Wilkie Collins – The Woman in White.
The seven miles to Seven Wells had seemed long ones because the road was narrow, hilly and winding and because to Fenella it was unfamiliar. The nine miles to Croyton seemed even longer in proportion. It was slow work towing the damaged car and also she was in a fever to get to the garage in the hope – faint, by this time, but still not altogether quenched – that, after all, the repairs could be effected in time for her to reach her cousins’ house that night.
The first thing she did upon arrival at the garage was to telephone her cousins. She half hoped that they might offer to come over and fetch her, but when no such suggestion was made from the other end she realised that her faint hope was unreasonable. She was not even at the halfway stage of her journey. By the time her cousins reached Croyton it would be at least eight o’clock, and they would be lucky to get back to Douston by the small hours of the morning.
She returned to the two men to find that her car had been removed to the inspection pit.
‘Well?’ she said. ‘Have you found out what’s wrong?’
‘Can’t, until I give her a proper overhaul, miss, and that won’t be tonight, not with my boy away. Can’t tie myself up with a big repair job while I’m single-handed. Thought I’d told you,’ said the garage proprietor mildly.
‘But you don’t know yet that it is a big repair job,’ protested Fenella. ‘I don’t see how it can be. As I told you, the car was serviced only a week ago.’
‘Can’t help that, miss. If she won’t start, well, she won’t start, and that’s the be-all and the end-all, as I see it.
The landlord had remained in his own car. He lowered his window and called out :
‘Come on now, love. I haven’t got all day.’
Fenella went to the open window.
‘I don’t know what’s the best thing to do,’ she said, midway between despair and fury. ‘I’m sure this man could find out what’s wrong if he’d only make a start on the car. He just simply won’t be bothered.’
‘Nothing much you can do about it, then, is there, love?’ said the landlord, giving her a kind, fraternal smile. ‘You just hop in beside me and we’ll have you back at my place in no time. Told your folks as you’ll be stopping the night along of me, did you?’
‘No, of course I didn’t,’ replied Fenella snappishly. ‘I told them not to worry if I didn’t get to them tonight, that’s all. I suppose I’d better find a hotel here in Croyton, so that I can be on the spot first thing in the morning.’
‘Best not try that, love. Wouldn’t work. For one thing, there isn’t nowhere in Croyton where a lady like yourself would choose to stay, and, even if there was, who’s going to take you in without your luggage and that?’
‘My luggage is in the boot of my car. Of course it is! You don’t think I travel without it, do you?’ said Fenella, with a curious and uncomfortable feeling that she was having a bad dream.
‘You won’t find it there now,’ he said, looking calmly at her. ‘I’ve had my orders. Best you get in beside me and let’s be off. Mother’ll be getting your room ready, if she have time to spare from the preparations. It’s Mayerin’ Eve, you see.’
‘So you told me before. But why did you take my luggage out of the boot? It was an unpardonable liberty! I quite expected the car to be put right this afternoon. There can’t be very much wrong with it. I suppose….’ She had been about to say, ‘I suppose this is a put-up job between you and that garage man to make sure of some extra money,’ but something in the landlord’s gaze restrained her. She got in beside him and he let in the clutch.
‘You’ll let me know how much to pay you for the hire of your car and the towing, of course,’ she said stiffly, as they drove off.
‘Oh, that’ll go on the bill, I daresay, love,’ he replied, in his off-hand, cheerful way. ‘Won’t be much, any old how. You got any money?’
‘Well, enough to pay for a night’s lodging and the repairs and the rest of it, of course,’ she answered, not much liking the question.
‘Wouldn’t matter, anyway.’ He changed gear and spoke no more until they were approaching the village. Then he said, ‘It’s Mayerin’ Eve with us. I told you, didn’t I? Means there’s always celebrations of a sort. Dates from way back, from the olden times, I reckon, but village always insist we keep it up. Only been here three years, but we’ve had to learn the ropes.’
Fenella decided to make the best of things.
‘What do you do?’ she asked. ‘What does the village do, I mean.’
‘Oh, nothing that would interest a stranger. You’ll be in bed and asleep, I daresay, time as anything starts, and best you should be. Anyway, whatever you see or hear, you take no notice. Half the lads’ll be dead drunk, any road, but there’s nothing to worry about, so long as you keep out of the way. Sober enough, the village, most of the time, but Mayerin’ be something a bit special for ’em, with the funeral bakemeats and all. Solemn and spirited, like an Irish wake, is Mayerin’ Eve, and glad and joyful is Mayerin’ Day, like the dancing after the will be read, if you understand me, love.’
‘Oh, of course, it’s May-Day tomorrow,’ said Fenella. That means that this is Walpurgis Night, but that’s a German custom, isn’t it? I didn’t know it was ever observed in England.’
‘I never heard of it. What’s it supposed to mean?’
‘Oh, the expulsion of witches, I believe. The villagers fumigate their houses and then burn bundles of twigs
