OU_214051 UNIVERSA - Osmania University

|86 MAINLY MAIGRET
The maid must have finished washing the doorstep, for they
could hear the front door open and shut, then steps fading away into
the distance.
In spite of her sister's presence, Maigret began questioning
Madame Popinga again, speaking with a gentleness of which he
would hardly have thought himself capable.
" Had you already shown those letters to your sister? "
" No. But when that man —"
" Where were they? "
" In a drawer of his desk.... A drawer I never opened. Only, I
knew he kept his revolver there."
Any said something in Dutch, and Madame Popinga, speaking
listlessly, translated :
" My sister tells me I ought to go to bed. I haven't had a wink of
sleep these last three nights. ... He would never have gone. . ..
Perhaps he lost his head for a moment, but it was never more than
that. He liked to laugh; he loved games.... All sorts of things come
back to me that I took no notice of at the time. Everything looks
different now. Beetje coming with fruit and cakes she'd made herself.
I always thought they were for me. . .. Then she'd come and ask
us to play tennis. Always at a moment when she knew I'd have
something else to do. I didn't see it. I didn't want to think evil, and
I was so glad for Conrad to have a bit of fun. . . . You see, he
worked so hard and I knew he must find Delfzijl rather dull. . . .
Last year she nearly came to Paris with us. And it was I who was
pressing her to."
She spoke simply, with such lassitude that there was hardly room
for any rancour.
" He didn't want to leave me. You understood, didn't you? .. .
He never wished to hurt anyone. Never. . .. More than once he
got into trouble by marking too generously in exams.... My
father was always holding that up against him."
She adjusted the position of an ornament on the mantelpiece, a
trivial homely gesture, which seemed altogether incongruous under
the circumstances.
" And now, all I want is to know it's finished. They haven't yet
given permission for him to be buried.. .. You understand, don't
you? I don't know how to explain it... . Let them give him back
to me, and God can punish the murderer...."
She was getting worked up. Her voice rang out more clearly.
" Yes. . . . That's what I believe. .. . Things like that—what can