Only because of this interlopin’ interruption,’ snarled Scorpio. ‘The card fell right for Squire, then, didn’t un? Not as I holds with ’aving a funeral on a May-Day. Still, can’t be ’elped, and it’s opened the grave all right.’

‘Not altogether ’is card didn’t. Ask me, they never wasn’t goin’ to come out, not the cards wasn’t, not if we’d played till Doomsday,’ said the female half of Gemini. ‘And, like our brother say, the time do be gettin’ on, and you all knows what come to be settled. Not a whole one left, when tonight’s business be over, and us need three more, at the least, to make all safe for posteriety. Five, if us can manage it.’

‘Hold your tongue, you foolish woman!’ commanded Leo sternly. ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’

‘I’m as good as you are, any day, Brother,’ retorted the woman, ‘and I say let’s get