Free The Hunter and the Trapped by Josephine Bell Page B

mind?”
    â€œThe man is evil – an evil embodiment of self-love and pride – with a total disregard of all law, moral or spiritual, perhaps worldly, too. Evil always destroys itself and so comes to an end.”
    â€œThat’s a pretty sweeping over-simplification and takes no account of how much damage it does on the way. I can’t think in terms of good and evil. Too sensational. Too vague. I have to look for detailed deficiency or some other kind of aberration. After all, Simon has done nothing, as far as we know, that is not common behaviour in these immoral days. I don’t see that he can be attacked publicly on any grounds whatever. He is most discreet. This holiday, for instance. They are going in a party of at least twenty. I know he will see to it that any hint of scandal will appear as slander and be suppressed as such.”
    â€œHe is evil,” repeated Mrs. Allingham. “You will be forced to acknowledge it in time.”
    Hubert Dane, who visited her shortly after she had had this conversation with her son, needed no persuading to agree with her fully.
    â€œWilliam won’t have it,” she told him, sadly. “But doctors have no sense of sin, do they? Very little real moral sense at all. I don’t mean that William …”
    â€œOf course you don’t. I know exactly what you mean. He probably thinks Fawcett’s endocrine mechanisms are wrong or diseased, which comes to the same thing, doesn’t it? Trust a specialist to find his own subject even against common sense. And in any case what difference does it make to the effects , whether the cause is illness or deliberate wickedness? Those who suffer from people like Fawcett don’t suffer less because a doctor says it’s due to disease.”
    Mrs. Allingham nodded.
    â€œIn any case there is nothing we can do,” she said. “Only pray that Penny’s real goodness and – balance – will win in the end.”
    Hubert’s face darkened.
    â€œI’m not prepared to take that risk,” he said. “I’ve been making a few quiet inquiries about the man and the picture that emerges is very much darker than anything William led me to suspect.”
    â€œHow d’you mean?”
    â€œOther students at the college. And women, – certainly one woman, outside it. I’ve known for some time about one dreadful case. A suicide, on his account, from a liner.”
    Mrs. Allingham’s face contracted in pain.
    â€œCouldn’t it have been an accident?”
    â€œUnfortunately it could, except for one piece of evidence that can’t be released. There’d been a party on board and several passengers had seen – the victim, rather drunk, leaning on the rail. The cabin portholes were closed. No one saw it happen. Just vanished.”
    â€œWasn’t there an inquiry?”
    â€œOf course. The shipping line was all for the accident theory. But the ship’s doctor said the poor creature was neurotic and suffering from insomnia. He knows more but won’t give it away.”
    â€œHave you actually seen this ship’s doctor?”
    â€œOh, yes. I told you I mean to collect all the positive evidence I can.”
    Mrs. Allingham began to understand the formidable enmity that possessed her son’s friend.
    â€œHubert, revenge is not for us,” she began, but he stopped her with a passionate gesture.
    â€œI mean to have it,” he said, in a low voice. “I mean to break him.”
    â€œWhat good will that do?” In her alarm Mrs. Allingham got up and moved across the room to lay her hand on Hubert’s shoulder. “An open scandal would do infinitely more harm than good to Penny. Mr. Fawcett may have caused the rupture with the Carringtons, but would Penny have been happy, really happy, with Richard? Wasn’t it better she should realise in time how little she cared for him?”
    Hubert got up, shaking off the old