It was only in Tryphena’s behaviour did Bainton ever guess...
He kept asking himself why it was that if Tryphena saw someone at the shop window, why hadn't he seen them too? Surely no-one could have disappeared that quickly?
Bainton weighed up the facts. Perhaps if he delved into the story of Tryphena’s brother's mysterious death, he would be able to understand more?
Cordelia and her aunt knew the family. So Bainton paid a call to his intended. He hoped they had the answers he needed.
They told him what they knew about David and how he'd been very much like his sister. They were both of the opinion that he'd been prone to moodswings. Apparently his behaviour could be most unbecoming at times. He often appeared sad and at times slumped into fits of melancholia. They knew of several rather peculiar outbursts. His death had been very odd, they said. They'd heard that the gun was with him when he died.
There was even talk at the time that he may have taken his own life. But his mother had insisted to the police that his demeanour had been cheerful that fateful day.
Bainton went to see Mary Salt. A maid showed him into the sitting room.
Mary sat there, shrouded in jet black mourning clothes, a bible in her hand. She told Bainton that her daughter had been buried within the last week. She said that there was a small plot in the churchyard which the Salt family owned. Tryphena had been laid to rest there. It had been so important, she stressed, to have her buried with her brother and family.
Bainton sensed there was something in Mary's manner that told him she was holding something back. He began to ask questions:
“Your daughter told me that she was followed wherever she went. But I saw no-one..."
Mary sat up straight; she shook her head. Then she hid her face with a lace handkerchief. She was so distraught that she could only utter one word:
“CHARLES...!"
Bainton went quiet. He waited until Mary's sobs subsided.
Then he responded: “Charles couldn't have known every place that Try visited. Besides, he was away in London part of the time, on business. He couldn’t possibly follow her everywhere.”
He continued: “David died in a way that made people think something was amiss. Did Try miss him? Because you were in mourning dress for him, but she wasn‘t.”
Mary replied in a weary voice. “Try loved her brother dearly, but she said she didn’t need to wear black to show her pain. She wasn’t one to follow the conventions of society".
Bainton wasn't getting very far. He mentioned Charles again, but Mary’s face hardened.
He would have to persist if he was to find out the truth:
“Charles is a handsome fellow. But I wouldn’t have thought stabbing was in his nature. I know he’s sad over Try’s death, but he's not heartbroken. Not like a man in the grip of love".
Mary didn't answer, so Bainton resumed his questioning:
"He also said that he couldn’t see Try sitting in the gazebo when he looked outside - and I believe him. He was only outside for a minute, not long enough to walk to the gazebo.”
At that, Mary screamed suddenly: “STOP! No more, Mr Gray, please! "
She pointed to the door, before ordering: "PLEASE LEAVE!”
But Bainton didn't leave. Instead, he knelt down before her and gazed into her eyes. Mary looked at him in surprise, startled by this sudden change in him.
"Please, Mrs. Salt", he begged. "Try asked me for help. I feel I’ve failed her....” Bainton’s voice shook then, as he thought of Tryphena’s haunted face.
Mary looked at him and saw the sadness in his grey eyes. She looked away, she couldn’t bear to meet his gaze.
Bainton pulled himself together and continued:
“When you went outside on that fateful night, you came back. But after that, your actions were strange. You kept your fan in front of your face. Why hide your face? You weren’t hiding from a person. So what else could you hide, except your feelings? At a social gathering you're expected to look happy. But to want to hide your features like that must mean you were feeling the opposite. Is that because you'd found your daughter dead?"
Mary stared at him, speechless. But something about the look in her eyes told Bainton he was getting nearer to the truth. He carried on:
"I think she was lying dead on the gazebo floor, which is why Charles couldn’t see her from the house. When you came back indoors, you covered your face to hide your grief. But you couldn't tell anyone she was dead....."
He paused, watching for her reaction, before continuing:
"I don’t think you had the strength to stab her, I noticed that day in the hat shop that your hands are weak. I'm sure that you didn't do it.....The knife… you could have eased the knife out of her body. You could have hidden that up your long sleeves. When I touched Try's cheek she was deathly cold. I think she'd been dead for such a length of time, that neither you nor Charles could have killed her while I was there".
He studied Mary's tear-stained face. "What was in that letter Mrs Salt? I have to know. Please, please tell me?"
Mary didn't answer. She just lowered her head.
“So, you'd rather have the man your daughter loved hang for this?” asked Bainton.
Mary looked at him again. She saw the pain in his eyes. Overcome with emotion, she suddenly found her burden too much to bear. She knew that he'd guessed her secret. She would have to tell him what she knew.
She confessed that the letter she'd found next to Try's body was a goodbye letter. The note had said that she couldn’t carry on with her life. She’d been quoting Tennyson’s Maud several times recently, a poem about death, funerals and religion. It was an odd thing to do. The strange, disordered Maud, talking of death over and over. But then, Tryphena’s mind worked in strange ways.
Try believed she was being followed wherever she went, it was unbearable.
The letter went on to say that she'd always thought Charles was a good person. But now she knew he didn't love her. She'd discovered that he had a secret life. She'd found out how he spent his time in London; and it had been shocking.
She’d recently lost her only brother David. They'd been close. She missed him so much. He was her equal and he understood her.
Try liked Bainton, but felt guilty that he had come into her life. She thought that she only brought misery to people, she didn't want to ruin his life.
Her suicide note had ended with goodbye.
Mary told Bainton she’d give her soul for her children to be in Heaven. She'd destroyed the letter, the same as she'd done with her son David’s farewell note.
Bainton summed up the facts: “So a verdict of suicide would have meant she’d be buried in unconsecrated ground. Away from her family and from God. I understand the pain this brings you. But Tryphena has now been buried, so she will remain there at peace".
"You've done all you can for your daughter. But there's one more thing you must do. Try wouldn’t want Charles to hang, he's an innocent man. Do you think that she'd be able to rest in her grave if that happens?"
Mary drew herself up. Her face was grim but she was prepared to face the consequences.
Bainton felt saddened at the conclusion of these events. But it taught him that life was far too short. He realised how deep his feelings were for Miss Fortescue.
So he mustered the courage to ask for Cordelia’s hand in marriage.
His proposal was accepted.
The Gray, Fortsecue and Stow families gathered together to celebrate the engagement. Bainton even managed to sneak Cordelia away from her chaperone for a short time!
At last, Bainton and Cordelia were alone. As they embraced under the starry sky, Bainton felt elated.
Later on, Bainton gallantly agreed to make Cordelia's Aunt Jane a hat. Not just any hat, but the finest one ever.....
The End.
Miss Quin's Explanatory Notes On The Story
The idea for this story was inspired by a historical account about religious beliefs in England during the Victorian era. The story was partly based on Elizabeth Siddal's death. Lizzie was married to the artist, Dante Gabriel Rossetti. She was an artists model and is featured in a famous painting called Ophelia by Millais.
She's thought to have taken an overdose of laudanum which killed her. But her family insisted it was an accident, because they wanted her buried in the churchyard.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Siddal
Tryphena was suffering from a psychiatric illness. Her tantrum in the shop and over excitement at Bainton's visits were caused by mood swings. She thought that she was being followed everywhere, but this was a classic symptom of paranoid delusion - there really wasn't anyone there. The story also suggests that her brother David had the same illness.
The Clues
He kept asking himself why it was that if Tryphena saw someone at the shop window, why hadn't he seen them too? Surely no-one could have disappeared that quickly?
Bainton weighed up the facts. Perhaps if he delved into the story of Tryphena’s brother's mysterious death, he would be able to understand more?
Cordelia and her aunt knew the family. So Bainton paid a call to his intended. He hoped they had the answers he needed.
They told him what they knew about David and how he'd been very much like his sister. They were both of the opinion that he'd been prone to moodswings. Apparently his behaviour could be most unbecoming at times. He often appeared sad and at times slumped into fits of melancholia. They knew of several rather peculiar outbursts. His death had been very odd, they said. They'd heard that the gun was with him when he died.
There was even talk at the time that he may have taken his own life. But his mother had insisted to the police that his demeanour had been cheerful that fateful day.
Bainton went to see Mary Salt. A maid showed him into the sitting room.
Mary sat there, shrouded in jet black mourning clothes, a bible in her hand. She told Bainton that her daughter had been buried within the last week. She said that there was a small plot in the churchyard which the Salt family owned. Tryphena had been laid to rest there. It had been so important, she stressed, to have her buried with her brother and family.
Bainton sensed there was something in Mary's manner that told him she was holding something back. He began to ask questions:
“Your daughter told me that she was followed wherever she went. But I saw no-one..."
Mary sat up straight; she shook her head. Then she hid her face with a lace handkerchief. She was so distraught that she could only utter one word:
“CHARLES...!"
Bainton went quiet. He waited until Mary's sobs subsided.
Then he responded: “Charles couldn't have known every place that Try visited. Besides, he was away in London part of the time, on business. He couldn’t possibly follow her everywhere.”
He continued: “David died in a way that made people think something was amiss. Did Try miss him? Because you were in mourning dress for him, but she wasn‘t.”
Mary replied in a weary voice. “Try loved her brother dearly, but she said she didn’t need to wear black to show her pain. She wasn’t one to follow the conventions of society".
Bainton wasn't getting very far. He mentioned Charles again, but Mary’s face hardened.
He would have to persist if he was to find out the truth:
“Charles is a handsome fellow. But I wouldn’t have thought stabbing was in his nature. I know he’s sad over Try’s death, but he's not heartbroken. Not like a man in the grip of love".
Mary didn't answer, so Bainton resumed his questioning:
"He also said that he couldn’t see Try sitting in the gazebo when he looked outside - and I believe him. He was only outside for a minute, not long enough to walk to the gazebo.”
At that, Mary screamed suddenly: “STOP! No more, Mr Gray, please! "
She pointed to the door, before ordering: "PLEASE LEAVE!”
But Bainton didn't leave. Instead, he knelt down before her and gazed into her eyes. Mary looked at him in surprise, startled by this sudden change in him.
"Please, Mrs. Salt", he begged. "Try asked me for help. I feel I’ve failed her....” Bainton’s voice shook then, as he thought of Tryphena’s haunted face.
Mary looked at him and saw the sadness in his grey eyes. She looked away, she couldn’t bear to meet his gaze.
Bainton pulled himself together and continued:
“When you went outside on that fateful night, you came back. But after that, your actions were strange. You kept your fan in front of your face. Why hide your face? You weren’t hiding from a person. So what else could you hide, except your feelings? At a social gathering you're expected to look happy. But to want to hide your features like that must mean you were feeling the opposite. Is that because you'd found your daughter dead?"
Mary stared at him, speechless. But something about the look in her eyes told Bainton he was getting nearer to the truth. He carried on:
"I think she was lying dead on the gazebo floor, which is why Charles couldn’t see her from the house. When you came back indoors, you covered your face to hide your grief. But you couldn't tell anyone she was dead....."
He paused, watching for her reaction, before continuing:
"I don’t think you had the strength to stab her, I noticed that day in the hat shop that your hands are weak. I'm sure that you didn't do it.....The knife… you could have eased the knife out of her body. You could have hidden that up your long sleeves. When I touched Try's cheek she was deathly cold. I think she'd been dead for such a length of time, that neither you nor Charles could have killed her while I was there".
He studied Mary's tear-stained face. "What was in that letter Mrs Salt? I have to know. Please, please tell me?"
Mary didn't answer. She just lowered her head.
“So, you'd rather have the man your daughter loved hang for this?” asked Bainton.
Mary looked at him again. She saw the pain in his eyes. Overcome with emotion, she suddenly found her burden too much to bear. She knew that he'd guessed her secret. She would have to tell him what she knew.
She confessed that the letter she'd found next to Try's body was a goodbye letter. The note had said that she couldn’t carry on with her life. She’d been quoting Tennyson’s Maud several times recently, a poem about death, funerals and religion. It was an odd thing to do. The strange, disordered Maud, talking of death over and over. But then, Tryphena’s mind worked in strange ways.
Try believed she was being followed wherever she went, it was unbearable.
The letter went on to say that she'd always thought Charles was a good person. But now she knew he didn't love her. She'd discovered that he had a secret life. She'd found out how he spent his time in London; and it had been shocking.
She’d recently lost her only brother David. They'd been close. She missed him so much. He was her equal and he understood her.
Try liked Bainton, but felt guilty that he had come into her life. She thought that she only brought misery to people, she didn't want to ruin his life.
Her suicide note had ended with goodbye.
Mary told Bainton she’d give her soul for her children to be in Heaven. She'd destroyed the letter, the same as she'd done with her son David’s farewell note.
Bainton summed up the facts: “So a verdict of suicide would have meant she’d be buried in unconsecrated ground. Away from her family and from God. I understand the pain this brings you. But Tryphena has now been buried, so she will remain there at peace".
"You've done all you can for your daughter. But there's one more thing you must do. Try wouldn’t want Charles to hang, he's an innocent man. Do you think that she'd be able to rest in her grave if that happens?"
Mary drew herself up. Her face was grim but she was prepared to face the consequences.
Bainton felt saddened at the conclusion of these events. But it taught him that life was far too short. He realised how deep his feelings were for Miss Fortescue.
So he mustered the courage to ask for Cordelia’s hand in marriage.
His proposal was accepted.
The Gray, Fortsecue and Stow families gathered together to celebrate the engagement. Bainton even managed to sneak Cordelia away from her chaperone for a short time!
At last, Bainton and Cordelia were alone. As they embraced under the starry sky, Bainton felt elated.
* * *
Later on, Bainton gallantly agreed to make Cordelia's Aunt Jane a hat. Not just any hat, but the finest one ever.....
The End.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Miss Quin's Explanatory Notes On The Story
The idea for this story was inspired by a historical account about religious beliefs in England during the Victorian era. The story was partly based on Elizabeth Siddal's death. Lizzie was married to the artist, Dante Gabriel Rossetti. She was an artists model and is featured in a famous painting called Ophelia by Millais.
"Ophelia" - by Millais
She's thought to have taken an overdose of laudanum which killed her. But her family insisted it was an accident, because they wanted her buried in the churchyard.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Siddal
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tryphena was suffering from a psychiatric illness. Her tantrum in the shop and over excitement at Bainton's visits were caused by mood swings. She thought that she was being followed everywhere, but this was a classic symptom of paranoid delusion - there really wasn't anyone there. The story also suggests that her brother David had the same illness.
Tennyson's Maud
If a letter's reference to a poem is important enough to burn, then as you might guess, it has some bearing on the plot. But poetry is something very individual, why a particular person is drawn to a poem is part of who they are.
"Maud" is a very odd poem, the speaker is in a state of terrible emotional confusion. The story is about death, funerals and religion.
The line“For one that will never be mine” - she’s thinking of Charles.
“A cry for a brother’s blood, it will ring in my heart and my ears till I die” Unlike the poem, Try’s brother wasn’t killed by another, but his death had caused her own distressed state of mind.
“We are not worthy to live.” refers to how she feels.
The poem ends with “bury me, bury me”.
"Maud" is a very odd poem, the speaker is in a state of terrible emotional confusion. The story is about death, funerals and religion.
The line“For one that will never be mine” - she’s thinking of Charles.
“A cry for a brother’s blood, it will ring in my heart and my ears till I die” Unlike the poem, Try’s brother wasn’t killed by another, but his death had caused her own distressed state of mind.
“We are not worthy to live.” refers to how she feels.
The poem ends with “bury me, bury me”.
The Clues
- The maid - in the story she said that Try had been in the kitchen. That was a clue. The upper classes rarely visited kitchens. If they did so, that was because they had a good reason to be there. Try went into the kitchen and took a knife to kill herself.
- The cat named McGuffin was just that, a McGuffin. It wasn't really a clue. Just a reference to a false clue with no meaning.
- Gun cleaning accidents - how many people have actually died as a result of cleaning a gun? It’s often a cover up for murder or suicide. There was a clue to David's suicide there. Why would you clean a loaded gun? Plus, if you have servants, why clean things yourself?
- The fan - why would someone cover their face? That was a clue too. Because if you can’t see them, you can’t see how they feel.
- The Green Carnation - which Charles Browne wore. In Victorian times this was a symbol worn by homosexual men.
The title: “The Secret Of Tryphena Salt - no one at http://www.agathachristie.com/ did guess what her secret might be!
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